Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 209: Another Attack, Repelling the Bandits (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

As night fell, the darkness deepened, and thick clouds cast a somber glow.

The camp was quiet; the militiamen were huddled together, fast asleep.

The bonfires blazed all around, illuminating an area of ​​several dozen paces.

"Sir, aren't you going to pay your respects to Lord Chen?"

Liu Ping followed behind Zhao Xian for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

During the day, Zhao Xian firmly rejected the proposal from Chen Sheng, the county magistrate of Ronghuai County. As Zhao Xian's subordinate, Liu Ping was naturally concerned about this matter.

Chen Sheng was not only a county commandant, whose official rank was above Zhao Xian's, but also an elder of Zhao Xian's wife's family. Therefore, Zhao Xian should not have refused him so forcefully, both morally and logically.

"Master Chen is not such a narrow-minded person. Besides, the militia from the two counties combined number ten thousand. If there were any unusual activity during the night, it would be a catastrophic disaster!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian spoke quite frankly.

"The north wind is blowing tonight, and it's bitterly cold. Ah Ping, you should go and inspect the camp!"

"Make sure none of the campfires in the camp go out!"

"Yes!" Liu Ping glanced at Zhao Xian, stopped speaking, and replied respectfully.

A moment later, only Zhu Ji remained beside Zhao Xian.

"We're still six days' journey from Xiao County. If the bandits don't attack soon, we'll have to deliver the supplies safely!"

Looking at the dark and deep mountains and forests in the distance, Zhao Xian suddenly said with great emotion.

"Sir, the bandits suffered heavy casualties that night. Could they still have the strength to launch another night attack?"

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, Zhu Ji asked with considerable confusion.

"The losses were just a rabble; the elite troops suffered relatively few casualties!" Zhao Xian sighed, explaining, "Xiao County is currently ravaged by war, and there are countless refugees struggling to survive. As long as the elite troops are not lost, we can have as many cannon fodder as we need!"

"Aji, are you from Xiao County?"

"My lord, I am from Xiao County. I could no longer survive, so I fled to Ronghuai County with my fellow villagers!" Zhu Ji immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "Now, following you by my side, my lord, I have finally been able to live a few days of peace!"

"Work hard, and next year I'll find you a marriage partner!"

"Thank you, General!" Zhu Jili's face lit up with joy, and he quickly bowed in gratitude.

Meanwhile, at the Ronghuai County camp, two miles away.

Inside the military tent, Chen Sheng, the county magistrate of Ronghuai, sat in the main seat, with military officers standing solemnly on either side, listening to the reports from the young clerks inside the tent.

"Different customs and habits?"

After hearing the official's report, Chen Sheng pondered the words and couldn't help but smile.

Inside the military tent, apart from Zhou Yan and Han Du, the other military officers all wore angry expressions.

"Lord Chen, Zhao Xian is utterly unreasonable!" A leading military officer stepped forward and shouted angrily, "Rongtai and Ronghuai counties are as close as lips and teeth, yet he dares to say that their customs are different; he's clearly just trying to fob us off!"

"But it was our oversight. The combined forces of the two counties number over ten thousand. The slightest mishap could lead to annihilation!"

"Fine, let's just help each other out like this!"

Chen Sheng waved his hand and laughed nonchalantly.

"Master Chen~"

The officers below seemed to want to say something, but seeing that Chen Sheng didn't care, they could only swallow their anger.

Chen Sheng was their superior, and Zhao Xian's words were indeed just a pretext. As subordinates, they naturally had to express their dissatisfaction to their superior!

But no matter how dissatisfied they are, the two sides will never join forces again.

Nothing happened that night.

The following morning, the two teams set off almost simultaneously, with the Ronghuai County team going first, followed by the Rongtai County team.

After the team set off, Zhao Xian led Xu Dekun, Xu Dejing, He Can and others to pay their respects to Chen Sheng.

As for Gao Jun, he was a martial artist of innate talent and not an official of Rongtai County, so naturally he would not take the initiative to visit Chen Sheng.

On a relatively clean open space by the roadside, Zhao Xian and a group of Rongtai County officials bowed deeply to Chen Sheng.

"This humble official pays his respects to Lord Chen!"

"Haha! Everyone, please rise!"

Chen Sheng laughed loudly and quickly stepped forward to help Zhao Xian and the others.

"Long time no see, you all still look as dashing as ever!"

Looking around at everyone, Chen Sheng smiled and said.

He knew most of the officials present, especially the veteran official He Can, whom he had known for over ten years.

Zhao Xian and the others quickly chimed in with a few words of agreement.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the conversation naturally turned to business.

