Behind the Scenes
"And I also have two thousand followers!"
Tong Baixiong had already pressed the vital acupoints on the shoulder, barely stopping the gushing blood.
His hair was a mess of gray, some strands tangled with blood and sweat, making him look quite disheveled.
His once dignified face was now very pale.
All eyes were fixed on Ji Boying.
Ji Boying, however, pretended to be completely bewildered and resolutely refused to admit it.
"Senior Uncle Zuo, where have your Songshan Sect and the Demonic Cult's armies gone? How would I know?"
Some things can be done but not said.
Regardless of their character or ability, these people from the martial arts world always have a high opinion of themselves and are always at odds with the government. After all, even those who are considered legitimate cannot avoid breaking the law.
As for the Mount Hua Sect, it is, after all, a martial arts sect, and its stance is still within the martial arts world. It is inevitable that they will still have to deal with people from the martial arts world day and night.
If these things were to be said, it would inevitably sound unpleasant. If the thousands of martial arts practitioners present spread the word, they would accuse the Mount Hua Sect of colluding with the government and becoming its lackeys or sycophants.
Zuo Lengchan snorted coldly.
But Liu Zhengfeng stepped forward from behind with a smile.
My emotions have been fluctuating wildly these past two days.
From fear to anger, and now to joy.
He was just thinking to himself that if it weren't for these people giving him advance notice, and if Ji Boying hadn't arranged things in advance, if Zuo Lengchan had suddenly come, he probably would have just stubbornly admitted it and then killed himself and his whole family.
I have let down my family, I have let down Brother Qu Yang, and I have let down Senior Disciple Brother of the Mount Heng Sect.
Now, by employing strategies and tactics, they have successfully reversed the tide of battle and turned defeat into victory, which is truly exhilarating.
No wonder those in officialdom aren't particularly skilled in martial arts, yet they can often easily set a trap or coordinate with several parties to mobilize forces that many martial arts sects cannot resist.
The ability to manipulate events at will—that's cunning, that's power.
Ji Boying refused to admit it, so he naturally had to take the blame himself.
"Senior Brother Zuo is really confused. He shouldn't have associated with these Demonic Cult cultists, and he shouldn't have acted so arrogantly, sending hundreds of people to besiege us innocent people."
"I am fortunate to have been favored by His Majesty and appointed to the position of Brigadier General. I am an official appointed by the court. I am also grateful to so many good friends who have come to congratulate me. I am afraid that so many friends may have misunderstandings with the local people or local officials while they are on the road. Therefore, I have already reported to my superiors and asked them to send more troops to patrol."
"The inspection was not a big deal, but we happened to see such a big commotion from your Songshan Sect and the Demonic Cult, which seems to be plotting something. The imperial army has already set up camp outside for the sake of the heroes present and the ordinary people of Mount Heng."
"But you suddenly appeared and tried to kill my entire family. Killing me, Brigadier General, would have been one thing, but you just happened to have Imperial Decree issued and you immediately tried to take action. This is clearly a contempt for the court and the emperor. Naturally, you are plotting a rebellion and will not be tolerated by the world."
"Your several thousand men were already stopped by the imperial army and are probably all wiped out by now."
After listening to Liu Zhengfeng's account, Zuo Lengchan and Tong Baixiong were half-convinced, but mostly disbelieving.
But it doesn't matter whether they believe it or not. Liu Zhengfeng said these words to these Jianghu people here.
After hearing this, which of these martial arts figures wouldn't feel terrified?
They knew that the Demonic Cult and Zuo Lengchan had laid a trap, but they didn't expect that there were two or three thousand enemies on the outer perimeter.
The three to five hundred enemies they had just eliminated had already caused these martial arts practitioners a great deal of trouble, resulting in the loss of over a hundred men.
That victory was achieved with the strong support of various masters and the Mount Hua, Mount Tai, and Mount Heng.
If those two or three thousand reinforcements really come, how could they possibly survive? It seems that Zuo Lengchan and the Demonic Cult are truly determined to kill them all here.
This naturally alarmed and angered them, and they all started cursing.
He cursed Zuo Lengchan and the Demonic Cult, calling them ruthless, despicable, and shameless, and accusing them of colluding with each other.
However, this is not the case.
These imperial troops were not stationed here long ago, but were transferred here overnight.
Ji Boying made a plan in the evening and sent Qu Yang, Mo Da, and Fang Qianju, Liu Zhengfeng's junior brother, to set off overnight.
They went to the nearby state garrison for help.
Firstly, it was an open secret among local officials that Liu Zhengfeng had already obtained an official position, and they were just waiting for the Imperial Decree to arrive the next day to announce it.
Those people in the martial arts world thought that Liu Zhengfeng, a Brigadier General military officer, was a nobody and looked down on him.
However, these civil and military officials also knew that such a Brigadier General was hard-won, and they didn't know how much money Liu Zhengfeng had spent. Even though it was a nominal position, it was still worthwhile to make friends with him.
In addition, Ji Boying clearly analyzed the advantages and disadvantages.
When Mo Da Qu Yang met the official, he only needed to read the script and explain that Imperial Decree would be arriving. Then, those martial arts figures would arrogantly murder Liu Zhengfeng's entire family to defy the Imperial Decree, which would undoubtedly be a serious crime of rebellion against the emperor's authority.
They pinned the label of rebellion on the Demonic Cult Sect and Zuo Lengchan, and then had them all executed; naturally, this was a great achievement.
Who wouldn't want credit that's been handed to them for free? These two things alone are enough to tempt these officials.
Ji Boying had a third trump card.
Liu Zhengfeng simply rolled up a pile of his family's wealth, including house deeds, land deeds, and banknotes, and spent the money lavishly. Even without the two reasons mentioned above, this was enough for him to bribe many officials to send troops to help him.
Such a thorough analysis of the pros and cons yields only benefits and no harm. It requires only a little bit of strategic thinking to get to the heart of the matter, without needing to waste words with endless eloquence.
A few words were enough to stir their hearts.
Furthermore, the lavish spending greatly increased their operational speed.
They stopped all the Demonic Cult sect members and Zuo Lengchan's backup outside Hengshan City, and sent out a secret signal to let Ji Boying know. Only then did Ji Boying begin to show his strength and stop stalling for time by staring at Tong Baixiong.
Mo Da and Qu Yang were also assigned by Ji Boying to the army to protect the officers and generals in charge of the troops.
This eliminated the last possible possibility of an accident.
Without special training, these martial arts practitioners would find it difficult to cope with a well-coordinated army formation.
In comparison, those two thousand Demonic Cult members were probably not as good as Zuo Lengchan's five hundred reinforcements.
It was because their Songshan Sect Sword Technique was magnificent and imposing; a thin iron sword could wield the power of a spear or halberd, making them quite adept at fighting on the battlefield. However, they were ultimately wiped out by the army.
"You traitors, you have nowhere to run. Just accept your fate and die!"