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

Explore the myriad treasures of the heavens; this is your haven for book hunting.

Yang Su, who was stroking his beard and smiling, frowned and his smile vanished: "Speak!"

The guard swallowed hard and spoke rapidly: "Lu Zuo of Nantong single-handedly broke through the enemy lines and stormed the city gates of Jurong!"

"The Gu family gathered thirty-six experts to set up an Earthly Fiend Formation, but he killed them all with a single strike, leaving no trace of their bodies!"

"Then, with a single strike, Lu Zuo shattered the Jurong city gate and over ten zhang of city wall! The Nantong army immediately poured in, and Jurong fell in a single day!"

"The Gu family... only a few female members survived; they were almost wiped out!"

"What?"

Yang Su's composure froze instantly. The hand that was stroking his beard stopped abruptly, and he leaned forward instinctively, his eyes flashing with disbelief: "One day?"

"The Earthly Fiend Formation was broken with a single strike?"

"How is this possible?"

Yang Guang, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly stood up, knocking over the wine cups on the table and spilling wine everywhere!

"Nonsense!"

"Jurong City is high and its moats are deep, the Gu family has a profound foundation, and the Earthly Fiend Formation is even more... How could Lu Zuo possibly accomplish this?"

The guard's forehead touched the ground, his voice trembling: "Absolutely true!"

"Our dozen or so spies in the Jurong area all reported the same message; it's absolutely true!"

The tent fell into an instant, deathly silence!

Yang Su slowly sat back in her chair, her fingers unconsciously tapping the armrests. Her expression shifted constantly, her previous ease completely replaced by a solemn look.

"Who would have thought that there would be such a big change in the Southern Chen Dynasty?"

so close!

Fortunately, I've always been cautious!

Although this southward advance seemed unstoppable, it ultimately led deep into enemy territory.

His Highness Prince Jin is of noble status and cannot be allowed to be harmed.

Therefore, he always insisted on keeping three royal retainers who had reached the Inner Heaven and Earth Realm, as well as fifteen experts who had achieved the Three Elements Unity Great Perfection in the army, just in case!

I initially thought this was making a mountain out of a molehill...

In retrospect, it turned out to be a lucky accident that saved our lives.

after all.....

The ability to break through formations at the Inner Heaven and Earth Realm is already terrifying, but Lu Zuo is even more terrifying!

So...

Lu Zuo developed his business in Nantong and Dongyang, and then took advantage of the chaos in the Southern Chen Dynasty to attack Jurong. What was his purpose?

Is it about securing the rear?

Or do they want to seize the opportunity to dominate the world?

"Your Highness."

Yang Su looked up at Yang Guang: "Lu Zuo is not to be underestimated. We should make plans as soon as possible."

"Their military might and individual bravery have far exceeded our expectations. Our army must immediately adjust its strategy and make plans as soon as possible!"

Yang Guang calmed down at this moment. He took a deep breath and said, "The Grand Tutor is absolutely right."

"This scourge has become a major threat and must be eradicated!"

"But how should we deal with it?"

"Is the plan to incite the remaining five powerful families to join forces and, while their foothold is still unstable, jointly eradicate their strongholds in Dongyang and Nantong?"

"Should we try writing a letter, promising high-ranking positions and generous salaries, to appease and recruit them first, and then make further plans after the Chen Kingdom is pacified?"

Yang Su pondered for a moment, his finger tracing patterns on the map, his eyes gleaming, and said in a deep voice, "This old minister believes that we should adopt a three-pronged approach!"

"First, immediately send a message to Daxing via express courier!"

"Your Majesty, this place has undergone a dramatic change. Lu Zuo's threat is likely even greater than Zhang Zhongjian's!"

"Your Majesty, please dispatch more skilled palace guards to protect His Highness and strengthen the central army's defenses!"

"At the same time, our offensive against Jiankang must be intensified!"

"We must capture Jiankang before Lu Zuo can consolidate his power, thus thwarting Zhang Zhongjian's alliance with Lu Zuo in the north and south!"

