Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 337 347 East and West Stand in Confrontation, Only Southwest

“The disciples of a prominent family are indeed extraordinary in terms of family tradition and upbringing.”

"With the help of the outstanding members of your clans, perhaps within three to five years, I will be able to have another elite force under my command."

"Cunxiao is not good with words, but he only hopes that in the future he can help and support each other and never forget the friendship of today."

On the command platform, Li Cunxiao, along with Changsun Fu, Yuchi Mu, and others, scrutinized the soldiers training below.

Some of these people, in terms of both temperament and the strength of their blood and energy, are clearly different from those rough-skinned men.

Most of these people are around thirty years old and have reached the Yellow Court realm in cultivation. When commanding their subordinates, they are calm and composed, and their orders are quite disciplined.

However, there was also a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

"Why do you speak like this, my lord? Now is a time of chaos, a time to make a name for yourself and achieve great things."

"A true man should strive for fame and glory on the battlefield. We should thank the magistrate for giving us this opportunity."

"After all, the First and Third Protectors still have some prejudices against the old people in the capital."

Changsun Fu was as adept at social maneuvering as ever, and his words resonated with the representatives of the other noble families.

Li Yisheng's ascension to the throne is a foregone conclusion.

To be honest, most of the nobles were actually relieved when they learned this fact.

After all, although the emperor had changed, Qin was still Qin.

As long as Li Yisheng acknowledges the legitimacy established by Emperor Taizong, they will remain nobles and relatives who share the fate of the nation, and will not be reduced to commoners overnight.

Although this might be unfair to the young Emperor Li Min, what difference does it make if one is to be a loyal subject of the Qin Dynasty?

The only difference might be that, due to the strong intrusion of the Hedong forces, the old guard of the capital still had some advantages in terms of civil officials, but the army, which was Li Yisheng's core and direct subordinate, was difficult to maintain.

Most of the Twelve Protectors came from humble backgrounds, rose through the ranks of the military, and were later appreciated by the Prince of Jin.

They looked down on the scions of powerful families and regarded any attempts to curry favor with them as provocations to seize military power.

Families like the Duke of Chen and the Prince of Tianshui, upon learning of the impending change of dynasty, frequently sought to curry favor with the Grand Protectors.

Instead of gaining any benefits, they suffered considerable humiliation.

In contrast, Li Cunxiao was truly courteous and respectful to scholars, and did not put on airs because of his previous rejection.

Once the sons of each family join the army, those at the Yellow Court Realm can basically become captains, and those at the Visceral Realm can become squad leaders.

The sons of twelve noble families distributed spoils to almost half of the officers in Li Cunxiao's army.

Others saw this as a courtesy, but Changsun Fu felt somewhat uneasy.

The Li Cunxiao he knew was a man of careful planning before acting, and he was very opinionated and unwilling to be manipulated by others. Otherwise, he would not have requested to be transferred to a post outside the capital when everyone else was reluctant to leave.

"Our twelve families have too many sons, and they are all mid-level military officers. Isn't Li Cunxiao afraid that his subordinates will collude and end up benefiting us for nothing?"

My gaze shifted subtly, and I saw that the face on the purple robe remained warm and serene, revealing nothing else.

How could they know that Li Cunxiao's methods of training troops were no longer the same as those of all other warlords today?

“The sons of noble families have received systematic education in both civil affairs and military affairs, which is a valuable asset.”

"He has a bit of a spoiled young master's temper, but that's alright."

"Once we get there and you eat my Dragon Balls, I'll have plenty of ways to hone you."

With a slight upturn of his lips, Li Cunxiao led the group to briefly review the soldiers' drills, and then hosted a banquet in his residence to entertain them.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely, and the gathering did not disperse until dusk.

Interestingly, after everyone had left, Changsun Fu returned as if he had come to pledge his loyalty for the first time.

Seeing this, Li Cunxiao couldn't help but laugh:
"Brother Changsun, are you perhaps sending me something again?"

"Not entirely," Changsun Fu said, his demeanor more approachable and his posture more humble than during the day, without his companions by his side.

“The sons of noble families live in luxury and are unaware of the hardships of ordinary people. This time, they are fortunate to have received Brother Li's leniency. They will probably be complacent and think that they can easily obtain fame and fortune.”

"Brother Li, when you teach these foolish and stupid people a lesson, you must not be soft-hearted."

“It is better to shed tears in peacetime than to shed blood in wartime. On behalf of the parents, wives and children of all families, I thank Brother Li.”

After saying this, he bowed deeply. Li Cunxiao immediately straightened up and reached out to help him up.

"With Brother Changsun's words, I have nothing to worry about."

"I dare not say that they will be unharmed, but Cunxiao will do everything he can to ensure that they can return home alive."

"That's enough," Changsun Fu said with a slight relief, and the two entered the study together.

Li Cunxiao did not urge him, but waited for Changsun Fu to look around again and again to make sure that no one was there before the latter took out a small knife made of jade.

Then, he bared his upper body and lightly stabbed the knife into his chest, making a slit and a flick.

