Slave Empire [Complete] - 15

Volume 6, Chapter 109: Cavalry Ambush.
At Tenglong Port, on the coast of Qingyuan Prefecture, the Qiu Clan's naval reserve division was stationed.
Qiu Shuibian sat dejectedly in his room, drinking glass after glass of strong liquor. After the "gentleman's agreement," Hua Yinghong, the "Son of Freedom," released him and all the Jade Dragon Army guards who had surrendered at the Battle of Jubao Ferry. They returned to Tenglong Port on the return ship after Qiu Shuiling escorted Su Xiaoxiao to Zhenbao
Island. To be fair, the Free Army had done nothing to wrong Qiu Shuibian and his guards. Aside from confining them to martial arts training and placing them under the close surveillance of the Military Intelligence Bureau, they were all dressed in ordinary clothes and experienced the dramatic changes on the island. Dozens of Jade Dragon Army soldiers without families to rely on simply joined the Free Army. Recently, a bodyguard of Qiu Shui-bian sent a letter claiming that due to their strong martial arts foundation and rapid progress in practicing the "Two Gods" technique, coupled with their military experience, some bodyguards who surrendered to the Free Army have already assumed positions such as battalion commander and deputy battalion commander in the Free Army's reserve division. One particularly outstanding individual has even become a deputy regimental commander, and even the lowest-ranking one has become a platoon leader! The strong confidence and optimism about the future conveyed in the letter are palpable! In
contrast, Qiu Shui-bian himself is solely focused on serving the Qiu family, hoping to seize the opportunity presented by the Qiu family's turnaround in power and its large-scale military expansion to make his mark. His numerous attempts to offer advice and strategies have been met with silence, and his attempts to contact his former superior, Qiu Yu, who has now been promoted to division commander, have also failed. Currently, he holds only the title of deputy battalion commander, wielding no real power—his past record of leading a group to surrender has fueled the Qiu family's deep suspicion of him, leaving him feeling chilled to the bone.
"Shuibian, Denghui's father has sent another letter." A tall, stunningly beautiful woman with captivating eyes and a seductive charm entered the room. It was Li Xiulian, the top courtesan from Tianxianglou in Lingbao Town, who had returned to the mainland with him.
"Come here... sit down!..." Qiu Shuibian called out somewhat slurredly, patting his thigh.
"Shuibian, if you keep drinking like this, your body won't be able to take it." Li Xiulian frowned, somewhat coquettishly, but obediently sat on Qiu Shuibian's lap.
"Okay!... Let me see... what Denghui... says." Qiu Shuibian enjoyed the wonderful sensation of Li Xiulian's alluring legs and buttocks rubbing against him while opening the letter. As fellow members of the Qiu family who had not had a pleasant time, he and Qiu Denghui had been corresponding for some time. After the Battle of Xigang, Qiu Denghui had defected to the Japanese army. After the "Battle of Yangwei," Qiu Denghui, along with Togo Hachiro, was driven back to Japan by the Free Army, and by a stroke of luck, he was highly regarded by the Japanese high command. For some reason, he had somehow made contact with Li Xiulian, and two letters had already arrived.
"Brother Shui-bian, it's as if we've met in person. I wonder what you've thought about the matter I discussed before. A true man should at least be remembered for his infamy, if not for his good name. History is written by the victors, who knows what the future holds! With my limited talent and learning, I can still serve as a military advisor in Japan, leading a division. With your great talent, why worry about not having a chance to rise to prominence?" Qiu Denghui's letters were still full of encouragement for Qiu Shui-bian to align himself with Japan.
"Xiulian, if I truly align myself with Japan, what position will I be given?" Qiu Shui-bian silently used his internal energy to force out the effects of the alcohol, staring intently at Li Xiulian, and asked seriously. If he still didn't know that Li Xiulian was a "Mingren" (a spy) sent by Japan to Zhenbao Island, then he was truly ignorant and incompetent.
"Shui-bian, I have never intentionally concealed my identity," Li Xiulian said, wrapping her arms around Qiu Shui-bian's neck and giving him a kiss. "If you are sincere, at least the higher-ups have prepared a position for you the same as Deng Hui's. With future military achievements, you can be promoted."
"What do I need to do? I can't just come empty-handed, can I?" Qiu Shuibian knew the Japanese valued practicality; without something substantial to offer, his position wouldn't be high.
"It's simple! All you need to do is..." Li Xiulian's rosy lips brushed against Qiu Shuibian's ear, whispering a few words barely audible.
"Fine! You're ruthless, don't blame me for being ruthless!" A cold glint flashed in Qiu Shuibian's eyes, somewhat frightening, but to Li Xiulian, it filled her with joy.
"Shuibian...from now on, we can be together forever." Li Xiulian's eyes gleamed with allure, her slender waist supple and boneless, a delicate blush rising on her face as she slowly slid down to kneel on the ground...

Dusk. The setting sun cast a blood-red glow.
"Quick! Drop the baggage and advance lightly!" On the official road connecting Dongguan Prefecture to Jianghan Prefecture, the Jianghan Army under the Ding family was rapidly advancing south. The commander kept urging the infantry divisions to move at breakneck speed, their hearts burning with impatience.
They had initially thought the Free Army had fewer than 30,000 men in Dongguan City, and that they had no choice but to defend the city. After entering the northern part of Dongguan Prefecture, the Jianghan Army encountered no resistance and smoothly took control of several towns and villages along the northern official road.
However, news came from the vanguard: the two cavalry regiments tasked with cutting off Dongguan City's communication with the outside world had fallen into a Free Army ambush in a hilly area twenty miles north of Dongguan City, and a fierce battle was currently underway! The foremost infantry division was still more than thirty miles away, leaving Army Commander Ding Zizai with no choice but to be anxious! If the 20,000 most mobile cavalrymen were to suffer a setback or even be annihilated from the outset—regardless of other factors—the blow to the morale of the Ding family's soldiers would be severe, making the subsequent siege extremely difficult!
"According to reports from our spies in Dongguan, the Free Army didn't leave the city an hour ago. Where did this ambush force come from?" Ding Zizai, commander of the Jianghan Legion, was utterly perplexed. Although the Free Army, after taking control of Dongguan, had, with the cooperation of Peach Blossom Palace and Wanmei Manor, carried out a major purge of hostile or uncooperative forces within Dongguan and surrounding towns, the deeply hidden Ding family spies still had opportunities to secretly release carrier pigeons to report the Free Army's movements within the city.
"Report! A messenger from Dongguan reports that two regiments of the Free Army have left through the north gate."
"The report is too late," Ding Zizai thought bitterly. It took time from the Dongguan spy learning of the Free Army's movement to releasing carrier pigeons, and also time for the pigeons to travel dozens of miles to reach the Jianghan Legion on its march. This period of time was sufficient for the rapidly advancing Free Army to launch an ambush—especially since the Ding Clan cavalry, taking advantage of the Free Army's limited cavalry numbers and overconfident in their strong offensive capabilities on the plains and hills, had overestimated their strength and, in their overconfidence, had widened the distance between themselves and the infantry division, making an ambush unsurprising.
"Fortunately, the Free Army ambushing us only numbers 20,000. Even if the Free Army is strong, they can't annihilate all 20,000 of our elite cavalry. Perhaps they'll break through our lines and launch a counterattack." Hope rose in Ding Zizai's heart: the vanguard commander leading the cavalry was his beloved son, Ding Baiqiang, who, though only twenty-six years old, had already broken through the ninth level of the Ding Clan's "Northern Darkness Technique," just entering the ranks of Saint-level experts! His four hundred "Northern Darkness Guards," all specializing in the "Northern Darkness Technique," had all achieved considerable success, their combat strength no less than that of the Qiu Clan's "Autumn Wind Gold Guards," "Autumn Wind Silver Guards," and "Autumn Wind Iron Guards"!
