Chapter 1 Not Easy To Fight!

Seeing Ming Wang Yang Gong fly into a rage, the military advisor Tie Zuizi and his staff were all shocked and tried to persuade him:

"The Quzhou God-Given King and the Wuzhou Mixed-World King both have 100,000 troops stationed and deep foundations. They not only occupy a territory and have countless aristocratic families supporting them from behind, but it is said that there are also some reclusive masters helping them train their troops."

They discussed privately: "If we talk about the troops in our hands, we don't even have an advantage against one side. If we confront both sides in one go, wouldn't that be a disaster?"

"Earlier, we wanted to take Tengzhou, frankly speaking, to guard against one of them having ill intentions, and also to have a retreat."

"..."

No wonder everyone was fearful. That Quzhou God-Given King was no simple character.

He came from a prominent family, and it was said that he was naturally blessed by ghosts and gods, possessing immense strength and martial arts that ordinary people could not imagine. In battlefield combat, he once led only four servants and slaughtered a bandit army of hundreds of men, leaving none alive.

He became famous early. Even before Yang Gong's name as the Grain Protection General was established, he already had considerable influence, raising his own private army of three thousand men.

Later, when the Mandate of Heaven appeared, and he was first granted the title of King, he fought in the Xishan Dao, capturing cities and seizing territories in just a few months, becoming a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, he was known for his fierce nature and ruthless methods. Previously, when attacking cities, if the enemy surrendered, it was fine, but if they didn't, he would definitely massacre the city for three days.

When he was crowned king, an extraordinary person appeared and taught him a secret technique to create armor from corpses, forging a Futu Army (Floating Pagoda Army).

It is said that this army only fights at night, possessing unpredictable powers, and wherever it passes, not a blade of grass grows.

If he were really compared with Ming Wang Yang Gong, they would be two extremes. Ming Wang Yang Gong came from humble beginnings and trained his troops strictly, with a good reputation, while the God-Given King was the opposite, fierce and ruthless, making everyone tremble with fear.

"They're not attacking me now, do you think they're being kind?"

Amidst everyone's worries, Mingzhou King Yang Gong, sitting above, sneered: "It's just that they also have many rebellious grass-roots kings around them that they haven't completely subdued. If we don't take advantage of this time to attack, are we going to wait for them to attack me from both sides?"

Seeing his firm words, everyone was also startled and said, "Then, which of these two sides should we attack first?"

Yang Gong sneered: "While we have the momentum, we'll attack the fiercest!"

"Isn't it said that the Quzhou God-Given King is blessed by gods, doesn't bear karma, and once massacred 100,000 people in a single night, his blood aura soaring to the heavens?"

"Then we'll attack him first!"

"Don't worry about me not being able to handle him. Send letters to the Gunzhou White Armor Army and the Guazhou Iron Barricade Army. Our three armies will support each other and see who can cut off the God-Given King's head first!"

"..."

Once a decision was made, letters were immediately written and sent to Quzhou by messengers: "You want me to give you a birthday gift?"

"I'll personally deliver it, so your concubine can prepare the incense tent and wait for me!"

"I'll give her a son as a great gift!"

"..."

"It's over!"

When everyone heard this, if this letter was delivered, the God-Given King, known for his cruelty, would probably fight Yang Gong to the death.

But on closer thought, they also saw that Ming Wang didn't just make a decision impulsively, but had thought it through carefully.

The White Armor Army, the Iron Barricade Army, and the Grain Protection Army are now in a defensive alliance. In the past, when defending their territories, the three sides took care of each other, which was fine, but now that they want to conquer the world, there needs to be a hierarchy to coordinate their actions.

However, the three sides have deep friendships, and if they fight each other, the big fish eating the small fish, it would be unsightly. And if they just talk about it, it would be difficult to prevent each other from harboring resentment.

So now, taking advantage of the opportunity to attack the God-Given King, they can gamble on a fight. The winner will issue orders from then on, and the loser will willingly follow orders. It's a win-win situation.

So, letters were drafted and sent overnight. The two armies behind them were originally Bu Shi Niu (a sect that doesn't eat beef), and upon hearing this, they all responded. In one day, the news that the three armies would join forces to attack the God-Given King spread throughout the entire world.

For a time, some were happy and some were worried.

Those who were worried were the military advisor Tie Zuizi and his staff, who felt that the Grain Protection Army had only recently gained some fame and its wings were not yet fully grown, so provoking such a behemoth was bound to make them feel uneasy.

Those who were happy were the strong men and fierce generals in the army, who were excited: "Finally going to clash with a big one?"

"Huzhou is too small to maneuver. Everyone is trying to grab credit. If you really want to earn great merit, you have to go to a big battle like the one in Quzhou."

Of course, the most excited was not the people in the Grain Protection Army, but Dong Qiaoyun, the sworn sister of General Shen Hongzhi of the Central Route Army. She had originally been playing around for a few days, felt bored, and wanted to leave the army to find her own fun.

