Delong

Chapter 527: Journey of Thousands of Miles (10)

"Who is this person?" In the hall made of pure stone, Zhang Xing, who was sitting high on the central stone throne, asked the person beside him in confusion.

Xu Jingzu, the confidential clerk standing on the side, quickly answered: "Former Duke Mu of Wei, Cao..."

"Oh, I remember now. Pardon him as a commoner and give him... Are you going back to Chang'an? It's called Chang'an now... Or are you going to Hebei to look for your cousin's family?" Zhang Xing remembered who it was halfway through listening.

"I don't want to leave anymore." Former Duke Mu Cao Cheng had a strange expression, like crying and laughing at the same time, as if he didn't know how to face the Chulong Army and Zhang Xing. "It's a great thing that I'm alive. I just hope to stay here and live a peaceful life."

"Okay." Zhang Xing nodded immediately. "We'll arrange a house for you in Guanhai City on the other side of the river. You'll be able to support yourself in the future. If you get too lazy and starve to death in the future, it won't have anything to do with us."

Cao Cheng bowed down and kowtowed heavily on the stone floor of the hall of Tingtao Pavilion. He stood up and just remembered something. He asked again: "I would like to ask you, Your Excellency, how do you want to deal with Madam Lu?"

"Mrs. Lu was taken away by the Great God of Devil-Slaying Guards, and I can't do anything about it." Zhang Xing answered earnestly. "But I think the Great God of Destiny did this to avoid a complete destruction of both sides."

"That's good, that's good." Cao Cheng nodded repeatedly, completely relieved. Then he bowed again and left.

Even a bit cool.

If you think about it carefully, after all the twists and turns, thanks to Cao Che's continuous efforts, such a branch of the Cao clan was able to survive intact. This is truly admirable.

After Cao Cheng left, another person was "brought" in.

Zhang Xing frowned from afar: "Does he have any family?"

"No." The person who answered the question was the current owner of Guanhai Town. He stiffened his neck and answered loudly at a young age. "Zhang Zhizun, please avenge me! I am willing to offer Guanhai Town as a county!"

After saying that, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed towards the hard stone ground!
Zhang Xing's eyes turned pale. Why do they all like to kowtow on stones? And why do they all like to give themselves random titles?

After thinking for a while, the chief gave his answer: "That's not the case. The previous dynasty's grudge has nothing to do with us. We have no right to avenge you. Even if we are hostile to Madam Lu, it has nothing to do with this. We will not continue to use our weapons for your grudges... As for Guanhai Town, if you force yourself to stay, you will become our enemy."

The child who had been eating snacks from Madam Lu obediently before was now tough. He immediately looked up and asked, "Then I won't bother Supreme Zhang to avenge me. I heard that under the rule of your Chulong Gang, all children are forced to build their foundations. Is that true? Can I go too?"

Zhang Xing naturally knew what the other party meant, but he had nothing to say, so he could only nod, and then said to the soldiers escorting the child: "Send him to Yecheng, and find a family with a child in the gang to foster him for a few years, let him participate in the foundation building, and when he grows up, give him two houses, equal land and households, and let him be free."

The last owner of Guanhai Town immediately kowtowed on the stone slab again, then turned and walked out.

As the person left, another person was escorted in.

Zhang Xing saw the person coming and waved his hand: "Take her to the Black Water Guard Immortal Cave to reunite with Madam Lu."

Li Qingzhou was stunned, and then immediately shook his head: "I won't go!"

"Oh?" Zhang Xing was a little surprised. "Then what do you want? Do you want to surrender to us or die?"

"neither."

"So what?" Zhang Xing held his temper.

"Madam has instructed me before that if she retreats here to build a tower and you do not attack, I should pretend to surrender and accompany you to observe and prevent you from going up the mountain in winter." Li Qingzhou answered simply. "If you really go to Tianchi, then you should communicate with her quickly afterwards regardless of success or failure..."

Zhang Xing suddenly realized that with Madam Lu's cultivation level and the tower she had built, she would know immediately if Lord Tunfeng was really gone. There was no need for communication. So no matter whether Madam Lu had any evil intentions towards the Chulong Gang or not, she was kind to this little girl... But why did that kid just now... ?
In fact, even Yuwen Wanchou, who was standing at the door, had a vague look in his eyes.

Thinking of this, Chief Zhang also smiled and nodded: "Since your wife has good intentions, then I will help her. You will become the chief captain in Chief Fan Lihua's camp."

Li Qingzhou hesitated for a moment, bowed and retreated.

I can only say that at least I don’t kowtow and get nicknames anymore.