"Urgent report! The vanguard cavalry has sent back an urgent signal!" Ding Zizai, who was somewhat lost in thought, suddenly received an ominous urgent report...

Twenty miles north of Dongguan City, Pumpkin Hill.
The origin of the name "Pumpkin Hill" is unknown. One explanation is its terrain: dozens of small, round mounds, no more than ten feet high, the highest no more than forty or fifty feet high, surround a flat area of about five or six miles in circumference. Locals familiar with the terrain know that the entire area resembles a large, round, segmented pumpkin. Another explanation is its produce: the soil of the small mounds and plains of Pumpkin Hill is rich in pumpkins, which are golden in color, large, thick-fleshed, and sweet, and are famous far and wide.
At this moment, nearly 20,000 Ding's cavalry have gathered in the plains in the center of Pumpkin Hill. Apart from the 6,000 cavalrymen at the central command post, the remaining 10,000 cavalrymen are charging in three directions—front, left, and right—attacking to open a passage for escape.
Ding Ziqiang was fortunate that, due to the Free Army's hasty ambush, neither the Free Army coming from the west of Tianshui Prefecture nor the Free Army dispatched from Dongguan City to the south carried heavy weapons such as catapults and super crossbows. There was still a chance to break through and survive—otherwise, if they had those weapons, even fully armed and highly capable Ding's elite cavalry, without the support of infantry and ranged weapons, would have suffered heavy casualties!
However, Ding Ziqiang still miscalculated, because he soon discovered that even fighting the Free Army, which lacked heavy and ranged weapons, would be an absolute nightmare!
"Ah! Ah!..." One after another, the Ding clan cavalry, charging fiercely, were suddenly tripped by something, their horses stumbling. One by one, the armored riders were thrown from their armor, flailing and crashing to the ground! The pitiful neighing of their warhorses echoed across the plains...
—Ba Tian and Xue Qianqian stood side-by-side on a hill behind the Ding clan cavalry, watching as the Ding clan cavalry repeated the fate of the Qiu clan cavalry at Kunlongtan, falling into the "Iron Net Formation" and the traps dug by Cang Zu, falling headlong and being mercilessly shot down by the "Sun-Shooting Arrows" and the Divine Crossbows. A strong sense of pride welled up within them! The former pride stemmed from Hua Yinghong being their sworn brother, the latter from Hua Yinghong being their young lover!
Cavalry had always been the Free Army's Achilles' heel. Zhenbao Island itself did not produce warhorses. In the process of unifying Zhenbao Island, the Free Army exhausted all its efforts to seize a few thousand warhorses from the Jade Dragon Army, and trained some more from horses captured from various cities, bringing the total to just over ten thousand. Hua Yinghong gave ten thousand of these warhorses to the First Division to form a cavalry regiment, with Chang Shengqiu, the deputy commander of the First Division, concurrently serving as the regimental commander. The rest were distributed to each regular division, with one or two hundred horses for training soldiers and scouts.
Because the cavalry was so few, they were extremely vulnerable in the initial field battles after the landing, so Hua Yinghong racked his brains to research ways to deal with cavalry on the plains. Under Lu Shenggong's leadership, the weapons battalion improved the fishing net formation, producing a large number of special iron nets to deal with cavalry charges. Smaller than fishing nets, they were full of fine barbs and supported by wooden frames that could stand more than two feet high when simply thrown on the ground. As soon as the cavalry charged into the iron net formation, their legs would be hooked by sharp spikes, and the highly elastic net would entangle their legs, binding and dragging them down. After countless practical improvements by the most skilled cavalry trained by the Free Army, this specialized iron net was far more effective against cavalry than ordinary fishing nets!
Following Hua Yinghong's secret orders, Batian's Special Forces first pretended to accompany Hua Yinghong's army of over 100,000 eastward to Changlong Prefecture. In reality, under cover of night, they secretly circled back to the vicinity of Nangua'ao and laid in ambush, digging numerous traps, waiting for Ding's cavalry to fall into them. With the Special Forces' stealth capabilities and the martial arts skills of the Peach Blossom Palace masters, even if Ding Ziqiang's cavalry scouts hadn't explored more than fifteen li, they would have been difficult to detect, or would have been annihilated silently!
Ding Zizai's estimation of the Free Army's ambush forces was significantly flawed—besides the Special Operations Brigade, the nearly one thousand experts from Peach Blossom Palace, and the twenty thousand Free Army soldiers from Dongguan City, there was another force he hadn't anticipated: Lin Zhi's Second Division, stationed in Tianshui Prefecture, had dispatched two regiments that had secretly marched nearly a hundred li to Pumpkin Hill to coordinate the operation. With the support of the powerful "Wanmei Manor" in Tianshui Prefecture, the movements of the twenty thousand Free Army soldiers of the Second Division were truly undetectable!
"Scouts report that an infantry division of the Ding family is only twenty-five li away. Why hasn't Liu Litao ordered a general attack yet?" Ba Tian asked anxiously. In this battle, the Special Operations Brigade was mainly responsible for lying in ambush in the north and northeast, cutting off the Ding family cavalry's retreat route to the north. Upon realizing they had been ambushed, Ding Ziqiang only sent a cavalry unit to attack from the rear. They were immediately terrified by the abnormally powerful firepower of the Special Forces' Sun-Shooting Arrows and Divine Crossbows. They desperately attacked the positions of two regiments of Liu Litao's Third Division in front and two regiments of Lin Zhi's Second Division on the flank, but gained no advantage against the "Iron Net Formation."
"Batian, what's the rush? Can't you see the enemy's formation has been forced back this way?" Xue Qianqian said softly. Bathed in the setting sun, her red dress accentuated her stunningly beautiful face, making her even more breathtakingly beautiful, perfectly complementing her nickname "Peach Blossom Fairy." It was hard to tell whether the nickname was a fitting description or if her beauty made the nickname alluring!
Such a beautiful woman, yet she appeared on the incredibly bloody battlefield. Beauty like jade, sword like a rainbow—the Free Army's sharp sword would eventually flash with dazzling cold light!
"I'm just impatient," Ba Tian said, rubbing his hands together excitedly, his eagerness for battle barely contained. Looking around, he saw the Ding clan's elite cavalry charging repeatedly, only to be repelled by arrows. They were forced back by the well-trained Free Army's constant barrage of wooden frames and iron nets. Even the 6,000-strong cavalry square under the central command was being pushed back northwards.
"Swoosh!" The Ding cavalry had nowhere left to retreat. The iron nets had left them with little room to charge, and they were about to fall into the Special Forces' attack range. Just then, the signal for a general attack finally came from Liu Litao's formation to the south!
"All troops, attack north! Fight your way out!" If they stayed any longer, the cavalry would be annihilated before the infantry could arrive to support them! Under the command flag, Ding Baiqiang finally succumbed to the immense pressure and launched a desperate breakout to the north, the only direction without iron nets!

Volume 6, Chaos Across the Land, Chapter 110: Sowing Discord.
The first cavalry squadron charged dozens of paces closer to the special forces' defensive line—this side, seemingly without iron netting, was the nightmare of the Ding Clan's elite cavalry!
Suddenly, hundreds of dark, round spheres appeared in the sky above the cavalry, whistling as they flew. "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!—" The Sun-Shooting Arrows, trailing flames, caught up with the "Dragon Blood Bullets" in the air, tracing beautiful flight curves before crashing into the Ding Clan's cavalry formation!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..." The special forces members certainly didn't carry clumsy devices like catapults, but that didn't stop them from using their skills, along with specially made equipment similar to throwing hammers, to hurl the "Dragon Blood Bullets" more than sixty paces away! They exploded and burned continuously within the Ding Clan's cavalry formation, creating a scene of wailing and howling!
