Origin Paradise!

Deputy General Du Chang seemed to be deep in thought. When he left the capital, he met up with the Earl. At that time, the Earl was already wearing armor, so to be precise, this was the first time he had seen the Earl's appearance. He was really too young, and his appearance was quite outstanding, elegant and handsome, not like a noble general who could cut someone in half with a spear.

Jiang He put down the camel hump bag. There was no need to wear the helmet anymore. He was now the Duke of Pingluan, and it was impossible for him to hide behind the helmet all the time. If he used a monocle, it would be difficult to carry out anything under the disguise of blond hair and blue eyes. If his identity was exposed because of this, he would simply have to start the border survival mode. In short, he could bear the worst consequences.

“Lord, a fourth-rank commander who is transferred to a military post during wartime will most likely become a guerrilla general. My advisor and I will probably be garrison commanders. According to custom, the three of us should be jointly responsible for a defensive pass.”

Du Chang introduced the situation of the Anbei Governor's Office.

The four generals under the King of Anbei held great power, followed by the assistant generals and various guerrilla generals. The commanders of the garrisons in various places would be converted into garrison officers during wartime, commanding about a thousand men. The guerrilla generals commanded between one thousand and three thousand men. Considering that the northern barbarians had many archers, the troops were likely cavalry.

Jiang He nodded slightly. He had no way to train his command skills before, and the initial resources of the title of Duke of Pingluan were just right, not too much that would be out of control, nor too little that would be of no use.

Several people gathered around the campfire chatting, while Xu Yingwu had his men set up a simple wooden platform. Twelve beautiful women from the water town with slender waists took to the stage and began to dance to simple music. With graceful movements and light steps, the young women captivated the audience.

"The slender horses of Jiangnan are truly wonderful."

He was completely absorbed in joining the army, swaying his head to the music. These women were specially trained to be sold to wealthy families as "slender horses." They were proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and ordinary small merchants simply couldn't afford to support them. Xu Yingwu had probably gone all out this time.

“My lord, the Rouge Pavilion in Daming Prefecture is famous throughout the land. I am unfamiliar with the place, so I would be grateful if you would grace me with your presence. Otherwise, if I go by myself, I will only be ridiculed by those pale-faced scholars.”

Deputy General Du Chang winked and said that in places like the Rouge Pavilion, the girls were not very willing to entertain rough soldiers. Not only would it exhaust them, but they would also sometimes beat and scold them, and it could even lead to death.

"We'll see then."

Jiang He neither agreed nor refused outright.

Amidst the singing and dancing, many villagers came out of their houses and cast curious glances. A burly man leaned against a corner, holding a knife, watching closely with a disdainful expression.

Old Li was leading a young girl dressed in white out of the house. Her collar was embroidered with gold trim that looked like scales. She was slender, with delicate features and cascading black hair. But what was even more striking were her golden vertical pupils.

“This is my granddaughter, Zhuang Ya.”

Du Chang, being experienced and prudent, guessed that this might be the so-called White Snake Immortal. Demons are not uncommon in the world, and the Ten Thousand Mountains in the south are teeming with them. Generally speaking, they are divided into two types based on whether they are close to humans. The Nine Provinces Commandery is also known as the Embroidered Guard in peacetime, and it is dedicated to capturing and killing evil demons and ghosts.

Jiang He was stunned for a moment when he saw the little girl. She had very obvious snake-like features, which he was familiar with. He had a deep impression of Banjiao Tenghai's figure during that storm.

Noticing someone's gaze, a hint of fear appeared on Zhuang Ya's expressionless face.

Jiang He stopped paying attention to the little guy. When the half-dragon died, the intense hatred it left behind made him repelled by snake-like creatures, but strangely, the Long-Hate Spear only recognized him as its master.

On the simple wooden platform, singing and dancing continued. Xu Yingwu found Granny Jiudu and subtly hinted that he could send a few people out in hopes of getting an introduction. The caravan guards rode warhorses and were clad in iron armor, but they could not escape his shrewd eyes.

Jiang He opened his friends list, but there were no messages from Wuhe yet. Since the arrival of animal companions was always safe and random, he wasn't too worried at the moment. According to the brief discussion before departure, Wuhe needed to gather the flock of birds as soon as it landed, restore some intelligence capabilities, and then find Lao Hei's location. They would only contact each other if there were any special circumstances.

