Chapter 197

“Your Grace, the grain-protection army has arrived before the city, but they are being blocked.”

Hu Ma and Old Abacus were resting on a low hill outside Huzhou City. From here, they had a good vantage point to see the standoff between the grain-protection army and the Three-Headed蛟 (jiao – a type of dragon) troops of Huzhou Prefecture.

Moreover, with the disciples of Bu Shi Niu (literally "No Eating Ox," a Daoist sect) constantly reporting on the situation, they were able to keep abreast of every development, observing everything as clearly as if they were on the front lines themselves.

The one reporting the situation this time was from the Cai (color) division of the Bu Shi Niu's Eight Gates.

Bu Shi Niu had eight divisions: Jin (gold), Pi (leather), Gua (hanging), Cai (color), Ping (level), Tuan (group), Diao (tune), and Liu (willow). The Jin division specialized in making weapons and arrows, building bridges and ships, and arranging formations for battle.

The strategist Tiezui Zi (Iron Mouth) was a disciple of this division, and the division's senior disciple had a Dharma name, Jin Chenzi (Gold Dust).

The Pi division often posed as traveling doctors, wandering through disaster-stricken areas. When things were peaceful, they sold aphrodisiacs, dug out corns, and trimmed eyebrows.

But in times of hardship, they robbed the rich to help the poor, dispensing meat porridge in the name of distributing life-saving talismans to rescue the victims. They also selected suitable disciples from among the disaster victims to teach them writing, magic, skills, and trades, incorporating them into the Bu Shi Niu sect.

The Gua division roamed the martial world, performing martial arts and collecting unique skills from around the world, teaching them to those who were destined.

The Cai division focused on gathering intelligence and infiltrating enemy lines, and when the time came, they also took on the responsibility of betraying and assassinating.

The Ping division posed as storytellers and ballad singers, spreading various reputations and building momentum. Yang Gong's title as the King of Mingzhou was their handiwork.

Of course, in addition to creating reputations, they were also skilled at ruining them. Once they set their sights on someone, even the most respected philanthropist would find stories of him sneaking into widows' chambers spreading throughout the streets the next day.

The Tuan division mainly managed various Jianghu (martial world) forces, enjoying considerable prestige in the martial world.

Many martial arts alliance leaders and gang bosses were supported by them, or were even their own people from the start. Once they gained momentum, these people often became ready-made troops.

The Diao division specialized in burning incense, divination, worshiping gods, and praying to ghosts. Of course, they also sometimes bullied ghosts and fooled gods.

In short, they specialized in matters of the supernatural. The Bu Shi Niu's mission of returning the gods to the people was mainly carried out by them.

As for the last division, the Liu division, they were responsible for spreading rumors and bewitching the nobles and gentry in various places to rebel. It could be said that the Ten Surnames had always been selecting potential emperors, and Bu Shi Niu had always been looking for seeds of rebellion.

Now, Yang Gong's father-in-law was one of the seeds that Bu Shi Niu had sown. Later, this seed took root and sprouted, and by chance, it led to the rise of Yang Gong.

It was precisely because of these eight capable divisions that Hu Ma was much more at ease about many things.

Now that the grain-protection army was attacking Huzhou City, they had already cast their nets everywhere and were secretly making preparations. The troops in Huzhou City were not unaware that the grain-protection army was coming, and they must have sent out scouts in advance. They had already secretly eliminated many of them.

However, they did not know that in addition to the grain-protection army's scouts, Bu Shi Niu had its own arrangements, and even the Da Luo (Great Canopy) Dharma Sect had informants watching them.

The grain-protection army and the 蛟魔 (Jiao Demon) army of the Three-Headed 蛟 of Huzhou had only just met, but the confrontations in various places had already begun.

"Blocked?"

Even Hu Ma was surprised: "The grain-protection army, especially the ten thousand elites who returned from Shangjing, are the most ferocious, and there are many brave generals in the army. I've looked over the troops under the Three-Headed 蛟 of Huzhou these past few days, and they're just a bunch of rabble."

"What ability do they have to stop the grain-protection army?"

"..."

"They used dirty tricks!"

The disciple from the Cai division smiled bitterly and said, "That Three-Headed 蛟 probably knew that the grain-protection army was powerful and that his own troops were inferior. In the past few days, as the grain-protection army advanced, the people panicked and rushed towards Huzhou Prefecture City."

"So the Huzhou troops drove these people to the front, using them as human shields. If the grain-protection army launched a strong attack, the first to die would be those people."

