The Bad Guys: Playing the Fake Li Xingyun at the Beginning

After the Longquan Treasure was built, all the craftsmen in charge were killed. In the whole world, the only people who knew about the Longquan Treasure were him, Emperor Zhaozong and the Holy Child.

After so many years, Emperor Zhaozong has become a skeleton, and he himself has lived an immortal life. However, the Holy Child has been sleeping for many years under the secret technique of the Twelve Caves, and his body and appearance remain the same as before, without any change.

"Greetings, Marshal!" After completing his mission, the Holy Child's mind gradually became clear, and he immediately recognized the identity of the person in front of him.

"No need to be polite. You have made an invaluable contribution to protecting Longquan. I can fulfill one of your wishes. Tell me, what do you want?"

The holy child was silent for a moment. A trace of confusion appeared in his eyes, which were clearly black and white, yet contained a bit of innocence and vicissitudes of life. He didn't know what he wanted.

After sleeping for more than ten years, everyone he knew must be gone.

After a moment, he looked up at Yuan Tiangang and said in a clear childish voice, "Marshal, I want to go back to Raojiang."

After more than ten years of sleep, the wanderer finally has to return home. No matter whether his old friends are safe or not, he just wants to go back and spend the rest of his life in his hometown. The upcoming Longquan treasure game has nothing to do with him, and there is no need to stay here.

"Okay, tomorrow I will arrange for someone to send you back to Raojiang. Remember to tell the Great Cave Lord that I have repaid the favor of the Twelve Caves."

"Take care, Marshal." The holy child knelt down and kowtowed to Yuan Tiangang with a serious and solemn expression. Although he was young, he was mature and had the demeanor of an adult.

He knew that if he left, he might never see him again in his life, so this was his final farewell.

In the attic, Yuan Tiangang watched the holy child leave. At this time, the sun was setting, and the afterglow spread across the sky, shining with golden light.

……

"what?"

In the inn room, Li Siyuan received the report from his subordinates, and the hot tea he had just drunk suddenly spurted out. His small eyes widened and looked very funny.

He held the letter in his hand and paced back and forth in the room, cursing inwardly, "How dare he do this? How dare he do this? A mere substitute, how outrageous!"

It turned out that Li Siyuan, who had just returned to the inn, received a letter from Tongwenguan. The news in the letter made him shocked and angry during the three months they had been searching for the holy child.

Su Ming took drastic measures in the court. He directly dismissed Ren Yuan, the Minister of the Three Departments, and transferred the rest of the Hedong faction's troops. His subordinates who held important positions in the court were also transferred to idle positions. Only the Privy Councilor An Zhonghui was not moved.

Secondly, as for the Jiedushi, he only moved one person, his son-in-law, Shi Jingtang, the Jiedushi of Baoyi Army in Shanzhou, and transferred him to Hedong.

This move is extremely deadly.

The location of Shanzhou is extremely critical. It is a place that military strategists must fight for. It is also the throat of transportation in the Central Plains. It is also close to Heluo. How could Su Ming be confident in handing over such a place to Li Siyuan's trusted commander?

Before, Li Siyuan had ordered his men to exercise restraint. Taking advantage of the reputation of the Bad Commander, Su Ming simply took one step and directly replaced the Jiedushi of Shanzhou.

This kind of place is very close to the imperial court. Even if the replaced Jiedushi cannot control the overall situation, he can ensure that he will not threaten the imperial court. Once the imperial guards are formed, the power of the imperial court can slowly radiate to the surrounding counties and expand its territory.

It is precisely because the land of Shanzhou is the throat and strategic point that Li Siyuan was alarmed and angry. The Three Departments are in charge of financial power and hold the purse of the national treasury. When Su Ming took back the financial power of the court, even a fool would know what he was going to do.

With this series of combined blows, Li Siyuan had effectively crippled both of his arms, and the political capital he had gained from turning the tide two years ago was completely wiped out. Without money and people, An Zhonghui, a lonely Privy Councilor, could not play any role at all in the court.

I thought that giving Luoyang to him was enough to show my sincerity, but I didn't expect this guy to have such a big appetite!

He crushed the paper in his hand, and a twisted smile appeared on his fat face. "Okay, okay, you are really a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger. Are you really not afraid of overeating? Everything you do is to make wedding clothes for others!"

Chapter 234 The ruler of Luoyang

Li Siyuan felt as if his heart was bleeding when he thought about all his hard work over the past two years coming to nothing. Some things can only be done at the right time, and once the opportunity is lost, they can never be done again.

This time, he thought it was an unspoken deal, but he could never have imagined that at this critical moment of life and death, the boy did not think about how to save his life and find a way out, but instead focused on sorting out the government affairs and strengthening the power of the court.

Do you really think you are the emperor?

He doesn't look like a blindly loyal person. He is just a substitute. Why?

Now, Shi Jingtang was transferred to Hedong to serve as deputy governor, and above him was an adopted son, Li Congke. One was the son-in-law and the other was an adopted son, and their relationship had always been bad.

