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Chapter 143 Ruthless and Insane! Colluding with Foreign Enemies! With the Power of Thousands of Soldiers! Defeating the Enemy!

Jiangnan Mansion.

Zeng Yue and the others already knew that Shen Ci had returned with his team.

Zhang Yuanlong was arranged by them.

When they arrived in Jiangnan Prefecture, the soldiers guarding the city had already gone to report and stopped them at the gate.

Local military garrisons were practically non-existent, but the situation was different in the Jiangnan Garrison.

The Jiangnan Guard still has several thousand soldiers, though they are not as elite as the Vermilion Bird Army.

Zeng Yue was still in the prefectural government office discussing matters with the heads of prominent families.

There are four prominent families in Jiangnan Prefecture: the Zeng family, the Zhang family, the Wang family, and the Wu family.

The Zeng family, needless to say, are relatives of Zeng Shihong, the current prime minister.

Although the Zhang family has no connections in the imperial court, they have been rooted in Jiangnan Prefecture for a thousand years, monopolizing the rice business. No one dares to mess with them, which shows their exceptional abilities.

Both the Wang and Wu families belonged to Jinghu Academy and were disciples of the first academy's headmaster. In Jiangnan, a place with many scholars, they held a high status.

The constables outside rushed in.

"My lord, something terrible has happened! The imperial envoy has arrived at the city gate!"

"What?! Didn't Zhang Yuanlong go to cause them trouble?"

Zeng Yue's expression was rather unpleasant; he hadn't expected that Zhang Yuanlong wouldn't be able to stop Shen Ci and his group.

"It seems there are no skilled bodyguards among the imperial envoy's personal guards."

Zeng Yue's expression softened after hearing this.

Shen Ci arrived with nearly a thousand Vermilion Bird soldiers, their momentum overwhelming. If they were allowed into the city, who knows what they might do.

No one present dared to speak up about letting them in.

At this moment, the head of the Wu family spoke up.

"We must not let them in under any circumstances."

Zeng Yue said, "We know what Master Wu is saying, but how can we stop him?"

The head of the Wu family gritted his teeth and said, "Move troops! They dared to come with only a few hundred soldiers. If we don't kill them now, we'll be the ones who suffer."

The commander of the Jiangnan Prefecture Guard was a member of the Wu family, so when he said this, the others naturally didn't say anything more.

Shen Ci stared at the tightly closed city gates of Jiangnan Prefecture, his face cold and stern.

He knew that the powerful families were afraid of him.

With only these few men at the moment, they naturally can't do much.

He was waiting, waiting for the rest of the troops to return after dealing with the affairs of the nine counties.

Shen Ci saw a figure appear on the city wall; it was Zeng Yue.

So he had Shen Rong shout loudly, "Lord Zeng, open the door quickly, we're back!"

Zeng Yue replied, "Your Excellency, bringing so many troops into the city will likely disturb the people. Please have your Vermilion Bird Army retreat ten miles away and set up camp. You may enter the city with your personal guards."

Shen Ci sneered, "Then there's no need. Let's wait a bit longer."

Shen Rong, somewhat indignant, said, "That old scoundrel has a brilliant idea! Do you think any of us who go in will come back alive?"

Shen Ci naturally understood this, so he couldn't possibly fall for the trick and enter the city.

Thus, they confronted each other outside the city, while the Vermilion Bird Army did not sit idle, but built fortifications on the spot.

To prevent Zeng Yue and his men from resorting to desperate measures, troops were dispatched.

Zeng Yue watched the Vermilion Bird Army's movements below from the city wall, and his heart sank.

He wondered, "When will Wu Laosan arrive?"

However, he was not kept waiting long. Master Wu had already ordered his clansmen to bring five thousand soldiers to surround Shen Ci and his group.

However, how could the soldiers of this local garrison be a match for the Vermilion Bird Army?

Even when outnumbered five to one, he still had the upper hand.

The Vermilion Bird Army routed them in just a few charges, and they fled into the city of Jiangnan Prefecture.

Zeng Yue stood on the city wall, seething with hatred. He never expected the soldiers of Jiangnan Prefecture to be so easily defeated.

Huddled inside, he could only pray that Zhang Yuanlong would arrive as soon as possible after dealing with Shen Yan.

By evening, the Vermilion Bird Army, heading to various counties, had already assembled in front of the city of Jiangnan Prefecture.

Seven thousand Vermilion Bird soldiers had already gathered in front of the city.

The rest of the men stayed in their respective counties to guard the silver.

When one plan failed, Zeng Yue devised another.

He drove the elderly and weak out of the city gates and stood down below the city walls.

The Vermilion Bird Army was mostly composed of cavalry and was not good at attacking cities.

If Shen Ci wants to attack the city, he must first kill these people.

If he can slaughter innocent civilians, then his official career is over.

When word gets to those who are interested, Shen Ci's infamy will soon spread throughout the Great Zhou.

Shen Ci's face turned ashen as he looked at Zeng Yue, who was laughing wildly on the city wall.

"Zeng Yue is truly ruthless; he actually came up with such a vicious plan."

On the city wall, the heads of various families were showering him with compliments.

"Lord Zeng's plan is brilliant."

"Exactly! Look at that brat Shen Ci's face, he has troops at his command but is helpless."

"Shen Ci is still too young and inexperienced; he's far from being a match for us."

