Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 139 "A Short Song"! The Battle Song of Mingzhou! Marching Off!
"Capture Jiang Xingzhou alive?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Li's dragon eyes suddenly contracted, and his ferocious dragon head rose up at the same time, his dragon breath churning like thunder in his throat.

Memories gnaw at the heart like venomous snakes.

On the city wall of Wuxi, that figure in a green robe fluttered in the wind.

The young man drew his bow like the moon and unleashed the literary technique of "The Ballad of the Frontier - Stone Arrow" from the Dafu collection. An arrow pierced the air.

The arrowhead's cold gleam reflected in its incredulous dragon eyes, impaling a turtle demon general with terrifying defensive capabilities onto the nine-headed seahorse chariot.

The power of that single arrow terrified the tens of thousands of demon soldiers on Taihu Lake, leaving them deeply shaken.

This triggered a massive rout of the demon soldiers!
From the city gate tower of Wuxi County to the shores of Taihu Lake,

Dragging its dragon-like body, scorched by the literary energy, it fled in panic amidst a rain of arrows.

Finally, at the bottom of Taihu Lake, they rallied the remaining troops and revitalized the morale of the demon army.

The demon army was terrified and never dared to approach the human county near Taihu Lake again.

He lay dormant at the bottom of the lake for months, dreaming every night of the arrow that tore through the demonic clouds, a nightmare he could not shake off.

It hated that boy, hated him to the core!

Inside the Crystal Palace, at the banquet, hundreds of demon generals seemed to recall something; their scales trembled, and their bone spikes cracked and popped.

—A mere student's literary talent could actually trigger extraordinary phenomena in the Da Mansion!
When the arrow flew from Wuxi, the blue sky transformed into a battlefield. The young man, accompanied by the chilling sound of the "Stone-Edged Arrow," pierced through the three hundred years of cultivation of the tortoise demon general with a single arrow, its power undiminished, nailing the nine-headed dragon chariot into the waves of Taihu Lake!

He led the human army, chasing the demon king's carriage, and pursued it all the way to the shore of Taihu Lake!
The mermaid pearls on the crystal palace dome flickered, reflecting the panic on the faces of the demon generals scattered on the ground.

In their short demonic lives, they had never seen such a terrifying human!

Inside the Crystal Palace, demonic energy surged and boiled.

"it is good!"

Ao Lijiao raised his ferocious head, his golden eyes blazing with savage flames. "If you capture that brat, I will personally break his bone structure! Then I will hand him over to Scholar Fei for disposal! If he happens to die... you can have his corpse!"

The dragon's claws tightened suddenly, and the coral armrest shattered with a deafening roar, sending dust and debris scattering everywhere.

"Do not."

Fei Wuxin's black robes fluttered without wind, and his pale face appeared ghostly under the eerie blue mermaid lamp. "He must be captured alive and handed over to me unharmed!"

He gave a sinister laugh, his voice like a venomous snake: "Dragon Lord, why don't you think about this—capture this 'Number One Talent of Jiangnan' alive, and then force him to degenerate into a traitor! ...How satisfying would that be for the literary heart of the human race?"

With a slight lift of his withered fingers from his sleeve, a wisp of black energy coiled into a talisman of rebellion: "My three thousand rebels are nothing but mediocre fools."

If I could obtain this child! ...Even if it meant burying three thousand rebellious descendants, I would not hesitate!

Ao Lijiao's pupils suddenly contracted.

--I see!
This traitorous scholar from the Hanlin Academy actually intends to drag the human race's prodigy into the quagmire of the rebellious race and make him his subordinate!
"Suit yourself! Capture him alive!"

The demon king impatiently swung his dragon tail, causing the palace pillars to hum.

It sneered inwardly: This traitor Fei Wuxin, though acting madly, is extremely ambitious and cunning, and is well-versed in the art of destroying hearts.

In this battle, it will still need Fei Wuxin to devise strategies for it—it needs such insidious schemes!
"What Scholar Fei requests, I hereby grant in full!"

Ao Li Jiu lowered his head, his dragon eyes gleaming with a sinister light, and suddenly grinned.

It suddenly stood up, its scales scraping against the crystal throne, producing a piercing clang.

"but."

The dragon's claw slammed heavily on the table, causing all the demon generals in the hall to tremble. "Right now, Wei Guanlan is leading 100,000 naval troops from Jiangnan to press on our border. I wonder what brilliant plan the scholar has to repel the enemy?"