This move was truly vicious. Since the two men were not on good terms, Li Siyuan couldn't take sides because both sides of his hand were made of flesh and blood.

After thinking for a while, Li Siyuan's anger dissipated again, and he suddenly felt exhausted. What would it matter even if he knew?

Could he now return to Hedong and lead the army to attack Luoyang?

It's impossible. He is now like meat on the chopping board and cannot move. Meng Po in the team is keeping a close eye on him. He can hardly contact his subordinates, let alone give orders to Li Congke and others in Hedong.

Without the support of Tongwenguan, he could not make any arrangements, and he was now completely alone.

……

At the same time, in Luoyang City, an army wearing armor and riding on war horses was returning from outside the city gate. The neatly-organized team exuded a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

These were none other than the Shen Ce Army formed by Su Ming, a total of 3,000 people. He spent a large amount of money to build armor for them and trained them for two months. He then sent them to the counties around Luoyang to suppress bandits and quell rebellions.

Don't think that there are no bandits around Luoyang. Li Siyuan's guards can only manage the city of Luoyang but not the things outside the city. Therefore, there are many bandits and robbers entrenched around Luoyang.

Since it was a military training, nothing was more effective than real guns and swords. Su Ming simply sent Li Shaorong to lead the Shence Army to suppress the bandits. This would not only clear the surrounding areas and demonstrate the majesty of the court, but also train the troops, killing two birds with one stone.

The bandits these days are much more powerful than those in peacetime. Most of them are defeated soldiers who survived the melee in local wars and can be considered professional soldiers.

After a month of continuous fighting, the bandits and robbers around Luoyang were eliminated one by one, and the Shence Army was reduced by one-fifth. However, after going through a series of battles, the Shence Army finally took on some shape and was no longer just a showpiece like before.

An army that has seen blood and one that has not seen blood are two completely different concepts. Soldiers who have not seen blood will be timid and at a loss when they go to the battlefield, while soldiers who have experienced fighting are familiar with the battlefield. Although they will be timid, they will not be at a loss.

After clearing the area around Luoyang, Su Ming transferred half of Qi's troops to the eight passes of Luoyang. Before leaving, the empress gave him the military order for mobilizing Qi's troops.

The imperial guards were still in training and were composed entirely of new recruits, so they were not enough to be used. So troops from the State of Qi were borrowed to guard the four border areas. Only then did the Luoyang Basin finally come under complete control.

At this point, Su Ming is considered the true ruler of the Heluo area, and he can truly make decisions with his own words.

Of course, the premise of all this is to have money. After taking down Ren Yuan's three-officer post, Su Ming reorganized the three-official department and took control of the national treasury, making it easier to allocate money and grain.

It happened that many beautiful girls came to Luoyang, and the governors of various regions offered money and food, so Su Ming was able to make such a big move.

A country can accomplish nothing without money.

……

On the small boat in the Yangtze River, Yuan Tiangang saw the letter handed over by the bad guys, and he couldn't help but feel regret and surprise in his eyes. Su Ming's series of actions were swift and decisive.

With his tiger skin intimidating various princes, he took the opportunity to expand his power and turned the Heluo land into his base. Although it is not as fertile as the Guanzhong land, if the Heluo land is integrated and supported by the surrounding counties, it will not be difficult to support an army of tens of thousands of people!

These steps almost broke Yuan Tiangang's confidence. If he were in that position, he would do the same.

A regime without roots is like duckweed in the air, unable to withstand the slightest wave. Once it fails, it will face a catastrophic disaster. On the contrary, if it has a foundation, it can attack or defend. If it loses, the worst that can happen is that it can retreat to its hometown, recuperate, and make a comeback.

Although maintaining 60,000 soldiers in Heluo could be considered as warmongering, it was commonplace during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and Yuan Tiangang would not think there was anything wrong with it.

"Unfortunately, the better you do, the greater threat you pose to Li Xingyun, and I cannot tolerate you!" He stood on the deck, looking at the rushing water with a grim look in his eyes.

Not far behind him, Li Xingyun and others also took a boat, going up the Yangtze River and out of Shu. In order to avoid trouble, Li Xingyun and Ji Ruxue stayed alone on a boat, while the others took two or three boats respectively.

At the beginning, Ji Ruxue was so interested in watching the scenery on both sides of the river that she dragged Li Xingyun to watch it together, but later she got bored.

At this time, she was already pregnant, and her three-month belly had begun to show its size. During pregnancy, a woman's desires increased a lot, so she began to live a shameless life with Li Xingyun.

She also likes dressing up more and more. She used to dress conservatively, but now it's normal for her to show her shoulders and thighs. She used to dislike palace skirts, but now she likes palace dresses and puts on exquisite makeup. She is like a completely different person compared to before.

Sometimes, Li Xingyun even suspected whether it was a side effect of blood transfusion. After asking Hou Qing privately, he realized that this was normal.

……

On the plain, the wind was howling, and the whimpering sound was like the howling of ghosts and wolves, which was very creepy. The long-abandoned road was bumpy and covered with rocks. Looking around, it was a desolate scene. The scorching sun in the sky was burning the earth, and there was no human habitation for hundreds of miles.