"Bozhang, we're only a few days' journey from Xiao County now. In your opinion, will the bandits attack again?"

"They will definitely strike again!"

Zhao Xian immediately replied in a solemn voice.

"On what basis did you make that judgment?" Chen Sheng nodded slightly, then asked again.

Meanwhile, the group of high-ranking officials surrounding the two remained silent, waiting and listening quietly.

"Xiao County has suffered from disasters for many years, and its people have been displaced. Huang Tiandao has occupied three southern counties; how many soldiers can he support?"

"Xiao County occupies four northern counties and is backed by the Yunlan Sect, so it has no shortage of soldiers or provisions!"

"Huang Tiandao's only way to win is to cut off the food and supplies supply to the four northern counties!"

"This humble official has concluded that if another grain transport is undertaken after this one, the attackers will no longer be Foundation Establishment cultivators, but most likely Core Formation cultivators themselves!"

As soon as Zhao Xian uttered these words, all the officials around him fell into deep thought.

"Huang Tiandao's ability to contend with Xiao County for so long with the strength of three counties has already exceeded Ping Zhaoxian's expectations. It's impossible for Huang Tiandao to do this without the support of Nanzhou!"

Seeing that everyone was carefully considering his words, Zhao Xian dropped another bombshell!

"Bo Zhang, watch your words!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng immediately raised his hand to stop Zhao Xian and said in a low voice.

Decades ago, there was a great battle between Qing and Nan provinces, and many of the Dao soldiers who participated in that battle are still alive!

For example, Zhao Xian's grandfather Zhao Mu and his great-uncle Zhao De.

The intensity of the battle is still being talked about among the people of Qingzhou.

The Divine Water Sect of Nanzhou is a dominant force in the state, no less powerful than the Cloud Wave Sect!

In the present world, there are four states: Qing, Nan, Tai, and Jin. Within Qing state, the Yunlan Sect reigns supreme; in Nan state, the Shenshui Sect is the ruler of the state; in Tai state, the Shengwu Palace dominates a region; and in Jin state, the Jinfeng Sect is awe-inspiring in the western region.

As for the demon race, they merely dwell within the Cloud Ridge, tightly surrounded by these four states!

Demon-Suppressing Pass isn't just found in Qingzhou!

If Huang Tiandao is indeed secretly supported by the Divine Water Sect, then it is a major event concerning both states!

It was a matter of paramount importance, even affecting the four prefectures of Guanzhong and Pingzhou!

Decades ago, a great war broke out between Qing and Nan provinces, with the East Sea Dragon Clan and the South Sea Aquatic Clan both invading the territory.

The dragon overturned the rivers and seas, and aquatic creatures came ashore to plunder, causing heavy casualties among the coastal people.

Fortunately, the hermit Guanhai, a wandering cultivator, slew nine dragons in the East Sea with his sword, thus surviving the Yin Wind Tribulation. He then fought a fierce battle with a dragon king of the East Sea Dragon Clan for several days before finally forcing the East Sea Dragon Clan to retreat.

And that's why Lai County now has a Seaview Pavilion.

In the past few decades, another city overlooking the sea has been added!

The Divine Water Sect was also severely weakened by the raids by the aquatic creatures of the South China Sea.

After a moment of silence, Chen Sheng looked at Zhao Xian and smiled, "The Rongguang County troops are approaching Xiao County. From now on, our two families will have to help each other!"

"How dare I disobey!"

Zhao Xian also bowed and responded solemnly.

Today, the two teams, undeterred by the severe cold, ultimately covered twenty-five li (approximately 10.5 kilometers).

As night fell, Chen Sheng followed Zhao Xian's example and had dozens of bonfires set up outside the camp as a precaution.

As night fell, the moon rose high in the sky, its bright light hanging high above.

The bright moonlight spilled into the mountains and forests, creating a truly tranquil and serene atmosphere.

Around midnight, groups of ragged bandits emerged from the mountains and forests.

Under the cold moonlight, the bandits had blank expressions and their hands were covered with frostbitten sores.

We walked slowly toward the camp, stepping on the cold, hard ground.

To be precise, the bandits split into two groups: one group besieged the camp in Ronghuai County, while the other group separated the camp in Rongtai County from another camp.

Unlike Zhao Xian, who used large carts as a barrier for his camp, Chen Sheng did not do so.

The camp in Ronghuai County was meticulously arranged according to the layout of a marching camp.

It was fully equipped with barricades, deer fortifications, and wooden fences.

However, this kind of camp has one drawback: the supplies are all located at the rear of the camp, making the defenses somewhat weak.

