A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 242 100,000-strong army marches to Liangshan

On this bright, cloudless day, Chen Xizhen and his cronies held a secret meeting in his own residence.

Originally, the emperor ordered twelve fierce generals to be transferred from the border army to assist Chen Xizhen in attacking Liangshan, but Han Shizhong said that many generals needed to rest for a month before they could set off, and the emperor agreed.

However, after the news of Liangshan's two victories over the government army and the capture of Quancheng spread, in just over half a month, righteous armies were stirring up trouble all over the Song Dynasty.

Nearly thirty rebel forces were opposing the imperial court in various places. Some others, though not daring to openly rebel, hid in the mountains or became bandits, resisting taxes and killing officials. For a time, it seemed as if the world was in turmoil and the dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

The Emperor was furious. He rarely attended court and flew into a rage, rebuking all the civil and military officials. In the end, many ministers set out a plan to mobilize a large army to quell the rebellion in various places.

This court, which was already corrupt under Emperor Daojun, remained corrupt under Emperor Tianming, but it had also achieved the feat of defeating the Xia dynasty. In addition to its corruption, it was far more ruthless than the previous emperors of the Song dynasty.

Emperor Daojun only knew how to squeeze the blood, tears, and marrow of countless common people into useless flowers, birds, and strange stones; into palaces and wonders; into flower boats on the lake; and into mountains of gold and silver treasures piled up in Bianliang City. Even the silver in the homes of ministers was so much that it was eaten away by termites, yet no one cared about it.

However, the Emperor of Heaven exploited the people at every level, turning their suffering and bloodshed into weapons that were then placed in the hands of landlords, local officials, noble families, and high-ranking court officials.

When the imperial edict was issued, the court's orders were passed down layer by layer, and even those private soldiers from prominent families and wealthy merchants who were not officially part of the court's army were all mobilized.

The first people the rebels killed were the villains and traitors in various places, so they had no choice but to resist and defend the Song Dynasty.

When the imperial army sent soldiers to order them to obey, countless family elders and old ghosts in ancestral halls cried out "like infants longing for their parents," and all joined the ranks of the imperial army.

The imperial court merely dispatched ten military governors to cooperate with local evil forces, and within half a month, the momentum of the righteous armies across the country had already been dampened.

But this was only a setback, far from a true eradication. So the Emperor of Heaven ordered that the ringleaders be dealt with first.

He then issued two more handwritten edicts to the border troops' tents, urging the twelve generals to set off overnight and rush to Bianliang ahead of schedule.

Furthermore, during the morning court session today, the Emperor of Heaven personally appointed his generals.

He ordered six Taoist officials, including the Evil-Binding Immortal Gou Ying and the Demon-Subduing Immortal Wang Tianba;

Twenty generals, including General Feng Hui, General Ha Lansheng, Kang Jie, Kong Hou, and Fan Chenglong, accompanied the army on the expedition.

These six Daoist officials and twenty generals were all Chen Xizhen's cronies. Originally, he had requested the Heavenly Mandate Emperor to transfer Guan Sheng and others from the border army to avoid losses to his own faction. Unexpectedly, in just over half a month, the situation changed drastically, and those who were destined to leave could not be avoided.

Gou Ying comforted him, saying, "Daozi, things have come to this point, and thinking too much is useless. All the brothers here are seasoned veterans. When faced with a major crisis, we are not truly afraid of those bandits and rebels."

"His Majesty's will is made, and I know that there is no room for shirking it."

Chen Daozi responded faintly, but his eyes were far from calm.

In recent years, the Emperor Tianming has neglected state affairs and devoted himself to cultivation. Although Chen Xizhen appears loyal and virtuous, he cannot help but harbor some disrespectful suspicions.

But this time, he finally witnessed the emperor's ruthless methods.

Over the years, officials at all levels in the Song Dynasty seized every opportunity to amass wealth, keep slaves, and levy exorbitant taxes. Clans that had produced officials in various regions also took this opportunity to cultivate private armies, which grew abnormally large.

Everyone thought they were being clever, exploiting those below and flattering those above, handling everything in a way that put the officials at ease, and everyone maintained a respectable appearance.

However, judging from the past few days, even though the Emperor of Heavenly Mandate is living in seclusion in the deep palace, he doesn't seem to be kept in the dark at all. He seems to know the current situation of the world like the back of his hand. The "smart people" he raises are nothing more than cattle and horses that have been completely tamed by enjoying benefits and can be commanded at will when necessary.

Chen Xizhen even had a vague feeling that the emperor had known all along that the people of the Great Song Dynasty were going to rebel in recent years. It didn't matter if they rebelled; they could just suppress them. In any case, with the methods of those commoners, they would never be able to overthrow this emperor in the reign of the Mandate of Heaven.