No matter how many times they had heard of the terror of the "Dragon Blood Bullets" before, the Ding Clan's cavalry had never truly grasped their power until they witnessed it firsthand. Many only realized something was wrong when fireballs were upon them, scalding oil was poured over their heads
, and flames engulfed the land. They could only stare in disbelief, as if their minds had been sapped! Some "Dragon Blood Bullets" slammed directly into the ground, exploding with tremendous force, scattering scalding oil and quickly igniting a raging inferno. Some "Dragon Blood Bullets" exploded in mid-air, drenching the unfortunate cavalrymen from head to toe, turning them and their horses into flames… The flames raged wildly, tongues of fire leaping, sparks flying, devouring everything in their path, burning them, turning them into part of themselves…
Countless enemies engulfed in flames rolled on the ground, howling, crying out, uttering sounds inhuman, filled with pain, panic, and terror… their convulsions spreading through the night sky. The flames created by the "Dragon Blood Bullets" were extremely difficult to extinguish… In a short time, a thousand-strong cavalry squadron was reduced to ashes in the inferno! Only a few dozen highly skilled elite warriors, protected by their inner energy, managed to reach within thirty paces of the special forces' defensive line. However—they were met with a deluge of crossbow bolts and powerful arrows…
“Kill! Disarm and spare no one—” The Free Army launched a general offensive from all sides against the Ding Clan cavalry, who had lost their charging ability! If they didn't eliminate these ten thousand-plus cavalry before the arrival of the large Ding Clan infantry, the Free Army would be caught in a pincer attack and might very well turn the tide of battle! At this moment, time was undoubtedly more important than preserving strength!
Countless voices roared indistinctly, countless bloodshot eyes widened, and weapons were swung instinctively in their hands. In the midst of a battle involving tens of thousands of troops, there were no other thoughts, no ingenious tactics or tricks were of any use. Everyone had only one thought in their mind: Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill the enemy before them, and they would live! Kill! Kill! …
Bows shot, spears thrust, swords slashed… On the battlefield, even the kindest people would become death, and even the gentlest people would become ferocious! The Free Army's crossbows and sun-shooting arrows relentlessly reaped the lives of Ding's cavalry, while the "Dragon Blood Bullets" also yielded great profits... The cavalry shields could protect their bodies, but not their legs; they could protect themselves, but not their horses. Their powerful internal energy and weapons could withstand the first and second volleys, but not the third and fourth...
Ding's cavalry retaliated with bows and arrows, launching futile counter-charges over the corpses of their fallen comrades. Raging flames, piercing screams, and deafening roars filled the air... Pumpkin Hill had become a hellish slaughterhouse!
Everyone at the battleground was covered in blood. They couldn't tell if it was their own or the enemy's; even when splattered blood covered their eyes and faces, they didn't bother to wipe it away... The thick stench of blood in the air forced them to breathe through their mouths; the sounds of armor being pierced and bones breaking assaulted their eardrums...
"Pretty boy! Remember my name is Batian! I won't see you off any further." Batian watched as dozens of riders escorted Ding Baiqiang and his banner, fleeing further and further north. He shouted with all his might, his voice carrying far and wide. The battle just now was truly exhilarating. Ding Baiqiang was indeed a master; his long saber, after Batian's incredibly powerful "Three Clans of Breaking the Sky" had cut down dozens of Ding clan elite cavalrymen, had managed to hold off Batian. The two fought fiercely
, evenly matched, for dozens of moves without a clear victor. The surging saber energy forced the soldiers on both sides within a ten-zhang radius to retreat! In the past two days, Hua Yinghong had worried that after landing, there would be countless experts from various forces, and Batian, being brave and aggressive, always charged ahead in battle, making him vulnerable. Out of concern, he had twice provided Batian with a large amount of Sea Dragon Pill Qi to help him improve his skills and advance to the ninth rank. Thanks to this, although Ba Tian was initially at a disadvantage in his first battle with Ding Baiqiang, he grew stronger with each exchange of blows after dozens of strikes. Coupled with his formidable external martial arts skills, he made Ding Baiqiang, who had just advanced to the Innate Saint level, increasingly fearful and forced to retreat in defeat!
"Pfft!" Ding Baiqiang was born with a face like jade, red lips and white teeth, exceptionally handsome. It was said that if Sima Lang hadn't occupied the position of the seventh prince of the Jade Dragon Kingdom, perhaps the title of the most handsome man on the continent would belong to Ding Baiqiang. However, Ding Baiqiang had always admired heroes and hated being called a "pretty boy." Today, he had been ambushed and suffered heavy losses, and then Ba Tian had defeated and ridiculed him. In a fit of anger, he spat out a mouthful of blood!
"Ba Tian, hurry up and finish the battle, stop being so sarcastic." Xue Qianqian urged from the side.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, when has Ba Tian ever forgotten what my brother asked me to do?" Ba Tian said with a grin to Xue Qianqian, who had floated down beside him. Hua Yinghong had Xue Qianqian participate in the Pumpkin Hill ambush, but she wouldn't actually fight; she was merely there to oversee the operation. Firstly, she feared Batian might be injured by a top expert from the Ding clan; secondly, she wanted to prevent Batian from getting carried away and causing the deaths of important members of the Ding clan, which would escalate into a life-or-death situation and contradict the original objective of the entire battle plan.
Xue Qianqian had floated down from the hill twenty feet away, intending to prevent the fearful Ding Baiqiang from dying in the chaos, hoping Batian would show him mercy. However, Xue Qianqian's imposing aura as a Saint-level expert frightened the discerning Ding Baiqiang into fleeing immediately!
"Still arguing! Hurry up and finish the battle, lest things get complicated." Xue Qianqian flicked her jade-like finger, and a peach blossom, white with a hint of crimson, flew towards Batian at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. "Ouch! This is terrible!" Batian skillfully deflected the peach blossom with his hundred-refined steel saber, sending it flying towards a Ding clan Beiming guard still surrounded.
"Boom!" The Northern Guard, clearly no less than a seventh-rank martial artist, was oblivious to the danger. He swung his longsword swiftly, intending to knock the peach blossom away—but the peach blossom exploded upon impact. The extremely compressed true energy blasted him, causing him to cough up hot blood, fly off his horse, lose consciousness mid-air, and crash heavily to the ground, dying instantly!
Xue Qianqian was already the most powerful among the women, and the most proficient in the dual cultivation of spirit and desire. Recently, her nightly intimacy with Hua Yinghong had allowed her to absorb a large amount of Primordial True Energy, Sea Dragon Pill Qi, and Essence, making her power unfathomable. Even with Ba Tian's formidable physical strength, he dared not directly withstand a mere peach blossom. That Northern Guard, unaware of his own limitations, dared to force his way through—purely courting death!
"Brothers, those who surrender will not be killed! I, Boss Ba, am here!" Ba Tian roared, charging towards the Ding clan cavalry, who were surrounded by the Free Army and defending against the "Sun-Shooting Arrows" and the long-range fire of the Divine Crossbows. Without room to charge, the cavalry, known as the "Kings of the Plains," became the targets of slaughter!
"Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who surrender will not be killed!..." The Free Army reveled in the joy of overwhelming superiority, slaughtering the weak and bullying the many...

Outside Baiyang City.
