When Emperor Li Ying saw this, he hurriedly rose from his throne and descended the steps to greet Tang Changsheng. It was an extraordinary honor, one granted only a handful of times since the dynasty's founding.
"Heavenly Master, the Marquisate of He has surrendered to the rebels, leaving Xian'an City's gates wide open. What are we to do?"
Tang Changsheng had only just heard the news. How could he have a solution? More importantly, he had few cards left to play.
After all, he had personally given his word to the Immortal Sects and the Heavenly Court. He had come to Xian'an and achieved nothing yet. How could he ask for reinforcements?
Besides, the main reason the Immortal Sects and Heavenly Court favored his plan was that it kept them out of the affair as much as possible—free of karmic entanglements, as the tales would put it.
That meant Tang Changsheng had to deal with everything himself!
"Oh? Why did the Marquis of He surrender to the rebels?"
The Purple Dusk Demon had stirred rebellion among the suffering common people at the very bottom of society. They hated every ruler, every wealthy person, everyone who had benefited from the old order.
Under the banner of remaking heaven, they killed officials and rich men on sight. What madness could have driven the Marquis of He to surrender to such enemies?
"The Marquis of He had no intention of rebelling. The Survival Army, which he formed from recruited refugees, mutinied and killed him. They installed his nephew Huang Yuan as his successor, then immediately turned their weapons around and surrendered to the rebels!"
Could it really be such a coincidence? The stench of conspiracy was thick enough to smell!
The Marquisate of He had suffered a mutiny and surrendered to the rebels.