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Chapter 161 The Prince Rebellion
"General Deng!"

Watching him being escorted away, the soldiers and civilians spoke almost in unison.

"General Chen!"

"You said you would not kill those who surrender, but... please do not harm General Deng's life!"

"Yup!"

"General Deng is a man of great integrity. He has done countless good deeds since he came to Laizhou!"

"..."

"Assholes! Shut up!"

Sha Wenlong cursed impatiently: "Is it your turn to discuss whether he lives or dies?"

"Cui Congyi, Sha Wenlong!"

Chen Sanshi gave orders: "Now that Zhaotong has surrendered, there is no need to worry about the rear. I order Cui Congyi to lead the Tiger Guards to set up camp in Green Ridge Mountain to block the Qing reinforcements in Green Ridge Mountain. Sha Wenlong leads 3,000 people to return to the camp 30 miles outside the city to settle the surrendered soldiers. No one is allowed to enter the city without my order! In addition, Prince Cao Fan will bring more than 20 riders to return to Yongle Mansion to report to Marshal Meng. The rest of the people will stay with me in the city! Oh, leave Deng Feng in the city as well."

"As ordered."

Cui Congyi reluctantly accepted the order and left.

"You won't let me into the city?"

Sha Wenlong cursed in his heart, but had to obey.

He and Cao Fan came to the city gate, and suddenly he said with some concern: "Your Highness, Mr. Chen made such an arrangement, only giving you more than 20 riders to return to Yongle Mansion. Could he have some ulterior motive?"

Hearing this, Cao Fan was shocked: "Will he be able to do it?"

"Why not?"

Sha Wenlong lowered his voice and analyzed: "He arranged it this way, obviously to separate us!"

"It doesn't matter!"

A figure slowly walked out of the shadows.

Pei Tiannan bowed and said, "Your Highness, I will personally accompany you back to Yongle Mansion to report."

Cao Fan asked, "What about the city?"

"It's just an incense burner."

Smiling Tiger Pei Tiannan said with a smile: "Just let Yun Xiaozi and the others collect it. As for other things, in my opinion, it is not easy to move in Zhaotong Prefecture, so choose another place!"

"This is the safest way."

Sha Wenlong agreed: "That's it!"

Soon, everyone took their positions.

Cui Congyi led the Huben Army as the vanguard and headed straight for Green Ridge Mountain. Sha Wenlong was guarding the surrendered soldiers outside the city and could not enter the city without orders. Cao Fan led twenty people to Yongle Prefecture.

Chen Sanshi saw it with his own eyes.

There was a powerful and majestic aura among Cao Fan's departing team.

Who else could it be other than the Martial Saint Pei Tiannan?

Including the eunuch named Feng who was following in the team.

In other words, there are only two Taoists from Ciyu Temple left, and they may have sneaked into the city and are still here.

According to memory.

These two old Taoists, one is strong and the other is weak. One is at the Tongmai realm, has the support of incense and magic, and the level of purple mysterious energy is average. The other is at the Huajin realm, and the incense and magic energy on his body is very thin.

Chen Sanshi has now mastered the Tongmai Gong method, and he is also proficient in sword Qi techniques, so dealing with these two people is no problem at all.

After settling the troops in the city.

The bald man appeared quietly and went straight to the Temple of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth, in Zhaotong Prefecture.

……

Yongle Mansion.

King Li Gong of Tang was ready to go into battle, and 20,000 cavalrymen in the city were ready to go.

In addition, more than 30,000 soldiers are ready.

The war drums were beating and the earth was shaking, and shouts of killing were heard one after another.

The deputy general came hurriedly: "Your Highness! That's great! Meng Quji and his men outside the city have already started to prepare for retreat, and they even left behind many siege equipment and food!"

"Alright! Keep investigating and report back! As soon as they retreat, we will rush out of the city and pursue them at lightning speed!"

Li Gong raised the general's sword high in his hand and was about to give an order when a black eagle circled and landed on his arm.

"This……"

"Is this the news sent by Deng Feng? What important matter is it that he sent a letter at this time?"

He opened the letter.

Inside were a few lines of very sloppy handwriting, written in blood instead of with pen and ink in such a hurry.

"Deng Feng is incompetent. Zhaotong City is in danger of being lost. Deng can only die as an apology. Please be careful, Your Majesty."

fall?

After reading the content, Li Gong's ears rang continuously, as if a poisonous bee had entered his mind. He looked uncertain: "Lost? What nonsense is Deng Feng talking to me about? Wasn't it fine yesterday? How could Zhaotong Prefecture be breached overnight?"

"what?"

