Origin Paradise!

"The grain you bought with your money before has been sold off at a low price, leaving behind an empty city."

The middle-aged man's frequent questions were all responses from the perspective of a grain merchant.

Jiang He answered patiently until her face turned completely cold.

After answering ten questions, Old Man Yue glanced at the maid, who brought over paper and pen. One of the refined interests of scholars is to compile historical anecdotes and pass them down to future generations, so that they can feel proud whenever later generations mention them.

The tea had gone cold, and the middle-aged man, parched and thirsty, didn't care that the tea had lost its flavor, and picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

"I am deeply grateful for your guidance today, and I will repay you handsomely in the future."

Jiang He remained silent, secretly gathering her strength.

Old Man Yue said, "Go back and prepare. We'll set off for Beijing in three days."

The middle-aged man was impolite. After handing over the sword manual, he hurriedly took his leave, preparing to go back and formulate a strategy to quell the rebellion of millions of refugees, which would be a great achievement no matter what.

Jiang He dispersed the force in his palm.

Old Man Yue waved his hand, and the maid took the zither and left. He then said with a smile, "I thought it would be fine as long as you weren't a reckless man, but I didn't expect you to actually come up with a solution. We court officials value pragmatism, so we have always had some prejudice against the classics and historical texts."

"The world is in chaos, and Old Friend Yan's ideas are no longer suitable for this world. No matter how much we try to cover up the truth, it will be of no use. The reason I invited you here is to discuss this matter. You are at odds with the Yan family. You should know that even if the Yan family is wiped out, as long as Chief Minister Yan does not fall, everything will be in vain. As a military general, you should capture the leader first."

"Let me ask you something first. Was the military advisor who died at the North City Military Command that day truly a barbarian?"

Jiang He's expression remained unchanged; both sides had reached an agreement.

"No."

Old Man Yue's smile widened. "Do you know that the Great Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty was from our Yizhou? During the chaotic times of the previous dynasty, the Great Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty achieved great feats and reached the level of a Grandmaster of Qi Refining. He was accompanied by a Qilin and had the four characters 'Immortal Profound Everlasting Green' naturally engraved on his abdomen."

"There are only two people in this world who can defeat Chief Minister Yan: the Emperor and the Lord of Donghai City. Others such as the leader of the Demonic Sect, the Demon King of Nanshan, and the Lord of Daxue Mountain are still a bit lacking."

"After all, my old friend will never die a violent death. The chief eunuch will protect the imperial power and will protect him to the death. The head of the Five Dou Dao relies on the national fortune to maintain his life and will not allow outsiders to kill the chief minister."

"If we want to bring him down, we can only do so with the help of His Majesty."

"To leverage this power, we must first attract His Majesty's attention; to bring him down, we must create a stage."

Jiang He said, "Qilin."

Old Man Yue nodded: "You hit the nail on the head. You are very perceptive."

The two talked inside the pavilion.

In the distance, a maidservant carrying a zither kept watch over the surroundings. It was estimated that even the Grand Secretary would not have imagined that in a corner of the Great Qian Dynasty, a young military general and a disgraced old man were plotting how to bring him down. Such an alliance was not viewed favorably by anyone if it were to spread.

For a full hour, a commotion arose from the outside.

Jiang He got up and left the pavilion, leaving nine bloodstone aphids on the table, which Old Man Yue carefully put into his clothes.

Outside the Yue residence, two mountain guardians, wearing straw hats and completely covered in black clothes, arrived.

The old madman fled in panic for some unknown reason. Two mountain guards came to the unconscious warrior, each grabbing one of his arms, and then suddenly pulled him. Before everyone's eyes, a pitiful wail of a woman rang out.

A ghostly spirit, visible to the naked eye, was pulled out.

The mountain guardian waved his sleeve, and the ghost vanished. The two finished their business and left without lingering for a moment.

Many onlookers gasped in surprise, for this was the first time they had ever seen a real ghost, thanks to the Jianjiang River that runs through Yizhou.

