Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

At this moment, deep within the White Lotus Sect's camp, the atmosphere was completely out of place with the grim atmosphere of the battlefield.

A woman's scream came from one of the tents, sharp and short, and was then muffled by something.

This was followed by several loud, boisterous laughs, and someone swore in various dialects.

Further away, several drunken men were gathered around a copper pot they had stolen from someone's house. Inside the pot were chickens and ducks that they had somehow acquired, and next to the pot were several jars of old wine that had been opened from their mud seals.

Outside another tent, two followers were shoving and cursing each other over a dispute about the division of spoils. One grabbed a carrying pole, and the other pulled out a short knife. They were pulled apart by the others.

At the edge of the camp, several newly joined refugees huddled under a tattered tarpaulin, watching everything with fear on their faces, not daring to utter a sound.

The central command tent was more orderly, enclosed by a whole piece of yellow cloth, with a large crimson banner on the top of the tent bearing the four white characters "Fengtian Chuyi" (meaning "Upholding Heaven and Advocating Righteousness").

Inside the tent, tallow candles were lit, their flickering flames casting shadows of people inside onto the yellow cloth, sometimes large, sometimes small.

Xu Hongru sat behind the desk, exuding an imposing presence without anger.

His complexion was more yellow than before, his cheekbones were higher, and his eye sockets were deeper, but his eyes, with their large pupils and very little white, were brighter than before, like two pieces of charcoal that had been burned through in ashes.

His attire today was also different from before; he was no longer wearing that faded gray-blue old robe, but instead a bright yellow round-collar long robe.

The robe was embroidered with a few simplified lotus flowers and cloud patterns, a wide red belt was tied around the waist, and a gold-lacquered paper crown was worn on the head. A fist-sized bronze mirror was embedded in front of the crown, which meant "to see the void".

Although the outfit was crudely made, it was the most "kingly" style he could muster.

After capturing Xuzhou, Xu Hongru used the heads of the Prince of Fu and the Prince of Chu as a sacrifice to his banner, and then proclaimed himself "Maitreya King" and "Grand Marshal of the Righteous Army".

The former is a title within the religion, representing that he is the incarnation of the Eternal Mother on earth; the latter is a title of the righteous army, indicating his command over the righteous army.

Besides him, Liu Zhixie, the strategist within the sect, was also appointed as the Protector of the Law and the Founding Prime Minister, while Sun Tietou, the General of the Army Battalion, was appointed as the General of the Army and the General of the Righteous and Resolute Army.

Other altar leaders, banner leaders, and incense masters also received titles and rewards, and the number of people and their followers within the sect increased significantly.

Only Ning Yuxi, the Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect, was granted the title of "Guardian Consort," but her power and official rank did not increase much.

At this moment, Xu Hongru sat there, with a yellow silk tablecloth from the Prince of Fu’s mansion spread on the desk in front of him. On the desk was a short sword inlaid with jade, and next to the sword was a well-worn copy of the Maitreya Three Yang Sutra.

Liu Zhixie sat to his left, still wearing the faded blue cloth shirt, but now with a silver sash around his waist, a fitting tribute to his status as the "Founding Prime Minister".

Ning Yuxi sat beside him, wearing a light blue cloak over her pale white narrow-sleeved shirt. A white lotus silk flower adorned her temple. Her face remained aloof, but there was an indescribable weariness between her brows compared to when she was in Xuzhou.

Sun Tietou sat at the lower right, his coarse cloth sleeves rolled up to his elbows as usual, and a gold-inlaid short knife he had taken from the Chu King's mansion was tucked into his waistband. The scabbard was inlaid with agate, which was completely incongruous with his rough and brutish demeanor.

Ruan Xiaojiu sat next to Sun Tietou, with a jade fish-shaped token hanging from his waist, serving as proof of his status as a "naval general".

Wu Shouyi remained huddled in the darkest corner, his face covered by a black cloth, revealing only the old scar on his left side. He stood motionless, like a wooden statue of a judge.

The tent flap was lifted, and a personal guard came in carrying a Ru kiln teapot that had been stolen from the home of an official or gentryman. He poured tea for everyone and then quietly withdrew.

The tea soup had an excellent color, but no one in the tent touched it.

Xu Hongru's gaze swept over the crowd, and he suddenly spoke slowly:

"General Sun, what are the casualties among our men today? We've been bogged down in Nanjing for several days; when will we be able to capture it?"

Sun Tietou clasped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, yesterday's attack on the South Gate resulted in the loss of over eight hundred men and the wounding of nearly two thousand. The situation at the East Gate was even worse."

"Of General Chang's men, more than four hundred died in the city moat alone, not counting those who were scalded by the boiling oil poured down from the city walls."

"Since the uprising began on September 7, the total number of brothers who have died or been wounded is probably over 10,000."

As he spoke, Sun Tietou licked his chapped lips, his face then showing a hint of excitement as he said:

"However, the city walls are about to collapse! General Chang's troops made it onto the walls today, although they were eventually driven down."

"But the arrows from the city walls have clearly thinned out, and the boiling oil poured on them is not as plentiful as it was a few days ago. General Chang said that if given two more days, he is confident that he can capture Nanjing!"

As the secondary capital of the Han Dynasty, Jinling had high walls and thick fortifications. In addition, the White Lotus Sect's soldiers were mostly newly recruited refugees and lacked siege equipment, making the battle naturally difficult!

Xu Hongru nodded, his expression unreadable.

Liu Zhixie picked up his teacup and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, I have been thinking about something these past few days! We have gone too far in killing officials and gentry in Xuzhou. Prince Fu, Prince Chu, Gong Dingzi, along with more than a hundred people in the Xuzhou government, have been almost all wiped out."

"This certainly vented the brothers' pent-up anger of many years, but now it seems... perhaps it shouldn't have been done."

This means that he is offering a tactful piece of advice!

Liu Zhixie had been in charge of intelligence work within the White Lotus Sect and knew that one of the main reasons why Jinling City was so difficult to attack was that the officials and gentry in the city were afraid that they would start a massacre after entering the city, so they guarded it with all their might!