You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Sui Dynasty, Daxing City, Jin Prince's Residence.

In the back garden, there are strange rocks stacked on top of each other, and a winding stream flowing gently.

It was late autumn, and several maple trees were ablaze with color, reflecting the pale afternoon sunlight.

Inside a spacious waterside pavilion, a smooth white marble chessboard, with black and white pieces scattered across it, hints at a deadly intent.

Prince Yang Guang of Jin, dressed in a black casual robe and with his hair tied up in a golden crown, leaned against a folding chair covered with brocade cushions, his fingertips twirling a warm, smooth black jade chess piece, his gaze fixed on a corner of the chessboard.

Opposite him, Yang Su sat upright, dressed in a purple robe and jade belt, with a lean face and a calm gaze like an ancient well. He held a white piece, and when he placed a piece, it was almost silent.

The only sounds in the pavilion were the crisp sound of chess pieces lightly tapping on a jade plate and the faint sound of string and wind instruments in the distance. The servants all stood with their hands at their sides ten paces away, holding their breath and concentrating.

"That one in the south..."

Yang Su placed a piece, his voice calm and even: "The Lu Zuo I recently promoted is making a name for himself in Dongyang and Nantong, cultivating land and training troops. He's quite impressive."

"It is said that they not only brought mechanical beasts, but also high-yield crops and something called ammonia fertilizer."

Yang Guang tapped the black chess piece lightly on the rim of the jade plate with his fingertip, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Ha, the tide is turning like the heavens; how can mere human strength stop it?"

"Nantong and Dongyang seem to be showing some improvement, but they are ultimately just two counties, fighting like cornered beasts."

"Our Great Sui Dynasty has a million armored soldiers and mountains of provisions; its might has already been revealed."

What he lacks is precisely time!

"Our Great Sui Dynasty has been preparing for war for a long time; how could we allow them to slowly cultivate the land, train their troops, and build up their strength?"

After a pause, Yang Guang asked, "When will my Great Sui Dynasty be able to wage war against the Southern Chen Dynasty?"

"According to the Grand Tutor's estimation, how long would it take to capture Jiankang once military action is launched?"

Yang Su placed a white piece steadily: "Gao Ying, Generals He Ruobi and others have been preparing in Guangling for a long time. The naval and land weapons and provisions will be ready by March at the latest."

"At that time, we can lead our troops south and head straight for Nanxu."

"As for taking Jiankang..."

"According to my estimation, it will take at least a month, and at the very least, no more than two months."

"After all, the Southern Chen dynasty was rotten to the core, and now it is only relying on the Southern Xu navy and the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to barely keep its last breath."

"Once our army breaks through the river defenses, I'm afraid no one in Jiankang will be willing to fight to the death for that absurd ruler."

Yang Guang pondered for a moment, then asked, "What about the six great families of Southern Chen?"

"Their strength should not be underestimated!"

"Hehehe..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Su paused slightly in holding Zi's hand, and surprisingly chuckled softly, a rare occurrence for him. His laughter carried an undisguised mockery and knowing smile.

"Your Highness's concerns are indeed reasonable."

"However..."

"Chen Shubao has severed his own foundation, thus clearing away this concern for Your Highness."

"He appointed Zhang Zhongjian, whose origins were unknown, and within a month, he eliminated all the scions of powerful families and their associates in the five major camps."

"This move is tantamount to telling the six great families in broad daylight that Chen Shubao will no longer share power with you, nor will he rely on you."

Having said this, Yang Su placed another piece, his eyes gleaming, and said in a deep voice, "This foolish ruler's actions have severed him from the gentry of Jiangnan!"

"He personally pushed away the last bit of people's hearts that he might have been able to hold onto."

"Currently, within Jiankang City, the six great families appear respectful on the surface, but in reality, they are disloyal and live in constant fear."

"They see very clearly that they have no place in the heart of that absurd emperor."

Therefore...

