Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 116: The Real and the Fake
"Whoever comes first will be the last one to take the blame, even if it means death..."

Shen Faxing, with red eyes, shouted crazily.

Shen Faxing, the King of Shangliang, was born into the Shen family of Wujun, a prominent family and a family of officials. Before he started the rebellion, he was the prefect of Wujun. He was handsome, had an upright temperament, and was quite popular among the people.

He sat upright, with a square face, thick eyebrows, tiger eyes, a strong body, and a noble air, which made him look upright and righteous. Compared with the Jianghuai Governor, the Fengming King, and even the Jingwu King Xiao Ying, he had a more kingly demeanor and was more attractive!

However, Shen Faxing was racking his brains at a loss and became a little crazy. His eyes were red and his facial features were ferocious, as if he had gone crazy.

"It's all the fault of the Dongyang bandit Lou Shigan and the Imperial Household Minister Yuanyou (of the Sui Dynasty)..."

In despair, Shen Faxing recalled the past and was filled with resentment.

Back then, the Dongyang bandit Lou Shigan gathered a group of bandits, wreaking havoc across Jiangnan and even attacking county towns. Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty ordered the Wujun prefect, Shen Faxing, and the Imperial Household Secretary, Yuan You, to suppress the bandits. Several campaigns proved fruitless, resulting in heavy casualties. Shen Faxing, convinced of his ancestral roots in Jiangnan and the prominent Shen family, numbering tens of thousands, was popular among the people. Convinced by those around him, he believed his actions were not his fault, but rather the Sui Dynasty's loss of popular support and the wrath of heaven and the people, hindering his success. He colluded with Yuan You's generals, Sun Shihan and Chen Guoren, to capture Yuan You and rise in anger. As if aided by divine intervention, his power rapidly expanded, encompassing over ten Jiangnan counties and establishing himself as the King of Shangliang, one of the Three Kings of Jiangnan.

During the Jiangdu Incident, Shen Faxing took the opportunity to lead his army to sweep across Jiangnan, and was invincible. He proclaimed himself the Governor-General of Jiangnan, and was as famous as Du Fuwei, the Governor-General of Jianghuai, who was the most powerful force in Jiangnan. He also established his own court and appointed officials according to the system.

Upon hearing that Empress Xiao had launched a counterattack, driven out the rebels led by the Yuwen clan, and rebuilt the imperial court, Shen Faxing formally submitted a petition requesting the appointment of Grand Marshal, Recorder of the Secretariat, Duke of Tianmen, or Prince of Shangliang, among other positions and titles, in order to establish orthodoxy. He also appointed Chen Guoren as Minister of the Interior, Sun Shihan as Minister of Works, Jiang Yuanchao as Minister of the Left, Yin Qian as Minister of the Left, Xu Lingyan as Minister of the Right, Liu Ziyi as Minister of Selection, and Li Baiyao as Palace Official, among others, establishing his own imperial court and appointing his own officials.

Who knew that Empress Xiao and the court would ignore him and even "angrily" leave the city to fight...

In just a few days, the million-strong Liang army in the south was gone, and the "imperial expedition" that swept across the river with great momentum was also surrounded by enemies on all sides and was about to end...

"I was living a good life... As the young master of the Shen family and the governor of Wu County, I was full of vigor and ambition, and I only wanted to dominate the region and benefit the people. Why are you forcing me..."

"If I hadn't rebelled and declared myself king before, what would have happened now?"

"How did it suddenly become like this? It's only been a short while, the changes are too fast..."

"Why is this so? Is it the distortion of human nature, or the decline of morality, all caused by the chaotic times..."

While roaring, Shen Faxing's face changed from blue, white and red, and his inner drama was rich!
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

Shen Faxing was acting out his inner drama when he was awakened by a roar like thunder, and he became even more angry!
This was the Nth time that the Sui army outside the city had attacked the city.

Although the Sui army never even touched the city wall, they could only throw stones from a distance, wave flags and shout slogans, clearly lacking confidence and finding it difficult to capture Hailing City. However, flies can't kill people, but they are disgusting!
"Report..."

"The enemy outside the city is attacking fiercely again... East City Wall, calling for help!"

