Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 335 Vertical Pupils!

As soon as the search of Dong'an Gate came to an end, the Jinyiwei and Dongchang forces were already ready to go.

After searching the last imperial family residence in the capital, they did not linger for a moment, but immediately formed a procession and left the capital, speeding southward.

A frenzied crackdown targeting members of the imperial clan across the country was thus launched.

Xu Long had already issued orders that the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the Eastern Depot agents in various regions should fully cooperate, and wherever they went, they should not show any favoritism, but only investigate money, clear land, and collect overdue taxes.

In just one month, this crackdown swept across the entire territory of the Ming Dynasty.

From the bustling water towns of Jiangnan to the remote border towns, no place could escape this thorough and radical investigation.

Boxes of heavy silver were continuously transported from all over the country to the capital and went into the national treasury, gradually filling the originally empty treasury.

The unrest then spread.

Many members of the imperial clan fled upon hearing the news, carrying with them the wealth they had amassed over the years, heading south in an attempt to evade the investigation. But while people could leave, their land, property, and houses could not.

Some, however, simply gave up all hope and secretly colluded with border generals to seize mountains, establish their own kingdoms, and carve out their own territories.

Even worse, some overestimated their abilities and openly raised the banner of rebellion, attempting to overthrow the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

This situation was already within Chen Zhan and Xu Long's expectations.

Inside the imperial study, the old emperor Zhu Yijun had already anticipated this.

These days, he's figured it out.

Although Chen Zhan's method was drastic, he was not wrong; it was indeed for the good of the Ming Dynasty.

This excruciating pain, akin to scraping the bone to remove poison, is something the Ming Dynasty must endure. If the imperial family and officials are allowed to continue draining the resources of the dynasty for a few more years, the pain will turn into an incurable festering wound, and then the Ming Dynasty will truly be finished.

Moreover, with a powerful figure like Chen Zhan presiding over the matter, even if he still harbors fear towards Chen Zhan, he has to admit one thing: Chen Zhan has no intention of killing him.

Otherwise, given Chen Zhan's abilities, there are countless ways to take his life.

For various reasons, Zhu Yijun also had many speculations.

The foundation of the Ming Dynasty never lay with the emperor alone, but with the vast group of civil and military officials.

Although the civil service was terrified of being implicated in the investigation of the imperial clan, most of them secretly admired Zhu Yijun's decisiveness.

It's always a good thing that the emperor makes such a decisive move.

The civil service in the imperial court may have been tainted by many ills such as corruption and shirking responsibility, and there were many factions and constant disputes within the court. However, those who truly harbored rebellious intentions and wanted the Ming Dynasty, a ship riddled with problems, to sink were ultimately a minority.

After all, a stable regime is the foundation for their security and livelihood.

This nationwide investigation of the imperial clan lasted for three months in a great deal of activity.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot encountered countless resistance and assassinations in various places, suffering heavy losses and paying the price of one-third of their manpower before finally eliminating the deeply entrenched imperial clan forces within the Ming Dynasty.

The cost of purging the imperial clan was obvious: rebellions broke out across the country, with forces rising up in revolt.

However, this chaos is not too serious. Rebellions within the Ming Dynasty had never ceased before, and this was just a concentrated outbreak.

The real threat that the court feared was not the rabble of the imperial clan, but the northern border and the southeastern coast.

The Later Jin cavalry in Liaodong had long been eyeing the area covetously, frequently knocking on the gates.

Meanwhile, the Japanese pirates along the coast took advantage of the situation to cause chaos, plundering prefectures and counties and causing widespread suffering among the people.

Fortunately, the money confiscated from the imperial family and corrupt officials flowed into the national treasury, completely filling the empty coffers.

With generous rewards, brave men will surely emerge. With money to support the court, the government has the confidence to prepare for war.

Ding Baiying, far away in Jizhou, took advantage of this opportunity and rebuilt a 2,000-strong Qi Family Army in just two months.

She completely adopted the reward system of Qi Jiguang's army, which was strict and clearly defined in terms of rewards and punishments.

For each enemy soldier killed, the reward starts at three taels of silver, increasing with each additional enemy soldier.

Furthermore, the military pay and compensation for fallen soldiers that the imperial court had owed in previous years were fully paid in full.