Next, seeing that Yuwen Wanchou was about to bring more people in, Zhang Xing raised his hand to stop him, and then asked Xu Jingzu beside him: "Does everyone in the North know that we are going to depose the True Dragon?"

Xu Jingzu thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Chief, the Swallow Wind Lord is like a bitter sea and a rising mountain in the Northland. He has stood firm for thousands of years. During these thousands of years, there were times when people worshipped him and built temples everywhere, and there were also times when people said he was trying to seize the Northland's energy and wanted to send troops to attack him. So, as long as the people in the Northland knew that we were going to Tianchi, they would naturally know that we should be hostile to the Swallow Wind Lord. However, even if they knew, they might not have leaked it from us... and to put it bluntly, someone might have guessed it after seeing the name of our Chulong Gang."

"That's true..." Zhang Xing nodded in agreement.

"But I think if we really want to make a fuss, there will be trouble, but it may not be here." Xu Jingzu continued. "Chief, I think that Swallowing Wind is a real dragon who has been practicing for who knows how many years. His intelligence cannot be compared with that of wild animals. If he knew that we wanted to depose him, would he be on guard? Therefore, I am afraid that those who believe in him or have ill intentions towards us will directly inform him and let him be on guard..."

"Don't worry about it." Zhang Xing waved his hand. "From the several demonstrations by the Wind Swallowing Lord, He already knew about my Black Emperor selection method. And under such circumstances, the Great God of Destiny still made this request, which means there is another reason... I asked this because I am worried that the rumors will continue and make people uneasy."

"Indeed." Xu Jingzu nodded immediately, then hesitated for a moment and continued to ask. "But Chief, please forgive me for being so presumptuous. If Lord Tunfeng knows that we are familiar with the route, then it means that many Black Emperors have failed before... How can we win? Shouldn't we be more cautious, such as gathering seven or eight Grand Masters to dethrone the True Dragon after we have conquered the world?"

Zhang Xing shook his head: "It seems to be true, but I have also noticed over the years that deposing the dragon and seizing the world are intertwined... Think about it, isn't it the same reasoning between the three expeditions to the Dongyi by the Wei Dynasty and the Bi Hai Jun? And how do we know that Cao Che has not thought of destroying the Dongyi and then using the name of the Supreme Land Master to order all the masters of the world to destroy the Swallowing Wind Jun? As for us, since we have used this name, I am afraid we can't hide anymore."

Xu Jingzu thought for a moment and could only nod: "Indeed."

"Is there anyone else?" After coming to his senses, Zhang Xing suddenly asked Yuwen Wanchou who was at the door.

"There are quite a few people, thirteen regiment leaders, seven lieutenant generals, and two earls..." Xu Jingzu rushed to answer.

"count?"

"It was established during the Eastern Qi Dynasty to divide the power and responsibilities of the two most powerful garrisons, Guanhai and Tingtao. Now it has basically been reduced to being equivalent to the civil officials of these two towns..."

"Gone." Zhang Xing thought for a moment and waved his hand. "Captain Yuwen, take them to find the Heavenly King and Chief Steward Bai. Captain Xu, don't deal with these matters... Go to Heishuiwei and find the Great Siming. Don't ask about Madam Lu. Don't worry about that. Instead, ask the Great Siming to come up with a specific strategy for Shangtianchi."

"I know." Xu Jingzu was cheered up and immediately went to make arrangements.

Yuwen Wanchou also bowed and left in a hurry.

He was the one who drove the person away, but Zhang Xing didn't know what to do next.

But soon, his attention was attracted by the sound of waves outside the Tingtao Pavilion: the whistling sea breeze rolled up countless waves, all rolling on the cape cliffs below the Tingtao Pavilion. The sound of the waves and the whistling sea breeze gathered in this stone hall, one up and one down, one thick and one thin, making people understand at once why this place, which is obviously a stone fortress, has such an elegant name as Tingtao Pavilion.

He continued to listen, and at first he was confused, but he didn't know when he started to be absorbed in it. Not only was he absorbed in it, but Zhang Xing also felt that the Qi that he instinctively dispatched around him was changing. This was a change similar to the transformation of liquid into mist, and the Qi quickly spread out.

Not only that, his spiritual sense also spread out along with his true qi. Now he could more clearly perceive the movements of those people with higher cultivation levels in the entire Tingtao Pavilion.

He "heard" Bai Yousi ordering the killing of an earl who wanted to establish a relationship; he "saw" Xiong Bonan holding hands to persuade a group leader to surrender, while Wei Wenda was trying to say something beside him; then, as the group leader nodded in agreement, he "walked" out with Wei Wenda, and then met Niu He standing in the corridor outside, and realized that the two of them were caught in some kind of social embarrassment; even, as he shifted his attention to Li Ding, he actually vaguely "read" a letter in Li Ding's hand, which seemed to be his trusted subordinate who stayed in Wu'an asking for help, because the latter believed that Chief Zhang of the Chulong Gang had begun to take advantage of the momentum of the Chulong Gang sweeping behind him to attack the Wu'an Group.