Yang Su paused for a moment, then continued, "In recent months, the six great families have secretly dispatched trusted envoys northward to discuss nothing more than the matter of surrendering to the enemy under the city walls and submitting to their cause in the future."

"What they are worried about now is no longer the survival of the Chen dynasty, but whether they can preserve their family business when the heavenly army of our Great Sui marches south."

"The walls of the Southern Chen dynasty crumbled before they were even attacked."

Oh?

Yang Guang was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha..."

"I knew this fellow was absurd, but I never imagined he was this absurd?"

"To cut off one's own arm, to destroy one's own Great Wall—even the most foolish rulers of old couldn't have done it better!"

"Could it be that he feels his rule is too secure and wants to dig his own grave?"

A mocking smile appeared on Yang Su's lips: "Your Highness is right."

"Such a fool who cuts off his own arm is rare indeed throughout history."

"Has Chen Shubao forgotten that half of Jiankang's city walls were built by powerful families?"

"Now that he has personally torn down this city wall, when our Great Sui marches south, we shall see who will defend it for him."

Just then, a Buddhist chant drifted over.

"Amitabha, this is precisely a manifestation of the Southern Chen dynasty's lack of divine mandate."

The two people in the pavilion looked up and saw a woman dressed in a plain white dress, who looked to be in her thirties, walking slowly towards them.

"Master Liu?"

Yang Guang and Yang Su were slightly taken aback, and immediately stood up to greet the abbot of Cihang Jingzhai.

Liu Chuyue walked slowly over, saying as she went, "Chen Shubao is a muddle-headed, licentious, and perverse man who has long been abandoned by Heaven."

"The Mandate of Heaven does not lie with Southern Chen, nor with him!"

"No matter how much he schemes and tries to find some strange skills and tricks to promote a few lowly officials from humble backgrounds, it's nothing more than a futile struggle before the ship sinks, and he can't change the inevitable fate of the ship capsizing and everyone dying."

"Their persecution of Buddhism and destruction of temples, and their blasphemy against the Buddha, are grave sins and will surely be punished."

Book lovers are all in the discussion area, chatting about the charm of the novel "Infinite Heavens".

"What's even more ridiculous is that they've lavishly employed those ignorant and lowly commoners and poor scholars to oppose the ancient aristocratic families and noble clans. It's utterly upside down and moral order has been completely lost!"

"He's nothing but a tyrant who has cut himself off from heaven and from humanity."

Yang Su nodded and smiled, "Master Liu is right."

"That Chen Shubao..."

"He is destined to be a ruler who brings about the downfall of his kingdom!"

……

At this moment, in Dongyang, at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

Lu Zuo sat in the main seat, his gaze calmly sweeping across the hall below.

The three Ghost Kings, Zhuang Han, Zhuang Feng, and Zhuang Cheng, stood solemnly to one side, followed by two burly men with a deep and imposing aura.

Although the two stood still, their aura seemed to blend into everything around them, clearly indicating that they were two experts at the Inner Heaven and Earth Realm!

Lu Zuo's heart stirred slightly, secretly thinking that the foundation of this Hundred Ghosts City was indeed unfathomable.

Zhuang Han stepped forward, cupped his hands, and reported: "My lord, we have found King Chujiang and King Pingdeng from the Ten Kings of Hell on this trip."

As soon as he finished speaking, King Chujiang and King Pingdeng stepped forward at the same time, bowed slightly, and said in low, hoarse voices, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Both of them were proud and arrogant, which is why they agreed to serve Lu Zuo, one of the three Ghost Kings.

Besides Lu Zuo being able to dispel the Netherworld Marks within them, he also killed the Yin Emperor, whom the two had always wanted to kill but couldn't defeat!

Lu Zuo waved his hand: "No need for formalities."

Zhuang Han continued, "In addition, we have recently found and recruited fifty-seven skilled individuals who were scattered throughout the former Hundred Ghosts City."

"Among them, fifty-six have achieved the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm, and one has achieved the Great Perfection of the Three Elements Realm. They are now arriving one after another, awaiting the Lord's command."