Sima Yuan, Murong Bo, and Qiu Shuiba rode together up a hill. Looking into the distance, the Free Army's position stretched as far as the eye could see. Just by observing the terrain and formation chosen for their encampment, one could tell the commander's strategic planning. Numerous barricades and iron nets were erected on the flat ground between the hills, and several simple arrow towers were built, behind which lay the wide camp gate. Numerous catapults were positioned on the hilltops and the hillside facing the enemy, already poised to fire. No matter how elite your forces are, you won't get close to the Free Army's camp without paying a considerable price.
Qiu Haoyu's orders forbade Qiu Shuiba from initiating a war with the Free Army—and naturally, the Sixth Prince Sima Yuan wouldn't risk his remaining 80,000 troops against them. After all, Qiu Haoyu was the overall commander of this joint operation of the three clans, and the Free Army was attacking the Qiu clan's stronghold, Changlong Prefecture; when and how to fight was entirely up to Qiu Haoyu.
A peculiar stalemate thus formed between the south and west of Baiyang City: the Qiu and Sima clans, with a combined force of 240,000, were blocked by 160,000 Free Army troops, cut off from Changlong City, more than 30 li to the south. A
desperate situation was being created. Hua Yinghong had deliberately placed 160,000 Free Army troops in a precarious position between Baiyang City and Changlong City, facing attacks from both sides. What kind of conspiracy was he plotting? Wasn't he afraid of Changlong City launching a pincer attack?
"Brother Shui Ba, I wonder what that 'Son of Freedom,' Hua Yinghong, is up to. Such an unconventional military tactic—could he be plotting something?" Sima Yuan was still shaken by the Free Army's tactic of luring the enemy out of their strongholds in Tianshui and Dongguan, nearly resulting in the annihilation of his entire army. If they had held their ground in those two fortified cities and expanded their forces, it would have been no easy feat for the Free Army, with its more than 200,000 troops, to capture the two cities, each garrisoned by 80,000 men.
"I think Hua Yinghong has guts," Qiu Shui Ba said, his face covered in a thick beard, his physique imposing, his voice booming, exuding an air of unbridled arrogance. "Just the fact that he dared to challenge His Highness the Sixth Prince to a battle with 80,000 men each is something I greatly admire."
"Brother Shui Ba, what a spirit!" Murong Bo, seeing Sima Yuan's displeasure, quickly intervened, saying, "Battle on the battlefield is not a matter of mere bravado. Besides, the Sixth Prince is of noble birth; how could he possibly compete with a mere slave like Hua Yinghong? Now that our Jade Dragon Army is powerful, it's natural for Hua Yinghong to try and sow discord. Since the Free Army's inception, it has been nothing but conspiracies and schemes; when has it ever been a fair fight?" Murong Bo, a rising star of the Murong family, was naturally quick-witted.
"Once Ding Zi's army captures Dongguan City, the Free Army will be trapped. Then, Hua Yinghong will have his regrets!" Sima Yuan had read the statement Hua Yinghong had sent to the Qiu family that afternoon, which stated that the Free Army had no intention of being enemies with the Qiu family, but only wanted to pursue Sima Yuan's abduction of the Free Alliance leader, Liu Yufei. As long as the Qiu family did not intervene, they were willing to give them face and field two divisions of 80,000 men to fight Sima Yuan's Jinghai Navy in a fair battle! Qiu Shuiba's words were actually a veiled jab at Sima Yuanjing's 80,000-strong naval regiment to fight the Free Army head-on. Sima Yuanjing wasn't stupid; he wouldn't fall for it easily—let alone whether he was confident of victory, even if he were lucky enough to win, how many of those 80,000 men would survive was unknown.
"Then watch me, Qiu Shuiba, take Hua Yinghong's head!" Qiu Shuiba declared with boundless pride, seemingly unconcerned about the losses the Qiu family would suffer by using the Qiu family's main force as the vanguard to annihilate the Free Army—in reality, he had his own plans: his second brother, Qiu Shuibo, was gaining increasing popularity within the family. If he could cleanly and decisively annihilate the invincible main force of the Free Army, his prestige would rise again, giving him a stronger bargaining chip in the struggle for the family head's succession!
"Brother Shuiba, your bravery is unparalleled; success will surely be yours!" Sima Yuan praised without missing a beat. He was also calculating in his mind: only by supporting the Qiu family, who supported the Seventh Prince Sima Lang, and the Free Army, fighting to the death with the Liang army, would it be in the interest of the Sima family, or more precisely, his Sixth Prince Sima Yuan
. "The Free Army's rear guard is moving!" Murong Bo, who had been silently observing the Free Army's camp, suddenly exclaimed. Sima Yuan and Qiu Shuiba also looked over and saw that, under the gradually descending twilight sky, many Free Army flags were moving further west.
"Report! The Free Army has fired a messenger arrow!" Qiu Shuiba took the letter from the messenger, which read: "Since the Qiu Clan intends to protect Sima Yuan, the previous peace treaty is null and void. Our Free Army is temporarily withdrawing to Dongguan Prefecture, and will return to welcome Alliance Leader Liu in the future. If attacked, we will declare war automatically. If Alliance Leader Liu suffers even the slightest injury, the entire army swears: we will not rest until the Qiu Clan is annihilated!..."
"Outrageous!" Qiu Shuiba rubbed the letter into ashes—Hua Yinghong had gone too far: first leading a large army into Changlong Prefecture to provoke them, and now, even forced to retreat due to weakness, he dared to be so aggressive, even daring to claim he would annihilate the Qiu Clan. This was intolerable!
"I wonder if the Sixth Prince wishes to avenge the loss of his army and territory? I, Qiu Shuiba, am willing to be the vanguard. I only request Your Highness to lead the Jinghai Army in cooperation to annihilate this madman!" Qiu Shuiba said to Sima Yuan.
"I am willing to follow Brother Shuiba!" Sima Yuan and Murong Bo did not know what Hua Yinghong's letter had written that made Qiu Shuiba so furious, ignoring Qiu Haoyu's repeated orders not to initiate hostilities with the Free Army. However, a real battle between the Qiu family and the Free Army was something the Sima family desired, so naturally they wanted to add fuel to the fire of Qiu Shuiba's rage.
"Good! Order all divisions to prepare for pursuit! Order three regiments from Changlong City to cut off the Free Army's rear and ambush them at Qingshui Ridge!..." Once Qiu Shuiba made up his mind, there was no turning back—regardless of whether the Free Army and Hua Yinghong's actions were infuriating, Qiu Shuiba was extremely unwilling to let the Free Army retreat to Dongguan Prefecture at will: how could he compare his military achievements with his second brother Qiu Shuibo in this way? He even suspected that his father Qiu Haoyu's order not to declare war on the Free Army was also due to his second brother Qiu Shuibo's scheme—simply to prevent him from gaining outstanding military achievements and to automatically lose in the struggle for the family head's succession!
Qiu Shuiba's desire for war was extremely strong—when blinded by interests and desires, how many people can remain calm and clear-headed?

Volume 6, Chaos Under Heaven, Chapter 111: Putting Him in a Deadly Situation at
Pumpkin Hill. Night fell, and the bright moon rose. The moon on the fourteenth was very round and very bright, but its cold light also made people feel very cold and chilling.
Gazing at the corpses of Ding's cavalry and their horses strewn across the ground, hundreds of severely wounded horses still neighing mournfully, Ding Zizai felt an even chilling coldness in his heart—20,000 cavalrymen had been completely annihilated by the Free Army before the infantry division could arrive as reinforcements, with only his beloved son, Ding Baiqiang, escaping with less than a hundred riders of the elite "Northern Darkness Guard"! The Free Army even had time to calmly clean up the battlefield: only a few thousand horse corpses remained; the remaining ten thousand-plus horses must have been captured by the Free Army. Not a single Free Army soldier's body could be found, nor a single intact sword, spear, or bow; they must have all been taken by the Free Army! Even more shocking was the sight: the corpses of several thousand Ding's cavalrymen were piled up to form several large characters, visible from atop the hill—"Those who oppose the Free Army will perish!"
