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

Chapter 365 Suppressing the Rebellion: Utterly Ineffective

One day later, in Yanzhou Prefecture, Shandong.

Wang Cong'er, the leader of the White Lotus Sect, stood on a high platform in the government office, preaching the fallacy of "the end times" to tens of thousands of followers below. She was dressed in a colorful robe and held a whisk, claiming that she was "the Holy Mother descended to earth" and was invulnerable to swords and spears, and impervious to water and fire.

"Kill all the corrupt officials and divide the land and grain equally!" Wang Cong'er raised his whisk high, his voice sharp and piercing. The believers below the stage were indignant, waving hoes, sickles, and even some rusty weapons, shouting slogans.

Most of them were ordinary people who were coerced and misled by the fallacies and heresies of the White Lotus Sect, believing that following the "Holy Mother" would bring them a good life.

They also "witnessed" firsthand that the high-ranking members of the White Lotus Cult truly possessed the ability to be invulnerable to swords and spears. When they stormed Yanzhou Prefecture, they were slashed by swords and axes, and were hit by arrows as if nothing had happened. This made them believe even more that the White Lotus Cult leader was truly a deity descended to earth, a person who brought them light and guidance.

Inside the city of Yanzhou.

Beside a collapsed section of the city wall, several figures watched the ignorant people and couldn't help but shake their heads.

"These fools are only at the level of a dozen or so Vajra Realm cultivators."

"They actually managed to fool these people so easily that they thought it was a celestial being descended to earth, a white lotus saint turned into a human. It's utterly ridiculous."

"It has long been known that the common people are illiterate, ignorant, and blindly obedient."

“Our target is not them, but those… White Lotus cult members who appeared out of nowhere.”

As they were talking, they looked at a woman who looked like an ordinary peasant woman.

"We've found some clues. Those people are connected to the Kong family in Shandong. Wang Cong'er's martial arts have the influence of Shaolin, Kongtong, and Cangshan schools. Her external martial arts training is almost at the level of celestial power, so she's no ordinary person. If we follow this lead, we should have results soon."

Upon hearing this, the group all agreed with it.

But one of them suddenly shook his head: "But we... don't have time."

"What do you mean?"

As soon as Bai San Niang asked her question, she suddenly felt the ground trembling.

Suddenly, a deafening sound of horses' hooves came from outside the city.

"Even a thousand cavalry passing through would hardly have such earth-shaking power. How could the imperial army arrive so quickly?" Several people nimbly leaped onto the city wall. Looking out, the wind and sand swirled outside the city, and countless iron cavalry could be vaguely seen sweeping in like a steel torrent.

"not good!"

"Whoosh!"

Several arrows pierced the air and arrived before them, giving them no chance to catch their breath or escape. The long arrows, carrying the power to pierce through wind and thunder, reached them.

These arrows, carrying the force of wind and thunder, were incredibly powerful.

They couldn't even lift a finger in the face of that terrifying killing force, which seemed to be suppressed by the very heavens and earth.

Just when the group thought they were doomed.

Those arrows, which were powerful enough to easily tear apart city walls and even pierce mountains, suddenly seemed to hit an invisible wall, hovering without warning less than three inches from the center of their foreheads.

The cold arrowheads and the aura of death made the group, who were used to walking on the edge of death, subconsciously swallow hard.

"People from the Six Doors?"

A faint voice rang in Bai San Niang's and Zhui Feng's ears.

"Yes, General, that's right..."

Bai San Niang's voice trembled. She never expected that just wanting to see who the imperial court had sent would almost result in her being shot dead on the spot.

"Bai San Niang, one of the top constables of the Six Doors."

"His true identity is a member of a collateral branch of the Bai family, and he has a son named Bai Zhantang."

"Ruthless, Iron Hand, and Wind Chaser are all disciples of Guo Tao, who is known as the Great Hero Guo of the Six Doors."

A ghostly figure appeared before them, quickly confirming the identities of Bai San Niang and the others, and reported them to Changsun Wangqing in great detail.

"Take them away."

Changsun Wangqing waved his hand indifferently, ordering his men to take the still-frightened Bai Sanniang and the others to the back.

"His Majesty's order..."