That’s not all. As his spiritual awareness and true energy continued to expand, they soon connected to the waves near the cape below, and then continued to move back and forth with the waves. In the process, it seemed as if it encountered some kind of amplifier. Soon, the area that Zhang Xing could perceive was not just a cape, but expanded to the entire Heishuikou.

Then comes the outline of the entire northern coastline of Northland and the corresponding rivers.

The most special thing here is the Black Water River, because when the waves roll in strands of true energy and flow into the river mouth, those tiny strands of true energy are almost instantly sucked in, and then the perception is lost, just like rain falling into a bottomless pool - the entire Black Water River has become such a black hole in the "field of vision".

The waves continued to surge, and finally, Zhang Xing's perception crossed the sea surface and the ground level and reached the inland of the entire north.

At this point, he immediately headed in the direction of the Tianchi Lake that he had vaguely sensed before, trying to find the trace of Lord Tunfeng, but as expected, the entire Daxing Mountains, from south to north, seemed blurry and messy in his perception, as if it was the snow signal on the black and white TV he watched as a child before traveling through time, which formed a sharp contrast with the depth of the Blackwater River.

On the other hand, it is very difficult to detect any abnormality in the bitter sea to the west, which is really hard to understand.

Just when Zhang Xing was about to give up the large mountains and the sea of ​​suffering and take a closer look at the geography of the north, without any sign or suddenness, his perception was directly withdrawn, just like he had taken a nap and woke up naturally.

After waking up, Zhang Xing reviewed and felt it carefully. He did not feel a great increase in his skills, nor did he have any ethereal insights, nor did he have any sudden impulses such as being shocked. However, he should know that this level of perception diffusion is not as simple as the master of the north being able to fully understand the local environment... In Hebei, he was already good enough to vaguely perceive tens of thousands of troops and masters from dozens of miles away. How could it compare with this time?
Zhang Xing could only guess. Could it be that the object of his meditation reserved for him by the Black Emperor was the sea? And the two towns of Guanhai Tingtao in Heishuikou were the places where he was "destined" to attain enlightenment? It seemed that there was indeed a legend that this was the place where the Black Emperor attained enlightenment to a certain level, but he didn't know whether he was a grandmaster or a master.

Although he was thinking wildly in his mind, he did not stop himself from noticing the arrival of someone, and that person's cultivation was quite high, which seemed to be the reason why he woke up naturally... After a while, Bai Yousi, Niu He, Xiong Bonan, Wei Wenda and others came towards him one after another... But he himself remained motionless, as if he felt nothing.

Soon, as Bai Yousi and Niu He arrived outside the door first, a black-robed scholar with jingling bells on his waist also came flying in, but landed directly on the side corridor and then walked in. It was Liu Wenzhou, the traitor of Master Jin Ge.

Before the latter officially entered the lobby of Tingtao Pavilion, laughter was heard: "Chief Zhang, how do you feel? Is Tingtao Pavilion really as beneficial to cultivation as the rumors say? But is it beneficial to the Weak Water Qi or to the Black Emperor's selection? I tried several times, but it always didn't work."

Zhang Xing shook his head and replied: "I just felt suddenly, and lost consciousness for a long time. It seemed that the whole northern land was in my hands. I vaguely felt some of the earth's aura and perceived some of the geographical shapes of the northern land, but I didn't realize how my cultivation was..."

"That's right." Liu Wenzhou didn't care that the four masters gathered together at this time, and just continued to sigh. "Chief Zhang was chosen by the Black Emperor. He was able to kill people and take away their qi at the beginning. It was easy for him to take away the qi, so he didn't care about this opportunity for cultivation. It might even be that there was too much true qi stored in his dantian, so he didn't feel anything when adding some. Unlike us, who are so poor, we have to rely on chance to build our foundation at the beginning... Poor people, how can we know what the thoroughfare is?"

Niu He sat at the edge of the door as usual and naturally did not speak. Wei Wenda, the new surrenderer, did not interrupt either. Xiong Boyan had a stern face and did not say a word.

However, Bai Yousi directly refuted: "Mr. Liu's words are a bit harsh to our Chulong Gang. You must know that we are the only family in the world that helps poor children build their foundation."

