"Damn it, this is outrageous!"
The constant screams of the Khitan soldiers around him filled Ku Ge with rage. Just as he was about to order his men to regroup, a sense of extreme danger surged through him. In the next moment, Ku Ge rolled off his horse to the right. At the same time, an arrow pierced through the horse he had been riding. If he had reacted even a second slower, the arrow would have struck him instead.
"Charge! Kill them!"
Feeling the danger, Ku Ge, who had initially wanted to order a retreat, now only wanted his men to cover his escape. After giving the order, he immediately hid among his troops to avoid being targeted by archers again.
At first, some of his men obeyed his command and charged out of the smoke, but soon more screams echoed as they fell.
"Ku Ge, your life ends here!"
With a roar that echoed throughout Liangcheng, a massive blue blade aura descended from the sky, enveloping Ku Ge, who was trying to flee the city. Before the blade aura even landed, the temperature around them plummeted, and blue ice crystals began to form on the ground. This was the Proud Cold Six Techniques.
Seeing the people around him being frozen by the blade aura, Ku Ge knew that if he couldn't block this attack, he would suffer the same fate. Instantly, Ku Ge unleashed his powerful true energy, raising his twin axes to meet the descending blade aura.
Boom!
The collision between the blade aura and the axes caused the entire street to tremble. The powerful shockwave of true energy sent the surrounding Khitan soldiers flying. Ku Ge, kneeling on one knee, was deeply embedded in the ground. One of his axes, now covered in ice crystals, fell to the ground in front of him, while the other remained in his trembling hand.
Ku Ge, caught off guard, was no match for Kou Zhong's well-prepared strike.
"Protect the prince!"
Seeing Ku Ge in danger, several Khitan soldiers immediately spurred their horses toward Kou Zhong. Ku Ge was the eldest son of a Khitan chieftain, and due to the influence of Central Plains culture, many tribes in the frontier had adopted titles like "prince."
Of course, Ku Ge's status as a prince was far inferior to that of Fu Xuan, given the vast difference in their power.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before the Khitan cavalry could reach Kou Zhong, a barrage of arrows struck them down. On the rooftop of the tavern where the three had been drinking earlier, Xu Ziling wielded a powerful bow, continuously drawing arrows from a quiver beside him.
About five buildings away, Du Fuwei was also firing arrows, picking off Khitan soldiers one by one.
Archery was a deadly weapon on the battlefield, and this was the foundation of Kou Zhong's confidence in facing the Donghai Alliance with just three people. In the original story, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Ba Fenghan had relied on three exceptional bows to fend off Jieli's pursuit in the frontier.
Although the Twin Dragons didn't have such legendary bows now, they had plenty of strong bows. With their strength, even ordinary bows could become deadly weapons in their hands. They had learned archery from Daniel during their time in Luoyang.
Archery was one of the Six Arts of Confucianism, and Daniel occasionally practiced it, especially since he possessed the Kaiyuan Chasing Moon Bow.
The Twin Dragons' talent was extraordinary. Even after just a few days of practice, they had surpassed archers who had trained for over a decade.
Clang!
Facing the kneeling Ku Ge, Kou Zhong didn't waste any words. He swung the Moon in the Well again. Having learned about the Donghai Alliance's atrocities from Ren Meimei, Kou Zhong showed no mercy. In a desperate bid for survival, Ku Ge, despite the trembling in his body and the chaos of his true energy, barely managed to block Kou Zhong's strike with his remaining axe.
The immense force from Kou Zhong's blade caused Ku Ge's already trembling hand to lose its grip on the axe. The weapon flew out of his hand, landing a short distance away, covered in ice crystals. Then, with a flash of the blade, Ku Ge's head was severed from his body.
"Avenge the prince!"
After the initial chaos caused by the black smoke, the smoke began to dissipate. The remaining Khitan soldiers, seeing Ku Ge's death, turned pale. Ku Ge's status was significant, and his death here would undoubtedly lead to severe consequences for them upon their return. In their desperation, many Khitan soldiers drew their bows, aiming to kill Kou Zhong and avenge Ku Ge.
However, Kou Zhong had already retreated into one of the empty buildings along the street, causing the arrows to miss their mark.