The deputy general was stunned: "Your Majesty, how is this possible? In just one night, unless the city wall collapsed..."

"or!"

Li Gong's eyelids twitched: "He surrendered!"

"This is even more impossible!"

The deputy general held up the blood letter and said: "If they surrendered, why would Deng Feng say that he wanted to die to atone for his crime?"

"Report——"

"Your Majesty!"

"Information has been received from other prefectures!"

"Last night, there was a great turmoil in Zhaotong City. General Deng was willing but unable to quell the turmoil. In the end, he was captured alive by... Chen Sanshi and is now imprisoned in the army!"

"The eight prefectures also asked if there were any reinforcements. If not... they were also prepared to surrender."

"How dare they speak to me like that? Bastards!"

Li Gong could hardly control his emotions and almost roared: "The commander has not surrendered yet, but the city is already in chaos. Did we overestimate Deng Feng's ability, or does Chen have some evil magic?"

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

The deputy general was somewhat at a loss: "What should we do next? If Deng Feng falls, the other eight prefectures will surely surrender like the previous twenty-seven prefectures did. We will become an isolated city..."

"Why are you panicking? His Majesty is coming!"

Li Gong was a general after all, and he quickly regained his sanity and made a judgment: "Moreover, I just received news that the bastards from the Southern Xu Kingdom actually entered our Daqing territory in advance without consent."

The deputy general was filled with disgust when he heard this: "Those bastards from Xu State are just like hyenas seeing blood!"

"Yeah, but there are benefits to this."

Li Gong said in a deep voice: "They will arrive at Hulao Pass much faster than expected! Although the Sheng people have taken over the entire territory of Laizhou, they have no wings. It will take time to gather troops, assemble and dispatch them!
“Not to mention, they need to send a large number of people to Green Ridge Mountain first, and they dare not reduce the number of people left to surround the king. At most, they can only send a few thousand people to Hulao Pass.

"Nanxu, a hundred thousand troops!

“Can we hold it with several thousand people?
“All in all, the advantage is still on our side, it just gave Shengren a chance to mediate.

"Pass my order down, the entire army is on alert, ready to meet the Sheng people's fierce attack.

"Then……

"Find a way to inform Deng Feng and have him commit suicide immediately! Stop embarrassing yourself here!
"A man who has reached the Great Perfection of the Mysterious Realm and will be able to break through to the Martial Saint level in two years has been captured by a lieutenant general at the Tongmai Realm. How did he have the nerve to live until now!"

"Yes!"

……

outside the city.

Dasheng military camp.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will personally supervise the battle. It will be here in half a month."

Meng Quji looked at the news he had just received, his face looking a little grim: "Why should we retreat at this time..."

"Yes."

Zhan Taiming said: "Isn't this a slap in the face of the prince..."

Fan Tianfa, the commander-in-chief of the Tiger Guards, said, "General Meng, how about you hold on a little longer?"

"I can't hold on any longer!"

Meng Quji pointed at the map and said, "Take a good look at it. If we don't retreat now, it will be too late. Let's retreat first and see the situation. We may have a chance to fight back! As for the pressure from His Majesty, I will bear it alone! As I said before, only by not being defeated can we find the enemy's weakness!
"only……

"Calculate the time. Why haven't Sha Wenlong and the others returned with Chen Sanshi yet? We don't have time to wait!"

"Report——"

"General, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has returned with more than 20 riders."

"Twenty people?"

Meng Quji rushed out of the tent.

"Meng Shuai."

Cao Fan dismounted and greeted him.

"What about people?!"

Meng Quji looked back and asked, "Where are the others?"

"Master, there is no one else.

Cao Fan replied: "Zhaotong Prefecture... has been captured."

"Celebrating songs all around, capturing Deng Feng alive?!"

After hearing this, Meng Quji, Fan Tianfa and Zhan Taiming all looked at each other in bewilderment. How could they have captured Zhaotong Prefecture overnight if Deng Feng hadn't died? It was really too unbelievable.

"OK……"

After listening to the detailed explanation, Meng Quji couldn't help but curl his lips: "This kid can think of this!"

"Whoo~"

Not far away, Fang Qingyun, who had been acting as a guarantor, also breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter how much he trusted his junior fellow apprentice, he was not there in person after all, and he could only guess about the development of the situation. Time was running out, and it was impossible not to worry.

He couldn't help but sigh: "This General Deng is really amazing. He relied entirely on his own strength to counter the surrender trend of the entire Laizhou. If we were just a little bit closer, all our efforts would have been wasted."

"Yes."

Fan Tianfa agreed: "Besides, without this person, it will be of great help to the situation that follows!"

