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

Chapter 382 The Dilemma of the Song Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng's Regret

"Don't rush, don't rush, let me explain slowly."

Grandpa Turtle Sun enjoyed being fed by the beauties beside him, with a lewd expression of enjoyment on his face. He asked with a smile, "As everyone knows, ever since the founding emperors of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin and his brother, parted ways due to the 'Golden Box Alliance' and each founded their own Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty has always emphasized civil affairs and suppressed military affairs."

"Although martial arts are also flourishing, the number of truly powerful masters in the imperial court is the smallest among all the countries."

"After the battle at Jingnian Temple, the whereabouts of Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, became unknown, and the fate of Huang Shang, the Taoist master and national teacher of the Southern Song Dynasty, was also unknown."

"However, although the Northern and Southern Song dynasties relied on each other and supported each other, they were as close as family."

"But they were caught in the middle. The Northern Song Dynasty was threatened by the Liao and Tibetan powers, the Southern Song Dynasty was threatened by the Jin and Western Xia, and the Mongol Yuan Dynasty was always ready to invade the south."

"It is said that the two great immortals Zhao Kuangyin and Huang Shang have disappeared without a trace, and their fate is unknown. Taking advantage of this, the Liao Dynasty launched an attack to destroy the Northern Song Dynasty. The Jin Dynasty also sent many experts. First, there was Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, and then the carefree king who was driven mad by Zhang Zhenren has reappeared in the martial arts world, directly threatening the Southern Song Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel worried for both the Northern and Southern Song dynasties.

The Liao Dynasty was not much easier to deal with than the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, especially the Yelü brothers, who were both powerful beings at the terrestrial immortal level. Although Yelü Wudi was almost nailed to death by his own Prince Su in the Liao army's central camp, he had not appeared in the eyes of the world for many years.

However, it is undeniable that Yelü Wudi is also an absolute master in the realm of terrestrial immortals.

In the past, the Northern Song Dynasty had the deterrent power of Zhao Kuangyin, an emperor who once dominated the country, rivaled the founding emperors of other states, and was the only one still alive today. Even if Yelü Wudi and the Liao Dynasty wanted to swallow up the Northern Song Dynasty, it would be difficult for them to do so.

The reason is simple: Yelü Wudi challenged Zhao Kuangyin four times in ten years, and was defeated each time.

Now that Zhao Kuangyin is gone, the Northern Song Dynasty no longer has any other powerful, immortal beings on land.

Who can stop Yelü Wudi, whose injuries may have healed, and who can stop the million-strong army of the Liao Dynasty, which is like a tiger and a wolf?
The situation in the Southern Song Dynasty was even less optimistic.

If Zhao Kuangyin himself was a terrestrial immortal, with the confidence to suppress everything, then the Northern Song Dynasty, although it emphasized civil affairs and suppressed military affairs, at least had a limit. Martial arts masters emerged one after another in the Jianghu, Vajra Finger Masters were everywhere, and Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena were not uncommon.

The martial arts world of the Southern Song Dynasty was almost completely discontinued.

The only ones worth mentioning are Wang Chongyang and everyone else who died.

Tragically, of the Five Greats, apart from Wang Chongyang and Hong Qigong, the other three are: Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, who is eccentric and acts alone; Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, who is from the Western Regions and not from the Southern Song Dynasty; and Duan Zhixing, the Southern Emperor, who is a disciple of the Dali Duan family and nominally a subject of the Song Dynasty.

Can……

Could the emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty really be commanded?
The remaining experts from the Power Gang and the Supreme Alliance didn't take the Southern Song Dynasty seriously at all.

At this time when the top experts are in a state of flux, the Carefree King makes a comeback.

The Southern Song Dynasty was in real danger!
The young man who had just paid for Grandpa Turtle's meal suddenly interrupted:

"Wait, Grandpa Turtle, I know Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison you mentioned. He's one of the Five Greats of the Southern Song Dynasty. But who is this Carefree King? I've never heard of him."

Most of the people present looked on with curiosity upon hearing this.

