Officials and Bandits
At this time, 200,000 imperial troops were stationed at the foot of the Taihang Mountain.
The imperial banners fluttered, and countless brave warriors stood tall and imposing, naturally exuding a Killing Intent.
At this moment, in the Ming Army's command tent!
"Father, the Li Family dared to kill me openly. If it weren't for Earl Zhang, I wouldn't be able to see you again. It's a pity that all my loyal and brave warriors in the Vanguard Camp are dead. Many of them died so that I could escape! They've pocketed all that 100 million taels of gold!" Zhu Deng was a little crazy, his eyes were red, and he kept talking to Zhu Li.
Zhu Li's expression was somewhat serious. He patted Zhu Deng's shoulder reassuringly and then walked out of the tent. Zhu Li looked calmly at the distant Taihang Mountain, but his heart was churning with turmoil. "The Li Family, well done, the Li Family, not only did you seize a hundred million taels of gold, but you also want to kill Deng'er. You really think too highly of my royal family. Haha..."
Zhu Li suddenly burst into wild laughter, ignoring the astonishment of the surrounding soldiers, and shouted, "Guards, summon Generals Zhang and Wang! I have something to ask them for!"
"Hmph, I originally wanted to seize all the treasures, but I didn't expect your Li Family to be so arrogant and actually seize the treasures first. Then don't blame me!" A cold glint flashed in Zhu Li's eyes.
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Zhang Xingfeng put a Biling Pill in his mouth and immediately began to regulate his breathing. The injuries he had suffered this time were far too severe. The self-destruction of the 128 Demon Puppet had a significant impact on Zhang Xingfeng, but it couldn't possibly have reached this level. What had caused Zhang Xingfeng's injuries to reach such a state was Li Tianxiang's final sword strike! And it was with the Xuanyuan Sword!
Moreover, the Xuanyuan Sword was covered with Demonic Sha Energy, specifically blood-attribute Demonic Sha Energy, which was extremely difficult to remove, causing the body to recover slowly.
It would be absolutely impossible to fully recover in less than a year and a half. Zhang Xingfeng knew that now was not the time for recuperation, so he could only use the precious Biling Pill.
As soon as the Biling Pill entered his stomach, the Chaos Power immediately became active, absorbing its essence like a Biling Pill. Then, the Chaos Power flowed to all parts of his body, beginning to repair the damage he had suffered.
Half an hour later, Zhang Xingfeng's complexion turned rosy. Suddenly, Zhang Xingfeng opened his eyes and a smile appeared on his face—a cold smile!
"Li Tianxiang, you've really done something remarkable this time, injuring me so badly. But I, Zhang Xingfeng, won't let you off easy!" Zhang Xingfeng was extremely angry about being injured by Li Tianxiang. He never expected that Li Tianxiang, whom he had always looked down upon, would hurt him so badly! If he hadn't been so arrogant, how could Zhang Xingfeng, who possessed the life-saving treasure— the Tianyu Bracelet —have been injured so severely!
Even though Zhang Xingfeng was so badly injured, he didn't rush to escape. Instead, he brought the Second Prince out and handed him over to Zhu Li. Seeing that Zhang Xingfeng was completely naked, Zhu Deng knew very well how much treasure there was, so he was certain that the Li Family had obtained it.
Everything proceeded according to Zhang Xingfeng's plan.
Zhu Li was currently discussing the attack with the two generals. Zhu Li had long wanted to monopolize this treasure, so as soon as Zhang Xingfeng and his men entered the Taihang Mountain, he led his army to completely surround the road. He believed that with an army of 200,000, seizing the treasure would not be difficult.
"Your Majesty, are we really going to attack? But this is the territory of the Taihang Mountain bandits. For nearly a thousand years, no dynasty has been able to conquer it. Your Majesty must think twice!" Old General Wang was shocked to hear Zhu Li say that he wanted to attack the Taihang Mountain. He had originally thought it was just about capturing a few hundred Li Family, which was why Old General Wang immediately agreed.
"Old Wang, I don't really intend to attack the Taihang Mountain. I just want to capture those outrageous members of the Li Family. I only told them not to wait here, but to go in through the side path!" Zhu Li was genuinely intimidated by Old General Wang. This Old General Wang was renowned for his dedication to the country and its people, but he was also incredibly stubborn. Once he decided something was beneficial to the country and its people, he would stick to it even unto death. A wise ruler both cherished and feared such ministers.
"Your Majesty, I think we should send a detachment of elite warriors from the Vanguard Camp to scout ahead. I'm sure they'll be able to find out where those people are. What do you think, Elder Wang?" General Zhang suggested as a compromise.
Zhu Li and Old General Wang both nodded; it seemed that this was the only way.
Zhu Li's expression suddenly changed, and he burst into laughter. "Good, good, good! It seems that we don't need to make the decision this time. The bandits of Mountain Bandits have already made the decision for us!"
Old General Wang and General Zhang were both taken aback, not understanding what their emperor was talking about.
"Report! A large group of Mountain Bandits has appeared ahead and seems to be gathering here!"
