Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

The previous assessment of this mysterious time traveler was probably wildly wrong.

The theory that this person has been in this world for at least a decade, or even longer, is based on the scale of the "Blackwood Cliff" stronghold.

It would indeed take more than ten years to establish such a large base.

But what if the "Blackwood Cliff" stronghold wasn't even established by this time traveler?

Therefore, no matter how long it took to build this stronghold, it has nothing to do with this person anymore.

There are actually only two things that can be definitively identified as being done by time travelers.

One of them named the mountain stronghold "Blackwood Cliff" and the riverbank next to the stronghold "Gorilla Beach" to satisfy his martial arts fantasies.

Another matter was that Duan Chao used the "red lead" elixir in the capital to lure Duke Guo Xun of Yiguo into his schemes.

This event occurred in the early part of the nineteenth year of the Jiajing reign (1540), a date that can be confirmed.

Such an action plan, from planning to implementation, will take at least several months!

What is certain at present is that by the autumn of the eighteenth year of the Jiajing reign at the latest, this mysterious time traveler was already in the Maitreya Sect, and had a certain status and position, and was qualified to participate in the plan personally presided over by the sect leader.

It is even highly likely that this person was the one who offered the plan to Zhang Yin!

Aside from time travelers, how could the natives of this plane possibly know what the effects of "ice" would be on the human body?

This is the earliest known clue so far. As for when this person came to this dimension, it is impossible to determine.

When I woke up in a meteorite crater deep in the mountains of Yunyang Prefecture, it was the early summer of the seventeenth year of the Jiajing reign. This person may not have transmigrated to this world earlier than me!

It's easy to explain why the three guards of Jingxing Pass didn't encounter any advanced weapons ahead of their time when they attacked Heimu Cliff.

Although that time traveler was also a high-ranking member of the Maitreya Sect, he had not been able to control the entire sect and was still in a period of dormancy.

This person brought out the "ice" he brought from another dimension, most likely to enhance his status within the Maitreya Cult.

An ambitious time traveler would not use overly advanced technology, especially advanced weapons, when he is not in control of the situation.

Even if we take it out, it will only benefit Zhang Yin!

Since that's the case, things will be much easier. Let's wipe out the Maitreya Cult first!

Without advanced weapons that are ahead of their time, the cult bandits on Blackwood Cliff and the few thousand men of Taiyuan Left Guard cannot cause much trouble!

Fan Jizu commanded over 100,000 Ming troops in the three towns of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi, which was sufficient to quell the rebellion.

The Maitreya sect could at most hold out for a while by relying on the treacherous terrain of Blackwood Cliff. Daring to go down the mountain and fight the army that was suppressing the rebellion in the open would be tantamount to suicide.

That time traveler is most likely on Blackwood Cliff right now. On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes, and whether this person can survive in this war to quell the rebellion depends on luck.

However, as a time traveler, he probably wouldn't truly be loyal to Zhang Yin and share the fate of the Maitreya Sect.

Seeing that the defeat of the Maitreya Sect was inevitable, this person would most likely find a way to escape, and the possibility of him being killed in battle or captured was not high!

If I want to get more information about this person, I will have to wait until the rebellion is quelled and the captured high-ranking members of the Maitreya sect are interrogated.

Would Chen Furong know anything about this person's background?

Lu Chen shook his head.

Chen Furong has been in the palace for more than ten years. It is clear that she was sent by Zhang Yin to infiltrate the palace in her early years. When she entered the palace, she was just a teenage girl.

This woman was merely a pawn planted by Zhang Yin back then, and she was probably not the only one like that.

Undercover agents rely on single-line communication and should know as little as possible about things unrelated to their mission.

How could she possibly know about the changes in the leadership of the Maitreya Sect's headquarters over the past decade or so?

On the contrary, the mysterious time traveler, being a high-ranking member of the Maitreya Sect, and having participated in planning Duan Chaoyong's plan to enter the capital and get close to the emperor, most likely knew about Chen Furong!