But when she heard the news that they were going to attack the God-Given King, she suddenly became excited, rushed back to the army, and shouted: "Sister, are we going to fight that guy? I want to join the army and be a vanguard officer under your command!"

"That guy chased me down before. It's time for me to take revenge!"

"..."

Shen Hongzhi loved this sworn sister the most, but she was a little confused when she heard this: "My sister is so well-behaved, how come people are chasing her everywhere?"

"It must be because the other party is too cruel!"

With the military plans decided, everyone began to prepare. Since they were going to make an enemy of such a behemoth, all arrangements naturally had to be careful.

Among them, 10,000 Grain Protection Army soldiers who had been to Shangjing were the elite troops under Ming Wang's command, and they had to be taken along. There were also 20,000 soldiers and 100,000 laborers who had been trained in Mingzhou, and they would also be put to use.

They were divided into several parts and stationed in Mingzhou, Huzhou, and Tengzhou. A special force was allocated to General Zhang Yanbei of the Right Route Army, and he was stationed on the border of Wuzhou.

This was to prevent Wuzhou from causing trouble, so that they could concentrate on attacking Quzhou.

As soon as they said they would go, they went. Within four or five days, everything was arranged. They chose an auspicious day, bestowed wine and meat, rewarded the three armies, and headed for Quzhou.

Quzhou is not like Huzhou, which is surrounded by water and has a biased terrain. Instead, it is sparsely populated and has many cities. Ming Wang Yang Gong, although he usually spoke loudly and acted wildly, was very careful in his heart. He discussed carefully with the military advisor Tie Zuizi and divided the army into several routes.

The main army pressed from behind, coordinating in the center, and then several vanguard officers were appointed, each leading 3,000 troops to take various key locations.

Once those locations were taken, the main army would have no worries and could directly approach the capital city of Quzhou for a decisive battle.

In this way, the army advanced forward and achieved successive victories, capturing several cities and counties. The army also steadily advanced, which was extremely smooth and handy. But on this day, an urgent report suddenly came from General Zhou Liang of the Right Route Army.

When they reached Miyun County, they encountered a group of heretical soldiers under the God-Given King. The other side did not have many people, and their side had the advantage, but after a battle, their side suffered many casualties.

Upon hearing this, the military advisor Tie Zuizi temporarily stopped the army and personally brought the Bu Shi Niu disciples to investigate.

When they arrived at the place, they saw that 10,000 soldiers were blocked in front of this small Miyun County. There were only a thousand soldiers in the county town, plus the civilians, there were only more than 100,000 people, but they had caused the Grain Protection Army's vanguard to suffer a painful defeat.

"It's not that the soldiers are afraid of death, it's just that there are demons in Miyun County."

Vanguard Officer Zhao Zhu himself was also injured in the arm. He carried a steel fork and came to greet them, saying, "Since joining the Grain Protection Army, I've fought many battles, but I've never seen such strange people."

"The other side's thousand soldiers are not very powerful, but among those soldiers, there are a hundred or so who carry big red gourds on their backs. When our army attacked, the other side, seeing that they were no match, took out the gourds and blew on them at us."

"With this blow, the sky turned dark, and the Yin wind made people dizzy. Let alone fighting, they couldn't even see clearly."

"The other side took the opportunity to kill us. We suffered a great loss and many brothers died. We quickly retreated and thought of a way."

"..."

The military advisor Tie Zuizi heard this, shook his head, and said to Zhao Zhu, "It's fortunate that you were the one who suffered this defeat. After all, in the previous battle, you captured the Three-Headed Flood Dragon of Huzhou alive, which was considered a great achievement, so even if you lost this time, the military law would not punish you."

"If someone else had suffered this defeat, even if it was just to put on a show, you would have been beaten with a few military sticks."

"However, it's not surprising that you suffered this loss."

"You, ah, you've encountered demon soldiers."

"..."

Zhao Zhu was surprised when he heard this: "Demon soldiers? Isn't that Three-Headed Flood Dragon also a demon? Didn't I just press it to the ground with one fork and it couldn't move?"

"This demon is not that demon."

Tie Zuizi said, "Because the army has a heavy baleful aura, many Jianghu (martial world) techniques cannot be used in the army. If there are any that can be used, it's only the skills of that Mr. Hu from your village."

"But because there are so many evil techniques in the Jianghu, there will always be people who want to use these techniques to covet skills and use them in battle formations to show off their strange effects. That's how these demon soldiers came to be."

"They often only specialize in one technique or one treasure. When they get on the battlefield, if they use it unexpectedly, they can often take the lead and defeat the enemy. I've heard of the one you encountered, it's called the Eight Hundred Gourd Army."

"If you live long enough on the battlefield, you'll see even more!"

"Tengzhou has the Fire Crow Army, and we are trying to subdue them. There's also the White Fish Army, the Wrapped Head Army, the Bamboo Raft Army in the south, the Futu Army in the north, the Black Flag Army, the Fierce Drum Army. Each of them is well-known and a treasure in the hands of those hegemons who dominate one side."