"pity!"

Zhan Taiming said with regret: "This man is too loyal. Even if he is captured alive, he will definitely not belong to Dasheng. According to the rules, if a general is captured alive within seven days and does not surrender, and there is no greater intelligence value, he must be beheaded directly."

"Thanks to General Fang for his persuasion!"

Meng Quji sighed, "Otherwise, I would have almost missed the big thing."

“The situation is still not optimistic!”

Fang Qingyun brought everyone back to the point: "We still need to plan carefully for the follow-up arrangements."

"Correct!"

Meng Quji grabbed the wheelchair with one hand, lifted the scholar and the wheelchair into the air, and rushed to the map in the central army tent: "General Fang, we have two main tasks at present.

“The first is to try every possible means to eat up Li Gong in Yongle Mansion.

“The second is to block the army of Green Ridge Mountain!
“According to what I know, there are not many Martial Saints left in Qing State, and they also need to suppress the enemies on their borders, so they cannot mobilize extra manpower, so the Emperor of Qing State led the army in person.

“In addition to Cui Congyi, General Fan must also rush to Green Ridge Mountain as soon as possible!
"We still need to wait for the Crown Prince's reinforcements before we can attack Yongle Mansion, but the problem is...

“What should we do about Hulao Pass?
"The 100,000-strong army of the Southern Xu Kingdom is likely to arrive in the near future. How should we respond?
“The King of Zhennan is holding back their two Martial Saints in the south, plus half of their elite troops. According to intelligence, the commanders of this 100,000-man army are now two Xuanxiang realm princes from Nanxu.

“But we don’t have enough Xuan Xiang, and because we attacked the city with all our strength before, there is almost no defense inside Hulao Pass.

"Now, it seems that the fastest troops that can reach Hulao Pass are only General Chen's 3,000 Black Armored Army. The rest of the army will gather and be deployed there, and it will take at least three months.

"This battle is still very difficult to fight."

"It's hard to fight, but we have to fight."

Fang Qingyun held the flute and pointed at the location of Hulao Pass: "This pass is ranked among the top four dangerous passes in the world. It is known as a pass where one man can block the passage of ten thousand men. In addition, there are 100,000 troops, a considerable number of whom are new soldiers trained in the past two years. With 3,000 black armors, it may not be impossible to hold it for three months."

“That would be a huge risk.”

“The greater the risk, the greater the reward.”

"My opinion is to abandon Hulao Pass and use Zhaotong City as a node to form a separate regime from the enemy."

"In this case, the war will have to last at least another two years. How much food and fodder will be consumed in these two years, and how much silver will be lost in the national treasury? On the contrary, as long as Hulao Pass can be held for three months, during which time Li Gong's troops will be defeated, the Emperor of Qing in Luling Mountain will naturally retreat, and Nanxu will have to give up. Therefore, defending Hulao Pass is still the best choice."

"What if we can't hold it for three months? General Fang, can you guarantee to me that you can really hold Hulao Pass?"

This time, Fang Qingyun didn't dare to make any more promises: "I can't hold on, maybe 50%."

"now it's right!"

Meng Quji said, "A 50% probability, even General Fang, who likes to use surprise attacks, would think it's too low, right?"

"Meng Shuai, this is a serious matter, and it's not something you and I can decide. How about this?"

Fang Qingyun said: "Ask your Majesty and your Highness for their opinions respectively, and let your Majesty decide whether to continue the separatist war or take the risk of defending Hulao Pass and try to take Yongle Prefecture as soon as possible, so that we can force the enemy back and recover the three states."

"it is good!"

Meng Quji did not refuse: "Your Highness is not far from us. His Majesty will be in Kunlun Mountain at this time every year to comprehend the Great Dao. It is not as far from the border as the capital. If we use the Crown Prince's divine eagle, the speed will be even faster. There is still time, so let's do it!"

……

Tongnan Prefecture.

The prince's residence.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who is over 60 years old, is playing chess with a monk in black.

During this time, a eunuch brought up the meal and gently placed it next to the chessboard.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the Regent of the Country, has an extremely simple meal on weekdays, consisting of only two plates of vegetables and a bowl of rice.

"After all these years, Your Highness is still so simple."

The monk fiddled with his Buddhist beads and slowly dropped a bead: "You eat much lighter than a monk like me."

"If I don't save some money, how can I set a good example and let the officials and my son follow suit? If no one saves, where will the money for the war come from?"

The prince picked up the chopsticks, gave half of the rice in the bowl to the other person, and then began to eat.

