Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 281 The exposed plan, their intentions are despicable.
Regarding the outcome of this battle, apart from Qiu Tangbai finding it somewhat difficult to accept, all the secret guards felt it was reasonable.

Although Xiao Luoyang was not well-known outside, he was highly respected within the Secret Guard.

There was a rumor that he was almost Zhu Jinzhen's personal disciple. In terms of martial arts alone, he was no less than the other Deputy Commander Yan. Before entering the realm of terrestrial immortals, he had the fighting power to fight terrestrial immortals with celestial phenomena.

Having seen that peerless sword today, everyone felt even more strongly that the rumor was true.

After the passing of the Great Brahma, Qiu Tangbai's mind was in turmoil, and he lost all will to fight. In addition, with several secret guards at the Land Immortal Realm watching him covetously, he had no intention of resisting and chose to surrender.

"Bring him back, and you all handle the aftermath carefully, so that it doesn't become public knowledge!"

Xiao Luoyang gave an order, and the secret guards he brought with him carried the body of Da Fantian and Qiu Tangbai away from Yinxia Manor.

"Yes!"

The secret guard in charge of dealing with Yinxia Manor tonight bowed and replied.

……

It will be dawn.

The pattering rain continued from dawn until daybreak, and the sounds of fighting also continued until daybreak. Many people couldn't remember exactly how long the fighting lasted, only that it probably lasted all night.

The swords and hidden weapons in the hands of the secret guards who were responsible for carrying out the missions had become glued to their worn-out palms.

The guards stood back to back, the blood splattered on their faces already congealed, clearly indicating that each of them had survived numerous bloody battles. They were now chatting idly, having survived the ordeal.

"I never imagined that our Ming Dynasty had such a terrifying force hidden within."

"Yes, even the Demonic Sect's stronghold back then was no different, right? Dozens of Finger Profound Realm experts and hundreds of Vajra Realm experts. Not counting our Secret Guard and His Highness's Cangyun and Tiance, it seems like all the experts in the entire Ming Dynasty have gathered here."

"Who can disagree? It's said in the martial arts world that there are only a handful of Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena, and this small Datong Prefecture has a full five of them. It's simply unbelievable."

"I've heard of a place in the martial arts world called Ghost Manor, a place where all sorts of people mingle. No matter how much trouble you cause in the martial arts world, as long as you join Ghost Manor and become a 'living dead,' you can get protection. Therefore, there are both good and evil, black and white, in it, but compared to what we are facing today, cough cough, it's nothing."

"The Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts of Buddhism, the righteous spirit of Confucianism, the Taoist Celestial Master's Mansion, the Three Mao True Transmissions, the Quanzhen Sect, the Wudang martial arts, and even the martial arts of the three religions and nine schools of the demonic sects are all included."

"We're alright here. I heard that on another mission, a secret guard encountered a terrestrial immortal. The sword light that shattered the night sky was the one that suppressed that terrestrial immortal."

"Damn it, if Commander Yan hadn't sent a 'land god' to oversee things, we would have almost been caught off guard. After this mission is over, I must report to Commander Yan that for the next large-scale encirclement mission, we should directly request that Cangyun or Tiance be sent to suppress it."

"The bones are tough to chew, but the rewards are great! After this mission, I can exchange them for a bowl of Dragon Tonic Soup, and the Grand Sect of Celestial Phenomena is just around the corner."

Despite their complaints, the secret guards all wore genuine smiles.

Although the battle was thrilling, the losses were not significant. To be on the safe side, Yan Yimei had sent out several Heavenly Stem level guards on the surface, plus a Land Immortal in charge, and another Land Immortal accompanying her in secret.

Except for a few truly unlucky individuals who suffered serious injuries.

In this operation, apart from being exhausted, not a single one of these secret guards perished.

Of course, injuries are inevitable.

