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

Zhang Haiduan first reported the results of the night's operation to him, and after hearing that Cao Zhengchun had been executed, he breathed a sigh of relief:

"Fortunately, with the help of the Taoist priest, we were able to successfully eliminate the treacherous eunuch Cao Zhengchun and protect the stability of our Ming Dynasty court."

"Zhu Wushi is not dead. The Emperor says that the court is stable, but I'm afraid it's too early to say that."

"Oh? Zhu Wushi is imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, what else can he do?"

"Zhu Wushi's martial arts skills are even superior to Cao Zhengchun's. How could an ordinary prison possibly hold him?"

Yue Zhuoqun shook his head speechlessly. This emperor didn't understand martial arts and was too high and mighty, thinking things were too simple.

Unlike Gu Santong, Zhu Wushi was not someone who could bind himself by simply placing a stone tablet in the dungeon inscribed with "Iron-Blooded Marquis".

“But he is, after all, my imperial uncle. Without a substantial charge, I cannot simply behead him,” Zhu Houzhao said, frowning.

"Your Majesty, do not worry. I have witnesses to prove that he is plotting a rebellion." Zhang Haiduan stood up and reported, then explained in detail the existence of Yagyu Tajima's head and the previous plot to assassinate the emperor by impersonating Toshihide.

"Is this serious?"

“I would not dare to deceive Your Majesty. The head of Yagyu Tajima is in my residence and can testify at any time.”

"Good!" Zhu Houzhao slammed his hand on the table, his eyes cold and sharp: "Tomorrow, we will bring up Zhu Wushi and conduct a joint trial by the three judicial departments to confirm the evidence of his plot to rebel."

Zhang Haiduan was overjoyed and was about to nod when a young eunuch rushed in and knelt down in the hall with a thud.

"Your Majesty, the Iron-Blooded Marquis has escaped from prison."

"What!" Zhu Houzhao's face stiffened, and he quickly ordered, "Quickly send men to seal off the city gates and conduct a city-wide search!"

"Your Majesty, with Zhu Wushi's martial arts skills, it may be too late to seal the city gates."

Yue Zhuoqun shook his head and sighed, then reminded him, "If he escapes from prison now, he will definitely start an uprising, and the generals guarding the border will all be coerced by him."

The urgent task now is to immediately send someone to the border to appease the ten generals.

At the same time, a large army was summoned from the surrounding areas to protect the capital!

"Yes, draft the decree quickly..."

……

A few days later, Zhu Wushi's rebellion shocked the entire Ming Dynasty.

Although Zhu Houzhao promptly sent people to appease the ten generals, seven of them were still ignored by Zhu and had no choice but to raise troops and march towards the capital.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, so these seven generals probably dispatched their cavalry with ample provisions and marched at breakneck speed.

In just a few days, an army of 100,000 men had gathered outside the capital.

Fortunately, Zhu Houzhao was reminded by Yue Zhuoqun and urgently summoned the Beijing garrison troops stationed around the capital to protect the imperial city.

The Beijing Garrison evolved from the Five Armies of the Ming Dynasty and was once the elite army of the Ming Dynasty. It participated in numerous major battles, including the Jingnan Campaign, the pacification of Annam, the Luchuan Campaign, and the defense of Beijing.

In addition to the Five Armies Battalion, the current Beijing Garrison also includes the Three Thousand Battalion and the Divine Machine Battalion. However, apart from the guards stationed in the capital, most of them are stationed in Shandong, Henan, Daning and other places, and take turns to guard and train in the capital.

Therefore, more than 10,000 people were gathered in a short period of time.

Fortunately, the city walls of the capital were tall and magnificent, and Zhu Wushi had only summoned cavalry, so the siege was not going to be advantageous.

Zhu ignored the fierce attack for five days but failed to breach the city walls, suffering heavy losses instead.

In the main camp, the seven generals looked at Zhu Wushi with worried expressions and couldn't help but speak:

"Lord Shenhou, continuing this fierce attack will only increase casualties and is completely futile."

"Yes, Divine Marquis, cavalry are invincible in open field battles, but they are ineffective in attacking cities."

If this continues, the loyalist army will arrive soon, and we will undoubtedly be defeated.

"How about... how about we lower the price?"

They didn't want to rebel with Zhu Wushi at all, but Zhu Wushi had leverage over them, so they had no choice but to comply.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wushi's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly swung out a claw.

"Crack!"

The general who tried to persuade the enemy to surrender had his helmet crushed, and he died bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Anyone who dares to disrupt morale again will suffer the consequences!" The camp fell silent instantly.

Zhu Wushi then calmed down and said:

"You continue the siege tomorrow. I will lead some experts into the imperial city and kill the little emperor."

"With the emperor dead, the morale of the army in the city will surely be thrown into chaos. You can then seize the opportunity to storm in and occupy the capital."

Chapter 83 The Four Ghosts of Xiangxi, Overlord Blade

"kill!"