The black-robed monk said with a complicated look in his eyes: "It's been a few years since we last met. Your Highness, are you unable to even finish a bowl of rice now?"

"I'm old, ahem..."

The prince turned his face away and coughed a few times. After wiping his cough with a handkerchief, he continued, "It's okay. Let's continue. We can eat and play chess at the same time. It won't delay anything."

"Alas, Your Highness has been working day and night since he took over the throne, and he has worn out his body."

The black-robed monk picked up the white piece and gently placed it on the chessboard.

"Your Highness!"

"Eagle Urgent News!"

"Read it."

The prince observed the chess game while taking small sips of food.

"Yes!"

The attendant opened the letter and read it aloud word by word.

As the details came to light, the expressions of the Crown Prince and the black-robed monk kept changing. For a moment, they even forgot to continue the game of chess in front of them and became absorbed in listening.

"A genius! Chen Sanshi is truly a gifted general from heaven!"

The Crown Prince's admiration was evident in his words: "From the capture of Prince Yuwen to the celebrations from all sides, every single one of them is an unprecedented feat. I am sure that these words will be passed down for thousands of years, and will outlive me and my father."

"Why did Your Highness say this?"

The monk made a move and said, "As long as I am here, Your Highness may live forever."

"Old Yao."

The prince put down his chopsticks and sighed, "I have never pursued the illusory path of immortality like my father. I just want to do a good job in this life. Years of conquests and wars, corrupt officials are rampant, and martial arts schools and sects bully the people. This world needs to be rectified! But there is no way to move forward. After all, I am willing but unable."

The black-robed monk asked, "So, Your Highness, do you think that we should defend Hulao and occupy Laizhou, or should we withdraw to the border directly after the grand sacrifice and choose another day?"

"It will take at least two years to establish a separatist regime. The money in the national treasury is not inexhaustible. We have finally accumulated this wealth over the past forty years. If the fighting really lasts for two or three years, it may take ten years to recover, not to mention that we will have to deal with the barbarians in the north. If we withdraw, we don't know when the next opportunity will come."

The prince made up his mind and said, "It is worth a try to hold Hulao Pass. Whether we can hold it or not is not the question for now. I just want to ask, after successfully recovering the three states, what are the chances of success on Ziwei Mountain?"

"You can't win in the capital."

The black-robed monk calculated, "But on Ziwei Mountain, we only have a 70% chance of winning, and there is no guarantee of victory. Your Highness can think about it carefully. It's not too late to regret now."

Let’s talk here.

The prince did not say anything else. Instead, he looked at the chessboard and ate his meal in silence until he had finished half a bowl of rice. Then he picked up the teapot and poured it into the bowl, drinking the remaining bit of oil and water mixed with tea.

He put down his bowl and chopsticks, slowly picked up the black chess piece, and after hesitating for the last two seconds, he dropped the chess piece heavily in his hand, and the whole chessboard trembled: "Since we are going to play chess, let's play it to the end!"

……

Kunlun Mountains.

Cave heaven and blessed land.

This was originally a natural cave. Many years ago, when Emperor Longqing was traveling, he took a rest in the cave. It was in this cave that the emperor dreamed of immortals.

Thereafter.

Emperor Longqing began to arrange for craftsmen to transform the cave into a palace hidden in the mountain, and he would live here for a period of time every year.

"His Majesty!"

Huang Hong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, came hurriedly with a memorial: "The battle report from the East Territory."

Emperor Longqing was wearing a Taoist robe that looked plain but was actually made of very fine materials. After hearing the eunuch's words, he still sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and did not respond at all.

Huang Hong recited softly in perfect tacit understanding.

It's nothing more than a repetition of what happened at Hulao Pass.

At the end, he concluded: "Defending Hulao Pass is extremely risky, but correspondingly, the benefits are also extremely high. At present, General Fang and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince both agree with this strategy. His Royal Highness's original words on the memorial were - 'I am willing to go to the battlefield in person, even if I die for my country, I will restore the Great Sheng Dynasty and fulfill my father's long-cherished wish of enthroning the gods at Ziwei Mountain.'"

Hearing this, Emperor Longqing finally chuckled twice: "My son has been filial since he was young."

"Your Majesty, then..."

Huang Hong asked in a low voice: "How do we fight this battle?"

"Just do as they say."

Emperor Longqing's voice was calm: "Tell them that even if Hulao Pass is lost, they must fight for me at all costs. I don't want any casualties, I just want Ziwei Mountain. In addition, do you know the whereabouts of Sun Xiangzong?"

"To answer your majesty, no."

Huang Hong lowered his head and said, "Since the expansion of the army, no trace of him can be found."

