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Chapter 147: Determine the overall situation and obtain the book of heaven

Outside Meishan Prefecture.

Dark clouds covered the sky and thunder rumbled.

The wind and rain are raging, and the evil spirit is rising!
More than 2,000 cavalrymen, filled with murderous intent, came all the way south from the northern bank of the Wushui River. Every time lightning struck in the dark sky, it would illuminate the dense and orderly cavalry formation. It was truly like the wrath of the heavens and the divine soldiers descended to earth.

Everyone was terrified as they passed through the county town along the way.

"The Red Eyebrows are immoral, and the heavens will punish them!"

"..."

The deafening slogans soon echoed throughout the northern bank of the Wushui River and spread among the mouths of the people.

This is.

Killing momentum!
"Report!"

Zhao Kang rode over on a fast horse and said, "Sir, ten miles ahead, there is a military formation blocking the road to Meishan Prefecture. Judging from their location, they are coming from the nearby Linhe County!"

"General Chen Qian!"

Lu Shuhua asked: "What do you think we should do?"

"kill!"

Chen Sanshi uttered a word.

There are not always strategies that can be used. When necessary, there is only one word: kill!

Amid thunder and lightning, the two armies met head-on.

Look around.

The Red Eyebrow Army deployed a battle formation that was not found in military books.

The Heavenly Book Formation!

Their formation was in good order, and they seemed to be relying on the power of heaven and earth. There was also a pure white mysterious energy hovering above them. From afar, it looked like a thick fog rising in a rainy night.

"brothers!"

He Xianliang stood in the center of the formation, holding up the spear in his hand. The sound he made shook the rain on his face: "The Marshal has just given us a spell. We are the real divine soldiers sent from heaven. The Book of Heaven says that this battle is a must-win battle for the Marshal to decide the outcome!
"The troops ahead are just the remnants of the reserve battalion, running around in Mingzhou like rats. The leader, Chen Sanshi, is only a thousand men. I can cut him down in a snap!

"So brothers, just charge ahead! Each head is worth one ounce of gold!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"Boom boom boom!"

The thieves were equally powerful.

"Book of Heaven..."

Chen Sanshi looked at the white mysterious energy above their heads, his eyes firm as he held the Five Tigers Soul-Breaking Spear tightly in his hand.

He wanted to see what kind of treasure the immortal had bestowed upon him!

Give it to the Red Eyebrow Army, a bunch of scum who massacred cities and killed civilians!

if it is real.

So this immortal.

He deserves to be killed too!

"kill--"

There is no strategy anymore.

The soldiers in the reserve camp also deployed their battle formations, charging in a long snake formation, and when approaching the enemy, they changed into the Heaven and Earth Three Elements Formation, then surrounded and killed them with the Four Gates Back-up Formation, and then assisted with the Five Tigers and Sheep Formation, until finally, more than two thousand people gradually merged into one, turning into a nine-character chain formation, and finally, it turned into an ambush formation from ten sides!

This is.

Ten military formations!

On the other hand, the Red Eyebrow Army's formation was much more complicated. With the help of mysterious energy like mist and the power of heaven and earth, they burst out with combat power far beyond what they should have.

As a result, after the first few rounds of charging, both sides suffered equal losses, and the young elite soldiers in the reserve battalion did not gain any advantage!
Chen Sanshi used the [Qi-Observing Technique] to search in the cascading rain, and finally found their main general at the core of the enemy's formation. His aura was much stronger than that of Jia Laosi before, and it was estimated that he was at the level of minor success in opening the meridians.

Another tricky problem!

This is also the important reason why the enemy was so convinced that the reserve battalion was really going to attack Luotian Pass with all its strength after Yu Song appeared at Luotian Pass, and thus relaxed their vigilance.

They have no senior generals left!
Without Yu Song's combat effectiveness at the Tongmai realm, their threat would be greatly reduced. Even if they really appeared outside Meishan Prefecture, they would still need to face senior generals who had achieved a small level of Tongmai success.

Chen Sanshi quickly assessed the current situation in his mind.

In addition to the suppression of realm, there is another key point.

He noticed that all the "white mysterious energy" came from the enemy general.

Just kill him!
The enemy's "Book of Heaven" bonus will naturally collapse!
"Lu Shuhua, Xie Sishu, one on the left and one on the right, cover me!"

