"Master, what do you mean?" Teng Qingshan saw Zhuge Yuanhong's expression, somewhat puzzled. Suddenly, a thought struck him, "Master, are you worried about the Celestial Palace?"
The Celestial Palace had always been ambitious, wanting to attack Yangzhou.
"No!"
Zhuge Yuanhong smiled confidently, "Qingshan, the Celestial Palace isn't foolish. Now that the Undying Phoenix is also on your side, Qingshan, and even the Yu Emperor Gate has suffered a great loss... The Celestial Palace won't be so unwise! After all, the Celestial Palace has no demonic beasts capable of surpassing the Undying Phoenix in speed. Not even in burrowing the earth do they have anything that can surpass the Dao Chi."
"If they fight us to the death, it will be very disadvantageous for the Celestial Palace," Zhuge Yuanhong confirmed with certainty.
Teng Qingshan nodded; he thought the same way.
But...
Why did his Master seem hesitant about attacking the seven southern commanderies?
Zhuge Yuanhong smiled slightly, "Qingshan, while my Guiyuan Sect currently holds the upper hand! But you must never forget, the south is different from the north. Azure Lake Island was originally in the south of Yangzhou. Among the six northern commanderies of Yangzhou, Jiangning Commandery belongs to my Guiyuan Sect, while Chu Commandery once belonged to the Iron Robe Sect. Xuyang Commandery and Tiannan Commandery were never unified by anyone back then. With four of the six northern commanderies like this, it shows how weak Azure Lake Island's control over the north is."
Teng Qingshan nodded.
"But in the seven southern commanderies of Yangzhou, Azure Lake Island is deeply rooted."
"We cannot use the method we used to attack the five northern commanderies on these seven southern ones," Zhuge Yuanhong said solemnly.
"What is your plan, Master?" Teng Qingshan inquired.
"Step by step, securing the ground!"
A sharp glint flashed across Zhuge Yuanhong's eyes, "With the Longgang Army as the main force, and the forces from the Tai'a Mountain Range as support. We will swallow one or two commandery cities in one swift move. And then—a thorough purge, a bloody purge! Anyone who rebels or collaborates with the enemy will be seized and made a lifelong laborer, or simply have their entire clan executed!"
"We cannot show the slightest mercy!" Zhuge Yuanhong's voice startled Teng Qingshan slightly.
He understood his Master's meaning; once this order was given, countless heads would surely roll!
However—
This is how supremacy over the world is achieved! Especially when the Guiyuan Sect is at a disadvantage in manpower, showing no mercy is even more crucial. Otherwise, only future disasters will remain.
"If my Guiyuan Sect is to establish a thousand-year foundation, we cannot afford to be merciful now," Zhuge Yuanhong stated coldly. "Only by being ruthless now and eliminating all potential threats will we prevent more deaths in the future."
"Mm," Teng Qingshan nodded.
Those ancient families affiliated with the Azure Lake Island faction were also ushering in a disaster due to Zhuge Yuanhong's command!
On the sixth day of the eleventh month.
The ten thousand soldiers of the Longgang Army, having rested for four or five days, set out on their southern campaign on this morning, seen off by thousands from the Guiyuan Sect! Accompanying them was the Cloud Dream War God, 'Mu Tao.' After all... Teng Qingshan was worried that the Blind Sword Saint might suddenly appear and slaughter the Longgang Army. With Mu Tao present, Teng Qingshan felt reassured.
Although the Cloud Dream War God 'Mu Tao' only controlled ninety percent of the Heaven and Earth Power, he was a descendant of the Supreme Being of the Duanmu Continent, 'Duanmu Yu,' and practiced the divine scripture Nine Scrolls of Thunder Blade. With ninety percent of the Heaven and Earth Power, he could unleash an effect close to that of eleven percent!
He could actually suppress the Blind Sword Saint!
"Qingshan."
On the ramparts of the East Gate of Jiangning Commandery, Zhuge Yuanhong and Teng Qingshan stood side by side, watching the long dragon-like formation of the Longgang Army soldiers depart rapidly. "How are the preparations on the Tai'a Mountain Range side?"
"My disciple, Yang Dong, has the assistance of the Wyvern Hawk and the innate war mounts! He easily subdued the leaders of the major factions in the Tai'a Mountain Range," Teng Qingshan smiled. Bandits and brigands indeed had no power to resist an innate level demonic beast and innate war mounts. "Coupled with the promises our Guiyuan Sect made to them! These brigands are all extremely excited. How can being the head of a gang compare to the comfort of being a Commandery Lord!"
First, military coercion!
Next, they were tempted with high offices and rich stipends. None of those bandit leaders were fools. The three strongest factions even agreed in unison. These three factions, along with the Ferocious Beast Gang, had already united as one. Naturally, no smaller faction dared to defy the will of the Ferocious Beast Gang. Any who did... were easily wiped out by the five hundred innate war mounts of the Ferocious Beast Gang.
"With my disciple's Ferocious Beast Gang and those three major factions, we have a core army of two hundred thousand brigands."
"As for the rest of the scattered bandits from numerous smaller factions... they have little military discipline, but their numbers are quite large, exceeding five hundred thousand," Teng Qingshan shook his head. "Although numerous, they are just a messy bunch; relying on them for fighting is impossible. But the combined two hundred thousand strong army from the Ferocious Beast Gang and the three major factions is quite formidable."
Teng Qingshan had visited the Tai'a Mountain Range several times and was familiar with the habits of the brigands.
The three major factions, having existed for a century like the Nine Wolves Gang previously, understood the importance of military discipline. But those smaller factions, flourishing one day and collapsing the next, had no time to train discipline.
"That is enough."