Jiang He, who had been observing the whole thing, mounted his horse and headed to the North City Commandery. Whether it was a conspiracy or some ghostly tactic, it was just an interlude. His immediate priority was to suppress the bandits.

Chapter 137 Black Prison Mountain

The next morning.

Outside the north gate of Daming Prefecture.

After 1,500 soldiers assembled and formed a simple formation, Prefect Zhu led his men to distribute the weapons. The necessary weapons included rattan shields, spears, swords, bows and arrows, chariots, and more than a dozen other types. However, the soldiers' usual task was to maintain order, and the inventory of the North City Military Command was already old and worn out.

Jiang He rode past the formation, his main battle spears mostly damaged. Once the soldiers engaged the enemy in close combat, the uncertainty of their weapons could lead to death.

Prefect Zhu also rode closer and said, "Lord, the garrison troops are completely neglected. In the past few years, the damaged weapons under the command of the Anbei Army generals have basically been exchanged for the military supplies stored in the four military districts. Now, it depends on luck to find a few good ones."

Jiang He nodded. This was related to the military regulations of the Anbei Governor's Office. In order to prevent the outflow and resale of military equipment, the Prince's Office linked the status of military equipment to the year-end evaluation of the generals under his command. This was somewhat of an implication that the generals should use their own methods to strengthen reserves, but it was a hardship for the second and third-line troops who were already weak in combat.

Prefect Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, “My lord, the Sword Tournament is coming up in a few days. More and more martial artists are gathering in the city. We can’t bring all the Embroidered Robe Envoys. Fifty people is the limit. Any more would be tantamount to abandoning the order of the city. You and I would both be held accountable.”

"Anything else?" Jiang He asked, turning her head to the side, as if she might as well tell him everything.

Prefect Zhu clasped his hands and said helplessly, "Three days ago, Deputy General Cao Jin invited fifteen centurions to a grand banquet at Chu Yao Lou. It is said that each of them received two thousand taels of silver. Cao Jin could not possibly have come up with such a huge sum of money himself, so it could only have been instigated by the Yan family. Moreover, since the garrison soldiers do not have to go to the front line, most of them are scions of aristocratic families."

In terms of wealth, the Yan family was second to none in Yizhou. They not only amassed large tracts of land but also controlled the lucrative Grand Canal. They used gold and silver to bribe mid-level officers, a simple yet effective method. Moreover, the family had numerous branches and a large number of descendants, who made up a significant proportion of the local soldiers.

Before Prefect Zhu could put his hand down, a middle-aged man walked in from the city gate, surrounded by a crowd, holding a string of decorative Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.

“In this campaign against the bandits, I, Cao, followed your orders completely. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west.”

Cao Jin laughed heartily, "But please be more considerate of the soldiers, Lord, and don't give any orders that would embarrass them. Otherwise, if trouble arises, it will ultimately be Lord who will be in a difficult position."

Cao Jin's words were both soft and firm. He had already received the eldest son's orders. This time, it was the Duke of Pingluan who took the initiative to provoke the conflict. The other party was young and did not know that human strength had its limits.

Prefect Zhu whispered, "Lord, the weapons."

Jiang He acted as if she hadn't heard him and ordered, "Then let's set off."

Cao Jin turned his head and gave a look, and all the officers then clasped their fists and bowed.

"Take orders."

……

It only takes half a day to march from Daming Prefecture to the main peak of the Jianchi Mountains in the northwest, but it takes more than half a day to reach Dangguan City in the valley of the mountains. The Black Mountain Tiger, a major bandit in Yizhou, is located at the mouth of the valley and often robs smuggling caravans passing by.

A day later, the troops arrived at the mouth of the canyon.

Strictly speaking, Black Prison Mountain does not belong to the Jianchi Mountain Range. The invisible pressure from Shen Lingtian is almost non-existent here. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, the entire mountain is covered with dense forests, and flowing white mist is permeating the forest. Upon closer inspection, however, it is actually countless mosquitoes and flies as fine as cow hair.

The troops set up camp.

