Taoist Myth: I am the last true immortal in the world

Chapter 860 Demon
November of the second year of Xiande.

Chai Rong issued an edict accusing the Southern Tang of its crimes and dispatched generals Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, Han Lingkun, and others to launch an offensive from Huainan and advance deep into the Southern Tang.

Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, Han Lingkun, and others led their troops there.

Upon learning of the Later Zhou's movements, Li Jing of the Southern Tang immediately appointed Liu Yanzhen, the commander of the Divine Martial Army, as the commander of the Northern Expeditionary Force, and deployed 30,000 troops to Shouzhou. He also appointed Huangfu Hui, the military governor of Fenghua and the co-prime minister, as the support envoy of the Northern Expeditionary Force, and Yao Feng, the military commissioner of Changzhou, as the support supervisor, leading 30,000 troops to garrison Dingyuan County.

The Southern Tang dynasty used the Huai River as a barrier, constructing defensive fortifications in the prefectures of Shou, Hao, Si, and Chu along the river.

In November, Li Gu and others from the Later Zhou Dynasty built a pontoon bridge in the Zhengyang area to cross the Huai River, and then attacked Shouzhou City from the east.

The first battle between the Later Zhou and the Southern Tang thus officially began.

Li Gu ordered the Later Zhou army to attack Shouzhou. Although they achieved some local victories in some battles on the outskirts, they encountered a stubborn defense from Liu Renzhan, a famous general of the Southern Tang Dynasty, when attacking Shouzhou.

On this day, Li Gu was preparing to attack Shouzhou.

Suddenly, the originally clear weather turned gloomy, and gusts of wind began to blow from the ground.

A cannon boomed in the city of Shouzhou, and countless soldiers poured out. Among them, a middle-aged general in silver armor rode a fiery red steed that seemed to rage like a raging fire, and jumped down from the city wall first.

Yes, this fiery red horse didn't come out of the city gate, but jumped down from the city tower.

The moment the fiery red steed leaped from the city tower and touched the ground, the entire earth seemed to tremble.

Immediately, the silver-armored general raised his spear and shouted at the Later Zhou army led by Li Gu, who were already in full battle array: "You northern scoundrels, how dare you invade my territory? I am He Yanxi, the military commander of the Great Tang Dynasty. Who dares to come out and fight me to the death?"

Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, Han Lingkun, and other generals gazed at the approaching generals for a moment and realized that the approaching generals were particularly magnificent.

Li Gu looked to the side and asked, "Among the generals and soldiers, who is confident that they can defeat He Yanxi?"

Seeing He Yanxi's arrogance, a junior officer in the army couldn't help but volunteer, saying, "Commander Li, I am willing to go and meet that ignorant and arrogant He Yanxi."

Upon seeing this general, Li Guyi realized that he was none other than Liu Qiong, a rising star in recent times.

Although this person is not good at strategy, he is extremely brave.

Previously, when facing the combined forces of the Northern Han and Khitan, this young general led over a hundred cavalrymen to defeat a thousand men, demonstrating exceptional skill in battle.

He said with great satisfaction, "Since you have such confidence, then I, the commander, will order you to fight. You are only allowed to win, and you are not allowed to lose. Do you understand?"

Liu Qiong clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This young general will certainly live up to Marshal Li's expectations."

After speaking, he mounted a black horse, picked up a steel spear, and led his five hundred cavalrymen directly to the battlefield.

Before long, Liu Qiong arrived at a distance of about ten feet in front of the cavalry led by He Yanxi and said loudly, "I am Liu Ziliang of Mount Tai, and I have come to fight you today!"

He Yanxi, spear in hand, replied dismissively, "You young general, I see you're still too young to be weaned, yet you dare to come to the battlefield to fight me? I advise you to go back soon, lest you lose your life!"

Enraged by the disrespect shown to him, Liu Qiong shouted, "You, He Yanxi, how dare you look down on me? Today I'll make sure you never return!"

After saying this, he spurred his horse, Wuzhui, and charged towards He Yanxi with his spear.