Chen Sanshi gave the order, then picked up his gun and rode his horse forward.

"Yes!"

Lu Shuhua and the other man followed his orders and followed closely beside him, blocking the attacks from all directions.

"clang--"

The sound of weapons clashing and the thunder in the sky rang out at the same time. The collision of force caused a splash of water to explode in the air. Under the terrible impact, Chen Sanshi's Vajra body, under the surging blood of dragons and elephants, began to tremble. Both he and his horse were raised high, like a picture scroll under the brilliance of lightning.

After all, it is a small success in opening the meridians!

If Baihu Horse was not extraordinary, his horse would probably not be able to withstand this blow.

"Minor Success in Transformation?!"

He Xianliang looked shocked.

The intelligence clearly states that this was after the selection of the vanguards, and before the expedition to Mingzhou, he had only completed the refining of the internal organs, and at most was at the entry level of the transformation of energy. In just half a year, he had achieved a small success in the transformation of energy?

What speed is this!

Fortunately, I have finally achieved some success in transforming my energy!

He has achieved great success in opening meridians.

This spans three realms!

After the first blow, the two war horses sprinted past each other, then turned their heads and started a second fight. The spears and lances kept colliding, like two dragons fighting. Both wanted to take advantage of the heavy rain to ascend to become a dragon, but the prerequisite was to devour the other to help themselves!
The most special thing about the Tongmai realm is that you officially start to use the meridians!
The body, qi and blood, and strength are all raised to the extreme, laying the foundation for the next step of the Xuanxiang realm.

It's like the difference between training blood and training internal organs, the gap between them is huge.

These are three real realms!

and……

He Xianliang is a genuine genius of the sect with a solid foundation, not like the superficial cultivation of ordinary bandits.

Chen Sanshi had to endure severe pain every time he fought, but fortunately he had the stored strength and the five Xuanyuan internal organs to support him, so he was able to hold on. However, as time went by, the blessing of the Xuanqi on the Red Eyebrow Army became more and more obvious!

The formation used by the rebel army was vaguely in harmony with the thunder and lightning rainstorm, and there was an indescribable mystery. Even though the formation of the reserve camp was also a formation practiced day and night, it still gradually fell into a disadvantage, and then the disadvantage continued to expand, and the number of casualties began to increase.

The direct descendants that Chen Sanshi brought from Poyang County were fine due to their tacit understanding, but the subordinates of the others were not so lucky...

Go on like this.

All the soldiers on their side will be sacrificed soon, and the situation will then turn into the enemy army surrounding and killing our generals. With the blessing of the mysterious energy, it is hard to say how long Lu Shuhua and his men can hold on.

We can’t allow the casualties to continue to increase. Enough people have died in this battle!

"clang!"

Chen Sanshi's spear was once again shaken away by the powerful force. He did not continue to fight back, but rode away with his spear, stabbing to death several Red Eyebrow bandits who blocked his way and then ran into the rain.

"Go away!"

He Xianliang chased after him without any hesitation.

After the distance between the two sides has been shortened to a certain extent.

The Five Tigers Soul-Breaking Spear suddenly fired back.

Back carbine!
"Little tricks!"

He Xianliang was mentally prepared. The spear in his hand blocked the spear almost at the same time, then flew the spear directly into the air, and then adjusted the direction at a strange angle and stabbed directly towards the enemy general's heart.

"Click——"

At this moment, terrifying lightning like a spider web flashed across the black curtain of the dome.

He Xianliang saw with the help of lightning that the enemy general was not at all panicked after losing his weapon and falling into a desperate situation. Instead, he looked at him calmly, as if he had already been prepared for the opponent's counterattack and the opponent had expected to block it.

Then why does he still use this trick?
The following scene was reflected in his ever-expanding pupils.

This young general, who had crossed the Hongze Lake four times in Mingzhou and had made an army of more than 100,000 run around with only 3,000 soldiers, did not think about how to dodge and survive at this critical moment of life and death, but actually started to make hand gestures, looking like some mysterious Taoist priest.

Followed by.

He Xianliang saw with his own eyes that a shadow condensed on the other party's finger. It looked like... a sword, but this sword was very small, just like an embroidery needle.

what is this? !!

"Rumble--"

After a flash of lightning, thunder roared, and the phantom in the young general's hand disappeared.