They could hear the reverence and awe that Grandpa Turtle Grandson held for the Carefree King, but that didn't stop them from having never heard of such a person before.

"A century has passed in the blink of an eye, time flows like water, and talented people emerge in every generation."

“You have all forgotten his illustrious reputation.”

"Back in the day, before Master Zhang of Wudang had even broken through the barrier of the mortal immortals, before our founding emperor, Emperor Taizu, established the Ming Dynasty, the Carefree Prince caused quite a stir in what is now the territory of the Ming Dynasty." Grandpa Turtle sighed, but finding everyone present completely bewildered, he could only say more bluntly, "You all must have heard of Master Zhang of Wudang, right?"

"Yes, who doesn't know Master Zhang of Wudang?"

"A martial arts legend, a grandmaster of Taoism who has not appeared in a thousand years."

"Master Zhang of Wudang has done a great favor for our Great Ming Dynasty. How could we, as citizens of the Great Ming, not know Master Zhang?"

The patrons in Zuichunlou kept talking, as if afraid of being beaten to it. They even talked about Zhang Sanfeng's various legendary deeds, including how he used the Zhenwu Sword to vanquish demons, causing the demons and the surrounding underworld to flee far away and disappear.

"What if I told you that Zhang Zhenren, who had only recently entered the martial arts world, almost died at the hands of the Carefree King?"

"impossible."

One man slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing at the old man and retorting sharply: "Who doesn't know that Master Zhang of Wudang is a legend in the martial arts world? He was the youngest terrestrial immortal in our Great Ming Dynasty before His Highness Prince Su appeared out of nowhere. He is a living legend."

"I'd believe you if you were talking about someone else, but I've never even heard of that 'Carefree King,' how dare he compare to Master Zhang?"

"That's right, who exactly is Master Zhang?"

"I think you should stop calling me Grandpa Turtle and start calling me Turtle Son. You're a complete liar."

Just then, a very strange pair, an old man and a young man, walked into the Drunken Spring Pavilion one after the other. Hearing the noisy conversation, the young man looked up and opened his mouth curiously to ask something, but suddenly found to his astonishment that he couldn't speak.

"Shut up, come inside with me first."

A hint of unease flashed across Zhang Sanfeng's face.

He could naturally guess what Zhang Wuji wanted to ask when he opened his mouth. He was probably asking if Zhang Wuji had really, like that old turtle grandpa who had argued with everyone until his face turned red, had survived several near-death experiences before achieving his legendary status.

But is this the place to ask questions?
If his identity is recognized, rumors will spread that he, Zhang Sanfeng, is visiting brothels with his grand-disciple Zhang Wuji.

Tomorrow, Zhang Sanfeng will be on the front page of every major Ming Dynasty newspaper, from local gossip and monthly reports to official gazettes and the capital's gazette, and it won't be over for a month, no, not even half a year or a year. (There's a monthly report in the TV series "My Own Swordsman")
Then, those seemingly boring people will inevitably fabricate hundreds of kinds of gossip news.

At that time, let alone the martial arts legend Zhang Sanfeng, even the Zhang Sanfeng who went mad three times a day back then, Zhang Sanfeng would feel that he would be too ashamed to face anyone.

After all, it would be one thing if he actually frequented brothels.

But Zhang Sanfeng practiced the Pure Yang Boy Skill, and he was still a virgin.

What's the difference between a two-hundred-year-old boy visiting a brothel and a eunuch going to a brothel?
"If I had known, I wouldn't have brought Wuji along."

"His Highness Prince Su's methods are extraordinary; he has indeed cured the influence of the extreme Yin energy that caused Wuji Xuanming to enter his life."

"Why did you go to all that trouble to bring him to this Drunken Spring Pavilion and broaden his horizons, old Taoist?"

"If this gets out and spreads, my reputation will be ruined!"

At this moment, Zhang Sanfeng was filled with remorse. He even became indifferent to the noisy and heated debate in the Drunken Spring Pavilion about the return of the Carefree King to the martial world, and to all the past grievances between him and the Carefree King.

(End of this chapter)