"Now the Huzhou troops are using this to threaten them, demanding to fight generals with the grain-protection army, with a limit of one day. If they lose, they will retreat, and if they win, they will enter the city."

"..."

"Using the people as human shields?"

Hu Ma frowned upon hearing this and said in a deep voice, "And then?"

"The grain-protection army has already lost several battles."

The disciple said, "The fierce generals under the Three-Headed 蛟 seem to have at least a Deng Tang Ru Shi (Entering the Hall and Room) level of skill. Their weapons alone weigh several hundred Jin (a Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500 grams), and when they wield them, the people in the grain-protection army are no match for them."

Hearing this, Hu Ma understood.

Deng Tang Ru Shi represented at least the Ru Fu (Entering the Mansion) level, or even the level of pushing open three Fu (Mansion) gates.

The current foundation of the grain-protection army was a group of Jianghu people from the Red Lantern Mother Society and some brave men from the mountains. Their martial arts were mostly at the Deng Jie (Ascending the Steps) level.

When it came to the fierce generals in the army, they were not even as good as the White Armor Army in Shima Town and the Iron Barricade Army in Guazhou.

Not to mention the three great generals not making a move, even if they did, they would probably not be able to defeat their opponents.

Military skills could not be faked.

Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu were considered good, having made rapid progress since joining the army, but if they wanted to enter the Fu level, they would have to work hard!

The current advantage of the grain-protection army lay in its strong troops and solid foundation, but it still lacked capable people and generals. But if fighting generals was not advantageous, did they have to transfer the White Armor Army and the Iron Barricade Army as well?

Hu Ma thought to himself, he now had more than just the grain-protection army as his bargaining chip. The White Armor Army was painstakingly cultivated by Miao Shan Xiangu (Fairy Goodness) in Shima Town for several years, and the army also had Grandpa Sun and Altar Master Tang, two Shou Sui (Year Watchers) experts, supporting it.

The Iron Barricade Army, on the other hand, was secretly arranged by Bu Shi Niu after he had flattened the Yan family and taken it into his bag.

He could mobilize both of these armies. If they came, with the three armies pressing down on the border, even if they were trapped, they could trap this old 蛟 of Huzhou to death.

But now, he had only just left Mingzhou, and he was going to reveal all his cards?

Moreover, if he really waited for these two armies to come, he did not know how many days it would take. The momentum of the grain-protection army would also weaken, and the aura of the King of Mingzhou suppressing the rebels would be diminished due to the simultaneous arrival of the three armies.

In his deliberation, he thought of several methods, but he could not decide which one to use. Instead, he thought of something first and asked, "What is Yang Gong thinking now?"

The Cai division disciple smiled bitterly and said, "He has become a little stubborn and is absolutely unwilling to hurt the people."

...

...

"Your Grace, we must not lose our prestige in this first battle out of Mingzhou."

At this time, in the army tent, the strategist Tiezui Zi also frowned and earnestly advised, "It is not beneficial for us to fight generals. The troops of Huzhou Prefecture City are far inferior to us. With a single command flag, we will surely be able to break through the city gate."

"But if we continue to fight generals with the other side, there will be too many variables. The more we lose, the weaker our army's morale will be. If the other side launches a surprise attack, we will easily suffer a loss."

"What's more, if the army's morale weakens, the other side may be able to use certain evil methods against us."

"..."

Someone next to him also advised, "It is right to cherish the people, but on the battlefield, the most taboo thing is to be soft-hearted. Moreover, those in front of Huzhou City are not necessarily all people. Many are believers of the Niang'er Men (literally "Daughters' Sect" or "Women's Sect"), and some are even voluntarily acting as human shields, or even trying to assassinate us."

"It would be better to have the scouts in the city start a fire together, burn through Huzhou Prefecture City, and then have the army cover up, scaring away the people in front of the city, seizing the city, and then issuing an order to appease them."

"Otherwise, if we follow the other side's rules to fight generals, let's first talk about how fierce that Copper Armor General is. Even if we really win, is it really possible for the other side to open the city gates?"

"In the end, they are just playing with us."

"..."

"No."

The strategist Tiezui Zi's plan was agreed to by many people, but Yang Gong shook his head and said, "It is precisely because it is the first battle that we must win uprightly and justly."

"The name of the grain-protection army is here, so we cannot ignore those people. Although it is true that there may be Niang'er Men believers disguised among them, as long as there are real people inside, the grain-protection army's knives cannot be directed at them."