He Yanxi remained unfazed, urging his fiery red steed forward and using the eighteen-foot-long spear made from a meteorite to parry and counterattack.

Liu Qiong rallied his spirits and engaged in a fierce battle with He Yanxi.

After fifty rounds of fighting, He Yanxi's spear technique gradually became chaotic, and he was clearly no match for Liu Qiong.

Liu Qiong gained the upper hand and became even more spirited, wielding her spear like a storm of pear blossoms, each thrust aimed at He Yanxi's heart.

He Yanxi was parrying and blocking, and it seemed he was already in a fierce battle and wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

Seeing this, Li Gu, who was watching the battle from afar, was overjoyed and said, "General Liu is indeed brave. He defeated the famous general He Yanxi of the Southern Tang Dynasty in just fifty rounds. In my opinion, it will only be a matter of time before that fellow He is defeated."

Wang Yanchao nodded in deep agreement and said, "Liu Qiong's martial arts are amazing. He is a rare military talent. Not to mention the petty villains of Southern Tang, even in our Great Zhou, there are no more than ten people who can defeat him in a duel. In my opinion, no one like Shi Shouxin or Zhao Kuangyin is Liu Qiong's match."

Han Lingkun exclaimed, "Even I might not be a match for Liu Qiong, so He Yanxi's defeat was not unjust."

Later, a group of soldiers from the Later Zhou dynasty chatted and laughed, as if they had already secured victory.

Not only did these people think this way, but even Liu Qiong, who was fighting on the battlefield, thought so.

He fought He Yanxi for dozens of rounds and had already achieved an overwhelming victory, leaving his opponent only able to parry and unable to retaliate.

Under these circumstances, as long as he doesn't become arrogant, the opponent has absolutely no chance of turning the tables.

Liu Qiong was a general who fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood; otherwise, he could not have become a lieutenant general at such a young age. Naturally, he knew that when facing the enemy, no matter how much advantage one had gained, one should not be arrogant or complacent.

Therefore, his marksmanship remained impeccable, and he did not hold back at all.

After fighting for more than ten rounds, Liu Qiong suddenly noticed that He Yanxi had revealed a fatal flaw.

Without hesitation, he moved his eyes, deflected the opponent's spear tip with his spear, and then thrust it straight toward the center of the opponent's forehead.

This shot was like a dragon emerging from the abyss, its momentum reaching its peak!
The cavalrymen watching from both sides only saw Liu Qiong's sharp spear, which resembled a long silver dragon, giving them no chance to react.

clang!
The next moment, as expected, Liu Qiong's spear tip pierced He Yanxi's forehead.

Logically speaking, such a powerful blow should have pierced through anyone's head.

However, He Yanxi suddenly shone with a faint golden light, pressing Liu Qiong's spear three inches in front of his brow, preventing it from advancing any further.

Liu Qiong was shocked, having no idea what was going on with the golden light emanating from He Yanxi's body.

He Yanxi seized the opportunity, immediately opened his mouth and exhaled, a ball of black energy erupted from his mouth and struck Liu Qiong's face.

Liu Qiong screamed and fell straight off his horse.

He Yanxi thrust his spear down hard, killing Liu Qiong instantly!

Just moments before, Liu Qiong had a huge advantage, but the situation suddenly changed, and he died on the battlefield!

He Yanxi pressed his advantage, pointing his spear forward and shouting, "Kill!"

The Eighth Route Army soldiers roared and charged forward.

Liu Qiong's 500 cavalrymen, lacking a commander, were no match for the Southern Tang army and were quickly overwhelmed and killed.

Four hundred riders fled back to the main army in disarray.

Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, Han Lingkun, and others were all shocked.

They never imagined that He Yanxi, this famous general of the Southern Tang Dynasty, was actually a strange person with supernatural abilities.

Li Gu and Wang Yanchao exchanged a glance, then frowned and said, "He Yanxi possesses unorthodox skills; how can we possibly defeat him?"

Wang Yanchao was more rational. "Don't waste words with him. We'll cook at midnight and attack the city at dawn, catching the defenders of Shouzhou off guard."

