The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 499 Let’s get straight to the point

Wu Chengyu repeatedly read the letter. It was only a few hundred words long, but he could see the deep-seated hatred for the Ming Cult between the lines.

Since being forcibly annexed, the Five Elements Flag has been suppressed. It seems that it's not that the Ming Cult's higher-ups were unaware of the Five Elements Flag's fighting strength, but they have always used the Five Elements Flag as cannon fodder because they were afraid that the Five Elements Flag would become too powerful to be suppressed.

During the day, Wu Chengyu chatted with Xiao Zhao. Hou Tu Village in the back mountain actually only had two or three hundred households, and there were a total of five or six hundred disciples who could join Hou Tu Banner. In other words, only these people were the true direct descendants of the former Five Elements Camp in Hou Tu Banner.

The situation is similar for the other four banners. On the one hand, the Ming Cult leadership sends its own people to manage them, and on the other hand, it keeps infiltrating the ranks. Nowadays, a banner has a full strength of about 1,500 people, but only about one-third of them are true members of the Five Elements Camp.

In addition, there were several thousand Ming Cult disciples outside the Five Elements Banner, as well as the extremely high martial prowess of the Ming Cult's high-ranking members. Therefore, even if the people of the Five Elements Camp harbored hatred, they never dared to rebel.

Following its original trajectory, the Ming Cult did not suffer the enormous losses of the great war with the Beggars' Sect, nor the successive rebellions of Nangong Luan and Yang Xu.

In the power struggle between Nangong Luan and Yang Xu, Yang Xu emerged victorious. Two or three years later, Fang Yu passed away, and Yang Xu smoothly became the next leader of the sect.

At that time, the Ming Cult's strength would not have suffered much loss, and it maintained its suppression of the Five Elements Banner until a hundred years later, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, when Yang Dingtian was crushed to death by his own cuckoldry, Fan Yao disappeared, and the Four Great Protectors either fled or went blind.

Yang Xiao, who was useless except for martial arts, was left behind and kept messing around. At this time, the Ming Cult no longer had the power to control the Five Elements Flag. The Five Elements Flag gradually broke away from the Ming Cult while rebelling against the Yuan Dynasty everywhere. In the end, the plan to destroy the Ming Cult was realized.

The Ming Cult transformed into the Sun Moon Cult, forgetting its original doctrines and becoming a purely martial arts force. It was even instigated by the Ming Dynasty court to constantly fight among major martial arts sects such as Shaolin and Wudang. By then, the Ming Cult no longer existed.

In the world of Jin Yong's martial arts novels, more than two hundred years have passed from the Fang La Rebellion to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. The Five Elements Camp finally avenged their great grudge. I wonder if this counts as "what is remembered will surely come to pass".

But by then, it's unknown how many of the so-called Five Elements Camp's direct descendants will still be left, or how many will still remember the hatred from back then.

But now the situation is completely different. Because of Wu Chengyu's appearance, the Ming Cult's high-level combat power has been reduced by more than half.

Currently, apart from the positions of the leader and the Left Envoy of Light, the other high-ranking positions are still vacant, and countless people are fighting fiercely for these positions on Bright Peak.

Among the Ming Cult's masters, the only top-tier master is Yang Xu, and the only truly exceptional ones are Snake King Wu Du and Fang Yaning, who is currently feigning mourning after being bewitched by Wu Chengyu.

There are certainly other masters, but there are quite a few first- or second-rate ones. Apart from a few old guys from the previous generation, there are no others who can reach the top level.

If we rely solely on the forces of the Five Elements Banner's direct descendants, which total less than three thousand people and whose high-ranking members are at most second-rate in martial arts, we certainly cannot overthrow the Ming Cult. However, Wu Chengyu has already arrived, which is the biggest turning point.

The so-called overthrow of the Ming Cult cannot be achieved simply by killing Yang Xu and other high-ranking members. The Ming Cult still has several thousand loyal followers. How tenacious is the vitality of a force controlled by religious doctrines and constantly brainwashed over the years?

