I am a soldier in the border army

Chapter 649 Avenging the Emperor! The Son of Heaven as His Hound!
The seventy-first year of the Taikang era of the Da Yong dynasty, which was also the first year of the Xingping era.

In late April, early summer.

The warm south wind has turned the grass and trees green, and it also foreshadows the coming of heat.

The golden sunlight made the Zhenliao Army's iconic black armor scorching hot.

However, the Zhenliao warriors, who were in this boundless, dark ocean, seemed to feel nothing at all. In fact, it could be said that their eyes were even more intense than the golden sun overhead.

Especially when they saw the two hundred or so dragon riders rushing towards them through the void, roars echoed throughout the army.

"Wow! Wow! Wow!"

Upon seeing this, Li Jing and the other generals of the Zhenliao Army, who were originally sitting comfortably on the command platform, also hurriedly stood up.

Before they could even step forward, the two hundred or so dragon riders in the void spoke in a deep voice.

"All troops! Prepare to welcome the Emperor!"

The powerful shouts, carried by immense magical power, surged like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire army.

As soon as the voice fell, the roar of the three armies instantly fell silent.

It wasn't until Li Jing on the command platform focused his gaze and sent a telepathic reminder that the situation became clear.

"They've arrived! Welcome!"

Having said that, he bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"This humble general, Li Jing, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty!"

Once this was said, the generals stationed behind him in Liaodong readily complied.

"Your humble servants respectfully welcome Your Majesty!"

Then there was the vast expanse of dark ink below the command platform.

"Welcome, Your Majesty!"

Amidst the deafening roar of countless calls, a colossal dragon's roar pierced the void and resounded throughout heaven and earth.

Then a ferocious dragon head, with flowing mane and whiskers, emerged from the clouds in the heavens.

Looking closely, one could see a tall figure dressed in a magnificent robe standing atop the ferocious dragon head.

Arriving on a dragon, overlooking the three armies!
At this moment, Han Shao was not like a king or nobleman of the mortal world, but rather no different from the ancient immortal kings and god emperors of mythology.

This caused countless soldiers stationed below to gaze with fervent enthusiasm, unable to contain themselves.

"Gentlemen, please rise."

Hearing these words spoken in a calm but unyielding tone, and knowing that Han Shao disliked ostentatious people, Li Jing and the others immediately replied, "Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

As Han Shao bowed in gratitude, the black dragon carrying him circled and roamed in the void for a while, and only after fully displaying its perfect new form did it descend to the command platform below with satisfaction.

Han Shao chuckled inwardly at this, but let it go.

After all, He had finally achieved enlightenment from being a horse and attained the form of a true dragon.

Wouldn't it be frustrating if I couldn't show off my skills in front of others?

While he understood, Han Shao was somewhat dissatisfied with the real name that the beast had given him after transforming into a dragon.

The fierceness of Ao Lie is quite fitting with the mountains of corpses and seas of blood that He followed along the way.

However, Han Shao's previous life's steel seal was too deeply ingrained, and he always felt that this name should belong to the Third Prince of the Western Sea.

Now things have turned out differently; the little white dragon has become a little black dragon.

The compassionate holy monk who rode the dragon was replaced by Han, the bloodthirsty butcher.

This made Han Shao feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Please, host, take your place."

The menacing black dragon head bowed on the command platform, and even though the generals of Zhenliao Army were mentally prepared, they were still somewhat intimidated.

But Ao Lie, formerly known as Wu Zhui, ignored them. After Han Shao descended from his head, his magical power surged slightly, and the originally enormous dragon body shrank from large to small, from solid to ethereal, and finally transformed into a dragon pattern imprinted on Han Shao's Mountain and River Robe.

Seeing this, Han Shao felt disgusted and wanted to tell Him to get lost.

But this wretched creature threw a tantrum, acting like a rogue and complaining pitifully that Han Shao had abandoned him and didn't want him anymore.

