Infinite Terror: This Middle Continent is Rebellious

Chapter 317 Mongol Attack
"To resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country?"

"That's right. An incompetent general can tire out the entire army. I don't trust the Emperor of the Zhao family. If that's the case, we might as well march to Lin'an, seize Zhao Yun's throne, and unite all the forces of the Central Plains to fight against the Mongols."

"..."

Although Wen Lie spoke righteously, Neos felt a strong sense of malice.

Referring to the style of the Central Plains team, Neos couldn't help but wonder whether the Central Plains team wanted to find an excuse to massacre all humans in Asia regardless of friend or foe.

"The enemy is at hand, and a rebellion has broken out in the Central Plains. The imperial court has issued an order to dispatch troops from various prefectures to suppress the rebellion. Alas!"

When Wen Lie and Neos were talking privately, Lu Wende mentioned the difficulties faced by Xiangyang.

Huang Rong asked hurriedly, "Send troops to quell the rebellion? How many troops?"

Lu Wende said with a bitter face: "Ten thousand."

Guo Jing was both shocked and furious: "Ten thousand? Xiangyang only has fifty thousand soldiers! Even with the help of fellow martial artists, it would be difficult to make up for even one-fifth of the losses!"

Lu Wende sighed, "The emperor has already issued an order, how can I disobey it? Fortunately, we have leader Wen in Xiangyang City, so we are not afraid of the Mongol invasion."

"Ha..."

Wen Lie yawned, crossed his legs, tilted his head, and looked at Lu Wende with a squint.

Lu Wende lowered his head and asked humbly, "I wonder what advice Alliance Leader Wen has for you?"

Wen Lie said nonchalantly, "We're fighting on the front lines, and the imperial court is dragging its feet in the background. Last year, the imperial court messed around, but it didn't affect us. Plus, Hero Guo persuaded me, so I put up with it. But now they're pulling troops from the front lines to quell the rebellion? I say, General Lu, you dare agree to this request in front of me? Do you think I have a good temper?"

He raised his eyelids and released a cold murderous aura towards Lu Wende.

Lu Wende felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, the hairs on his skin stood on end, and he dared not move.

Guo Jing, the peacemaker, quickly tried to smooth things over: "Brother Wen, why bother making things difficult for General Lu? He has no choice."

"Even if you have no choice, you should know whose side you should stand on when speaking. Otherwise, it's easy to lose your life."

Wen Lie sneered and spoke the villain's lines.

Lü Wende smiled wryly and said, "Please forgive me, Master Wen. I am an official of the Song Dynasty. Even if I feel that the emperor's orders are not very reliable, I have no choice but to obey them."

He didn't dare to offend either side and spoke very cautiously.

Wen Lie sneered and said, "The emperor? The emperor can't even protect himself, why would he bother with him?"

"Leader, be careful with your words. It's just a rebellion. Our Great Song has seen hundreds of rebellions, and haven't we suppressed them every time? Ordinary people can't make a difference."

Lu Wende didn't care at all. Uprisings were very common in the Song Dynasty. There were basically uprisings every year, but they were usually pacified. If they could not be pacified, those who had already been pacified would be asked to fight. He was no longer surprised by it.

"It won't amount to anything? Even the troops at the front have to be withdrawn, and it still won't amount to anything? I heard that they killed cattle and sheep, prepared wine, opened the city gates to welcome the Buddha, and didn't pay grain when the Buddha came. They beat up the local tyrants, divided the land, and the Buddha gave them nothing to eat. The son of Emperor Yan died, and the phoenix rang in Emperor's manor. The Fire Virtue died, but the Buddha survived, and the year was Jiachen, and the world was auspicious. The Craftsman Emperor rose, and the Angel Emperor came. Don't say the stone man has only one eye, he incited Zhejiang and the world to revolt, hehehehehe..."

Wen Lie couldn't help laughing as he spoke.

Chu Xuan is quite good at having fun!

From the end of the Qin Dynasty to the end of the Ming Dynasty, all methods of rebellion were tried. With the cooperation of Zhu Wen and others in Lin'an, even without the power of the reincarnations, the Song Dynasty would have been doomed in the face of such chaos.

The difference is that with the Zhongzhou team as a backup, after the Song Dynasty fell, the next dynasty would still be a Han dynasty. Without the Zhongzhou team, the Han people would become fourth-class people in the next hundred years, and would still be ridiculed after seven hundred years.

"..."

Lu Wende's face turned grim. He had heard what Wen Lie had said, but some of it was too bizarre: food appearing out of thin air, gods beheading the son of the Yan Emperor, a phoenix soaring over the Jiangdi Manor, and angels using their great magical powers to bring people back to life...

These supernatural rumors are too unreliable.

However, he doesn't believe in these things, but the common people do!
When the ignorant poor are unable to survive, they always hope that gods will come down to earth to save them. Even if the idea of ​​gods is illusory, they will still have a lucky mentality before their hope is dashed.

