The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 150 The Situation is Grim

[The God of Huangshan (Manifesting Holy Righteousness, Courage, Martial Might, and Spiritual Power)]

[Achievements: 1286470]

[Yin De: 3650]

Merit: 7560

[Yin Shen: Daytime Wanderer]

【Shrine: Huangshan Temple】

[Hundred Schools: Taiyi Salvation and Protection Scripture (Fourth Heaven) (+), Boundless Ocean Divine Skill (Nine Levels), Lightning Thunder Fist (Six Levels) (+), Palm Thunder (Perfect), Six Harmonies Spear (Divine Mastery)...]

Wang Wen put away the Mountain God's Token from his sight, picked up the teacup on the table, and drank it all in one gulp: 'No rush, it'll be ready soon...'

Although he has been busy with official duties at the General's Mansion these days and has not had time to go out and harvest the demons and monsters that seem to have grown wildly in the mountains as if they had been doused with manure, the data on the Mountain God Token has shown a relatively significant increase.

This is because his seemingly topsy-turvy arrangements from before have finally begun to bear fruit.

From the income from the Huangshan and Kuaiji temples' collection of spirits and governance, to the income from the Yellow Turban warriors and underworld messengers under his command who slay demons, he has achievements, merits, and good deeds coming in almost every moment.

Although not much, the increase was stable.

At the beginning, I only received a few hundred merit points and a dozen or so merit or merit points every day. Now, I receive two thousand merit points and nearly fifty merit or merit points every day. It has only taken more than three months. The future is promising!

Soon, these achievements, merits, and good deeds will transform into cultivation and strength, feeding back into him and supporting his forces to seize more benefits in this great struggle that is still in the initial stage of spiritual energy revival...

This is the power of being quick at one step and quick at every step; even a pig can take off if it stands in the right place at the right time...

He sat in the main hall of the general's mansion for a moment, then suddenly said, "Someone, summon all officers of battalion commander rank and above to the main hall for a meeting!"

The demon-suppressing guards on duty outside the door responded and rushed off with their swords drawn.

Before long, the five battalion commanders and military commanders of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, along with the chief priest of the Imperial Academy, Ma Feng, the commander of the Yin Army Battalion, and Bai Zimo, the commander of the Naval Battalion, entered the main hall one after another, greeted Wang Wen, and took their seats in turn.

At the seating arrangement, Xu Wu, the military commander, sat at the upper left.

The chief priest of the temple, whom Wang Wen referred to as Jingzhen, a high-ranking Taoist priest of the Maoshan sect with the character "Jing" in his name and chief of staff, was seated at the top right.

Below them were the five battalion commanders led by Xie Zhixuan, as well as Ma Feng and Bai Zimo, one a ghost and the other a demon.

It is worth mentioning that the Grand Master of the Temple, although without an official title (no corresponding official position), wielded real power within the General of Demon Suppression's Mansion. To demonstrate fairness, Wang Wen originally intended to invite Zhang Shoucheng, the leader of the group of high-ranking Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain, to serve as the Grand Master of the Temple and Chief of Staff. However, Zhang resolutely refused and strongly recommended Jingzhen, the leader of the group of high-ranking Taoist priests from Maoshan, to take on this important task. The high-ranking Taoist priests from Gezao Mountain also collectively seconded the proposal. Helpless, Wang Wen had no choice but to ask his own nephew, Jingzhen, to take on this important task.

They were all sensible people. The high-ranking priests of Longhu Mountain and Gezao Mountain knew that Wang Wen invited them to serve as chief priests in order to show respect and avoid suspicion.

But they came here to repay Wang Wen for saving their lives and to return the favor he had done; how could they pretend to be ignorant when they knew the truth?
Everyone knows that Wang Wen is a high-ranking Taoist priest of the Maoshan sect, so it's naturally easier to talk to people from the Maoshan sect when there's something to discuss...

Of course, whether the high-ranking Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain and Gezao Mountain avoided this position or not, only they themselves know.

"Alright, the reason I have gathered you all here today is to devise a plan for the first full-scale campaign of destroying mountains and temples in my General's Mansion."

After everyone took their seats and exchanged brief pleasantries, Wang Wen got straight to the point: "The recruit training has been going on for a month now. It's time to put them to the test!"

As he spoke, he silently recited the incantation for the Water Mirror Technique, and slowly raised his hand to brush across the tightly closed door.

A burst of azure magical light, like the scattering of dandelions, flashed by, and a large amount of water mist condensed on the gate, slowly forming a map of Huainan Road with its own backlight.

"What the hell?"

Xie Zhixuan blurted out a catchphrase that was once popular in the military camp.

The other four commanders followed closely behind, exclaiming in unison, "Holy crap!"

