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

"Once we catch those high-ranking members of the White Lotus Cult this time..."

Jia Yi's eyes turned icy cold, and he gritted his teeth, "I'll tear them to pieces!"

He turned abruptly, his gaze sweeping like a knife across the Imperial Guards—

"You all need to speed up the operation!"

"At all costs, uncover the core of the White Lotus Sect! Once the rebellion is quelled, I will pursue them to the ends of the earth and personally skin them alive!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The Imperial Guards responded in unison, but their hearts trembled violently.

This was the first time they had felt a chilling aura emanating from Jia Yi.

"You all go and rest too."

Jia Yi's tone softened slightly, "After the war is over, I'll give you travel expenses so you can all go home."

He did not underestimate these defeated soldiers.

Anyone would find it impossible to maintain their composure in the face of the White Lotus Sect's bloody path, created by using human lives wrapped in gunpowder.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!"

Several defeated soldiers knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly, kowtowing more than a dozen times in one go, until their foreheads were bleeding from the impact.

If the Imperial Guards hadn't forcibly dragged them away, they could have continued kowtowing.

After all, the fate of defeated troops has always been tragic—at best, they are demoted to criminals; at worst, they are used as human shields, risking their lives to fill the battle lines.

Now, Jia Yi not only doesn't punish them, but also allows them to rest and even promises to give them money to return home.

This treatment is simply outrageous.

In Jia Yi's eyes, the criminal soldiers were nothing but a burden on the battlefield, utterly worthless, and purely a drag on the team.

On the other side, the White Lotus Sect's stronghold.

After a long night of waiting, the Yue army finally arrived.

Looking at the well-equipped and menacing main force of the White Lotus Sect, a naked jealousy flashed in the eyes of the King of Yue.

Why? Why do these cult lunatics have such fighting power?

"Thank you for the King's personal assistance."

Yu Puhe stepped forward with a beaming smile, saying, "Our White Lotus Sect will forever remember this great kindness."

"Oh dear, what are you saying!"

The King of Yue waved his hand and laughed heartily, "We are all one family! How can I stand idly by when you are in trouble?"

"Okay! Okay!"

Yu Puhe nodded in agreement, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind.

This guy... is he probably just here to freeload?

They're already pledging their loyalty before the fighting even starts—what's their real intention? What exactly did the Holy Maiden negotiate with them?

"What does the king mean...?"

Yu Puhe tentatively opened his mouth.

"Well, to be honest..."

The King of Yue sighed, his face sincere, "Our army is not as well-equipped as yours, our soldiers are physically weaker, and our experience is far inferior."

"So, in this battle, the main force still needs to be carried by your White Lotus Sect."

"My small force is only good enough to help you stabilize the situation and give you a boost."

"If we really start a war against the odds, I'm afraid we won't last more than a few rounds before collapsing. It wouldn't be good if that disrupted your formation."

—I'm not stupid enough to go head-to-head with the Great Qian! Survival is the priority!

"this……"

Yu Puhe squinted at the crooked army behind the King of Yue.

Even before arriving, the King of Yue had specifically instructed: Once you enter the White Lotus Sect's territory, show all your laziness and roguishness!

At this moment, the team was standing sloppily and undisciplined, looking just like a group of street thugs.

The White Lotus Sect's higher-ups watched this unfold, their lips twitching.

How dare they send this kind of trash to the battlefield?

Let alone facing Jia Yi, they would be completely routed in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!

"Master, just have them hold the line from the rear!"

"Yes, definitely don't put it in front; it'll just demoralize them for nothing!"

"Yes, if they desert in the face of battle, it would only drag our main force down with them!"

The crowd crowded around and whispered their opinions.

Yu Puhe nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"Okay, let's do it that way."

He turned around and walked towards the King of Yue, his smile unchanged, but inwardly he was already churning with sneers.

"Your Majesty, we have discussed it."

"After the war begins, you should remain inactive for now."

