Ch. 141A Certain Death, Divide Forces into Two Routes

Chen Sanshi uncovered Dong An’s betrayal too late to prevent the Liangzhou army’s devastating defeat, then argued that the survivors should cross the Hongze River and evade the rebels. Sha Wenlong split the defeated army, sending Chen and Yu Song east with three thousand men while leading the rest toward Yangchun Prefecture.

  • Chen Sanshi’s forces defeated the Red Brow Army at Baigou County, and he discovered that its battle formation drew strength from a Heavenly Book blessing.
  • Chen Sanshi and Xu Wencai suspected that Dong An would betray the court, and Chen sent their warning to the Liangzhou commanders.
  • Chen Sanshi broke through to External Force while the Liangzhou army advanced toward a decisive battle against the Red Brow Army.
  • Zhao Kang returned with news that Dong An and Western Qi troops had trapped the Liangzhou army, whose forces suffered catastrophic losses and retreated to Longyang County.
  • After learning that reinforcements would take over a month to arrive, Chen urged the commanders to cross the Hongze River and escape south through the Great Wilderness.
  • Sha Wenlong ordered Yu Song and Chen Sanshi to lead three thousand Reserve Camp soldiers east across the river, while he took the remaining eighteen thousand toward Yangchun Prefecture.

Ch. 142Second Crossing of the Hongze River

Chen Sanshi led the Reserve Camp through a second crossing of the Hongze River to evade the forces converging on Luotian Pass and threaten the enemy’s grain stores near Eagle Beak Mountain. Dong An and Liang Jinian recognized the danger and rushed troops to intercept them as the Reserve Camp rode toward Jinquan Prefecture.

  • Chen Sanshi split from Sha Wenlong’s army and led Yu Song’s force east across the Hongze River, while Sha Wenlong and Cao Fan remained under siege at Yangchun Prefecture.
  • Chen Sanshi’s men crossed the river on foot after Qianxun led their warhorses away, then seized several lightly defended counties and rested in Jiankou County.
  • After learning that Luotian Pass was heavily guarded and pursuers were closing in, Chen Sanshi chose to cross the river again and head toward Jinquan Prefecture, leaving Xu Wencai, Bai Tingzhi, and Zhu Tong to deceive the enemy.
  • Qianxun returned with the horses, and Chen Sanshi’s force rode away while Xu Wencai’s feint convinced the pursuers they were still advancing on Luotian Pass.
  • Dong An realized Chen Sanshi had crossed the river again and ordered troops to rush toward Jinquan Prefecture to protect its year’s supply of provisions.
  • Liang Jinian learned that the provisions were at risk and ordered ten thousand men from Meishan Prefecture to cross the river and intercept Chen Sanshi’s force.

Ch. 143Capital Shaken

Chen Sanshi’s force burned the grain route at Jinquan Prefecture and defeated its defenders, forcing Western Qi to withdraw and easing the siege at Yangchun Prefecture. After reaching Jinquan, Chen rejected plans to join Zhao Wuji or hold the city and ordered his exhausted troops to cross the Hongze River again.

  • Lu Ji left Pei Tiannan and Eunuch Hou to guard Liangzhou, then revealed to Sun Buqi that Dong An had betrayed the nation and marched toward Mingzhou.
  • Chen Sanshi’s force burned the grain supplies near Jinquan Prefecture, met Yan Changqing’s scattered men, and charged the city’s defenders before pursuers could surround them.
  • Chen Sanshi killed Deputy General Xu Kai with a stored-force spear strike, while Yu Song killed the main general; the rebel army collapsed, and Chen’s troops took Jinquan Prefecture with few casualties.
  • Sha Wenlong learned that Chen Sanshi had burned the grain route, while Dong An demanded Chen’s death and Zhong Wuxin ordered most Western Qi troops to withdraw and regroup.
  • Emperor Longqing condemned Dong An’s betrayal and threatened to lead the expedition himself if Lu Ji and the others failed to pacify Mingzhou within three months.
  • At Jinquan Prefecture, Chen Sanshi rejected plans to join Zhao Wuji or defend the city and ordered his troops to cross the Hongze River again.