He Xianliang felt a chill between his eyebrows, and then he could no longer see the world clearly. He fell straight from the horse's back into the mud. Blood flowed out from his eyebrows, but was quickly washed away by the rain and mixed with the water and flowed into the mud.

All this happened in just a moment.

Chen Sanshi stretched out his hand and caught the Five Tigers Soul-Breaking Spear that had been thrown into the air earlier. He stabbed it into the corpse's head, creating a huge bloody hole to cover the wound caused by the sword technique.

The reason why he lured the other party here was not to launch a surprise attack. When the realm gap was too big, small tricks were useless. It was just to stay away from the main battlefield and prevent others from discovering that he was using magic.

"He Xianliang is dead!"

"You are a traitor, surrender immediately—"

With the blessing of qi and blood, Chen Sanshi's roar once overwhelmed the thunder and was deafening.

He can see it.

After He Xianliang's death.

The fog hovering above the Red Eyebrow Army dissipated at an extremely fast speed and disappeared within a few breaths.

The bandits looked at the hideous faces under the heads that lit up and then went out under the lightning, and their will to fight instantly disappeared. They turned around and fled one after another, and the previous mysterious formation naturally collapsed completely.

The situation on the battlefield changed in an instant, turning into a one-sided massacre.

……

Meishan Prefecture City.

"Marshal, Marshal——"

A Red Eyebrow soldier stumbled in, knelt on the ground covered in blood, and cried, "It's over, it's over! General He was beheaded by that Chen Sanshi, most of the brothers are dead, and the remaining people in the reserve camp are heading straight to the city, and they will arrive in half a day at most!"

"So fast?!"

Liang Jinian slumped in his chair as if someone had pulled out his muscles: "Chen Sanshi is at most Hua Jin, how could he kill He Xianliang in such a short time? Not to mention, I... I also gave them a method!"

His life was at stake, so he did not hold back at all.

In this final battle, almost all of the few remaining magical items were used up!
"I...we don't know either, Marshal!"

Several Red Eyebrows who had escaped earlier came back and knelt in a row: "That Chen Sanshi is not a human being at all. Once the fight started, he didn't care about anything else and went straight to General He, like a madman!"

"Commander!"

"What should we do, Marshal?"

"..."

"Noisy!"

Liang Jinian was in a state of confusion: "Reinforcements, how long will it take for the fastest reinforcements to arrive!"

"Marshal, it will take at least fifteen days!"

"..."

"You guys pack your things first, take your wife, some gold and silver, and wait for me here!"

Liang Jinian left the mansion with a shaky step, rode a fast horse to a nearby forest, knelt down, looked up at the sky and begged: "Immortal, immortal, save me!
"Immortal! It is because of my incompetence that I lost this battle and failed to live up to the treasure bestowed by the Immortal!
"Please help me, Immortal, and give me another chance, a chance to make a comeback! I won't accept this, I won't accept this! Why do these dog officials get to show off their power all day long, while we have to live in humiliation! Why do they look down on me? I want revenge, I want to kill all the scholars, Immortal, help me!
"Immortal——"

however.

No matter how he shouted, he got no response.

Liang Jinian smiled bitterly and kowtowed heavily: "It seems that the immortal is disappointed in me. I'm leaving now!"

Back to the mansion.

The things have been packed up.

There were a total of seven or eight Red Eyebrow soldiers, plus a woman and a sixty-year-old man.

However, the Red Eyebrow Army's eyes began to move back and forth as they looked at the gold, silver, treasures and the pretty lady.

"What are you still doing?"

Liang Jinian ordered: "Hurry up and leave, maybe there is still a chance of survival!"

"Marshal, it's gone!"

A bearded Red Eyebrow soldier said: "Even if we don't understand the art of war, we know that there is a 99% chance that we will die, unless we don't bring any more burdens..."

"Yes, Marshal!"

Another person followed up and said, "Or should the Marshal use a more powerful magic!"

"Yeah."

The others also echoed: "Otherwise, they are coming for you, Marshal, and you can't escape no matter where you go."

"you……"

Liang Jinian secretly clenched his fists under his wide sleeves, and finally suppressed his anger. He pretended to be calm and said calmly: "There is no need for magic! I just asked for the heavenly book and got guidance from the immortals again. The immortals told me that if I go out of the south gate and head towards Meishan, there will be immortals to protect us!"

"really?"

The Red Eyebrows looked at each other, half believing and half doubting: "The commander can also see immortals?"

