“Close the gates! Close the gates! Don't let anyone out!”

Before Zaozi Ridge, rows upon rows of huge, rough wooden fences were being shut tight. Clumps of iron thorns and rolling logs were pushed to the key checkpoints. The soldiers guarding the pass all retreated inside the ridge, looking as if they had encountered a horde of vicious ghosts.

This scene stunned the grain-protecting army and their men who had come to seize the pass.

On their journey, they had encountered many cities, counties, and passes. The subordinates and generals under the command of the God-given King were mostly insidious and mad.

Seeing the arrival of the main force, they resorted to all kinds of evil and damaging tricks, showing no fear. Some even took the initiative to harass the army. Fortunately, they were few in number, and the vanguard officer, Dong Qiaoyun, was resourceful, allowing them to break through all the way to Zaozi Ridge.

But everyone knew that the God-given King's fierce reputation was not for show. Their smooth journey was only by chance.

Sooner or later, they would encounter the main force of the God-given King and engage in a major battle. Zaozi Ridge was such a place for a fierce battle.

Unexpectedly, they had prepared for a fierce battle, but the enemy closed their gates and refused to fight?

“Open the gates! Open them for me!”

Dong Qiaoyun, or rather, Mrs. Lu, or Digua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn), was furious when she saw the enemy cowering. Riding her horse outside, she cursed, “If you have the guts, open the gates and come out to compete with this grandma! Don't hide inside without making a sound!"

"Back then, when I arrived in your territory, you tricked me, harmed me, hunted me down, and ruined my reputation."

"Now, the tables have turned, and this grandma is back!"

"I joined the army to settle scores. You must pay back everything you owe me. If you don't come out, I'll curse you until dark!"

"..."

"..."

In fact, Digua Shao didn't curse until dark; she cursed until dawn.

The defenders of Zaozi Ridge were surprisingly patient. Once they closed the gates, they closed them tight, not even showing their faces. No matter how Digua Shao cursed outside, they didn't even bother to respond.

Digua Shao was exhausted after cursing until dark, but her anger hadn't subsided. So, she cast a spell and summoned a group of little ghosts to continue cursing for her. In the middle of the night, both sides of the army heard ghostly energy rolling over the mountainside, with curses echoing incessantly.

They cursed in one breath until the roosters crowed before dispersing, without repeating a single word.

Even the Central Route General, Shen Hongzhi, who doted on this sworn sister, felt sorry for Digua Shao. She personally cooked pear soup for her that night and sent it over, stroking her smooth hair and sighing, 'How much suffering did this sister endure in front of the God-given King back then?'

'Now that she's so angry, I, as her older sister, must vent her anger this time!'

'...'

At dawn, she immediately mustered the troops.

She had made up her mind that whether the Zaozi Ridge soldiers responded or not, she would take it down, even if it meant a hard fight.

But just as the troops gathered and pressed towards Zaozi Ridge again, before she could even open her mouth, she heard someone inside Zaozi Ridge cursing loudly, “Damn Mingzhou King, damn grain-protecting army! You spread your reputation so well, making it sound so good."

“What benevolence and love for the people, what iron discipline, what not taking a single needle or thread from the masses!”

“In the end, you recruited such an evildoer, a sinister and ruthless fiend as a general.”

“Back then, this enchantress saw someone in Quzhou practicing ghost arts, and she insisted on practicing something even more powerful. When we didn't let her, she said we were framing her, that we were going to arrest her for breaking the law, and she dared to make a scene at the God-given King's mansion..."

"The things that all the sects in Quzhou did combined were not as bad as what she did in a month. It's no exaggeration to say that she ruined Quzhou's reputation all by herself..."

"Furthermore, our God-given King had always thought highly of your Mingzhou King, willing to give you a second glance and form a brotherly alliance with you, to guard and advance together."

"But your Mingzhou King not only didn't appreciate this kindness but instead provoked trouble for no reason, easily invaded our territory, and insulted our ruler. Now that things have come to this, the war between Quzhou and Mingzhou is unavoidable. If you have the guts and ability, come to Meng Hu (Fierce Tiger) Pass and fight to the death!"

"..."

"Nonsense!"

Central General Shen Hongzhi was furious upon hearing this, "My sworn sister is loyal and righteous, beautiful and kind-hearted, yet you dare to call her a heinous evildoer?"

"Besides, wasn't it the God-given King who insulted my Ming King first, acting arrogantly, that led to this war?"

