Yinshan Record

Chapter 81 The Greatest Flaw

"After the defeat at Fangtou, Su Shi reflected deeply on the pain and concluded that the reason for such a disastrous defeat was that the people in charge did not know how to fight."

"In our dynasty, soldiers are commanded by generals. Those who cultivate to the eighth rank can become banner lords and establish their own banners. Those who cultivate to the seventh rank can become army lords and lead their own army."

"Those with high cultivation in the army are like grains of rice scattered on the sand, throughout the entire army. The Suolu organized the Xianbei into hundreds of elite eighth-rank soldiers. Once we clashed, it was as if my five fingers were loose, while he was hitting with a tightly clenched fist."

Feng Buxing let out a long sigh. As Su Gong's assistant, he had personally witnessed how this armored cavalry was organized and trained into an army.

"With his thunderous strike, I could only crumble. Lord Su spent eight years selecting eight hundred elite soldiers from the border army, personally training them to become eight hundred Black Cloud Armored Cavalry, all of whom were at the seventh rank of cultivation."

"The Imperial Horse Stables also raised dragon steeds in Dongting Lake. After years of hard work, they obtained a total of 3,786 dragon steeds with dragon blood."

“Your Excellency,” Feng Buxing said, looking at Yu Ze, “such armored cavalry should not be here.”

Yu Ze did not respond.

He could understand Feng's thoughts very well.

Indeed, such elite troops should be under Wei Huaiwen's command, serving as a sharp blade in the hands of this famous general of the Southern Dynasty, following him as he sails across the river, sweeping away the Yellow River and Luo River, and recovering the Central Plains.

But the more this is the case, the less this elite force should appear in the North.

The reasoning behind this is clear to me, and it's also clear to Feng.

However, Feng, being an inner court official, could ask questions, but he, an outer court official, could not answer.

When our dynasty was founded, how could we possibly avoid the word "usurpation"?
"Lin Xingyou, is there any news?"

Yu Ze had just arrived in Shanyin County when he began to deal with the backlog of government affairs, deploy specific defenses, mobilize troops, and relocate the population to the county seat.

Of course, he also didn't forget to deal ruthlessly with the Jiang family, including the magistrate.

However, Lin Jiansheng, the Imperial Censor of You who was of the same rank as Feng Xingbu and was also a fifth-rank official, was just like his official title, truly walking in the netherworld and disappearing without a trace.

"Lin Jiansheng is one of the top array masters in the court. If he sets up the array properly and uses the power of heaven and earth to press down the array layer by layer, an ordinary fifth-rank official would be no match for him."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ze felt a chill run down his spine.

Although the Imperial Censor knew that Feng Buxing did not intend to target him, the "ordinary fifth rank" naturally still included him.

In their spiritual practice, powerful clans and influential families pursue perfection in their physical cultivation and the possibility of further advancement.

For Yu Ze, spiritual practice was a ladder to climb to a higher level.

For Feng Xingbu and Lin Jiansheng, cultivation was their means of making a living.

When the two sides clashed, they used swords and knives to chop down the bamboo ladders, and the outcome was clear.

"I remember he said he wanted to investigate the details of the isolated city, but there's been no response since..."

Yu Ze looked at Feng and said, "No."

"At this point, no news is the worst news."

Feng Buxing looked south, where he could vaguely see the ever-changing landscape of Xuanshan Mountain amidst the thick, demonic miasma.

The Black Mountain Monster is incredibly skilled. If Lin Jiansheng brings back good news, Feng Buxing won't be happy; instead, he'll test its quality.

If Lin Jiansheng brings back bad news, Feng Buxing will actually breathe a sigh of relief, because even if he loses, he can take this opportunity to figure out the level of Black Mountain Monster's skills and analyze its weaknesses based on actual combat.

The worst news is no news.

The lack of news meant that Lin Jiansheng had encountered the worst possible turn of events.

The situation in the entire Shanyin and Cizhou regions will take a sharp turn for the worse as a result.

The problem lies in the lack of skilled fighters in Shanyin County.

Feng Buxing clearly understood the biggest flaw in the imperial court's layout in this area.

The battles between fifth-rank masters are beyond the comprehension and comprehension of lower-level cultivators.

With their mastery of the laws governing the world and the display of their own immense power, the battle between two fifth-rank experts was enough to change the very fabric of the world.

On such a battlefield, deploying too many seventh-rank or lower-ranked soldiers is not enough to determine the final outcome.

Feng Buxing understood this perfectly, which was why Yu Ze respected Su Gong so much.

