Covering the sky: Starting with the holy body, the immortal Taoist comes to attack

Chapter 156 Seize power!

In the capital.

The street leading from the palace to the general's residence was once incredibly wide, enough to accommodate fifteen horses galloping side by side, but now it still seems somewhat narrow.

There are just too many people today.

Led by Gu Xuan's chariot, with Sima Gu bound to it like a dead dog, followed by tens of thousands of people.

Among them were royal guards, imperial soldiers, and many ordinary citizens.

Moreover, from a distance, even more people, having heard the news, were flocking in this direction.

This was exactly the effect Gu Xuan wanted. As long as it didn't interfere with his efforts to wipe out the Sima clan at the front, the more people present, the better.

In this way, he can more easily establish his authority and maximize the integration of forces from all sides.

……

Meanwhile, in the general's mansion...

When Sima Shang received the news from Sima Gu's close confidant, his first reaction was disbelief.

In his original view, this so-called "king's rebellion" was just a childish game played by an ignorant puppet, not worth mentioning at all.

If the third brother, Sima Gu, goes there, he will surely be able to easily quell this farce and bring the impulsive and reckless King Zhou back to the palace.

Then, in the name of the powerful general, he could either depose or confine the Zhou king, doing whatever he wanted with him.

Therefore.

He himself did not show up at all, and even the meetings in the mansion were not interrupted, but continued directly.

But who could have predicted that the current King of Zhou, like a peerless general, would slay enemy generals and annihilate soldiers, just like the ancient ancestor Gaozu, and that his cultivation of the Great Zhou Divine King Technique had reached an extremely profound level?!
This is completely different from his impression of the king!

The current King Zhou has always been a weak and young puppet, and in the past year, he has spent his days drowning his sorrows in fine wine and beautiful women.

How did he suddenly acquire such unparalleled martial prowess?

Good grief, are you trying to play the game of hiding your strength and biding your time with me, secretly plotting something?
However, as a general who had usurped power for more than ten years, Sima Shang was still a ruthless and ambitious man at heart.

Although somewhat shocked, he immediately made the best possible arrangements.

First of all.

He dispatched his trusted confidants to bring in the Imperial Guards from the East Garden, which were closest to the General's Mansion.

This was also one of the Sima family's core armed forces, consisting of three thousand elite armored soldiers.

Second.

He did not announce the news, but kept it a secret.

At this moment, there are many officials from the Three Offices and Six Ministries discussing matters in his residence. If these people were to learn of this, there would surely be panic and chaos, which would be even more detrimental to the situation.

In critical moments, he can also take these people hostage, and if necessary, even fight to the death.

Besides.

He also ordered the summoning of five hundred elite warriors carefully selected and raised by the Sima family over many years, and ordered the Ironclad Guards, each of whom was a fierce soldier capable of taking on ten men.

And that's not all.

Now, the Sima family, having risen to power due to the chaos of war, feared that others would also stage a coup and behead others, so they built the General's Mansion with high walls and deep courtyards, and the gate was made of reinforced iron so that it was unbreakable.

Even a few thousand ordinary soldiers would probably find it difficult to break through.

After all these arrangements, Sima Shang himself felt that he had gone a bit too far, showing excessive attention to the young King Zhou.
however.

After years of experiencing terror and strife, Sima Shang had long understood the principle that even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Before long, three thousand elite armored soldiers of the Eastern Garden Imperial Guard arrived at the gate of the General's Mansion.

The vast majority of mid-level captains in this armed force were promoted by Sima Shang himself, and many of them were his loyal followers in the past.

Therefore, this force was absolutely loyal and reliable, and it was one of Sima Shang's greatest reliance in this battle.

……

And almost at the same time.

Gu Xuan led several thousand men to the main gate of the General's Mansion, where they confronted the three thousand Imperial Guards of the Eastern Garden.

It must be said that the disparity in strength between them is still quite significant.

On Gu Xuan's side, apart from a hundred or so of his trusted eunuchs and palace guards, most of the others were scattered soldiers and civilians.

On the other side was a well-organized unit of the Imperial Guard.

Not to mention the impenetrable defenses of Sima Shang's residence, and the other terrifying forces that might exist within it.

It can be said.

Even though Gu Xuan killed Sima Gu, the situation was still very dangerous for him.

Since things had already reached the point of bloodshed, Sima Shang and his elite guards would no longer care much about Gu Xuan's status as king.

The vast majority of the rabble behind him were simply "following whoever wins"!
Gu Xuan was well aware of this.

He wasn't so foolish or arrogant as to think that just because he was a king, everyone would be on his side.

Just as his chariot was not far from the imposing iron-clad formation of the Eastern Garden Imperial Guards, about fifty meters away...

Gu Xuan brought the chariot to a stop, and he could already see the tension and bloodlust in the eyes of the elite soldiers opposite him.

