Swords emerge from Mount Hua, sweeping across the heavens from the world of Swordsman.

None of them were outsiders; Yue Zhuoqun had often given them pointers on martial arts, which was why he had invited them to listen in.

Yue Zhuoqun's martial arts skills are mainly improved by the system, but once his proficiency increases, his understanding of martial arts is by no means lacking.

In recent years, I have read a large number of classics from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Legalism and other schools of thought, and my knowledge is unparalleled.

His explanation of the fundamental mental cultivation method, the Quanzhen Daodao Song, was so profound yet simple that even a single sentence could be incredibly beneficial to the listeners, who were completely captivated.

Yue Zhuoqun stopped after speaking for half an hour, letting the others digest the information first. He then looked towards the door and said, "Right Envoy Fan, come in!"

Soon, Fan Yao came in and reported:

"Master, the armies of Chang, Xu, and Zhu have arrived at the gates of Dadu and have launched three sieges."

However, the Prince of Ruyang heavily guarded the city and refused to come out to engage in battle, resulting in unsatisfactory results.

Moreover, the twenty-four Tibetan monks under the command of the Prince of Ruyang knew the technique of combining their powers into one, making them incredibly powerful and inflicting considerable casualties on our army.

Military generals such as Chang Yuchun have already taken the refined low-grade Dragon Elephant Pill, raising their Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to the seventh level.

The combined strength of the Seven Dragons and Seven Elephants would be considered top-tier among martial arts masters.

Even when faced with the combined attack of twenty-four monks, he was still no match.

“I had completely forgotten about this group. Oh well, I’ll go there myself!” Yue Zhuoqun nodded in surprise.

The masters in the Prince of Ruyang's palace love to appear in groups.

First came the three great groups under Zhao Min: the Xuanming Elders, A'da, A'er, A'san, and the Eight Heroes of Divine Arrows. Now, the Twenty-Four Monks have also made their appearance.

These twenty-four monks from the Western Regions were not only superior in numbers, but each of them was also a first-rate expert.

By combining their powers into one body, their combat strength increases exponentially, and there are no more than two people in the entire world who can withstand them.

"With the sect leader's unparalleled skills, everything will be fine as long as he personally takes action," Fan Yao said happily upon hearing this.

……

By the end of November, the capital was already experiencing the bitter cold.

The falling snowflakes cast a shadow over the hearts of the Mongol army once again.

Once the capital is captured, even if they retreat to the grasslands, the cold weather of the next two months will be a severe test.

Conversely, the Ming Cult army was in high spirits.

Soldiers who had practiced the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill were physically strong, so this bit of cold had little effect on them.

Moreover, today, the revered leader of the religion, whom we regard as a god, has personally arrived, igniting the sacred fire in our hearts.

In the main military tent, Yue Zhuoqun sat in the main seat, while Chang Yuchun, Xu Da, and Zhu Yuanzhang sat below him, their faces filled with admiration and respect.

"Master, the Yuan Mongol Tartars are currently relying on the advantage of the city walls of Dadu, only defending themselves and not venturing out, which is how they manage to prolong their lives."

"As long as we can breach the city gates, their empire will surely crumble!"

Dadu is Beijing.

The city wall was over ten meters high, making it very difficult to storm it.

The three of them had also considered using their own strength to break into the city, open the city gates from the inside, and let the army into the city.

However, every time they climbed the city wall, they were blocked by the twenty-four Tibetan monks, making it difficult to succeed.

"It's alright, these are minor issues!"

Yue Zhuoqun chuckled lightly, then looked at Zhao Min, who stood behind him with a complicated expression, and said:

"At this point, the Yuan and Mongol forces have no way out."

Out of consideration for the years you've served me, I'll allow you to enter the city tonight to meet your father and persuade him that if he doesn't want to die with the Yuan Mongol court, he'd better surrender before I make my move.

He commands a vast army; if he submits, I can give him an important position in the future.

The Prince of Ruyang has both prestige and ability. If he were to submit, it would greatly reduce the obstacles to conquering the grasslands in the future.

Zhao Min's eyes flickered, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Alright!"

……

The main theme of this book is martial arts, so the plot of conquering cities and seizing territories is omitted.

Chapter 121 The Seventh Prince Seizes Power

Prince Chahantemur of Ruyang was very depressed; these eight years were the most painful eight years of his life.

Not only was his beloved daughter forcibly kept by the Ming Cult's master as a maid, but he also suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield.

