An unexpected encounter with the sleeping Little Dragon Girl leads to the annihilation of the Quanzh

"Gentlemen," Meng Gong's gaze swept over everyone present, "you are all surely aware of the Emperor's decree. From this day forward, we are the backbone of the Shence Guard. Our future mission is not to gain official rank or expand our territory, but to protect the 'stabilizing force' of our Great Song Dynasty!"

He looked at the crowd and asked in a deep voice, "How many of you have witnessed the divine power of Immortal Lin?"

A few hands were raised sparsely in the crowd.

Meng Gong nodded, then said to those who hadn't raised their hands, "I know that many of you may still have doubts, thinking that the Emperor is making a mountain out of a molehill. You might think that Marshal Lin is just a martial arts master with extremely high skill."

He gave a cold laugh.

"Today, I'll show you just how ridiculous your ideas are."

He clapped his hands, and two soldiers carried in a huge wooden crate.

When the wooden box was opened, it didn't contain gold or silver jewelry, but rather a pile of charred, blackened material, resembling charcoal.

"What is this?" a general asked, puzzled.

"This is armor." Meng Gong picked up a charred fragment from inside. "The armor of the Mongol cavalry. At Diaoyu City, with just a wave of his hand, Lin Shangxian turned 300,000 troops, men and horses, along with their armor, into this state."

"hiss……"

Inside the large tent, a collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the air.

Everyone crowded around, picking up the charred fragments and examining them closely. Traces of the refined iron being instantly melted and then solidified remained on them.

What terrifying power this is!

It's absolutely impossible for humans to do that!

"That's not the most terrifying thing." Meng Gong's tone was full of awe. "The most terrifying thing is that the immortal annihilated an army of 300,000, yet not a single drop of blood or speck of dust touched him."

"He just thought the Mongols were too noisy, so he made them shut up forever."

The entire tent was completely silent.

All the generals' faces were filled with horror and fear.

They finally understood what kind of being they were to serve.

"Now, do you still think that the government's decision is making a mountain out of a molehill?" Meng Gong asked.

"No!"

"We are completely convinced!"

All the generals knelt on one knee in unison, their faces having long since lost all their disdain and doubt, leaving only the purest awe and fervor.

Meng Gong nodded in satisfaction.

He knew that the soul of this army had been found.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

The framework of the army has begun to be established, and the opposition in the court has subsided. Now, only the most crucial step remains, which is also the most troublesome for Zhao Yun.

How can we get Lin Ye, the person in question, to nod and "accept" the position of supreme commander?

Should we just go and say it directly?

Zhao Yun dared not.

He recalled the embarrassing scene from the last time he led all the civil and military officials out of the city for thirty miles to welcome him, only to be completely ignored and go to buy sugar figurines.

He feared that if he excitedly went to present the commander's seal, the other party would find the pure gold seal too uncomfortable and casually throw it into the soup pot as a seasoning.

Then he, the emperor, would really have nowhere to hide his face.

"Minister Jia, tell me, what should I do?"

In the imperial study, Zhao Yun, with a worried expression, asked his only advisor, whom he could consult.

Jia Sidao was also at his wit's end. He was good at deciphering the emperor's intentions, but deciphering divine will was a skill he was completely unfamiliar with.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, one cannot judge a person like the Immortal by ordinary standards," Jia Sidao said, stroking his beard. "Since he has no interest in power, money, or beautiful women, it means that he pursues something on a higher level."

"What is it?" Zhao Yun pressed.

"Peace and quiet," Jia Sidao said, emphasizing each word. "The immortal only wants to live his life quietly with that fairy. Anyone who disturbs him will make him unhappy."

Zhao Yun nodded in deep agreement. The fate of the Yan family was the best proof of that.

"Therefore," Jia Sidao continued, "we cannot 'invite' him to be the commander-in-chief, because that in itself is a disturbance. We should find another way to make him feel that accepting this title will allow him to have more peace and quiet."

"Oh?" Zhao Yun's eyes lit up. "What's the plan?"

Jia Sidao leaned close to the emperor's ear and whispered something to him.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun was overjoyed and slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Brilliant! Brilliant indeed! Minister Jia, you truly are my Zhang Liang!"

……

The next day, Zhao Yun did not wear the conspicuous dragon robe, but changed into ordinary clothes. He did not even bring a eunuch and came to the entrance of "Shangxianju" alone again.

This time, he neither announced it aloud nor tried to go in. He simply stood respectfully at the door, like a disciple waiting for his master's summons.

He stood there for a full hour, until his legs went numb, but there was still no movement inside. Only the aroma of food wafted out, making his stomach rumble.

Just when he was about to give up, the courtyard gate creaked open.

Zhang Junbao, covered in flour, came out carrying a bucket of swill.

Upon seeing the emperor standing at the door, Zhang Junbao was startled and almost dropped the bucket in his hand.