Huang Rong and Hong Qigong looked at Wen Lie thoughtfully.

They had heard a lot of the rumors that Wen Lie mentioned in the past few months.

The more they listened, the more they felt that the deeds of Jiangdi Zhuang and the Living Army were very similar to what Wen Lie and his group could accomplish.

Especially Hong Qigong, he still can't figure out how those unparalleled fine wines and delicacies were created.

Wen Lie said bluntly, "If you ask me, since the Zhao family is holding us back, we should just replace them. Changing dynasties is not uncommon. Rather than letting the shameful Zhao Song continue to rule the world, it would be better to let the popular army take over."

"Pfft!"

Before he finished speaking, Lu Wende had already slid off the chair and sat down on the ground. He looked at Wen Lie in horror and subconsciously wanted to scold Wen Lie for his treason.

But when he saw Wen Lie's face, the scene of Wen Lie slaughtering the Mongolian army instantly emerged in his mind. The intense fear strangled Lu Wende's throat, forcing him to control his body in time and not say the words of suicide.

"Master Guo, what do you think? Peasant uprisings have existed since ancient times. Whenever the imperial court was corrupt and the people were living in poverty, the people who couldn't survive would naturally rise up in rebellion in order to gain the right to live. Sometimes the imperial court was powerful enough to suppress the rebellious people."

As he spoke, Wen Lie looked at Guo Jing's face. Guo Jing's brows were furrowed, and he looked very distressed. He seemed to want to refute, but he also agreed with Wen Lie's statement.

"Sometimes the imperial court is on its last legs, just waiting for someone to kick it. Just like the end of the Qin Dynasty and the end of the Han Dynasty. The difference between the Song Dynasty and the end of the Qin and Han Dynasties is that there are a group of martial arts heroes resisting the foreign invaders. As long as these people are not willing to help the court suppress the people who want to survive, the court will not last long."

Wen Lie used his skill - moral kidnapping - on Guo Jing.

Hero Guo, are you planning to help the imperial court suppress the people who can't survive?

This was a heart-piercing statement. Guo Jing had also denounced Emperor Lizong as a ruthless and incompetent ruler, so it was naturally impossible for him to stand on the side of the court now.

Guo Jing hesitated and said, "We are facing a powerful enemy..."

Neos sighed and spoke, "It's precisely because we're facing a formidable enemy that we need to secure our rear and prevent the imperial court from holding us back. Hero Guo, it's not that we absolutely must lend a hand to the Survival Army. Our mission is to defend Xiangyang. If the imperial court wants to transfer troops from Xiangyang to suppress the Survival Army, we absolutely cannot agree. When the imperial court's envoy arrives, we'll let him go back to where he came from."

Even Nios, an aide who had been in Xiangyang for nearly three years, expressed his opposition to the imperial court's intervention in Xiangyang. Guo Jing's heart sank even lower. Huang Rong said gravely, "Brother Jing, compared to suppressing the people, preventing the Mongols from taking advantage of the chaos is the more important matter."

Guo Jing's eyes changed, and he said solemnly, "Yes, there's civil unrest in the Central Plains. The imperial court has even diverted troops meant for the Mongols to quell the rebellion. For a long time to come, we can't rely on the imperial court for food and fodder, and don't even think about reinforcements. The Mongols will definitely not let go of this golden opportunity... and it's at this time!"

Guo Jing couldn't help but complain.

With a powerful enemy at the door, such a serious crisis has occurred in the rear. Isn't this simply giving the enemy an opportunity to invade?
Even if we want to revolt, can't we wait until the Mongols are driven out of the Central Plains?
Guo Jing abandoned his hesitation and said decisively, "The troops in Xiangyang must not be moved! Not just Xiangyang City! The troops in Xiangyang Prefecture must not be moved either! The Mongols are the Central Plains' greatest enemy. All the troops in Xiangyang Prefecture must remain here to form the line of defense for the Central Plains. Boss Lu, General Lu, please send men to Yicheng, Nanzhang, Zaoyang, Gucheng, and Guanghua counties to inform the county magistrates not to accept the imperial edict."

Lu Wende was numb.

He watched helplessly as these rabble-rousers publicly expressed their opposition to the imperial court, even planning to disobey the imperial order. No! That wasn't just disobeying the imperial order, it was a plan to force the counties to become independent from the Song Dynasty!
As an official of the Song Dynasty, Lu Wende was helpless.

In the past three years, Guo Jing, Wen Lie, and the Beggar Gang have become the prefects of Xiangyang in name only.

Compared with court officials and the army, these people who do not need court salaries are the main force against the Mongolian army. However, they usually do not need titles or benefits, and county officials are happy to let these people work for them for free.

This also caused disadvantages. Today, Guo Jing said that he wanted to seize power from the court, and Lu Wende actually found that they really had a great chance of success. After all, compared to the county magistrate, the soldiers of each county would recognize those who could lead them to defeat the Mongolian army.