Zhuge Yuanhong nodded with a smile, "Here is the plan: first, let the Longgang Army take 'Nanxing Commandery' and 'Mengfeng Commandery' in one go. Then, let the twenty thousand strong Ferocious Beast Army be stationed, one hundred thousand in each commandery. Scrutinize every corner of the two commanderies! Any threat, any hidden troops, must all be purged! If they cannot resolve it, let the Longgang Army help!"
"As for the scattered fifty thousand bandits... let them be," Zhuge Yuanhong shook his head. "Those fifty thousand bandits come from countless large and small factions. If we let them go around searching and purging everywhere... it might provoke widespread resentment."
Zhuge Yuanhong knew that forces without military discipline would only cause trouble.
...
On the official road beside the Tai'a Mountain Range, the road was packed with an endless line of bandits, carrying bundles, some with women. Some rode horses, others wore armor, and quite a few brought children. In short, countless brigands carried all their worldly possessions, preparing to leave the Tai'a Mountain Range.
"Haha, Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother."
Yang Dong, clad in fiery scarlet battle armor and mounted on a green-maned, snow-treading horse, looked quite imposing. "Now that all our subordinates are gathered, from today onward, we are no longer bandits and brigands; we are the City Guard Army!"
"Haha, Fourth Brother, what you said is excellent. I, Tong Tiedao, might actually have a day as a Commandery Lord, haha." A bald, stout man with only one ear, wearing a set of Fire Feather Battle Armor but no helmet, exclaimed. "I went into the city once back then. That fellow named Wang was so arrogant. If I hadn't fled back to the mountains, I would have been dealt with by that guy and his troops. Today, we'll go find that Wang too."
"Second Brother speaks well."
"Second Brother, when the time comes, in front of all our brothers, I'll flay that Wang alive to vent your anger," a middle-aged man who appeared quite refined chuckled.
"Three elder brothers," Yang Dong smiled, "The hour is late; it is time to set off."
"Good, set off!"
The four leaders of the major factions in the Tai'a Mountain Range gave the order, and the massive contingent departed from the Tai'a Mountain Range. From this day forward, these two hundred thousand troops were no longer bandits and brigands, but had transformed into the City Guard Army. In truth, many were forced into banditry by life's hardships. If there were good days, who would willingly lick blood from the edge of a blade?
At dawn on the eighth day of the eleventh month, the ten thousand soldiers of the Longgang Army arrived beneath the city walls of Nanxing Commandery, once again demonstrating their terrifying strength. Each Longgang Army soldier could leap ten zhang high and span ten zhang or more, each possessed of boundless might! The ordinary guards, who were mostly third-rate martial artists or hadn't even entered the third-rate realm, simply could not resist the Longgang Army soldiers.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
The commandery city of Nanxing Commandery was conquered!
It was strange, the defensive forces within Nanxing Commandery city were not numerous, only a few tens of thousands of ordinary guards.
After conquering Nanxing Commandery, the Longgang Army soldiers did not immediately leave but were stationed there. Ten days later, a massive force of a hundred thousand men, led by Yang Dong's bandit army, arrived at Nanxing Commandery city. Only then did the Longgang Army depart, advancing further southwest towards another commandery city—Mengfeng Commandery!
On the twenty-first of the eleventh month, the Longgang Army conquered Mengfeng Commandery!
Another force of one hundred thousand bandits was garrisoned in Mengfeng Commandery.
Following this...
With the two hundred thousand strong Ferocious Beast Army as support, and the Guiyuan Sect forces led by the ten thousand strong Longgang Army, they began the 'bloody purge' across these two commanderies. For a time, hidden forces in mountain villages, or small cadres of elite troops concealed within the cities, were discovered one by one. A bloodbath erupted across Nanxing Commandery and Mengfeng Commandery!
Tens of thousands of heads were severed! A large number of rebels were directly seized and made lifelong hard laborers!
...
In Yangzhou, within that tranquil residence in Lucheng, during the evening hours.
The blind man dressed in black was listening to the Island Master, 'Tie Pan,' recounting the events of the past days.
"After conquering Nanxing Commandery and Mengfeng Commandery, the Longgang Army and that sudden force of two hundred thousand began frantically investigating and bloodily clearing the land in those two commanderies. Now, tens of thousands of our hidden troops have either been killed or captured. Currently, less than a thousand of Azure Lake Island's people remain in those two commanderies!" Tie Pan's voice was low.
"Two hundred thousand troops? Where did they come from?" The black-clothed blind man demanded sharply.
Everything was deviating from his plan!
Azure Lake Island never intended to clash head-on with the Guiyuan Sect. No army could stand against the Longgang Army and the Undying Phoenix in a direct confrontation!
No matter how large the numbers, the Undying Phoenix's descending flames could rout an army. The Longgang Army could instill terror in the soldiers.
Therefore—
Azure Lake Island's plan relied on their advantages: their deeply rooted network of connections, where they placed numerous agents, intending to use insidious methods like 'poisoning' against the Longgang Army! In their view, after occupying the five northern commanderies, the Guiyuan Sect simply wouldn't have the manpower to cleanse the southern cities. So the plan was guaranteed to succeed!
Unfortunately...
This force of two hundred thousand appeared! And the Guiyuan Sect was extremely cautious, not aiming for too much at once, but first securing Nanxing Commandery and Mengfeng Commandery, beginning a frenzied 'purge.'
"Step by step, securing the ground!"
The blind man whispered grimly, "This Guiyuan Sect is moving methodically, step by step, aiming to devour my seven southern commanderies gradually. Now they seize two, and once Nanxing Commandery and Mengfeng Commandery are under control, they will seize two more... If this continues..."
"It cannot continue like this!" Tie Pan could not help but exclaim.