The dragon tilted its head slightly forward, its vertical pupils locking onto Fei Wuxin: "Since you are known for your strategies, you should let me see your abilities."

"The Landscape and the State Map!"

Fei Wuxin, his black robes fluttering, suddenly stepped forward and stood in the center of the Crystal Palace, his withered fingers slicing through the air like knives from his sleeves.

Om-!
The hall was filled with demonic energy, and a magnificent scroll unfolded from the void, displaying the entire landscape of Jiangnan.

The shimmering waves of Taihu Lake, the raging torrents of the Yangtze River, the majestic city of Nanjing... every detail is vividly depicted.

Furthermore, a large fleet of warships, the Longwan Water Fortress, was occupied by Wei Guanlan's 100,000-strong navy!
In the depths of Taihu Lake, the Crystal Palace, with its eerie blue light, dwarfs the other's presence, like fireflies twinkling in the sky.

"The Crystal Palace has more than 20,000 demon soldiers, and the Heartless Palace has 3,000 rebel soldiers. Combined, the soldiers of our two palaces number no more than 20,000."

It would be impossible to withstand Wei Guanlan's 100,000-strong navy!
We need more troops!

Fei Wuxin pointed his finger towards the East Sea, and the black mist tore a scarlet crack in the waves. "Dragon Lord—could you borrow 30,000 troops from the East Sea Dragon Palace?"

"The Dragon Palace of the East Sea?"

Suddenly, Ao Li's dragon head became agitated, and several streaks of black blood gushed out from under its scales.

It whipped its tail, shattering three crystal pillars, and laughed maniacally: "My good father—he should have forgotten about me as his son long ago!"

The dragon's claws pierced its own chest, tearing out a piece of its reverse scale.

The four blood-red characters “Expelled from the East Sea” were clearly engraved on the scales, and the scorch marks from the forbidden dragon technique were still billowing with black smoke.

"Otherwise, why do you think I would lead this pack of stray dogs to reign supreme in this shallow puddle of Taihu Lake?!"

Its venom dripped from between its fangs, corroding the waters of Taihu Lake and causing it to hiss and emit white smoke.
If it hadn't fallen out with the Dragon King of the East Sea, it wouldn't have left the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, leading tens of thousands of demons and soldiers up the Yangtze River to Taihu Lake, where it established a separate demon court.

"pity."

Fei Wuxin's eyes flashed with a faint light as he slowly shook his head.

With the support of the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, the Demon Court of Taihu Lake would be able to withstand Wei Guanlan's 100,000-strong navy.

He whispered, his withered fingers twirling in his sleeve, quietly extinguishing his original plan to send reinforcements from the East Sea Dragon Palace.

"I've heard that the Dragon Lord has a long-standing friendship with the White-browed Marquis of Jibei and the Fish Demon General of the East Sea. Since the human navy is still training, why not invite them to join forces?"

"We do have a life-or-death bond."

Fei Wuxin stroked his long beard, his eyes gleaming: "If the Dragon Lord sends a demon envoy to persuade them, he can convince them to send troops and gather 50,000 elite demon soldiers."

At that time our army will be able to

He leaned close to Ao Li and whispered in his ear.

"what?"

Ao Li was suddenly shocked. His dragon eyes shrank sharply, and his scales clanged: "That is an important human town, guarded by 100,000 Xuanjia naval soldiers!"

That's precisely why—

Fei Wuxin suddenly burst into loud laughter, the sound shaking the crystal palace and glazed tiles. "Even the Dragon King is horrified by this and dares not even entertain such a thought."

How could those humans of Jiangnan have imagined that my Taihu Demon Court would dare to commit such an earth-shattering act?

In less than half a month, the White-browed Marquis and the Royal Fish Demon General indeed led their troops to provide reinforcements.

Thirty thousand demon soldiers traveled upstream from the East Sea, stealthily traversing the bottom of the great river, avoiding the human race on the shore, and silently arrived at the Taihu Demon Court.

"Hahaha! Brother White-browed Marquis! Brother Royal Fish!"

Upon hearing the news, Ao Li was overjoyed and personally led his demon generals to meet him several miles away. His voice was like thunder, shaking the lake surface and causing waves to surge.

"Brother Ao Li invited us, how could we dare not come?"

The White-browed Marquis laughed loudly.

