Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

Cui Ming walked to the window and looked at the distant mountains.

"This is exactly the atmosphere of impending storm that we're looking forward to."

"When Sanyi is in a tense situation, it will invest more resources in defense and become more reliant on our help."

"And in this process, we will have plenty of opportunities to accomplish..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

But Li Muxuan vaguely understood.

Cui Ming wanted Fuzhou to prepare in advance, and even more so, to lure the Quanxing demons and the Japanese monsters from the shadows into the open.

With the Sanyi Sect as his backing, Cui Ming was planning to pull off a big heist in Fuzhou.

At the very least, we should buy more time for the Eastern Kingdom and inflict as much damage as possible on the Japanese.

Now the roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Chapter 215 Before the Battle

The Battle of Southern Hunan ended in late January 1940.

After four months of protracted fighting, three Japanese regiments were forced to withdraw along their original routes due to logistical difficulties.

The battle resulted in countless casualties on both sides, but fortunately, the Japanese army, with its tenacious will, successfully defended Changsha and completely thwarted the Japanese army's attempt to open up the southern Hunan passage.

The world of supernatural beings also played a significant role in this battle.

Disciples from sects such as Tangmen, Shangqing, and Lüjia frequently harassed the Japanese army's rear, disrupted supply lines, and assassinated commanders.

With the Divine Machine Alliance's tireless efforts in equipping the Xuanji Armor on a large scale, the Eastern Kingdom's extraordinary individuals have gained an advantage in direct confrontations.

Those who had retired due to injuries or disabilities returned to the battlefield after being fitted with prosthetic limbs, becoming an unpredictable variable.

But the real turning point came at the end of December 1939.

At the end of December, Zhang Zhiwei of the Celestial Master's Mansion led six fellow disciples south to provide reinforcements.

On the third day after the seven men arrived at the front line, they went straight into the area where the Japanese command post was located.

That battle lasted for two hours. Zhang Zhiwei used the Golden Light Mantra as a shield and fought his way through the gunfire.

Furthermore, the lightning spells swept away enemy strongpoints, greatly reducing the pressure on friendly forces to provide support.

The other six junior brothers were divided into six groups, each leading a group of Eastern superhumans wearing mysterious armor, who trapped and killed all the Japanese superhumans who came to reinforce them.

Post-war inventory revealed that the Japanese army's special forces suffered over 70% losses, with three colonel-level commanders killed, one of whom was a special envoy sent by the Japanese Yin-Yang Bureau.

Ordinary Japanese troops also suffered heavy casualties in the chaos and were forced to abandon several captured strongholds and retreat across the board.

This battle had a profound impact.

Within the Japanese military, the conflict between the army and navy intensified again due to the defeat in the war.

More intense conflicts occur between ordinary officers and the Inhuman troops.

"Useless! The superhumans that the Empire spent a fortune training were utterly routed by the Chinese!"

"If the artillery hadn't failed to provide timely cover, how could we have suffered such heavy losses? Those soldiers simply don't understand how to fight with superhumans!"

Similar accusations repeatedly surfaced in meetings at various levels of the Japanese military.

Ordinary officers believed that the alien unit was all talk and no action, and that they still needed to rely on conventional fire support in actual combat.

The Inhuman leader complained about the army's poor coordination and rigid tactics, which led to their encirclement.

The conflict reached its peak at the summary meeting of the Hunan-Southern Campaign.

An army colonel publicly accused the advisors sent by the Yin-Yang Bureau of "wasting military funds," to which the advisors retorted that the army commanders were "incredibly foolish."

The meeting ended in discord, and coordination between the two sides became increasingly difficult afterward.

Just as this internal strife was brewing, news of Cui Ming's alliance with the Sanyi Sect reached the high command of the Japanese army.

……

Beiping, the headquarters of the Japanese North China Army.

The conference room was filled with smoke, and five generals sat around a long table.

Several intelligence documents were spread out on the table, the top one marked "Top Secret".

"Cui Ming, the actual controller of the Divine Machine Alliance, and a master of mechanical puppetry."

"I recently arrived at Sanyimen, Fujian, to meet with Zuo Ruotong."

A major general read the report.

"The Sanyi Sect has sent disciples to the coastal areas of Fuzhou to conduct reconnaissance and has begun to gather supplies, seemingly in preparation for our army's attack."

"attack?"