Liu Wenzhou was stunned for a moment, still smiling and about to say something.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xing also took over the conversation: "Well said! From this, it seems that Lord Liu and our Chulong Gang not only have the same ambition of Chulong, but also the same ambition of making everyone a dragon. Now that we have met, why not join our gang? After deposing Lord Tunfeng, Lord Fenshan, Lord Bihai, and Lord Huyun who I have never met, you can inherit Lord Zhang Shizhao's position to supervise the foundation building of young people all over the world, which can be regarded as inheriting the will of our respected teacher Master Jin Ge!"

As soon as these words were spoken, although others were fine, Xiong Bonan became embarrassed first, and he was the only embarrassed person in the scene.

As for Liu Wenzhou, he looked up to the sky and laughed for a long time before shaking his head: "Chief Zhang, everyone can become a dragon, how ridiculous! Even if the true energy in the world increases day by day, it is just to introduce new ideas and support a few new dragons... If not, why should I seek a future with true dragons?"

Zhang Xing also laughed: "So, Mr. Liu is determined to become a new dragon?"

"Of course." Liu Wenzhou answered proudly. "What about you, Chief Zhang? Don't you want to become a new dragon?"

"One must have some ambitions in life," Zhang Xing answered proudly. "Since there is a Supreme, I must try to become the Supreme. How can I stop at being a dragon?"

Liu Wenzhou was stunned for a moment, and the disgusting upward curl of his mouth finally disappeared. He turned solemn and said, "No wonder Chief Zhang behaved like this... But it is important for people to know themselves."

Zhang Xing curled his lips and finally did not continue the topic... In fact, Bai Yousi did not want to speak just now, but he was worried that Xiong Bonan, who knew the inside story, was too honest. If everyone remained silent on a topic that could be easily refuted, it would arouse suspicion, so he took the initiative to play the role of questioning.

And now, after talking for a few more words, Zhang Xing was sure that the most reasonable way to deal with this guy, which would least reveal his true attitude, was for everyone to show their disgust towards this guy.

When he thought of this, he took the initiative to ask: "How is it, Mr. Liu, did you have a complete plan for your return?"

"Of course, the plan was prepared long ago." Liu Wenzhou stared at Zhang Xing, who was sitting motionless on the stone seat, for a moment, then lowered his head and laughed dryly, then touched the porcelain bottle on his waist to answer. "I have been here for several years. As for the plan, I don't know how many times I have thought about it, and I have tried my best to find people who can be used. Even the Great God of Destiny who left today has discussed this matter face to face... However, I thought it would take you some time to capture Madam Lu, but Chief Zhang was so good at it that he easily broke the situation and came here in a hurry."

Zhang Xing looked calm and nodded, waiting for the other party to speak.

Liu Wenzhou obviously regarded this as the most important thing in his life, so he went straight to the point, but he asked first: "Everyone, since you have fought with Fenshan Jun, I would like to ask, what do you think is the most important thing to deal with a real dragon?"

"We can't let Him fly." Bai Yousi blurted out.

"Indeed." Liu Wenzhou nodded immediately. "But how can we prevent Him from flying?"

"What we saw before was that the Grand Commander of Dongyi used something similar to the Fulong Seal to dissipate his true energy." Zhang Xing added.

"I can't eliminate his true energy here." Liu Wenzhou smiled. "But I can lock him up and prevent him from using the true energy stored under the Tianchi..."

"You've already said that you'll use the essence of ice to seal the Tianchi, but what does it mean that he's storing his true energy?" Zhang Xing asked with a frown.

"Didn't the Great God of Destiny tell you?" Liu Wenzhou asked back.

Zhang Xing said helplessly: "The Great God of Destiny came and left in a hurry... Lord Liu came too quickly."

Liu Wenzhou smiled, not at all shy about the smug look on his face, and explained:
"This dragon, Swallowing Wind Lord, is greedy and slippery, cruel and savage. He is not a true dragon that has been cultivated after being enlightened by the Green Emperor, but a natural dragon that appeared from nowhere since ancient times. According to the Black Emperor, he is actually a 'demon'...

"There is a legend that I believe in. It is said that he was advised by the Green Emperor and knew the future achievements of the Black Emperor. He deliberately waited for the Black Emperor in the Immortal Cave and made friends with him. Then he deceived the Black Emperor's trust and occupied Daxing Mountain. Later, the Black Emperor got a high position and reacted, but was constrained by his status and promises. That's why he hated him to the core and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"The Great God of Destiny did mention this." Zhang Xing nodded immediately. "The Green Emperor did this very smoothly..."

"The problem is not with the Supreme, but why Lord Tunfeng asked for Daxing Mountain? The problem is that he offered up a place like the Immortal Cave, so what place did he want to protect?" Liu Wenzhou waved his hand in response.