"Asshole! You have such a guts!"

Liang Jinian narrowed his eyes: "You dare to doubt me? Kill him!"

"This……"

Several Red Eyebrow soldiers hesitated, but seeing the scholar's confident look, they dared not disobey. Finally, they suddenly stabbed the person who had raised the question to death with a knife.

"Commander!"

They knelt down again: "Give the order, and we will escort you and your wife out of the city!"

Liang Jinian commanded: "Go pick the horses first. We need black horses. Only by riding black horses can we see the immortal today. Hurry!"

"Yes!"

The Red Eyebrow Army left one after another.

In the hall, only the woman, the old man and him were left.

"Uncle Wu!"

Liang Jinian stuffed all the gold, silver and treasures into their hands and said, "You are the only one I can trust. You must take Peiwen to Xiqi. Zhang Xiang over there will take care of you!"

"Xiao Liang, this is a defeat. It's okay. Don't be sad."

Butler Wu asked in confusion: "What's the matter? Can't we go together?"

"Yes, husband."

Gao Peiwen gently held the scholar's hand: "W-won't you come with me?"

"no!"

Liang Jinian said with a struggling expression: "The Dasheng soldiers are targeting me, the leader of the Chimei. You can't escape where I am! Only if you separate from me, you have a chance to survive."

"Nian Lang!"

Gao Peiwen burst into tears and threw herself into the scholar's arms.

"Uncle Wu, please!"

After Liang Jinian comforted her, he forcefully pushed her away and said, "If you hadn't secretly given me food and books from your house, I probably wouldn't have been able to read a single word. I will repay your kindness in my next life!"

As he spoke, he bowed deeply, then turned and left resolutely.

"Xiao Liang, don't worry. I will escort your wife to Xiqi even if it costs me my life!"

"Husband!"

"boom!"

Butler Wu knocked her unconscious with a stick from behind, then called two maids over and left in a carriage through the back door.

"Come on!"

When Liang Jinian arrived at the gate, several members of the Red Eyebrow Army really gathered seven black horses. They mounted their horses and headed straight for the east gate. But after escaping for twenty miles, a rider on a white horse led more than a thousand people and surrounded them, making it impossible to get through.

"Commander, you..."

"Mr. Liang, you lied to us!"

At this moment, several Red Eyebrow Army soldiers finally reacted.

Liang Jinian was not leading them to escape, nor was there any attempt to see an immortal. Instead, he was simply taking them to die. The purpose of doing so was just to buy time for the woman in his family to escape!

"Hahahahaha!"

Liang Jinian laughed crazily: "That's right, you bandits, death is not a pity!"

"Fuck you!"

"I'm going to chop you to death!"

"Don't kill him, take his life in exchange for our lives!"

"boom!"

The bearded Red Eyebrow soldier kicked out.

Liang Jinian flew backwards and fell to the ground. He rolled over for more than ten times before he stopped, coughing up blood.

"Damn!"

The Chimei soldiers mounted their horses, rushed forward and pinned them down, then knelt down on the ground facing the Dasheng officers and soldiers.

"Sir, spare your life!"

"We are all good citizens. We joined the Red Eyebrow Army out of desperation!"

"Yes, yes, we absolutely have no intention of rebelling."

"We will fail!"

"This man is Liang Jinian of Meishan, the commander of the Red Eyebrow Army. We present him to you, my Lord!"

"..."

"Where's the Heavenly Book?!"

"Pick it out!"

The Red Eyebrow Army searched the man roughly again and finally found several golden booklets inside. They looked like gold that had been forged into thin paper by thousands of hammers.

“This is the Book of Heaven!”

"Dedicate them all to Dasheng!"

"Just spare our lives!"

"..."

“Swish, swish, swish, swish—”

The words have not yet fallen.

General Sheng Chao, who was riding a white horse, said nothing. The bowstring of the big bow in his hand sounded like thunder. Arrows came one after another and pierced their hearts accurately. Seven people died on the spot in the blink of an eye.

"Shut up!"

Chen Sanshi reined in his horse and stopped, looking down at the scholar, and asked calmly, "Are you Liang Jinian?"

"it's me……"

Liang Jinian wiped the blood from his chin with his muddy sleeve and raised his head: "You are Chen Sanshi? Brother Chen! There is no grudge between you and me, why is it like this?"

