Gao Wu: You have science, and I have magic!

At the mouth of the Yuejiang River, at the Weiyuan Fort.

Ye Qingzhou stood on the ancient city wall, gazing at the fishing boats coming and going on the river. It was the first time in twenty years that he had set foot on his homeland, and every brick and stone under his feet stirred his heart.

"Prophet, the Qing court has already dispatched Yishan with an army of 30,000 to march south."

Black Hawk approached carrying a stack of intelligence reports. "Ten thousand of them are elite troops from the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner."

Ye Qingzhou chuckled: "You think highly of us."

"One more thing."

Black Hawk's expression was grave. "The Qing government has secretly sent people to contact the captured British officers, seemingly intending to join forces."

A cold glint flashed in Ye Qingzhou's eyes: "As expected, those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts. Pass on my order to transfer those British prisoners to Qiongzhou for imprisonment."

He turned to look north. "The Manchus would rather collude with foreign enemies than suppress their own people. What reason does such a court have to exist?"

Three days later, thirty miles outside Guangzhou.

The Qing army camp stretched for miles, its banners obscuring the sky.

Yi Shan sat upright in the central command tent, listening to the scout's report: "Reporting to the General, Ye Qingzhou only has about three thousand men under his command, all of them strangely dressed, and they have no firearms..."

"Hahaha!"

Yishan laughed loudly, "As expected, a bunch of charlatans! Issue the order: prepare the meal at 3 AM tomorrow, advance the army at 7 AM, and I, the general, will have lunch at the Governor's Office in Yangcheng at noon!"

The following morning, the Qing army advanced in formation.

The Bordered Yellow Banner cavalry led the way, with Green Standard Army infantry positioned on both flanks. Thirty heavy muzzle-loading cannons, pulled by oxcarts, creaked and rattled in the center of the column.

As the sun rose high in the sky, a group of figures suddenly appeared on the plain ahead. There were only about three hundred people, all dressed in black, standing silently like pine trees.

"stop!"

Yi Shan raised his binoculars, then sneered, "Is that all the men we have? Fire! Let's give these traitors a taste of their own medicine!"

The gunners hurriedly loaded the shells, and with a series of deafening roars, the shells whistled towards the three hundred men.

However, just as the shells were about to hit the ground, the three hundred people simultaneously formed hand seals, and a semi-transparent light screen appeared out of thin air. All the shells hit it as if they were stuck in a quagmire and fell down one after another.

"Demon...demon magic!"

An uproar erupted within the Qing army ranks.

One of the three hundred Xinwu Sect disciples stepped forward; he was none other than the wolf-shaped Dharma Aspect martial artist who had once swept away the pirates of Fusang.

He stood at the front of the battle line and declared loudly, "Fellow Chinese compatriots! We will only kill the Manchu barbarians, not harm our Han sons and daughters! Lay down your weapons now, and you can save your lives!"

Yishan roared in fury: "Fire! All troops, charge!"

Arrows rained down, obscuring the sky, and the Eight Banners cavalry began to accelerate. The three hundred disciples exchanged glances and simultaneously formed hand seals.

roar~~
Amidst a deafening roar, three hundred beast-shaped Dharma forms soared into the sky.

Silver wolves, red tigers, blue phoenixes, black tortoises... all sorts of legendary mythical beast phantoms gleamed in the sunlight, the smallest of which was at least three zhang tall.

The horses of the Bordered Yellow Banner cavalry immediately neighed in panic and ran wildly out of control.

With a single pounce from the wolf-shaped Dharma form, more than ten cavalrymen, along with their horses, were smashed into a bloody pulp!
With a sweep of his long tail, the tiger-shaped Dharma image sent dozens of Qing soldiers flying like straws!
The Xuan Turtle Dharma Form opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of cold air, freezing an entire squad of musketeers into ice sculptures!
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Faced with such inhuman power, Yishan was terrified and turned his horse around to run away.