"Then send Fang Qingyun to Hulao Pass as well."

Emperor Longqing said calmly: "I don't believe that Fang Qingyun has no tricks left after he became disabled. I will take this opportunity to force him to use them."

"It is indeed appropriate for Fang Qingyun to go, but does Chen Sanshi need to go with him?"

Huang Hong reminded carefully: "Didn't you say before that Chen Sanshi has a lot of room for growth and will be used to do big things in the future? If he dies at Hulao Pass, wouldn't it be a pity?"

"Ziwei Mountain is a big deal."

Emperor Longqing said calmly, "Even if it's only delayed for two months, it can be considered that Chen Sanshi died a worthy death. I will naturally properly arrange for his family members and confer a posthumous title on him."

"I understand. I will arrange it right away."

……

Zhaotong Prefecture.

In front of the Guanyin Temple.

A man and a woman came hand in hand.

"Master, do we have to come and pay our respects now? It's so chaotic..."

"What do you know? The master in the temple said that today is an auspicious day. If you come to pray today, you will definitely get pregnant! Besides, the war is over. After General Chen entered the city, he did not harm the people. There will be peace in the future. What are you afraid of?" "Oh..."

"Go quickly, I'll wait for you here. Remember to pray for three hours and be sincere!"

"..."

The woman walked gracefully and quickly into the temple.

"Tsk tsk!"

The bald-headed man quietly appeared and said, "Old man, stop worshipping the Buddha. Why don't you worship me, Zhang Laizi? I am better than the Buddha in the temple and will definitely make your wife pregnant!"

"Ok?"

The middle-aged man dressed like a rich man looked at the ugly chivalrous man with a knife on his waist and was unable to react for a moment: "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Sanshi sneered and said, "What I mean is that my Zhang Laizi's stuff is more useful than the monk's stuff!"

"what?"

The middle-aged man then understood the hidden meaning: "You, you mean, the child you are pregnant with is not sent by the Bodhisattva, but the seed of the monk? The masters are highly respected, how could they do such a thing."

Chen Sanshi ignored him and jumped over the not-high enough wall and entered the temple.

The middle-aged man panicked after watching the other person disappear, and wanted to go in through the main gate to take a look, but was stopped by the monk guarding the gate. This made him even more unsure, and he felt more and more that something was wrong. Finally, he mustered up the courage to move some stones to step on, and climbed over the wall into the yard.

At this late hour of the night, the huge temple was pitch black and silent. Only in the main hall dedicated to the Goddess of Childbirth, there was flickering yellow candlelight. A young woman in a pink dress was kneeling on a cushion, burning incense and worshiping devoutly.

"Om-long——"

Just as she was silently making a wish, a door to a secret room suddenly opened behind the Bodhisattva statue. Then, one figure after another walked out of it. Finally, seven or eight tall and strong monks surrounded the woman.

At this point, the woman still didn't understand why praying for children in the Guanyin Temple was so effective.

Her face turned red, and she stood up and wanted to leave.

As a result, the leading monk grabbed her sleeve and said, "Amitabha, Madam, where do you want to go?"

"I, I want to go home."

"Ma'am, where are you going? Don't you want a child?"

"No more."

"Stop! Madam, do you think you can get away?"

"Just be obedient, the eight of us will bless you and cast a spell on you. I guarantee you'll get pregnant when you go back!"

"what--"

"I will fight with you!"

The middle-aged man witnessed this scene and was immediately furious. He rushed forward with bare hands.

"Um?!"

"Lecherous monk, lecherous monk!"

"Donor, please don't spit blood at me. We are just preparing to consecrate the lady!"

"boom--"

The leading monk raised his leg and was about to kick the man, but just as he raised his leg, a cold light flashed and he felt a chill on his leg. When he looked again, half of it was missing, and then blood gushed out.

"what!!"

He fell to the ground wailing and struggled while holding his broken leg.

"呲呲呲!"

Chen Sanshi kept waving the long knife in his hand. The knife lights merged into one, like a blooming lotus. Within a few breaths, the ground under his feet turned into a pool of blood. All eight members of the Xianghuo Shen sect died.

"Killed!"

The middle-aged man and the woman fled in panic.

Chen Sanshi was not in a hurry to take out the black pearl, because he knew that the incense in front of him had been taken away. The reason he came here was to lure the snake out of its hole and make a big profit.

"You must be Zhang Laizi, the hero Zhang!"

Sure enough, an angry voice sounded.

Yun Xiaozi and Ling Xuzi came into the hall one after the other.

"It's down!"