"Tianchi?" Bai Yousi had guessed the answer. "What's in Tianchi?"

"If I'm not mistaken, there is underground fire there." Liu Wenzhou said solemnly. "He swallowed the underground fire and called out the cold wind... The name of Swallowing Wind Lord is actually a misplacement... The ice energy does come from Him, but it is not His origin, but the result of His swallowing of the underground fire."

This statement is quite refreshing, especially when thinking of the fiery red eyes of Tunfengjun when Hulukou met him that day.

"What's the use of swallowing earth fire?" Zhang Xing couldn't help but ask.

"My guess is that he wants to lock in more true energy." Liu Wenzhou continued. "For a natural dragon like Swallowing Wind, they are originally transformed by the true energy of living beings. All grudges and hatreds are false. Only true energy is the foundation and everything to them. They cannot store more in their bodies, so they must pursue unity with heaven and earth and lock in more true energy through celestial phenomena. That's why they can swallow clouds and wind... If there is underground fire under the Tianchi, then what he wants to do should be to gradually merge with the underground fire by swallowing it, and then store the true energy he has seized into the fire veins, so as to live as long as heaven and earth and be free for eternity."

"I understand what you mean." Zhang Xing thought about it and tried to summarize. "If the Wind Swallowing Lord uses the fire under the Tianchi Lake as the foundation for cultivation and survival, and you have the True Dragon Blood Essence and the Ice Essence in your hands, we can use the True Dragon Blood Essence to cover us and directly use the Ice Essence to lock the Tianchi Lake... This will not only block the channel for his Qi that has been stored for thousands of years, but also damage his foundation. He will not tolerate this and will definitely deal with us in the Tianchi Lake. Since he has cut off his connection with the celestial phenomena, his Qi is also limited. We can consume him here in the Tianchi Lake, and when his Qi gradually decreases, we can deal with a strange beast. Is that right or not?"

"If my guess is right, it's actually much easier than this." Liu Wenzhou explained. "First, you were chosen by the Black Emperor. You've been to Tianchi before, so you should know that the water there is bottomless. If we go up and use the ice essence, if we move fast, He will be frozen in the pool, which makes it easier to deal with.

"Secondly, I have been here for several years and have seen that the ice energy on the mountain is often chaotic. It is very likely that he is too greedy and cannot stabilize the earth fire he swallowed, so the corresponding wind he exhales is also chaotic. Moreover, he usually travels between the north and south of Daxing Mountain and always returns to Tianchi in time. Although he likes Tianchi naturally, it is not necessarily because the earth fire in his body is unstable and needs Tianchi to suppress it. If this is the case, as long as we control Tianchi, even if he struggles out, he will not be able to hold on for long and can only return to Tianchi to fight us!"

"But... these are all your guesses." Zhang Xing actually believed it to some extent, but after thinking about it, he seriously refuted it. "What if there is no underground fire? Moreover, is your ice essence really so powerful that it can seal the real dragon and cut off the underground fire?"

"We can ask the God of Destiny first. As for the ice essence, it's hard to say whether it can seal the real dragon, but it is its specialty to cut off the earth fire, so it will definitely work." Liu Wenzhou spread his hands and said, "At worst, my guesses are all wrong, and the plan won't work. We can just escape and make plans later... Chief Zhang, I've worked hard for ten years, and I will never joke with myself."

Zhang Xing nodded: "That's true, and I trust you, but it's better to be on the safe side to prevent the seeds of our gang from being easily scattered."

"Chief Zhang! I know you want to become the supreme being, so you need to be kind! But when doing something like this, how can you care about a few sacrifices? I don't believe you don't understand that a merciful army cannot be commanded!" Liu Wenzhou became a little annoyed.

To be fair, what the other party said makes sense.

No matter from which angle you look at it, there are sufficient reasons to deal with Tunfeng Jun. At least one of them is that this is one of the core conditions for you to merge with the Demon Slayer Guards. You cannot deny it. Otherwise, what will you say if the Demon Slayer Guards cause trouble later? What if your political credibility is bankrupt?
Secondly, deposing the dragon is what the Deposing Dragon Gang should do according to their ideology. Even from the perspective of ruling, there is no reason to let go of the dragon that has occupied the largest mountain range in their heartland. Killing the dragon will be enough to quickly shock the entire north, making it easier for Li Ding to integrate military forces.

Not to mention, Liu Wenzhou and the Demon-Slaying Guards also made it clear to everyone in the Chulong Gang that deposing Lord Tunfeng would help everyone improve their cultivation, which would be directly beneficial in itself.

Therefore, going to Tianchi to deal with Tunfengjun is a battle that should and must be fought, and casualties are not something a commander should overly consider.