Chen Sanshi said nothing. "Brother Chen!"

Liang Jinian struggled to get up: "Dasheng is corrupt and has run out of luck! Why do you have to work for the Cao family? You have such great talents and strategies, why don't you work with me to achieve hegemony? Who knows, this country may belong to the Chen family in the future!"

Got no answer.

Liang Jinian picked up the golden book and continued to persuade him: "Brother Chen! Did you see it? This is the Heavenly Book, the Heavenly Book given to me by the immortal! If you kill me, the Heavenly Book will be presented to the court, and you will get nothing. But if you cooperate with me, I can give you the things!"

Dead silence.

He finally understood that he was really at the end of his rope.

"Okay, let's do it..."

Liang Jinian closed his eyes.

But the imagined death did not come, he opened his eyes and asked: "Mr. Chen, what are you waiting for? You want to humiliate me!"

Chen Sanshi ignored him and just looked quietly to the south.

Finally, a group of cavalry came towards this side.

A woman and an old man were escorted over.

"grown ups!"

Zhao Kang clasped his fists and said, "We have captured all his family members and killed the two maids. The only ones left are these two!"

"Miss!"

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Mr. Chen, I will kill you!"

Liang Jinian picked up the sword on the ground and was ready to fight to the death.

"Your Majesty!"

Zhao Kang kicked him and broke his right leg, causing him to roll into the mud in pain.

"Ah!"

He struggled to lie forward, his tone changing from anger to pleading: "Chen Sanshi, Master Chen, I beg you, this has nothing to do with my wife, the rebellion has nothing to do with her! Don't let the disaster affect my family, please let her go, even if you have to be tortured to death!"

"Does the disaster affect my family?"

Chen Sanshi finally spoke. He lowered his body slightly and spoke each word with emphasis: "Liang Jinian, do you know how many cities we have seen your men slaughter along the way? You have family, don't they have any?"

"I……"

Liang Jinian was stunned and speechless.

"Give your woman some respect."

Chen Sanshi said in a deep voice: "Otherwise, she will be taken away. I will not be able to control what happens to the brothers who are responsible for guarding her."

"what!"

Liang Jinian held his head and screamed in pain.

"Nianlang, I don't blame you."

Gao Peiwen picked up a knife from the ground and before the scholar could react, she committed suicide.

Following closely behind was Butler Wu.

"Kill him."

Chen Sanshi gave the order calmly.

"Click——"

The He Miao Knife flashed by, and Liang Jinian's head fell to the ground.

Only then did Chen Sanshi get off the horse.

"Mr. Chen Qian, this isn't a live capture?"

Lu Shuhua asked in confusion: "The merit of capturing him alive is greater than that of killing him before."

"There are still pursuers behind us. It's not convenient to travel with living people. It will take some time for us to escape from danger."

Chen Sanshi said calmly: "With his head and the Heavenly Book, it is enough to crush the morale of all the rebels. There is no need to bring another burden."

"rational!"

No one had any objections.

Chen Sanshi walked forward, bent down and picked up the heavenly book.

The texture of this thing in the hand feels like gold foil.

He glanced at the people behind him and said, "Come and see if you want to."

"Thank you, Brother Chen."

Yan Changqing was the first to come forward.

Lu Shuhua and Xie Sishu also approached after getting permission.

Bai Tingzhi was not interested at all. He ran over to check the bodies one by one to see if there was any survivor.

"Sir, the characters on it don't seem to be the characters of our Central Plains, nor do they look like those of the four surrounding countries!"

"Yes, it was really written by an immortal!"

"..."

Chen Sanshi gently flipped through the booklet.

He looked at the golden words flowing on it and found that they were the same as the "dictionary" translated by his fourth senior brother, which recorded the "Sword Qi Technique". Others could not understand it, but he could.

What was written inside were indeed some formations.

There are not only military formations.

There are also some real magic circles.

However, these magic arrays require a variety of magical instruments to create.

The rest of the formations composed of people include large military formations and small formations.

There were all kinds of small formations, including sword formations, magic formations, demon-suppressing formations, evil-killing formations, etc. He could indeed understand every rune, but when they were all connected together, he couldn't understand them anymore.

These things can only be used together with "immortal practitioners". They are of no use to mortals.

The same is true for large military formations.

