Chapter 168 A Storm is Brewing

In the past, Dragon King Fort occupied Lake Yang. Though it seemed rebellious, in name they were still just a band of greenwood outlaws.

Now, Chen Feng openly declared his rebellion, raising the flag of revolt. This immediately shocked the world and enraged the imperial court.

The Great Xia Dynasty had been established for over 180 years. Many bandit uprisings had occurred, but very few actually dared to shout the slogan of rebellion. Those few were swiftly suppressed.

Chen Feng was the only one in recent years to openly revolt, and his status immediately changed. He was no longer a bandit, but a rebel.

This action caused a great uproar, stirring unease. In some people's eyes, this represented the Great Xia Dynasty, the legitimate sovereign, beginning to lose control over the populace.

Scholars and concerned citizens were worried. They felt the empire was teetering on the brink. If the imperial court could quickly extinguish Chen Feng, the country could remain stable. But if the court was severely weakened or even defeated, the result would be widespread uprisings and a chaotic era would begin.

Chen Feng's record since his emergence was illustrious, making it hard for people to have confidence in the imperial court's ability to suppress him.

If Great Xia loses its mandate, those with ambition will surely compete for it!

In this time of turmoil, local magnates had no choice but to prepare early, spending their fortunes to secretly recruit troops and buy horses to protect themselves.

No matter how vast their estates, without soldiers to guard them, they would only become someone else's granary.

And some ambitious individuals, seeing the changing times, began to have other thoughts.

If Chen Feng can rebel, so can I.

However, before the outcome of the imperial court's campaign was clear, these ambitious figures dared not rashly imitate him, but quietly observed and prepared.

...

Lake Yang, Dragon King Fort, the council hall.

All the leaders gathered to discuss how to resist the imperial army.

Having raised the flag of revolt, there was no turning back. Everyone was now filled with fighting spirit, actively offering suggestions.

Zhou Jing sat in the main seat, listening to the discussion while browsing his interface.

Shortly after openly rebelling, the interface had flashed many messages. He had confirmed them many times in recent days.

[Achievement triggered: Rebel Traitor!]

[Received 6000 Star Realm Points, 10 information-state particles]

[Achievement triggered: Commander of Ten Thousand Troops!]

[Received 5000 Star Realm Points, [Aptitude Enhancement - Command (Medium)] x1]

[Achievement triggered: Enemy of Ten Thousand!]

[Received 4000 Star Realm Points, [Aptitude Enhancement - Comprehensive (Small)] x1]

[Life Goal: Rebel Uprising has been completed]

[Received 50 information-state particles]

[Life Goal: Uphold Justice on Behalf of Heaven has been completed]

[Received 40 information-state particles]

[Current Apostle Anchoring Progress: 567/240]

This rebellion directly completed two life goals, plus the already completed [Gathering in the Mountains], leaving only two of the five goals.

'Chen Feng only has two life goals left. [Are Kings and Generals Born to Rule?] is relatively simple. As long as he becomes a major separatist force, waits until he defeats the imperial army, and officially takes Lake Yang, he should meet the criteria. As for the most difficult goal, he'll have to take his time. I don't know if he can manage it...'

Zhou Jing looked at the interface, pondering.

The main world connection will probably happen within the next year or two. After the explorers arrive, the situation will change unpredictably. It's hard to say how things will develop. The goal of [Trampling the Bones of Nobles Across the Celestial Street] is too brutal. It's uncertain whether the explorers will interfere. He'll have to adapt to the circumstances.

He shook his head and closed the interface.

At this moment, the discussion came to a temporary end, and the leaders all looked at Zhou Jing.

"Fort Lord, what do you think?" Du Ying asked.

Zhou Jing composed himself and said in a deep voice:

"Now that the imperial army hasn't arrived, in addition to building fortifications, we need to replenish supplies. Since we've already revolted, we don't need to worry about the imperial court's reputation. Before the enemy arrives, I'll personally lead troops to attack the prefectures and counties around Lake Yang, seize official granaries and armories to strengthen our army, and also distribute some grain to relieve the people."

"With the Fort Lord taking action, this plan is feasible."

Du Ying nodded, without objection.

The local soldiers in Lake Yang had long been decimated and were basically unable to fight. Dragon King Fort hadn't attacked the prefectures and counties before only because the time wasn't right. In reality, they regarded these cities as being in their grasp.