Lu Wende collapsed on the ground, at a loss for what to do.

"I'll have the Beggars' Sect disciples deliver a message to all the major sects on my behalf. The emperor is indulging in excess, causing the people to suffer. The Living Army is fighting against these thieves on behalf of the people. All the major sects need your full assistance in overthrowing the imperial court."

At the same time, Wen Lie also added some strength.

"As the leader of the martial arts world, my power is unlimited!"

That afternoon, hundreds of Beggar Gang disciples left Xiangyang City and rushed to various parts of the Central Plains to convey the orders of the leader of the martial arts world to all major sects.

Lu Wende was also forced to order his personal soldiers to follow the Beggar Gang disciples to various counties in Xiangyang, kidnap the county magistrates and demand independence from the Song Dynasty.

The Central Plains made one big move after another, and the hinterland was in chaos, looking like it could hardly protect itself.

Just as Wen Lie, Huang Rong and Guo Jing discussed, the Mongolian side would naturally not miss this great opportunity.

Although Adam still had some doubts and felt that the unrest in the Central Plains might be a conspiracy of the Zhongzhou team, he had to step in even if there was a conspiracy.

After all, they were not the emperors of Mongolia and only had the right to make suggestions on Mongolia's decision-making.

"Raise the army and attack Xiangyang!"

On this day, the Mongolian war flag fluttered in the air. With Kublai Khan's order, a million-strong army set out towards Xiangyang.

The huge army had 200,000 Mongolian cavalry, 500,000 Mongolian infantry, and another 300,000 soldiers, who were neither Han nor Mongolian, but were mobilized from other countries that had been conquered by Mongolia.

This million-strong army can be said to be the entire strength of Mongolia. Kublai Khan mobilized all his forces, determined to capture Xiangyang in one fell swoop.

"If we fail to seize Xiangyang at this opportunity, once the Song Dynasty has quelled the rebellion, the Mongols will have no chance of conquering the Central Plains."

The decision to fight a last-ditch battle was Adam's suggestion.

Although he has been worried about the conspiracy of the Zhongzhou team, he has also been preparing for the decisive battle with Xiangyang.

In two years, Adam made a lot of arrangements, not many of which were successful, but it could still increase the chances of winning by 20%.

The million-strong army arrived in Xiangyang in the early morning half a month later. Wen Lie, Zhan Lan, Guo Jing, Hong Qigong, Neos and others stood on the city wall and looked out. They saw refugees everywhere in the suburbs, dragging men and women towards Xiangyang.

Ten thousand meters away, dust rose up as the Mongolian army drove the Han people from the north towards Xiangyang.

"Oh no, this is a vicious Mongolian plot!"

Guo Jing's heart sank.

Since Genghis Khan, when the Mongolian army attacked the city, it always drove the people of the enemy country first. As long as the defenders were soft and stopped shooting, the Mongolian soldiers followed.

This method not only slaughters the enemy's civilians but also shakes the enemy's morale, killing two birds with one stone. It is brutal and vicious, and often has miraculous effects. Guo Jing has been in the Mongol army for a long time and is naturally familiar with this method, but he has no good way to break it.

"There are so many people! I'm afraid the Mongols have driven all the Han people from the north here!"

Even Huang Rong felt embarrassed, with a hint of anger in her eyes.

Judging from a distance, there were probably hundreds of thousands of refugees. With so many extra people on the battlefield, the weaker side would inevitably be at a disadvantage. The Mongolian side could use the Han people in the north as a shield to gain the upper hand in the battle.

Lu Wende came to ask for advice: "Master Guo, what should we do? Should we open the city gates? Should we defend or attack? Please give us a decision."

Lu Wende became a hands-off boss. If there were only a few hundred or a few thousand Han people used as shields by the Mongols, he could still make the decision and let the soldiers shoot arrows and kill all the refugees.

After all, the overall situation should be taken into consideration.

However, when the number of Han people reached hundreds of thousands, the overall situation became the refugees who were driven here.

If Lu Wende dared to give such an order, the soldiers on the city wall would chop him down.

"Take the initiative!"

Wen Lie and Guo Jing said in unison.

"As long as we kill all the Mongolian troops first, we won't have to worry about the Han people in the north being used as shields by the Mongolian army."

"Brothers of the Beggars' Sect and all my friends from the martial arts world, follow me to rescue the civilians. General Lu, you will lead the Song army to provide cover and bring the civilians into the city."

Wen Lie and Guo Jing agreed, but their ideas and approaches were completely different. Wen Lie expressed his plan first. Guo Jing looked at Wen Lie, speechless, but immediately stated his decision.

"I'll go first, you guys protect the people... I'll do my best not to harm innocent people."

Wen Lie nodded to Guo Jing, leaped up into the air, and flew over a distance of ten thousand meters before rushing towards the Mongolian army.

(End of this chapter)