However, when these words came out of Liu Wenzhou's mouth, Zhang Xing couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

"That's right!" Zhang Xing nodded immediately. "We have to go to Tianchi anyway...Does Mr. Liu have anything else to add?"

"Nothing to add." Liu Wenzhou said proudly. "If you can mobilize troops, we can go now!"

"We really can't go now." Zhang Xing said with a smile. "We have to wait until winter at least. In winter, it snows and we are cut off from news. Only then can we concentrate most of our forces here. Otherwise, the East and the West will know about it and they might take advantage of the opportunity to attack... And we have to contact as many experts as possible... Lord Liu, I have sent an envoy to see the Great God of Destiny. You should go too. We are all people who want to dethrone the dragon. Find out the key reasons. You can set up a base in Heishuiwei and make a plan. I will take advantage of the fact that winter has not yet arrived to go to Hebei, arrange things in the south, and personally meet the Qianjin Sect Leader again. For this kind of thing, it is always great if we can have one more Grand Master."

"Of course." Liu Wenzhou smiled. "Even if the Qianjin Sect Leader is unwilling to take action against Qiao, he can always be a doctor and treat our injuries."

Zhang Xing also smiled and simply urged: "Then I'll trouble Mr. Liu to go ahead."

Liu Wenzhou looked at Xiong Bonan and others who had been silent, curled his lips, and without bowing or saying goodbye, he walked directly to the outer corridor and flew into the air on the spot.

After they had been gone for a long time, even Wei Wenda realized the atmosphere and left on his own accord, Xiong Bo Nanfang finally started to explain: "Since I know I will have to deal with him in the future, I really can't deal with him."

"It doesn't matter." Zhang Xing waved his hand. "Liu Wenzhou knows that his attitude will offend people, he just wants to see our reaction to make him happy. There is no need for us to pretend... Heavenly King, I have something to ask of you."

"Please speak, Chief."

"We need to arrange for Li Longtou to be stationed in Beidi permanently and organize an army to cross the sea of ​​suffering. To organize such a large army, we need the original elite of our Chulong Gang to participate in the control. But the problem now is that the people from the original Wuan Xingtai may not be willing to come to Beidi, and the officers and soldiers have different positions... I will give an order later that the entire army will winter camp in Beidi, and I want you to go to the army, not just the people from Wuan Xingtai, but all the more than 30 camps that have come to Beidi, to ask clearly about the attitudes of their officers and soldiers, and compile a list for use in the spring." Zhang Xing instructed seriously.

"I understand." Xiong Bonan was visibly cheered up. "Do you need me to persuade and convince you?"

"Not for the time being." Zhang Xing said seriously. "Just make our arrangements clear and tell the officers that they will not be abandoned if they stay in the Northland... In fact, from the organizational point of view, we must build 20 to 30 battalions in the Northland, and the troops must also start from the Northland. There is no need to ask for full responsibility."

"Okay." Xiong Bonan was obviously relieved. "I promise to do a good job. As long as the thirty-seven battalions and the extra scattered leaders are not injured on Tianchi Lake, I promise to complete them one by one before the beginning of spring."

"That's good." Zhang Xing finished speaking and went to look at Bai Yousi. "General Manager Bai, your mission is the same as before in Hebei, but it's also different. First, it's personnel. This time, you will discuss with Li Longtou and Tianwang to sort out the personnel in the southern and western parts of the North except for the territory of the Demon Guards... In principle, make more exchanges, let people from the North go out to serve as officials, and let people from Hebei and Henan come to the North to serve as officials. Make sure there is mobility; secondly, do the duties of the Jing'an Department well and clarify the local forces."

Bai Yousi nodded without saying anything more.

Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment, then asked the two again, "Where is Li Ding? Why didn't Liu Wenzhou come over when there was such a big commotion?"

Xiong and Bai looked at each other.

Zhang Xing had no choice but to nod.

Not to mention it that day, two days later, Zhang Xing formally summoned all the leaders around Guanhai Tingtao Town, including the leaders of the surrendered people, and issued a series of military orders and personnel arrangements:
The whole army immediately prepared for winter quarters, set up camps, prepared winter supplies, and prepared to spend the winter in the north;

Xiong Bonan was in charge, along with Li Ding and Bai Yousi, to examine military achievements and verify the personnel arrangements of the military and civilians in the north;

Li Ding was in charge of military affairs, formulating and assigning defense zones, suppressing rebellions, and pursuing the remnants of the rebels;

Bai Yousi was in charge of the post-war peacekeeping in the North, inspecting and sorting out the local armed forces in the North, and preparing to incorporate and suppress them;
With Jia Yue as the leader, he formed an engineering equipment battalion and tried to make crossbow carts and catapults;
Xu Jingzu is the main person in charge of the liaison matters with the Demon-Slaying Guards.