Even after the turmoil, the Song Dynasty still had to support its high-ranking emperor until he reached the age of one hundred and either successfully ascended to heaven or failed and ascended to the heavens.

However, the momentum of this rebellion may have come a little earlier and more fiercely than the Emperor of Heavenly Mandate had anticipated, which was the real reason for his displeasure in court.

After pondering for a few moments, Chen Xizhen said, "The Emperor has mobilized so many soldiers and generals, gathering troops from all over the country to the Eastern Route of Jingdong, totaling 100,000. This is certainly not only to eliminate Liangshan, the ringleader, but also to thoroughly wipe out places like the bandit stronghold in Qingzhou and completely pacify the Eastern Route of Jingdong."

General Feng Hui, who was well-versed in military strategy and terrain, said, "Jingdong East Road is adjacent to Kaifeng Prefecture and can also be linked with the Liao Kingdom. How can we allow such a great threat to exist right next to our bed? If we want to pacify the world, we must first suppress this place so that no rebellious thought will dare to arise again."

"good."

Chen Xizhen said, "To satisfy the emperor, this time we must not only win, but also minimize casualties. We must do a good job, and I will do my best to protect my brothers."

He made up his mind and nodded, saying, "If we want things to go our way, we must invite two more people to come along."

At that moment, Chen Xizhen went to the palace to request an imperial decree to allow "Master Huayang" Liu Hunkang and "Master Dongwei" Wang Laozhi to lead troops into battle together.

The Emperor was in the Cuiyun Pavilion in the Imperial Garden, tasting precious elixirs and taking them with holy wine. After hearing Chen Xizhen's request, he didn't even glance at him.

After a quarter of an hour, the wine was finished, and the Emperor smiled warmly, telling Chen Xizhen not to stand outside, but to sit down in the pavilion as well.

"It has been less than two hours since the morning court session, and you have already come to the palace to ask me for such an imperial decree. You are truly adept at understanding my mind."

Chen Xizhen repeatedly said, "I dare not accept this: Your Majesty, I am but a humble servant, and I have done my best to serve you."

The Emperor of Heavenly Mandate said, "These two are both pillars of society, masters in the cultivation of immortality. For the past few years, I have had them consult with me on many secrets of cultivation. However, it is indeed not worthwhile to keep such highly skilled people in Bianliang any longer. So, let them not lead the army, but simply let them serve under your command."

Chen Xizhen was overjoyed. After thanking the emperor and accepting the imperial decree, he first visited Wang Laozhi's residence.

Wang Laozhi was refining elixirs when he unfolded the imperial edict and nodded slightly: "This batch of elixirs will take another seventeen hours. The army can set off whenever it is time, and I will naturally catch up with you."

Chen Xizhen asked, "What kind of elixir is so important?"

Wang Laozhi said, "Originally, there was no need to go to so much trouble, but the Purple Qi Divine Sand from the Cangshan Mine was not delivered this year. I couldn't leave because I was halfway through refining the pill, so I had to ask your old friend Xu Hulin and his family to come and help me with the fire, which is why it was delayed for a few more days."

Chen Xizhen's expression changed slightly.

Wang Laozhi laughed and said, "After all, they are your good friends and officials of the imperial court. I only asked them to expend some of their cultivation to protect the furnace flames. I didn't ask them to give too much."

Chen Xizhen then smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries with Wang Laozhi.

After leaving the mansion, he immediately sent someone to inquire about the fate of Xu Hulin's family.

Purple Qi Divine Sand is mainly extracted from the red crystal mines of Cangshan Mountain. However, minerals like this are not naturally formed.

In the cultivation of immortality, after cultivating the indestructible golden elixir, if one still cannot reach the realm of ascension, then one will become increasingly close to the earth's energy. When one reaches the age of one hundred, one will bury oneself in the ground, which is known as "corpse liberation".

Of course, if one has no attachment to the mundane world, one can bury oneself before reaching a hundred years old, like the certain Master Yuanmiao, Daoist Lin, who has recently become increasingly fond of life in Liangshan.

These "Corpse-Dissolving Immortals" did not actually die, but entered a deeper and deeper dormancy, and over the long years, they continued to sink underground, ten miles underground, a hundred miles underground, a thousand miles underground.

If, during this process, a Corpse Immortal happens to encounter a mineral vein, the aura that the immortal exhales and exhales will cause the mineral vein to gradually undergo changes.

The Purple Qi Divine Sand must be the corpse-dissolving immortal I encountered by chance several hundred years ago, who cultivated the "Purple Banyan True Technique".

The Xu family inherited this technique, which can be used to replace the Purple Qi Divine Sand when necessary. This replacement can only deplete cultivation, or it can directly use the cultivator as a medicinal ingredient.

Fortunately, Chen Xizhen soon received a reply that Xu Hulin and his family were in seclusion and recuperating, and all of them were present.

