bookmarkrole #178 - Kill the Great Sage First
#178 - Kill the Great Sage First
The Garrison Camp.
Inside the command tent.
An Liangbi, the Assistant Administrator of Qingzhou, and Lei Yu, the Garrison Commander, were in front of a map, holding oil lamps and finalizing their plans.
“Lord Administrator, all the troops in Qingzhou City have been assembled and are ready to depart at any time.”
“Although Shenlu Peak is easy to defend and difficult to attack, I don’t take it seriously.”
“My scouts have already investigated thoroughly. Most of the Taiping Dao's manpower is arranged for purchasing, transporting, and distributing grain. Those remaining on Shenlu Peak are only the core members of the Taiping Dao and a bunch of Redfire Sword Sect underlings.”
“Therefore, we don’t need to pay attention to the ordinary followers of the Taiping Dao. We only need to lead the army directly to the Taiping Dao's main altar on Shenlu Peak. Once we capture the ringleader, the rebel army will collapse!”
Lei Yu was a burly man with a full beard. He was wearing armor and pointing at the map as he spoke to An Liangbi.
An Liangbi didn’t understand military matters, but he thought Lei Yu’s idea was reliable.
As the saying goes, to catch bandits, first catch the leader.
The Taiping Dao’s spiritual leader was only the Great Virtuous Teacher. As long as they captured the Great Virtuous Teacher, the Taiping Dao would naturally collapse.
Tonight, An Liangbi shouldn’t have been here.
He should have been planning the task of leading all the yamen runners and constables in the city to search for the Taiping Dao.
The matter of attacking the Taiping Dao’s main altar should have been Lei Yu’s sole responsibility.
But during the day, after An Liangbi witnessed the absurdity of Yang Weitu, who was now in charge of the Yang family, he felt uneasy.
At this moment.
An Liangbi secretly glanced at another person standing behind Garrison Commander Lei Yu.
That person was also wearing armor, exuding a stern and murderous aura unique to the military.
The position where he stood was a bit far from the oil lamp, making his face look somewhat gloomy.
This person was none other than Feng Tian, the Qingzhou Military Inspector.
He was also the husband of Madam Feng, the beautiful woman from the Yang family he met during the day.
In the military camp, he was second only to Lei Yu.
He was also the person An Liangbi was most worried about.
Until now, An Liangbi didn’t know whether Feng Tian knew about his wife’s matter.
Thinking of this, An Liangbi couldn’t help but curse Yang Weitu in his heart again.
He also decided that after annihilating the Taiping Dao, he must support a smarter person from the Yang family again.
An Liangbi composed himself and couldn’t help but ask:
“Garrison Commander, I heard that the Great Virtuous Teacher is highly skilled in martial arts.”
“Do we have a chance of winning this battle?”
Lei Yu heard this and said dismissively:
“Lord Administrator, are you talking about the Great Virtuous Teacher’s battle with the Elder of the Senluo Sect?”
“To tell you the truth, the Great Virtuous Teacher’s martial arts are not bad, at least at the fifth rank. There is also a masked expert under him, whose sixth-rank realm can still engage in a head-on battle with a fifth-rank martial artist, which is quite capable.”
“Besides that, Jiang Lengxue, the former wife of the Redfire Sword Sect’s leader, is also a fifth-rank expert.”
“The rest are just chickens and dogs, not worth mentioning.”
An Liangbi nodded slightly upon hearing this.
He had also heard roughly the same intelligence. It seemed that Lei Yu was well-prepared. Knowing oneself and one’s enemy was the key to victory in every battle.
Lei Yu continued:
“This official is not talented, but I am also at the peak of the fifth rank! In a few years, I will be able to enter the fourth rank.”
“The reason why I am still a Garrison Commander in this Qingzhou is only because I lack an opportunity.”
“If I make a contribution in this annihilation of the Taiping Dao and get recommended by the State Father, then when I enter the fourth rank, it will be the day I am promoted to Vice General!”
Speaking of this, Lei Yu pointed to Feng Tian behind him.