It was "perish" rather than "die"—Ding Zizai, of course, understood the difference between the two words: the Free Army, with such a clean and decisive ambush, had issued a strongly threatening warning to the Ding family.
"Urgent order from the patriarch! The Jianghan Legion is to retreat and garrison at Shilong Town." Just as Ding Zizai was alarmed by the strength and combat power of the Free Army, and worried that the remaining 140,000 men of the Jianghan Legion might not be able to successfully capture Dongguan City, which was defended by more than 50,000 Free Army soldiers, his elder brother Ding Zixing's order arrived.
Shilong Town was a relatively large town after entering Dongguan Prefecture from Jianghan Ju Prefecture. It was located more than 50 li north of Dongguan City and more than 30 li north of Nanguaqiu, and originally had a population of over 100,000. After Long Feiyang invaded Baiyang County and besieged Baiyang City, Shilong Town was once plundered by the Liang army. It was then transferred to the Sima family by the Qiu family, and then the Free Army occupied Dongguan City and swept north to sweep away the small Jade Dragon Army and guards of the Sima family. It changed hands several times in two months, and the population of the town either fled or died, and was less than 30% or 40% of its original size. It was not surprising that Ding Zizai did not garrison the Free Army when he led the Ding family's Jianghan Legion south—after all, the Free Army was short-handed, and it was normal for them to shrink their defenses to Dongguan City.
"Why is Elder Brother being so cautious?" Ding Zizai pondered for a moment and immediately understood the situation. The three clans had joined forces, ostensibly to cooperate, but each had their own agenda—the battle situation at Baiyang City must have changed, and Qiu Shuiba and Sima Yuan had not launched their attack on the Free Army as agreed. If the main force of the Free Army, numbering 160,000, successfully withdrew to Dongguan Prefecture, the Jianghan Army, which was besieging Dongguan City, would become the Free Army's primary target!
"Withdraw to Shilong Town! Send out more scouts to spy on the Free Army's movements in the direction of Baiyang City!" Ding Zizai decisively ordered.
"Father! We cannot withdraw! How can the lives of our 20,000 men be wasted?" Ding Baiqiang cried out angrily. The loss of 20,000 elite Ding family vanguard cavalry at his hands filled his handsome face with terrible hatred. He was already irreconcilably opposed to the Free Army and couldn't wait to besiege Dongguan City and kill the enemy!
"What do you know! If you hadn't been so reckless, there wouldn't have been such a crushing defeat!" This was the first time in so many years that Ding Zizai had reprimanded his beloved son like this: "Look at the marching map. If Qiu Shuiba and Sima Yuan had each preserved their strength and hadn't fought the Free Army as agreed, allowing hundreds of thousands of Free Army soldiers to return to reinforce, and if even one division of them had moved northwest to occupy Shilong Town, wouldn't our Jianghan Army have been cut off from its retreat and have no choice but to fight the Free Army head-on?"
"If Qiu Shuiba and Sima Yuan had pursued and killed us, and our army had captured Dongguan City before the main force of the Free Army returned to reinforce, wouldn't the Free Army have also been doomed?" Ding Baiqiang argued somewhat unconvinced.
"In the battle for the top 100, one must first anticipate defeat before calculating victory. If one always anticipates the best outcome, defeats will outnumber victories. This afternoon, Qiu Shuiba and Sima Yuan's armies were locked in a stalemate with the main force of the Free Army in Baiyang City. Why is there still no news of battle? It is doubtful whether they will pursue and kill the Free Army when they return. Baiyang City and Dongguan City are only a little over 100 li apart, and the roads are mostly wide and flat. The most elite divisions of the Free Army can return to Dongguan City by noon tomorrow at the latest. Given the fighting strength shown by the Free Army, there are now more than 50,000 Free Army soldiers stationed in Dongguan City. Can our Jianghan Army Corps be confident of capturing Dongguan City before noon tomorrow?" Ding Zizai patiently explained to his beloved son, pointing to the corpses scattered all over Pumpkin Hill and continuing, "In the battle where the Free Army ambushed our cavalry, due to transportation difficulties, we still had to use long-range attack equipment such as catapults and super crossbows. If we were to launch a strong attack on Dongguan City, which is well-prepared and has strong walls, the casualties would probably be far more than 20,000."
"Dragon Blood Bullets!" Ding Baiqiang's handsome face changed drastically! He had just witnessed the power of the "Dragon Blood Bullets," and that was only when the Free Army threw them by hand. If they were placed on catapults atop fortified cities, their destructive power would be even greater, and their attack range even longer!
After the Free Army's triumphant battle in eliminating the invading Japanese army on Zhenbao Island and their landing battle in defeating Sima Yuanjing's naval legion, the "Dragon Blood Bullets" had already attracted the attention of major powers, who were deeply wary and were all scrambling to research countermeasures, but at most they could only reduce some casualties. Completely resisting the power of the "Dragon Blood Bullets" was something that could not be done in the short term.
"The Free Army is a fist, but the three races working together are like three fingers. Even if the fingers are thicker, they still can't compete with the fist in strength..." Ding Zizai said with some emotion. If the three races could truly work together, Long Feiyang's Great Liang army would have been completely annihilated long ago, and how could a mere 300,000 Free Army soldiers dare to take advantage of the chaos and land on the mainland to show off their power?

On the official road leading from Baiyang City to Dongguan City, the Free Army marched swiftly in orderly ranks. Rapid marching was one of Hua Yinghong's most important and fundamental requirements for training his troops. He greatly admired a famous saying of a commander: "Marching is war." With the aid of the Heaven and Earth Mantra and the methods of physical training, the Free Army's marching speed, honed through continuous training, had already overturned the common military knowledge of the Hualong Continent! However, to avoid prematurely revealing the Free Army's true strength, he deliberately ordered each division to maintain a degree of restraint during the march, at most appearing to be on par with the elite divisions of the Jade Dragon Army.
"Pretend to be incapable when capable, and capable when incapable." Making the enemy misjudge the Free Army's true strength had always been Hua Yinghong's guiding strategy. "Only a foolish commander would display all his strength like a treasure to intimidate the enemy," this was a key point Hua Yinghong emphasized when training senior Free Army generals in military strategy.
"Report! At Qingshui Ridge, fifteen li ahead, the 30,000-strong Qiu Clan Jade Dragon Army, dispatched from Changlong City, has occupied a strategic location, blocking our retreat."
"Report! The First Division, responsible for the rearguard, has set fire and is retreating westward. It is estimated that the combined forces of the Qiu and Sima clans will extinguish the fire and pursue us in about fifteen minutes..."
"Report!..."
As the main force of the Free Army began its retreat to Dongguan Prefecture, military intelligence continued to arrive. Qingshui Ridge, Baiyang City, and Changlong City formed an irregular triangle, more than forty li northeast of Baiyang City and only about fifteen li southeast of Changlong City. It was not surprising that the Qiu Clan's reserve division in Changlong City had occupied Qingshui Ridge before the Free Army.
Everything indicated that the road ahead was blocked and pursuers were closing in. If Qingshui Ridge could not be captured as quickly as possible to open the official road back to Dongguan Prefecture, the 160,000 Free Army soldiers would be surrounded in a narrow area of less than 20 li, waiting to be killed. Hua Yinghong's decision to attack Baiyang City directly instead of Changlong City first exposed his flanks and rear to the enemy, completely disregarding the principles of military strategy, and ultimately led the main force of the Free Army into a dangerous situation!