Old General Wang and General Zhang exchanged a shocked glance, while Zhu Li laughed loudly, "Pass down the order to prepare for battle!" His aura suddenly surged. This time, Zhu Li was extremely angry. What a huge fortune that one hundred million taels of gold was! How could the Li Family be allowed to seize it?
Old General Wang and General Zhang knew that what had happened was irreversible, and the battle was inevitable. Zhu Li, however, had a burning glint in his eyes, eagerly anticipating the impending carnage. Perhaps it was more accurate to say he was eagerly anticipating the hundred million taels of gold. But how could he know that the hundred million taels of gold was with Zhang Xingfeng, who was currently healing his wounds?
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"How dare your Ming Dynasty army enter our Taihang Mountain area? Don't you know this is our Taihang Mountain bandit territory?" A burly man who looked like a chimpanzee stood at the front of the Mountain Bandits, his voice unusually loud.
The Taihang Mountain bandits were indeed very famous. A general in the Ming Army responded, "Our Ming Army has not attacked at all, so why are you Taihang Mountain bandits making such a show of force!" It seems that this general was a master of internal martial arts, and his voice carried far.
"You dare to come to my Taihang Mountain and want to fight us? What nonsense are you spouting!" This burly man who looked like a chimpanzee was comparable to Yuchi Gong in his youth. Although he wasn't very bright, he was extremely warlike.
There hasn't been a real battle in the Taihang Mountain for a long time. Now that the Ming Army is in front of them, will the warmongers in the Taihang Mountain let this opportunity slip by? Moreover, they still remember the words passed down from the Great Dragon Head.
"Kill! Just keep killing!"
Those words still echoed in his ears when a large band of bandits from the Taihang Mountain Bandits suddenly roared and charged forward with astonishing speed. Like a pack of bears charging down, they roared and brandished their iron bars and broadswords!
Zhu Li was somewhat confused. How could the Mountain Bandits of Taihang Mountain attack so readily after just one sentence? But this was not the time to hesitate. He rallied his spirits and said to the generals beside him, "Each of you is responsible for your respective areas of the battle. This battle can only be won, not lost, otherwise..." Zhu Li didn't finish his sentence, but every general understood.
"Yes!" All the generals quickly left. The battle had officially begun!
If the bandits of Taihang Mountain were like a pack of ferocious bears, then the Ming Army was like an orderly pack of wolves.
At the foot of the vast Taihang Mountain, nearly 300,000 people were fighting. Even though the area was spacious, it still felt crowded with 300,000 people. The battle turned into a melee, and the generals could only fight their own battles in their respective areas!
The battle was incredibly fierce and extremely brutal. Blood quickly splattered across the land. The Taihang Mountain bandits were not as disorganized as they appeared; they had their own set of rules, which was the fundamental reason why no army had ever defeated them in the past thousand years.
Meanwhile, Zhu Li's camp controlled the direction of the Ming Army's battle. The five different colored flags in the sky were either lowered by half, raised completely, or lowered completely, each representing a different command.
"Brothers, kill them!"
Zhu Li glanced up and saw the burly man, who looked like a chimpanzee. Amidst the thousands of soldiers, the man appeared extremely excited, relentlessly swinging his terrifying bronze hammer. One soldier after another was crushed to death.
"How come the Taihang Mountain bandits' attack power is so much greater than our government troops'?" Zhu Li asked Old General Wang beside him. Indeed, although the government troops numbered 200,000, clearly having a numerical advantage, in terms of the overall battle, the government troops had suffered more than twice the number of Taihang Mountain bandits!
Old General Wang said, "These Taihang Mountain bandits have a history of a thousand years, and their training is absolutely superb. It's normal for Mountain Bandits to have reached such a terrifying level. Your Majesty, don't worry, the Taihang Mountain Bandits will not attack cities. This is their rule, which has been passed down for a thousand years. In all these years, they have never attacked any city, so no dynasty has ever spent a great deal of effort attacking it. Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about their strength!"
Zhu Li nodded in relief. He was genuinely worried that if the Taihang Mountain bandits attacked the city in the future, they would have to put in a lot of effort to attack!
"Withdraw the troops!" Zhu Li realized that continuing would likely lead to an unacceptable outcome, so he had no choice but to order a retreat.
All five colorful flags were immediately lowered to half-mast, and the Ming Army began to orderly regroup. The Ming Army Taihang Mountain bandits had no choice but to join forces; they dared not attack at this moment. The combined attack power of the army was immense!
The first clash between the government troops and the Mountain Bandits appeared to be a draw, but Zhu Li knew that if the battle continued, his army was more likely to be defeated!
"That's Zhang Xingfeng! It's said you're the number one expert in the world. Come out and fight me!" Suddenly, a Heavenly Movement voice rang out, echoing throughout the surrounding area. Even the hundreds of thousands of soldiers felt their ears ringing.
Having fully recovered, Zhang Xingfeng, who was sitting quietly in the tent, suddenly opened his eyes, looked up into the distance, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the tent, pointing straight towards the Taihang Mountain!
"If you want to fight, then fight!"
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