"If war breaks out with the human race, we, as fellow demons, will surely come to their aid!"

The Imperial Fish Demon General nodded in agreement.

The two demons understood each other without saying a word.

The Taihu Demon Court is a sharp thorn that the demon race has driven into Jiangnan Road. How can it be easily destroyed?

If this place exists, it can restrain the troops of the Great Zhou's Jiangnan Circuit, preventing them from being mobilized and threatening the demon races in other places.

In an instant, the demonic aura of Taihu Lake soared to the sky, war drums boomed, and dark clouds pressed down, as if an earth-shattering battle was about to begin.

Longwan Water Village, with iron gates spanning the river.

A black iron sluice gate, nearly a hundred feet long and wide, like the fangs of a giant beast, firmly blocked the surging waves of the outer river.

The waters within the village are wide and as smooth as a mirror.

The 100,000-strong naval fleet was arrayed in a solemn formation, with banners fluttering in the wind.

During the day,
In Jiangnan Province, a city with ten prefectures, nearly ten thousand scholars boarded ships to practice martial arts, training and coordinating with one hundred thousand sailors in combat.

The naval soldiers primarily engaged in close combat with spears and crossbows for long-range shooting.

The scholars stood on the ship's deck, either wielding their brushes or reciting sacred words to boost the soldiers' morale, combat effectiveness, protection, recovery, and physical strength.

Amidst the flowing literary atmosphere, the soldiers on the warships were filled with high morale, and their fighting spirit shone even brighter.

The drills continued until nightfall, at which point the warships returned to their anchorage.

The group went ashore and rested at the naval camp.

A thousand large warships lay dormant like mountains, while tens of thousands of small warships lay still like stars, moored at the Shuizhai Wharf.

River mist gradually rises.

Only a few torches flickered on the dock, illuminating the solitary figures of the night patrol soldiers.

Armor and weapons occasionally clashed, their clear, resonant sounds echoing through the empty water fortress, startling a few water birds that were roosting there at night.

The entire Longwan Bay resembles a sleeping giant, quietly swallowing and spitting out the river tides under the moonlight.

The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and the river mist was as black as ink.

Near dawn, at the most difficult time.

Several dark figures emerged silently from the turbid waves—they were actually several blue-armored crab generals, their ten-foot-long iron pincers as menacing as guillotines, their eerie green eyes glowing like will-o'-the-wisps in the dark night.

"Click——"

A sickening metallic cracking sound came from underwater.

The massive iron fence, weighing tens of thousands of kilograms, was actually cut open by those giant pincers coated with demonic poison, creating a hideous rift dozens of feet wide.

The river water churned up turbid eddies.

Suddenly, ghostly figures appeared in the fog.

Dozens of traitorous scholars swam in the water, leading the way. Scales and armor could be faintly seen reflecting light beneath their plain black scholar robes.

Behind them, thousands of demon generals and shrimp soldiers swarmed like locusts, their bone knives leaving winding trails of blood on the water's surface in the pale moonlight.

—The sleeping Longwan Water Village remains silent.

"Don't harass the patrolling soldiers!"

The leading anti-Chinese intellectual lowered his voice, a cold glint in his eyes, "Shoot straight at the giant warship—set it on fire!"

He knew this place best, and he knew the weakness of this water fortress. The true core of the Jiangnan navy's 100,000-strong force lay in those 1,000 warships crafted using Mohist mechanisms—

With black iron as its skeleton and spirit wood as its armor, the ship's hull is engraved with dense defensive runes.

Each giant warship is equipped with thirty-six city-breaking crossbows and twelve sky-burning cannons, and can even fly through the air using the power of formations.

A giant ship is like a small floating fortress, and it is very difficult to breach.

In comparison, the tens of thousands of warships around them were far inferior, being used only for carrying people and cargo.

At this moment, these enormous objects are quietly moored at the dock.

Under the cover of night fog, only a few lights flickered on the deck—most of the soldiers had returned to shore to rest, leaving only a few soldiers to guard the ship.

"Remember, burn the sails and masts—we're most vulnerable to fire attacks!"

The rebel scholar leader licked his lips, and a flammable object soaked in demonic oil slid out from his sleeve.

His face was contorted with vengeance!
Lord Wei Guanlan of Jinling City probably never imagined that the Taihu Demon Court would dare to launch an attack on Longwan Water Village despite being in such a weak position!
A sudden gust of night wind blew, carrying the fishy smell of the river.