"Men, lead the troops to attack the city. I want to see what kind of jujubes grow on this ridge that make them so hard-mouthed?"

"..."

Saying that, she was about to give the order to forcibly attack the ridge.

Digua Shao was the first to jump out, "General Sister, it's easy to suffer casualties if you attack the ridge by force."

"I'll charge ahead, and you follow behind!"

In Shen Hongzhi's excited gaze, Digua Shao took the lead and jumped off her horse. Attacking upwards like this was indeed extremely dangerous, and it was impossible to ride a horse.

Seeing that this Miss Lu was so brave despite being a woman, the soldiers under the Central General's command were all moved. Many brave soldiers followed her out, with the determination to die, and together they climbed the vines and rocks, attacking the pass.

But unexpectedly, once they entered, they were immediately dumbfounded. They only saw that on this ridge, overnight, there were no more soldiers.

Even the one who had been cursing at the foot of the ridge that morning had long since slipped away.

Now, this important place of Zaozi Ridge, which had originally housed tens of thousands of troops, was empty overnight, taken without wasting a single soldier.

Everyone was both surprised and amazed.

The ordinary soldiers were all rejoicing, saying that General Qiaoyun's night of cursing had frightened away the Zaozi Ridge army.

“They were indeed guilty!”

Shen Hongzhi was also both angry and happy, angry that she hadn't avenged her sworn sister, happy that she had gained such a great achievement without wasting a single soldier. She then said, "Since they're afraid, let's send a message to the Ming King to strike in one go and fight the God-given King at Meng Hu Pass!"

"..."

"..."

“The God-given King directly retreated to Meng Hu Pass?”

When Hu Ma and the others heard of the successive victories in various places and that the grain-protecting army had entered Quzhou and was gathering at Meng Hu Pass, they were also somewhat surprised, as they had originally planned to go directly to Quzhou to observe the movements of the various forces:

“Didn’t they say that the God-given King was the most fierce and domineering, and ruthless? When did his temper become so good that he took the initiative to retreat when faced with the grain-protecting army's step-by-step approach?”

“The God-given King's retreat to Meng Hu Pass doesn't count as a loss; it's just a retreat to advance.”

The disciples of Bu Shi Niu Cai Zi Men (the Colorful Word Sect of the Not Eating Beef Sect) would always deliver news from various places in a timely manner: “Quzhou is rich in grain and iron, the most abundant, but this abundance and barrenness is limited by Meng Hu Pass."

"The inside and outside of the pass are completely different."

"Inside Meng Hu Pass is where the God-given King's roots lie. The cities and counties outside are just vassals. It's easy to lose them and take them back."

"Of course, the God-given King's temper isn't usually this good. He endured such humiliation because the situation was unfavorable to him."

“Now, the God-given King is constantly at odds with the Chang Sheng (Eternal Life) King in the north, and there have long been grudges between them. Now, the Mingzhou grain-protecting army has a disagreement with him, and the army is attacking. The Gunzhou White Armor Army and the Guazhou Iron Fence Army are also following suit, with three armies pressing the border."

"In addition, there is the Guanzhou割肉Jun (Flesh-Cutting Army), as well as various ambitious heroes and private soldiers in the surrounding areas, all gathering troops and making strange moves, all wanting to attack!"

"Now, the God-given King has ordered the troops here to retreat to Meng Hu Pass and not engage in a major battle with the enemy, just to preserve his strength."

“In these few days, he personally led troops to clear out more than a dozen groups of people around him, and sent reliable people to guard against the Chang Sheng King in the north. He then freed up his hands and led his Futu (Stupa) Army to Meng Hu Pass to fight to the death with everyone!”

"..."

“Personally led troops and cleared out more than a dozen groups of people in just a few days?”

Hu Ma pondered slightly upon hearing this. Just a short sentence implied that this person had been sleepless and had killed countless people.

Then he felt a little strange: “Is this person's reputation really that bad, attracting more than a dozen groups of people to attack him at the same time?”

“It's not just that; most likely, a capable person has taken action.”

The disciple of the Cai Zi Men smiled and said, "We also wanted to investigate, but the person who took action was extremely skilled, and we couldn't find any clues. But just looking at the situation, we can guess the general idea."

“This God-given King's reputation is indeed not good, and there are many who practice demon soldiers and evil arts under his command. But he's not a fool; how could he deliberately make so many enemies at this time?"