Upon seeing the bandits approaching, Chen Sheng immediately ordered all military officers to appease the local people and strictly guard the camp.

He himself rode on a flying sword, facing the approaching enemy.

The soldiers who accompanied Chen Sheng to escort the grain supplies numbered about four hundred, which matched the two troop formations, and all were fully armed and armored.

To ensure the smooth transport of the supplies, Chen Sheng recruited two more innate martial artists from Ronghuai County, each serving as a military commander.

In summary, although Zhao Xianmo had more soldiers, their strength was no match for that of Ronghuai County!

With two innate martial artists in charge, Chen Sheng boldly went to meet the enemy.

Upon seeing the two Foundation Establishment cultivators opposite him, who were also riding flying swords, Chen Sheng showed a hint of surprise.

"Zhu He, how could you!"

Chen Sheng's gaze fell on the face of one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"It was only through the battle between the county magistrate and Zhu He that Zhu He glimpsed the opportunity to lay the foundation for his path!"

Seeing Chen Sheng's surprise, the Venerable Zhu He, dressed in a crimson Taoist robe, couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"It really has become like releasing a tiger back into the mountains!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng's expression turned cold, and he sighed deeply.

"If that's the case, then I will kill you today!"

Before he finished speaking, a beam of azure light shot out from Chen Sheng's body, heading straight for Zhu He on the opposite side!

Clearly, Chen Sheng had his own considerations.

Of the two people opposite, only Master Zhuhe had recently established his Dao foundation and his magical power was weak, so naturally, Master Zhuhe should be killed first!

"snort!"

Upon seeing Chen Sheng attack, Zhu He immediately snorted coldly, naturally understanding Chen Sheng's intentions.

They're just treating themselves like pushovers!

"Even an easy persimmon can break your teeth!"

With a cold laugh, Zhu He raised his hand and waved it.

In an instant, a ferocious fire dragon with bared fangs and claws rushed towards the blue light.

The raging flames illuminated the entire night sky, causing the Taoists and soldiers in the camp to gasp in astonishment!

In their eyes, this was already considered divine magic!

"kill!"

With a loud shout, the bandits below finally closed in on the camp.

In the blink of an eye, the sounds of battle shook the heavens.

On the other side, Zhao Xian and the others also saw the fiery dragon flying in mid-air.

"The escort team in Ronghuai County is extremely capable!"

"Besides Master Chen, who is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there are two other Innate Realm martial artists!"

"General Chen is strict in his military discipline, and his approach to setting up camp is also steady and methodical. Let's take a look first!"

Looking at the battle raging in the distance, Zhao Xian spoke without turning his head.

The officers behind him nodded in agreement.

"Sir, the bandits blocking our two houses number five or six hundred!"

At this moment, after roughly counting the number of bandits, Zhao Cheng immediately said in a low voice.

"Five or six hundred men. If we were to mobilize, we could wipe out these bandits in no time!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji was quite tempted and replied.

"No!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately looked around at the officers behind him, stopping their hesitation. "Our mission this time is to escort the grain and provisions. Delivering them to Xiao County will be a great achievement!"

"However," Zhao Xian continued, changing the subject, "we cannot let these bandits look down on us!"

"Dejing, Huang Zhong, pick a few skilled riders and archers to come with me and go shoot some arrows!"

Upon hearing this, the two people behind him immediately accepted the order.

"You shall remain here to stand guard, reassure the people, and beware of bandits taking advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack!"

"Here you go!"

Upon hearing this, everyone responded in unison.

A moment later, a gap appeared between the two large carriages, and more than ten riders galloped out.

"They're here! They're here!"

Seeing more than ten riders heading straight for them, one of the bandits immediately shouted loudly.

In an instant, the previously quiet queue became more restless.

More than ten riders galloped in, their thunderous hooves thundering.

The approaching behemoth intensified the fear on the faces of the bandits in the front row!

Suddenly, the cavalrymen turned and drew a perfect arc in front of the formation!

"Clang! Flame! Clang!"

More than ten arrows whistled out, pinning several bandits in the front row to the ground!

As for the remaining arrows, their whereabouts are unknown!

Even Zhao Xian, riding a galloping horse, could not hit the target with an arrow from a hundred paces away.

Not to mention the cavalrymen behind him.

"Hiss!"

Tighten the reins, and the horse gradually came to a stop.

The group was about seventy or eighty paces away from the bandits.

Once his mount had come to a stop, Zhao Xian drew an arrow, nocked it, and aimed at a heavily armored bandit in the distance!

