The Ghost King was commanded by one commander-in-chief and three deputy commanders.
Before meeting with those generals, Tian Heng gave her a brief description of the situation.
The commander, Lan Shang, was a newly recruited member of the family. His family's bloodline strength was not high. It was one of the affiliated families of the Xiao Household in the past. Like the Hong Household, he was mainly loyal, but he did not have the powerful Thunder Elephant Bloodline of the Hong Household. He did not have many opportunities to make merit on the battlefield. In the end, the leader Lan Bi, only got the title of Earl.
However, Lan Shang performed exceptionally well during the Ghost Spirit Test, and the Ghost Spirit he obtained was an ancient one. For some reason, it chose Lan Shang. In the following months, he was dislocated in the Ghost Spirit army. Whether it was the growth of his military command or the growth of his own strength, he was almost precipitously ahead of his peers. He was one of the few in the army, apart from the emperor, who could quickly reach a level close to that of King Level.
And it was for this reason that the title of the new commander of the Ghost Army fell into his hands.
There are many reasons why my younger brother made this choice. One reason is that he has great potential, and with the family's backing, he can be promoted. The second reason is to give more young people hope. In this era, there are many opportunities, and it is not necessary to follow seniority. Even those with little experience can rise to the top. This can motivate the wolf-like spirit of the masses.
Of course, the army's deputy generals were all veteran marquises, and even the Hong Lie father and son, who had not passed the ghost ritual, served as deputy generals in the army, which was also to ensure a certain degree of stability in the army.
While the new recruits have high potential, they lack combat experience, don't they?
But who could have imagined that such a prudent arrangement would go wrong?
"Did those four go to the Buddhist temple to worship?" the princess asked, frowning.
"It should be," Tian Heng said in a low voice, "The directions are different because they are not followers of the Divine Path Style. Wherever they appear in Jiangnan, they are monitored by Mountain God and the Underworld. So their routes are correct. They have all visited different Buddhist temples, but whether they have worshipped or not cannot be found out from inside the temples."
"Unable to investigate?" The eldest princess sneered. "With your capabilities, can't you just storm in and suppress them? It seems the military strength in Jiangnan is also strained."
Tian Heng glanced at the other person but didn't continue the conversation.
Jiangnan's military strength has expanded significantly. In less than ten years, the Fighter Army and the West Sea Army together have nearly a million troops. Even so, with several fronts under their command and the troops taken away by Ziyue, Jiangnan's forces are indeed stretched thin.
This is why they dare not touch those Buddhist temples; you don't know what the consequences would be. Currently, their internal forces are depleted, and they face the threat of the Heavenly Python from the outside. They dare not easily withdraw troops from the border positions; they rushed to the front lines to guard even before their own injuries had fully healed. How could they possibly spare troops to go internally?
The eldest princess didn't ask too many questions about this topic. Now, the two families, let alone the second eldest, are weak internally in Jiangnan, but at least they have solid external military strength. They were able to defend against even the King Level Heavenly Python when Chen Qing was not at home, so their foundation is really solid.
On the other hand, if they didn't defend the northern front and if the emperor didn't reside in the capital, they wouldn't even be able to protect their own foundation.
"Let's not beat around the bush," the eldest princess said directly. "You were once a veteran of the court, so you should be able to tell who among these people is reliable, right? No need to keep me in suspense. If the court's main army collapses, I believe that even Jiangnan won't be able to withstand all the pressure all at once, will it?"
Looking at this decisive woman, Tian Heng sighed inwardly. How fortunate the Xiao Household was, with so many talented people. If the Tian Household had a few reliable ones, he wouldn't be overshadowed by the Shen Family here.
He then sighed and said, "The deputy generals you promoted this time are all from families that weren't very prominent before. They were all selected because they actively participated in the Ghost Temple's blessing. The old powerhouses have either been eliminated or left. If you're asking who is the most reliable, it's definitely the Hong Household!"
" The Hong Household." The eldest princess realized, that's right. Although the Hong Household insisted on not participating in the Ghost Temple blessing, they were still included among the army's deputy generals because of their excellent battle experience. It was said that they were ostracized, but at this time, they were the most reliable ones.
They didn't go to the Buddhist temple to worship.
"He's gone."
Princess Eldest: "."
"But the Hong Household are loyal and righteous people. Even if they were influenced by that Buddha's light, I think they can still be won over. At least they're better off than others, aren't they?"
The eldest princess pondered for a moment, then finally asked, "Where are they?"
"Over there in Great Azure Mountain."
" General Tian, are you joking with me?" The princess's voice suddenly turned icy.
Everyone knows what kind of thing lives over at Great Azure Mountain. That thing is already Transcendent. If I go there, who knows how my memories will be altered?
" A Li has been out for a while now."
" Chen Qing actually dared to release that thing?" The eldest princess subconsciously looked around.
"These are extraordinary times, there's no other way. Your Highness needn't be wary. If she wanted to alter your memories, she could simply impersonate me; that would have been enough."
"That's true," the princess laughed. "You all have quite the nerve, following that thing around. Aren't you afraid?"
"She's not in the Divine Path Style, and if even our lord isn't afraid of her, what are we afraid of?" Tian Heng sighed.
"Understood, I'll head over there now. Please continue to keep an eye on things here, and please be especially careful."
"Who?"
" King of Qin!"
Tian Heng's pupils immediately contracted.
The King of Qin, the one who had once shown him kindness and favor.
To be honest, he felt no guilt whatsoever about betraying His Majesty and siding with Chen Qing. The Emperor had courted him back then because of the military strength under his command. He earned his title of Duke entirely through his own abilities and felt perfectly justified in accepting it. Even if he switched sides, he didn't feel like he had lost out to the Emperor.
But the King of Qin was different.
If it weren't for the King of Qin, the Tian Household would probably have been wiped out long ago.
Are we finally going to face him head-on?
--
"Why are we here, Dad?"
On Great Azure Mountain, Hong Lie asked his father in a deep, muffled voice.
"It's fortunate that the Buddha's light didn't affect you."
"What exactly was in that Buddha's light, Father? It completely bewitched you. You Heavenly Capital after you came back that day; you seemed like a completely different person."
"This is something I can't explain to you," the Household Head Hong said, looking at his son with a complicated expression. He finally sighed and said, "Anyway, you need to know that those deputy generals are not the same people they used to be, and they could attack us at any time!"
"Why?"
I can't explain it to you.
"You wouldn't tell me when I asked," Hong Lie muttered, looking dissatisfied.
"If you had even a tenth the brain of Chen Qing, I'd tell you everything. What good would it do? You're such a blockhead."
Hong Lie: "."
"Then why are we staying in Great Azure Mountain?"
"There are rumors of that demonic fox in Great Azure Mountain, so they dare not come here. But as you know, the Thousand-Faced Fox is no longer here. They will find out about it sooner or later."
"Then what do we do?"
"Let's wait and see," the Household Head Hong sighed. "We can only hope that His Majesty reacts quickly enough."