With the funds in place and strict military discipline, the newly formed Qi Family Army was in high spirits and its combat strength improved by leaps and bounds, developing an iron-blooded fighting force in a short period of time.

After completing the reorganization and training, Ding Baiying immediately led this elite force of two thousand men south.

They first wiped out the bandits who had plagued the border region for many years. Wherever their blades passed, bandit strongholds were destroyed and bandits were beheaded.

They then marched southeast to reinforce the coastal areas.

Faced with the Japanese pirates who were accustomed to plundering, Qi Jiguang's army, with its tight formation and fierce tactics, repelled several pirate attacks in succession, achieving considerable gains and finally allowing the coastal people to catch their breath.

In the capital, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, after three months of investigation, were finally able to take a short break.

Two months later.

Once his men had recovered their strength, Xu Long personally mustered his elite troops and quietly left Beijing, leading his team straight to Southeast Asia.

This mission was extremely secretive; apart from their trusted confidants, no one knew their exact destination or mission.

More than a month later, Xu Long and his group returned as scheduled.

He himself had a bandage wrapped around his shoulder, clearly suffering a minor injury. The losses of the accompanying Imperial Guards were not too severe, but the losses of the Eastern Depot agents were slightly greater.

No one asked them what they had experienced in Southeast Asia. Just by looking at Xu Long's solemn expression when he returned, it was clear that the trip had not been smooth.

But the result was that the report stated that the evil cult had been wiped out.

After this battle, Xu Long's power and prestige became even more formidable.

He already controlled the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and now even the Eastern Depot was under his control. Holding two powerful weapons, his forces had expanded to over ten thousand, making him arguably the most powerful military officer in the court. Such power was enough to make any emperor wary.

What was unusual was that the usually suspicious Emperor Zhu Yijun never harbored any suspicion towards Xu Long.

The two acted in perfect harmony and cooperated seamlessly, resembling a wise ruler and his trusted military officer.

This scene astonished the cabinet ministers and court officials, who discussed it privately, but no one dared to speak out to their faces.

Inside the imperial study, Zhu Yijun dismissed all the eunuchs and guards, leaving only himself and Xu Long in the hall. A slight breeze stirred outside, but the hall remained completely silent.

"What do you think... his purpose is?" Zhu Yijun's voice broke the silence, trembling slightly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Long remained silent for a moment, then bowed and was about to kneel in respect: "Reporting to Your Majesty..."

"Minister Xu, there's no need for that."

Zhu Yijun raised his hand to interrupt him, and sighed softly: "There's no need for formalities in private conversation. Sit down and talk. You should understand my concerns."

Xu Long rose and sat down as instructed, and said in a deep voice, "Yes, Your Majesty. But to be honest... I don't know."

He shook his head, his tone frank and not at all perfunctory.

The entire court was puzzled as to why the emperor and the powerful military officer could be so at ease with each other, but only the two of them knew the reason.

This close bond is entirely due to Chen Zhan's presence.

Whether Chen Zhan can be considered an external enemy is hard to say, but one thing is certain: he is definitely not one of their own.

With this unfathomable and powerful being standing in their way, they are like grasshoppers tied to the same rope; any suspicion or infighting would seem superfluous and dangerous.

What's most worrying is that Chen Zhan seems to have no ulterior motives.

Chen Zhan neither served as an official nor a general, and had no interest in court politics.

Despite becoming the Imperial Advisor, he never took any action other than pacifying the imperial clan and raising funds.

Neither the old emperor nor Xu Long knows where Chen Zhan is now.

This kind of master can manipulate life and death, and has the ability to make an old emperor young again, but no one knows what he is thinking, nor can his origins or background be found.

This is simply unbelievable. "Lord Huangting, Lord Huangting, how's the matter I asked you to investigate going?"

The silence of the imperial study was broken by Zhu Yijun's low murmur. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the imperial desk, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

As he finished speaking, he added, "That ancient and ancient 'Huangting Daojing' and the predecessor of the Demonic Sect hundreds of years ago was the 'Huangting Holy Sect.' His title of 'Huangting Daojun' was definitely not given lightly."