Seeing their commander desert, the 30,000 Qing troops immediately collapsed. The Eight Banners soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons, and the Green Standard Army soldiers knelt and begged for mercy. The red-coated cannons were melted into molten iron by the flames spewed from the Vermilion Bird statue, and their hissing sound seeped into the soil.

The asymmetrical battle lasted only half an hour, with the Qing army suffering more than 8,000 casualties, more than 10,000 captured, and the rest scattering and fleeing.

Yishan barely escaped under the cover of his personal guards, but was so frightened that he went insane, shouting "The monster is coming!" to everyone he met.

The Governor's Office of Guangzhou has now become Ye Qingzhou's temporary headquarters.

The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Qi Gong, paced back and forth in the courtyard, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He was a Han Bannerman, whose ancestors had submitted to the Manchus as early as the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, but the blood flowing in his veins was ultimately Han.

"Lord Qi, His Majesty invites you in."

A disciple of the Xinwu School walked out of the hall.

Qi Gong straightened his clothes and stepped inside.

He looked up slightly and saw a young man in white sitting in the hall. His face was as handsome as an immortal, and his eyes seemed to have golden light flowing between them.

Qi Gong's legs went weak, and he involuntarily knelt down: "This sinful subject Qi Gong pays his respects to Your Majesty Ye!"

Ye Qingzhou smiled slightly: "What crime has Lord Qi committed?"

"My family, being Han Chinese, served the Qing court for two hundred years, aiding and abetting its tyranny..."

Qi Gong touched his forehead to the ground, "Now that I have witnessed the divine might of the heavenly army, I know that the mandate of heaven has been bestowed upon me. I humbly beg Your Majesty to grant this sinful subject a chance to atone for his crimes and perform meritorious service!"

Ye Qingzhou rose and helped Qi Gong up: "Lord Qi, you flatter me. The Manchus have ruled the Central Plains for a long time, and it was out of necessity for the Han people to serve the Qing. Now that you have seen the error of your ways, I am very pleased."

Qi Gong, with tears welling in his eyes, said, "Your Majesty is magnanimous! This humble subject is willing to persuade the civil and military officials of Guangdong to join in this righteous cause!"

Three days later, the banners of the Black Bird were replaced with those of the city of Guangzhou.

Under Qi Gong's persuasion, important officials such as the Guangdong governor, provincial treasurer, and provincial judge all submitted to him.

Ye Qingzhou followed the ancient system of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and established "six prefectures" to manage government affairs. At the same time, he sent disciples of the Xinwu School to various counties to teach basic martial arts techniques and selected qualified young people to enter the "Martial Arts Academy" for study.

The news spread like wildfire, and Xu Jiyu, the governor of Fujian Province, was the first to respond, announcing that Fujian Province was breaking away from the Qing Dynasty.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Yunke, the governor of Zhejiang Province, and Wu Wenrong, the governor of Jiangxi Province, changed sides.

In just one month, half of the southeastern country had fallen under Ye Qingzhou's control.

On the south bank of the Longjiang River, in a secluded manor.

A dozen or so officials dressed in plain clothes gathered in a private room; they were all Han Chinese officials from Jiangnan who had not yet made a public statement.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating faces that were both excited and apprehensive.

"Have you all heard about it?"

A tall, thin scholar whispered, "Yishan's 30,000-strong army was wiped out in less than an hour!"

"My advisor saw it with his own eyes!"

A portly official wiped his sweat, his expression a mixture of fear and excitement: "They say those heavenly soldiers can transform into divine beasts, impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire..."

"The Qing dynasty's fate is sealed!"

The white-haired old man slammed his hand on the table and said, "Back then, when the Qing army entered the pass, they committed the Yangzhou Massacre and the Jiading Massacre. Now the retribution has come!"

"But……"

The younger officials hesitated: "If Ye Qingzhou loses, we will be guilty of a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of our families..."

Suddenly, a soft laugh came from outside the window.

Everyone turned around in alarm, only to see a martial artist with the phantom of eagle wings standing on the treetop outside the window.