Han Shao felt rather helpless about this, but he couldn't really refute it.

After all, as his cultivation level improved, he no longer needed a mount for transportation, and he had indeed neglected it somewhat over the years.

In this way, it's understandable that the beast would feel a sense of crisis about being abandoned.

Considering the man's contributions during the 'victorious retreat' on the grasslands, Han Shao had no choice but to let him go.

……

Click on the table.

Surrounded by Li Jing and other generals of the Zhenliao Army, Han Shao, dressed in a magnificent imperial robe, stood in the center, looking down at the vast, dark ocean below.

Even though he had become familiar with this scene over the years, he still couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

A true man should live in this world and seek nothing more than this!

The corners of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, but then drooped down in an instant, becoming somewhat heavy.

Do you know why I have gathered my troops today?

A soft sigh reached the ears of every figure in the inky ocean below.

Seeing that the atmosphere below remained solemn and no one responded to him, Han Shao continued after a short while.

"News has arrived from the capital: His Majesty has passed away..."

Upon hearing this, the vast expanse of ink below the stage remained unresponsive.

In fact, Emperor Taikang died last December, but now it is almost May. Even if the chaos of war on all sides has caused information to be blocked, this matter can no longer be considered a secret.

Faced with such 'old news,' we have already been shocked and awed.

At this point, hearing it again naturally wouldn't elicit many gasps of surprise.

Han Shao was not surprised by this, and simply continued talking to himself.

"I do not believe this."

"The emperor is blessed by Heaven, and his good fortune will surely continue."

"To die suddenly in one's prime, is that not absurd?"

"Therefore, I have investigated this matter thoroughly over the past period of time! Now I have finally obtained the detailed cause!"

This explanation helps to explain why it took him so long to 'explode'.

Otherwise, wouldn't his image as a loyal and virtuous official of the Great Yong Dynasty collapse?
Then Han Shao's deep voice gradually took on a hint of anger and sorrow.

"Traitor to the Yellow Emperor! You wreak havoc on the world! You have brazenly murdered the monarch and killed the emperor!"

"This act of defying the heavens is unprecedented and utterly shocking!"

Han Shao paused slightly, then lowered his gaze.

"I came from humble beginnings, but I was fortunate to have the discerning eye of the late emperor, who repeatedly promoted me and brought me to where I am today!"

"This boundless grace is deeply appreciated and I will never forget it for a moment!"

"Alas! Heaven did not grant him a long life, causing the late emperor to perish at the hands of a traitor! My grief is too great to express to others!"

At this point, Han Shao suddenly looked up and glanced at the dark, boundless ocean below.

"But you are my soldiers, my arms, my brothers who share life and death with me..."

"Now... tell me, what should I do next?"

It must be said that Han Shao's vivid and expressive performance, with its progressive emotions, was quite captivating.

The soldiers of Zhenliao Army, who had initially been indifferent to the death of Emperor Taikang, were finally moved and empathized after hearing Han Shao's words about "arms and limbs".

Ultimately, to these soldiers, Emperor Taikang was at most a clay statue enshrined in the temple.

But Han Shao was a real 'true god' right before their eyes!
They are truly loyal to their lord!

Now that their lord is heartbroken and sorrowful, what reason do they have to remain uninvolved?
So after a moment of silence, a roar of empathy finally came from the vast black ocean below the reviewing stand.

"revenge!"

A subject is disgraced when his lord is in distress; a subject dies when his lord is disgraced!
Although they didn't really feel much about Emperor Taikang's death, now that they understood their lord's intentions, what was there to hesitate about?
"Revenge! Revenge!"

The sounds below gradually grew into a cacophony, then transformed into a deafening roar.

Han Shao, whose emotions had already been fully expressed, maintained a somber expression.

"good very good!"

"I am very pleased that you share my hatred!" After saying that, he did not delay any longer and said in a deep voice.