“On the contrary, it's precisely because he has a foundation and saw that the opportunity had arrived that he wanted to make friends with the various local kings and Jianghu outlaws, giving fame to those who valued fame and profit to those who valued profit, so as to strengthen his power and take advantage of the unstable situation in the world to become the leader of the Central Plains."

“This time, he also used his wife's birthday as an excuse to invite heroes from all over to gather for an alliance.”

"But no one expected that the final result would be different from what he thought."

“The polite and friendly handwritten letters were sent to others, but they all became arrogant insults. The conditions that were attached, which were supposed to be irresistible, all became coercive plunder, leaving no way out."

"The God-given King is powerful, but others also want to live. So, they had no choice but to revolt against him!"

"..."

Hearing this, Hu Ma suddenly understood: "The Trickery Sect?"

Who else could do such strange and sinister things besides the Trickery Sect?

But suspicion immediately arose in his heart: “Don’t those outlaws want to verify this?”

"Even if the God-given King realizes that something is wrong, he should try to explain it?"

"..."

The Cai Zi Men disciple smiled bitterly. Before he could speak, Wu He, the girl, laughed and took the initiative to say, "It can't be explained."

“Brother Hu, when the letters sent by the God-given King arrive in people's hands, the gold paint is intact, and the seals are properly sealed. After opening the letters, the handwriting and the seal are exactly the same, but the contents of the letters are very different. How can they be distinguished?"

"Furthermore, some want to ask for clarification, but the envoys sent have been secretly replaced. How can they ask?"

"There are also some who are originally under the God-given King's command. They welcome the envoys from the army and take the tiger tally and seal, ordering them to send troops to attack others first. Afterwards, the God-given King says it's fake and that he didn't issue the order. But how can people believe it?"

“The God-given King is shrinking his troops and retreating to Meng Hu Pass for this reason.”

“He found that once his troops were sent out, they suddenly weren't his troops anymore.”

"..."

"It has to be the Trickery Sect..."

Hearing these things, Hu Ma realized the truth. He also felt a bit emotional: "The Zhao family's actions are truly unpredictable."

"They take advantage of everything inside and out, but they still hold on to human relationships, making it impossible to hate them!"

"Looking at the current situation in the world, it's clear that they were the first to create a problem for us, and they secretly used tricks to make us both uneasy. But because of those two scales, I still have a good impression of them."

"It's just that, now that the Six Families are going to fight us sooner or later, what are they doing all this for?"

"..."

He thought to himself that if the Trickery Sect's tricks were used on the grain-protecting army.

Then the grain-protecting army, which had only just gained some momentum, might be in a more difficult situation than the God-given King, and might be strangled to death.

Wu He had seen a lot and could say some things, but it was hard to say what the Trickery Sect's real purpose was.

Old Abacus, who was next to him, hesitated and said, "Perhaps, it's because compared to the grain-protecting army and the transmigrator, the God-given King's certain special characteristics are even more powerful, making it impossible for the Trickery Sect to sit idly by, lest it be even more difficult to deal with in the future?"

Such groundless speculation naturally couldn't find an answer, so everyone simply decided to go to Meng Hu Pass first to see what was going on.

At this time, in Quzhou, where the mountains and rivers meet, smoke had already risen before a natural and majestic pass. Inside the pass, there were heavy soldiers guarding it, solemn and thick.

Outside the pass, on the main road, banners were also fluttering, and troops were rushing from all directions. In this chaotic world, it was necessary to rely on blood and fighting to hone a person's temperament.

In Mingzhou, the grain-protecting army only had those 10,000 elite troops that were worth seeing.

But now, after fighting through Huzhou and then Quzhou, the banners already had a bit of a look.

Under the central military tent was Ming King Yang Gong, wearing iron armor and exuding a murderous aura. Knives and spears surrounded him like a forest, and the armor reflected a cold light.

On the left and right were two great generals, Zhou Liang and Shen Hongzhi. Looking around, there were also elite soldiers arranged in various formations. In the center was the most fundamental grain-protecting army of Ming King Yang Gong, wearing dark red armor and carrying red lanterns on their flags.

Next to them were the hemp-wearing soldiers trained by Dong Qiaoyun.

Next to them, carrying iron frames and wearing leather, were the Fire Crow Army led by Zhou Liang.

Further away, keeping their distance from everyone else, were Zhao Zhu's Pottery Jar Army, all carrying pottery jars on their backs and looking arrogant.