When the report came, Shen Faxing and Yin Moushi were about to scold, but when they heard the word "help", the words were on the tip of their tongues, but they swallowed them back, coughing continuously and almost choking.

"What? The east wall is asking for help? The Sui army has made numerous probing attempts and feints. Are they about to launch a full-scale attack?"

Yin Qian, the self-appointed Shangshu Zuo Cheng of Liang State, was visibly distraught. He exclaimed in disbelief and angrily questioned, "Didn't they say that the southern army led by Prince Jingwu would arrive at noon tomorrow at the earliest? How dare the Sui army outside the city launch a large-scale attack on the city alone? Who gave them the confidence?! Has Prince Jingwu already arrived? What are scouts for? They should all be punished with their entire clans!" "..."

The series of angry shouts and questions made everyone present's heads buzz and they were unable to react.

Yin Qian, who served as the military advisor, reacted more violently than the generals present, or even the Prince of Liang, Shen Faxing. He was more out of control and more irritable!

"This one……"

The scout's face flushed red, and he hesitated and said:
"The enemy outside the city is approaching. I suspect they will launch a massive attack. The east wall has suffered heavy losses and is in disarray. I'm requesting assistance!"

"What do you mean?" Sun Shihan asked with a frown, not quite understanding the report!
Just approaching and harassing from a distance, why ask for help?
The scout thought for a moment and then elaborated, "Taoist Qingli, Taoist Qingxu, and many other Taoists on the east wall have said they've suffered heavy losses and want to retreat into seclusion, refusing to fight. Our casualties have increased significantly, and we're struggling to maintain stability, so..."

This time Shen Faxing finally understood and angrily shouted, "You're courting death! What do you mean by refusing to fight? I'm still here, summoning Taoists Qingli, Qingxu, and others. How dare you disobey military orders?!"

"That's right! During this war, anyone who disobeys military orders and affects the morale of the army...will be punished by military law!" A general echoed in dissatisfaction and anger!
The scout's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth and replied, "Well... Taoist Qingli, Taoist Qingxu, and many other Taoists are in seclusion somewhere. We can't find them. Please let the prince and the others make the decision!"

"Can't find the person? He didn't run away, did he? Deserting from the battlefield?" Yin Qian was stunned and asked in a trance with some disbelief.

"Shut up!"

Jiang Yuanchao's face changed as he scolded, then quickly asked, "Have Prince Jingwu and the Southern Sui Army arrived? When will they arrive?"

"It seems... not!" The scout replied stiffly. As for when they would arrive, he was just a scout, how would he know?!
Jiang Yuanchao gritted his teeth and bowed to Shen Faxing, saying, "My Lord! Our army's morale is unstable, and the situation is... chaotic. We must break out immediately! The Sui army has launched multiple feints, clearly harassing and harassing us. They probably don't have the confidence to fight us alone. We should break out from the east wall!"

"Ridiculous! According to intelligence, the Sui army in the east has over 300,000 troops, more than twice the number in the south, and they're all elite soldiers! Breaking out from any direction is better than from the west..."

Yin Qian jumped up and down, glaring at Jiang Yuanchao and scolding him, then quickly added, "Such an obvious trap, what exactly are your intentions? Well... have you also been bribed by the Demon Sect? Or are you originally a disciple of the Demon Sect..."

"you you……"

Jiang Yuanchao's face flushed red, his fingers trembled as he pointed, he was speechless for a moment and found it difficult to refute.

The intelligence was indeed true. The Sui army in the east was fully equipped with weapons and armor, and their marching formations were in an orderly manner. They were indeed elite soldiers no matter how you looked at them. Putting aside their marching quality, it was impossible that the Sui army had so many weapons and armor that they could be used for decoration or fakery, right?

"Alright! Shut up!"

Shen Faxing took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his negative emotions, and scolded coldly. He paused, his eyes as sharp as a knife and red as a knife, and looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice:
"Explore further! See where Prince Jingwu and his army are, and when they will arrive! Where are the Fengming Army and the Jianghuai Army, and what their situation is. Around Hailing...is there any other way out?"

(End of this chapter)