Ch. 144Three Crossings of the Hongze River, Minor Achievement in Force Transformation

Chen Sanshi led Yu Song’s remnant force through a third crossing of the Hongze River, evading Dong An’s traps and Sha Wenlong’s doomed breakout plan. After the force escaped, Chen Sanshi reached Minor Mastery in Force Transformation and marched south toward another uncertain battle.

  • Chen Sanshi persuaded Yu Song to leave Jinquan Prefecture and cross the Hongze River again instead of joining Zhao Wuji or rescuing Yangchun Prefecture.
  • Rong Yanqiu learned that Chen Sanshi had survived and destroyed Jinquan Prefecture’s grain depot, while Zhao Wuji realized the remnant force had not come to join him.
  • Dong An’s pursuit found Jinquan Prefecture empty, and he mistook Chen Sanshi’s route for a plan to help Sha Wenlong break out of Yangchun Prefecture.
  • Chen Sanshi rejected Sha Wenlong’s order to attack the rebel camp, sent Bai Tingzhi and Xu Wencai on a feint, and led the main force across the Hongze River for the third time.
  • Sha Wenlong’s breakout failed, leaving only three thousand defenders in Yangchun Prefecture, while Dong An realized Chen Sanshi had escaped his forces again.
  • After resting for three days, Chen Sanshi attained Minor Mastery in Force Transformation and led his soldiers south.

Ch. 145Four Crossings of Hongze River, Striking Straight at the Yellow Dragon

Chen Sanshi’s Reserve Camp retook Jiankou County and killed Jia Youtian, while Red Brow commanders tried to contain the remaining troops. With Luotian Pass too well fortified to break through, Chen Sanshi proposed crossing the Hongze River a fourth time to strike Meishan and seize Liang Jinian’s Heavenly Book of Strategy.

  • Sun Li and Sun Buqi worried that Chen Sanshi had vanished in Ming Province, while Gu Xinlan reassured them he would return.
  • The Red Brow Army massacred civilians in Jiankou County, but the townspeople opened the gates for Chen Sanshi’s arriving Reserve Camp.
  • Chen Sanshi killed Jia Youtian in battle, and his troops routed the Red Brow Army and freed Jiankou County.
  • Dong An and Liang Jinian ordered reinforcements and tightened their plans to trap the Reserve Camp, while Dong An regarded Chen Sanshi as his fated rival.
  • After reaching Xiaoluo County, Chen Sanshi explained that attacking Luotian Pass would take too long and leave his force surrounded.
  • Chen Sanshi identified Liang Jinian’s Heavenly Book of Strategy as the key to the rebellion’s momentum and proposed crossing the Hongze River for a fourth time to attack Meishan.

Ch. 146A General's Triumph Is Built on Ten Thousand Bones

Chen Sanshi agreed to lead the decisive attack on Meishan while Yu Song sacrificed himself to draw the Red Brow Army away from the city. Chen’s two thousand men reached Meishan, where Liang Jinian prepared to defend the Heavenly Book with a bestowed art.

  • Chen Sanshi ordered Xu Wencai to lead Lu Shuhua and the others toward Meishan while he and Yu Song covered their advance, but Yu Song confronted Chen and persuaded him to leave the rear guard to him alone.
  • Chen Sanshi promised to look after Yu Song’s sons, then led two thousand men to hide near the Hongze and Wushui Rivers as Yu Song staged an attack on Luotian Pass with a reduced force.
  • Liang Jinian believed Yu Song and Chen Sanshi were at Luotian Pass and sent his western-bank troops to destroy them, while Chen’s concealed force waited for the mountain-fire signal.
  • Yu Song’s remaining men were surrounded and killed after the signal drew Liang Jinian’s forces away; Chen then crossed the rivers and rode for Meishan with two thousand men.
  • Dong An realized the missing troops had never attacked Luotian Pass, and Liang Jinian likewise recognized Chen’s deception when the cavalry appeared outside Meishan.
  • Liang Jinian gave He Xianliang power from the Heavenly Book and sent him to fight Chen Sanshi’s approaching force.