Chen Furong is right here in the palace, under my very nose. I can do whatever I want to her whenever I want, so I might as well keep her around as bait.

If the time traveler is not killed or captured in this war to eradicate the Maitreya Cult, he will most likely make a comeback.

This has been a traditional skill of various branches of the White Lotus Sect. From the Northern Song Dynasty to the mid-Qing Dynasty, they were able to revive after each rebellion was suppressed by the imperial court.

Those who manage to reintegrate and grow stronger are often the middle and senior-level core members who previously escaped.

Lu Chen felt that there was a good chance that this time traveler would unite the remaining members of the Maitreya Sect after Zhang Yin's Taiyuan Left Guard and Black Cliff headquarters were wiped out, in order to make a comeback.

This man is ambitious and wants to seize the world; he won't let Chen Furong, an important spy in the palace, go unused.

Should I approve the countermeasures proposed by the Ministry of War and already drafted by the Cabinet?

People in the Ministry of War believed that Zhang Yin would receive news of the attack on Black Cliff by the Three Guards of Jingxing Pass earlier than the capital and Shuozhou.

Based on whether Zhang Yin had already rebelled and occupied Taiyuan, two countermeasures were devised.

Taiyuan is the provincial capital, and its importance far surpasses that of a mountain stronghold in the Pingding Prefecture.

If Zhang Yin has already captured Taiyuan, looted the Prince of Jin's mansion, and captured and killed Liu Nie, the governor of Shanxi, then Fan Jizu, the governor of Xuanda and Shanxi, should lead the elite troops of the three towns directly to Taiyuan, with the primary task being to recapture the provincial capital.

As for Black Cliff, the Ming troops from Guguan and Longquanguan were reinforced and, together with the three guards of Jingxingguan, first surrounded it, preventing it from going down the mountain to support Taiyuan Left Guard.

If Zhang Yin hasn't made a move yet, then the Shanxi governor Liu Nie should take charge and directly seize the gate from the Taiyuan Left Guard to preemptively control Taiyuan City.

As long as Taiyuan is not lost, Zhang Yin's Taiyuan Left Guard will not be able to cause much trouble, and will be quickly wiped out once the main army arrives.

At that time, Blackwood Cliff, an isolated city, no matter how strategically located, will only fall in time.

The people in the Ministry of War probably think that Taiyuan City has most likely fallen by now.

I just don't dare to say it outright until I get confirmation.

Logically analyzing the battle report, this is indeed the case. After receiving news of the government troops' attack on Black Cliff, Zhang Yin would have immediately raised the banner of rebellion.

Taiyuan Left Guard controlled three city gates, with more than 5,000 men inside and outside the city. Given that the other garrison was unprepared, taking Taiyuan was practically a foregone conclusion.

However, the people in the Ministry of War were unaware that, in Lu Bing's name, they had secretly ordered Ouyang Hong, the commander of the Imperial Guard in Taiyuan, to fabricate a charge against Zhang Yin and falsely accuse him to Fan Jizu, so that Fan Jizu would summon Zhang Yin to Shuozhou.

This occurred before the three guards of Jingxing Pass dispatched night scouts to scout Blackwood Cliff.

At the time, Zhang Yin was unaware that he had been exposed, and therefore had no reason to disobey Fan Jizu's orders.

After the war started, the messengers from Blackwood Cliff went to Taiyuan City, but they most likely couldn't find Zhang Yin!

With Zhang Yin, the leader of the sect, absent, the Taiyuan Left Guard's response will likely be slow.

Liu Nie, the governor of Shanxi, who received the news of the outbreak of war almost at the same time as Taiyuan Left Guard, was less hesitant to take action.

According to the memorial, the balance of power between the two sides in Taiyuan City was not significantly different, and whoever made the first move would gain the upper hand.

As long as Zhang Yinzhen goes to Shuozhou, Taiyuan City will most likely not be lost!