With Changsun Fu's contorted expression and painful gasps, a complete human skin was peeled off his chest.

Li Cunxiao could clearly feel that as the human skin peeled off, it was constantly absorbing Changsun Fu's true energy.

In a short while, the latter's face turned pale and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"This is a secret passed down through generations of my Zhao family, which I now present to Brother Li."

Seeing his weak appearance, Li Cunxiao was too embarrassed to reach out and take it. Instead, he took out one of the pills he had made and gave it to him.

Once the latter's breathing stabilized, he picked up the human skin to examine it.

The moment he touched it, he sensed its extraordinary nature and understood the reason for Changsun Fu's weakness.

This human skin is like a parasite, autonomously absorbing the owner's blood and vital energy, thus allowing the two to merge perfectly, as if it were naturally formed.

That jade knife was clearly a specially made tool for this purpose. Without it, the human skin could not be peeled off.

Human skin, having been absorbed and expelled over many years, has become part of the owner's bodily circulation. Abruptly removing it will naturally cause a backlash.

The human skin itself was already extraordinary, but when Li Cunxiao entered his true essence to examine it, he was even more surprised.

This document clearly records the methods for cultivating Daoist soldiers, but it does not belong to the lineage of the Duke of Zhao; rather, it belongs to the royal Li family.

"The Divine Strategy Army's Military Training Manual? How could the Duke of Zhao's mansion possess such a secret method for training the Imperial Guards?"

Seeing the surprise and astonishment in the other person's eyes, Changsun Fu straightened his clothes while explaining:

"Brother Li, don't forget that my Changsun lineage is different from other princes and nobles."

"The first Duke of Zhao had a keen eye for talent and recognized Emperor Taizong's extraordinary abilities. He not only served Emperor Taizong diligently but also personally betrothed his sister to him, making her the Queen Mother of the Great Qin."

"Because of this experience, Emperor Taizong trusted him greatly and, before his death, imparted to him a secret method."

"If the imperial family becomes weak and incompetent in the future, and things go wrong, then we will rely on loyal and virtuous officials to assist us." "It's a pity," Changsun Fu sighed.

"Although the Taoist soldiers trained by the Shence Army are strong, the cost is also extremely high. After the local forces become too powerful, the central government's tax revenue is insufficient and it is difficult to continue."

"The Shence Army, which was originally trained by Prime Minister Gao Pian, no longer had the prowess it had during Emperor Taizong's reign; otherwise, the Zhu traitor would not have succeeded."

"The world is unpredictable, and the current political situation is far from being saved by a single secret method."

"Instead of keeping it on a high shelf, it's better to offer it to the governor, so that it can still make some use of its power."

Li Cunxiao immediately understood.

If his relationship with his old friends in the capital was previously tacit and kept hidden, now that the sons of twelve families have joined the army, it has been completely brought into the open.

All these people involved will be labeled as "Li Cunxiao, the Thirteen Protectors".

Their fates are intertwined; they share both glory and ruin.

Changsun Fu was clearly aware of this, so he simply bet all his chips on himself.

This is undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble. If Li Cunxiao fails to rise to prominence in the future, given the behavior of the "First Master Party" and "Third Master Party," these former officials of the capital will certainly decline under the new dynasty, and may even be purged.

But once Li Cunxiao is promoted to Grandmaster and becomes a new leader, these people will be able to reap huge rewards and enjoy wealth for more than 600 years.

"I appreciate Brother Changsun's kindness."

“I will take good care of the sons of nobles.”

Upon hearing this promise, Changsun Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He did not linger and quietly left once his complexion returned to normal.

Li Cunxiao, carrying the human skin scroll, wandered through the maze of paths until he arrived at the back garden, where he indeed saw the figure of the great monk Qici.

The latter had been in the capital for several days. After returning, he often stayed here, doing nothing all day but sitting on the stone statue.

This stone statue is the Maitreya Buddha statue in Huayin County.

After Li Cunxiao absorbed the evil energy within, there was naturally no need to leave the object there. To be honest, it was the remains of several masters from the Maitreya Pure Land lineage, making it extremely precious.

However, after the changes in Huayin County, it seems impossible to restore it to its original state.

"Master, I have acquired something good. Please take a look at it."

"Good stuff? You can even forge divine weapons now, what other good stuff do you need me to appraise?"

His once-obese body rose to his feet, his wide sleeves billowing in the breeze. Qi Ci took the human skin scroll, glanced at it briefly, and his expression immediately turned solemn.

"To command spirits and gods, to unite with men, and to make military formations like a divine palace—such lofty ideals! If a martial artist from the Xuan Guan realm were to command an army in this way, I fear he might not be able to compete with a grandmaster."

"Shence Army training buddy, where did you get this?"

Seeing his master's performance, Li Cunxiao felt reassured.

"It was given by Changsun Fu. Now that we are in this together, he has also made a desperate gamble."

Then he explained the origin of the item, and Qi Ci was relieved after hearing it.

"Oh, if it's the work of Emperor Taizong, then it's not surprising."