"An official...an official?"

Zhao Yun quickly made a "shh" gesture to him, then asked with a beaming smile, "Little fairy, how is the immortal... in his mood today?"

Zhang Junbao scratched his head and honestly replied, "Brother Lin doesn't seem to be in a good mood today."

"Huh?" Zhao Yun's heart leaped into her throat. "Why...why?"

"He said the dough didn't rise well today, and the buns weren't fluffy enough. Sister Long'er only ate two and then stopped," Zhang Junbao said with a troubled expression.

Zhao Yun: "..."

He felt that his thinking was completely out of sync with that of the immortal.

"Then...then I..." Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment, but decided to proceed according to plan. He took out a square wrapped in yellow cloth from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Junbao.

"Little fairy, please give this to the immortal. Tell him it is a small token of my appreciation, and I would never dare to disturb him."

Zhang Junbao took the item and felt its weight and smooth texture. Upon opening it, he found a commander's seal carved from top-quality Hetian jade, with a lifelike five-clawed golden dragon coiled on it.

"This is……"

"You don't need to worry about what this is," Zhao Yun quickly said, then lowered his voice and spoke to the courtyard in an extremely sincere tone:

"Your Excellency, please forgive me! This wicked subject, Zhao Yun, is utterly incompetent and immoral, causing the Song army to be disorganized and its soldiers to run rampant. He has disturbed Your Excellency's peaceful cultivation on several occasions, and deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"To ensure that the Immortal has an absolutely tranquil place for cultivation in the future, this humble subject has dared to reorganize the entire army into a 'Shence Guard.' This army is not for conquest or slaughter; its sole mission is to form a human wall a hundred miles away from the Immortal's residence, and to eliminate all mortal objects within a hundred miles that may disturb the Immortal!"

"They will be the immortals' shield, the immortals' wall, the immortals'... cleaners!"

"This humble subject dares to humbly request that the Immortal accept this commander's seal and bestow upon you the title of Commander! You need not trouble yourself, need not manage affairs, and need not even know of their existence! Only with your name present can this army unite its spirit and truly become a broom to sweep away the dust for you!"

"This sinful subject's actions are solely for atonement, for peace of mind, and to ask that the Immortal Lord bring less trouble in the future! I humbly beg the Immortal Lord to grant my request!"

After speaking, Zhao Yun bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle towards the courtyard gate. Then, without looking back, he quickly left.

He said everything he needed to say, and adopted the most humble attitude possible.

Whether it succeeds or not depends on fate.

In the courtyard, Zhang Junbao held the commander's seal, completely dumbfounded after listening to the emperor's words.

The entire nation mobilized to build an army of 800,000, just so that Brother Lin could be... a floor sweeper?

This...this is way too exaggerated!

He held the command seal and walked blankly back to the kitchen.

Lin Ye was at the cutting board, kneading a new batch of dough, preparing to steam another batch of buns.

He didn't even glance at the commander's seal in Zhang Junbao's hand, but frowned and asked impatiently, "Has that guy surnamed Zhao outside left? He's so noisy."

Zhang Junbao stammered, "He...he's gone. Brother Lin, he...he appointed you as the supreme commander of the Shence Guard..."

"What nonsense." Lin Ye snorted. "Tell him not to bother me anymore. That jade looks alright, let's give it to Long'er as a paperweight, she always complains that the paper floats when she's drawing."

"Huh? Oh... okay..."

Zhang Junbao held the commander's seal, a seal that could drive all the generals in the world crazy, and looked at Lin Ye's back as he focused on kneading dough. He then glanced at Xiaolongnu, who was scribbling on paper with a brush next to her.

He felt that this world was truly too magical.

Emperor Zhao Yun spent the entire day in a state of anxiety.

He didn't know Lin Ye's attitude. Did he accept it? Or did he just throw it away?

The next evening, a young eunuch scrambled into the imperial study and brought him a message.

"Reporting to Your Majesty! The Immortal... the Immortal has accepted it!"

"Oh?" Zhao Yun abruptly stood up from the dragon throne, asking excitedly, "What did he say?"

"The Immortal didn't say anything..." The little eunuch swallowed, his face displaying a strange expression of wanting to laugh but not daring to. "It's just... it's just that this afternoon, someone saw the Dragon Maiden Immortal painting in the courtyard, and she used that... that commander's seal to weigh down the painting paper..."

Press...press the drawing paper?

Zhao Yun stood there, stunned.

The golden mace from last time has become a nutcracker.

This time, the commander's seal has become a paperweight again.

This immortal's thought process is truly... unique.

However, after a moment of stunned silence, Zhao Yun's face lit up with ecstasy once again.

I've accepted it! I don't care what I do with it, I've taken it!

This means that the immortal has tacitly approved!