"Order Pang Yi's Fourth Division to prepare to attack Qingshui Ridge, to inflict heavy damage on the enemy, but to know when to stop; order Qin Zhong's Sixth Division to choose favorable terrain to be responsible for the northern defense; prepare Zhang Qunfeng's Fifth Division to be ready to block the pursuers for Ye Zhi Qiu's First Division and be responsible for the eastern defense; after the First Division arrives, it will be responsible for the southern defense as originally planned." Hua Yinghong calmly issued a series of orders, without any tension. The terrain here had been chosen long ago, and the current situation that put the Free Army in a deadly predicament, even the deliberate sending of a message to provoke Qiu Shui Ba, were all part of his pre-battle plan.
As for the full details of the Blood-Soaked Phoenix Plan, apart from Ji Wumou and the commanders of the various grand divisions, even the deputy division commanders and regimental commanders were unaware of the complete picture, let alone the ordinary soldiers. The better the tactics, the fewer people who know about them, the safer they are. Out of their fanatical admiration for Hua Yinghong, the "Son of Freedom," and his military prowess, not a single person in the entire army raised the slightest doubt. They simply faithfully carried out the battle orders, believing without any basis that the "Son of Freedom" would ultimately bring the Free Army victory after victory!
"Commander! To be your opponent, I don't know whether it's an honor or a tragedy," Ji Wumou sighed sincerely.
"Qiu Shuiba is not my opponent, but my host, a hospitable host who insists on keeping us here. Since he is so polite, I have no choice but to accept his hospitality, even if it's impolite," Hua Yinghong said somewhat jokingly. "If Qiu Shuibo were here, he would probably send us away like we were the plague."
Mentioning Qiu Shuibo, a complex look flashed in Hua Yinghong's eyes. He was a worthy opponent, or perhaps a friend in some sense. Unfortunately, the drastically different stances of the Qiu family and the Free Army meant that the "gentleman's agreement" would likely remain a beautiful but ultimately meaningless tale. In the future, there would surely be fierce battles, even life-or-death wars!
"How will that beautiful, spirited young woman view me?" A picture of unparalleled beauty suddenly flashed through Hua Yinghong's mind—it was Qiu Shuiling, the one who represented the Qiu family in signing the three-month peace agreement with him.
Ji Wumou suddenly noticed that the usually composed and calculating "Son of Freedom," Hua Yinghong, had a faint trace of melancholy on his face. Perhaps, even the most extraordinary genius is not immune to flaws!

Fifteen miles south of Zhanjiang City, the headquarters of the Qiu Clan's South China Sea Fleet was brightly lit.
"My son Shuibo: The Free Army has retreated west to Dongguan, and the siege of Baiyang has been lifted. Shui Ba and Sima Yuan have led their troops in pursuit, trapping the main force of the Free Army between Qingshui Ridge, Baiyang City, and Changlong City. Their annihilation is imminent. If the battle in Zhanjiang Prefecture is won, my Qiu Clan will…" Qiu Haoyu's letter to Qiu Shuibo informed him of the situation on the western front against the Free Army. His words were optimistic, yet they made Qiu Shuibo feel uneasy.
The battle in Zhanjiang Prefecture was currently at a stalemate: Qiu Shuibo's South China Sea Fleet and Qiu Haoran's Yunyuan Army, totaling 320,000 troops, were evenly matched with Shangguan Yunfei's Liang Central Army and the two divisions of Shunde Prefecture, totaling 280,000 troops. Shangguan Yunfei's Liang Central Army had been trained for a long time and possessed formidable fighting power. While the Qiu family's two legions were slightly weaker in combat strength, they had a slight numerical advantage. Furthermore, they coordinated attacks from within and without, taking advantage of their superior troop movements. After several probing attacks, resulting in nearly 20,000 casualties on each side, neither side launched a major offensive.
Qiu Shuibo was not in a hurry to launch a decisive battle to change the situation in Zhanjiang Prefecture. Through the Qiu family's extensive intelligence network across the continent, they could naturally learn about the movements of the Wa (Japanese) Kingdom and the situation in the Great Liang Kingdom. Now that the Free Army had made its move, delaying the inevitable under the new circumstances was extremely disadvantageous to the Great Liang army, but absolutely advantageous to the Qiu family. The battle between the Free Army on the western front and Qiu Shuiba and Sima Yuan had actually become the key to this unprecedented war.
"Is the position of family heir really that important?" Qiu Shuibo shook his head and sighed. He only needed a fool's eye to realize that Hua Yinghong, the "Son of Freedom," who was always shrewd and never fought unprepared battles, must have a very powerful backup plan to dare to put the Free Army to the brink of destruction. If Qiu Shuibo were in charge of the battle, he would surely have set off firecrackers to send off the Free Army's retreat to Dongguan Prefecture, and even offered a million gold coins! Unfortunately, his elder brother Qiu Shuiba was already stung by his own outstanding military achievements and political accomplishments, and was probably eager to make great contributions and enhance his prestige, which is why he made the decision to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Free Army.
"...The sons of freedom have always been unpredictable in their military tactics, full of tricks and schemes. In the western front, we should remain steadfast in our approach to deal with all changes... Therefore, we should lift the siege and not stop the retreat. We should send troops to defend Changlong City and Tenglong Port, and once the Daliang army is defeated in Qingyuan City, everything will be under our control..." Qiu Shuibo wrote furiously at his desk, issuing a foolproof plan to Qiu Haoyu and Qiu Shuiba at the same time. Zhanjiang City and Qingshui Ridge are more than 700 li apart. Because Shunde Prefecture, controlled by the Long family, is in between, it is impossible to establish the fastest firework signal transmission channel, and even the best carrier pigeon "Thousand-Mile Shadow" would take several hours to fly—it was almost dawn, hopefully it was still in time.
Watching the "Thousand-Mile Shadow" soar into the sky, Qiu Shuibo's heart seemed to be drawn away as well, remaining silent for a long time. The Qiu family, brought boundless glory and temporary prosperity by the "gentleman's agreement," would it fade into obscurity like the "world-shaking scheme" orchestrated by Jade Dragon King Sima Yuan?
"If Xu Xiaoyao had assassinated Hua Yinghong in one fell swoop, none of this would have happened," Qiu Shuibo thought regretfully. He had deliberately let the "Amorous Young Master" Xu Xiaoyao escape during the battle outside Keelung City, intending to leave Hua Yinghong with a major problem. Unfortunately, Xu Xiaoyao's plan failed at the last hurdle, a truly regrettable situation!
"Urgent news from Qingyuan Prefecture! The Free Army, besieged at Qingshui Ridge, has officially declared war on the Qiu family! They are launching a breakout attack on Qingshui Ridge!" Just as Qiu Shuibo still held onto a sliver of hope, the urgent news that followed shattered his last hope...

Volume 6, Chaos Across the Land, Chapter 112: A Glimmer of Hope
Dawn was breaking. A thin layer of frost had formed on the grass, and the air was thick with the chill of dawn. A gentle breeze carried a nauseating stench of blood and burnt human flesh…
The pursuit was going terribly wrong, making Qiu Shuiba increasingly anxious. As the First Division of the Free Army set fire to cover their retreat westward, Qiu Shuiba immediately ordered his troops to extinguish the raging fire fueled by the “Demon Dragon’s Blood” with earth. He personally led his two divisions, along with 20,000 private soldiers from Baiyang City, a total of 100,000 men, in hot pursuit. The 40,000 Qiu clan cavalry from Baiyang City sped out of the west gate, circling north to cut off the Free Army’s escape route. Sima Yuan’s two divisions of the Jinghai Army, totaling 80,000 men, detoured south to block the Free Army’s southward advance on Changlong City and reinforced Qingshui Ridge, cutting off the Free Army’s westward return to Dongguan Prefecture.