Ch. 147Settling the Situation, Obtaining the Heavenly Book

Chen Sanshi defeated the Red Brow Army outside Meishan Prefecture, killed Liang Jinian, and obtained the Heavenly Book and a hidden qi-bearing bead. News of his victory reached both armies, prompting the Western Qi forces to retreat westward and Dong An to take his own life.

  • Chen Sanshi led the Reserve Camp into battle against He Xianliang's Heavenly Book formation and killed He with the Sword Qi Technique, causing the Red Brow formation to collapse.
  • Liang Jinian tried to flee Meishan Prefecture, but his soldiers betrayed him and surrendered him to Chen Sanshi; Gao Peiwen and Steward Wu died, and Chen executed Liang.
  • Chen Sanshi examined the Heavenly Book, found it recorded formations, and planned to use Meishan Prefecture as a base to attack Luotian Pass alongside the Capital Army.
  • Chen Sanshi secretly searched Liang Jinian's corpse and found a crystal-like bead containing the mysterious qi that had empowered the Red Brow Army.
  • Lu Ji and Nie Yuan learned that Chen Sanshi had killed Liang Jinian and secured the Heavenly Book, while Zhong Wuxin ordered Dong An to retreat westward.
  • After hearing of Liang Jinian's defeat and receiving Zhong Wuxin's retreat order, Dong An slit his own throat.

Ch. 148His Might Shook the World

Chen Sanshi’s victory in Mingzhou ended the rebellion and earned him fame across Great Sheng, and he returned to Liangzhou with an orphan girl named Chen Yunxi just as his son was born. After reuniting with his family, he learned that two Ciyun Temple Taoists had died in prison and that another temple leader might soon arrive.

  • Chen Sanshi marched from Meishan Prefecture toward Luotian Pass as Zhong Wuxin ordered the Western Qi Kingdom army to retreat after learning Dong An had killed himself over Liang Jinian’s defeat and the loss of the Heavenly Book.
  • Lü Ji pursued Zhong Wuxin’s retreating army, while Cao Fan admitted that Chen Sanshi’s achievements had surpassed those of every other young commander.
  • Chen Sanshi joined the Capital Army, helped secure Luotian Pass, and found Yu Song’s corpse, ordering his men to recover and bury their fallen comrades.
  • Emperor Longqing and the court learned that Chen Sanshi had won the Mingzhou campaign through the Four Crossings of Hongze River and ordered his achievements recorded before planning to summon him to the capital.
  • After Mingzhou was pacified and the army returned to Liangzhou, Chen Sanshi adopted the orphan Chen Yunxi, reunited with Sun Li and Sun Buqi, and met his newborn son and Gu Xinlan.
  • Chen Sanshi learned from Commander Li that the two Ciyun Temple Taoists had died by suicide in prison and that a temple martial uncle was expected to return and take over.

Ch. 149Loyalty Plaque, Incense God Cult

Chen Sanshi stole Ciyun Temple’s incense offerings and burner, then learned about the Incense God Cult’s activities in Liangzhou and the capital while seeking ways to grow stronger and clear Yu Song’s name. The cult’s agents recovered the burner from Cao Fan’s residence without confronting him, leaving Chen Sanshi determined to advance his cultivation and pursue justice himself.