"Gululu——"

Beneath the turbulent surface of the water, thousands of demon generals and soldiers, carrying dark blue pottery jars, quietly rose to the surface.

The viscous demonic oil in the jar had an eerie, ghostly green hue and shimmered slightly in the moonlight.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The earthenware jars rained down on the ship.

Sticky grease splattered on the ship's hull, meandering down the masts and turning the entire deck a nauseating dark yellow.

"what sound?!"

The stern shouts of the night patrol soldiers pierced the night sky.

Too late.

The traitorous intellectual grinned maliciously as he threw out a tinderbox—"Boom!"

The demonic fire ignites upon contact with oil, instantly transforming into a towering wave of flames.

That was no ordinary fire, but a demonic fire with a bluish-purple glow, which even caused the ship's hull, forged from black iron, to begin to twist and deform.

"Enemy attack——!"

The alarm bells rang throughout the water village.

The camp on the shore immediately erupted in excitement, and countless soldiers charged out with spears in hand.

On the river, thousands of dripping wet demon soldiers leaped onto the burning warships.

They brandished their sharp claws, frantically tearing at the blazing sails and setting fires everywhere.

Fire borrows the power of wind, and wind aids the power of fire.

Ten, a hundred, and more and more ships were engulfed in flames.

Thick smoke billowed, turning half the night sky blood red.

As dawn broke, the morning light pierced through the smoke of battle, the shouts of killing finally subsided, and corpses floated on the river like duckweed.

Three thousand demon soldiers perished, their severed limbs and broken halberds floating on the waves, turning the entire body of water dark red—the demon soldiers who launched the night raid last night were all annihilated.

But this pyrrhic victory left the 100,000-strong navy completely silent.
They, along with students from the ten prefectures of Jiangnan, gathered in front of the water fortress, their expressions dejected.

Although the demon soldiers and generals who launched the sneak attack were killed, the navy suffered heavy losses!
Governor Wei Guanlan, with a gloomy expression, led the other prefects and naval commanders to inspect the Longwan Water Fortress, which had been attacked and set on fire by the demon general at night.

"Report!"

Sima Dushang knelt on one knee, the bloodstains on his armor still wet: "Our army lost 197 warships and 843 barges, with about 100 casualties!"

Three thousand and twenty-eight demon soldiers were slain!

"How were the defenses deployed last night? Why were there no soldiers stationed underwater?! How could the demon soldiers have infiltrated the water fortress and set fire to the ships?"

Before he could finish speaking, Prefect Wei Guanlan's sword was already deeply embedded in the scorched earth. Suppressing his anger, he said in a deep voice.

With a major battle imminent, he repeatedly ordered that the defenses of the water fortress be strengthened to prevent any unforeseen events!
The high-ranking official's knuckles were white, yet he maintained a terrifying calm.

"Your Majesty, it's clear!
At least thirty people were arranged to be sentries underwater, but they were all killed by the demon!

The bodies of those brothers were covered in frost, even their wounds!

Du Shangjun's Adam's apple bobbed, and his expression was bitter.

"The enemy who launched the night raid was led by at least one demon general who killed our hidden sentries without anyone noticing!"
Now it has escaped!

Upon hearing this, Prefect Wei Guanlan fell silent.

Before a demon general, ordinary soldiers would have no chance of resistance. The underwater sentries were killed before they could even send a signal.

The night raid came too suddenly—the Jiangnan navy had not been engaged in battle for too long, which led to this oversight.

Du Shangjun's voice was exceptionally clear in the morning breeze:

"grown ups!
The demon army's night raid was a suicidal attack, extremely audacious. It didn't seem like the work of the Demon King Ao Li! It seems the Taihu Demon Court has received outside help!

He suddenly pointed towards Taihu Lake: "The Taihu Demon Court knew it was doomed to defeat, so it used three thousand demon soldiers as bait."

its purpose,
Their sole purpose was to burn our warships, demoralize our troops, disrupt our offensive rhythm, and prevent our army from attacking the demon court on Taihu Lake!

A river breeze carrying the smell of burning flesh swept by, and the 100,000-strong navy remained completely silent.

"I believe we should set off as soon as possible and attack the Taihu Demon Court ourselves!"