They all turned their heads in stunned silence to look at Wang Wen in the hall: 'You are truly unfathomable!'

Even more quick-witted individuals immediately connected this to those fools in the military camp who had challenged their general in recent days…

Even the Taoist Master Jingzhen, who had cultivated Taoism for many years, stroked his beard with admiration and said, "General, your Water Mirror Technique is not bound by form; it is free and spontaneous, showing the style of an immortal!"

"A few tricks, not worth mentioning."

Wang Wen smiled and casually brushed it off: "Gentlemen, please look at the markings on the map. These markings are compiled based on the intelligence on demons and monsters from various places recently collected by the supervisory offices of each prefecture."

The commanders quickly suppressed their shock and turned to look at the magnificent and detailed map. At first glance, they saw that the map covered the ten prefectures of Huainan Circuit, from famous mountains and lakes to villages and towns, with waterways and transportation routes crisscrossing the area.

Even though the officers present were all novice officers with only a superficial understanding of military affairs, their first reaction upon seeing this map was, "This is a divine artifact!"
If you had this map in hand, wouldn't you have a clear view of the enemy's and your own situation, as well as the division of forces and their advances and retreats?
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the map was marked with various demons and monsters using five colors: bright red, orange-red, gold, green, and gray skulls and dog heads.

The bottom left corner of the map provides detailed explanations for all the symbols.

A dog's head represents a demon.

A skull represents a ghost or monster.

The bright red color represents an enemy that cannot be defeated at this stage.

The orange-red color represents a place where victory can be achieved by fully utilizing the power of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion.

Gold indicates that a complete battalion-level combat unit (500 men) needs to be deployed.
Green indicates that a complete squad-level combat unit (one hundred people) needs to be deployed.

Gray indicates the need to deploy a complete squad-level combat unit (ten people).

(PS: A complete battalion-level combat unit includes 500 Demon-Suppressing Guards, 50 Naval Demon Soldiers, 20 Underworld Messengers, and 10 High-Level Mystic Mage Masters.)
After everyone had read through the explanation, they went to count the bright red markings on the map, which looked like drops of blood.

"One, two, three, four, five... seven?"

They stretched out their fingers and counted the bright red markers on the map one by one. It was only a few counts, but they were so tired that their mouths were dry and their hearts were pounding.

In the mere Huainan Road region, there are so many enemies that even the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion cannot defeat.

It should be noted that the General's Mansion has extremely high standards for recruiting soldiers. Even the lowest-ranking Demon Suppression Guard must be able to lift a hundred-pound stone lock and hold it for ten breaths before they can be registered in the General's Mansion and become a Demon Suppression Guard.

The captains who led a hundred men were all children who had practiced martial arts since childhood, and even the weakest among them possessed the strength to transform into internal energy...

With the full strength of the General's Mansion, it would take less than three days to capture any prefecture city in Huainan Circuit!
Not to mention that the General's Mansion also has more than sixty high-ranking Taoist masters assisting him!
If the seven enemies that even the General's Mansion could not defeat, wouldn't that mean that if these seven demons and monsters attacked together, they could turn most of Huainan Province into a living hell in a single day?
Has the resurgence of demons and monsters reached such a severe point?
For a moment, some people in the hall were speechless with shock, while others were stunned and their faces were cold.

Some people even secretly glanced at Wang Wen in the hall, wondering if this was false information fabricated by Wang Wen to urge them to practice diligently... Even Daoist Jingzhen was secretly observing his own master uncle.

Wang Wen remained silent, but once again reached out and gently touched the map. Immediately, lines of small characters appeared around the bright red markings.

Everyone looked closely again and saw...

"The great demon of the Tushan Tomb Fox Clan devoured hundreds of civilians in a town. A Taoist priest once went to exorcise the demon with his sword, but the next day the fox demon descended the mountain to take revenge, storming into Haozhou and killing hundreds of people..."

"The Phantom of Mount Bagong is suspected to be a wandering ghost king from the ten prefectures of Nanjiang. A ghostly realm shrouds the entire Mount Bagong, and living people should not enter. On moonlit nights, a city can be seen within it, bustling like a temple fair..."

The expressions on everyone's faces gradually turned serious, and no one spoke for a long time.

Wang Wen remained calm, interlaced his fingers, and chuckled softly, "Gentlemen, please speak freely and pool your wisdom to come up with a solution."

He certainly didn't lie to his subordinates.

He simply didn't include himself in the General's Mansion's fighting force...

If he makes a move, he will sweep through the entire Huainan Circuit!
But... that's pointless!

If he has to personally deal with every demon and monster, then what's the point of him establishing the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion?
If even now, with the demons and monsters just beginning to rise, the Great Zhou human race can't keep up, then the Great Zhou human race truly has no hope. From now on, they should just lie low and be babies, waiting for a strong person to save them!