"Next, it's time for the guerrilla warfare Brother Daniel mentioned."
After the black smoke cleared, the Twin Dragons and Du Fuwei hid themselves, using their bows to harass the remaining Khitan soldiers in the city.
Ku Ge had brought five hundred men, leaving a hundred outside the city as a precaution while the other four hundred entered Liangcheng.
Four hundred men were too many for the Twin Dragons and Du Fuwei to handle head-on, even with their strength. They had to rely on guerrilla tactics to slowly whittle down the enemy.
With Ku Ge dead, the remaining Khitan soldiers lacked a leader and soon began to turn on each other. The Khitans blamed the Han Chinese traitors among them, accusing them of betrayal. The argument quickly escalated into a fight.
Amidst the infighting and the confined space of Liangcheng, the Khitan cavalry couldn't utilize their advantage. Under the leadership of the Twin Dragons and Du Fuwei, with the help of Ren Meimei and the Peng-Liang Association, the four hundred Khitan soldiers in the city were gradually wiped out.
As for the hundred Khitan soldiers outside the city, they were left in disarray after the drawbridge was raised. Liangcheng, though not a large city, had a moat and walls that made it impossible for the Donghai Alliance, lacking siege equipment, to breach.
Previously, Liangcheng had been terrified of the Donghai Alliance, but that was because they lacked leadership. When Nie Jing, the Ghost Claw, was alive, the Peng-Liang Association had not been so easily intimidated by the Donghai Alliance.
"With Ku Ge dead, the Donghai Alliance won't dare attack here for a while. Stabilize the city's order, and someone will soon come to take over."
After nearly annihilating the Donghai Alliance forces, Kou Zhong instructed Ren Meimei on what to do next. Then, amidst the Peng-Liang Association's gratitude, he left Liangcheng.
"The Luoma Gang and the Donghai Alliance will have to wait until later to be completely eradicated."
Although the Donghai Alliance had suffered heavy losses, they wouldn't be completely wiped out. Without the Khitans, there were still Koreans, Tibetans, and other groups, not to mention the traitorous gangs that had allied with the Donghai Alliance during the chaos.
Even though the battle against Ku Ge had gone smoothly, Kou Zhong wasn't arrogant enough to think he could single-handedly storm their stronghold and eliminate them. Ku Ge's complete defeat was due to his overconfidence.
"As expected of the Twin Dragons."
Daniel wasn't surprised that the Twin Dragons had persuaded Du Fuwei to surrender. Out of respect for the Twin Dragons, he gave Du Fuwei the highest honors, personally receiving him and granting him a respectable position. Of course, there were no iron-clad guarantees or immunity tokens.
Afterward, Daniel handed the task of reorganizing the Jianghuai Army to Shen Luoyan. The Jianghuai Army's discipline was a major issue that needed strict handling.
"The Donghai Alliance and the Luoma Gang? No problem, I'll leave them to you."
After dealing with Du Fuwei, Kou Zhong brought up the issue of the Donghai Alliance, causing Daniel's expression to turn cold. He then tasked Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling with leading his personal guard and using the Mechanical Vermilion Birds to deal with them.
"Surprisingly, no one came to rescue them. Fan Qinghui is truly cold-hearted."
While the Twin Dragons were off dealing with the Donghai Alliance and the Luoma Gang, Luoyang began the public trial and execution of the Four Guardian Vajras of the Pure Thought Zen Sect. Daniel had expected Fan Qinghui to make some move, so he had set up traps around the execution ground. However, nothing happened.
The Four Guardian Vajras were executed one by one, with Liaokong being the last.
At the same time, the arrangements made by Fahai, the abbot of the White Horse Temple, began to take effect. He questioned what it truly meant to be a Buddhist disciple, stating that the greed of certain individuals had allowed many ill-intentioned people to infiltrate Buddhism. He introduced the concept of the "ordination certificate" (度牒), emphasizing that those who couldn't even read Buddhist scriptures had no place in Buddhism.