"Whoosh!"

The bowstring trembled sharply, and the arrow shot out.

"thump!"

The armored bandit in the distance fell to the ground with a thud, the arrow piercing through him, leaving only half of the trembling arrow tail.

"Your archery skills are excellent, sir!"

The dozen or so cavalrymen behind him all praised him.

Zhao Xian, unhurriedly, continued to draw his bow and nock his arrow.

Four or five arrows were fired in quick succession, each one hitting its mark, and in the blink of an eye, four or five bandits were killed by arrows.

Seeing that the bandits did not move, Zhao Xian continued to shoot and kill them.

At this moment, several heated arguments also broke out from the bandit group opposite.

"Boss, are we just going to let this bastard shoot our brothers with impunity?" A heavily armored bandit pointed at Zhao Xian in the distance, unable to contain his anger. "Let me lead the brothers to fight back!"

"We will surely cut this scoundrel down!"

"It's late at night, and the roads are rugged and uneven; it's not advisable to send out cavalry!" Upon hearing this, the bandit leader immediately shook his head and said, "Our stronghold only has twenty or thirty horses; we can't afford to lose any!"

"Are we just going to let him shoot like this with impunity?" the heavily armored bandit retorted angrily, "Those are all old brothers who have followed us for many years!"

The bandits appeared disorganized and chaotic, but their organization was actually strictly hierarchical.

If a newly joined or coerced bandit can be given a rusty knife, that would be extremely kind!

Those armed bandits must be seasoned and ruthless thieves!

It is truly the core strength of a counterfeit!

"thump!"

Another heavily armored bandit fell to the ground and died!

"Boss, this is the eleventh old brother!"

At that moment, someone else whispered something nearby.

"Get all the old brothers out of here!"

Upon seeing this, the leader of the bandits immediately gave orders.

Before long, Zhao Xian, who was in the distance, also noticed this: the bandits in the front row had all been replaced by those ragged refugees!

"Heh~"

With a cold laugh, Zhao Xian continued to lead his team ahead of the bandits, firing arrows repeatedly.

As one bandit after another fell to the ground and died, it was as if Death himself had called their names with deadly precision.

The bandits in the front row could no longer bear the pressure of death hanging over their heads. They immediately dropped their bamboo spears, shouted, and charged towards the bandits behind them.

The collapse of one refugee naturally leads to the collapse and flight of a group of refugees.

A group of refugees scattered and fled, and that was the end of it!

Despite the old bandits in the back row slashing and shouting, the refugees in the front row ignored them and ran to the back!

In the blink of an eye, the once orderly line was thrown into disarray.

At this moment, Zhao Xian also took the opportunity to lead his cavalry forward and continuously hurled bullets at the bandit group!

Regardless of whether the shot hits or not, the pressure from above remains constant!

In the blink of an eye, several more old bandits were shot down to the ground!

"Ah! I'm going to kill you!"

With a loud shout, a bandit clad in iron armor mounted his horse, brandishing his spear, and charged towards Zhao Xian and his men!

The bandits and refugees in front of him panicked and tried to dodge when they saw the mount charging towards them, but several of them were still knocked to the ground by the bandit's mount!

"Quick! Stop him!"

When the bandit leader saw his third brother charge out like that, he immediately ordered his attendants to stop him.

Unfortunately, it was already too late!

Then, three or four more attendants rode off in pursuit.

Seeing this, the bandit leader's eyes also revealed a hint of anticipation.

He knew his third brother's martial arts skills very well!

In the mountain stronghold, apart from himself, no one was his match!

Seventy or eighty paces away, Zhao Xian saw the bandits charging towards him on horseback. He sneered, put away his bow, grabbed the spear tucked into his horse, and went to meet them!

A few dozen steps, and you'll arrive in no time!

By the soft moonlight, Zhao Xian could already see the sinister smile on the faces of the bandits opposite him!

"kill!"

In an instant, a roar exploded in Zhao Xian's ears, like a thunderclap, causing Zhao Xian to lose his composure slightly!

Seeing this, the bandits on the other side revealed a hint of smugness in their eyes!

This was a strange skill that he accidentally learned from a celestial master while chopping wood in the mountains!

The roar shook the enemy to their core!

In the moment of distraction, he was already killed by himself!

He has never failed at such a thing since he became a bandit!

"Ding!"

With a soft thud, the spear in the hands of the opposing officer was knocked away by his own spear and stuck diagonally into the ground not far away.

As the spear tip was about to pierce the officer's chest, a surge of excitement welled up in the bandit's heart!