The formation can indeed make use of the power of heaven and earth, but the prerequisite is that the person using the formation has a certain level of cultivation. People who practice martial arts cannot do this, and ordinary people, who are just pawns in the formation, are even less capable of this.

So how did the Red Eyebrow Army do it?

gas!
The white mysterious energy that looked like fireworks and mist could, to a certain extent, replace cultivation to form a formation.

However, there is no record about "qi" in the heavenly book.

"Brother Yan, is it okay for me to give you the Book of Heaven to keep?"

Chen Sanshi had a photographic memory. After reading it once, he deeply engraved everything he understood and did not understand in his mind. The Heavenly Book itself did not have any special function. It was useless for him to have it. Instead, it would cause suspicion from the court.

and……

Just after Liang Jinian died.

The entries of [Determination to Charge into Battle and Die] were still on the bodies of the rest of the people, including Lu Shuhua and Xie Sishu. These two people who were strongly dissatisfied with him at the beginning were still willing to charge into battle.

On the contrary, it started from Liangzhou. On the surface, the two of them seemed to have a good relationship. Yan Changqing, who also supported him in Mingzhou, had the entry disappear.

After all, he was sent by the imperial court.

He is the grandson of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.

It represents the court and the interests of the emperor.

After the war, the two were no longer on the same side.

"Isn't that inappropriate?"

Yan Changqing declined politely, "I haven't reached the state of transformation yet. This item is of great importance, so it's better for Brother Chen to keep it."

"it is good."

Chen Sanshi said to the crowd: "Then please brothers bear witness. I will accept the things first, and when the war is over, I will immediately hand them over to the court."

"Mr. Chen Qian, what should we do next?"

Lu Shuhua and Xie Sishu stood on the left and right, pulling up the map in front of the general.

"Wait."

Chen Sanshi pointed to the location of Luotian Pass and said, "The troops here probably don't know what's happening in Meishan Prefecture yet. If we wait for another ten days or half a month, the imperial army will be crossing the wilderness to attack Luotian Pass.

"What we have to do next is to wait, and attack from both sides with the capital, take down Luotian Pass, and then use this as a foundation to stabilize the position in the south of Mingzhou, and cooperate with General Lu and General Rong to slowly eat up the remaining rebels and the troops of Xiqi.

"Everyone can have a good rest in Meishan Prefecture these few days. Remember our rules. Do not disturb or bully the people. Otherwise, I will kill anyone I see."

"As ordered!"

The army slowly entered the city.

Chen Sanshi had finished his Linghe ointment long ago, and Qianxun didn't even get to take a bite in the end. He only had the precious medicine given by the court left. After taking it, he continued to practice without stopping for a moment.

[Kung Fu: Zhenguo Dragon Spear. Transformation of Strength (Minor Success)]

【Progress: 566/2000】

until late at night.

He did not ride a horse, but sneaked into the darkness on foot, using the art of observing qi to confirm that no one was following him. After leaving the city gate, he walked all the way to the wilderness dozens of miles outside the east city gate, where corpses were piled.

Chen Sanshi found Liang Jinian's headless body, took out the Zhenyue Sword, cut open his stomach, and searched for something inside.

The reason why he killed Liang Jinian was not only to cause trouble to the living person, but also for other reasons.

The man surnamed Liang hid something!
He didn't tell the truth.

The Heavenly Book is the Heavenly Book, and the white mysterious energy is the mysterious energy. The two complement each other, but in fact they are two different things.

Ever since he met Liang Jilin, Chen Sanshi noticed the "qi" in his body. He guessed that if he didn't have some cultivation, then he had some treasure hidden in his body. If it was the former, there was naturally nothing he could do, but if it was the latter, he could take it out.

really
Not long after, he felt a round, cold object from his flesh and blood. After taking it out, he discovered that it was a bead similar to a crystal ball, but with repeated mysterious runes flowing on its surface. A foggy aura was contained in it, but the aura in the bead was very weak, so weak that it was almost completely dissipated.

"that's it!"

Chen Sanshi can be sure.

Liang Jinian only borrowed the military formations from the so-called "Book of Heaven" to practice the formation. The truly powerful thing is actually this bead. Only with the blessing of the energy born from it can the partial power of the surprise formation be brought into play.

Now it seems that the Heavenly Book was probably really fabricated by the scholar, with the purpose of deceiving people and protecting the real treasure, the beads!