Very good!

Upon hearing this, Lu Zuo was overjoyed and said, "The court is currently in dire need of personnel. Once you have removed the Netherworld Mark, you should immediately set off for Jiankang and obey Zhang Zhongjian's orders."

"Yes."

The people of Hundred Ghosts City are all martial arts masters, so they are not of much use to the development of Dongyang and Nantong.

The most important task at present is to slow down the Sui Dynasty's advance and to develop the foundations of Dongyang and Nantong.

After arranging things for the people of Hundred Ghosts City, Lu Zuo sent an envoy to Lingnan, while he himself continued to frequently travel between several worlds, bringing back various supplies and accumulating mechanical weapons, as usual.

In order to better defend Jiankang, he also transferred fifty thousand-machine repeating crossbow carts to Zhang Zhongjian.

Time passed little by little, and soon it was three months later in the Tang Dynasty timeline.

……

On the opposite bank of Nanxu, the Sui army camp stretched for dozens of miles, its banners obscuring the sun.

It was the dead of winter, and the north wind was howling, whipping up the fine snowflakes on the ground and slapping them against the cold armor.

In the center of the camp, on the open training ground, a vast array of elite Sui army formations stood solemnly, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The soldiers were all fully armored, holding long spears and wearing swords at their waists. Their iron armor gleamed coldly in the gloomy light of the sky.

Hundreds of thousands of people were completely silent, except for the fluttering of the battle flags in the wind, which created a suffocating atmosphere of killing intent.

Below the command platform, a group of imposing figures stood with their hands on their swords.

Generals Gao Ying, He Ruobi, and Han Qinhu, among others, were fully armored and their eyes were sharp as lightning, exuding a fierce and battle-hardened aura.

Many martial arts masters dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with auras that were either sharp or obscure, were mixed in among them. Some carried long swords on their backs and had arrogant eyes, while others had bulging temples, clearly indicating that they had profound internal martial arts skills.

There are also a few peerless masters whose aura merges with the surrounding world!

These people, whether for fame and fortune, conscripted, or simply the trump cards nurtured by powerful clans, have all gathered here. Their invisible auras intertwine, making the air around Taiwan feel thick and heavy.

On the stage, Yang Su stood tall and imposing, clad in golden armor.

"Soldiers!"

Yang Su suddenly swung his arm and drew his sword, its blade pointing south to the mist-shrouded opposite bank: "Over there lies the dying Southern Chen dynasty, the incompetent and absurd false emperor, and a empire already rotten to the core!"

"They are destroying their own foundations and alienating others! They are destroying Buddhism and blaspheming gods, acting against all moral principles!"

"They've used the wrong people; their fate is sealed!"

"The Mandate of Heaven no longer resides there, but in our Great Sui Dynasty!"

"Today, the royal army gathers here, wielding divine might and upholding righteousness. Our purpose is not plunder, but to mourn the people, punish the guilty, unify the north and south, and end these centuries of chaos!"

"Use your swords and your bravery to seize unparalleled achievements and win the rewards of being ennobled!"

"Let the world see what a true king's army is, and what the mandate of heaven truly means!"

"This battle..."

Yang Su swung his longsword fiercely southward, his voice echoing across the land: "Victory is certain!!"

"Victory is certain!"

"Victory is certain!"

"Victory is certain!"

Below the stage, the eyes of hundreds of thousands of soldiers instantly ignited with fierce battle intent, and the murderous aura in their chests was completely ignited, turning into a roar like a mountain and a tsunami!

The sound waves rose higher and higher, like thousands of thunderclaps exploding, shaking the ground beneath their feet and even dispelling the dark clouds in the sky with this overwhelming killing intent and momentum!

……

A dozen days later, at the Jiankang Imperial Palace.

"What?"

Upon receiving the report, Lu Zuo was greatly surprised: "The Nanxu defense line broke after only ten days?"

"What is Zhang Zhongjian up to?"

The latest chapter has ignited the plot! Stay tuned for more updates.