Chen Sanshi controlled his tone of voice and behavior to ensure that they were completely different from his real self.

"Hero Zhang!"

Yun Xiaozi narrowed his eyes and said vigilantly: "We in the Incense God Sect have no grudges against you, why do you keep stealing my incense and killing my disciples!"

"You, the Incense God Cult, have stolen the incense from the gods and harmed the people. Everyone has the right to kill you!"

Chen Sanshi scolded: "Don't think I don't know that you are being ordered by the prince!"

"what?

Yun Xiaozi was shocked: "How come you even know this!"

"There is nothing in this world that I, Baldy, don't know!"

Chen Sanshi remained expressionless but started to think.

He lied casually and the two men confessed.

It was really the prince's doing.

The reason why I did this today was, on the one hand, because I was still short of some incense to practice sword energy to the next stage, and on the other hand, I really wanted to know what the prince and the others were up to.

After all, this is a battlefield, and we have to make sure no one is causing trouble behind us.

"This……"

Yun Xiaozi's face kept changing. He originally planned to kill the person to silence him, but when he thought about how fast the other party absorbed the incense, which showed how profound his attainments were, he finally did not dare to act rashly.

He asked tentatively: "Zhang Daxia, why bother? Do you really want to make things difficult for us and His Highness? You have a lot of skills, why not join us? After the success, you will also be a follower of the dragon!"

From the power of the dragon?

Chen Sanshi seemed to have accidentally learned something extraordinary.

The Xianghuo Shen Sect belongs to the prince.

Then he said that he had the merit of following the dragon.

Prince...

Want to rebel and kill your father?
He maintained a calm expression: "What a joke! I am a man seeking immortality, I am not interested in the affairs of the court!"

"Master Zhang, don't rush to refuse!"

Yun Xiaozi said, "How about this, you wait until I go back and tell His Highness. Your Excellency is such a great man, His Highness will surely admire you, and when the time comes, His Highness may not refuse the conditions I offer."

Chen Sanshi didn't answer and made a gesture as if he was about to take action.

"Why is this?!"

Yun Xiaozi retreated again and again: "Master Zhang, how about this? Four months later, you meet us at the Mountain God Temple in Taihu Prefecture! Then, if you are satisfied with the conditions, it won't be too late to decide whether to cooperate or not!"

"Yes."

Ling Xuzi followed up by saying, "Since Your Excellency is not interested in the affairs of the court, I believe you will not disclose this matter to the outside world. As for the rest, we can discuss it slowly when the time comes!"

Taihu Prefecture.

Chen Sanshi looks at the map day and night, so how could he not know where it is?

Next to Taihu Mansion is Ziwei Mountain!
In other words.

If the prince wanted to rebel, he would choose to do it in Ziwei Mountain, that is to say, the prerequisite is to recover the three states.

original.

The information given by Xunxian Tower was correct. The Xiangshen Sect was really going to make a big move in the "Capital City".

It’s just that this capital city does not refer to a place name, but a person, the emperor!
"To show my sincerity..."

Yun Xiaozi took out a pocket incense burner from his arms and said, "These incense sticks are a gift to Zhang Daxia. We, the Incense God Sect, promise not to pursue the previous matter. How do you think?"

"whispering sound!"

Chen Sanshi glared and said, "Get out of here!"

"Come on!"

Yun Xiaozi and the other man looked at each other, then quickly retreated.

After Chen Sanshi confirmed with his qi-watching technique that they had gone far away, he looked at the incense burner on the ground. This pocket-sized incense burner was smaller than a palm, but it was filled with purple qi and abundant incense. There was also a blood-red mark on the bottom.

"These incense sticks are enough for a breakthrough in sword energy technique."

He took out the black bead, absorbed all the incense smoke, and then threw the incense burner away.

There is a mark on it, and you will be tracked if you hold it.

Moreover, after testing, it was found that the spiritual herbs refined by the incense burner were no better than those refined by the black iron furnace, because they were not used for refining pills at all and there was no point in keeping them.

He has no shortage of ointment now.

I gained a lot from today's trip.

only……

Why did the prince choose Ziwei Mountain as the place for rebellion?
After a little thought, he understood.

Whether forcing the emperor to abdicate or rebelling, he must have enough people at his disposal. The prince's power in the capital is probably no match for the emperor. Even in the vicinity of the capital, the movement of mobilizing troops is too obvious and easy to be detected.

But Ziwei Mountain is just right!
After the war, the emperor will definitely come to offer sacrifices to the gods.

The war in the three states had just ended, so it was normal to have troops here. Coupled with the presence of Pei Tiannan and others who had arrived early in secret, everything made sense.

only……

The prince had already made his plans before the battle was over.