"Anyone who causes trouble, anyone who has shed the blood of the people of the Ming Dynasty, regardless of their status, shall be killed!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Changsun Wangqing raised his arm and shouted, and the Cangyun Army responded in droves, their battle cries shaking the heavens. Inside Yanzhou City, Wang Cong'er naturally noticed the earth-shaking sound of hooves outside the city and heard the battle cries that echoed through the clouds. Her expression changed slightly, but she could only force herself to remain calm and shouted, "The court's lackeys have come! Don't be afraid, everyone, the Holy Mother will protect us!"

Before he could finish speaking, the city gate of Yanzhou Prefecture was smashed open with a loud crash.

A force of Cangyun soldiers, clad in black armor and wielding reverse-bladed swords, charged in with unstoppable momentum.

The long swords in their hands were like the scythe of death, each swing taking away a life.

"kill!"

The Cangyun Army coldly watched the White Lotus Cult members who had swept through Yanzhou, scavenging for equipment, yet each of them wore an unusual gleam on their faces. Without any further words, they launched a massacre.

The White Lotus Rebellion started hastily, and although it swept through many counties and towns, and was secretly fueled by some behind-the-scenes manipulators, it was ultimately just a motley crew.

The vanguard of this Cangyun Army consists entirely of members at the Vajra Realm, with as many as 70% being Profound Realm Grandmasters.

Moreover, for every hundred households, there are one or several Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena overseeing the situation.

These people simply cannot withstand it.

Wang Cong'er watched as her followers fell like wheat being harvested, and finally panicked.

She lightly touched the ground with her toes, and the true energy phenomena that resembled white lotuses floated up. She waved her whisk, trying to repel the few Cangyun soldiers who were eyeing her and escape, but a blade of light came from hundreds of feet away and cleaved down from mid-air.

With a loud 'boom', Wang Cong'er's arm holding the duster flew away, and her body crashed heavily to the ground. Before she could get up, four reverse-blade knives gleaming with cold light were already at her neck.

"Pfft! How is that possible!" Wang Cong'er's eyes were filled with fear and disbelief. She couldn't understand how she could have such power. She clearly had the cultivation of a Grandmaster of the Finger Profound Realm and her external martial arts were almost as powerful as a Celestial Phenomenon. People said that she had received the true teachings of the 'Holy Mother' and that ordinary Grandmasters of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm couldn't defeat her in a short time.

But reality gave her a harsh slap in the face.

In just one exchange, her proud martial prowess and the legacy of the White Lotus Saint Mother were nearly killed on the spot by a master from an army that appeared out of nowhere.

"The White Lotus Cult Leader, Wang Cong'er?"

Several figures, like ghosts and phantoms, moved with incredible speed and agility, appearing in front of Wang Cong'er from the end of the street in an instant.

"you……"

Wang Cong'er's pupils contracted as she finally recognized these people, exclaiming in disbelief, "The Xuanjia Secret Guards? You are... the Cangyun Army?!"

"Heh, looks like he's not stupid."

"Then come with us."

"The White Lotus Cult Leader".

Without a word, the guards locked her collarbones, destroyed her dantian, grabbed her shoulders, and sped away towards the city gates.

The White Lotus Sect's sudden uprising has wreaked havoc on the region.

The pressure on the secret guards is undoubtedly the greatest.

If they cannot extract any useful information from Wang Cong'er, the leader of the White Lotus Cult, how can they possibly face Zhu Jinzhen and report back?

Seeing their leader suffer a crushing defeat and be captured, the White Lotus followers, already in a precarious situation, collapsed completely.

But the Cangyun Army didn't care whether they surrendered or not.

From the moment they stormed Yanzhou Prefecture, slaughtered ordinary people, broke down doors to kill, and attacked government offices, their hands were stained with blood, and it was destined that they would never have the chance to leave Yanzhou Prefecture alive again.

Cries for mercy, shouts of killing, weeping, and screams of agony filled the air.

The scene in Yanzhou Prefecture, already a living hell, unfolded once again, only this time the victims were the very people who had slaughtered them just days before.

Standing before the Yanzhou government office, littered with corpses, Changsun Wangqing watched the soldiers burn the bodies and said expressionlessly, "Send down the order to search all hideouts related to the White Lotus Sect, leave no one alive."

Her and Cangyun Army's mission was not to investigate the case.

Instead, it was to suppress the rebellion.

evidence?

No need, just have some doubts.

Let alone the government offices and local aristocratic families, even the Kong family of Shandong, which was known as the leading family among scholars in the world, could be easily crushed by Changsun Wangqing with his army.

Anyone who dares to harbor members of the White Lotus Cult will be punished with the same crime and executed without exception!

(End of this chapter)