With the addition of 30,000 reserve troops from Changlong City, the combined forces of Qiu Shuiba and Sima Yuan reached 250,000 men. They initially believed that annihilating the main force of the Free Army, numbering 160,000, would be a simple matter with their superior numbers. Taking advantage of the bright moonlight that made the night as bright as day, Qiu Shuiba launched a fierce attack from the east of the encirclement—if he could break through the eastern flank and reach the heart of the Free Army's positions before they breached the western defensive line, it wouldn't be difficult to divide and defeat them.
However, the Free Army's fighting strength thwarted Qiu Shuiba's plans! The rapidly deployed iron net formation forced Qiu Shuiba to abandon his cavalry charge tactic after only one cavalry charge. The combination of "Dragon Blood Bullets," the iron net formation, and the Sun-Shooting Arrows and Divine Crossbows turned the first two hundred paces of the Free Army's defensive line into a death trap for the Jade Dragon Army! After nearly a night of attacks, apart from the Yulong Army's use of large catapults to launch small stone projectiles and the skilled archers' powerful arrows to inflict some damage on the Free Army, Qiu Shuiba lost more than two regiments and still could not advance an inch!
The blocking battle on the western front was even more arduous: under the Free Army's fierce attack, the 30,000-strong reserve army of Changlong City, which was holding a defensive position, was forced to retreat steadily. Due to the hasty deployment of troops to occupy key terrain for blocking, the Changlong City reserve army did not have time to bring many heavy weapons such as catapults and defensive equipment, and the defensive fortifications were not fully constructed. Under the strong attack of "Dragon Blood Bullets" and Sun-Shooting Arrows, the casualties were heavy! It was not until Sima Yuan sent 20,000 cavalry to arrive and launch an attack on Pang Yi's Free Army's Fourth Division from the flank that the Changlong army stabilized its position, but it had already lost several hilltops and suffered losses of up to 15,000 men! The Free Army also stopped its breakout attack.
The fighting has temporarily subsided. The combined forces of the Qiu and Sima clans still have nearly 220,000 troops surrounding the main force of the Free Army from all sides, but Qiu Shuiba is helpless against them, like holding a hedgehog in his arms: if he doesn't attack, he doesn't feel anything amiss; but if he tries to force an attack, he will immediately be pricked and bleed profusely! Helpless, Qiu Shuiba could only order the construction of defensive lines on all four sides, hoping to trap and starve the Free Army—the Free Army doesn't carry much food during their march and can't last more than a few days. If the Ding family captures Dongguan City and then marches east, the Free Army will become fish in a net, at their mercy!
Qiu Shuiba has already requested, through Qiu Haoyu, that the Ding family's Jianghan Legion attack Dongguan City, or directly send troops from Shilong Town to Qingshui Ridge to join the battle. If nothing unexpected happens, a resounding victory awaits the three-clan allied forces sooner or later!

Five miles southwest of Changlong City.
Feng Yanran and Liu Ju were fully armed, dressed in the standard uniforms of the Fire Phoenix Division, looking both graceful and beautiful, yet exuding a heroic spirit.
"It's so comfortable wearing this uniform!" Liu Ju hadn't been so fully armed since becoming the Director of the Household Registration Department of the Ministry of the Interior. She was truly happy to finally have the opportunity to go into battle. "
During the battle, Sister Ju, please don't stray far from Yanran's side." Feng Yanran, carrying the Wind God Spear on her back, stood majestically on her warhorse like a stunningly beautiful female war goddess. She hadn't been able to protect Hua Yinghong in time when he was assassinated, and had felt deeply saddened. Now that Liu Ju insisted on going into battle with the Fire Phoenix Division, she was naturally extremely careful—swords and spears have no eyes; if anything happened to Liu Ju, how could she explain it to Brother Hua?
"Don't worry, sister! Sister Ju is not a weak woman who can't even kill a chicken. By the way, why isn't it time for the general attack yet?" Liu Ju's words were not unfounded. When she first met Hua Yinghong two months ago, she was already a sixth-rank expert. Afterwards, she acquired the complete Heaven and Earth Technique and the method of physical training. Her gentle and mild nature, outwardly soft but inwardly strong, perfectly aligned with the natural principles of the Heaven and Earth Technique. Furthermore, her frequent dual cultivation with Hua Yinghong naturally led to rapid progress. Although she was still not as skilled as Liu Yufei, Miao Youlan, or Xue Qianqian, she was only slightly inferior to Feng Yanran.
"Brother Hua said that the time before dawn is when people are most easily fatigued and their minds are most relaxed, making it the best time to launch a surprise attack. There's still half a quarter of an hour before the scheduled final attack at the hour of Mao-Chen," Feng Yanran said, deeply admiring Hua Yinghong's military strategy. Last night at dusk, the Fire Phoenix Division arrived at Longtan Town and immediately marched towards Changlong City as ordered. En route, they joined forces with Batian's Special Forces and hundreds of Peach Blossom Palace experts. With the Special Forces and Peach Blossom Palace experts on the scene, any scouts the Changlong garrison encountered along the way were wiped out before they even had a chance to signal! The tens of thousands of troops only concealed themselves five miles from Changlong City, completely undetected.
In previous battles of the Free Army, the Fire Phoenix Division had always served as a medical corps, receiving little attention from major powers. Therefore, when the Fire Phoenix Division quietly boarded a ship at Beigang and set sail, it went completely unnoticed. No one expected Hua Yinghong to use such a female division as a main force. Only Hua Yinghong knew the true strength of this all-female army under Feng Yanran's tutelage!
"After this battle, I believe the names of the Fire Phoenix Division and the Free Army's Flower of Honor will resound throughout the Hua Long Continent." — Feng Yanran recalled a sentence Hua Yinghong had written after issuing the battle order, and a surge of excitement welled up within her — the Feng family would be revitalized in her hands!

Treasure Strait, ten miles east of Tenglong Port.
Three hundred warships lay silently on the sea. Hai Tianqing stood motionless at the bow of the "Tianqing," gazing intently in the direction of Tenglong Port — a place he knew well, a sea area he knew even with his eyes closed, and now it was about to fall into his hands.
The Qiu family had a reserve naval division stationed in Tenglong Port, but only one hundred warships. The Free Army's regular naval division, at full strength, had two hundred warships, and the reserve division had one hundred warships, far surpassing their opponent in strength. According to Hua Yinghong's orders, Hai Tianqing was to lead the navy to capture Tenglong Port, and ideally, seize as many warships and transport ships as possible. To this end, Hua Yinghong even reduced reinforcements to the main battlefield along the Qingshui Ridge line, sending only Feng Yanran's Fire Phoenix Division to attack Changlong City. Yun Shalang's naval reserve division and Mu Shanzhu's first army reserve division were both under his command, demonstrating the importance Hua Yinghong placed on this battle.
"Has Mu Shanzhu's division reached its designated position?" Hai Tianqing asked. Mu Shanzhu's division had already landed on a beach and was advancing towards Tenglong Port by land.
"Just received a report; they have reached their designated position," the messenger replied.
Hai Tianqing glanced at the hourglass; it was already the hour of Mao (5-7 AM). He ordered, "Order Mu Shanzhu to launch the attack! The entire navy advances towards Tenglong Port!"
"Whoosh!" A red signal arrow soared dozens of feet into the sky, exploding into a beautiful firework, signifying the start of another major battle launched by the Free Army that would shock the Hualong Continent!