Because that Su Da Diao Dang was one of the few fourth-rank masters in the Great Liang Dynasty, and also the most likely martial artist to reach the third rank.

The pillars of a nation are nothing more than this.

However, in Shanyin County, among the pawns that the Liang Dynasty had openly displayed, only three were fifth-rank officials: Yu Ze, Feng Xingbu, and Lin Jiansheng.

The combat effectiveness of the Imperial Censor is also somewhat diminished.

The three of them, facing the unfathomable Black Mountain Monster and the demons he had gathered in Shanyin, were unlikely to fare well.

"Don't worry, Feng Da Dang. There's a master in charge here, so nothing will go wrong."

Yu Ze breathed a sigh of relief and spoke of the court's confidence.

The antics of demon kings like the Yin-Yang Dharma King and the Black Mountain Monster have exceeded the capabilities of the human dynasties. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been allowed to run rampant for so many years.

But this time was different from the past. The major Taoist sects and immortal sects had already notified the Liang Dynasty through various channels.

They are in charge of the monsters in Xuanshan.

The Huangtiandao, Shenxiaodao, and other Daoist sects, as well as the few sects in the East China Sea, and even the Xuandu Palace, which is elusive and rarely seen.

News was gradually reaching the imperial court.

Although the language and wording vary, it all boils down to one sentence.

Don't worry, guys, we've got your back.

It is precisely because of their endorsement that Daliang has set its current action plan.

In Yu Ze's view, the gods were the ones who did all the work. If the three of them couldn't capture the Black Mountain Monster, how could they not defend a small county like Shanyin?

"Do you feel it?"

Feng Buxing frowned and looked at Xuanshan.

"Ah."

Yu Ze's brows were furrowed.

Those who have cultivated to the fifth level have a keen intuition about all kinds of changes in the world.

In their perception, the continuous and majestic Xuan Mountain moved.

It moved in a subtle but undeniable way.

A faint yet heavy ripple slowly emanated from Xuan Mountain, like the heartbeat of that great mountain.

"What are those monsters doing?"

Yu Ze touched the jade pendant at his waist.

"No matter what they're doing, it's too late."

Beneath the walls of Shanyin City, the still-panicked people halted in their tracks. Some, having lost loved ones in their haste, wept bitterly, searching frantically. Others, embracing their families, reminisced about their homes ravaged by the demon, tears streaming down their faces.

The tears are the same, but the sorrow and joy are different.

Su Che, Song Qi, Lin Jiugong, and others were separated from the common people by the armored soldiers. They stood with another group of people who looked vicious, surrounded by heavily armored soldiers wielding long halberds.

Upon seeing this, Young Master Su realized that his group consisted of easily identifiable problem elements, quite different from the other weeping commoners.

The armored soldiers around them had solemn expressions, and their cold halberds and icy eyes constantly roamed among the crowd.

However, the problem group surrounded by them seems to have gotten used to this experience and has instead turned the place into their social space.

"Brother Song, I didn't expect it to really be Brother Song."

A weasel-faced fellow seemed to recognize Song Qi and stepped forward to greet him with clasped hands.

"Brother Song, I am Cao Mang, the Flying Star."

"Oh, oh, so it's Brother Cao..."

Seeing the confusion on Song Qi's face, Su Che knew that this "Brother Song" probably didn't remember his good younger brother.

"Master Lin, Master Lin of Guobei, how did you get injured?"

A slick-haired scholar saw Lin Jiugong and went up to greet him.

“Shoude, isn’t this my virtuous brother Shoude? You’re here, and so is Old Master Song. Oh my, it’s quite lively over there. Virtuous brother, don’t you remember me?”

Pushing and shoving, one person in, another in, a group of people rolled up their sleeves and tried to establish rapport, which pushed Su Che aside.

Su Che finally understood that Old Song, the coffin shop owner, and Lin Daoren were both considered prominent figures in Shanyin and Guobei counties.

"Sir, sir?"

A finger was pressing against Su Che's left arm.

Someone even tried to claim brotherhood with me?

Su Che turned his head curiously and found that there was a tall and strong man with a messy topknot and a wooden hairpin stuck in it.

"Who are you?"

Su Che dared not claim to have a photographic memory, but he was certainly adept at understanding human nature and had a personal register of heroes, knowing who everyone was.

But I've never actually seen this person before.

"You forgot, I offered you some of my meat, but you didn't eat it. Instead, you ordered a bowl of vegetarian noodles at my shop."

The burly man smiled憨厚ly, and Su Che immediately compared this face with the face he used to have.

(End of this chapter)