"Secondly, Your Highness may personally write a letter and send a trusted envoy to deliver it to Jurong overnight."

"In the letter, you might as well grant him the title of a king of a different surname, allowing him to govern Jiangnan forever, with the position being hereditary!"

"And he promised that once the world is unified, he could take a cut of the taxes from Jiangdong."

"Thirdly, and most importantly!"

"Your Highness should strictly order the remaining five great families to immediately abandon the idea of ​​fighting independently, and to quickly gather all their innate and above-innate experts into one large city such as Wu County or Kuaiji!"

Yang Guang nodded: "That Lu Zuo has the ability to single-handedly break through armies and conquer cities and fortresses!"

"If the families remain scattered, they will be defeated one by one, just like the Gu family of Jurong, suffering annihilation and extermination!"

"Only by concentrating our experts and troops in one place, relying on the strong walls of a large city, and forming a defensive formation, can we barely contend with them, at least..."

"This will delay their advance and buy our army time to capture Jiankang!"

"I will proceed according to the Grand Tutor's plan immediately!"

……

At this moment, on the city wall of Jiankang.

Zhang Zhongjian stood tall and looked out at the Sui army camp in the distance.

Half a month ago, he had transferred four of the five major camps back to the capital to build a defensive line, leaving only the Shenwu Camp and some experts outside to attack the Sui army's supply lines.

In addition to the army, many martial artists at the Inner Heaven and Earth Realm and even the Three Realms Realm have also gathered in the city.

Such as Lady Cai, King Chujiang, King Pingdeng, Lady Ye, etc.

after all.

The Sui army also had martial arts masters with exceptional formation-breaking abilities!

The army alone cannot withstand it!

"The problem now is that our army is severely lacking in skilled personnel..."

Most of the elite troops from the five major battalions, along with the forces from the capital headquarters, have been withdrawn to Jiankang for defense, and the city's defenses have finally been initially stabilized.

The experts from the Inner Heaven and Earth, who were recruited by His Majesty from various places and supported by allies such as the Yin Gui Faction, have mostly gathered here, which is just enough to form a stalemate with the top combat power of the Sui army.

This was originally intended as a counter-offensive tactic to delay the Sui army's offensive.

but……

The Sui army was powerful and had many skilled warriors!

After suffering several losses, they will inevitably send more strong guards to escort the grain convoys in the future!

If our side lacks skilled fighters to attack the supply lines, not only will it be difficult to succeed, but we will also be caught in a fierce battle and may even be counter-encircled and annihilated!

Every attack could turn into a meat grinder that consumes our precious top-tier combat power!

However, if we stop the harassment because of this, and allow the Sui army's supplies to flow freely...

Then the Sui army could attack Jiankang day and night without any worries!

At that time, no matter how strong the city's defenses are or how many skilled warriors there are, it will only be a matter of time before it falls due to the enemy's absolute numerical superiority and continuous attrition!

What's even more terrifying is what happens once our experts outside the city are all wiped out...

That Shenwu Battalion, the only mobile elite force, became an isolated army!

Without the protection and support of skilled warriors, they were unable to establish a foothold in the heart of the Sui army's territory. They were either surrounded and annihilated by the main force of the Sui army or forced to retreat back to the city in disarray.

At that time, the Sui army will completely control the battlefield, and Jiankang will truly become a sitting duck!

"I wonder what exactly Lord Lu's method of solving this problem is?"

When the plan was first formulated, Zhang Zhongjian raised this concern, but Lu Zuo confidently assured him that he could solve the problem.

now……

All intelligence reports indicated that the Sui army had a large number of skilled warriors who were adept at combined attack formations.

Zhang Zhongjian couldn't help but worry about this matter again...

"Report!"

"Reporting to the General, an urgent secret letter has arrived from Jurong."

A guard stepped forward quickly, knelt on one knee, and presented a sealed letter with both hands.