What if we lose the battle later or fail to recover the three states?

The prince is not going to force this "palace"?

That's it.

None of this has anything to do with him.

For Chen Sanshi.

The old emperor who poisoned him and created the Yunzhou Ten Days with his own hands deserved to die, and the prince who sacrificed living people was not a good person either. It made no difference who was the emperor.

The only thing worth considering is whether it is possible to cheat more benefits from the Xianghuo Shen Sect while ensuring one's own safety.

And it looks like...

Yun Xiaozi thought he was some kind of master.

Of course, Chen Sanshi wasn't just pretending.

His Qi-observing technique can determine strength.

The incense and mysterious energy in Yun Xiaozi's body is not even as strong as his own. If a fight really breaks out, I can just kill him with sword energy.

The royal family really has no family affection!
After a slight sigh, Chen Sanshi left the main hall, jumped out of the temple, and disappeared into the darkness again.

No matter how big the fight gets, we must first finish the battle at hand.

Fortunately, it is certain that it will not be like Yunzhou, where the emperor will not stab the enemy himself and will be able to do whatever he wants.

According to his judgment, the situation in the East is still not optimistic.

Da Sheng was short of soldiers and high-ranking generals. On paper, Da Sheng was undoubtedly still the strongest, but it was surrounded by enemies on all sides and had to take every direction into consideration, which was a very difficult task.

That Deng Feng...

It would be great if they could surrender, it would be very helpful for the situation that follows.

And Chen Sanshi checked it carefully.

This person has noble character, a rare good official in the world who does not oppress the people or go along with the corrupt officials.

It was precisely because of this that he was exiled from the capital to the frontier several years ago.

He is a good person, but he is also often stubborn.

If he had not been prepared and called Cui Congyi and Sha Wenlong to go in together, he would have succeeded in committing suicide if he was a step later. He could only try to convince him to work for him.

If it really doesn't work, then just do what you have to do.

On the battlefield, you can't be friends, you can only be enemies.

After returning to the residence assigned to him, Chen Sanshi did not make a sound, but instead seized the time to practice sword skills all night.

[Magic: Sword Qi Technique (Mastery)]

【Progress: 855/1000】

He didn't speak until the next morning.

"Xia Cong! Go get me all the files and biography of General Deng."

"Yes!"

……

"General Deng, please surrender. This will benefit everyone."

Sha Wenlong held the iron whip in his hand and looked at Deng Feng, who had taken off his armor and was left with only a bloodstained inner robe. He said impatiently: "You know the rules. It is too troublesome to guard senior generals. So under normal circumstances, if they don't surrender within seven days, they will be beheaded in public!"

Deng Feng was not only covered in black iron chains, but his hands and feet were also nailed to cross-shaped wooden stakes.

He closed his eyes and said nothing.

"Deng Feng!"

Sha Wenlong scolded, "You are a defeated general, and the Great Sheng court has even promised you the title of Marquis. How can you not be satisfied? Well, I think you are tough, but where are your family members? Come on, bring all the family members of the surname Deng to me!"

Soon, more than a dozen family members, young and old, two sons, three daughters, the old mother, and wives and concubines were pushed into the tent.

Deng Feng turned a deaf ear.

"General Deng!"

Sha Wenlong said: "It would be fine if you died alone, but do you really want to implicate your wife and children?"

this time.

Deng Feng finally opened his eyes, but he did not beg for mercy. Instead, he sneered, "Kill them! Kill them, and me too!"

"you?!"

Sha Wenlong was stunned. He never expected that even this trick wouldn't work.

"Kill!"

Deng Feng actually urged: "When they were alive, they were blessed by me. Now that I am defeated, it is only natural that they should die with me! Why don't you kill them!"

"Okay, I'll kill you!"

Sha Wenlong had been holding back a lot of anger lately and was looking for a place to vent it. When he was about to take action, a young man in a white robe walked into the tent.

"Sha Wenlong, that's enough."

"Chen San, General Chen."

Sha Wenlong tried hard not to call him by his name: "Deng Feng won't surrender no matter what, just kill him!"

"Go out and take good care of General Deng's family."

Chen Sanshi ordered: "If anyone, especially a female relative, is insulted in the slightest, I will file a petition to have your entire family executed!"

"I see."

Sha Wenlong endured it and led the Deng family away.

Chen Sanshi gave another order, asking Xia Cong and others to isolate the camp by 200 steps, and no one was allowed within 200 steps.

"The surname is Chen."

Deng Feng sneered, "Do you think you can buy me off by settling my family?"