"Excellent! Excellent!" Zhao Yun paced back and forth excitedly in the imperial study. "Issue my decree! Proclaim it to the world immediately! Grand Marshal Lin Ye, whose merits are unparalleled and whose virtue matches heaven and earth, is hereby appointed by me as the 'Supreme Holy Marshal of the Divine Strategy Army,' commanding all 800,000 Divine Strategy Guards nationwide, effective immediately!"

Fearing that Lin Ye might change his mind, he finalized the matter as quickly as possible.

……

When this official decree of investiture was delivered at top speed, reaching every corner of the Song Dynasty and extending to all parts of the world, the entire world was shaken.

The people of Lin'an spread the news with great joy.

"Have you heard? Immortal Lin has become the head of all the armies in our Great Song Dynasty!"

"My goodness, wouldn't that make our Great Song Dynasty invincible?"

"Of course! Who would dare mess with us now? Mongols? One comes, one dies; two come, two die together!"

The people's reaction was pure excitement and pride. In their eyes, with such a deity as their protector, they would no longer have to worry about war or foreign invasion; good days were yet to come.

In the martial arts world, the various sects reacted in different ways.

When the Quanzhen Sect members, Guo Jing and Huang Rong, heard this news, they looked at each other in bewilderment and remained silent for a long time.

"Brother Jing, tell me, what exactly does this Marshal Lin want to do?" Huang Rong's face was full of confusion.

Guo Jing shook his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He recalled the apocalyptic scene at Diaoyu City, and the helplessness he felt in front of that person, unable to withstand even a single move.

"I don't know," he said in a deep voice, "but perhaps, for the people of the Song Dynasty, this is a good thing. At least, during his decades in power, the world should be at peace."

The belief in "the greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people" that resided in his heart seemed so pale in the face of Lin Ye's absolute power. For the first time, he began to doubt what he had upheld throughout his life.

And in Zhongnan Mountain, there is the Tomb of the Living Dead.

Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu also received this news.

After the initial shock, Yang Guo let out a long sigh of relief.

"Aunt, it seems we don't need to worry anymore." He said with a smile to Xiaolongnu beside him, "With this great god here, the Mongols probably won't dare to set foot in the Central Plains for hundreds of years. We can finally enjoy our time together here in peace."

He was a carefree person, not as deeply attached to his country and the world as Guo Jing. In his view, as long as he could be with his aunt, what did it matter whose country it was?

What's more, the one protecting the world now is a super big shot who he doesn't even have the right to look up to.

He felt very at ease.

The most vehement reaction came from the Mongol Empire, which had just submitted its surrender document to the Song Dynasty.

Karakorum, inside the royal tent of the newly enthroned Great Khan, Kublai Khan.

Kublai Khan looked at the intelligence report in his hand, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

"Eight hundred thousand...Shence Guards?" He practically spat out the words through clenched teeth. "And, they're personally commanded by that...Demon God?"

His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He would never forget how, atop the walls of Karakorum, that man in black had so casually decided his fate as Great Khan with a single sentence, thus determining the destiny of the entire Mongol Empire.

He still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that once the demon god left, he could recuperate and rebuild his strength for a future comeback.

But now, this news has completely shattered all his illusions.

That demon god not only didn't leave, but instead became the supreme commander of the Southern Song army.

What does this mean?

This means that from then on, the 800,000-strong army of the Southern Song Dynasty became the private army of that demon god!

He can do whatever he wants!

Today he's in a good mood, making you bow down and submit. Tomorrow he might be in a bad mood, finding Mongolia too much of an eyesore, and with a wave of his hand, wipe the entire Mongolian steppe off the map?

"Great Khan, what... what should we do?" asked a commander of ten thousand households below, his voice trembling.

"What else can we do?" Kublai Khan gave a bitter laugh, his face filled with despair and dejection. "Issue my order: send another envoy to Lin'an immediately! Increase the tribute tenfold! No! Increase it a hundredfold! Tell the Southern Emperor that we Mongols are willing to be slaves for eternity, guarding the northern border for the Great Song! We only beg... we only beg the Immortal to never think of us again!"

In the face of absolute fear, all dignity and ambition become a joke.

In an instant, because of Lin Ye's unintentional "paperweight", the entire world's landscape underwent a dramatic change.

After receiving the news, monarchs from countless countries lost sleep all night and then, without prior agreement, made the same choice as Kublai Khan.

Send envoys! Send tribute!

I don't ask for anything else, I just want to become a familiar face to that deity, so that the old man knows that I am a "good person" and that he won't kill me on a whim.

A pilgrimage frenzy, ostensibly for diplomacy and wealth, is surging toward Lin'an.

Lin Ye, the one who started all of this, is currently troubled by something.

His newly carved jade bowl seems to have some flaws, which affect the aesthetics when serving soup.

He decided to carve a new one.