Therefore, overthrowing the Ming Cult still requires careful planning. However, Wu Chengyu was really envious of the Five Elements Banner. He had initially thought that the Five Elements Banner was the direct descendant of the Ming Cult and had been a believer of the Ming Lord for many years. It would be almost impossible to poach an army from the Ming Cult.

However, if these people already harbor deep hatred for the Ming Cult, they certainly wouldn't want to wait another hundred years. Given the chance, they would inevitably rebel. Therefore, once Wu Chengyu helps them avenge their deaths, bringing this army under his or the rebel army's command would no longer be a pipe dream.

Don't underestimate the fact that each banner only has five or six hundred loyal followers. Although the number is small, they have always mastered the various technologies passed down by the Five Elements Camp over the years. With a little training, they can become a first-class special engineering and technical force in the world.

The challenge facing Wu Chengyu now is how to truly connect with the direct descendants of these Five Elements Banners, rather than being a deputy banner leader who relies on his drinking prowess to make the Thick Earth Banner feel honored, and who is only somewhat accepted but ultimately remains an outsider.

Gaining someone's genuine approval is difficult, especially from a stranger like Wu Chengyu, let alone from a military organization with a long history.

After much thought, Wu Chengyu still couldn't come up with a good angle. It wasn't until dawn that he heard rustling sounds outside, and Xiao Zhao got up.

Not long after, Xiao Zhao knocked on the door: "Deputy Banner Master, I've brought you hot water to wash up."

After saying that, Xiao Zhao pushed open the door and entered, carrying a ceramic basin. Wu Chengyu washed up briefly, and then Xiao Zhao brought out a food box from outside.

"Deputy Banner Master, the kitchen specially made some hand-pulled noodles for you this morning. I'm getting a bowl of them for myself too, hehe." The little girl was innocent and very excited.

"Then eat with me."

"Really? But Uncle Pang said I'm a maid and I need to know my place."

"I'm not that particular. Besides, don't you think it tastes much better when two people eat together than when one person eats alone?"

"It seems so. Then I'll eat with the deputy banner chief."

Northwest China's hand-pulled noodles are a traditional delicacy. The noodles are served in mutton soup with radish slices, and the flavor is rich and delicious. Xiao Zhao ate them with great pleasure, but Wu Chengyu remained absent-minded.

However, looking at Xiao Zhao's innocent appearance, Wu Chengyu suddenly felt that people don't necessarily have to use scheming to get along with each other. Sometimes, using too much scheming can actually create distance. To paraphrase a common saying, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon.

He suddenly decided to take a gamble. Since mastering his martial arts, he was no longer in the precarious situation he had been in Gushan County. Back then, to save A-Ku, he had gambled with his humanity, and after that, with his abilities, no one could ever push him to such a point again. Now, since there was no other way out, he wanted to gamble again. He gambled on whether the descendants of these Five Elements Banners would still harbor hatred for the Ming Cult a hundred years later, whether they were actually unwilling to swallow their anger any longer, and whether they would immediately launch a counterattack against the Ming Cult once given the opportunity.

"Xiao Zhao, who has the most influence in your Hou Tu Village these days?"

Xiao Zhao stared blankly with wide eyes: "Village affairs are usually discussed by the older generation, but now Uncle Pang's words carry the most weight."

Wu Chengyu nodded. It seemed that this Pang Kun was the current leader of the Hou Tu Banner. The other four banners should all have such a person, who possessed the legacy left by the Five Elements Camp, including special tactics and techniques, as well as hatred towards the Ming Cult.

"Could you please invite Old Pang over for me later? I have something to say to him."

After the two finished breakfast, Xiao Zhao cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks. Not long after, Pang Kun arrived.

"Haha, did the deputy banner chief rest well last night? I must say, Xiao Zhao should have helped the deputy banner chief light the fireplace a long time ago."

"I wonder what business the deputy banner chief has with me?"

Wu Chengyu squinted at Pang Kun, who was very shrewd. After all, he had endured humiliation and hardship under the suppression of the Ming Cult, so it was impossible for him not to be shrewd.

However, this person's eyes were very upright when he looked at people, and although his speech was slightly smooth, he was far from being a sycophant like Pu Zhishen. Judging from his appearance alone, he was definitely not a cunning person.