As long as they don't have the beads, the rest of the people won't be able to understand the Heavenly Book even if they get it. Even if they can understand it, it's useless. Over time, they will naturally think that Liang Jinian is the true chosen one, different from others, and that only he can control the Heavenly Book, and then they will submit to him.

"That's quite a trick!"

"I don't know how to use the beads and how to accumulate the 'qi' inside?"

"When the Red Eyebrows first started the war, they were said to be like heavenly soldiers. Later, they became weaker and weaker. It must be because the 'qi' in the bead was used up."

"Then why doesn't Liang Jinian accumulate energy? It seems he doesn't have any good solution."

"Maybe even he hasn't figured out the purpose of the thing!"

"Forget it, put it away first."

Chen Sanshi found a mud pit, used the accumulated water in it to wash the blood off the surface of the beads, and then put them in his arms.

No matter where the things come from, what they are used for, or how they are used, in the end, they belong to him.

Do you really think he would work for the emperor for free?

After looking around and confirming that there was no one around, Chen Sanshi chose a small path to return to the city.

After the rain, the sky cleared up, the wind stopped and the waves calmed.

……

Jianmen Gorge, Xuanwuying military camp.

Third Senior Brother Nie Yuan walked into the tent with a dusty face. When he came to Lu Ji, he grabbed the water bag and drank a lot of it. Then he said, "Zhong Wuxin's level is much higher than that of 20 years ago. If we want to enter Jianmen Gorge, I'm afraid it will take a lot of effort. It's better to take it slow."

"I'm afraid not. The prince and Sha Wenlong are waiting for us behind them. We can't delay any longer."

Lü Ji announced calmly, "Pass on my order. Select 3,000 soldiers from the Xuanwu Camp. At midnight tomorrow, follow me to storm the Jianmen Gorge. We must open the gap at all costs!"

"Okay, then I'll stay and guard the camp."

Nie Yuan sighed, "The loss is still too great. Even if we break in, we can only save the prince and his men. The Western Qi army can still stabilize in the west of Mingzhou and fight a tug-of-war with us. It would be better if they can be in chaos internally."

"Have you contacted the two deputy generals under Dong An?"

Lu Ji drummed his fingers on the table and said, "Tell them that this rebellion has nothing to do with them. It is all Dong An's fault. As long as they can turn from evil to good, the court will not only not hold them accountable, but will also give them promotions, titles, and resources."

"I have tried this before."

Nie Yuan said helplessly: "But those few people are all loyal to Dong An. In addition, in recent years, most of the court's resources have gone to the three northwestern states. The military commanders in Mingzhou have insufficient resources and have long been resentful. They are determined to rebel. Otherwise, this chaos in Mingzhou would not have happened.

"It's impossible to get them to turn against us again, unless... unless Dong An dies suddenly, otherwise, this war will have to last at least another year."

"I know. We have to try again. Even if one of them is willing to turn against us, it will be of great help."

Lu Ji pondered: "What about the other movements?"

"When the last news came from the remnants of Zhao Wuji's army, only a few dozen people were left. Now we don't know whether they are dead or alive."

Nie Yuan said: "And our junior brother, 80% chance..."

"Chirp!"

Not finished yet.

A Saker Falcon flew into the tent and landed on the Marshal's arm, which was as thick as a tree trunk.

"Isn't this the one that Junior Sister Nine gave to Junior Brother?"

Nie Yuan said in disbelief: "It's been so long, and he's still alive? It's unimaginable. Boss, take a look and see where they are hiding this time."

"Ah."

After taking the information off Haidong Qingtui and opening it to read it, Lu Ji, who had fought for many years and was known for his bravery, was struck by lightning and could not recover for a long time.

"Boss?"

Nie Yuan asked in confusion: "What happened? What amazing strategy did Junior Brother use to trick the enemy?"

"Playing? It's more than just playing!"

Lu Ji showed the information in his hand. The expression on his face was no longer shock, but a mixture of many emotions, including excitement, astonishment, worry, and even a hint of displeasure. All these emotions merged into an expression that could not be described in words. He said in a trembling voice:

"Our junior brother not only did not die at Luotian Pass, but after crossing the Hongze River four times, he rushed across the Wushui River, and then went straight to Meishan Prefecture, killed Liang Jinian, and obtained the Secret Weapon Book! The overall situation in the south has been determined!"

"What did you say?"

Nie Yuan snatched the information and read it over and over again word by word.