How powerful was the Yuan Dynasty army back then?

They swept across the world and conquered unprecedented territories.

After entering the Central Plains, although the grassland warriors were influenced by the prosperous Central Plains culture and became much less brave, their essence remained.

He held supreme military power, commanding an army of over a million, yet the imperial court remained as stable as Mount Tai.

However, the Ming Cult only used three armies, totaling just over 200,000 men, to rout his army in a series of defeats.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill is originally a supreme secret manual of the Western Regions Tantric Buddhism, and it was the representative martial art of the Golden Wheel Dharma King, the former national teacher of the Yuan Dynasty.

Now it has become a martial art practiced by everyone in the Ming Cult army, and has become commonplace.

On the contrary, the secret manual was lost to them after the Golden Wheel Monk died at the hands of Yang Guo.

The Ming Cult army, having mastered the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, swept across the battlefield, far surpassing even the Mongol army at its peak.

Although he had assembled an army of 200,000 to defend the capital, he knew that this was just a precarious stand and would not last long.

He received news that Yue Zhuoqun, the leader of the Ming Cult, had arrived outside the city, and tomorrow might be the final battle.

Only if the court and officials unite as one and fight to the death can they perhaps hold out for a little longer.

But the current court can't even achieve unity of purpose.

Because of the repeated defeats on the battlefield over the past eight years, many people in the court questioned him, and some even implied that he harbored ulterior motives, sent his daughter to Yue Zhuoqun, and colluded with others to overthrow the court.

Among them, the Seventh Prince Antu Temur was the most prominent, repeatedly petitioning the emperor to strip him of his military power.

Just today in the imperial court, the Seventh Prince was still making baseless accusations against him.

He was clearly loyal, yet he couldn't defend himself.

"Father, we need to plan for the future as soon as possible."

Wang Baobao said angrily, "There is no place for our family in the current court. Even if we can defend the capital, we will be purged by the Seventh Prince's faction afterward."

“A way out? Where is there a way out?” The Prince of Ruyang felt bitter.

How could there not be?

Of the 200,000 troops defending the city, half are our own loyal soldiers.

Since the court doesn't trust us, why should we die for them? We might as well lead our troops out of Dadu and back to the grasslands.

"Wouldn't it be much more pleasant to live a carefree life than to have to live at the mercy of others!"

"Don't talk nonsense, that's betraying the court!"

Prince Ruyang's face darkened: "Besides, given the strength of the Ming Cult army, even if they return to the grasslands, they will be nothing but a thing of the past, and they will have difficulty even surviving this winter."

"So, are we really going to defend the capital to the death?"

The Prince of Ruyang fell silent. Who would be willing to defend to the death?

He had previously advised the emperor to abandon Dadu and lead his troops back to the grasslands, but the Seventh Prince accused him of deliberately ceding the Central Plains to Yue Zhuoqun, and this suggestion was rejected on the spot.

"Father, elder brother~" A voice rang out from outside.

Prince Ruyang and Wang Baobao were startled, their faces lighting up with surprise. They immediately stood up and said, "Minmin, is that you?"

The door was pushed open, and Zhao Min walked in with red eyes: "It's me!"

Prince Ruyang strode forward, grabbed Zhao Min's hands, and said with a kind look in his eyes and a choked voice, "My precious daughter has grown up so much, so good!"

Eight years have passed. Zhao Min was only fourteen years old when she was captured, and she is now twenty-two.

Her beauty grew ever more radiant; it would not be an exaggeration to call her a beauty that could topple kingdoms and shame the moon and flowers.

The once naive young girl has now blossomed into a mature and charming wife.

As someone who had been through similar experiences, how could Prince Ruyang not understand the reasons for this change?

A sudden pang of pain shot through her heart, and she asked in a low voice, "You're back. Where's Yue Zhuoqun? Is he out there too?"

"No, I came to the city alone."

"Will he let you come back?"

"He let me come back to persuade my father to surrender."

Zhao Min smiled complicatedly and said, "Brother has seen Yue Zhuoqun's strength. The twenty-four monks could withstand Chang Yuchun and others, but they could never withstand a single sword strike from him."

Even the high walls and fortified gates of the capital were but a thin sheet of paper before him.

Wang Baobao's pupils contracted as he recalled the scene on Bright Summit, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"Father, elder brother, the court is finished. Don't make any more unnecessary resistance. Open the gates and surrender."