Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

"No need."

The Prince of Nan'an stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed in disdain.

"I know these small countries very well. In the past, I was always the one to take the initiative and force them to cower in fear. Now they dare to send in more troops, just because they see my backyard is on fire and want to take advantage of the situation."

"Once I suppress the situation in Guangdong and Guangxi, they'll immediately tuck their tails between their legs and flee back to their lair!"

"Your Highness... this time it might be different."

Master Qian pointed to the letter requesting help, his expression grim.

"The combined enemy forces have approached 150,000!"

"Moreover—the Yue Kingdom has not yet sent troops."

"Once they make their move..."

"The enemy's total strength will soon exceed 200,000!"

The difference between heaven and earth is enormous.

The problem is—they're too powerful!

There's no such thing as a large group; if they really surround you, they'll teach you a lesson in no time, and the consequences are unimaginable!

"OK!"

"Immediately dispatch someone with the utmost speed to report the situation to the imperial court!"

"Simultaneously, messages were sent to Sichuan and Fujian, requesting reinforcements!"

The Prince of Nan'an gave the order in a deep voice, his face solemn.

As soon as the order was given, the entire Prince's mansion sprang into action, with messengers mounting their horses and galloping off.

Outside the Prince's mansion, pairs of eyes were already fixed on the scene.

"It's moving! The Prince of Nan'an has finally succumbed and is calling for help from the Great Qian!"

"Notify everyone to prepare immediately!"

"We absolutely cannot let them send the message out!"

The White Lotus Sect spy lying in wait sneered and quickly relayed the secret order.

In an instant, all the cultists who had been lying in ambush along the main roads took their positions.

At all costs—intercept and kill the messenger!

"Quickly! Bury the gunpowder!"

"In a moment, we'll invite them to heaven to meet the God of Thunder!"

A member of the White Lotus sect grinned, speaking in a flippant tone.

The word "gunpowder" is now their universal key!

No matter what, just blow it up!

"Tap tap tap—"

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as a rider galloped towards them.

"Here it comes! It's the messenger! Prepare to send him to his death!"

The believer's eyes sharpened, and upon confirming the information, he lit the fuse without hesitation.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

The messenger and his horse were blown to pieces on the spot, leaving no trace of their bodies!

The cultist hiding in the shadows peeked out and smiled with satisfaction.

Perfectly done!

This scene was repeated on major roads in various places.

The messengers sent by the Prince of Nan'an were all blown to smithereens without exception.

But the Prince's mansion was kept completely in the dark about all of this.

Meanwhile, the White Lotus Sect's Holy Maiden, who was commanding a group of peasant soldiers to attack the county town, learned that the Prince of Nan'an had begun to request reinforcements, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Ha, those small countries in the south have finally lost their patience."

"I wonder when they will be able to annihilate the Prince of Nan'an's army of 100,000?"

Her smile deepened, and her eyes flickered slightly.

Currently, the people of Guangdong and Guangxi have already been stirred up by the White Lotus Religion and are filled with fervor.

With gunpowder used to pave the way, capturing cities and fortresses became as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

One city after another fell, and the people amassed huge fortunes, enjoying themselves immensely.

Now, there's no need for any encouragement; the people themselves have already taken up arms and started fighting.

"Holy Maiden, we now have an army of 150,000!"

"And new people are joining every day; the number is skyrocketing!"

One of the believers was overcome with emotion.

"The entire Guangdong and Guangxi provinces will be ours sooner or later!"

Another cult member chimed in, "Who doesn't know we've summoned the God of Thunder these days?"

"Work with us, and you'll live the high life, become rich overnight!"

"There's no need to recruit at all; people are lining up to join every day!"

"good!"

The saintess chuckled, her eyes gleaming.

"At this rate, something big is on the horizon!"

On the other side, on the mountain road.

"Ergouzi, hurry up! If you dawdle any longer, you'll fall behind the rebels!"

His companion turned around and urged him on.

Er Gouzi waved his hand: "You guys go first... I'll rest for a bit."

Before he finished speaking, he lay down on the ground.

After walking for two days without eating a single grain of rice, I was already extremely weak.

"Alright, good luck then!"

The group shrugged and turned to leave.

Now is the perfect time to make a fortune, who would want to wait for you?

If we weren't from the same village, I wouldn't even bother to call out to you.

Er Gouzi lay on the ground, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and soon he was snoring loudly.

I don't know how much time passed—

He suddenly opened his eyes.

Before them suddenly appeared a massive, dark army.

Er Gouzi was so startled that he jumped up from the ground.

Just as I was about to turn and run away, a fast horse roared up in front of me.

"Run again, and I'll chop you up!"

The cavalryman's voice was as cold as a knife scraping bone, and Er Gouzi froze on the spot, his legs going weak.

"Sir, spare my life! I won't run anymore, I really won't run!"

He knelt down with a thud, his knees sinking into the dust, his eyes filled with terror and despair.

Oh no... Am I going to die here today?

I haven't lived enough yet!

At this moment, Sun Qing, the chief secretary of the Prince of Nan'an, rode over on horseback, his expression cold and stern.

"Who are you?"

"How did you end up in this desolate wilderness?"

He squinted and sized up Er Gouzi.

There isn't a single village within a ten-mile radius; this guy is probably a spy for the White Lotus Sect!

"Your Honor has seen the truth!" Er Gouzi kowtowed rapidly. "My name is Er Gouzi. Our village was ravaged by the White Lotus Sect, leaving families destroyed and people wiped out. I escaped only by risking my life..."

He's very quick-witted; if things don't look good, he immediately changes his persona, spouting a whole set of pitiful cries and grievances.

Sun Qing remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

"Alright, let's just follow the group."

"I am going to the county town ahead."

"Someone, give him some food."

You could tell at a glance that this guy was starving; his stomach was practically sticking to his back, and his eyes were glazed over.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Er Gouzi was so excited that he kept kowtowing.

This official is truly kind-hearted!

He chewed on his dry rations, still mumbling as he asked:

"Sir, the county town ahead has already been captured by the rebel army. Wouldn't you be sending yourself to your death if you went there now?"

I'm just offering this friendly reminder as a way of repaying this food allowance.

"It is precisely because they have occupied the city that I must go."

Sun Qing pointed his whip at the several prison carts behind him, "The Prince of Nan'an has arrested all those corrupt officials and is now sending them out for public display—the mountain weighing down on the people is about to be overthrown!"

Er Gouzi stared at him, his eyes flickering slightly.

That's... kind of interesting.

A cavalryman nearby threw him another piece of bread. He caught it but hadn't even taken two bites when suddenly a cloud of dust billowed up in the distance.

coming!

The White Lotus Sect's spies had been keeping an eye on them for a long time, and now they were rushing over with a large number of reinforcements.

Sun Qing frowned deeply when he saw the group of people rushing towards him.

These "commoners" were dressed in tattered clothes, but their steps were synchronized and their eyes were chilling—that was the killing intent they had practiced!

"Not good!" he shouted suddenly, "Everyone, protect the emperor, retreat!"

Before the words were even finished, Er Gouzi blurted out, "Sir, run!"

For the sake of that food, he didn't care about being timid anymore.

The guards immediately escorted Sun Qing, turned his horse around, and galloped away.

The corrupt official was left wailing and howling in the wind inside the prison van.

"Take us with you!"

"Lord Sun! Don't abandon us!"

"You son of a bitch, Sun Qing! You can run away, but let me go first, okay?!"