The Shence Guard camp on the outskirts of Beijing.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, veterans, and new recruits drawn from all over the country gathered here in a chaotic manner, forming a camp that stretched as far as the eye could see.

This place is like a giant powder keg, filled with noise, chaos, and hostility.

Fights frequently broke out between different military units over territory and supplies. Veteran soldiers formed cliques and bullied new recruits. Officers, meanwhile, were busy embezzling funds and withholding military pay.

The entire camp was filled with smoke and chaos, and did not resemble an army at all.

Meng Gong stood on the high command platform, coldly looking at the chaotic scene below, his face ashen.

He knew that the emperor had thrown an enormous problem at him.

To forge such a rabble into an iron army that obeys orders without question within three months is simply a pipe dream.

But he had no way out.

"Guards!" Meng Gong shouted in a deep voice.

Behind him, dozens of ruthless officers from his personal guard, whom he had personally selected, responded in unison.

"Pass on my order!" Meng Gong's voice, amplified by his inner force, resounded throughout the entire camp. "All soldiers, assemble at the central drill ground within a quarter of an hour! Anyone late will be executed!"

"All officers, those holding the rank of Captain or above, assemble below the command platform! Anyone late will be executed!"

The two resolute "斩" (cut) characters, like two thunderclaps, exploded in the chaotic camp.

Many people scoffed at this.

"Who are you trying to scare? When I was fighting the Mongols on the frontier, they were nowhere to be found!" A veteran who was gambling spat disdainfully.

"Exactly. A new broom sweeps clean, but once the fire's done, things will be the same as always."

However, they soon realized they were wrong.

A quarter of an hour passes in the blink of an eye.

On the central drill ground, less than half of the people were scattered around; most were still lingering in their tents, completely disregarding Meng Gong's orders.

Meng Gong watched all this without the slightest ripple in his eyes.

He raised his hand, then swung it down hard.

"Execute!"

Behind him, thousands of his personal guards, who had been prepared long ago, rushed into the tents of those who had not assembled on time, like tigers among sheep.

The next second, piercing screams rose and fell.

Those soldiers who were still gambling, drinking, or sleeping hadn't even realized what was happening before their heads were chopped off by a swift stroke of the blade.

Blood stained the camp.

The entire camp fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden and bloody massacre.

They watched as the guardsmen, carrying bloody heads, emerged from their tents and piled them up on one side of the drill ground, forming a small mountain.

A rough count suggests there are at least tens of thousands of people!

Ten thousand people were killed simply because they were late for the assembly!

He's insane! This new head coach is a complete madman!

The soldiers standing on the drill ground were all pale with fright, their legs trembling, and they didn't even dare to breathe.

Below the reviewing stand, the generals who had arrived late were terrified as they looked at the mountain of heads. Several of them had just been drinking and making merry with their concubines in their tents; if their personal guards hadn't been holding them back, their heads would probably be on that mountain by now.

Meng Gong stepped down from the command platform and approached the group of generals.

"Twenty-seven of you are late." His voice was devoid of any emotion.

The twenty-seven generals knelt down in unison with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Head Coach, have mercy!"

"This humble general knows his mistake! He will never dare to do it again!"

Meng Gong ignored their pleas for mercy; he simply took a thick register from one of his guards.

"Zhang Dequan, former deputy general of Lianghuai Road, embezzled 30,000 taels of military pay and forcibly seized thirteen women. According to his crimes, he should be executed!"

Every time he called out a name, a guard would step forward and slash with his sword.

One by one, the heads of generals who held high positions in the military rolled to the ground.

"Li Sihou, formerly the Commandant of Jingji Circuit, deserted three times in battle and falsely claimed military merits seven times. According to his crimes, he should be executed!"

"Zhao the Pockmarked..."

Meng Gong, like an emotionless judge, read out all twenty-seven names in one breath.

Twenty-seven heads were lined up in a row below the reviewing stand.

Blood flowed into a stream.

The remaining dozens of generals were already pale with fright, kneeling on the ground, trembling like leaves.

Meng Gong closed the roster and glanced at them.

"From this day forward, the Shence Guard has only one military rule: Obedience!"

"My command is the mandate of Heaven! The will of the Immortal is divine decree!"

"Those who dare to disobey will suffer this fate!"

He pointed to the small mountain of human heads and the row of generals' heads.

"Now, everyone, you have it!" Meng Gong returned to the reviewing stand and shouted sternly, "Run one hundred laps around the drill ground with weights! Anyone who doesn't finish will die!"

After experiencing extreme fear, hundreds of thousands of soldiers unleashed a survival instinct.

Without the slightest hesitation, they immediately began running laps around the huge training ground, a death trap.

Meng Gong knew that this was only the first step.

Let blood and death wash away their thuggishness.

Next, what he needs to do is to infuse this cleansed body with a new, unique, and unshakable soul.