It is clear that these soldiers were extremely loyal to the Sima clan, and did not have much reverence for him as the king.

"Today's matter will only punish the chief culprit, the Sima family; those who were coerced will not be questioned!"

At Gu Xuan's signal, his eunuch Huang Jing and others shouted loudly, and even some of the imperial guards who had come with them joined in.

The shouts of hundreds of people echoed for nearly ten miles.

The officials of the Three Offices and Six Ministries in the General's Mansion were naturally alarmed long ago. Most of them were in a panic, never imagining that the situation would develop to this point.

At such a time, it was naturally impossible for them to leave the general's mansion.

They were ostensibly being protected, but in reality, it was tantamount to house arrest, another form of hostage-taking.

Although Huang Jing and others' calls for surrender were incredibly loud, their effect was clearly negligible. They could not sway the Eastern Garden Imperial Guards and only provoked a few more violent shouts of killing.

Soldiers are very fast!
Gu Xuan did not waste much time, because the longer it dragged on, the more fully Sima Shang's armed forces could react.

At that time, even if Gu Xuan possesses unparalleled martial prowess, he will likely only be able to ensure his own safe escape, but it will be difficult for him to completely turn the tide.

Therefore.

He roared, his voice like thunder, shaking everyone in the room, and the entire place fell silent for a moment.

Even before they had begun to fight, this divine power had already been imprinted in everyone's hearts.

At this moment, he was clad in golden armor, holding his halberd firmly on the ground, exuding divine might and resembling a god.

"Gentlemen, watch how I defeat the enemy."

He first turned around and shouted loudly to everyone behind him, then flipped off his face mask, and from then on, he was completely protected and had no flaws.

next moment.

Gu Xuan once again displayed his miraculous dragon-capturing skill, retrieving a nearly two-meter-long precious bow and several peculiar arrows from the chariot beneath his feet. Clearly, this was yet another royal treasure.

Amidst the intense attention, Gu Xuan drew his bow and nocked an arrow; the bow was as full as a full moon, and he appeared like a god!
The arrow in his hand was peculiar in shape; its tip was not an ordinary arrowhead, but rather a crescent-shaped shovel, several inches wide.

"Buzz!"

In the next instant, with a sharp whistling sound, Gu Xuan shot out the arrow in his hand.

With a snap, the sturdy wooden banner of the Eastern Garden Imperial Guard broke in two!

this? !

Everyone was stunned. What kind of combat power was this? Before the battle even started, they had already shot down the enemy's military flag, which was used to issue commands, with a single arrow.
In ancient times, there was a saying about the four great military achievements in battle: being the first to scale the enemy lines, breaking through enemy lines, beheading enemy generals, and capturing enemy flags.

Regardless of the method used, being able to cut down or seize the opponent's flag is the ultimate manifestation of some kind of unparalleled military achievement and martial prowess.

But Gu Xuan's actions didn't stop there.

The next moment, he raised his halberd and shouted, "Kill! Whoever takes Sima Shang's head will be granted a fief of ten thousand households!"

There is no room for hesitation.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Gu Xuan, holding a shield in his left hand and a halberd in his right, once again personally led the charge, heading directly towards the East Garden Imperial Guard, which was the main gate of the General's Mansion.

"This……"

Everyone who witnessed this scene was utterly dumbfounded and shocked beyond measure!
At this moment, no one doubted that His Majesty the King of Zhou possessed extraordinary martial prowess and was a peerless powerhouse like his ancestor.

however.

Even someone as strong as him would likely be killed if surrounded by three thousand elite armored guards.

But Gu Xuan did exactly that.

This move shocked even the opposing Eastern Garden Imperial Guards.

When did the king of my Great Zhou Dynasty become so courageous and bold?
From officers to soldiers, everyone was dazzled and mesmerized.

However, there were still some loyal officers of the Sima clan who gave the order to fire a volley of arrows.

Several archers hesitated and were immediately killed by the captain; the rest dared not be negligent any longer.

In the next instant, with a whoosh, like a barrage of arrows, they shot towards Gu Xuan. These people had completely abandoned all pretense of civility, no longer caring even about the king.

Gu Xuan placed his shield on the ground in front of him. Although his armor was sturdy enough to block most arrows, he still had to guard against some possible accidents.

Dangdang Dangdang!
Countless arrows struck his shield.

The next moment, the captain on the other side who had ordered the arrows to be fired realized that he had made two mistakes.

First, he did not order his hundred-plus archers to use a two- or three-stage attack method, but thought that one attack would be enough to seriously injure the enemy in front of him.

Secondly, he underestimated the terror of the current Zhou king.

In the next instant, Gu Xuan burst forward at a speed beyond the comprehension of ordinary soldiers.

In just a few breaths, he arrived at the front of the archer formation and activated his Musou mode.