"My lords, there is no need to worry."

The warrior cupped his hands and said, "His Majesty has said, 'All officials involved in the uprising, regardless of their past, shall be appointed according to their abilities.' This is His Majesty's personal edict."

After saying this, he tossed down a scroll of silk.

The white-haired old man trembled as he unfolded the silk scroll, on which were written eight large, bold characters: "Expel the Tartars, Restore China!"

At the end of the inscription, there is an ancient and simple jade seal with a black bird motif.

"It is the mandate of heaven...it is the mandate of heaven!"

The old man, tears streaming down his face, prostrated himself in worship.

That night, mutinies broke out simultaneously in dozens of prefectures and counties in Jiangnan.

Han Chinese officials, in alliance with local gentry, expelled the Manchu Eight Banners garrison and raised the Black Bird Banner. Many Manchu cities were breached overnight by angry Han Chinese, and two hundred years of ethnic repression erupted like a volcano.

On the banks of the Yue River, Ye Qingzhou stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the northward-flowing river.

"Your Majesty, why not take advantage of the victory and launch a northern expedition?"

Black Hawk asked, puzzled, "Now that the people's hearts are with us and the Eight Banners are terrified, it is the perfect time to strike at the heart of the enemy."

Ye Qingzhou shook his head: "Although the Qing Dynasty is corrupt, even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die easily. Our foundation is not yet stable, and rashly heading north may lead to unforeseen changes."

He picked up a fallen leaf, blew on it gently, and the leaf drifted northward: "Let the flames of resistance spread throughout the north and south of the country first, and when the time is right, we can settle the world in one fell swoop."

Behind him, three thousand disciples stood solemnly like a forest.

Ye Qingzhou knew that while the title was important for the establishment of a nation, strength was even more crucial. The Xinwu Association currently occupied a large area of ​​southern land but had not yet had time to digest and integrate it. A hasty northern expedition would likely lead to the same fate as Fu Jian of the Former Qin Dynasty.

The most important thing right now is to solidify our own foundation.

Watching the newly recruited 100,000 rebels training not far away, Ye Qingzhou remained calm. These people might not yet understand the profound martial arts of the mind, but each of them had a long-lost flame of hope burning in their eyes.

One day, they will become the masters of this country, leading Chinese civilization to overthrow the corrupt order of the Qing Dynasty and embark on the great road to rejuvenation.

The river wind howled, and the black bird banner unfurled like wings under the rising sun. Ye Qingzhou knew that this storm sweeping across the land of China had only just begun.

…………

An uproar erupted in the Parliament chamber of Westminster Palace, London.

William Jardine, the East India Company representative, spread a sketch on the long oak table: "Gentlemen, look, these are the 'ice ships' that destroyed our Far East Fleet. According to surviving officers, these ships were entirely crystalline, capable of sailing without sails or steam, and were said to be driven by the mind..."

"Absurd!" an army general slammed his fist on the table. "This is clearly a lie fabricated by those cowards to cover up their defeat!"

"Quiet!"

Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne struck the Speaker's gavel, his expression serious: "Mr. Jardine, are you sure this isn't some kind of new steamship? Perhaps the Russians developed it..."

"That's absolutely impossible, Your Excellency."

Jardine wiped the sweat from his brow, his tone trembling with fear: "Our engineers have analyzed the situation and concluded that with current technology, it's simply impossible to build such a massive ice structure, let alone keep it from melting. Moreover, the prisoners claim to have seen the people on the ship transform into giant beasts."

The parliamentary chamber erupted in chaos. John Brown, a member of parliament from Liverpool whose family owned vast tobacco plantations in North America, stood up abruptly: "Gentlemen! This Ye Qingzhou is the same yellow-skinned devil who drove out European explorers from the Americas twenty years ago! Now he's here to sabotage our trade in the East! The British Empire cannot tolerate this provocation!"

"Yes!"

A representative from the Manchester textile industry chimed in: "Last year alone, our pharmaceutical trade with China exceeded two million pounds! Now it's all gone!"