Over the past decade or so, Daming Prefecture has organized more than one campaign to suppress the bandits, but all of them have failed. The Black Mountain bandits number over a thousand, and are mixed with a large number of criminals and江湖客 (jianghu ke, a term referring to people from the martial arts world). The county and prefectural troops are no match for them. Whenever the Anbei Army mobilizes regular troops, these bandits can always disperse and enter the forest one step ahead.

Inside the military camp, Jiang He stood on the wooden wall, gazing at Dangguan City, which was more than ten miles away.

This magnificent city occupies the entire passageway of the canyon. With its high walls and deep moats, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. To the left is the main peak of Jianchi Mountain, which rises into the clouds, with sheer cliffs and is extremely precipitous.

Legend has it that the Soul Daoist passed away on the main peak, leaving behind a pool of blood before his death. Anyone who walks over and plunges into the pool will receive great benefits, hence the name "Pu Tou Pool" (meaning "walk and plunge"). People in the martial arts world unanimously believe that the pool contains the essence of the blood dragon that caused chaos back then.

At some point, Prefect Zhu approached the wooden wall, his expression stern.

“My lord, there’s something fishy about these soldiers and the centurion.”

As Prefect Zhu turned around, a centurion who had been secretly watching immediately looked away and continued to berate and beat the soldiers in front of him who were dawdling while working.

Jiang He said in surprise, "They all want to kill me, of course something is wrong. Didn't you know beforehand that the Yan family had bribed them?"

Prefect Zhu paused for two seconds, then asked blankly, "Isn't it about suppressing bandits?"

Jiang He rubbed his forehead. "Nominally it was to suppress bandits, but it was just an excuse. In essence, it was a street fight. The Yan family wanted to kill me in one fell swoop, and I was too lazy to find and eliminate the undercover agents one by one. Although we were enemies, we hit it off immediately. After all, violence is the means to achieve our goals."

Jiang He said seriously, "Since you haven't been bribed, then take advantage of the fact that their attention is on me and run away quickly."

The expressions on Prefect Zhu's face were quite interesting, ranging from doubt to shock, then to bewilderment and fear, and finally to anxiety.

"My lord, is it too late to run now?!"

Jiang He nodded, "I'll decide when to call. I'll give you half an hour."

Prefect Zhu clasped his hands in farewell, for this situation was too murky for him to handle.

Half an hour later, Prefect Zhu, along with more than a dozen embroidered envoys he had previously recruited, galloped away from the canyon.

At the same time, the government troops received orders from the Duke of Pingluan to immediately advance into Black Prison Mountain.

……

It was dark.

The troops entered the Black Prison Mountain forest, advancing among trees as thick as millstones. The centurions gripped their swords tightly, their eyes fixed on the figures at the forefront.

“Lord, do you know the last Xuanwu Marquis of the previous dynasty who was so strong that he could lift a cauldron?” Cao Jin said, chewing on a blade of grass. “He was a member of the royal family and was born with superhuman strength. If it weren’t for the young Lord of Donghai City who was the best at the time, he would probably be the best in the world.”

"In the battle when the capital of the previous dynasty fell, the last Marquis of Xuanwu single-handedly defended the city gate for a whole day, during which he killed 1,400 armored soldiers and dozens of martial arts masters, shocking the world."

"Looking at the present, I'm afraid only the Northern Barbarian Dragon City can be considered a sure winner against the Marquis of Xuanwu. For others like the Spear King San and the Misty Rain Pavilion Master, it would be a pleasant surprise if they could even avoid defeat."

A dense mass of figures appeared ahead in the forest. The leader was a strong man with two fangs protruding from his mouth, almost reaching his jaw. His eyes were cold and menacing. It was Black Mountain Tiger.

Cao Jin spread his hands and said, "Lord, there are 2,500 people here. Do you think you are stronger than Marquis Xuanwu? The patriarch instructed me that as long as you are willing to bow your head, there will still be a legitimate daughter of the Yan family waiting to be married. Otherwise, the position of the top-ranking retainer will be vacant."

"I want the Yan family dead," Jiang He said.