Daniel also officially began using the Heirloom Seal of the Realm (和氏璧) as the imperial seal. As for its origin, it wasn't obtained from the Pure Thought Zen Sect. With Fahai's testimony, it was revealed that the Ci Hang Jing Zhai, the Pure Thought Zen Sect, and Ning Daoqi had never possessed the real Heirloom Seal. Their so-called "Heaven's Mandate to Select the Emperor" was a sham, using a fake seal to deceive people.
The real Heirloom Seal had been discovered in an ancient tomb and presented to Daniel, greatly boosting his prestige while further tarnishing Buddhism's reputation.
As for the truth about the Heirloom Seal, the common people didn't care. Whoever improved their lives would earn their support. If the people suffered, even a hundred Heirloom Seals would be meaningless.
"How dare he!"
Reading the latest Tang Daily's report on the new regulations for Buddhist disciples, Fan Qinghui, at the Yuhe Nunnery in Chang'an, spat out a mouthful of blood.
The new regulations stripped Buddhism of its transcendent status, placing it under official management. Temples were required to pay taxes and could no longer accept land or other fixed assets from devotees. Statues of Buddha could only be made of clay or stone, not bronze or gold. These regulations, combined with Fahai's betrayal, were too much for Fan Qinghui to bear.
However, no matter how unacceptable it was, this was now reality.
"The Mohist mechanical beasts... How should we deal with them?"
In the Qin Palace in Chang'an, Li Shimin solemnly shared intelligence about the Tang forces' mechanical beasts with his subordinates, asking them to consider how to counter this threat.
After learning about the mechanical beasts, Li Shimin realized that the Li Clan was in serious trouble. If these mechanical beasts could be mass-produced, the nature of warfare would change entirely.
After reviewing the intelligence, Li Shimin had pondered how to counter the mechanical beasts but found no solution. If there were only a few, it might be manageable, but if they were widely deployed, even his elite Xuanjia Army would be no match for them.
"So that's how it is."
Xu Shiji frowned as he read the report on the mechanical beasts, finally understanding why Shen Luoyan had chosen the Tang forces. If he had known about this earlier, he might not have sided with the Li Clan either.
As a military strategist, Xu Shiji understood the devastating impact the Mechanical White Tigers and Mechanical Vermilion Birds could have on the battlefield.
Li Jing, sitting nearby, also frowned. What Xu Shiji saw, he saw as well.
Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin, sitting at the edge of the room, realized why Shen Luoyan had shown little interest in recruiting them.
When Shen Luoyan was with the Wagang Army, she had gone to great lengths to recruit Qin Shubao, even making a bet with him. But with the Tang forces, she had only made a casual offer, which Qin Shubao had declined. At the time, Qin Shubao hadn't thought much of it, but now he understood: Shen Luoyan didn't care whether he joined the Tang forces or not. If he refused, there were plenty of others willing to take his place.
"Li Jing, what do you think we should do?"
Seeing that none of his subordinates had spoken for a while, Li Shimin turned to Li Jing.
"For now, we should gather more detailed information about these mechanical beasts and see if we can obtain some samples," Li Jing said after a moment of thought.
Li Shimin nodded slightly. He had considered the same thing and even devised several plans, but ultimately abandoned them, fearing they might backfire.
Li Jing had a good relationship with the Twin Dragons, and Li Shimin had considered using that connection. However, he worried that Li Jing might not return, which would be a disastrous loss.
With the Song Clan and the Mohist mechanical beasts, in this era of chaos and shifting loyalties, Li Shimin couldn't even fully trust his own Tiancefu members.
Ironically, it was thanks to the Tang forces' growing power that Li Shimin, once distrusted by Li Yuan, was now relied upon by his father.
"Everyone, go back and think about this."
Seeing that no one else spoke after Li Jing, Li Shimin dismissed the meeting. After his subordinates left, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Although the Tang forces were at their peak, Li Shimin had discovered a fatal weakness.
In Champion City, Xu Xingzhi, having just finished his work for the day, was about to return to his quarters to rest. As he opened the door, he found himself surrounded by a sea of sword lights, completely obscuring his vision.
Then, the countless sword lights vanished, leaving only a single black sword silently poised to pierce Xu Xingzhi's forehead. But at that moment, a golden light enveloped Xu Xingzhi's body.
(End of Chapter)
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