Looking to the north, there was a burst of gongs and drums, and the Gunzhou White Armor Army had arrived.

Leading them was Grandpa Sun on the left, with a flowing white beard and a strong body, and Tan Master Tang on the right, with a white face and no beard. In the middle was Military Advisor White Fan, holding a folding fan in his hand.

However, the White Armor Army's characteristic was that they had no leader. All matters were usually decided by the three of them after discussion, and no one was crowned king.

The reason was simple: the leader was originally the Miao Shan (Wonderfully Benevolent) Immortal Nun of the One Coin Sect, but she usually didn't care much about things.

Grandpa Sun and the others had the idea of raising an army and fighting for fame, but they didn't have the idea of becoming emperor.

They belonged to the type who raised troops to sell themselves for a good price.

Just as the two armies gathered and were about to talk, they heard gongs and drums sounding on the other side, and the iron cavalry moved the earth. Everyone perked up, and even Ming King Yang Gong stretched his neck to look over.

They knew that the Guazhou Iron Fence Army, which he had agreed to come and attack the God-given King of Quzhou with, was coming. It was also an army with a good reputation.

Due to Bu Shi Niu's secret planning, the two sides were allies and would defend each other. They were considered their own people, but the Iron Fence King was extremely mysterious and had not yet met.

Looking from afar, they gradually saw the Iron Fence Army. Everyone was riding horses, each holding a huge shield in front of them. The completeness of the armor was unmatched by both the grain-protecting army and the White Armor Army.

In the area where the banners were fluttering, a person sitting in the middle of the horse had a stocky body and a cold expression. The guards on the left and right were all close followers. He came to the front with a full of imposing manner.

At this moment, Ming King Yang Gong was obviously a little stunned. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but he was still stunned.

Even Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu were stunned at once. They looked at each other, then looked at him again, still stunned.

Hu Ma was also stunned, and his voice changed a bit: "That is..."

"...Zhou Datong?"

Shouldn't this kid be in the Blood Food Mine, cutting blood food with Second Master? What is he doing here?

"Cough..."

Seeing that Hu Ma was stunned, the Cai Zi Men disciple hurriedly explained, "Don't be angry, Leader. It's all Senior Brother's doing."

"When you conquered Guazhou City and destroyed the Yan family, we had to take the Iron Fence Sect into our hands, but the Bu Shi Niu has strategists, not kings and generals. We always have to support a reliable one."

"But finding a horse on the spot, we looked around and it wasn't suitable, so Iron Mouth, the military advisor of the grain-protecting army, recommended you. Senior Brother personally examined and nodded, and sent your junior brother, that is, General Zhou, to the position of the Iron Fence King..."

While saying this, he sized up Hu Ma's face, and his attitude became serious: "Of course, there is a reason why this matter was not reported to the leader in advance."

"Senior Brother said that this is also one of the contents of the Heavenly Book passed down by the master. Whenever there is something good, we should think more about the leader. If the leader doesn't need it, then think about the leader's relatives."

"We can't say hello, lest the leader make a mistake, but in the future, when the leader knows, although he may complain a few words, he must be happy in his heart."

This made it impossible for Hu Ma to complain. After thinking about it carefully, he could only sigh helplessly: "This seems to be the truth summarized from the other world..."

Seeing that Hu Ma had relaxed, the Bu Shi Niu Cai Men disciple laughed and said, "Don't mention it, he's doing very well. It's as if he was destined to have this fate. The only problem is that he's sometimes too enthusiastic about the relatives of certain enemies..."

Hearing them say this, Old Abacus couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is really everyone has their own destiny..."

"When I calculated his fortune, I felt that he had great wealth in his life..."
Chapter 1 The Beginning
作者：忘语
Chapter 1 The Beginning
"Close the door, close the door, don't let anyone out!"

In front of Zaozi Ridge, rows of huge, rough wooden fences were closed, and clusters of iron thorns, rolling logs, and other obstacles were pushed to the important checkpoints. The soldiers guarding the pass all retreated into the ridge, looking as if they had all encountered evil ghosts.

This scene stunned the grain protection army and others who had come to seize the pass.

On their way here, they had encountered many cities, counties, and passes. Most of the leaders and soldiers under the command of the God-bestowed King were sinister and insane.

Seeing the approaching army, they used all sorts of evil and harmful tricks, showing no fear. Some even took the initiative to harass the army. Fortunately, they were few in number, and the vanguard officer Dong Qiaoyun was resourceful, allowing them to break through all the way to Zaozi Ridge.