Cao Jin grinned maliciously: "Then let's fight!"

Chapter 138 Battle in the Forest

The voice just fell.

Jiang He kicked out, and a muffled burst of air erupted.

The Black Ridge Military Pants' 25% leg kinetic energy enhancement and the Regret Armory's 25% kick penetration enhancement are combined with the brand-new Light and Dark Spiral Force, making the power of this straight kick rustle the surrounding leaves.

"Obstinate!"

Cao Jin's face was fierce. He had been prepared for the other party to suddenly attack. The moment he sensed the abnormality, a dazzling golden light surged from his body, forming a small, angular mountain. He squatted down, as stable as a mountain.

Immovable as a Mountain, a superior level of martial arts cultivation.

As the top retainer of the Yan family, he practiced the Buddhist grandmaster's ultimate skill, the Immovable Mountain Skill. This skill is best at defense. Before the Great Qian Dynasty promoted Taoism and suppressed Buddhism, the old abbot of Chanjue Temple once used this skill to withstand two hours of arrow rain.

boom!

The straight kick came, its force penetrating to the bone.

The majestic and imposing Mount Budong collapsed with a deafening roar.

Cao Jin staggered backward in disbelief. A mysterious spiraling force, like a drill, instantly shattered the powerful defense constructed from his true essence. The force seeped into his internal organs, like a branding iron circulating and wreaking havoc.

In the mountains and forests, the centurions commanded their archers to fire arrows in unison, the barbs on the arrowheads incredibly insidious.

Hundreds of arrows came flying.

Jiang He summoned the Everlasting Hatred Spear, spinning it with one hand, making it swirl around his body like a rising silver-white moon. Arrows clattered and struck it, scattering dense sparks that almost completely enveloped his entire body.

Roar!

A tiger's roar echoed in the air.

Black Mountain Tiger leaped through the forest, his towering figure leaping over the gorge. He held a huge cleaver in both hands, and his true energy surged, conjuring up a lifelike, ferocious tiger head.

The Black Tiger Skill was originally just an ordinary skill in the martial arts world, but Black Mountain Tiger mastered it to a high level, making every move he made resemble that of a rare and ferocious tiger.

Jiang He turned around and swung the spear upwards, leaving a silvery-white afterimage. Immediately afterward, a dark red light burst forth from the tip of the spear, unleashing a powerful corrosive force.

Zheng!

As the blades clashed, the True Essence Tiger Head was corroded away in the blink of an eye. The silver spear tore the cleaver apart, sending countless fragments flying everywhere. Yet, the terrifying power of the silver spear seemed undiminished, sweeping towards the enemy's chest with gusts of wind.

In the critical moment, Black Mountain Tiger's expression turned solemn. He attacked with both hands, each fist displaying a tiger paw print of true essence. He unleashed more than ten palm strikes in succession, consuming a large amount of true essence to propel himself backward into the air.

Bang bang bang!

More than a dozen palm prints were instantly shattered.

"Whoever kills the one who quells the rebellion will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and will marry a woman from the Yan family!"

Cao Jin roared. He wasn't just talking nonsense. If someone could seize the credit in such a chaotic situation with multiple grandmasters around, it meant that he himself had extraordinary luck.

"kill!!"

A deafening roar of battle cries echoed through the forest. A marriage alliance with the Prime Minister's family was a genuine path to instant wealth and power, its allure unimaginable.

A squad of soldiers, led by their squad leader, charged ahead.

Jiang He swept his gun across, and in an instant, the enemies lay dead on the ground. The five corpses turned into minced meat and mud, and the fleshy entrails mixed with blood splattered on the trees.

"Die!"

A mid-ranking embroidered-clothes warrior from the martial arts world suddenly appeared behind him, thrusting his spear with all his might, aiming straight for the enemy's nape, his true energy shooting out.

Jiang He turned around, his initial armor and Holy Iron external skills instantly covering him. He stepped forward expressionlessly, forcefully shattering the spear that was thrusting at him, and then raised his hand to return a straight thrust to his opponent.

hum!