With the power of the Great Zhou Divine King Technique flowing through him, the halberd in his hand became like a demonic weapon. With a single sweep, he killed more than ten archers who attacked him, even severing their bodies in two.

This was because Gu Xuan deliberately restrained his strength to avoid excessive consumption of divine power.

"Is this... still something that human beings can achieve?"

"How can we fight like this?!"

This thought has likely crossed the minds of countless people.

This naturally included the Imperial Guard captain who had given the order earlier. His eyes widened, and he realized that because he was standing relatively close to the front, he had been spotted by His Majesty the King of Zhou.

He instinctively wanted to retreat and withdraw into the army formation.

But it was clearly too late. Gu Xuan charged forward, wiping out nearly ten archers, and got close to the captain.

As the halberd fell, with a loud thud, the captain was cleaved in two from head to toe, his helmet and chainmail shattered, his internal organs and blood spilling onto the ground.

The battlefield was instantly filled with an overwhelming stench of blood, a truly horrifying sight, like a scene from hell.

Even the Imperial Guards of the Eastern Garden, who were accustomed to battle and well-trained in military formations, felt a chill run down their spines at such a tragic and terrifying scene.

Without pausing for a moment, Gu Xuan, covered in blood, resembled a towering and majestic demon god, relentlessly pressing towards the gate of Sima Shang's residence.

The Eastern Garden Imperial Guards, who were facing off against him, numbered over two thousand, each clad in fine armor and wielding iron spears. Yet, they showed signs of retreating in front of Gu Xuan alone.

Under these circumstances.

Gu Xuan's followers finally snapped out of their shock. Without him having to shout, all the eunuchs, palace guards, and newly recruited imperial guards followed Gu Xuan forward.

"kill!"

These people numbered in the thousands. Although they were a motley crew, they outnumbered the Eastern Garden Imperial Guards and were far more imposing.

Gu Xuan didn't pay any attention to the commotion behind him, not even glancing at it.

This scene was something he had already roughly anticipated.

He knew that as long as he displayed this unparalleled power, coupled with his own supreme status, those people would naturally know what to do.

This is what is known as "winning strategy." As long as everyone believes that following you will lead to victory, it will be very difficult for you to lose!

And that's not all.

Over the years, the Zhou royal family has truly been in a state of decline for far too long.

Moreover, the Great Zhou Dynasty had been weakened for a long time. As you can see, the border regions and places like Xijing Luocheng had long since become hells of burning, killing, raping, and looting by foreign tribes.

The Great Zhou people are now desperately eager for a great ruler to emerge who can lead them back to their former glory!
And this moment.

Isn't the King Zhou before us, who is like a god, invincible and capable of fighting against thousands, the hope in everyone's hearts?!

"kill!"

These nearly 10,000 people, led by Gu Xuan, roared in unison, their voices shaking the entire capital!
Without a doubt, this was an extremely shocking scene. Even the powerful Eastern Garden Imperial Guards on the other side, as well as everyone in the mansion, including Sima Shang, felt an overwhelming fighting spirit and killing intent!
Gu Xuan charged forward again, sweeping his halberd across, sending more than ten stubborn Imperial Guard soldiers flying, their bodies severed, their armor, internal organs, and blood splattered all over the ground.

"Those who surrender will be spared death, and those who launch a counterattack against the Sima clan will be rewarded!"

Gu Xuan roared again, his voice as thunderous as spring thunder and as powerful as a dragon, shaking the ears of all the Imperial Guards of the Eastern Garden.

This time, he used a secret technique from the Great Zhou Divine King's Manual to amplify his roar.

Such a heroic scene shattered the fighting spirit of the remaining Imperial Guards.

With a whoosh, countless soldiers knelt before their king, choosing to surrender and follow him.

With a loud crash, the main gate of the General's Mansion was completely smashed open.

Without any suspense, Sima Shang's five hundred elite warriors, also known as the Ironclad Guards, were unable to withstand the attack of the thousands of imperial guards led by Gu Xuan, and were wiped out in just a few breaths.

Although Sima Shang was tall and strong, and had exceptional martial arts skills, he was once a fierce general who could charge into battle. However, in recent years, he had been preoccupied with court affairs, and his true combat strength had been greatly diminished.

Without any suspense, and without Gu Xuan making a move, several outstanding warriors from the Imperial Guard captured him and dragged him to Gu Xuan's presence like a dead dog.

None of the other members of the Sima family escaped either. These people were once powerful and naturally made many enemies. Now that they have lost power, they are naturally being beaten like dogs in distress.

From then on, the powerful Sima family was wiped out overnight.

As all the soldiers in the capital shouted "Long live the Emperor!", Gu Xuan finally gained control of the five imperial guards in the east, west, south, north, and central regions!
(End of this chapter)