Xu Long sat up straight, his expression solemn, and slowly reported, "Your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. In the eighth year of the Yuan You reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, the first leader of the Huangting Holy Sect, also known in martial arts records as the Xuan Yang Demon Lord, first appeared in the martial arts world. On that occasion, he went on a killing spree, stirring up trouble in all directions. A year later, the Xuan Yang Demon Lord officially established the Huangting Holy Sect, which has since become a major sect in the martial arts world."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "But I have consulted the secret archives of the Imperial Treasury and old books of the martial arts world many times. Before this, there were quite a few Taoist sects in the martial arts world related to 'Huang Ting', but none of the successors of any of these sects possessed abilities similar to Chen Zhan. Even in terms of martial arts style, there was no comparison whatsoever."

"Is that all?" Zhu Yijun frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the result.

“There’s another old story, which might be related to him,” Xu Long said, changing the subject.

"In the early years of the Yuan You era, a highly secretive assassin organization called the 'Twenty-Four Towers' appeared in the martial arts world. This organization was organized according to the order of the 'four seasons and six solar terms,' and had twenty-four envoys, all named after the twenty-four solar terms. They were all top-notch assassins."

"What is the connection between the assassin organization and Lord Huangting?" Zhu Yijun interrupted him impatiently, eager to know the key connection.

"Although these twenty-four towers are said to have twenty-four assassins, in reality there is another tower master who oversees the whole operation."

“That master calls himself the Master of the Yellow Court!” Xu Long replied in a deep voice.

"The early years of the Yuan You era. The Master of the Yellow Court Dao? The eighth year of the Yuan You era. The Demon Master of the Yellow Court?"

"And then what? Why didn't this assassin organization survive?" Zhu Yijun couldn't help but connect the two.

Xu Long shook his head: "I don't know. This part of the information was found when we were sorting through the warehouse of the Nanyang Demonic Sect. The Twenty-Four Towers seemed to have disappeared into thin air and never appeared again."

"Because it only existed for eight years, it is almost entirely absent from various historical records and documents today."

"Master Huangting Dao?"

"Where did he go?"

Zhu Yijun pondered these four words and asked.

Xu Long lowered his head, his tone frank: "This... I don't know either."

"The Twenty-Four Towers suddenly disappeared in the ninth year of the Yuan You era, and there was no news of them in the martial arts world. The whereabouts of the Yellow Court Dao Master was also not recorded at all, as if he had vanished into thin air."

Zhu Yijun leaned back in his throne, his brows furrowed, and remained silent for a long time.

Xu Long's reply was tantamount to uttering nothing.

Whether it was the Demon Lord of Xuanyang or the Daoist Master of Huangting, they were figures and events from more than 500 years ago. Too much time has passed, and all traces have long been lost to time, making it impossible to verify.

All that can be done now is to speculate that Chen Zhan may have inherited the legacy of one of these two things. As for his true purpose, it remains a mystery, and no one can say for sure.

"never mind."

"There are more important things to do right now."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, his tone full of helplessness, temporarily suppressing his doubts.
He rose and walked to his desk, pointing to an urgent memorial on it: "The Later Jin have occupied two more cities of the Ming Dynasty. Now, in Liaodong, only one isolated city remains, desperately holding out. The situation is critical. Take men to support Liaodong."

Xu Long rose to his feet and bowed, accepting the order: "Your subject obeys."

At this moment, he indeed had a strong and well-equipped army under his command.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot suffered considerable losses in their previous investigations and expeditions to Southeast Asia, the remaining forces were all elite and their morale was high.

Moreover, the domestic banditry had been wiped out by Qi Jiguang's army, and the Japanese pirates along the coast were too frightened to invade easily again. With internal stability and no worries, it was the perfect time to send troops to Liaodong to resist the Later Jin.

Seven days to prepare

Xu Long led 30,000 soldiers, 2,000 Imperial Guards, and 3,000 agents from the Eastern Depot to Liaodong.

On the city wall, Chen Zhan watched the army march off, then looked at the message that had come to him.
As Xu Long's troops marched away, Chen Zhan stood still, unfolding a folded piece of paper with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over the few words on it.

With a swift movement, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped into the air like a willow catkin, soaring straight into the sky.

A clear, melodious whistle suddenly rang out, piercing through the clouds.

As he fell, a massive black shadow swooped down from the clouds and came to a steady stop beneath him.

It was the mutated black oriole that Saintess Zhenyue had ridden before.

This blackbird has developed a spiritual nature, unlike ordinary birds.

Chen Zhan had put in a lot of effort to subdue it, but now he could finally control it at will.