  • Chen Sanshi discovered that his mystic pearl could absorb the incense offerings from Ciyun Temple’s burner, took the burner, and used it to make a large supply of Spirit Grain Ointment before hiding it in Cao Fan’s pond.
  • The court promoted Chen Sanshi to third-rank General Huaiyuan and assistant commander, but refused to honor Yu Song because he had defied orders; Chen Sanshi gave Eunuch Hou the Heavenly Book and later visited Yu Song’s grieving family.
  • Chen Sanshi obtained rare force-storing black iron from Ningxiang in exchange for searching for Intermittent Grass, and Ningxiang warned him that the Incense God Cult had a branch in Liangzhou and was sending incense offerings to the capital.
  • Chen Sanshi watched Cao Fan’s residence and saw two Incense God Cult Daoists retrieve the burner, discover its offerings were gone, and leave without confronting Cao Fan.
  • Chen Sanshi resolved to break through to great accomplishment in Force Transformation while continuing to cultivate the Sword Qi Technique and seeking a way to avenge Yu Song.

Ch. 150True Dragon Force Mastery, War Rekindled

Chen Sanshi mastered True Dragon Force, began learning Strength-Tempered Medicine, and advanced his sword spell while preparing to enter the Meridian Opening Realm. As war spread east and the capital’s affairs grew urgent, he discovered Incense God Cult members and two suspicious Daoists were watching him, while Cao Fan abandoned his efforts to compete with him and planned to return to the capital.

  • Chen Sanshi broke through to major mastery of Force Refinement, awakening True Dragon Force, and began cultivating toward the Meridian Opening Realm while practicing the Sword Qi Technique with incense power.
  • Chen Yunxi told Chen Sanshi that a young teacher at the Governor’s Mansion had asked what she wanted to do when she grew up, and she had said she wanted to help her father.
  • Chen Sanshi learned Strength-Tempered Medicine from Commander Jiang, quickly reached the standard of a second-rate alchemist, and brewed medicine to strengthen Zhao Kang and his other subordinates.
  • After hearing that Eastern Qing Country had gone to war with Great Sheng, Chen Sanshi learned Cao Fan had collapsed upon hearing that Chen had reached at least minor mastery of Force-Transformation and decided to return to the capital.
  • Chen Sanshi inspected Ciyun Temple with Commander Li, recognized Yunxiaozi and another Daoist as members of the Incense God Cult, and noticed two disguised young Daoists observing him.
  • Chen Sanshi committed the Meridian Opening technique to memory and advanced the Sword Qi Technique to proficiency, gaining the ability to sever force and break gang.

Ch. 151Arrowsmanship Perfected, Impossible to Dodge

Chen Sanshi learned about the Mystic Elephant Realm, hunted powerful beasts in the Luotian Mountain Range, and forged an enhanced bow and arrows. His archery then reached a breakthrough that made every shot within three hundred paces impossible to dodge.

  • Emperor Longqing granted Chen Sanshi the First Rank Grand Pillar of the State title and planned to send him east with Black Armored Army soldiers, while he bestowed the title Crouching Dragon on Xu Wencai.
  • Rong Yanqiu explained the Mystic Elephant Realm and demonstrated Gang Qi, prompting Chen Sanshi to test how his True Dragon Force could overcome it.
  • Chen Sanshi hunted through the Luotian Mountain Range, collected Ghost Vein Wood and Intermittent Grass, and withdrew after encountering a powerful Black Bear strange beast.
  • Chen Sanshi learned weapon forging from Old Pang and made twelve arrows capable of storing force, along with a bowstring from Fierce Beast sinew.
  • Chen Sanshi tested his upgraded Iron-Tire Bow, whose arrows shattered a boulder, then trained until his Archery skill reached Perfect and automatically locked onto targets within three hundred paces.

Ch. 152Mr. Sleeping Dragon's Memorial Before Departure, One Arrow Slays Meridian Passage

Xu Wencai received a third-rank appointment and the title of Mr. Sleeping Dragon, then secretly assured Chen Sanshi that their public falling-out was a ruse. Chen Sanshi broke through to Meridian Opening and was ordered east with an elite force; the chapter ended as he killed a pursuing Taoist with a single arrow.

