Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"It's clear he's in a real hurry..."

Xiao Poyue sneered.

Under the cover of night, in a suburban temple outside Hongzhou City, the area was already under the guard of the local officials.

There were visible sentries, hidden spies, and even disguised scouts lurking in distant places.

Shi Tianhu and his men are currently on Chen Congyun's territory, and they are all wanted by the government, so they are naturally extremely cautious in their actions.

He snorted coldly and glanced outside the temple: "After today, I will leave with my men. We will need to relocate when we return. If that fellow falls into Li Shimin's hands, he will surely confess to us!"

"Fortunately, he gave us those benefits, so it's not a complete loss. It's just a little troublesome; we need to find a suitable hiding place again..."

At this point, their gazes subtly fell on Su Jiuniang, who appeared calm and deep in thought.

"Manager Su, it would be best if you didn't stay in Jiangnan Road, this place of trouble. If those properties can be sold, it would be best to sell them as soon as possible."

Shi Tianhu's words were utter nonsense.

Nowadays, in Jiangnan, every merchant and chamber of commerce that can stand firm obeys Chen Congyun.

If the Su family business wants to sell its assets, then there needs to be someone to buy them.

Being able to leave Jiangnan with some of the gold, silver, and valuables on paper and his men was a testament to Chen Congyun's compassion.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard from outside, growing louder as they approached.

Then they heard Chen Congyun's voice.

He didn't bring many people with him, only four or five guards on horseback protecting him. Compared to Shi Tianhu and his group who made a big show of it, he seemed quite open and honest.

however.

No one will let their guard down so easily.

Chen Congyun may appear respectable on the surface, but his inner malice is truly unique among villains.

"I am extremely grateful for your presence. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused during the day."

No one spoke, and Chen Congyun was not annoyed. He led the group onto their horses and set off in one direction.

"Chen's uprising is a foregone conclusion, and there is no turning back once the arrow is released. I know why you are unwilling to help, so tonight I will be frank. If you still refuse to help after seeing what I have prepared, then I will stop bothering you and let you leave Jiangnan Road safely."

As he spoke, he gave Su Jiuniang a slight smile.

"Mr. Chen from the Su Clan Chamber of Commerce is also willing to buy it at a high price. Manager Su can take his people away, and Mr. Chen will not stop him."

His words were so compelling that Su Jiuniang had no choice but to smile and nod, which at least outwardly indicated that she believed him.

The group rode their horses along the winding country roads and soon arrived at a remote village. The village was so remote that even the official road required by the imperial court had not been built.

It's as if someone is deliberately hiding this village.

however.

When Shi Tianhu and the others saw the situation in the village, their pupils constricted sharply.

On the high wall, several meters high, there were sentries, carrying bows and arrows, looking on guard.

The guards accompanying the group had also approached Shi Tianhu and his companions, their expressions solemn. Unbeknownst to them, figures had appeared in various locations in the bushes at the village entrance.

They were all dressed in armor with concealment and camouflage effects, and carried long swords.

"President Chen, what are you doing...?" Xiao Poyue was secretly on guard, looking coldly at Chen Congyun.

The latter laughed heartily, waved his hand, and immediately the sentries around the village dispersed.

"Gentlemen, there is no need to be nervous. I need your help, so why would I harm you? Besides, everyone in Hongzhou's business community knows that you all come from the Chen family. If something happens to you, how can I, Chen, command respect in the future?"

He smiled, casually took out a token, and tossed it into the high walls of the village.

A short while later, the heavy gate of the village was pushed open from the inside, revealing the village's appearance.

"Boom boom boom..."

A faint, heavy thud, like something colliding, came from deep within the village. Shi Tianhu and the others looked up and could see black smoke rising in one direction.

Suddenly his pupils shrank.

"Is there an iron mine here?"

Chen Hengjiang asked.

Chen Congyun smiled, revealing a mysterious expression, and led the group into the village. Immediately afterwards, several leading martial artists hurried over.

"Chen Da greets His Lordship!"

"Chen Er greets his lord!"

"Chen San..."

Su Jiuniang frowned slightly: "Chairman Chen actually took Japanese and Wa people as his retainers? And even bestowed upon them surnames?"

These people in front of me are clearly not from Tang Dynasty.

Chen Congyun smiled and said, "Why should I care about their background if they can be of use to me? After all, heroes come from all walks of life. Aren't there quite a few Turks, Tanguts, and Xianbeis serving as officials in the court today?"

The crowd remained silent, but even for unconventional warriors like Shi Tianhu, a hint of disdain rose in their eyes.

However, it was clear that Chen Congyun wanted to show them something else entirely.

He led the group to a place in the village that was heavily patrolled and looked like a warehouse. Even the group, who had been calm until now, showed expressions of shock and horror on their faces when they saw the patrolling figures.

"These people are wearing... these are high-strength steel armor?!"

Don't be fooled by the fact that they also have hidden armor under their command; those are all iron and leather armor left over from the Sui Dynasty. The armor these people are wearing now is clearly of the Tang Dynasty standard and is brand new.

Even Shi Tianhu and his group didn't own a single one.

"This this......."

Su Jiuniang's mouth dropped open in surprise, and her gaze toward Chen Congyun became extremely shocked.

Chen Congyun was filled with enjoyment and pride, but on the surface he appeared calm and composed, smiling faintly.

"If I didn't have some family wealth, how could I dare to have such reckless thoughts?"

As he spoke, he instructed everyone to open a warehouse in front of them, whereupon rows of neatly arranged crossbows and boxes of crossbow bolts appeared.

At this moment, Chen Congyun could no longer hide his arrogance. Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, he opened his arms and burst into laughter.

"Gentlemen, do you still think that I, Chen, am just indulging in wishful thinking?!"

"How can there not be a place for me, Chen Congyun, in this world!"

"No matter how terrifying Li Shimin's military achievements are, he is still just a mortal. Does he think he can be invulnerable to swords and spears after being shot down by thousands of crossbow bolts?!"

Everyone: "......"

Chen Congyun allowed Shi Tianhu and the others to enter the warehouse and inspect the crossbows. His arrogant expression made it seem as if he had already donned the imperial robes and replaced the Li Tang royal family.

However, Su Jiuniang seemed to have thought of something when she heard the thumping sound outside.

He looked at Chen Congyun in shock.

"President Chen, it seems there are not only iron mines here, but also iron smelting and forging workshops, right?"

"With such a large presence, no matter how well they concealed it, surely the Embroidered Uniform Guards must have been here?"

Inside the warehouse, Shi Tianhu and the others also recovered from their shock and looked at Chen Congyun.

The latter smiled faintly.

"Gentlemen, please follow me. I will show you my million elite warriors!"

A million suicide squads?

What kind of nonsense is this?

At first, no one understood what this meant. However, Chen Congyun led them to a place in the village that was clearly used for living.

This is a building that looks like a factory, and there is a strange, rotten smell in the air outside, like some kind of fruit.

The moment the door was opened, an even stronger, more pungent smell of smoke, mixed with the stench of sweat, hit us.

Shi Tianhu and Xiao Poyue were men who were used to seeing dead people, and had even crawled out of piles of corpses more than once.

I felt a chill rise from the soles of my feet and straight up to the top of my head.

Are those people lying on mats, crouching in the darkness before oil lamps, holding sticks, writhing like soulless zombies...?

A wicked smile, unlike anything a human could show, curled at the corner of Chen Congyun's lips.

His eyes also turned sinister.

"Gentlemen, these people will do whatever I ask them to do, even if it's to kill their own wives and daughters, eat their own children, or even... assassinate the emperor!"