Li Guyi thought it made sense. No matter how skilled He Yanxi was in left-handed magic, could he really stop a thousand troops from attacking a city?

With this in mind, the Later Zhou army temporarily retreated.

At midnight, the Later Zhou army set up cooking pots and prepared meals.

After dawn, tens of thousands of troops marched towards Shouzhou like a mighty torrent, employing everything from siege engines to siege ladders.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

A series of deafening battle cries echoed across the open fields outside Shouzhou City.

Ladders were being deployed rapidly, and many soldiers had already climbed the city walls, ready to be the first to scale them.

It was clear that the city of Shouzhou was about to fall.

Suddenly, He Yanxi appeared on the city wall.

He appeared with disheveled hair, wielding a sword, and performing a series of magical steps while chanting incantations. Instantly, a violent black wind swept up from the city.

The world turned pitch black, and even the light of the sun, moon, and stars was obscured.

A series of screams rose from the black wind.

Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, and Han Lingkun's generals were preparing to lead their troops in a final assault to breach the city.

Before they could even charge, they saw blood flowing freely in the black mist, and they didn't know how many soldiers had died.

For a moment, many of the Later Zhou soldiers were stunned and speechless.

They realized that He Yanxi's left-hand technique was not only capable of fighting generals, but also of inflicting damage on multiple groups!
……

Military intelligence, like wild geese taking flight, swiftly reached Bianjing.

In the dead of night, Chai Rong had just gotten up to use the restroom and was about to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, followed by a eunuch's voice from outside, "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Your Majesty!"

Chai Rong had a vague premonition that something was wrong, so he rushed to the door, opened it, and asked, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

The visitor was an elderly eunuch in his fifties.

He said with a look of horror, "The battle report from the front line says that Commander Li and his men encountered demons blocking their way in Shouzhou, and the army is unable to advance an inch."

"What?" Chai Rong was shocked and asked, "Tell me the details."

He originally planned to personally lead troops to attack the Southern Tang in December, with Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, and Han Lingkun as the vanguard.

To his surprise, the vanguard couldn't even capture Shouzhou, which shocked him.

The elderly eunuch immediately recounted the situation at the front.

After listening, Chai Rong remained silent for a long time.

He could certainly learn about the situation from the battle reports brought by the elderly eunuch.

Indeed, the Southern Tang general Zuo Shu, named He Yanxi, was particularly formidable, as he was able to single-handedly withstand an attack by tens of thousands of troops.

This was not because the Later Zhou army was incompetent, but because Zuo Shu was too fierce.

The elderly eunuch said helplessly, "Your Majesty, the Southern Tang has a sorcerer helping us. What should we do?"

Chai Rong's expression changed several times before he finally let out a long sigh and said, "Issue my decree to widely recruit talented individuals and those willing to serve the court. Those who are willing to serve the court will be generously rewarded!"

The elderly eunuch received the decree and said, "Yes, sir!"

……

The next day, morning.

All the civil and military officials stood below.

Chai Rong sat on the dragon throne, his face looking particularly grim.

Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and addressed the civil and military officials: "Li Gu and Wang Yanchao led twelve generals, including Han Lingkun, to attack the Southern Tang, but suffered a crushing defeat in Shouzhou. Gentlemen, what brilliant strategies do you have?"

silence.

The civil and military officials below all remained silent.

They had actually received news last night that Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, Han Lingkun, and others had suffered a crushing defeat in Shouzhou.

To be honest, whether it was the twelve generals led by Li Gu and Wang Yanchao, including Han Lingkun, or the tens of thousands of soldiers, they were all elites among elites.

The result was that such an elite force suffered a great defeat in Shouzhou. How could this not alarm them?
Most importantly, the civil and military officials learned the real reason why Li Gu, Wang Yanchao, Han Lingkun, and others suffered a crushing defeat.

It wasn't that the Southern Tang army was particularly elite, but rather that a sorcerer named He Yanxi used his left-handed magic to obstruct them.