As night fell, the young women were drenched in sweat. Xu Yingwu sighed and called a halt to the performance, as Granny Jiudu was not interested in his deal.

The caravan guards slept on the ground. Jiang He rested his head on his arms with his eyes closed, taking out a cinnabar mirror to induce a light sleep.

……

Nothing happened all night.

The rooster crows, and the dawn breaks.

The convoy was fully prepared and ready to go, and Jiang He mounted his horse with his gun.

The scouts sent out to contact the county seat have returned. The princess's influence in Yizhou is unimaginable, especially given the death of the crown prince and her status as the only daughter.

The convoy left White Snake Village and headed northwest, returning to its predetermined route to meet up with the county troops personally led by the prefect.

Jiang He sat high on his horse. Basically, a top-ranking martial artist could dominate a prefecture. There were five or six first-class sects in Yizhou. The people valued martial arts, but the imperial court always maintained a tendency to prioritize civil affairs over military affairs. Martial artists were not as lowly as commoners. This was mainly because there were four Grand Commanders supporting the situation. However, even if the number of Grand Commanders doubled, it would not affect the overall situation.

Only a Grandmaster can influence the overall situation with their own abilities.

A Zen monk of the Northern Barbarian Esoteric School, and the master of the Great Snow Mountain of the Northern Barbarians.

Leader of the White Lotus Demonic Cult, Lord of Linjie City in the East Sea.

The Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Palace and the Head of the Five Pecks Dao, the State Religion.

And the non-human demons that dwell in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Legend has it that the highest-ranking city lord of Linjie City in the East Sea once split a restaurant in two with a single sword strike. He practiced swordsmanship for seventy years, never leaving the city or taking on any disciples. He sat atop the city wall day after day, and anyone who dared to approach him would be killed with a single sword strike. The other five grandmasters had all publicly acknowledged that this city lord had completely surpassed them and did not want to hear any more unfounded rumors.

Over the years, there have been many martial artists and Qi cultivators who hoped to gain the favor of the Lord of Linjie City in the East Sea, and some who even dreamed of becoming famous in one battle. In the end, without exception, they all died on the city wall, regardless of gender or age.

As the convoy moved forward, Jiang He suddenly snapped out of her thoughts.

There were dense hoofprints on the ground, indicating that there were hundreds of people. Judging from the depth, most of them were armored, with an armor coverage rate similar to that of the cavalry that attacked the convoy earlier.

Jiang He turned to look at Du Chang.

"Don't tell me that Daming Prefecture has fallen."

“My lord, what are you saying? Daming Prefecture is impregnable.” Du Chang said with absolute certainty.

"Go and join up with the county troops."

Jiang He turned his horse around and accelerated. The previous cavalry had a complex composition. If this force was the same, it couldn't be explained by coincidence. If someone in Yizhou was colluding with the Northern Barbarians, it would definitely be one of the reasons why the Northern Barbarians would break through the capital in the future.

Compared to the main quest, the safety of a princess is of utmost importance.

Chapter 112 The Destruction of White Snake Village

As evening fell, the twilight spread out like ink.

A warhorse galloped across the plain, leaving trails of dust behind it. Jiang He held the reins in one hand and passed through a dense forest. The numerous hoofprints led to the left, and his expression became slightly serious. The cavalry were heading towards the village where they had rested the previous night.

The warhorses increased their speed again, the clatter of their hooves overlapping as the dense forest rushed past.

A quarter of an hour later, faint flames appeared in sight, illuminating the sky above White Snake Village with a bright orange-red glow. As they drew closer, warm winds stirred up sparks, the wildfire spread, and wild animals fled in droves.

Arriving at the entrance of White Snake Village again, the sun had already set behind the western mountains, and the entire village was engulfed in flames. The wooden houses had become braziers steaming with intense light, and the thatched roofs were ablaze with flames. Occasionally, heart-wrenching screams could be heard.

Jiang He dismounted and took out the Crimson Baptism sniper rifle, which had an ancient design, covered with carvings and wrapped in layers of coarse cloth. As he moved forward, he loaded alchemical bullets. Bringing modern weapons into the real mission world would significantly increase the difficulty of the mission. This included common bullets, but the alchemical piercing bullets used as props were not included.