"..."

He could only say so much here. In his heart, he was thinking: 'Brother Hu had already made it clear to me before, he is helping me win the world, and I am helping him obtain the Mandate of Heaven. Others cannot understand the meaning of the words "Mandate of Heaven," but after I was crowned King, I have a deep understanding of it.'

'The more righteous the means, the more one can seize the Mandate of Heaven."

"If I only use malicious methods every time, even if I seize the city and behead the rebel kings, it is not certain that I can make the other side's Mandate of Heaven obediently surrender to me."

'Moreover, I bragged so loudly in front of him, but when I encounter things, I can only ask him for help, regardless of the size of the matter, or I can only kill without regard for my reputation. Then what face do I have to say that I can help him?'

'He passed on to me the otherworldly heavenly book and changed my fate for me. Wouldn't that be a waste of his painstaking efforts?'

"..."

"Wu Jin, withdraw the troops. I don't believe that among the millions of people in Mingzhou and the clouds of fierce generals in the army, we can't find someone who can defeat this person!"

At this thought, he shouted sharply, "If no one goes, I will go myself!"

Everyone was embarrassed upon hearing this. If they withdrew the troops, wouldn't that be admitting that no one could fight him for the time being, and it would also boost the other side's momentum?

Moreover, even if you go yourself, you can't beat him...

But they did not dare not listen, so they really withdrew the troops. As a result, even the troops on the Huzhou side were greatly surprised and shouted one after another. That fierce general did not even return to his tent, but rode around on his horse, cursing loudly.

However, among the people leading the troops, someone breathed a long sigh of relief. The grain-protection army had been pushing forward all the way, and they had sent many people to test them, only to find that the grain-protection army was strong and powerful, and it was truly terrifying. They were afraid that the other side would push straight over, so they were determined to fight generals.

They did not expect that the other side would be defeated in fighting generals and would actually withdraw the troops, admitting defeat.

Among the grain-protection army, when everyone saw that no one could defeat the other side's fierce general and that the King of Ming was going to fight in person, it aroused a wave of anger among the subordinates, and everyone scrambled to go and behead the enemy chief.

Only the strategist Tiezui Zi frowned, knowing that the anger of these subordinates had been aroused, but if they really went, they would not be able to defeat him.

But at this time, someone suddenly reported outside the tent, "Having heard that the King of Ming is suppressing the rebels, I have come to help."

Someone led in four men. One had long arms that reached past his knees, one was burly, one was tall and thin, and one was short and sturdy. When they arrived before the Ming King's tent, none of them knelt down, but only cupped their hands in salute.

When the people in the tent looked at them, some felt that they looked familiar, but they could not recognize them.

Among these four, the one with the long arms said, "We four brothers were all born in Lao Yin (Old Yin) Mountain. We helped when the grain-protection army fought the hungry ghosts. Now that we have heard that the King of Ming is suppressing the rebels, we have also made a special trip down the mountain to help."

Before he could say a few words, he heard the sound of battle cries outside incessantly, so he smiled and said, "The other side is too rampant. Who will lend me a weapon and a horse?"

Yang Gong recognized them and was overjoyed, so he smiled and said, "My treasured saber and my horse are yours."

The man took the saber and sat on Yang Gong's horse. Without even putting on armor, he charged out of the camp with a procession of drums and gongs, and without saying a word, he charged towards the Copper Armor General.

The two of them fought back and forth for more than a dozen rounds. He easily lifted his treasured saber and blocked the other side's 蟒枪 (Python Spear), and laughed, "So you're just a wolf demon?"

The Copper Armor General cursed, "Aren't you just an ape monster?"

"You're wrong."

The man who came down from Lao Yin Mountain said, "I am Shoushan Wang (Mountain Guard King) under the seat of the Fude (Good Fortune) Mountain God of Lao Yin Mountain. I have a name and a surname, and I am called Yuan Kui. I have come down to help the King of Ming seize the world by order of the Mountain God."

"When the King of Ming obtains the Mandate of Heaven, I can also earn great merit. How can you compare to this old 蛟 who mingles with blood food?"

"..."

Amidst the shouts, he became more and more courageous. With a fierce slash, he chopped the Copper Armor General off his horse. Then, he stretched out his long arms and cut off the other side's head, intending to bring it back to present to the Ming King.