After all, the Secret Guards are a group of people who walk on the edge of life and death. Although Yan Yimei did everything she could, she only provided the Secret Guards with a layer of protection so that they would not lose their lives in the mission due to suddenly encountering too strong an enemy.

……

After a night of clearing out.

More than a dozen mysterious organizations in Datong Prefecture, including the Azure Dragon Society and the strongholds of the remnants of the Demonic Cult, were eradicated.

"The Great Brahma who can bring the dead back to life?" "A mysterious organization with the shadows of the Azure Dragon Society and the remnants of the Demonic Cult, covering all the countries under heaven?"

As Zhu Jinzhen listened to Yan Yimei's report, surprise occasionally showed on his face, but his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was somewhat at ease. No matter how mysterious the organization was, as long as it wasn't time travelers causing trouble.

For him, these were all minor matters.

"Has their conspiracy been uncovered?"

"Your Highness, it has been verified and is correct." Yan Yimei nodded. There might still be some errors under the Heavenly Man's will, or Shu Jiu might have concealed something or not told the whole truth, but she easily obtained all the information she wanted from Da Fantian.

Compared to the Teyvat omelet, which can truly bring people back from the dead.

The seven-tiered pagoda of the Great Brahma's Marrow Cleansing Sutra is nothing special. Coupled with the influence of the will of the celestial beings and the mind-controlling technique, the Great Brahma simply cannot keep the secret.

Immediately, Yan Yimei truthfully recounted the information that the secret guards had obtained from Dafantian, Shujiu, and Qiutangbai.

"They secretly transported large quantities of gunpowder, not to directly threaten His Highness."

"The secret guards started their investigation in the wrong direction, which led to them being completely clueless and the results of their investigation were completely contrary to their original intentions."

"Not targeting me?" Zhu Jinzhen was slightly surprised. According to the intelligence gathered by the secret guards, that organization not only collected gunpowder from the Ming Dynasty, but also transferred a large amount of gunpowder from neighboring countries.

If it's not targeted at him, then what is it used for?

"Your Highness has misunderstood."

"According to Brahma, they knew that gunpowder posed no threat to His Highness, but it was one of the means they used to coerce him."

A hint of helplessness flashed across Yan Yi's face. At first, she also thought that this mysterious organization was planning to use a large amount of gunpowder to assassinate her own prince, but she learned from Brahma that it was not the case at all.

"Coercion?"

Zhu Jinzhen raised an eyebrow, a sudden thought flashing through his mind, his eyes gleaming: "They've gathered so many experts, and the gunpowder isn't a contingency plan to take me down with them, could it be..."

Having obtained accurate intelligence and working backwards, Zhu Jinzhen quickly guessed the purpose of this mysterious organization.

"Using gunpowder to coerce the people and force me to leave the army?"

"Your Highness is exceptionally intelligent, that's right!" Yan Yimei couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Her Highness was indeed incredibly clever, guessing what the Brahma people were planning to do from just a few words.

When she and Xiao Luoyang first extracted this inside information from Brahma, they were also greatly shocked, or rather... furious.

Zhu Jinzhen ignored Yan Yimei's flattery and quietly waited for her to continue.

Although he had guessed the organization's handling and intentions regarding gunpowder, he was not yet clear on the specifics of how to do it, and only had a general outline in his mind.

"One of their plans is to bury large quantities of gunpowder in places like Datong, Xuanfu, Taiyuan, and Hejian, using the lives of many civilians as leverage to force Your Highness to leave the army and fight them."

Zhu Jinzhen was already mentally prepared, so he wasn't too surprised.

Upon hearing that they had buried large amounts of gunpowder in various locations in preparation for coercion, a chilling murderous intent flashed in his eyes: "These rats in the gutter are truly audacious!"

If he had simply used gunpowder against himself, Zhu Jinzhen wouldn't have been so angry.

However, scattering and burying gunpowder, and using those ignorant and innocent people as hostages, could result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of civilians being killed or injured if anything goes wrong.

Its heart is awkward!

(End of this chapter)