On the dirt road at the village entrance, a troop of cavalry, having reaped a bountiful harvest, was preparing to return to wait outside the village. The leader had distinct features of a barbarian from beyond the Great Wall, and on his horse was a woman from Jiangnan, dressed in tattered clothes, and several bolts of silk.

Upon seeing the newcomers, the barbarian leader paused for a moment, then raised his lance and uttered the elegant language of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"catch him!"

So-called elegant language refers to the standardized language used uniformly.

The five cavalrymen accelerated simultaneously. They were tall and strong, and their imposing presence made them seem extraordinary. Without superhuman strength, it would be extremely difficult for an ordinary person to deal with regular cavalry on flat ground.

Jiang He calmly raised the Crimson Baptism, then pulled the trigger. A streak of bluish-red light shot from the muzzle and struck the barbarian leader in the chest.

The bullet pierced through flesh and blood in an instant. The sniper's armor-shattering effect caused the prey's upper body to explode violently, blood splattering everywhere. The bullet disappeared from sight and then hit the left chest of a cavalryman behind him, still violently pulverizing him. A blood hole the size of a human head appeared, and the cavalryman flew backward. While still in mid-air, most of his chest was corroded away.

One shot, two kills.

The sudden, loud noise seemed to silence White Snake Village for a few seconds before a sharp whistle rang out.

At the village entrance, three cavalrymen were shocked by the power of the strange firearm. After exchanging a glance, they fled in different directions. Firearms had been invented in this era, but their power was not satisfactory. For warriors, bows and arrows were more convenient for them to exert their strength and skills.

Jiang He fired three shots in quick succession, showcasing the sniping skills honed on the battlefield. Three streaks of light shot out almost simultaneously as he turned around quickly. After mastering the hidden force, his sniping limit reached a distance of one kilometer.

Three plumes of blood mist exploded in response.

On the main road of White Snake Village, more than twenty people charged forward on horseback. A thin young man was in the lead, holding a heavy long axe and looking fierce.

Jiang He narrowed his eyes. It was another mixed group of Northern Barbarians, bandits, and Jianghu people.

Looking back now, some seemingly normal aspects of the two attacks reveal something strange. When the caravan was attacked for the first time, the enemy abandoned their mission halfway through. While the overwhelming odds were certainly a factor, the assassination of the only daughter of the King of Anbei was an act that would cost them their lives. Their willingness to risk their lives at the last minute seemed particularly abrupt.

Generally speaking, such risky missions are usually carried out by suicide soldiers. It might be understandable if a few deserters escape in the face of battle, but if most of them eventually retreat, it can only mean that the person behind the scenes has poor skills in training soldiers, or that the enemy has no intention of doing this at all.

Currently, the second team has massacred the village and then set it on fire. Although this may cover up the traces, it has also exposed their whereabouts. If they want to continue their operations, this move will undoubtedly alert the enemy.

"Their target is not the princess."

"This is a force that specializes in hunting down caravans, or merchant caravans."

Jiang He secretly speculated that the principle of "[action is for the sake of results]" applies to most situations. As long as they continue to follow the enemy's line of thinking, the situation will become clear.

"They hunted down caravans within the territory, and the merchants were terrified. But as the second largest city in the world, Daming Prefecture was so attractive that people were willing to risk everything. With land routes blocked, they turned to water routes."

“In essence, with the Hangzhou-Mingshan Grand Canal, it was common for merchants from the south to travel by water. However, the Yan family controlled the checkpoints and the fees were high, which made many merchants risk traveling long distances.”

The cavalry is close.

Jiang He did not draw the Everlasting Regret Spear, and said coldly:

"A bunch of lowly servants, blind as can be!"

"I am a retainer of the Yan family."

The gaunt young man's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. He immediately pulled on the reins, and the horse reared up. He raised his hand to stop the cavalry behind him, and said with surprise and uncertainty:

"I do not know your name. We are both worshippers, yet I have never seen you before."

Large families often recruit martial arts masters under the guise of offering them food and drink. They provide them with gold, silver, jewels, luxury cars, and beautiful women for several or even more than ten years. When it comes to critical moments, they send them out, and many martial arts practitioners are willing to fight to the death, even risking their lives.

Because they stopped too hastily, the two fell off their horses, but the thin young man paid no attention to it.

"Why did you set the fire?" Jiang He asked coldly.

"Please verify your identity..."