The Chancellor of the Exchequer added with a worried look: "Not to mention the value of the destroyed fleet... Good heavens, it will cost at least five million pounds to rebuild!"

Viscount Melbourne looked around at the crowd: "Then, shall we vote on whether to send an expeditionary force to China? Those in favor, please stand up."

Almost all the members of parliament stood up, with only a few objecting, and the resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority.

"Immediately inform the Navy Department of the parliament's vote results!"

Viscount Melbourne's face was grim, but his attitude was more forceful and furious than ever before: "This time we will send a fleet that the Easterners will never forget, to let these barbarians know the consequences of being an enemy of civilization!"

In the Queen's study at Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria slammed the parliamentary resolution onto the table, her young face flushed with anger: "Five million pounds! That's equivalent to ten years of royal expenses! That Eastern wizard must pay for this!"

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty."

First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Graham, bowed and said, “We have assembled sixteen battleships, including the newly launched HMS Revenge, which is armed with one hundred and twenty guns. In addition, there are thirty frigates and transport ships…”

"not enough."

The Queen suddenly interrupted him, revealing a fierce and menacing expression: "A conventional fleet of this caliber cannot deal with that damned Eastern wizard."

She walked to the bookshelf, pulled out an old, gold-embossed book, and wrote, "Contact Archbishop White of St. John's Cathedral. We need to form a powerful alliance with France to jointly conquer the East."

Sir Graham's pupils contracted slightly: "Your Majesty means... an alliance with our sworn enemy?"

"Compared to past hatred, Britain now needs enough benefits to quell the rising discontent within the country. Having lost its North American colonies, we are now in a very passive position."

The Queen looked worried. She turned the pages of the book, picked up a ruby-encrusted cross, and seemed to have made up her mind: "Tell the Gauls that if they are willing to join forces, they can share the trade privileges south of the Yangtze River after the war."

The Sassoon family mansion in Mumbai, the capital of Bharat.

David Sassoon crumpled a telegram into a ball and slammed it onto the Persian carpet: "Damn yellow-skinned monkey! How dare he ban the medicine trade!"

The tycoon of squid medicine paced back and forth in the living room, his gold-plated cane tapping loudly on the marble floor.

A huge oil painting hanging on the wall depicts his grandfather establishing a pharmaceutical empire in Calcutta, which is now facing collapse.

"Sir, the Sikh elders have arrived."

The butler announced in a low voice.

Five Sikh warriors with turbans and full beards walked in.

The leader bowed with one hand on his chest: "Lord Sassoon, have you summoned us?"

"Elder Ajay."

Sassoon forced a smile: "I need five thousand of the bravest Sikh warriors, equipped with the latest Enfield rifles and mountain guns. The reward... is the three most fertile valleys of Punjab."

A glint of light flashed in Ajay's eyes: "Who are we going to deal with?"

“A newly emerging school of thought in southern China.”

Sassoon opened a drawer and took out a portrait of Ye Qingzhou: "They killed British soldiers and disrupted legitimate trade. Her Majesty the Queen has authorized me to form a 'Special Merchant Corps Guard'."

In reality, news from Britain hadn't even reached them yet. Sassoon knew he was forging an imperial edict, but he also knew that these country bumpkins from the mountains couldn't distinguish between genuine and fake orders.

"We don't want the valley."

Ajay suddenly began by demanding: "We want a hundred cannons and ten thousand rifles."

Sassoon narrowed his eyes: "You want to..."

"The Sikh Empire will regain its glory."

Ajay revealed a sinister smile: "And you will obtain the exclusive rights to sell medicines throughout the entire Bharat."

The two looked at each other and smiled, thus making the devil's deal.

Louis Philippe I is hosting a dinner party in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

The British envoy was secretly led to a side room and presented with a personal letter from Queen Victoria.

"interesting……"

The King of France stroked his upturned beard, his smile tinged with pride and disdain: "A joint expeditionary force? But how will the spoils be distributed after the war?"