He landed steadily on the back of the giant bird, patted its neck, and the blackbird let out a low cry. It flapped its wings and sped off towards Liaodong, stirring up gusts of wind wherever its wings swept by.

The giant bird flew much faster than an army marching, and in just one day, the outline of the Liao region was already in sight.

The last city to hold out—Liaoyang!
It stands tall in the wilderness.

Chen Zhan signaled Black Oriole to slow down, and as it flew low over the sky, its gaze was already locked on the top of Liaoyang City.

From afar, Han Tiange and Yan Tieshi could be seen, with several ordinary-looking men standing beside them, all dressed in tight-fitting clothes and holding weapons. They were watching the direction outside the city vigilantly along with the guards on the city wall.

At this time, the Later Jin troops outside the city were in the middle of a gap between two rounds of siege.

Tents stretched for miles, with wisps of smoke rising from them. Exhausted soldiers were taking the time to rest, cleaning their weapons and replenishing their rations. The air was thick with the mingled smells of blood and gunpowder.

The brief peace was shattered as Chen Zhan appeared from the sky atop a giant bird.

A series of urgent bugle calls rang out in the Later Jin camp, and the resting soldiers immediately discarded their rations, grabbed their weapons, and assembled.

The siege ladders were hoisted up again, and the pottery jars filled with oil were loaded onto the siege engines. Countless soldiers surged towards the Liaoyang city walls like a tidal wave, and the offensive was even more frenzied than before.

Oil poured down, igniting a raging fire on the bricks and stones of the city wall. Ladders were erected all around the city wall, and the Later Jin soldiers roared as they climbed upwards. The sounds of clashing blades and weapons, and shouts of battle, instantly echoed across the wilderness.

Although Han Tiange and his companions were highly skilled in martial arts, and were able to maneuver and kill several Later Jin soldiers who were scaling the city walls with their swords flashing, they were ultimately no match for the relentless onslaught of the human wave.

Moreover, there were also skilled warriors in the Later Jin army, and heavily armored warriors would often leap onto the battlements to fight them, thus tying up a lot of their energy.

They had originally come to the city to gather intelligence, but now that the city's defenses were strained, they had no choice but to temporarily join the city's defenses and do their utmost to stop the enemy.

The forces besieging Liaoyang this time were the elite troops of three banners from the Later Jin Eight Banners: the Plain Yellow Banner, the Bordered Yellow Banner, and the Bordered White Banner.

The three forces occupied the east, south, and north sides, forming an encirclement and trapping Liaoyang.

The Plain Yellow Banner was personally commanded by Ajige, the Bordered Yellow Banner was under the command of Eidu, and the Bordered White Banner was under the command of Dudu. All three generals were fierce generals of the Later Jin Dynasty. Their command and dispatch were orderly and orderly, and the offensives came one after another, giving the defending soldiers and civilians no chance to catch their breath.

The troops in Liaoyang had already suffered heavy losses, with less than a thousand remaining defenders, making it impossible for them to hold out on three sides.

The people in the city spontaneously rushed up the city wall and fought alongside the defending troops.

No one retreated, and no one hesitated. Everyone knew that once the Later Jin army breached the city, they would massacre the entire city, leaving no one alive.

Rather than waiting to die, it's better to fight to the death; perhaps there's still a chance to survive.

Chen Zhan rode the Black Oriole and charged directly towards the Plain Yellow Banner's command formation outside the city, leaping down from mid-air.

The blackbird circled low in the sky, while Chen Zhan fell like a shooting star.
"boom!"

The loud noise shook the earth. Most of the Jin soldiers in the Plain Yellow Banner army were still focused on attacking the city and did not notice that someone had fallen from the sky.

The way Chen Zhan crashed to the ground was completely unlike what one would expect from a human being.

The shockwave from the landing directly overwhelmed a large group of Jin soldiers, whose screams echoed throughout the area.

Within the area filled with smoke and dust, terrifying sounds of bones shattering and flesh exploding could be heard continuously, as if living things were being torn apart by an invisible force, making the Jin soldiers outside the formation shudder.

The first Jin soldier to regain his senses smelled an intense, almost overwhelming odor of blood, a pungent, sweet-smelling stench.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, a ferocious figure slowly emerged from behind the veil of smoke and dust, the most terrifying feature being its eyes.

A pair of cold, vertical pupils!

(End of this chapter)