……

The camp of the Western Qi army.

Martial Saint Zhong Wuxin received the news transmitted back from near Meishan Prefecture almost at the same time.

He simply couldn't believe what was said above: "Liang Jinian is dead? Who can be sure of that! Even if they go straight to Meishan Mansion, there will only be one Chen Sanshi left. However, with the Huajin cultivation level, Liang Jinian still has the Heavenly Book in his hand. How could he die so easily? This is ridiculous! Is this news true or false?!"

"Marshal, it's true!"

"Ten days ago, Luotian Pass received a letter from Liang Jinian asking for help, and then there was no news. The scouts sent to gather information in the Wushui River area were sure that Chen Sanshi and his men had fought a battle with the last troops of Meishan Prefecture near Linhe County and won a great victory."

"Now, Liang Jinian's head is hung on the wall of Meishan Prefecture City for public display."

"There was also a slogan, 'The Red Eyebrows have no moral integrity, so the Heavenly Army will come to take them down.' It spread almost all over the north and south banks of the Wushui River, and all the people knew it."

"So...it must be true!"

"..."

Zhong Wuxin was furious, but his face was as calm as a lake. He said in a cold voice, "I never thought that the battle that Da Qi had been planning for five years and should have won would be ruined by a small commander of the Sheng Dynasty. It is a great shame and humiliation."

"Marshal, what should we do?"

"Don't panic!"

Zhong Wuxin said calmly: "We still have our foundation in Mingzhou. We just need to lose the south and the east. Immediately send a message to Dong An and ask him to lead his troops to retreat westwards. We will concentrate all our forces in the west of Mingzhou and fight a protracted war with Sheng Dynasty. We can attack Mingzhou and spy on Liangzhou and Yanzhou, or retreat back to the west of the Great Wall!
"This battle is not certain to be won, but it does not mean we cannot continue to fight. We just have to pay a heavy price.

“And Dong An’s 80,000 Mingzhou followers must be protected!
"Without these 80,000 soldiers, there is really no need to continue fighting this battle.

"I heard that this guy was devastated by Chen's four crossings. We must keep him stable!"

"Yes! I'll go tell Dong An right away."

"..."

……

Yangchun Prefecture, the rebel camp.

For half a month, Dong An rarely got up from his bed, which made everyone panic. They didn't know what was going on.

"Report!"

A soldier entered the tent, knelt on one knee, opened his mouth, but hesitated and did not dare to speak.

"It's the information from Meishan Prefecture."

Dong An propped himself up and sat up: "Read it."

"Yes!"

The soldier then read the details again and finally said, "Liang Jinian's head is hung on the city wall, and the Secret Weapon Book is most likely in the hands of Chen Sanshi."

He still remembered how tragically the soldiers who came to report the death of the last time Luotian Pass let the enemy go. As he spoke this, he broke out in cold sweat and kept swallowing saliva.

Unexpectedly, Dong An was extremely calm after listening to it, so calm that... he was like a pool of stagnant water. He just took the information in his hand and said in a hoarse and weak voice: "Got it, go down."

"Report!"

"General Zhong Wuxin sent a letter, saying that he hopes the Marshal will lead us to retreat westward immediately!"

"You go down too."

"This……"

The two soldiers looked at each other and had to retreat temporarily.

"Haha~"

Dong An looked at the letter in his hand and smiled miserably. The smile contained despair and relief. He gently opened his hands, letting the paper fall slowly, then stood up and walked towards the general's sword hanging behind the general's seat.

……

"What happened, Marshal?"

"I guess he must be feeling a bit uncomfortable after being beaten by a young rookie."

"Our Marshal is good in every way except that he is stubborn."

"Go and persuade him."

"Who dares to go at this critical moment?"

"But the Western Qi Kingdom has ordered us to retreat westward immediately!"

"It will be too late if we don't leave."

"I go!"

Finally, a deputy general mustered up the courage to walk into the tent.

"Marshal——"

Then, there was a loud shout of surprise.

Everyone rushed into the tent in a hurry.

Dong An, wearing a long robe with disheveled hair, was sitting on the main throne, holding the general sword in his hand to support his body. His head hung naturally as if it had no bones. Bright red blood kept dripping from his neck, forming a pool of blood at his feet.

Dong An committed suicide.

　Recommend a book by a good brother.

(End of this chapter)