All the civil and military officials present were ordinary people, and they all knew their own limitations and were no match for the extraordinary person.

Therefore, at this point, no one would risk their life to speak up, otherwise what if Chai Rong sent someone to join the battle?
There was no one to speak.

The entire court fell silent.

This silence, like a maggot clinging to a bone, continued to spread throughout the vast court.

It was like a dark cloud that blotted out the sky, layer upon layer, shrouding the hearts of the civil and military officials, making the atmosphere in the hall particularly oppressive.

Chai Rong looked down at the silent civil and military officials below, his whole body trembling with rage.

He couldn't help but curse, "Useless idiots! A bunch of useless idiots! The court is in trouble, and you all remain silent. You're all a bunch of useless idiots!"

The civil and military officials pretended not to hear, keeping their heads down and remaining silent.

Being scolded is certainly unpleasant, but everyone knows that being scolded won't cost you your life.

Once involved in the war, if one were to accidentally encounter that sorcerer He Yanxi on the battlefield, death would be certain.

Don't you see that even the valiant and skilled Liu Qiong met his end at the hands of He Yanxi?

Have you not seen how tens of thousands of soldiers attacked the city while they were exhausted at dawn, only to be stopped by He Yanxi's magic all by himself?
It wasn't just a simple matter of blocking them; according to reliable intelligence, the army led by Li Gu and Wang Yanchao suffered heavy losses, numbering over ten thousand.

A single sorcery spell lost tens of thousands of soldiers; who doesn't know how dangerous and terrifying it is?
Therefore, none of the civil and military officials in the court were willing to utter a word, even if they were called incompetent by Chai Rong.

Chai Rong looked down at the civil and military officials below, trembling with rage.

Just as he was about to start hitting and cursing again.

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the silent hall, "Your Majesty, I... request permission to fight!"

Ok?
At this point, would anyone still dare to volunteer for battle?
All the civil and military officials were astonished and looked in the direction of the voice, wanting to see which brave warrior was so reckless as to dare to ask for battle when he knew that there were demons causing trouble in the Southern Tang army.

The next moment, everyone saw who had volunteered for the fight.

Zhao Kuangyin.

It was actually Zhao Kuangyin, Chai Rong's confidant!
The civil and military officials looked on with sudden realization. It turned out that he was Chai Rong's confidant. No wonder he dared to volunteer for battle.

Isn't this how you use a confidant?

When no one dares to volunteer, if a trusted confidant remains silent, can they still be called a trusted confidant?
Many people thought this was a play orchestrated by Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin, performed specifically for everyone to see.

Little did anyone know that Chai Rong was looking on in astonishment.

He had considered that many people would volunteer for the battle, but he really didn't expect Zhao Kuangyin to volunteer at this time.

Despite his disbelief, Chai Rong showed a hint of relief and asked kindly, "Defense Commander Zhao, are you really willing to go to the front lines?"

Zhao Kuangyin replied neither arrogantly nor humbly, "If the court is in trouble, I am willing to go through fire and water."

Chai Rong was overjoyed and immediately said, "Excellent! Then Minister Zhao will accompany me on my personal expedition to Huainan!"

Perhaps because Zhao Kuangyin stepped forward, Li Chongjin, who was standing there, hesitated for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and saying, "Your subject... also requests to fight!"

Seeing that his son and Li Chongjin had both volunteered for battle, Zhao Hongyin, concerned for his son's safety, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying, "Your subject also volunteers for battle!"

In a short period of time, under Zhao Kuangyin's leadership, several soldiers stepped forward to volunteer for battle.

Upon seeing this, Chai Rong was overjoyed and couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at Zhao Kuangyin, as if to say, "You're the one who's capable, standing up at this critical moment."

Yes, he thought Zhao Kuangyin only volunteered to fight because he wanted to "share the burden of the lord".

Little did people know that Zhao Kuangyin dared to volunteer for battle because he had received a secret letter from Chen Yun, preparing to lead Chen Tuan, Yuan Chu, Longnv Sanjiu, and Mr. Geng to achieve great things on the battlefield!

(End of this chapter)