  • Xu Wencai received an Imperial Decree naming him Vice Commissioner Commander of the Youzhou Commanderies, granting him the title of Mr. Sleeping Dragon, and ordering him to leave within ten days.
  • Xu Wencai's former comrades resented his apparent decision to distance himself from them, while he privately sent Chen Sanshi a letter explaining that the break was staged so he could gain military authority.
  • Chen Sanshi broke through to Meridian Opening, refined medicine with greatly reduced toxins, and promised to help his men advance their cultivation.
  • Chen Sanshi learned of Xu Wencai's appointment and burned the letter after discovering its promises to secure him twenty thousand troops.
  • Lu Ji told Chen Sanshi to select twenty attendants and depart for Laizhou to lead three thousand Black Armored Army soldiers in the eastern expedition against Qing.
  • Chen Sanshi rode out to confront two Taoists following him and killed one with a Force-infused arrow from two hundred paces away.

Ch. 153Liangzhou in October, Southeastward Bound; Burning the Dragon Temple by the Tongtian River

Chen Sanshi left Liangzhou for the Eastern Territory, where he exposed the Incense God Cult’s role in coercive sacrifices and burned a Dragon King Temple. The chapter ended with him spotting Yunxiaozi and another cultist meeting Cao Fan aboard the ship, raising questions about the cult’s ties to powerful backers.

  • Chen Sanshi killed two Witch God Cultists who attacked him, discovered a Disguise Technique booklet, and prepared to leave Liangzhou with his family’s safety entrusted to Rong Yanqiu.
  • Chen Sanshi gathered his chosen soldiers and joined the southbound voyage to the Eastern Territory, while Wen Zhi and Shao Yujing suspected that Sun Xiangzong knew about the Witch God Cult’s activity in Liangzhou.
  • After more than a month on the Tongtian River, Chen Sanshi learned that local people were being forced to sacrifice their children and found an Incense God Cult burner inside the Dragon King Temple.
  • Disguised as Scabby Head, Chen Sanshi absorbed the temple’s incense, killed its cultists, and set the Dragon King Temple on fire, halting the ongoing sacrifice.
  • Yunxiaozi and Lingxuzi identified Scabby Head as the arsonist and boarded the ship carrying Cao Fan, Pei Tiannan, and Chen Sanshi.
  • Chen Sanshi recognized Yunxiaozi and another Incense God Cultist entering Cao Fan’s cabin and wondered whether the cult had ties to the emperor or another powerful patron.

Ch. 154Subduing the Enemy Without Fighting

Chen Sanshi arrived at the Laizhou front and persuaded Meng Quji to let him try winning over Qing’s defenders by releasing surrendered soldiers and ending city massacres. Granted command over the forces outside Yongle Prefecture, he set off with the Black Armored Army to secure Zhaotong Prefecture’s surrender.

  • Chen Sanshi and Fang Qingyun assessed the siege of Yongle Prefecture, and Chen Sanshi trained three thousand Black Armored Army soldiers in formations from the Heavenly Book.
  • At Meng Quji’s war council, Chen Sanshi proposed releasing twenty thousand surrendered soldiers through Ghost Gate Canyon and stopping city massacres to weaken resistance among Qing’s defenders.
  • Fang Qingyun backed Chen Sanshi’s plan, and Meng Quji granted him temporary command over all forces outside Yongle Prefecture, with orders to win Zhaotong Prefecture’s surrender within two months.
  • King Li Gong dismissed the threat posed by Chen Sanshi’s arrival and told the defenders of Qing’s other cities to hold their positions.
  • Cui Congyi and Sha Wenlong learned that Chen Sanshi had authority over their forces and ordered them to stop attacking Zhaotong Prefecture.
  • Chen Sanshi departed with three thousand Black Armored Army soldiers to persuade Deng Feng, Zhaotong Prefecture’s defending general, to surrender.