“Military Inspector Feng is also a fifth-rank expert! And he is quite talented.”
“He is just like me, without anyone to recommend him. Otherwise, he would have already been serving as a Garrison Commander in another state.”
“Lord Administrator, after this battle, I will have to trouble you and Young Master Yang to say a few good words for us in front of the State Father.”
Lei Yu showed a warm smile on his face as he said this.
As a military officer and a fifth-rank expert, he had to treat An Liangbi, a mere civil official, with courtesy for the sake of his promotion.
An Liangbi’s heart trembled upon hearing this.
He couldn’t help but secretly glance at that Military Inspector Feng Tian again.
This person was a fifth-rank expert and a key figure in resisting the Taiping Dao.
How could Yang Weitu dare to touch his wife?
An Liangbi composed himself and continued to ask:
“But in that case, wouldn’t our army be at a disadvantage in terms of top martial artists?”
“The Taiping Dao has the Great Virtuous Teacher, a mysterious expert, and Jiang Lengxue to help them.”
“And our army only has two fifth-rank experts. In that case…”
Lei Yu laughed loudly upon hearing this.
An Liangbi was puzzled and didn’t know why Lei Yu was laughing.
After a moment, Lei Yu explained:
“Lord Administrator, you don’t need to worry too much about the war. Everything is under my control.”
“The killings in the martial world are very different from the battles on the battlefield.”
“My two thousand armored soldiers, including the number of sixth-rank and seventh-rank martial artists, completely overwhelm the Taiping Dao!”
“On the battlefield, the duel between top experts is very important, but it doesn’t play a decisive role like the killings in the martial arts world. There are many other factors that can affect the outcome.”
“The martial artists in the army are good at forming formations. Once the military formation is formed, it will put great pressure on those martial artists from the martial world.”
“Even if the Great Virtuous Teacher and Jiang Lengxue can successfully break through the formation with their fifth-rank realm, their internal energy will be exhausted. At that time, wanting to deal with them will be like catching a turtle in a jar.”
An Liangbi felt a little relieved after hearing this.
He was about to ask again.
Suddenly.
A soldier ran in hurriedly.
The soldier knelt on one knee and reported:
“Reporting to the Garrison Commander!”
“The South City Gate has been opened without authorization! The Taiping Dao and the refugees outside are now pouring into the city like crazy!”
This news shocked everyone in the tent.
They were just about to go and clean up the Taiping Dao.
But the Taiping Dao unexpectedly came to their door first!
And so quickly!
As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. The Taiping Dao really caught everyone off guard this time.
Lei Yu, hearing this, was furious:
"Who dared to open the city gate without authorization?"
"Who would dare to open the city without my order!"
An Liangbi, however, seemed to understand something:
"In Qingzhou City, Prefect Gao Yuan also has this power and ability."
Although Gao Yuan was sidelined, he was, after all, the Prefect.
The influence of this position alone was enormous, and it would not be difficult for him to arrange for his own men to secretly open the city gate.
Hearing the word 'Prefect,' Lei Yu could only shut his mouth and stop complaining.
The struggle between An Liangbi and Prefect Gao Yuan was a struggle between civil officials, and he didn't want to participate.
He was only here this time to deal with the Taiping Dao and avenge the Yang family.
Immediately, An Liangbi said:
"Commander, now that the Taiping Dao has entered the city, shouldn't we immediately attack?"
Lei Yu, hearing this, raised his hand and said:
"Now we should first determine the location of the Great Teacher, and then take action."
"Immediately go and scout, find out exactly where the Great Teacher is!"
The soldier accepted the order:
"Yes, sir!"
Then quickly retreated.
Just at this moment.
A burst of shouts suddenly erupted in the sky above the city.
The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ say ⊥ is ⊥ in ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥ ⊥ book ⊥ ⊥ bar ⊥ ⊥ first ⊥ hair!
"Kill the Sheep Demon!!!"
"End the Plague!!!"
"Kill the Sheep Demon!!!"
"End the Plague!!!"
...
The shouts shook the heavens and the earth, and even the table in the tent was rattled.