Under Zhu Wushi's threat, the seven generals had no choice but to order their soldiers to continue attacking the capital.

The elite troops, riding swiftly on horseback, abandoned their mounts and charged recklessly towards the city wall, which was more than ten meters high.

After several days of fierce attacks, nearly half of the 100,000 cavalrymen had been lost, and the corpses piled up like mountains at the foot of the city walls, but they still could not breach the walls.

Just then, dozens of figures soared into the air, stepping on the shoulders of soldiers to advance rapidly. When they reached the foot of the city wall, they suddenly disappeared and leaped directly onto the top of the wall.

These were all experts under Zhu Wushi's command, including not only Iron Claw Flying Eagle, but also the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals secretly trained by Zhu Wushi.

Iron Claw Flying Eagle scanned the area for a moment, not seeing the figure that terrified him. He breathed a sigh of relief and shouted:

"Gentlemen, do not linger in battle. According to the Divine Marquis's plan, we will march directly towards the Imperial Palace."

Taking over the city was not their mission; killing the emperor was.

As soon as the emperor dies, the morale of the defending army will be thrown into chaos, and the city gates will fall without a fight.

The group used their light-footed skills to step on the roof ridges and quickly arrived in front of the palace.

Before they could even feel happy, sword energy and blade light rose up, blocking their path.

The Eight Swordsmen of Mount Hua were already waiting here.

On the palace gate tower stood a young man in flowing robes, resembling a celestial being.

Iron Claw Flying Eagle's heart pounded violently a few times. He said to the four people behind him, dressed in identical clothes and with veils covering their faces:

"The four of you, that is Yue Buqun. Your task is to keep him occupied."

These four men were known as the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi, and were among the experts that Zhu Wushi had invited to join him.

The Four Ghosts of Xiangxi were originally bodyguards of Wan Sanqian, the richest man in the country, and Wan Sanqian was a friend of Zhu Wushi.

Wan Sanqian is incredibly wealthy, even more so than Zhang Dajing, the richest man in the capital. He even founded the number one manor in the world.

However, this person liked to travel all over the world, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. His only true friend was Zhu Wushi, who became a strong supporter of Zhu Wushi's rebellion.

A flash of light appeared, and the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi left four afterimages in the field, instantly appearing on the gate tower of the imperial palace and surrounding Yue Zhuoqun.

"Impressive lightness skill! Are you the Four Devils of Western Hunan?"

Yue Zhuoqun raised an eyebrow; this ghostly movement technique was not much different from Dongfang Bubai's.

"By order of my master, I will hold you off for half an hour."

"Hehe, you'll need to have the ability to do that."

"Do it!"

The four ghosts of Xiangxi exchanged a glance and attacked Yue Zhuoqun at the same time. The four men with eight arms left many afterimages in the air, and they covered Yue Zhuoqun like a net.

The martial arts practiced by these four people is the Phantom Divine Skill, characterized by its strange speed, unpredictable moves, and combination of defense and offense.

Once entangled by this martial art, all moves will be rendered ineffective, and even internal energy can be neutralized. It is similar to the "Transferring Flowers and Jade" technique, except that it has the ability to rebound.

Moreover, the four are of one mind, and their combined attack is even more powerful.

In the original timeline, Wan Sanqian supported Zhu Wushi, and even provided the rebel army with weapons, arrows, and military pay.

During this period, the Four Devils of Western Hunan were sent to deal with Cao Zhengchun, and Cao Zhengchun was forced to retreat in a sorry state.

Later, Zhu Wushi killed Shangguan Haitang, which led to Wan Sanqian's betrayal. He then ordered the Four Ghosts to attack Zhu Wushi to avenge Shangguan Haitang.

However, the Four Ghosts had passed on their martial arts routines to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, allowing Zhu Wushi to understand the secrets of these martial arts. He then used the Absorption Technique to drain the four of their internal energy and kill them.

Zhu Wushi assigned them to deal with Yue Zhuoqun because he considered how troublesome the four were.

Faced with the inescapable net, Yue Zhuoqun frowned and suddenly threw a punch.

But as soon as the force of their punches surged out, the four figures overlapped in a flash, their eight arms spreading out like a peacock's tail, all striking at Yue Zhuoqun's fist.

Bang!

The air jolted, and the four men were thrown backward. The terrifying force emanated from their feet, causing cracks to spread across the bricks and stones of the city gate.

"Impressive skills, but unfortunately I don't have time to continue fighting you."

Yue Zhuoqun sighed, took a step forward, and used his ambidextrous fighting technique to strike with both hands.

Purple internal energy surged in his left hand, transforming into a spiral force field that enveloped the four people, restricting their ghostly movements.

With a whooshing sound, his right hand unleashed a flurry of punches, palms, claws, and fingers, launching four attacks on the four men in a single instant, forcing their seamless teamwork into disarray.

You have lost!