After Wang Wen finished speaking, everyone in the hall fell into deep thought.

Soon, Xu Wu had an idea and was about to get up to share his thoughts.

But as soon as he moved, he suddenly found himself being pressed down by an invisible force, unable to move.

He looked at his older brother in surprise, only to see his older brother shake his head slightly at him.

He understood immediately, adjusted his posture, and secretly observed the seven commanders.

After a moment of silence in the hall, a commander stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "General, in my humble opinion, given the current situation, we should adopt a two-pronged approach with one strategy!"

The battalion commander was named Liu Jian, who was thirty years old. He was originally a镖头 (bodyguard/escort) and was skilled in using swords and shields. He was the only one among the five battalion commanders of the General's Mansion to win two consecutive Spear King Competitions. He rose four ranks from a deputy captain to become a battalion commander. He was also a Dan Jin master, second only to Xie Zhixuan in strength among the two thousand soldiers.

His ability to win two consecutive Gun King Championships demonstrates how highly Wang Wen values ​​him.

"Oh?"

Wang Wen smiled and gestured for him to speak freely: "Tell me in detail!"

Liu Jian crossed his hands and said, "One strategy: pull in a group, then strike them down!"

He kept his eyes straight ahead.

The others in the hall subconsciously glanced at Bai Ziming, the naval battalion commander, but as soon as their eyes met his, they quickly looked away, afraid of being discovered by him.

But with so many people looking at Bai Zimo, how could it possibly be completely unaware?

"hiss……"

Completely bewildered, it flicked out its black forked tongue and looked around at the crowd: "What are you looking at... hiss... what am I doing?"

"This one……"

Everyone burst into awkward laughter, changing the subject: "Commander Bai is so dashing and debonair, it's hard not to laugh!"

"Yes, yes, I've never seen such a handsome snake as Brother Bai in all my life... What a man!"

"What Lord Xie says is very true..."

Despite the awkward attempt to change the subject, Bai Zimo actually fell for it, shaking his slender neck with smug satisfaction and saying, "You guys have great taste!"

As it spoke, it pulled out a small silver mirror, no bigger than the palm of its hand, and carefully adjusted its meticulously styled, flamboyant, non-mainstream hairstyle in front of the mirror: "Truly dashing and dashing!"

Everyone:...

They didn't know if this guy was genuinely stupid or just pretending!
Wang Wen let them laugh and joke around. After no one spoke, he raised his chin at Liu Jian, who was standing, and said, "Ziming, continue."

Liu Jian crossed his hands and continued, "Two steps: first the weak, then the strong; annihilate one group, then encircle another, and proceed gradually!"

After a pause, he continued loudly, "Your subordinate requests permission to go to Bagong Mountain to set up a road!"

"Clap clap clap..."

As soon as Liu Jian finished speaking, Wang Wen clapped enthusiastically without hiding his admiration: "Very good, Ziming, this is indeed a solution to the problem, and also the proper attitude to take when solving a problem!"

With him taking the lead, everyone else in the hall applauded and shouted, "Ziming, well done!"

"No wonder he's such a young master镖师 (bodyguard/escort), he's so much more organized than us roughnecks..."

Just as they were cheering loudly, Wang Wen, who had been all smiles in the hall, suddenly turned stern and asked in a deep voice the three soul-searching questions: "Is the method proposed by Ziming very complicated? Does it require a high level of knowledge? Why was he able to think of it, but you couldn't?"

The smiles on everyone's faces froze, and a bad feeling welled up in their hearts.

As expected, Wang Wen, who had posed the three soul-searching questions, then said, "Except for Ziming, everyone else, after you go down, write a 4,000-word strategy for me based on the situation on the map and the actual conditions of your unit. It must include both a comprehensive strategy and detailed implementation steps. Plagiarism of others' ideas is strictly prohibited. Tomorrow evening after dinner, we will meet in the main hall and each of you will present your strategy!"

"Snapped!"

Before he finished speaking, everyone in the hall, whether human, demon, or ghost, slapped their foreheads in despair.

Ignoring their despair, Wang Wen turned to Jingzhen Daoist and nodded heavily, his gaze fixed on him, "Yes, you too!"

Master Jingzhen: "Master...General, what use is it for me, a person outside the secular world, to learn...write this?"

"It's no use?"

Wang Wen sneered and cursed: "You old fogies have all gone stupid from chanting scriptures. All you do is stubbornly charge forward. If you can't win, you just die in front of me... In the future, how about the enemy writes you a letter in advance to tell you what they're going to do?"

Master Jingzhen shrank back, his face ashen, not daring to utter a single sound.

(End of this chapter)