"In that case——"

"Issue my order! The entire army, don mourning clothes! Follow me to avenge this lord!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Shao waved his hand, and countless pieces of white mourning cloth and coarse linen fell in front of all the soldiers.

As the soldiers silently donned their mourning clothes, no one knew who was the first to recite the song "No Clothes," which had been circulating in the army for a long time.

"How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields, and fight together against this common enemy..."

"How can it be said that we have no clothes—"

The tone went from low to high.

The sound evolved from faint to grand.

Han Shao, perched high on the command platform, looked down at the scene with satisfaction in his eyes.

For him, today's events are also a test and an examination.

Now that the outcome is exactly as expected, it has undoubtedly dispelled the last bit of hesitation in his heart.

Today, with just one word from him, the entire army is willing to follow him and trample the heavens!
In the future, when he points his long sword at the capital, I will be able to ride alongside him and trample the capital!
After silently gazing at the vast, inky ocean below for a while, Han Shao finally shouted in a loud voice.

"Raise troops!"

……

The Qian hexagram: A group of dragons without a leader.

The interpretation is: Everyone is like a dragon!
In a sense, Zhang Xian was right.

With the death of Emperor Taikang, the world was now leaderless!
In a short time, powerful figures and unruly bandits rose up on the land.

To a certain extent, this also echoes the saying "Everyone is like a dragon," which Huang Tiandao used as the foundation of his Dao.

Beneath this grand narrative of "everyone is a dragon," there is no glorious and prosperous era, only extreme chaos.

With all forces now free to act, they attacked and annexed each other. In just a few months, countless long-established families and sects rose to power overnight only to be destroyed in the same night.

In such a situation, it would be futile for anyone to try to survive peacefully.

Under the pressure of the prevailing trend, whether one wants to or not, whether one is willing or not, is no longer important.

Even if you cower and show that you don't want to fight, others will only think you are weak and easy to bully. In the end, they will swarm you, slaughter your people and relatives, and eat your flesh and blood!

This is the troubled times!
Fighting will lead to death!
Not fighting will also lead to death!

In contrast to the brutality of their mutual attacks, what is quite strange is that these forces from different regions and factions, when faced with the pressure from the capital, would tacitly put down their swords and turn them against the central government.

After several fierce battles between the two sides, Shangguan Ding, who now has complete control of the capital, seems to have gradually come to his senses.

Let them fight it out!
Once they're tired of fighting and have died enough, we can seize the opportunity and completely settle the score, which will save us time and effort.

Moreover, he no longer has the energy to spare to restore this shattered land.

the reason is simple.

As he pressed forward relentlessly after gaining complete control, the Ji clan's royal family finally launched a fierce counterattack.

Although these counterattacks were ridiculously weak compared to Shangguan Ding, they were like toads crawling on your feet—they didn't bite, but they were disgusting!
With its powerful foundation spanning over two thousand years, it possesses some hidden methods that even left Shangguan Ding utterly humiliated.

As the struggle between the two sides intensified and became more brutal, it was only natural that Shangguan Ding had no time to spare.

The only thing that made Shangguan Ding slightly happier was that, in this 'war' with the Ji royal family, Emperor Xingping, Ji Yin, unexpectedly sided entirely with him.

not only that!

To say that we're on his side is not entirely accurate.

To be precise, Ji Yin, as the head of the Ji clan, was even more ruthless and cruel than Shangguan Ding in dealing with the members of the Ji royal family.

In just one or two months, many branches of the Ji clan have been wiped out!

Such decisiveness left not only Shangguan Ding speechless, but also all the nobles of the capital city.

Privately, many people even joked in front of Shangguan Ding, "The Prime Minister is really good at raising hawks and hounds; he has really saved us a lot of effort."

For an emperor to willingly become the lackey and henchman of his subjects is unprecedented in history.

While some marveled at the sight, others mocked and ridiculed it.