The lieutenant general, seated in the main seat, sneered.

"Having just suffered a defeat in southern Hunan, how could they possibly have the resources to open up a front in Fuzhou? This is clearly a feint by the Chinese."

"But we must be on guard."

Another colonel.

"During the Xiangnan Campaign, the Xuanji Armor provided by the Shenji Alliance caused our army a great deal of trouble."

If Cui Ming, representing the Divine Machine Alliance, truly joins forces with the San Yi Sect, given the San Yi Sect's influence in the Southeast's supernatural world, coupled with the Divine Machine Alliance's technology... the consequences would be unimaginable.

The lieutenant general was speechless, opening his mouth as if to refute, but stammering and unable to utter a word.

He recalled the battle reports coming back from the front lines in southern Hunan.

Those strange people from the East who are equipped with mysterious armor are indeed difficult to deal with.

They can maneuver through artillery fire, raid command posts in small squads, and destroy artillery positions.

Their own superhuman forces were already at a disadvantage when facing them, and with the added protection of their armor, they were forced into a series of defeats.

If this cooperation takes shape in Fuzhou, the situation in the southeast will become even more passive.

"Intelligence indicates that Cui Ming is heading to Fuzhou after leaving Sanyi Gate."

The major will continue to report.

"He was accompanied by Li Muxuan—formerly a notorious child of the Quanxing Sect, who has now joined Cui Ming's side. In addition, the Shenji Alliance has already shipped a large amount of supplies from Sichuan Province, with Fuzhou as its destination."

The lieutenant general tapped his fingers on the table.

After a moment, he made a decision.

"Order the 23rd Division stationed in Shanghai to send a regiment to move toward Fuzhou."

"At the same time, contact the local Higanbana Yin-Yang Bureau and the Curse-Binding Society, and ask them to send more experts to prevent Cui Ming from cooperating more deeply with the San Yi Sect."

"Is this going too far?"

Some people have raised questions.

"Perhaps this is truly a feint..."

Even if it's a feint, we should treat it as a real game.

The lieutenant general interrupted him.

"Cui Ming is not to be underestimated. Haven't we learned our lesson from Hunan?"

Despite strong opposition, the lieutenant general quickly issued a transfer order.

On the same day, Japanese troops in Shanghai began to be mobilized.

A regiment of about three thousand men assembled within three days and moved along the railway line toward Zhejiang.

Meanwhile, three transport ships set sail from Wusongkou, carrying more than forty extraordinary individuals, including twelve Onmyoji, with their destination—the waters off Fuzhou.

……

1940 1 Month 29 Day.

Within the city of Fuzhou, undercurrents were swirling.

Cui Ming also arrived in Fuzhou today and checked into an inconspicuous inn in the western part of the city.

Accompanying him were Li Muxuan, Wuming, and twelve core members of the Divine Machine Alliance.

The backyard of the inn has been converted into a temporary workshop.

Supplies transported from Sichuan Province arrived one after another, including fifty sets of Xuanji armor, thirty Shadow Spiders, twenty Soldier Bees, and a large number of unassembled puppet parts.

The brothers Zhao Pingshan and Zhao Tianhai were in charge of receiving and counting the items, while Zhang Xuan began to debug the communication equipment.

Yongen and Gao Gen led the True Squad, which was scattered in various strongholds throughout the city.

Their mission is to monitor the city's movements and investigate suspicious individuals.

Within a few days, three groups of Quanxing spies, as well as two Japanese spies disguised as merchants, were discovered.

Under Cui Mingdi's warm "greetings," these spies readily spilled all the information they had.

This further confirmed Cui Ming's suspicions that the Japanese army had indeed begun to reinforce its troops in the direction of Fuzhou.

"Brother Cui knows things like a god!"

Gao Gen was filled with admiration during his report.

"The Japanese soldiers have really been lured here."

Cui Ming was not surprised.

This was an open conspiracy from the start.

Given his and the influence of the San-i Sect, the Japanese army could not possibly stand idly by.

Deploying troops is inevitable; the only difference lies in how many troops to deploy and when they will arrive.

But as soon as the Japanese troops arrive, both the Japanese outsiders and the Quanxing will be forced to join in.

"Continue monitoring."

With his hands behind his back, Cui Ming looked at a map of Fuzhou's city defenses hanging on the wall and gave his instructions.