Ch. 155The Art of War: The Power of Momentum

Chen Sanshi began a five-part plan to make Laizhou’s cities surrender through the force of momentum, releasing captured soldiers and using both pressure and reassurance while the defenders awaited reinforcements. He seized Meizi County’s attention by offering grain and safe surrender, and the chapter ended with its people demanding to see him.

  • Chen Sanshi rejected Xia Cong’s proposal to take Songlin Prefecture first and explained that he needed to win time by creating a general trend of surrender across Laizhou.
  • Chen Sanshi ordered besieging forces to leave routes open for scouts, then directed Zhu Qi to release surrendered soldiers along public roads and retain two thousand loud-voiced men.
  • Cui Congyi and Sha Wenlong obeyed Chen Sanshi’s order to ease the siege of Zhaotong Prefecture, while Deng Feng urged the city’s defenders and civilians to keep resisting and dismissed reports that surrendered soldiers were being released.
  • Li Gong learned that Qing reinforcements and Southern Xu troops were approaching, and he ordered Deng Feng to hold Zhaotong Prefecture while reviewing Chen Sanshi’s background.
  • Chen Sanshi chose to take Meizi County rather than Xinghua Prefecture, and his troops arrived after Du Baizong had taken the county’s remaining grain.
  • Chen Sanshi’s army urged Meizi County to surrender and promised to protect its civilians and distribute grain, prompting Wang Feng and the people on the walls to demand that Chen Sanshi appear.

Ch. 156Thousands of Troops Avoid the White Robe

Chen Sanshi used Meizi County to build support for Great Sheng, then led the Black Armored Army south as city after city surrendered without a fight. By the end, twenty-six Laizhou prefectures had submitted, more than fifty thousand enemy soldiers had been captured, and Meng Quji’s camp learned that Chen’s campaign was approaching Zhaotong Prefecture.

  • Chen Sanshi persuaded Meizi County to surrender, distributed grain, spared the defenders, and sent County Magistrate Li to persuade neighboring officials.
  • Chen Sanshi ordered the army to rest in Meizi County for ten days and used the time to cultivate, opening and widening all twelve main meridians.
  • Meng Quji and his officers debated Chen Sanshi’s strategy as they learned that Daqing and Southern Xu forces threatened to arrive at Green Ridge Mountain.
  • After the ten-day rest, Chen Sanshi marched south, and the counties and prefectures along his route opened their gates or fell into internal disorder and surrendered.
  • Meng Quji’s camp received reports that twenty-six prefectures had surrendered and more than fifty thousand enemy troops had been captured as Chen Sanshi neared Zhaotong Prefecture.

Ch. 157Four Sides of Chu Song

Chen Sanshi’s campaign to seize Laizhou reached its final test at Zhaotong Prefecture, where Deng Feng refused to surrender despite the collapse of the surrounding cities. As Qing reinforcements approached, Chen revealed his fifth step: having surrendered soldiers sing Qing songs from all four sides of the city, though the result remained unknown.

  • Fang Qingyun concluded that Chen Sanshi had forged his own military path, which he named Momentum, while Chen’s army advanced through Laizhou as twenty-seven prefectures surrendered.
  • Chen Sanshi explained how surrender spread through divided garrisons and popular support, then targeted Zhaotong Prefecture and considered the growing mystic energy in his Mystic Pearl.
  • Deng Feng rallied Zhaotong’s soldiers and civilians to resist, while Chen Sanshi intimidated Sha Wenlong in the military camp and ordered him to urge the city to surrender.
  • Chen Sanshi bypassed Zhaotong and spread the impression that the other eight holdout prefectures had surrendered, while sending two thousand surrendered soldiers back to surround the city.
  • As Qing reinforcements neared, Chen Sanshi ordered his forces to prepare siege weapons but forbade an attack, then revealed that the two thousand surrendered soldiers would sing Qing songs around Zhaotong at dawn.

Ch. 158Winning Over Deng Feng, Securing Laizhou

Chen Sanshi used surrendered Qing soldiers’ songs and the truth about Zhaotong’s empty granaries and nonexistent reinforcements to undermine Deng Feng’s defense. Zhaotong Prefecture surrendered at dawn, and Deng Feng was captured after trying to kill himself.