The other side's troops were shocked. The deputy general rushed out, wanting to seize the corpse of this chief general. When Zhou Liang on Yang Gong's side saw this, he also followed the order. Behind him, the grain-protection army, with a mighty and imposing momentum, raised their spears and rushed out, instantly interweaving with the troops on both sides.

This great slaughter was completely different from the few losses they had suffered in the previous battles. It was simply a one-sided crushing.

This elite grain-protection army of ten thousand had been to Shangjing, fought the Shangjing city guards, and had been baptized by the vast purple aura. When they rushed over together, they were simply unstoppable, terrifying gods and ghosts.

Before they had even made a few moves, the troops under the Three-Headed 蛟, who could not even gather a complete set of armor, had already collapsed. As many as thirty percent of them had collapsed and were scurrying around like headless flies, or jumping into the river, or dying on the battlefield, or kneeling down to beg for mercy.

Most of the troops in Huzhou Prefecture City, on the other hand, really did not have the idea of accepting defeat. Instead, they quickly retreated back to Huzhou Prefecture City, closed the city gates, and turtled up, refusing to come out.

But those chaotic people outside were abandoned outside, fearful and uncertain.

"As expected, we were played..."

Many people in the army felt deeply helpless: "They just won't open the city gates. What can you do? When you attack the city again tomorrow, he will push a group of people out of the city again. What can you do?"

"The army has already arrived here. If they also push the people onto the city walls when we attack the city, what can we do?"

"The good reputation of the grain-protection army was originally a sharp weapon, but now it has been used by the other side. Hasn't it become a shackle that binds our hands and feet?"

"..."

"Okay, the Mountain God used to think that Yang Gong's fate was light and not very good, but now he has sent down the four Mountain Guard Kings under his command. It can be seen that he has also changed his mind."

Hu Ma had been watching all along. He had thought that he would have to take action this time, but he did not expect that the Mountain God would send down fierce generals. And Yang Gong had also persevered, first winning by fighting generals, and then having the army cover up. He understood his thoughts and was quite happy.

Sometimes it was like this, the more the grain-protection army itself lived up to expectations, the more at ease he felt when he helped. Even those reincarnators, I think there must be many of them secretly watching the performance of the grain-protection army!

Now this bet was set by Monkey Wine and the Ten Surnames, and then he took over and carried it out. The reason was very simple:

This bet was clever.

In fact, even he and Er Guotou had carefully considered it on the way back to Mingzhou before they fully understood the reason why Monkey Wine had bet with the Ten Surnames at that time.

The inner logic was very simple, this world could not withstand a fight.

Monkey Wine had already researched the method of inviting Tai Sui (Grand Duke Jupiter), and the Ten Surnames also had it.

Moreover, the old man in the ancestral hall had explained it very clearly, the National Teacher's White Jade Capital plan failed because the Ten Surnames did not really approve of the hastily launched White Jade Capital plan.

Among the Ten Surnames, the smart people who had reached the top were more willing to accept breaking through the roadblocks on the bridge and truly obtaining great freedom, rather than obediently being a noble master in the National Teacher's White Jade Capital.

As long as the White Jade Capital was there, the Ten Surnames would not be truly free. Great freedom only belonged to the owner of the White Jade Capital, the National Teacher.

And if they wanted to resist Tai Sui, the reincarnators also needed to gather almost all the power in this world to make everything reach the most perfect state. Therefore, the reincarnators needed the things in the hands of the Ten Surnames, and the Ten Surnames needed the things in the hands of the reincarnators to break through the roadblocks.

Since that was the case, then let's have a big bet.

This bet was not only about winning or losing, but also about victory and defeat. They had to make the losing side completely convinced and willing to hand over everything in their hands.

Only by winning uprightly could they make the Ten Surnames completely convinced. But Hu Ma had only regarded the Ten Surnames as opponents before and had looked down on this Jiao King. Now that he saw Yang Gong's style, he understood that this step was more solid than his.

Of course, he could not avoid a problem, what if the Ten Surnames lost and refused to admit it...

...This problem was a bit like what Yang Gong was encountering now.

...

"What is a shackle?"

At this time, in the army tent, Yang Gong also heard some complaints, but he smiled and said, "These are clearly my neighbors."

As he spoke, he had people drive those scattered people over and waved his hand, saying, "Feed them!"

They cooked pot after pot of porridge, and even put salt and minced Bai Tai Sui (White Grand Duke Jupiter) in it. They ordered those people who had just been caught between the two armies and had been frightened out of their wits to come over and eat, and rode a big horse over and shouted:

"Don't try to pretend to be pitiful in front of me. My days before were not as good as yours."