Zhang Zhongjian withdrew his gaze from the distance, quickly took the letter, exerted force with his fingertips, crushed the sealing wax, pulled out the letter paper, and quickly scanned it.

next moment!

His body jolted violently!

Can one strike shatter the Earthly Fiend Formation?

Thirty-six of the Gu family's top experts were vanished without a trace?

With another strike, he cleaved the Jurong city gate and more than ten zhang of city wall in two.

How could they capture such a fortified city as Jurong in just one day?

This is simply a fantasy!

If this secret letter hadn't been written by Lu Zuo himself, he would never have believed it!

But then, that extreme shock was replaced by ecstasy!

That's it!

So this is your solution!

Lord Lu, I have underestimated you after all!

Lu Zuo attacked Jurong, displaying his strength and displaying a formidable and awe-inspiring power!

With such a record and such fighting strength, how could Yang Guang and Yang Su not be afraid?

Are they not afraid of Lu Zuo's knife, whose next target is the central command tent of their Sui army?

To guard against Lord Lu, they will definitely transfer their top experts back to the central army!

At that time, the Sui army's supply lines will inevitably be left undefended!

The risk of attacking the supply lines will be greatly reduced!

As for Jiankang...

Just as Lord Lu said, he only needs to intimidate them a few times.

If your Sui army dares to bring out all its best warriors to attack the city, Lord Lu will launch a surprise attack on your central command tent and burn all your provisions.

After several repetitions, the Sui army's experts would inevitably split into two groups: one group would remain in the rear army, and the other would attack the city.

result…..

It remains a stalemate! It can still buy time for the rear!

No sooner had Zhang Zhongjian's thought been uttered than a commotion broke out in the distant Sui army camp.

"Um?"

His pupils contracted, and he immediately focused his gaze.

A dark figure shot out from the forest like a ghost, so fast that it left only a blurry afterimage in the air, its target the Sui army camp!

"It's Lord Lu!"

Zhang Zhongjian exclaimed in a low voice, "They arrived so quickly?!"

Almost the instant Lu Zuo appeared, several incredibly powerful auras suddenly erupted from the Sui army camp!

"Enemy attack!"

"Form ranks!"

Three figures soared into the sky like roc birds, their auras as solid as mountains, clearly indicating that they were all powerful experts at the Inner Heaven and Earth Opening Realm!

At the same time, more than fifteen figures in the camp below moved swiftly, their true energy linked together, instantly setting up multiple layers of true energy nets and a combined attack formation in front of Lu Zuo's attack path!

The energy flowed, and light flickered, completely protecting the central command tent!

Lu Zuo's speed did not decrease at all. Facing the layers of interception that were enough to trap and kill experts of the same level, the Demon Blade Thousand Blades in his hand suddenly lit up with a dark light and slashed in mid-air!

laugh!

A condensed and domineering dark purple blade aura tore through the air and slammed into the true qi barrier set up by three experts at the Inner Heaven and Earth Realm!

boom!

The energy exploded wildly, and visible ripples spread in all directions, stirring up clouds of dust!

The three experts at the Inner Heaven and Earth Realm were shaken violently, staggering back half a step, their faces simultaneously showing horror.

The more than ten experts who had formed a Three Elements Unity formation below were also in turmoil, and their formation was thrown into chaos!

However, the Sui army's experts reacted extremely quickly. More powerful auras rapidly approached from the rear, and more combined attack formations were forming, like an iron barrel, to completely surround Lu Zuo!

Upon seeing this, Lu Zuo immediately stopped abruptly in mid-air, using the recoil to propel himself backward at an even faster speed!

The Demon Blade Thousand Blades swept backward, and several sharp blade energies forced back several Sui army experts who were trying to flank from the side.

The entire surprise attack, from the moment they appeared to the moment they engaged in combat and then to the moment they retreated, took only a few dozen breaths!

Lu Zuo's figure flashed by like a fleeting glimpse, quickly disappearing into the forest he had come from.