"Martial arts practitioners cultivate their skills to gather great power into one person. Only those martial artists who have no hope for the future will delve into military formations."

Even grandmasters often rely solely on their primordial spirit and dharma form to forcibly command their soldiers.

"Such a military formation relies solely on numbers to win, but its control is very crude, and it does not actually unleash the full potential of the formation."

"But Emperor Taizong was a man who conquered the world on horseback and spent his life fighting, so it's not surprising that he could create such a method."

After saying this, Qi unfolded the human skin, and the master and disciple read it carefully. During the process, they discussed and debated, and the deeper their understanding became, the more amazed they were.

Grandmaster martial artists, through the transformation of the three elements into an embryo, nurture their Dharma form, condense spiritual energy and demonic energy to form a divine palace.

The power of the Divine Strategy Army's training method lies in its use of soldiers in the formation as gods and demons, and the spirit of the main general as the true form of the Dharma body, all interconnected and transformed into an external divine palace.

In other words, a Xuan Guan martial artist originally did not have a divine palace, but through the military formation, he acquired an "external" divine palace, thus becoming a "pseudo-grandmaster".

With the strength of the military formation, they can hold their own against grandmasters in a short period of time.

If a grandmaster is chosen as the core of the formation, it is equivalent to having two divine palaces, doubling the strength.

However, the former formation places a heavy burden on the general, while the latter places a heavy burden on the soldiers.

Regardless of the type, the cost of training the Shence Army is several times that of ordinary Dao soldiers, and it can only be barely maintained during the heyday of a dynasty.

Therefore, the fact that Changsun Fu presented this secret method was, in a sense, more symbolic than practical.

“You don’t have many resources right now, and it’s already difficult to support six thousand ordinary soldiers. It’s best not to use this method for the time being.”

After reading it, the senior monk gave some sound advice.

Li Cunxiao outwardly agreed, but inwardly he thought that once he reached Wenzhou and Fuzhou, he would fight his way through the mountains of Shu, and then he would have no trouble improving his Taoist military tactics with his killing intent.

Now that we have the elixirs and the methods, as long as we get rid of the constraints imposed by Li Yisheng and others, we can be as free as fish in the sea and birds in the sky. We and our forces will experience rapid development.

It was in this longing that time flew by, and soon it was the end of the sixth year of Guanghua.

During this period, although there were minor skirmishes among warlords in various regions, the overall situation remained peaceful.

However, as if deliberately designed to annoy Li Yisheng, two pieces of news arrived in quick succession two days before he ascended the altar to receive the imperial seal:

Zhu Quanzhong established his capital in Pengcheng, Xuzhou, and proclaimed himself emperor, founding the Liang dynasty and changing the era name to Kaiping 1.

With the Ming Cult's Mingzun as the national teacher, he bestowed upon him the seal of the national teacher of the Great Liang Dynasty who was in charge of Buddhism. He then launched a campaign to destroy Taoism within the country, and a large number of Taoists fled to the Wu and Yue regions, seeking refuge in Maoshan and Magushan.
Yelü Yi annexed Liu Shouguang, took control of the entire northern part of Hebei Province, and at the same time subjugated the Xi people tribe in the north of the grasslands.

They established the Liao dynasty, changed the era name to Shence, proclaimed themselves the Heavenly Emperor, and appointed Yueliduo as the Earthly Empress. At the same time, they established a Southern Court and a Northern Court within the country, with the Southern Court following the system of the Central Plains and the Northern Court following the system of the grasslands.

On the day he ascended the throne, he announced an eastward campaign against the vassal states of Bohai. Clearly, he did not want to go south too early and get involved in the struggle between Li Yisheng and Zhu Quanzhong, but he was also unwilling to become king and be inferior to others for no reason.

Upon learning the news, Li Yisheng was furious.

He was not surprised that Zhu Quanzhong had declared himself emperor, but he was extremely dissatisfied that Yelü Yi, as an ally, had declared himself emperor without even a word.

However, given his limited strength, he cannot wage war on two fronts, north and south. He can only launch an eastern expedition first, and after digesting the Central Plains, then launch a northern expedition, and then move south.

The other princes naturally dared not overstep their bounds and respectfully sent envoys to the capital to deliver gifts and congratulatory messages.

Thus, at the end of the year, Li Yisheng, accompanied by his officials, ascended the altar and became the new emperor of the Great Qin.

He changed the name of Guanghua to the first year of Tongguang, renamed the capital Daxing to "Shendu", and posthumously granted his father and grandfather three generations of emperors, placing them in the Seven Temples alongside Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, to show that he was the legitimate successor of the Great Qin.

At the same time, a general amnesty was granted, and all death row inmates were exiled to the army to expand military strength.

From then on, the pattern of the Qin and Liang kingdoms facing each other from east to west, and the Liao kingdom in the north and the Wu and Yue kingdoms in the south moving to the edge of the battlefield, was largely formed.

In February of the first year of the Tongguang reign, before the ice and snow had thawed, Li Cunxiao led 6,000 soldiers and sped off to the southwest.

The end of this chaotic era has quietly begun.
(End of this chapter)