Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 75 Dragon Commands Ten Thousand Armies, First Battle a Victory

When news of Jia Ye's murder and Chen Ye's ascension to the throne reached the capital of Dayong, Cao Xun was so angry that his face turned pale, and he paced back and forth in the Zichen Palace.

In fact, he knew that the previous forced reduction of the power of the princes was very risky, which is why he sent Jia Ye, a simple-minded second-generation scion, to test Chen Ye's reaction.

If Chen Ye reacts strongly, then I'll back down and give him a chance to calm down, and then cut him when he's off guard.

By taking it step by step, one day I will be able to take all the power into my own hands.

The plan was perfect, but unexpectedly, Chen Ye didn't play by the rules at all, and even overturned the card table.

How could this not enrage Cao Xun?

The palace maids and eunuchs serving inside the palace were terrified. They all knelt down on the ground, barely breathing, for fear of becoming the emperor's punching bag.

"Fine, fine, Chen Ye!" Cao Xun laughed in fury, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with sinister killing intent. "Issue my decree to summon all officials."

At the same time, the entire officialdom of the Great Yong Dynasty was shaken.

After all, the new emperor had only been on the throne for a short time when a non-royal prince who held a large army on the frontier openly rebelled, which was a major event that could shake the very foundation of the country.

At the court assembly, the newly promoted nobles were all indignant, and they were even more excited than the emperor himself.

"Your Majesty, Chen Ye is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and he deserves to die a thousand deaths! I request to be the vanguard and lead 100,000 troops to tear this traitor to pieces!" The speaker was Bai Jing, the Grand Commander of the Imperial City Guard.

"Lord Bai is absolutely right. Such traitors and rebels must not be tolerated!"

"Your Majesty, please issue an edict to send troops to punish them!"

The voices of the pro-war faction grew louder and louder, but most of the veteran officials who had experienced the storms of the previous dynasty kept their heads down, eyes downcast, and remained silent.

They knew it perfectly well.

Chen Ye had been operating in Daliang for a long time, and with the support of the people, his foundation was far deeper than anyone imagined.

Sending troops rashly could lead to an uncertain outcome!

But Cao Xun was in a fit of anger, so no one dared to pour cold water on him at this time.

At the same time, at the Meng family mansion.

Holding the secret letter sent back from the border army, Meng Yi sat there for an entire afternoon.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice, casting his aged shadow long.

He had read the contents of the letter at least ten times.

Chen Ye has rebelled.

He had anticipated this outcome, but he hadn't expected it to come so quickly and so decisively.

"Father." Meng Yi's eldest son, Meng Xu, walked in quietly, his face equally solemn. "How should we handle this matter?"

Meng Yi slowly said, "Cao Xun is cold-hearted and ruthless. Since ascending the throne, he has acted perversely and has long lost the hearts of the people. Chen Ye's actions, although rebellious, are also out of necessity and in accordance with the times."

Meng Xu was startled upon hearing this: "Then you mean..."

“I didn’t mean anything,” Meng Yi interrupted him, his voice returning to its usual calm.

"The Meng family has been loyal to the Great Yong for generations; this is their ancestral precept. Issue this order: all family soldiers must strictly adhere to military discipline, perform their duties, and refrain from any rash actions before the court issues a clear decree."

"Yes." Meng Xu bowed and accepted the order. He understood that his father had chosen to wait and see for the time being.

Being loyal to the Great Yong Dynasty does not necessarily mean being loyal to the new emperor.

Just as turmoil was brewing in the capital of Dayong, a grand sacrificial ceremony was being held in Luojing.

Chen Ye, dressed in a yellow robe, personally lit the incense and candles for the sacrificial ceremony.

Behind him were Wang Xing and other trusted generals, as well as tens of thousands of civilians who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.

The eulogy was written by Chen Ye himself and read aloud by a clerk with a loud voice.

The manifesto denounced the new emperor Cao Xun for ten major crimes: "Killing his father and usurping the throne is intolerable to Heaven and Earth; harming his own brothers is an outrage against both God and man; dismissing loyal officials is perverse and tyrannical; oppressing the people has caused them to suffer..." Finally, the manifesto made a resounding statement.

"Today, I have raised an army out of necessity, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the support of the people of Great Liang, vowing to punish the traitors, restore a bright and clear world to Great Yong, and save countless people from suffering!"

"Execute the traitors to the nation!"

The soldiers and civilians below erupted in a thunderous roar, the sound soaring into the sky.

With popular support, morale is soaring!
After the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven ended, Chen Ye immediately convened a meeting of his generals.

"Your Majesty!" Wang Xing exclaimed excitedly, his face flushed. "Give the order! This humble general is willing to be the vanguard, to strike at the heart of the enemy, and to storm into the capital."

"What's the rush?" Chen Ye smiled, gesturing for him to calm down. "You have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time."

He walked to the huge sand table and pointed to a city.

"The Dayong Dynasty may seem powerful, but the new emperor's foundation is unstable. Mobilizing a large army is not something that can be accomplished overnight. This is our opportunity."

"Our first target is Shuozhou!"

"This city is the gateway to the Central Plains. If we take it, we can advance or retreat as needed, and completely secure our rear!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals were invigorated.

Before dawn the next day, 30,000 troops had already assembled on the parade ground outside Luoyang. The dark mass of soldiers stretched as far as the eye could see, yet all were silent, with only the banners bearing the character "Chen" fluttering in the morning breeze.

Chen Ye, clad in armor and riding a warhorse, slowly walked past the army formation.

He did not deliver any grand pre-war mobilization speech.

But as he passed by, an invisible force centered on him instantly enveloped the entire army formation.

The dragon commands a vast army!

The talent of a national general!
All the soldiers felt a warm current flow through their bodies, as if they were filled with inexhaustible strength. The slight tension and fear in their hearts vanished instantly, replaced by a fervent fighting spirit and absolute loyalty.

Their eyes changed.

It was a fanaticism that viewed death as a way of returning home and the people in front of them as gods!
At that moment, the 30,000 people seemed to merge into one, transforming into a torrent of steel capable of destroying everything.

"set off!"

Chen Ye simply uttered two words.

"Roar!"

The 30,000-strong army roared in unison, their voices echoing across the land, and then marched in orderly steps toward Shuozhou.

Inside Shuozhou City, the garrison commander was still worried about the rebellion in Luoyang, but he never expected that Chen Ye would act so quickly.

Therefore, when Chen Ye's army approached the city, the defending general even thought there was something wrong with his eyes.

However, this was only the beginning. When the overwhelming offensive unfolded, the defending general finally understood what true despair was.

Because the army led by Chen Ye was not like a human being at all, but a group of tireless and fearless war machines.

In just two days, Shuozhou City was captured.

When Wang Xing led his army into the city, the people inside hid in their homes in fear, trembling with dread.

However, the imagined burning, killing, and looting did not occur.

The army that entered the city was disciplined and did not commit any offenses. They even sent people to appease the people and opened the granaries to distribute grain.

This move quickly won the hearts of the people of Shuozhou.

The news of the fall of Shuozhou spread like wildfire to the capital of Dayong.

(End of this chapter)