"His Majesty is willing to acknowledge France's special status in Baiyue."

The envoy whispered the terms: "In addition, ten trading ports south of the Longjiang River will be opened to your country."

Finance Minister Gounod whispered in the King's ear, "We've just finished building three steam-powered ironclads at our arsenal in Lyon, which is just in time to..."

“Tell Victoria.”

Louis-Philippe revealed a sly smile. "France will send its most elite African foreign legion. We will make that Eastern wizard understand that the glory of Europe cannot be challenged."

After the British envoy left, the King immediately summoned the military industry magnate: "Accelerate the construction of the ironclad 'Napoleon'. I want it to sail to the Far East within three months. Also, inform Count de Laville of the Paris branch of the Knights Templar that it is time to test the combat effectiveness of their 'sacred weapons'."

The former site of the Humen Fort at the mouth of the Pearl River.

Ye Qingzhou stood on the newly built viewing platform, followed by Qi Gong and other officials who had submitted to the emperor.

On the river, twelve uniquely designed warships are conducting drills. These are the new "Mystic Bird-class" warships, which combine psionic technology with Western shipbuilding design.

"Your Majesty's Divine Power!"

Qi Gong exclaimed sincerely, "To build such a fleet in just two months is truly a blessing from heaven for China!"

Ye Qingzhou smiled without speaking. The wood used for these warships came from ancient trees that were thousands of years old in the deep mountains of Min Province, and was processed by a martial artist with the "Azure Wood Dharma Image" ability to control plant growth.

The metal components were directly refined from the ore by disciples of the "Melting Gold Dharma Image" technique. With the addition of tens of thousands of laborers working day and night, the project was completed in a short period.

The power of martial arts is not only about greatly increasing the destructive power of martial artists, but also about giving back to the development of productivity.

"Report!"

A disciple of the Xinwu Sect rushed over, shouting, "A secret message from the North!"

Ye Qingzhou unfolded the letter, which bore the secret markings unique to the Heaven and Earth Society.

Black Hawk leaned closer and whispered, "News has come from Yanjing that the Qing court is in secret contact with Russian envoys, possibly offering to cede Outer Manchuria in exchange for military aid."

"As expected."

Ye Qingzhou sneered: "Order all ports along the Yangtze River to strengthen security, especially the inspection of Russian ships."

He turned to Qi Gong: "Lord Qi, has the Hall of Recruiting Talents recently seen any outstanding individuals?"

"Your Majesty, there are indeed several."

Qi Gong quickly presented the roster, "This Rong Hong studied at Yale University and is well-versed in Western technology; this Zhan Dachao is skilled in engineering and construction; and this one..."

Ye Qingzhou suddenly raised his hand to interrupt: "Is this Wei Yuanda the author of 'Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms'?"

"Indeed! Mr. Wei just arrived in Guangzhou yesterday, and he brought with him his new book, 'The Holy War Chronicles,' which praises His Majesty's great feat of expelling the foreign barbarians."

"Please!"

Ye Qingzhou's eyes lit up: "Such a talent should be treated as a national treasure!"

That night, Ye Qingzhou and Wei Yuanda had a long talk.

This Enlightenment thinker proposed the idea of ​​"learning from the barbarians' superior techniques to control them," which coincided with Ye Qingzhou's vision of integrating Eastern and Western civilizations.

"Mr. Wei, I wish to establish an 'Academy of Scientific Research' to specialize in combining Western science and technology with the Way of the Mind and Martial Arts. Would you be willing to take charge?"

Ye Qingzhou personally poured tea and inquired about the matter.

Wei Yuanda's beard trembled with excitement: "This old man is willing to serve you like a dog! However, Your Majesty, the Western powers, having suffered this setback, will surely make a comeback..."

"I know."

Ye Qingzhou gazed at the bright moon outside the window: "Therefore, we need more insightful people like you, sir. Within three years, I will ensure that Western gunboats never return from Chinese waters!" (End of Chapter)