But everyone knew that the God-bestowed King's fierce reputation was not a joke. Their smooth journey was only accidental.

Sooner or later, they would encounter the God-bestowed King's main force and have a major battle. Zaozi Ridge was such a place for a fierce battle.

Unexpectedly, they were prepared for a fierce battle, but the enemy closed the gates and dared not fight?

"Open the door, open the door for me!"

Dong Qiaoyun, or rather, Mrs. Lu, or Digua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn), was furious when she saw the other party cowering. Riding her horse outside, she cursed, "If you have the ability, open the door and come out to compete with this grandma! Don't hide inside without making a sound!"

"Back then, when I arrived in your territory, you framed me, harmed me, chased me, and ruined my reputation."

"Now, the tables have turned, and this grandma is back!"

"I joined the army to settle scores. You must pay back everything you owe me. If you don't come out, I'll curse you until dark!"

"..."

"..."

In fact, Digua Shao didn't curse until dark, she cursed until dawn.

The defenders of Zaozi Ridge were surprisingly patient, closing the gates and not even showing their faces. No matter how Digua Shao cursed outside, they didn't even bother to respond.

Digua Shao was tired after cursing until dark, but her anger hadn't subsided, so she cast a spell, summoned a group of little ghosts to continue cursing for her. In the middle of the night, both sides of the army only heard ghostly energy rolling over the mountainside, with curses echoing incessantly.

They cursed in one breath until the roosters crowed before dispersing, without repeating a single word.

Even the Central Route General Shen Hongzhi, who doted on this sworn sister, felt sorry for Digua Shao. She personally cooked pear soup for her that night and sent it over, stroking her smooth hair and sighing, "How much suffering did this sister endure in front of the God-bestowed King back then?"

"Now that she's so angry, I, as her older sister, must vent her anger this time!"

"..."

At dawn, she immediately mustered the troops.

She had made up her mind that whether the Zaozi Ridge soldiers responded or not, she would take it down, even if it meant a hard fight.

But just as the troops gathered and pressed towards Zaozi Ridge again, before she could even open her mouth, she heard someone inside Zaozi Ridge cursing loudly, "Damn Mingzhou King, damn grain protection army! You spread your reputation so well, making it sound so good."

"What benevolence and love for the people, what iron discipline, what not taking a single needle or thread from the masses!"

"In the end, you recruited such an evildoer, a sinister and ruthless demon as a general."

"Back then, this enchantress saw someone in Quzhou practicing ghost arts, and she insisted on practicing something even more powerful. When we didn't let her, she said we were framing her, that we were going to arrest her for breaking the law, and she dared to make a scene at the God-bestowed King's mansion..."

"The things that all the sects in Quzhou did combined were not as bad as what she did in a month. It's no exaggeration to say that she ruined Quzhou's reputation all by herself..."

"Furthermore, our God-bestowed King had always thought highly of your Mingzhou King, willing to give you a second glance and form a brotherly alliance with you, to guard and advance together."

"But your Mingzhou King not only didn't appreciate this kindness, but instead provoked trouble for no reason, easily invaded our territory, and insulted our ruler. Now that things have come to this, the war between Quzhou and Mingzhou is unavoidable. If you have the guts and ability, come to Meng Hu (Fierce Tiger) Pass and fight to the death!"

"..."

"Nonsense!"

Central General Shen Hongzhi was furious upon hearing this, "My sworn sister is loyal and righteous, beautiful and kind-hearted, yet you dare to call her a heinous evildoer?"

"Besides, wasn't it the God-bestowed King who insulted my Ming King first, acting arrogantly, that led to this war?"

"Men, lead the troops to attack the city. I want to see what kind of jujubes grow on this ridge that make them so hard-mouthed?"

"..."

Saying that, she was about to give the order to forcibly attack the ridge.

Digua Shao was the first to jump out, "General Sister, it's easy to suffer casualties if you attack the ridge by force."

"I'll charge ahead, and you follow behind!"

In Shen Hongzhi's excited gaze, Digua Shao took the lead and jumped off her horse. Attacking upwards like this was indeed extremely dangerous, and it was impossible to ride a horse.

Seeing that this Miss Lu was so brave despite being a woman, the soldiers under the Central General's command were all moved. Many brave soldiers followed her out, with the determination to die, and together they climbed the vines and rocks, attacking the pass.