"No, I'm not planning to bribe you with this, but I know it's useless to kill him, so I'll keep him for now and wait until seven days later to kill him together with you. This is out of respect for you."

As Chen Sanshi spoke, he sat down on a chair in the tent and flipped through some files without rushing to speak again.

Deng Feng couldn't hold back any longer. He said unwillingly, "Chen Sanshi! I only lost to you in half an hour! After daybreak, you are going to retreat, right? In other words, if there is no chaos in the city in another half an hour, you will lose!"

"Well, everything you said is right."

Chen Sanshi paused, "But this half hour is a natural chasm, an insurmountable natural chasm. You can't win."

This war.

He didn't know where his confidence came from, but he did master a kind of military strategy, which he learned from the deeds of ancient sages and many battles, big and small.

Under the circumstances at that time, the people and the defenders were simply seeking a way to survive. Since the way to survive was already there, there was no point in continuing to defend.

In other words, Deng Feng's prestige was too high, otherwise the door would have been opened the next day, and there would not have been any need to use the phrase "surrounded by enemies on all sides".

"That's all."

Deng Feng was too lazy to argue: "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Go ahead and kill me. I will never be disloyal or unjust."

"Loyalty, what a loyal man."

Chen Sanshi took the file and read: "General Deng, let me ask you a question, what is the purpose of defending the city?"

"Of course, it's to protect the people!"

"Now that the city has been broken, have the people been hurt? Even inside the city, there were a few corrupt officials who you didn't dare to deal with before because of their court backgrounds. They were killed this morning, and the people cheered. Isn't this a better life for the people?"

Deng Feng: “…”

"Or does General Deng think that only by continuing the war and causing more civilian deaths can it be called protection?"

"..."

Deng Feng changed his words and said, "I am doing this to serve the court!"

"Oh?"

Chen Sanshi held up the file and said: "In the 192nd year of the Qingli period, General Deng was only 16 years old at that time. He had just started out, but he wrote a poem that caused a sensation in the literary world.

"Study hard to learn from the sages and establish the people, and carry forward the lost knowledge to bring peace.

"Holding a three-foot-long sword, I sweep away all the filth in the world.

"Then I want to ask, for General Deng, is serving the court more important, or is this ambition you once set more important?"

Deng Feng frowned: "Is this a contradiction?"

"Contradiction, of course it's contradictory!"

Chen Sanshi said: "As far as I know, corrupt officials are rampant in Qing State, and taxes are piled up year after year. The people are suffering. There are at least a dozen rebellions every year. If General Deng continues to stay in this corrupt and irreversible court, do you think it is possible to achieve the so-called eternal peace? Even... he can't even establish a life for the people and sweep away all the filth in the world, right? Otherwise, the officials in the city would not have to wait for me to kill them.

"In this case, isn't it contradictory to serve the court and maintain peace in the world?
"General, if you continue to stay in Qing Kingdom, aren't you destroying your own ambitions?

"Or……"

He paused, then raised his voice suddenly: "General Deng is nothing but a vain, hypocritical person! Everything he did was just to preserve the title of 'Sixth Generation Loyalty'!"

"You fart!"

Deng Feng, who had been acting like a dead dog, finally got irritated and started to curse: "Why do you say that to me?"

"Is not it?"

Chen Sanshi stood up and said, "If the city of Zhaotong really survived because of General Deng's loyalty and bravery, then the prefect's son, who has a strong family background and can be regarded as a relative of the Qing Dynasty, can continue to harm the people and rob women. Even if you submit more memorials, what's the point? At most, they will be dismissed and fined. At worst, they can move to another place and continue to do their previous work without any impact.

“Can we assume that these victims were caused by General Deng’s defense of the city?

“So, isn’t it contradictory to serve the Qing Dynasty and bring eternal peace?
"As long as General Deng continues to serve as the general of Qing, even if there is another thousand years, this wish will not be fulfilled, right?"

"Ridiculous, ridiculous!"

Deng Feng found the flaw and began to fight back frantically: "You said so much useless nonsense, don't you want me to surrender? Qing Kingdom is full of corrupt officials, and the people are suffering, but what about your Sheng Kingdom? In Yunzhou in ten days, even I can see that something is wrong! That's nearly a million people! If we talk about rottenness, your Sheng Kingdom is worse!"

"General Deng!"

Chen Sanshi said word by word: "Did I ever say that I am loyal to Dasheng, or that I call myself a Dasheng loyalist?"

"Boom!"

this sentence.

It was like a bolt from the blue, exploding in Deng Feng's mind.

"W-what do you mean?"

(End of this chapter)