Now that they had openly rebelled, it was natural to slaughter these fat sheep.

With a fierce general like Chen Feng leading the way, breaking through the prefectures and counties would be easy. Perhaps no soldiers would even dare to resist. They could take advantage of the time difference and develop their strength before the imperial army arrived.

Zhou Jing casually continued:

"The imperial army is numerous and powerful, with well-equipped elites, but in my eyes, they're not to be feared. After we defeat the enemy, we'll separate Lake Yang, use it as our base, and defend it. I'll personally lead some troops to conquer the surrounding territories, attack prefectures and counties, and sweep across the land."

His strategy was simple: first officially take Lake Yang as his base, let the main force develop as stationary bandits, and then he would adopt a roving bandit tactic, taking his troops to fight in all directions, never returning for long.

For most people, being a roving bandit is risky. If they run into obstacles, they can easily fall into despair, but this tactic would allow him to take advantage of his strengths.

His extraordinary martial strength would ensure victory, making it easy to attack prefectures and counties. As a roving bandit, he would be most threatening, making all the nobles and dignitaries tremble with fear... After all, Chen Feng's ultimate life goal was to eliminate the world's aristocratic families, which required him to travel around and eliminate targets, not stay in one place.

This tactic had many drawbacks and was not conducive to conquering the world. But Chen Feng's path was not for hegemony. Even in a chaotic world, his positioning would be different from others, perhaps the only "isolated army" that wouldn't accept the service of any noble families.

Therefore, he had to leave a way out, a self-sufficient base, which was to arrange for the main force to defend the Lake Yang base camp and turn it into an impregnable fortress.

In this way, even without his presence, others wouldn't be able to easily conquer Lake Yang. And his roving bandit forces would form a restraint, echoing each other from afar, making it difficult to break.

...

Over the next few days, Dragon King Fort sent troops everywhere, attacking the prefectures and counties of Lake Yang, encountering no real resistance.

Many officials had been preparing for this day. Upon hearing of Dragon King Fort's attack, they immediately packed their families and valuables and fled the city without a word.

The defending soldiers had no will to fight and mostly opened the gates and surrendered.

Without much effort, Dragon King Fort captured city after city.

Zhou Jing specifically issued orders to restrain his troops from offending or harassing the people, which had a significant effect.

After all, most of the members of Dragon King Fort were locals of Lake Yang, with relatives and friends, so they naturally restrained themselves.

Moreover, unlike ordinary fort lords, his shocking martial power brought extremely high prestige and a stable position, almost a pillar of faith. His control over his soldiers was extraordinary, and no one dared to easily violate his orders.

Although they didn't reach the point of not harming the people at all, at most they were at peace with each other. But in this era where bandits were like combs and soldiers were like razors, it was already extremely rare.

In addition, because Dragon King Fort was quite popular in Lake Yang and didn't invade the people, but opened granaries to relieve the poor and distributed wealth, many people cheered every time they broke through a prefecture, creating a scene of welcoming the king's army.

After conquering several prefectural cities in a row, Dragon King Fort seized official reserves and transported a large amount of military equipment and grain back to the mountain. Then they stopped attacking prefectures and counties and seriously reorganized their army for war.

Before long, the imperial army, claiming to have 400,000 troops, advanced from several routes and entered the territory of Lake Yang.

For a time, the army pressed down, like a heavy cloud, looming over Lake Yang.

...

On a certain mountain.

An old man with white hair and linen clothes stood by a cliff, gazing at the ever-changing clouds in the sky.

Behind him were two strong young men, one in white robes and one in black robes, both of whom were heroic.

"Master, what is the reason for calling us here?"

The man in white robes asked.

The old man didn't turn his head and said lightly:

"Zhong'er, Di'er, you have followed me to learn martial arts since you were young, for thirteen years. You have always said that you want to go down the mountain. Now Chen Feng is rebelling against the world, which will surely set off a chaotic world. It is a time to meet the wind and clouds and establish a career. You can now leave the tutelage. Whether you assist a wise ruler or compete for the world, just follow your heart."

Hearing this, the faces of the two young men changed slightly.

The white-robed youth's face showed worry, while the black-robed youth's eyes flashed with a hint of eagerness.

The old man didn't look back at the expressions of the two men, but just looked up at the clouds and sighed softly:

"Once a hero draws his sword, it will be another ten years of calamity for the people..."