A girl with pigtails was walking on the road carrying a bulging cloth bag. She looked petite and cute from a distance, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the girl had blood-red pupils, a somewhat evil look, red lips and white teeth, fair skin, sword-like eyebrows, drooping eyes, a small upturned nose, red eyeshadow, and gold earrings.

The adults don’t look like adults, and the children don’t look like children. There is an evil aura about them.

She walked on the road, touching the stones from time to time, sniffing the flowers, then took out the suona from her backpack and started playing it. She walked for a long time and didn't see anyone!

"Oh my God, where is this bad guy?" The girl became angrier and angrier as she thought about it. Finally, she put the suona back into her backpack and jumped around on the mountain trail, feeling very happy.

However, just as she leaped up and turned around, darkness enveloped her vision, and then she could no longer see.

Then, she was put into a sack. A man with a scar on the corner of his eye was tying the sack and said, "I'm sorry for offending you, Li Mang!"

After hearing this, Yinggou, who was still struggling, suddenly became obedient and stood still.

Chapter 235: Corpse Ancestor Enters the World

Yin Yang Village.

There were one or two lights floating in the dark night, and it was cold and lonely. Outside the village, there was a cave, and inside the cave, a man was meditating and regulating his breathing. He did not look like an ordinary person, with a wild face, tall and strong, and a sturdy body.

His skin was actually dark blue-green, with black pupils and the lower half of his face covered with a demon mask. He was wearing a dark blue half-shoulder robe and carrying huge beads on his back. His nails were sharp and thick. He looked like a demon from the underworld, hideous and terrifying.

He is the Chidi Qianli Hanba, one of the four great corpse ancestors of Xuanming Sect.

Suddenly, a "coo" sound was heard in the night sky, and the sound of birds flapping wings disappeared into the cave. He suddenly opened his eyes, stretched out his hand, and caught the pigeon in his big hand. He casually took the letter off the pigeon's leg, and when he saw the mark of the bad guy on it, his eyes suddenly froze.

After reading the letter, he let the pigeon go, stood up from the ground and walked out of the cave, looked up at the moon in the sky, and then disappeared into the night, getting farther and farther away from Yinyang Village.

……

Jinyang, Hedong.

In the city, there is a clinic whose owner has superb medical skills and is sought after by dignitaries in Jinyang City. However, no one knows that the owner of this clinic is actually the famous Xuanming Sect's corpse ancestor Jiangchen.

In the backyard of the clinic, a woman with long pink hair was sitting next to the well, processing medicinal materials. Like Yinggou, she had a pair of evil eyes, delicate makeup, and a fair face, like a girl in her twenties. She wore simple round earrings on her pink ears, which was quite exotic.

Her chest is slightly raised, but not too big, just big enough to be held in one hand. Her cute belly button is clearly visible on her fair stomach. She is wearing a purple skirt, through which her long legs are faintly visible. Her every move is full of elegance.

"It's so boring. I wonder how Li Xingyun is doing in his search for the Longquan treasure." She held her cheek with her hand, pounding the herbs with one hand, her eyes empty.

Ever since Yuan Tiangang showed up, Hedong is no longer as fun as before. All kinds of evildoers have to behave themselves, fearing that they will attract the attention of bad people.

"Cuckoo."

A gray-white carrier pigeon fell from the sky. Jiang Chen's big eyes suddenly lit up. Before the pigeon landed on the ground, she jumped up and caught the pigeon in her hands.

She took the letter and read it quickly. After finishing it, she put her hands on her hips and smiled, "I have finally waited for this day. The Marshal really hasn't forgotten me!"

After she finished speaking, the smile on her face faded, and she returned to her dignified and elegant demeanor. "It just so happens that I'm tired of staying in Jinyang, and I've finished the experiments. The Marshal has sincerely invited me, so of course I have to accompany him." As she spoke to herself, she slowly stood up and walked into the room.

When he came out again, he was carrying a bag on his back. He closed the door of the clinic and left without looking back. His whole action was clean and neat, without any reluctance.

In her more than 200 years of life, everything here was just a passer-by, a tiny memory in her life, not worth her lingering on, because somewhere else, there was a more important person waiting for her to attend a meeting.

……

Luoyang Imperial City.

Su Ming was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, exuding a strong majesty. He stood with his hands behind his back in the Qianqiu Hall. Li Cunli, wearing a scarlet official robe, was reporting to the emperor. He spoke at a steady pace and with a respectful expression. He did not dare to look Su Ming in the eye.

Over the past few months, the emperor's majesty has become increasingly powerful, and he is completely different from when we first met.

Li Cunli watched Su Ming go from a blank slate emperor to his current position. Although he was cunning at that time, he had no trustworthy people under his command. Now, tens of thousands of imperial guards in Luoyang City are under his control, and all the passes and fortresses around Luoyang are stationed with his people.

He couldn't believe that all this took only two years.

Whenever he thought of this, Li Cunli couldn't help but be glad that he had made the most correct choice. Look at Ren Yuan and the powerful Li Siyuan now, where are they?