All that remained was a scene of chaos and dust in the Sui army camp, and the still-shaken experts...

For the next three days, Lu Zuo launched a surprise attack every so often!

The Sui army had no choice but to halt its offensive against Jiankang and concentrate all its top forces to defend against Lu Zuo.

They even transferred a group of experts back from the grain transport guards.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Zhongjian launched several counterattacks, but because the Sui army had too many skilled warriors and were adept at combined attack formations, even with the combined efforts of the experts in Jiankang and Lu Zuo, they did not achieve much.

The two sides remain locked in a stalemate in the Jiankang City area.

……

Meanwhile, a small incident was unfolding in Jurong County. Several long, winding queues had formed in front of the county governor's mansion.

The group consisted mostly of ragged, emaciated people, both old and young, with men in the majority, but also a few daring women with children.

Most of them were barefoot or wearing straw sandals, their feet covered in mud, their faces showing the weariness of a long journey, but even more so, an eagerness mixed with hope, doubt, and unease.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the few wooden platforms that had been temporarily erected in front of them, as well as the thick stacks of booklets and boxes of ink pads on the platforms.

Shen Luoyan, dressed in a neat blue official robe and without any hairpins or jewelry, stood behind the largest wooden platform in the center.

Before her lay a thick register of land and fields, with several clerks holding abacuses and pens standing beside her, and a squad of soldiers holding halberds standing solemnly to maintain order.

"quiet!"

An officer stepped forward, his voice booming: "From this day forward, all unclaimed land in Jurong County shall be redistributed!"

"All people under my jurisdiction may register!"

"Based on household population, each person will receive five mu of permanent land and ten mu of allotted land!"

"For those whose families already own insufficient land, the difference will be made up!"

"Those without land, shall have it all granted!"

A commotion immediately arose in the crowd, and a buzz of discussion arose.

"Really...really dividing the land?"

"Fifteen mu per person?"

"My God..."

"Could this be a scam? We pay taxes, and then we still have to pay rent to the men..."

"I heard that's really how it's divided in Nantong..."

At this moment, Shen Luoyan's clear, cold voice rang out, drowning out the noise: "Line up and step forward, state your household registration and the number of people in your family!"

Her gaze swept across the line, landing on an elderly man with gray hair and a hunched back at the very front: "Start with you."

The old man stepped forward shakily, his voice trembling, "This old man is from Liu Family Village in the west of the city, my name is Liu Laosan, my family..."

"It's just me and my grandson at home. My son was conscripted to repair the river embankment two years ago, and he...he hasn't come back..."

The clerk asked, "How old is your grandson?"

"It's twelve."

The clerk quickly wrote down in the register: "Liu Laosan, a resident of Liujia Village, head of household."

"Ding Er, one old and one young, should be granted ten mu of permanent land and twenty mu of allotted land."

"What was the original land holding?"

Liu Laosan shook his head blankly: "No, no, the three acres of poor land at home were mortgaged to Master Gu a few years ago because we owed him rent."

"Um."

The clerk continued writing, saying, "After verification, we will issue you the land deed."

"One-fifteenth of the tax is levied; it cannot be bought or sold privately, but it can be passed down to one's descendants. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand!" Old Liu nodded vigorously, and a surprising light suddenly burst forth in his cloudy old eyes.

"Press your fingerprint, next."

The clerk handed over the written receipt.

Just then, a piercing shout erupted from the other team: "Why?"

"Why shouldn't we be given land?"

Shen Luoyan glanced to the side and saw a woman with disheveled hair and tattered clothes suddenly rush out of the group.

She acted as if she were insane, trying to lunge at the wooden platform where land deeds were being distributed, but was stopped by two soldiers.

"This person seems familiar...where have I seen them before?"

Shen Luoyan thought she looked familiar, but couldn't quite place her. She stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"

"Return to my lord."

The clerk cupped his hands and said, "These people were Buddhist believers who colluded with the Buddhist sect and had their Nantong household registration revoked by Lord Lu."

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