  • Deng Feng reassured Zhaotong’s soldiers and civilians that reinforcements would arrive, though Song Hongbiao knew the promise was false and the city’s provisions were nearly gone.
  • Chen Sanshi had Qing prisoners sing songs of homesickness through the night, stirring the people inside Zhaotong and revealing how many Qing soldiers had surrendered.
  • Chen Sanshi confronted Deng Feng at the walls, exposed the shortages and isolation of Zhaotong, and warned that the Great Sheng army would attack after dawn.
  • When no reinforcements appeared at dawn, Zhaotong’s soldiers and civilians rebelled against Deng Feng’s orders, opened the gates, and surrendered to Chen Sanshi.
  • Deng Feng tried to take his own life, but Chen Sanshi ordered Sha Wenlong and Cui Congyi to restrain him and have him taken into custody.

Ch. 159Crown Prince's Rebellion

Chen Sanshi exposed the Crown Prince's plan to stage a rebellion at Ziwei Mountain and slaughtered the Incense God Cult followers at Zhaotong's Guanyin Temple. After Emperor Longqing ordered the army to risk holding Hulao Pass, Chen Sanshi tried to persuade the captured Deng Feng to join him by challenging his loyalty to Qing, leaving Deng stunned by Chen Sanshi's claim that he had never professed loyalty to Great Sheng.

  • Chen Sanshi arranged the troops after Zhaotong Prefecture surrendered, while Cao Fan returned to Meng Quji and reported Deng Feng's capture.
  • Meng Quji and Fang Qingyun debated whether to defend Hulao Pass, and the Crown Prince and Emperor Longqing decided to risk holding it to recover the three provinces.
  • Chen Sanshi entered the Guanyin Temple for Bestowing Children, killed eight Incense God Cult followers, and learned from Yunxiaozi and Lingxuzi that the cult served the Crown Prince and planned a meeting near Ziwei Mountain.
  • Chen Sanshi absorbed the incense offerings Yunxiaozi gave him, then cultivated the Sword Qi Technique before confronting Deng Feng about surrendering.
  • Chen Sanshi argued that Deng Feng's service to Qing conflicted with his vow to bring peace to the people, and Deng Feng countered by condemning Great Sheng for Ten Days in Yunzhou.
  • Chen Sanshi asked Deng Feng whether he had ever claimed to be loyal to Great Sheng, leaving Deng Feng shocked and asking what he meant.

Ch. 160Battle of Hulao Pass

Chen Sanshi won Deng Feng over to his cause and led three thousand Black Armored Army soldiers toward Hulao Pass to face Southern Xu’s hundred-thousand-strong army. As Southern Xu’s commanders debated the battle and ordered their advance, the Crown Prince uncovered the human cost of his secret path and ordered tax relief for the people.

  • Chen Sanshi challenged Deng Feng’s loyalty to the Qing royal family and gave him seven days to decide whether to join him in sweeping away the realm’s corruption.
  • Chen Sanshi prepared to defend Hulao Pass, received orders to hold it for one hundred days with three thousand soldiers, and arranged for Sha Wenlong and Fang Qingyun to accompany him.
  • Deng Feng chose to help Chen Sanshi without pledging loyalty to Great Sheng, and Chen Sanshi’s forces set out for Hulao Pass with him.
  • The Crown Prince learned that the Evil God Path required human sacrifices, ordered an investigation into illicit taxes, and decreed five years of tax exemption in places affected by sacrifices.
  • Li Gong learned that only three thousand Sheng soldiers would defend Hulao Pass and urged Fan Shuzhen to attack quickly.
  • Fan Shuzhen, You Jingzhi, and Ran Jingxuan discussed the campaign and ordered the Great Xu army to advance toward Hulao Pass while Peng Yunheng searched Ziwei Mountain.
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