Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 222 Reading the Newspaper
As usual, Chu Tianshu found a restaurant to gather information.

Look at the owner of this restaurant; does he also have the habit of collecting old newspapers?

However, the first restaurant he entered wasn't doing very well.

The only customers at the table had just gotten up and left.

After the waiter cleared the plates off the table, he casually grabbed a towel and wiped the soup. Instead of drying it, the towel spread the soup evenly, leaving it shiny with oil.

The oily color didn't look quite right either.

The shopkeeper was flipping through the ledgers, his face pale and thin, never giving the customers a proper look, just glancing at them with his eyelids raised.

Upon seeing Chu Tianshu's attire, he immediately looked up.

"Distinguished guest, are you looking for a place to stay or a meal...?"

Chu Tianshu had already turned around decisively. As he stepped out the door, his ears twitched slightly, and he heard the newsboy's hawking voice.

He turned the corner, asked a newsboy for directions, and went to the newspaper office.

He went directly to the newspaper owner and exchanged a thick gold needle for some copper coins.

Chu Tianshu gave two coins to the newsboy, then took the bag of money and sat down at a tea table in a corner of the newspaper office, flipping through old newspapers.

It has only been a little over a year since Chu Tianshu left this world.

But in the past year or so, things have been turbulent, with one major event after another, keeping people busy.

Chu Tianshu prepared to move forward and flip to the month when he had just left.

But while flipping through the newspaper, he saw a shocking headline.

Traitor Cai Shanjun has been killed!

click!
Chu Tianshu's pupils contracted slightly, and a thin crack appeared in the white porcelain teacup beside him.

He pulled out the newspaper and read it carefully, only to find that the entire article did not mention who killed Cai Shanjun.

It is said that when Cai Shanjun led his troops in a fierce battle for several days and withdrew from the river, many soldiers fell to their deaths.

Cai Shanjun must have already drowned.

Chu Tianshu frowned and flipped through a few more pages.

[Shocking! The Grand Commander of Yizhou has routed the main force of the Third Brigade!]

Yes, this Grand Commander of Yizhou is still called Cai Shanjun.

Chu Tianshu carefully compared the dates, gritted his teeth, and chuckled.

What the hell came up with this title?!

You died and came back to life in just a few days, huh?!

He picked up the cracked teacup, drank the water in one gulp, and began to examine the tea with focus.

More than a year ago, Yuan Shikai, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, openly declared himself emperor by offering a sacrifice to Heaven.

The Grand Commander of Yizhou was the first to raise the banner of rebellion against Yuan Shikai, and the Northern Army immediately mobilized a large army to suppress this "rebellion".

Unexpectedly, the people of Sichuan and Chongqing also raised their banners in response, joining forces with Yizhou to form the National Protection Army. They fought the large army sent by the Yuan family to a standstill, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

This has caused an uproar both at home and abroad.

The regional military governors saw through the situation and either paid lip service to it while secretly resisting, or remained inactive, while some even raised the banner of anti-Yuan and anti-imperialism.

It only took a little over three months.

In his shock and anger, the Yuan emperor aggravated his old illness, which had already made him seriously ill. He had no choice but to announce the abolition of the reign title and the revocation of the imperial system in order to ease the conflict.

In this way, the National Protection Army achieved a phased victory, and knowing that the Northern Army was still very powerful, the two sides negotiated a peace and ceased hostilities.

However, not long after, Yuan Shikai passed away, leaving behind no successor capable of subduing all the arrogant and fierce generals.

The Northern Army immediately revealed its chaotic state.

Chu Tianshu is currently in Henan County, Yuzhou.

This place is considered relatively lucky.

Currently, no warlord has stationed troops here.

The chaos among warlords had not yet repeatedly ravaged this small county town.

However, this place is not far from the territory of the Zhen Song Army.

The Zhen Song Army originally started as a group of outlaws, or to put it bluntly, bandits.

Their leader, Liu Xueya, is a man with considerable insight.