"Ha! So what if he's a high-ranking official? He usually acts arrogantly and domineeringly, but today, under my spear, he's nothing but a nameless ghost!"

This bandit was quite knowledgeable; he even recognized the seal on Zhao Xian's waist!

Suddenly, the officer leaned back, narrowly avoiding the sharp spear thrusting at him!

"Clang!"

With a flash of cold light, the ring-pommel sword hanging diagonally at the waist was drawn!

The two horses galloped away in opposite directions, but then the officer suddenly stood up, brandishing his ring-pommel sword, and charged at the bandit cavalrymen in front of him!

A few breaths later, five warhorses stood on the battlefield, but the riders on their backs had all fallen off their saddles.

"Zhao Bing, lead the horse back to camp!"

Zhao Xian gave the order without turning his head.

Upon hearing this, one of the knights behind him immediately spurred his horse toward the warhorses, dismounted, and tied the reins of those warhorses to the saddle of his own horse.

Seeing this scene, the bandits in the distance dared not attack again.

The third leader, who was always incredibly brave in the mountain stronghold, died at the hands of the military officer in just one exchange. Even if the rest of them rode off to kill him, what difference would it make from sending them to their deaths?

"Third brother!"

A mournful wail echoed from within the bandit ranks!

"You scoundrel, I will kill you!"

But then they saw the bandit leader's eyes turn bloodshot, his sword pointed at Zhao Xian, and two streams of hot tears streaming down his face!

This was his sworn brother, whom he had known since childhood, despite not sharing the same father or mother!

With seven or eight leaders in the mountain stronghold, he was able to keep the stronghold firmly in his hands not because of any prestige, but entirely because of his old brothers who had helped him build the stronghold!

Now that he has lost his third brother and more than ten other old brothers, how could he not feel excruciating pain in his heart!

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, only to see that the bandit leader had already fainted on his mount!

"Big Boss!"

"The boss!"

Those close to him immediately cried out in alarm and rushed to his aid!

"Retreat! Retreat!"

A few breaths later, one of the leaders shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, the group of bandits immediately fled in panic towards the distant mountains and forests!

Zhao Xian and the others watched the bandits leave, but did not give chase!

Taking a clean piece of linen from his sleeve, Zhao Xian gently wiped the bloodstains off the ring-pommel sword!

"As expected of a top-grade weapon, it pierced through two layers of iron armor with a single strike!"

Looking at the ring-pommel sword in front of him, Zhao Xian couldn't help but smile.

"What a pity, this suit of armor can only be taken back and repaired!"

Zhao Bing walked over, pointed to the iron armor on the horse's back, and said with a regretful expression.

"We have a steelworks at home; repairs and maintenance are nothing to worry about!"

"Qin Jia and a dozen men worked for two months, and they only managed to make one set of iron armor!"

With a light laugh, Zhao Xian spurred his horse forward again.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Bing immediately ordered the remaining cavalry to follow.

He then led his warhorse back to the camp first.

"Thieves are just thieves; they can't even keep a horse properly!"

Looking at the few somewhat thin warhorses beside him, Zhao Bing complained with a pained expression.

You'll need to take good care of yourself when you get back!

Meanwhile, at the Ronghuai County camp, a fierce battle had broken out!

Chen Sheng, worthy of his noble lineage, managed to hold off two Foundation Establishment cultivators single-handedly.

Meanwhile, in the camp below, the two innate martial artists were like gods of war descending upon the world, charging left and right among the bandits, invincible in their path.

!

Wherever it went, it left behind only devastation!

Whether they were fierce bandits clad in iron armor or weak thieves wielding bamboo spears, in their eyes they were no different from weeds!

On the other side, Zhao Xian had also arrived at the Ronghuai County camp.

At a glance, the bandits besieging the Ronghuai County camp numbered at least one or two thousand!

The two innate martial artists had now come into Zhao Xian's view.

The two men each wielded a broadsword, and their swords flashed with unstoppable force!

"hiss!"

"Is this the strength of a Xiantian martial artist?"

At this moment, cavalrymen behind them also noticed this!

"You return to camp immediately and order Zhao Cheng and Zhao Ji to lead their troops to reinforce the Ronghuai County camp!"

"Order Xu Dekun, He Can, Zhu Shen, and others to remain at the camp and appease the Daoist people!"

"Gao Jun will be stationed at the camp to guard against a surprise attack by Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

"Have you remembered it?"

Zhao Xian stared at the distant battlefield and gave the order without turning his head.

"Report this to the military commander, and I, Yang Zhi, will keep it firmly in mind!"

A cavalryman behind him immediately bowed and shouted in a solemn voice!

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