"..."

Zhao Zhu's face changed when he heard this: "They all have them, doesn't our Grain Protection Army have any?"

"Alas, I heard that you guys all learned from Mr. Hu, how come your knowledge is so limited?"

Tie Zuizi gave him a few鄙视bi shi (despising) glances and said, "The Grain Protection Army, especially the Grain Protection Army that has been to Shangjing, is itself a treasure in this world."

"We don't know how those experts did it, but each of them has a stable spirit and can suppress术法shufa (spell) techniques. If those demon soldiers mentioned above encounter this 10,000-strong Grain Protection Army, they would probably have to detour. However, the pity is also here."

"This 10,000-strong Grain Protection Army is a treasure. If one dies, one is lost, and it can't be replenished."

"Moreover, those people's demon soldiers don't have iron heads and directly come forward when something happens. Instead, they hide in the army and strike unexpectedly, making it impossible for you to defend against them."

"Alas, in the end, these demon soldiers should not exist in the world, but it's just because the world is too chaotic now, and demons and ghosts have also come out."

"If we can't even break this Gourd Army, then when we encounter the God-Given King's Futu Army, we'll have even less of a chance."

"..."

Zhao Zhu was a little confused when he heard this. He really hadn't heard Ma Zi Ge (Pockmarked Brother) teach these things...

So he grabbed the military advisor's sleeve and said, "I don't care, you think of a way. If you can't think of one, you take the blame."

"Alright, alright."

Tie Zuizi was speechless and said, "When we came to Quzhou, we had already prepared for this."

"Their Gourd Army is powerful, is our Tengzhou Fire Crow Army just playing around? To tell you the truth, the most important thing in taking Tengzhou was to subdue a Fire Crow Army there."

"We originally thought it would be very棘手jishou (thorny, troublesome), but we didn't expect that our Grain Protection Army has too good of a reputation. When the messenger went to Tengzhou, it immediately attracted people from all sides to join us. Among them was this Fire Crow Army. We can see their abilities."

"..."

As he said this, he ordered them to be transferred overnight. After midnight, a strangely dressed army came to the army camp.

Zhao Zhu looked at them from a distance and saw that the army looked strange. Everyone was not wearing armor, but carrying an iron frame on their backs and a leather bag hanging from their waists. When they came to the army, they surrounded a few big bonfires, eating meat and drinking wine, having a good time.

……

……

"So, it's time for the Lao Zao Jiu (Fermented Rice Wine) brothers to take action this time?"

At the same time, Hu Ma had returned to the Gunzhou Blood Food Mine, took out the 秤砣cheng tuo (weight) that he had placed here earlier, and prepared to take it to Quzhou to find a way to get the remaining two 秤砣cheng tuo (weight).

But after all, he was also worried about the fate of the Grain Protection Army and paid attention to it all the time. Now that he heard that the Fire Crow Army was about to confront the Gourd Army and compete with each other, he was immediately a little curious.

"The Fire Crow Army in Tengzhou was trained by a brother under Lao Zao Jiu. When we went to the Meng family's old house in Yanzhou, he brought it with him and set a lot of fires everywhere."

The one who was talking was Miss Red Wine. She was also coming out of Lao Yin Mountain, preparing to go to Quzhou to meet Hu Ma: "Because Tengzhou is close to Dongzhou and there are fewer Reborn, the Reborn there are all working for Lao Zao Jiu, so he has his people there."

"Frankly speaking, they also created such a strange army for fun, but their roots are not here, so they are thinking of sending the Fire Crow Army to a wise ruler to make a career for themselves."

"Now, attacking the God-Given King is a chance to make great achievements and show their face."

"However, you still have to be careful. If the information I've gathered is correct, the God-Given King's background is not simple."

"The reason why he dares to be so fierce, massacre cities and kill people every time, with a sea of blood, but is not afraid of mutiny or condemnation from ghosts and gods, is because he has a big backer behind him."

"..."

Miss Red Wine slowly said: "He is one of the chess pieces secretly supported by the Wu Chang Li family (Impermenance Li Family)."

"This time, we are not dealing with the God-Given King, but with the Li family."

"..."

"That means we are preparing to see the truth."

Hu Ma sighed softly when he heard this. He knew early on that this battle for world domination would inevitably confront the Ten Surnames, but now that he was really going to compete with the Wu Chang Li family to decide the winner, his heart was heavy.

After a long time, he suddenly asked, "Then this battle of magic is not something that one or two of us can easily solve."

"Miss Red Wine, how many Reborn do you think will be willing to come and help us?"

"..."

Faced with this question, Miss Red Wine and Er Guo Tou (a type of strong Chinese liquor) and others who were talking with her were suddenly silent.

They were all hoping in their hearts that someone would come, but they were also afraid that if they didn't come...