"I know that you saw that there was going to be a war and all wanted to hide in the city, but what are you hiding for? Take a look, are those people in the city willing to let you in?"

"Our grain-protection army started an army because someone was robbing grain. We don't want to rob you of your few melons and dates, so after you've eaten your fill, go back to your homes. Don't affect my entry into the city to kill that old Jiao."

"..."

As he spoke, he ordered the people around him, "I won't give you travel expenses. I'm also poor, and I only have tens of thousands of Jin of blood food on hand."

"But each person will get two cornbread buns to eat on the road. This is the time for spring plowing. If they don't go back to farm, who am I going to collect taxes from in the autumn?"

"..."

The group of people were all stunned. They instinctively felt that this matter was outrageous, but because this King of Ming was scolding them too harshly, they instead developed a bit of trust.

Under the pressure of the bright knives and spears, they finished the salty porridge in their hands. Then, under the cold-faced scolding of the soldiers, they tremblingly left with the cornbread buns in their hands. After walking for several miles, seeing that no one was coming after them, the group of people were all stunned.

In the army tent, they were discussing how to break the city and how to prevent the Three-Headed Jiao in the city from using the people as human shields, racking their brains. But suddenly, someone outside shouted that they had something to say.

When they led him in, they saw that the person was dressed as a commoner, and he was even holding the two cornbread buns in his hands. He cried, "Your Grace, please be careful. The Niang'er Men in the city are going to use evil magic to harm you!"

"To tell you the truth, I am also a disciple of the Niang'er Men. I was originally going to hide in the army and assassinate Your Grace, but I... I'm just a little silly, not bad."

"I know who the good people are."

"I'm coming back this time just to remind Your Grace that the Niang'er Men's sect leader is called Deng Qijie (Deng Seven Sister). She has a unique skill that can invite a knife to kill people at night."

"Now, they are capturing women and children everywhere in Mingzhou Prefecture City to offer sacrifices and invite the knife. The more women and children are sacrificed, the more powerful the knife will be. Please be careful..."

"I only have one method, which is to have Your Grace sit in a quiet room at midnight with a red cloth over your head and a bronze mirror in front of you. Perhaps you can avoid her knife, otherwise, when day breaks, this head will be gone..."

"..."

"Capturing people and offering sacrifices?"

Yang Gong had a look of triumph on his face when he heard this, and he looked at the people in the tent and smiled, "See? This city is about to be broken."

At this time, Hu Ma had also received a message from the Cai division disciple: "The Three-Headed Jiao was frightened out of his wits by the bravery of the grain-protection army in today's battle and knew that he was difficult to win."

"He is now in the city, capturing countless women and children to prepare for sacrifices and casting spells."

"In fact, there have been several rebel kings or bandits with strong troops who came to Huzhou to cause trouble, but many of them were killed by her using spells to invite a knife. In the middle of the night, they inexplicably lost their heads..."

"..."

Hu Ma did not feel surprised when he heard this. He was just curious, "But which division's skill is it? How can they kill people in the middle of an army?"

The Cai division disciple smiled bitterly and said, "The key is here, we don't know."

"The disciples in our division are working hard to find out. Some have even joined the Niang'er Men and put on bellybands, but even in the Niang'er Men, this is the most mysterious method, and we can't find out the details."

"We only know that the Niang'er Men's demonic magic becomes more fierce the more sacrifices there are. Many people have experts protecting them, but in the end, they die in a muddled state!"

"..."

"The world is too big. If we only stay in one place, we may not realize it, but if we take a stroll around, we will find that all kinds of evil secret methods are emerging."

Hu Ma sighed when he heard this. This kind of thing where he did not know what the other side's methods were or what tricks they were using sometimes really gave him a headache. Even he did not know how to solve it.

If the other side used this trick on him, he would not be afraid. A Shou Sui (Year Watcher) could withstand it.

But if he wanted to protect others, he was afraid that there would be loopholes.

However, since he had a way to deal with it, he was not worried, but he said, "Is Yang Gong hiding now?"

"No."

The Cai division disciple said, "He has given the order to attack the city overnight to rescue those people who were captured and sacrificed by the Niang'er Men..."

"This..."

Hu Ma was surprised when he heard this. After a long time, he smiled and said, "Old Yang really has a kind of unexpected growth speed. Since that's the case..."

"Enter the city and slaughter the Jiao!"

(End of chapter)