After making simple arrangements, Zhang Xing, who had just entered the Northland for two months, set off again, leaving the Northland once again and heading towards Hebei. This time, he did not even bring the White Cavalry, but only let Yuchi Rong lead a hundred cavalry guards to accompany him.

When we got to Kanozawa, it became noticeably colder.

After staying in Tieshanwei for a while, it was only mid-August, but they saw the first snow of the year in the North... The snowflakes were small, but they indicated that the annual severe winter in the North was about to begin.

When they crossed the Zhidao Ridge and arrived in Hebei, it was almost like returning from winter to autumn.

After returning to Yecheng, the weather was still warm. Zhang Xing stayed here for a long time and publicly participated in many activities, including convening a banquet at Guanfengyuan for those who had passed the new imperial examination to eat fried meatballs, visiting the young people who were forced to build their foundation in the new year (there were very few people this year), comforting the wounded, inspecting the work of many departments, and even dealing with a large number of people.

Specifically, there was a gentle purge of Li Ding's old subordinates in the Wu'an Xingtai. Many people who had secretly complained were directly named and then transferred to various places in Henan, Youzhou, and Dengzhou, completely losing the centripetal force of the political group.

As for how the list came about, that would require asking Li Ding, Li Longtou. Before leaving Guanhai Town, Zhang Xing told the Northern War Commander that he should either provide the list voluntarily, and he would just transfer the relevant personnel, or he would go back and investigate, and kill anyone he caught.

Then Li Ding provided the list.

After more than a month of hard work, as winter began to enter Yecheng, Zhang Xing gave up the good days of eating fried noodles and crossed the river to Henan with Xie Minghe, who had just arrived in Yecheng, under the escort of Yuchi Rong.

Then, he paid a routine visit to the families of the leaders of Dongjun and Jiyin, and went to Mount Li to pay tribute to the dead. Then, in mid-October, he finally arrived at the banks of the Wo River, came to the medical school and hospital built on the former battlefield, and met the leader of the Qianjin Sect.

In fact, if one must be particular about it, this is the real reason why Zhang Xing traveled thousands of miles to the south for the second time - the Qianjin Sect Leader Sun Siyuan was unwilling to go to the north to depose the dragon. Zhang Xing received this news two days before entering Guanhai Town.

"Why is Master Sun unwilling to go north?" In the Medical College on the banks of the Wohe River, in front of a house built on a high platform, Zhang Xing waited for Sun Siyuan who had just returned from teaching, but he was unwilling to even stand up, so he asked directly.

Sun Siyuan smiled, put down a basket full of herbs in his hand, sat down calmly, and explained: "Why do you have to force me, Chief Zhang? Didn't we agree beforehand that we will not participate in the fight between the various forces? We are just saving people, no matter who we save."

"That's talking about people. This Tunfengjun is not a human!" Zhang Xing emphasized.

"Even if he is not a human, he is still related to humans... Chief Zhang, I was once the leader of the True Fire Sect. How dare I go to the Northland and dethrone the True Dragon under the watchful eyes of the Great Sima of the Demon-Slaying Guard?" Sun Siyuan continued with a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I won't be able to come back if I go there?"

"If that's the case," Zhang Xing frowned slightly. "When I passed by Youzhou, I saw with my own eyes that Dou Longtou had someone erect your thousand-gold tablet by the Youzhou Bridge, and I didn't see the demon-slaying guards who went to the Black Emperor Temple in Wu'an smash your tablet? Are the two families really so hostile to each other?"

Sun Siyuan was stunned, and he couldn't play dumb anymore. "Chief Zhang is right. I was able to find another way to prove my truth at this age because I received a lot of favors from the Chulong Gang... I also know that this matter is not to deal with Lord Black Emperor and the Demon Guards, but to help Lord Black Emperor clear the inner circle. But the more this is the case, the more difficult it is for me to do it, because I am from the True Fire Sect after all, and I am the benefactor of the Red Emperor. When I left the south before, I had already angered the Empress, and I definitely dare not make her angry again."

At this point, it seems that the final word has been said. Everyone knows the temper of Queen Chidi.

"Just for this?" Zhang Xing thought about it and laughed. "For the Supreme's face?"

"The Demon-Slaying Guards helped you depose the dragon and were willing to merge their foundations. Wasn't it also for the sake of the Supreme's face?" Sun Siyuan was speechless for a moment.

Zhang Xing smiled again and suddenly changed the subject: "Speaking of the South, does President Sun know about the recent situation in the South?"