Initially, he incited this group of swordsmen, raising the banner of anti-Qing rebellion. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown, he reaped the benefits, transforming himself into a military officer. When Yuan Shikai's power was at its peak, Liu Xueya also curried favor with him effectively, allowing him to grow stronger and occupy western Yuzhou.

Because their territory was located near the Songshan mountain range, they were known as the Zhensong Army.

Although Yuan Shikai is gone, the Zhen Song Army has not suffered much damage.

There have been rumors among the people that this person is restless and will sooner or later send troops to try to occupy the entire territory of Yuzhou.

After browsing through the various events, Chu Tianshu then pulled out the newspapers that had previously reported on the National Protection Army's battles and examined them carefully.

The newspaper featured a photo of Cai Shanjun.

This appears to have been filmed on a battlefield; you can see that one of his arms is wrapped in bandages, yet he's smiling at the camera.

The three-month-long war may sound short, but it actually encompassed countless battles, encounters, and raids.

It's only what's recorded in the newspapers.

After the Yizhou army went into battle, they first helped Liu Yanqi take down the remaining die-hard elements in Bashu, and then divided their forces into three routes to fight in six counties.

One of the forces was led by Cai Shanjun himself.

When the conflict with the Northern Army occurred, Cai Shanjun was in charge of overall command, and the troops he deployed were engaged in battles with the enemy in multiple locations every day.

Liu Yanqi and his team worked together seamlessly, advancing rapidly through the mountains and repeatedly achieving surprise attacks.

However, such remarkable achievements could not mask the fact that they were outnumbered and faced constant danger at the time.

It wasn't just one newspaper that claimed Cai Shanjun had been killed.

In total, Cai Shanjun "died" four times in just three months.

Liu Yanqi "died" a total of six times.

That was when their troops suffered heavy casualties and lost ground.

Fortunately, they reappeared not long afterward.

"I wonder if Uncle Ma and Uncle Zhong are staying at the Military Academy and teaching there."

Chu Tianshu thought of his old friends, "The war was so fierce back then, if they hadn't been able to resist joining the fight..."

He decided in his heart that he would first go to Yizhou to take a look.

With his current strength, traveling from Yuzhou to Yizhou wouldn't take him too long.

The newspaper owner noticed that he had finished reading the newspaper and walked over with a smile.

The man was wearing a gray long gown and brown-rimmed glasses. He looked to be around forty years old and seemed to be in a good mood for small talk.

"Sir, you must have come from afar. You seem quite interested in our local newspaper. Are you perhaps planning to stay here for a while?"

The newspaper owner said, "We seem to be doing alright in Hanoi these past few years, but if you ask me, it might not be considered a livable city."

"If you haven't already acquired property here, sir, you might as well take a look at the territory of the Great Han Military Prefecture."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Oh, is it nice over there?"

"of course!"

The newspaper owner said, "Sichuan has been known as the Land of Abundance since ancient times, and Yizhou is also rich in resources and has beautiful scenery..."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Is that so? But Yizhou and Bashu are mountainous areas with deep forests, full of all kinds of poisonous insects and rodents. Their climate is definitely not as fertile as ours."

The newspaper owner said, "However, their army is highly motivated and their administration is strict. Look at the world today, no army dares to easily provoke them."

“Without a strong military force to protect us, we could be ravaged by troops from somewhere else any day.”

Chu Tianshu pondered for a moment and said, "What about Jiangdong? In terms of climate and military strength alone, Jiangdong is also quite good. What you just mentioned are not advantages unique to the Han military government."

The newspaper owner choked for a moment, then said, "Alas, I was just speaking offhand. It seems I was not thoughtful enough. I have learned my lesson."

Chu Tianshu got up in a good mood, patted him on the shoulder, and said seriously, "Actually, you have a good eye. You can keep it up."

"However, you probably have some minor health issues. In the future, try not to eat too much oily food. If you want to eat meat, focus on chicken."

"Goodbye."

After saying this, Chu Tianshu drew his sword and prepared to leave.

A figure wearing a top hat and carrying a wicker trunk walked into the newspaper office.

Upon seeing each other, Chu Tianshu stopped in surprise.

It turned out to be someone I knew.

(End of this chapter)