Such shouts also changed the expressions of An Liangbi and Lei Yu.
An Liangbi exclaimed in surprise:
"How many people from the Taiping Dao have come to the city? How else could they make such shouts?"
"No! It should be that the Taiping Dao has coerced a large number of disaster victims to rebel together."
"Does the Taiping Dao want to rebel?"
In an instant, everyone in the tent felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
If the Taiping Dao really rebelled, then the entire Qingzhou City would probably be greatly affected.
In Lei Yu's eyes, however, a light flashed:
"It's good that they're rebelling!"
"I'm worried about not having the opportunity to make meritorious achievements!"
"Tonight, whoever dares to rebel will be killed!"
He was different from those civil officials. The merits of military officers were reflected on the battlefield.
If the Taiping Dao really rebelled, then suppressing the Taiping Dao would be a meritorious service in quelling the rebellion.
This merit would be much greater!
If those disaster victims dared to rebel with them, then it would be good to count them as rebels and kill them together!
The more he killed, the greater his military merit!
An Liangbi swallowed and hurriedly advised:
"Commander, please be patient."
"This matter needs to be discussed at length."
An Liangbi didn't want Lei Yu to start a massacre.
If it were normal times, relying on bloody slaughter to suppress popular uprisings would be an effective method.
But now that the plague is rampant in Qingzhou and the rebellion in the neighboring Yangzhou has not yet been quelled,
the situation in the world is turbulent. If they rashly massacre, they may not only fail to deter but also provoke greater public anger.
At this time.
Suddenly, they heard the shouts outside getting closer and closer.
It seemed that they had already reached outside the military camp.
An Liangbi and Lei Yu looked surprised and were about to go out to check.
"Report!"
Along with a loud shout, another soldier ran in:
"Reporting to the Commander!"
"The Taiping Dao is leading the disaster victims, dividing into two groups."
"One group is heading towards the military camp and has already arrived outside the camp."
"The other group is heading towards the Yang family and has already surrounded the Yang family mansion!"
Everyone in the tent frowned after hearing this.
How could the people of the Taiping Dao be so smooth?
An Liangbi couldn't help but ask:
"Didn't we arrange for many yamen runners and constables in the city to guard all the important roads?"
"Why did the Taiping Dao go to the Yang family so easily?"
The soldier replied upon hearing this:
"The Taiping Dao has a large number of people and uses talisman water to lure them, causing all the yamen runners and constables to flee at the sight of them. No one stopped them at all!"
Hearing this, An Liangbi secretly thought something was wrong.
He shouldn't have come to the military camp.
He should have led a group of yamen runners and constables to protect the Yang family first.
With him there, those yamen runners and constables would definitely not dare to flee without authorization.
Even if they couldn't protect the Yang family, they could at least delay for a while, giving the army enough time to react.
Now, the Yang family is surrounded, and the situation is serious.
Something must not happen to the Yang family.
Otherwise, everything will be impossible.
At this time.
Another soldier ran in:
"Reporting to the Commander!"
"The Taiping Dao has set up firewood outside the Yang family and is pretending to burn the Yang family!"
Hearing this, An Liangbi and Lei Yu instantly felt a tingling sensation on their scalps.
If the Yang family is finished, then it would be really bad.
The Taiping Dao moved too quickly, so that everyone had not yet been able to discuss the deployment, and they had already gone straight to the Yellow Dragon.
Lei Yu immediately roared:
"The entire army will immediately follow me and go to the Yang family to rescue them!"
The Yang family must be saved. Lei Yu dared not delay this.
"Report!"
Another soldier ran in hurriedly:
"Reporting to the Commander!"
"The Great Teacher's carriage has arrived outside the camp!"
This time, Lei Yu couldn't help but exchange a glance with An Liangbi.
They hadn't gone to find the Great Teacher yet, but the Great Teacher had actually delivered himself to their door.
Did this demon really want to die by daring to come to the military camp?
A murderous intent burst out in Lei Yu's eyes:
"He came at the right time! Then kill the Great Teacher first!"
"Once he dies, the siege of the Yang family will also be lifted!"