"I'd like to hear the details." Sun Siyuan hesitated. He knew there must be something else behind his words, but he couldn't hide his concern after all.

Zhang Xing did not speak directly, but looked at Xie Minghe who had been silent.

"Lord Sun, Xiao Hui has proclaimed himself emperor." Xie Minghe said with one hand spread out.

"Of course I know that." Sun Siyuan was a little speechless. "He is a descendant of the Xiao Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty. He didn't become emperor before only because your Chulong Gang didn't have a king. Now that you have a king, he can't wait."

"Does Lord Sun know that he appointed nine kings in one go?" Xie Minghe stared at him and continued to ask. The cold air in his mouth turned into white smoke and dissipated in front of him. "And each king has a different surname?"

Sun Siyuan was stunned, smiled bitterly and remained silent for a long time.

"When I was in the north, an envoy went there, and Xiao Hui proclaimed himself emperor. Then, people in Yecheng were worried, so they asked Steward Xie to go to Jiangdu again in the name of breaking off diplomatic relations. He saw Xiao Hui and his kings with his own eyes. As a result, Steward Xie, who was originally going to break off diplomatic relations, changed his mind temporarily and wrote a congratulatory letter himself... After he came back, no one, including me, objected and felt that he had handled it properly. Do you know why?" Zhang Xing also asked.

Sun Siyuan was already numb, but his disciples were all in the Xiaoliang regime, so he could only bite the bullet and ask: "Why?"

"It's very simple. I can see it clearly in Jiangdu." Xie Minghe twirled his beard that swayed in the wind and sneered. "The court of Xiaoliang is exactly the opposite of the Chulong Gang... The Chulong Gang calls itself a gang, but in fact, it is more organized and more institutional than anyone else. In fact, if we really want to say that the most inherited system of the Wei Dynasty is our gang; while Xiaoliang is a court on the surface, but in fact, it is a grassroots gang. From a county magistrate to this point, he relies on the support of Jiangxi, Hunan, and Jiangdong. The powerful people in Hunan, the water bandits and the True Fire Sect in Jiangxi, and the nobles in Jiangdong, each of them does what they want... It's okay to say that he looks very much like the Chulong Gang when it was established, but I don't know why he can't change at all in all these years.

"And the reason why I changed the congratulatory message is because I know that as long as this group of people is unable to expand, they will inevitably kill each other next, and Xiao Hui will not be able to stop them at all, and may even participate in it... Xiao Hui, if I must make an evaluation of him, is actually very similar to Li Shu, but his ability and personal morality are not as good as Li Shu. On the contrary, he cannot tolerate others learning 100%. Even so, he asked me about Chief Zhang's cultivation and what is so outstanding about Lord Wei. He also told me that if Chief Zhang and Lord Wei have an internal conflict, I can return to Jiangdu at any time and am willing to give him the title of king."

Sun Siyuan could only sigh continuously.

Zhang Xing took over the conversation and continued, "Not only Chief Steward Xie saw through this inner capsule, but even Du Longtou of Huainan also noticed it. He took the initiative to be humble with Jiangdu early on, waiting for them to be unable to expand and become chaotic... Master Sun, forgive me for being blunt, but Xiao Liang's gang will definitely be defeated. Even without me, I will give Du Longtou, whom you met, enough time, and he can take Huainan and spy on Jiangzuo."

"So, what does Chief Zhang mean?" Sun Siyuan, who had experienced too many internal strife in the True Fire Sect, couldn't bear to listen any longer and could only let Zhang Xing get to the point.

"It's very simple, Master Zhang. You are a great master, but a great master not only has to look up, but also has to consider the people below... We know the temper of the Red Emperor, but don't you want to consider the future of the True Fire Sect?" Zhang Xing said seriously. "As long as you follow me to the north to help, no matter success or failure, in the future, whether the people of the True Fire Sect escape from the civil strife in Xiaoliang or we attack them directly, there will be a pardon and acceptance... Do you think it is feasible? In my opinion, preserving the incense of the True Fire Sect will actually maintain the greatest face of the Supreme."

Sun Siyuan, who had long been determined to save people rather than kill, had no choice but to nod... This was fine, after all, the original intention of this action was to save people.

What good is it even if you are a grandmaster if your descendants are not good?

Did Cao Lin escape? Or did Bai Hengqiu escape?

Can only nod.

PS: First I had a cold and a stuffy nose, then the Chinese Writers Association called me to a meeting (I’m not a member of the association so I don’t know why). I spent two days in the mountains, plus the round-trip flights, and my condition got worse for three consecutive days. After I came back, I developed urticaria, with red spots all over my feet to my lips. When the spots subsided, I started coughing again and had a low fever... it was endless.