Before he could finish speaking, a pebble was kicked out.

The hidden force was applied to the stone, which grazed the thin young man's cheek, leaving a trace of blood.

The thin young man's pupils contracted. A superior martial artist may not necessarily master internal force, but one who does master internal force is definitely a superior martial artist. At the very least, he has mastered the power of internal force, and the barrier between the middle and superior grades can be broken with a flick of his finger.

Jiang He completely ignored the other party's question and asked a second question, his tone even colder, as if he were the one in charge of this operation.

Why did you set the fire?

The thin young man dismounted and clasped his hands in greeting, and the cavalrymen also dismounted.

"My lord, there is a white snake demon in this village. It is troublesome and afraid of fire. Right now, my sworn brother is leading people to fight it. It is surrounded by fire, and it definitely cannot escape."

"Then do you know why I killed people?" Jiang He said calmly, pointing casually to the corpses on the ground.

The thin young man's face was slightly pale. "The surrounding counties could turn a blind eye to the robbery and killing of a caravan from another state, but the massacre of a village is a far cry from the tacit agreement. But you may not know, sir, that this white snake has been cultivating for three hundred years. Although its gall contains liver poison, it is also a good medicine for the young master's illness. I am also loyal to the country."

You actually managed to explain such a big mystery... Jiang He's expression remained unchanged.

"Do you really think the eldest young master is sick?"

Jiang He gave the other party a mocking look, strode towards the center of the village, and brushed past the cavalrymen.

As for whether it was true or false, he was of course completely unaware.

"Tell everyone to come along. I want to see what the White Snake is capable of."

The thin young man stood there, his expression visibly shaken.

It is a well-known fact that the eldest son has been suffering from a long-term illness and missed the imperial examinations, thus losing his chance at an official career.

Upon closer examination, however, the renowned physician who treated the eldest son never publicly acknowledged it.

The thin young man couldn't help but sigh. Such secrets could probably only be known to core members like the adults. The other party was probably the Shadow who had been doing the dirty work for the Yan family. Famous sects and powerful families all had similar figures, and they were highly trusted.

Chapter 113 Qi Practitioner

Center of White Snake Village.

Corpses lay strewn everywhere.

The headless corpse of merchant Xu Yingwu lay in a pool of blood; his head had been cut off and used as a token to return and report.

Under the blazing firelight, more than seventy people, armed with long guns, formed an encirclement.

The nearly twenty-meter-long white snake coiled on the ground, occasionally flicking its tail. A fierce wind howled, and it could easily shatter armor and kill people. Soldiers who were hit were sent flying backward into the sea of ​​fire, screaming a few times before falling silent.

But as the white snake attacked, the other soldiers bravely seized the opportunity and thrust their spears forward.

During this time, a five-meter-tall, humanoid Taoist soldier, whose entire body seemed to be cast from blood, leaped down from mid-air, smashed the white snake's head with a punch, and then quickly retreated, easily dodging the snake's sweeping tail.

A young man, not yet of legal age, sat cross-legged, skillfully manipulating the Taoist soldiers to launch attacks.

Qi practitioners can utilize the Qi of heaven and earth for their own use.

Despite being physically weak and even no match for some ordinary men who only know farming, he can condense blood essence and create Taoist soldiers that can be used in battle by using military formations.

Low-grade Dao soldiers are three meters tall, mid-grade Dao soldiers are five meters tall, and high-grade Dao soldiers are seven meters tall. All of them can fight against weaker martial artists of the same level.

The key is that as long as the army has enough people, the Qi cultivators' skills meet the requirements, and the soldiers are of high quality, more than one Dao soldier can be created.

In the center of the battlefield, just as the white snake was about to crawl forward, the young Qi cultivator immediately made a hand seal and waved it. The sea of ​​fire behind him suddenly surged, and the rolling flames forced the white snake back to its original position.

The young Qi cultivator was full of confidence. With the help of the scorching heat of the sea of ​​fire, the prey had nowhere to retreat. He could end the battle before the prey's true energy was exhausted. This white snake, Baiyue, had cultivated for three hundred years and had already become a high-grade demon in human form. Unfortunately, it had been far away from the demon community and had been supported by the villagers for a long time. Its fighting skills were terrible. Moreover, the demon race's talent of returning to its original state was irrelevant to combat. This encirclement and capture was a foregone conclusion.