In fact, demonic cultivation also has a situation similar to "corpse disintegration". Demonic masters who cannot ascend will choose to live in increasingly higher places after the age of one hundred, until they are deep in the Nine Heavens Gale, no longer falling, and even going to the outside of the Gale layer.

As the old saying goes, "The immortal path is to dissolve the corpse, the demonic path is to chase the sun," this is exactly what it means.

Chen Xizhen then went to the Taoist temple where Liu Hunkang was located.

The courtyard of the Taoist temple was filled with white cranes, which roamed around and played.

Liu Hunkang was dozing off on a bamboo and rattan recliner when he heard the imperial edict. He forced himself to stand up and receive it.

"The army outside the city will set off tomorrow morning."

Chen Xizhen reminded him, "Master Liu, we mustn't miss the appointed time. Why don't you come with me to the military camp now to rest and get a good night's sleep, so we can set off together in the early morning?"

Liu Hunkang, still sleepy-eyed, yawned and said, "Alright, alright."

The Taoist boys and servants in the temple immediately got busy.

Chen Xizhen stood by and watched the people's light steps, frowning slightly. Suddenly, he glared at the young Taoist boy who passed in front of him.

The young Taoist turned around in astonishment, and with a whoosh, his body shrank into a golden bean and fell to the ground.

"Hey, what is Chen Daozi doing?"

Liu Hunkang bent down, picked up the bean, blew on it, and the bean flew out, transforming back into the appearance of a Taoist boy, looking at Chen Xizhen with a timid expression.

Only after Liu Hunkang waved for him to go about his business did the young Taoist dare to leave in small steps.

Chen Xizhen looked around and said, "It's been a long time since I visited Master Liu's residence. How come all the Taoist boys in this temple seem to have become servants conjured up by the art of turning beans into soldiers?"

Liu Hunkang waved his hand lazily and said, "I am old and don't like noise. Let those Taoist priests and boys go to other temples in Bianliang to keep busy. These people who were turned out of the little beans are all well-behaved and clever, and they don't talk much. They are suitable for an old man like me."

"Is that so?" Chen Xizhen chuckled. "Master Liu, your Maoshan Shangqing Sect..."

"Speaking of which, Chen Daozi's daughter also really liked these young Daoist boys."

Liu Hunkang sat back in his recliner, picked up a cup of tea from the side, blew on it to warm it, and said, "She hasn't come to see me in a long time. Is she tied up with some trivial matters?"

Chen Xizhen's face darkened, completely forgetting what he had been thinking, and he sneered, "My wretched...Liqing's whereabouts, does Master Liu really not know what happened?"

Liu Hunkang's eyes widened slightly, and he asked blankly, "What?"

Chen Xizhen met his gaze, unable to discern any pretense from the old man, and a look of suspicion appeared on her face.

He had long suspected that Chen Liqing, that wretched child, had suddenly learned about the Taiqing Tianxin Theory because she had been secretly instructed by someone with ulterior motives.

Of the four great officials in Bianliang, Liu Yongxi was his close friend, Wang Laozhi was focused on alchemy and rarely meddlesome, and only Liu Hunkang was unpredictable and absurd in his behavior, making it impossible for people to figure out what kind of person he was.

But what benefit would Liu Hunkang gain from doing such a thing?

Chen Xizhen couldn't understand this point, and seeing that Liu Hunkang's expression didn't seem fake, he temporarily suppressed his displeasure and urged the Taoist boys to speed up their work.

The Taoist boys prepared the carriage, and Liu Hunkang, who had nothing of value, didn't need to pack anything. He then set off for the military camp outside the city.

Not long after he left, the Taoist temple was filled with white cranes, carrying some food in their beaks and claws, before flapping their wings and flying away, never to return.

The next day, the army outside the city prepared a meal. After all the soldiers had eaten until they were half full, they took out ground minerals and swallowed them to cultivate. Black smoke billowed, obscuring half of the sky.

When the time came, all the generals and Taoist officials arrived at the army camp. Guan Sheng, Huyan Zhuo, and others came to greet Chen Xizhen one by one.

The army set off, first by land, then by water, and returned to the shore to set up camp near Quancheng Prefecture.

Soon, a messenger arrived with news that in addition to the 50,000 troops here, another 50,000 troops gathered from various places had arrived in Mengyin and Yizhou respectively, with ample provisions, and would be able to join forces by dusk today.

If the winds and waves are calm tonight, tomorrow will be the time to surround Liangshan.

As dusk deepened, Chen Xizhen, as the commander-in-chief, summoned his generals in the camp: "The movements of 100,000 troops cannot be kept secret. Liangshan must have a response. I predict that someone will attack the camp and cause chaos tonight."

He took out a battle formation diagram. "Generals, disperse throughout the camps according to my plan. Be prepared to ambush them. Once they make their move tonight, we will capture them all in one fell swoop and achieve a small victory."

(End of this chapter)