"But once I give the order to charge, you must immediately break through!"

Yu Puhe's tone was cold, and his gaze was sharp as a knife.

"Rest assured, Grand Master!" The King of Yue patted his chest, his voice resolute. "My Yue soldiers will never retreat! Anyone who dares to desert in the face of battle, I will personally chop off their head!"

His words were bold and resounding, full of imposing momentum.

"Hmm." Yu Puhe nodded lightly, but inwardly he sneered: I'll send a few teams to keep a close eye on things later.

He dared not entrust his back to anyone, even if that person was reinforcements invited by his own saintess.

The saying "A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl" is no joke.

Who knows whether the current White Lotus Sect's Holy Maiden is actually biased towards the White Lotus Sect or has already sided with the King of Yue?

It's always good to be prepared.

After settling matters with the Yue army, Yu Puhe returned to the palace to rest.

Not long after he closed his eyes, the scout came running back, covered in sweat.

"Chieftain! The Great Qian army has entered Guangdong and Guangxi, and Nanxiong Prefecture... has fallen!"

"What?!" Yu Puhe jumped to his feet, his eyes turning icy. "Five thousand garrison troops, with one hundred and ten thousand enemy soldiers pressing in, couldn't even hold out for a day? Are the soldiers of Nanxiong Prefecture just sitting around doing nothing?!"

"No..." The scout scratched his head awkwardly, "They didn't fight at all. When they heard that the Daqian army was coming, they turned around and ran away, without even closing the city gates."

"Damn it!" Yu Puhe cursed angrily.

This is hardly a defense of the city.

It's like they're opening their doors to welcome guests!

"Are there any of our people in Nanxiong Prefecture?" he asked in a deep voice.

"No..." someone nearby whispered in response, "That place is too remote. The brothers are all crammed into the Prince of Nan'an's mansion, enjoying themselves. Who would want to go to such a place to suffer?"

Yu Puhe suddenly realized—no wonder!

If there were believers present, even if the soldiers wanted to escape, they would have to get past their own people first.

"What is the current situation of the Daqian Army?" he asked again.

"They're still in Nanxiong Prefecture, holding back their troops, as if... waiting for us to come to them."

"Wait for us?" Yu Puhe squinted.

"Chief, since Jia Yi is in Nanxiong, why don't we just crush him with our 500,000 troops!" someone said, their enthusiasm running high.

"Yes! Swallow him whole!"

"Fuck him!"

The crowd was in high spirits, their fighting spirit boiling.

"Investigate further." Yu Puhe raised his hand to quell the commotion. "Keep a close eye on Sichuan and Fujian, and see if there are any signs of troop movements by other Daqian forces."

He wasn't afraid of a direct confrontation; what he feared was Jia Yi secretly mobilizing troops to trap him like a turtle in a jar.

"The Grand Master is wise!" the crowd echoed in unison.

The current situation is unclear, and no one knows whether the Great Qian Dynasty has any other plans.

What they didn't know was that the Great Qian Dynasty was already dirt poor.

Jia Yi could only muster the maximum number of troops he could muster. The national treasury was barely able to support the food and pay, so how could it possibly have the capacity to mobilize troops from Sichuan and Fujian?

The White Lotus Sect, on the other hand, was on high alert and dispatched a large number of spies to attack from all directions.

For a time, the border between Guangdong and Guangxi became eerily quiet, and the stalemate lasted for nearly half a month.

During these past two weeks, Jia Yi has also been quite busy.

He is winning over the hearts and minds of the people.

Those people who had been harmed by the White Lotus Sect's "acting on behalf of Heaven" were being pulled back into order by the government troops one by one.

They proclaim that the heavens are dead and the yellow heavens shall rise, but in reality, they do nothing but banditry.

Not joining?

Fine, I'll take all your grain and smash your stove.

It's not killing people, but it's even more ruthless than killing them—it's starving your whole family to death.