"Throughout his life, Ji Taikang has been cautious and walked on thin ice. If he knew that the Ji family's empire, which he had risked his reputation for being incompetent to protect, had fallen into the hands of this fool Ji Yin, wouldn't he be so angry that he would rise from the depths of hell and personally crush this wicked son to death!"

"Haha! She was destined to be abandoned by fate, and it was only right that the Ji clan would perish after eleven generations!"

To everyone else, if Ji Yin were even slightly intelligent, he would have realized that by slaughtering the Ji clan and working so hard to please Shangguan Ding, he could only gain a moment of peace.

But once the Ji clan was completely slaughtered, little did he know that he himself would be next.

How is this any different from weaving a rope by hand to strangle someone in the future?
The hall erupted in laughter, filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Only Shangguan Ding, who sat high in the main seat of the hall, gradually lost the smile on his lips.

Stupid?

Or perhaps... there really are such fools in this world?

Recalling Ji Yin's behavior at Ganquan Palace that day, Shangguan Ding's brows furrowed even more.

His intuition told him that he seemed to have underestimated the seemingly cowardly, almost despicable, young prince of the Ji clan.

However, given the vast gap in strength between the two sides, he couldn't imagine how Ji Yin could escape his control, or even turn the tide in one fell swoop.

This is like how even if ants and mayflies have all sorts of schemes, how could they possibly shake a towering tree?

"Could it be... that I'm overthinking things? That child just wants to live?"

With that thought in mind, Shangguan Ding slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, then shook his head and chuckled.

"Fine, for Yun'er's sake, and in the future when he achieves great things, it's not that we can't let him live."

Throughout history, which monarch who lost his country was able to die a peaceful death?

But if Ji Yin is as 'gentle' as he appears, he might be able to grant him some mercy.

Why did he have to marry his own legitimate daughter?
Thinking of his eldest daughter, who is now the empress, a rare gentleness and affection appeared in Shangguan Ding's eyes.

For someone like him, not all daughters are the same.

Women are not all the same.

To him, Shangguan Zhi's mother was nothing more than a beautiful plaything.

But Shangguan Yun's mother was his wife who had been with him through thick and thin.

How can these two be compared?

As his thoughts wandered, Shangguan Ding couldn't help but think of his illegitimate daughter who had become a concubine, and then of the once-grown tiger from Liaodong, which had now fully grown up.

At this moment, the group of noblemen in the hall seemed to have noticed his thoughts and immediately turned the topic to that person.

"Heh, speaking of which, Ji Taikang may have many other skills, but his ability to judge people is quite good."

"Yes, to be fair, that man surnamed Han is indeed quite loyal."

Nowadays, anyone in the world with even a little bit of resources is using every trick in the book, both overt and covert, for their own selfish gain. One person finishes their act, and another takes the stage.

Only that fellow surnamed Han, with his entire army dressed in mourning clothes, went to avenge that tyrannical Emperor Taikang.

As the saying goes, people tend to admire what they lack most.

Although everyone in the hall was a traitor, it did not prevent them from showing a certain degree of respect for someone like Han Shao.

But they soon found themselves facing a headache because of it.

After all, the more loyal Han appears, the more heartless they seem.

"So, you, surnamed Han, are the only loyal minister in the world, and the rest are all treacherous and stingy people without loyalty to their ruler or father?"

Of course, they were ultimately subjects, so it was better for the people of the world to criticize them.

The one who should be truly feeling uneasy at this moment is none other than Princess Yin, the Emperor Xingping, who is currently sitting on the throne.

There is no other reason.

Your father was killed, and you, as his son, don't think about avenging him? Aren't you an unfilial son?
What face do they have to sit on this supreme throne in the human world?
"boom--"

On the main hall of Weiyang Palace.

When Princess Yin of Xingping saw the memorial sent by Han Shao to mobilize troops, her face turned ashen and her expression became extremely ferocious.

"You lowly soldier! How dare you deceive me like this!"

Okay, he broke down!
……

(End of this chapter)