But unexpectedly, once they entered, they were immediately dumbfounded. They only saw that on this ridge, overnight, there were no more soldiers.

Even the one who had been cursing at the foot of the ridge that morning had long since slipped away.

Now, this important place of Zaozi Ridge, which had originally housed tens of thousands of troops, was empty overnight, taken without wasting a single soldier.

Everyone was both surprised and amazed.

The ordinary soldiers were all rejoicing, saying that General Qiaoyun's night of cursing had frightened away the Zaozi Ridge army.

"They were indeed guilty!"

Shen Hongzhi was also both angry and happy, angry that she hadn't avenged her sworn sister, happy that she had gained such a great achievement without wasting a single soldier. She then said, "Since they're afraid, let's send a message to the Ming King to strike in one go and fight the God-bestowed King at Meng Hu Pass!"

"..."

"..."

"The God-bestowed King directly retreated to Meng Hu Pass?"

When Hu Ma and the others heard of the successive victories in various places and that the grain protection army had entered Quzhou and was gathering at Meng Hu Pass, they were also somewhat surprised, as they had originally planned to go directly to Quzhou to observe the movements of the various forces:

"Didn't they say that the God-bestowed King was the most fierce and domineering, and ruthless? When did his temper become so good that he took the initiative to retreat when faced with the grain protection army's step-by-step approach?"

"The God-bestowed King's retreat to Meng Hu Pass doesn't count as a loss, it's just a retreat to advance."

The disciples of Bu Shi Niu Cai Zi Men (the Colorful Word Sect of the Not Eating Beef Sect) would always deliver news from various places in a timely manner, "Quzhou is rich in grain and iron, the most abundant, but this abundance and barrenness is limited by Meng Hu Pass."

"The inside and outside of the pass are completely different."

"Inside Meng Hu Pass is where the God-bestowed King's roots lie. The cities and counties outside are just vassals. It's easy to lose them and take them back."

"Of course, the God-bestowed King's temper isn't usually this good. He endured such humiliation because the situation was unfavorable to him."

"Now, the God-bestowed King is constantly at odds with the Chang Sheng (Eternal Life) King in the north, and there have long been grudges between them. Now, the Mingzhou grain protection army has a disagreement with him, and the army is attacking. The Gunzhou White Armor Army and the Guazhou Iron Fence Army are also following suit, with three armies pressing the border."

"In addition, there is the Guanzhou Gerou (Flesh Cutting) Army, as well as various ambitious heroes and private soldiers in the surrounding areas, all gathering troops and making strange moves, all wanting to attack!"

"Now, the God-bestowed King has ordered the troops here to retreat to Meng Hu Pass and not engage in a major battle with the enemy, just to preserve his strength."

"In these few days, he personally led troops to clear out more than a dozen groups of people around him, and sent reliable people to guard against the Chang Sheng King in the north. He then freed up his hands and led his Futu (Stupa) Army to Meng Hu Pass to fight to the death with everyone!"

"..."

"Personally led troops and cleared out more than a dozen groups of people in just a few days?"

Hu Ma pondered slightly upon hearing this. Just a short sentence implied that this person had been sleepless and had killed countless people.

Then he felt a little strange: "Is this person's reputation really that bad, attracting more than a dozen groups of people to attack him at the same time?"

"It's not just that, most likely a capable person has taken action."

The disciple of the Cai Zi Men smiled and said, "We also wanted to investigate, but the person who took action was extremely skilled, and we couldn't find any clues. But just looking at the situation, we can guess the general idea."

"This God-bestowed King's reputation is indeed not good, and there are many who practice demon soldiers and evil arts under his command. But he's not a fool, how could he deliberately make so many enemies at this time?"

"On the contrary, it's precisely because he has a foundation and saw that the opportunity had arrived, that he wanted to make friends with the various local kings and Jianghu outlaws, giving fame to those who valued fame, and profit to those who valued profit, so as to strengthen his power and take advantage of the unstable situation in the world to become the leader of the Central Plains."

"This time, he also used his wife's birthday as an excuse to invite heroes from all over to gather for an alliance."

"But no one expected that the final result would be different from what he thought."

"The polite and friendly handwritten letters were sent to others, but they all became arrogant insults. The conditions that were attached, which were supposed to be irresistible, all became coercive plunder, leaving no way out."

"The God-bestowed King is powerful, but others also want to live. So, they had no choice but to revolt against him!"