Our army still possesses eight hundred giant warships, nine thousand large warships, and a full fleet of one hundred thousand men, enough to annihilate the Taihu Demon Court!

Du Shangjun's armor clanged loudly. "Now is the perfect time to storm the demon court!"

Wei Guanlan's gaze was sharp as a knife as he slowly swept over the generals.

He saw—

The governors, clutching their jade tablets, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Bloodstains still wet between the naval commander's armor.

The pale knuckles of the Jiangnan scholars cracked their folding fans, their faces showing a mixture of shock and unease.

What's most alarming is that even the naval soldiers who fought the demon army last night have begun to show hesitation in their eyes—the Taihu demon army is more difficult to deal with than they imagined.

The demon army launched a sneak attack, and demonic fire raged at night. Before they even set out, the morale of the 100,000-strong naval force in Jiangnan had already been shaken!

"Morale has collapsed, how can we go to war?"

Governor Wei Guanlan sighed inwardly.

These words were like a piece of cold iron falling to the ground.

Last night's demonic fire not only destroyed the warships, but also left a shadow in the hearts of 100,000 soldiers—

The Jiangnan navy had little experience in bloody battles.

Once you encounter setbacks, you are very likely to succumb to pressure!

At this moment, the wavering and hesitant gazes of the soldiers in the formation were more worrying than the wrecked warships.

But turning around the morale of an army of 100,000 is no easy task!

"grown ups!"

Suddenly, a clear and melodious voice broke the deathly silence of the entire venue.

Wei Guanlan's soft sigh abruptly stopped.

As everyone turned around, they saw a young scholar stepping out from the crowd of students in the Jiangnan Prefectural Academy, his blue robe billowing.

The jade pendant at his waist struck the scabbard of his sword, producing a clear ringing sound in the morning light.

The Military Classic states: "The commander of an army can be captured, but the will of a common man cannot be taken away!"

A great battle is imminent, but we will forge ahead!

We will not back down an inch!

The young man raised his sleeves and pointed directly at Taihu Lake, saying, "The Taihu Lake Demon Court sent troops to launch a night attack and burn my warships, precisely because they fear that my army's strength will reach Taihu Lake!"
Now is the perfect time to set out!

He suddenly drew his sword, severing half of the charred flag. Where the sword's edge pointed, a scholarly aura rose from the command platform.

"Please, beat the war drums—!"
The students are willing to be part of the great army, reciting the spirited battle song of [Mingzhou]—"A Short Song"!

Upon hearing this, the prefects of various prefectures, the naval commanders, the students of Jiangnan, and the 100,000-strong navy all looked at him in shock.

Ten thousand gazes, like arrows, shot towards the young man in the blue robe.

"good!"

Wei Guanlan was taken aback but then his face lit up with joy. His eyes gleamed, and his jade belt moved without wind: "Jiang Lang, ascend the command platform!"

Immediately, he, Jiang Xingzhou, and the prefects and naval commanders ascended to the highest point of Longwan Water Fortress—the Longwan Command Platform.

On the command platform, the banner of the three armies fluttered in the wind.

"Prefect Xue, beat the war drums!"

Governor Wei Guanlan gave a stern shout.

The moment Jiangzhou Prefect Xue Chonghu's muscular arms struck the Kui-skin war drum with his heavy hammer—

"Boom--!"

The sound waves crashed across the river like thunder, shaking the charred wood and causing it to crumble and turn to dust.

Jiang Xingzhou stood on the command platform, stepping to the beat of the drums. The three armies' flags were unfurled in his hands with a "whoosh," creating a whirlwind of talent.

"A battle song of morale!"
"Dan Ge Xing"——!
"Let us drink and sing, for life is short!"

The young man's clear voice pierced the clouds, and the banner in his hand, imbued with his talent, instantly burst forth with ten feet of red light.

The warships that had been blackened by demonic fire now had faint golden characters appearing on their decks.

"[Let us drink and sing, for life is short!]"

The 100,000 naval soldiers unconsciously stood with their hands on their swords, and the morning dew that had condensed on their helmet plumes suddenly turned into tiny golden rays that rose up.

"Keng——!"

Among the naval forces, it was unclear who first drew their swords, but in an instant, their cold gleam filled the air like a forest.

"Wow!"

The clanging of ten thousand shields against sword blades resonated with the rhythm of the poem.

Tens of thousands of students from ten prefectures in Jiangnan sang loudly.

(End of this chapter)