Zeng Yue's smile faded slightly; stalling for time was certainly not a useless tactic.

He had already sent a message by carrier pigeon, saying that reinforcements would arrive soon to wipe out the Vermilion Bird Army.

As night fell, Shen Ci had no choice but to order his soldiers to cook a meal.

He hopes to figure out a way to deal with the current situation tonight.

The next day.

Meng Lie rounded up all the direct descendants of the prominent families in Jiangnan who were living outside the county and brought them to the gate of Jiangnan Prefecture.

He laughed loudly, "Look at the kind of people I have under my command!"

Zeng Yue roared in fury, "You're shameless!"

"Open the city gates, or else—"

Zeng Yue's face turned ashen, and he did not open the city gate.

Once the city gates opened, they were like fish on a chopping board.

Everyone will die then.

Suddenly, Meng Lie heard a report from his soldiers that a large army was approaching from dozens of miles away.

We'll arrive in another hour or two.

He immediately reported this to Shen Ci.

"What?! Where did these people come from?"

Shen Ci was greatly surprised:

There are only so many people in Jiangnan Prefecture, so why have so many suddenly appeared?

Soon Shen Ci saw the newcomers, who turned out to be Japanese pirates.

His eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "You actually colluded with the Japanese pirates! You truly deserve to die!"

Shen Ci couldn't understand why these aristocratic families didn't know what kind of disaster the Japanese pirates would cause by entering the country.

How many people will die, how many will be displaced?

After a long while, he could only mutter to himself, "These people are crazy."

Although Jiangnan Prefecture is very close to the coast, it would have been impossible for tens of thousands of Japanese pirates to reach this place without their inside help.

It's obvious without even thinking about it that Zeng Yue and his gang were behind this.

Even if the Vermilion Bird Army faced an enemy more than ten times its size, it would have no chance of winning.

Moreover, these people are all desperate criminals, not comparable to the garrison troops.

Soon, the Japanese pirates surrounded Shen Ci and his companions.

The leader was none other than the small island villagers who ravaged the coast of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and they were the most powerful force among the Japanese pirates.

The Vermilion Bird Army had no cowards; everyone sharpened their weapons and calmly looked at the Japanese pirates around them.

It seems that the enemy before us is nothing special.

Zeng Yue stood on the city wall, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

How could he not know the consequences of the Japanese pirates entering the country?

But so what? As long as Shen Ci dies and Jiangnan Prefecture is in chaos, the court will be thinking about quelling the rebellion, not about tax revenue.

The death of a thousand people is a number, and the death of ten thousand people is also a number.

As long as it's not him who dies, what does it matter if more people die?

The islander's visit was certainly not in vain; Zeng Yue had already promised him many benefits.

These nearly 100,000 people represent almost all of his wealth; without substantial enough profit, he wouldn't be motivated to work.

Shen Ci looked at the menacing Japanese pirates before him and sighed.

He still underestimated the madness with which aristocratic families acted.

Colluding with foreign enemies is no different from treason, no matter how powerful these people are in the court.

If this matter were to reach Bianjing, it would inevitably lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan.

After a sinister laugh, the islander said, "My lads, let me see if the elite troops of the Great Zhou are truly as powerful as they seem."

After he finished speaking, the Japanese pirates swarmed forward.

Zeng Yue and the members of the aristocratic family were already discussing how to please the islander during the victory celebration that evening.

Just then.

Shen Yan descended from the sky and landed in the formation of the Vermilion Bird Army.

Upon seeing this, the villager on the small island's face darkened.

"A third-rank martial artist! So what? Even if you have the power to rout a thousand troops, I have ten thousand. How can you possibly withstand that?"

Shen Yan shouted to the Vermilion Bird Army below, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Help me kill the enemy!"

Everyone looked up at Shen Yan after hearing this, their faces filled with surprise and delight.

There's no need to elaborate on how terrifying top-tier martial artists are when empowered by military formations; they've seen it all too often.

The malevolent aura shot straight into the sky, shattering the white clouds.

Shen Yan felt a tremendous force surge into his body.

At this moment, he seemed to possess boundless power, like a giant a thousand feet tall, his heart filled with boundless pride.

Shen Yan was able to withstand the support of seven thousand people at this moment, indicating that his strength had already reached the first rank.

With a single palm strike, a palm print over ten meters in size appeared below.

The Japanese pirates were left with a large blank space.

The islander's face turned ugly, and he was no longer as arrogant as before.

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, he decided to leave with his men.

But how could Shen Yan let him leave?

He continued to strike, and the morale of the Japanese pirates was shattered as they were killed, causing them to flee.

Nearly 100,000 troops were killed, with 90% killed in just one hour.

The islander retorted angrily, "Even if there were 100,000 pigs, we wouldn't be able to catch them all this quickly, let alone people!"

Unfortunately, before he could vent his anger for long, Shen Yan spotted him and sent him to his death with a single palm strike.

The small island villager who had ravaged the coast of the Great Zhou for decades died just like that.

Shen Yan frowned slightly when he saw the people outside the city of Jiangnan.

With a single palm strike, the city wall crumbled, and the Vermilion Bird Army moved as if they were in an empty field.

The battle situation turned in an instant, and Shen Ci knew that this was no time for idle talk.

They've led their troops into the city; now it's time for revenge!

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