"Please have a seat, Commander Pang." Wu Chengyu gestured to the guest with one hand, while with the other hand, he waved his sleeve, and an invisible force slowly closed the door.

Pang Kun's eyes narrowed. Everyone said that Zhou Dao's martial arts were only second-rate, but his control over the internal energy of the body just now was definitely not something that only a second-rate person could do.

"I invited Commander Pang here today just for a casual chat. To be honest, although I wasn't there when my Ming Cult and the Beggars' Sect fought a great battle at Phoenix Mountain, I know that the Thick Earth Banner and the Sharp Metal Banner joined forces and inflicted heavy casualties on the Beggars' Sect disciples. It was truly an eye-opening experience."

"To be honest, Deputy Flag Master, our Five Elements Flag has never followed the path of martial arts combat. In a one-on-one fight, the disciples of the Five Elements Flag are certainly no match for the Beggar Clan masters."

Even if ten people fight ten people, we will definitely lose. But if it's a battle between a hundred people, the Beggars' Sect won't have the advantage. The more people we have, the more likely we are to form a military formation. Unless they are truly masters, my Five Elements Flag will surely win.

"Commander Pang is indeed a man of great spirit. I heard that he was also at Phoenix Mountain that day."

“That’s right. The former leader of Hou Tu Banner was Nangong Luan’s confidant. He led us to Hubei this time. Before we went, we didn’t expect to fight the Beggars’ Gang, let alone that Nangong Luan would rebel. Instead, it has put Hou Tu Banner in its current predicament.”

"With Hou Tuqi here, as long as I put in a good word for him with Master Yang, he will be fine. Commander Pang need not worry."

Unfortunately, this time my Ming Cult suffered heavy losses. The old leader passed away, my father, the Fox King, died in the rebellion of Nangong Luan, and Nangong Luan was killed on the spot by the leader of the Yang Cult.

Now I hear that the Tiger King and Bear King are seriously injured and unable to recover, and have resigned from their positions as Protectors of the Faith. Suddenly, many high-ranking positions in our Ming Cult are vacant, and no one can fill them. It's truly a pity.

"Yes, it's a real pity," Pang Kun said casually, not knowing what Wu Chengyu meant by saying this.

Little did Wu Chengyu know that he was carefully observing Pang Kun's reaction. When Wu Chengyu mentioned that so many high-ranking members of the Ming Cult had died, Pang Kun's eyes unconsciously showed a hint of schadenfreude, and even the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Of course, all these reactions disappeared in an instant, and if Wu Chengyu hadn't been a thoughtful person, he wouldn't have been able to notice them at all.

Seeing this, Wu Chengyu finally made up his mind: "There is another matter today. I accidentally obtained something before, but I don't know its origin. However, I found that it may be related to our Five Elements Banner. Banner Chief Pang is an old man of the Thick Earth Banner and has a lot of knowledge. I would like to ask you to give me some pointers."

"Vice Banner Master Zhou, you're too kind. I wonder what this is that is related to my Five Elements Banner..." Before he could finish speaking, Pang Kun froze when he saw the token that Wu Chengyu had taken out. His eyes widened instantly, and his lips trembled slightly.

Wu Chengyu pushed the token in front of Pang Kun. Pang Kun stared at it for a long time before finally coming to his senses. His eyes returned to Wu Chengyu, and his expression became extremely serious, filled with extreme vigilance.

Finally, with trembling hands, he picked up the token, examined it carefully, and then let out a long sigh.

“My Five Elements Camp Commander’s Token is no mistake. It is made of rare crystal iron mixed with five metals and has the Five Elements Camp’s hidden patterns on it. I have seen it in the portraits left by the older generation. I never thought that this Commander’s Token, which has been missing for a hundred years, would appear in front of me again today.”

He gripped the token tightly in his hand, staring sharply at Wu Chengyu: "Who exactly are you? Where did you get this token? And what are you plotting?"

　The Mid-Autumn Festival really interfered with writing. I finally finished today's chapter. I'm late, please forgive me.

　　Finally, a belated wish: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone, and may your families be blessed with happiness and good health.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)