"..."

Hearing this, Hu Ma suddenly understood: "The Trickery Sect?"

Who else could do such strange and sinister things besides the Trickery Sect?

But suspicion immediately arose in his heart: "Don't those outlaws want to verify this?"

"Even if the God-bestowed King realizes that something is wrong, he should try to explain it?"

"..."

The Cai Zi Men disciple smiled bitterly. Before he could speak, Wu He, the girl, laughed and took the initiative to say, "It can't be explained."

"Brother Hu, when the letters sent by the God-bestowed King arrive in people's hands, the gold paint is intact, and the seals are properly sealed. After opening the letters, the handwriting and the seal are exactly the same, but the contents of the letters are very different. How can they be distinguished?"

"Furthermore, some want to ask for clarification, but the envoys sent have been secretly replaced. How can they ask?"

"There are also some who are originally under the God-bestowed King's command. They welcome the envoys from the army and take the tiger tally and seal, ordering them to send troops to attack others first. Afterwards, the God-bestowed King says it's fake and that he didn't issue the order. But how can people believe it?"

"The God-bestowed King is shrinking his troops and retreating to Meng Hu Pass for this reason."

"He found that once his troops were sent out, they suddenly weren't his troops anymore."

"..."

"It has to be the Trickery Sect..."

Hearing these things, Hu Ma realized the truth. He also felt a bit emotional, "The Zhao family's actions are truly unpredictable."

"They take advantage of everything inside and out, but they still hold onto human relationships, making it impossible to hate them!"

"Looking at the current situation in the world, it's clear that they were the first to create a problem for us, and they secretly used tricks to make us both uneasy. But because of those two scales, I still have a good impression of them."

"It's just that, now that the Six Families are going to fight us sooner or later, what are they doing all this for?"

"..."

He thought to himself that if the Trickery Sect's tricks were used on the grain protection army.

Then the grain protection army, which had only just gained some momentum, might be in a more difficult situation than the God-bestowed King, and might be strangled to death.

Wu He had seen a lot and could say some things, but it was hard to say what the Trickery Sect's real purpose was.

Old Abacus, who was next to him, hesitated and said, "Perhaps, it's because compared to the grain protection army and the transmigrator, the God-bestowed King's certain special characteristics are even more powerful, making it impossible for the Trickery Sect to sit idly by, lest it be even more difficult to deal with in the future?"

Such groundless speculation naturally couldn't find an answer, so everyone simply decided to go to Meng Hu Pass first to see what was going on.

At this time, in Quzhou, where the mountains and rivers meet, smoke had already risen before a natural and majestic pass. Inside the pass, there were heavy soldiers guarding it, solemn and thick.

Outside the pass, on the main road, banners were also fluttering, and troops were rushing from all directions. In this chaotic world, it was necessary to rely on blood and fighting to hone a person's temperament.

In Mingzhou, the grain protection army only had those 10,000 elite troops that were worth seeing.

But now, after fighting through Huzhou and then Quzhou, the banners already had a bit of a look.

Under the central military tent was Ming King Yang Gong, wearing iron armor and exuding a murderous aura. Knives and spears surrounded him like a forest, and the armor reflected a cold light.

On the left and right were two great generals, Zhou Liang and Shen Hongzhi. Looking around, there were also elite soldiers arranged in various formations. In the center was the most fundamental grain protection army of Ming King Yang Gong, wearing dark red armor and carrying red lanterns on their flags.

Next to them were the hemp-wearing soldiers trained by Dong Qiaoyun.

Next to them, carrying iron frames and wearing leather, were the Fire Crow Army led by Zhou Liang.

Further away, keeping their distance from everyone else, were Zhao Zhu's Pottery Jar Army, all carrying pottery jars on their backs and looking arrogant.

Looking to the north, there was a burst of gongs and drums, and the Gunzhou White Armor Army had arrived.

Leading them was Grandpa Sun on the left, with a flowing white beard and a strong body, and Tan Master Tang on the right, with a white face and no beard. In the middle was Military Advisor White Fan, holding a folding fan in his hand.

However, the White Armor Army's characteristic was that they had no leader. All matters were usually decided by the three of them after discussion, and no one was crowned king.

The reason was simple, the leader was originally the Miao Shan (Wonderfully Benevolent) Immortal Nun of the One Coin Sect, but she usually didn't care much about things.

Grandpa Sun and the others had the idea of raising an army and fighting for fame, but they didn