Changlong Prefecture was the Qiu family's stronghold, established over many years. Its capital, Changlong City, was a large city of over 300,000 people, with walls on all four sides stretching over ten li (approximately 5 kilometers) and reaching a height of seven zhang (approximately 33 meters). The moat was two zhang (approximately 6 meters) deep and six zhang (approximately 33 meters) wide. Even during the siege of Baiyang City by Long Feiyang's army, this city, guarded only by reserve troops, local police, and militia, did not fall, demonstrating the strength of the Qiu family's hidden power!
However, in preparation for the decisive battle against Long Feiyang's Liang army, the Qiu family significantly expanded its military. Large numbers of able-bodied men from Changlong City were drafted, and many martial arts masters joined the army for the final battle. Many were in the Baiyang Legion, commanded by Qiu Shuiba. The city's potential had been largely realized, but it should not be underestimated. Qiu Shuiba dared to order only one regiment to remain to defend the city because the city walls were high and the waters deep, and the people's hearts were with the city. As long as there was an invasion from the outside world, once the alarm sounded, the soldiers and civilians in the city would defend it with one heart. Even a division might not be able to take it by force in a short time!
Hua Yinghong's decision to lead 160,000 troops of the Free Army directly to Baiyang County while ignoring Changlong City was also for this reason—Qiu Haoyu, who was under the control of Qingyuan City, would not pay attention to the Free Army's attack on Changlong City. Even if it was captured, the Qiu family would not suffer much loss. As long as Qingyuan City was captured and Long Feiyang's Daliang Army was eliminated, when the mobile Baiyang Legion and the main force of the Eastern Legion were at the city gates, Changlong City could be easily taken back. Understanding this, it was not surprising that Hua Yinghong led a large army to Baiyang City.
"Ah..." On the city wall a hundred paces south of the west gate, the captain of a 20-man patrol team of Changlong City's garrison led the way in yawning. The weather was freezing cold. I'd walked back and forth on the city wall half the night without seeing a soul. It was almost time for my shift to end, and I was incredibly tired. I'd heard that the main force of the Free Army was already besieged around Qingshui Ridge. The Free Army forces in Dongguan and Tianshui were too busy to face any enemy attacks. The higher-ups were being far too cautious.
"Ah...ah..." Yawning is highly contagious. Seeing the captain start, the other patrolmen followed suit, yawning incessantly.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..." Two hundred paces away, a bowstring twanged. The patrol captain, whose martial arts were slightly superior, heard the arrow whistling through the air, heading straight for him. Before he could utter the words "enemy attack," his throat was pierced by a powerful arrow, his head blasted off his neck by the arrow's powerful internal energy, blood gushing out! Then, the other patrolmen suffered the same fate. What terrifying archery!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..." Another series of powerful arrows whistled through the air, and another patrol was cleanly and decisively wiped out. " What terrifying archery!
" "Charge!" Ba Tian ordered the special forces soldiers to charge towards the city, patting Qin Tiezhu, the leader of the "Forty-Eight Arrows of High Mountain," on the shoulder and giving him a thumbs-up. "Well done!"
Qin Tiezhu smiled slightly, calm and composed. Since acquiring the Heaven and Earth Technique and the method of physical training, the "Forty-Eight Arrows of High Mountain" had made astonishing progress through more than two months of diligent practice. Each member was at least a seventh-rank expert, and Qin Tiezhu himself and several of his more talented brothers had already advanced to the eighth rank. The power of the "Sun-Shooting Archery Technique" increased exponentially with their skill level—Qin Tiezhu could shoot powerful arrows infused with true qi from a strong bow that could penetrate two layers of iron armor at two hundred paces. Within one hundred paces, even eighth-rank experts had to avoid its power, and within fifty paces, even ninth-rank experts dared not easily seize its edge!
Hua Yinghong had personally experienced the power of Qin Tiezhu's "Sun-Shooting Archery" on Zhenbao Island. Although he had already reached the ninth-rank master level, he was still overwhelmed by Qin Tiezhu's rapid-fire arrows, which were infused with true qi, from fifty paces away. Even the "Three Clans of Breaking the Sky" struggled to block over a hundred powerful arrows. "If I had a Sun-Shooting Legion composed of archers like Brother Qin, I could march all the way to Zhongdu of the Later Tang Empire right now," Hua Yinghong exclaimed afterward. Although somewhat exaggerated, it truly demonstrated the power of the "Sun-Shooting Archery"!
Because of this, the instructor group composed of Qin Tiezhu and the "Forty-Eight Arrows of High Mountains" held a superior position within the Free Army, enjoying the same treatment as division commanders. Besides two instructors from each division teaching Free Army soldiers archery, the rest remained with the Batian Special Forces to assist in attacking and capturing cities, carrying out the most difficult missions. In the ambush of Ding's iron cavalry at Pumpkin Hill, twenty-four "Forty-Eight Arrows of the High Mountain" archers shot down Ding Baiqiang's elite "Northern Darkness Guard," with over a hundred seventh and eighth-rank experts dying directly from their arrows! The rest, their minds shaken after being targeted or wounded by the arrows, were countless more killed by special forces members and Peach Blossom Palace experts. The "Forty-Eight Arrows of the High Mountain," with their deadly arrows, played a crucial role in annihilating Ding's 20,000 elite cavalry. The Free Army's Liu Litao Third Division and Lin Zhi Second Division suffered fewer than 2,000 casualties, while the Special Forces suffered only about 500 casualties. The "Forty-Eight Arrows of the High Mountain" were instrumental in this victory!
Crossing the six-zhang-wide moat and scaling the nearly seven-zhang-high city wall was child's play for the well-trained special forces members, who, with no attacks from above, easily reached the top of the wall using their light-footed skills, grabbing iron grappling hooks.
"The enemy is attacking the city!" The patrol team coming to relieve them finally realized something was wrong and shouted the alarm at the top of their lungs! "Bang! Bang! Bang!..." Gongs resounded throughout Changlong City.
"Brothers, kill!" Ba Tian saw that hundreds of special forces soldiers and experts from the Military Intelligence Bureau and Peach Blossom Palace had already climbed the city walls, and he charged towards the west gate...
"Boom!" With a loud bang, the huge drawbridge of the west gate, which had been occupied by the special forces, fell, and the city gate was wide open. "Sisters, charge!" Feng Yanran and Liu Ju rode wildly, with the only three hundred Fire Phoenix Guards following closely behind, and behind them, forty thousand female soldiers of the Fire Phoenix Division shouted in the same voices, surging into Changlong City like a tide...

Volume 6 Chaos Under Heaven Chapter 113 Attack on Tenglong
Tenglong Port West Gate.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!—" The continuous deafening explosions awakened the entire Tenglong Port, and the once peaceful Tenglong City suddenly became noisy and bustling.
Mu Shanzhu's reserve division deployed two hundred large catapults, relentlessly hurling "Dragon Blood Bullets" at the city gate and the surrounding walls within a hundred paces. The raging flames engulfed everything on the walls; no one could withstand such intense fire. Defenders, their bodies ablaze, screamed in agony. Most of the heavy defensive equipment on the walls, including catapults and super crossbows, were completely destroyed!
The Free Army's siege tactics were clearly bullying—using large catapults to launch "Dragon Blood Bullets," several times lighter than boulders, they easily launched long-range attacks from a safe distance of several hundred paces, while the Jade Dragon Army's long-range weapons on the walls struggled to reach them. Following suit, large fireballs, mimicking the Free Army's
"Dragon Blood Bullets," were also launched from the walls, but these failed to cause significant damage to the Free Army's positions. This was likely because the Free Army, perhaps accustomed to fire attacks and "Dragon Blood Bullets," had no equal knowledge of fire-fighting methods. Following Hua Yinghong's design and methods, the Ordnance Department secretly manufactured numerous dry powder fire extinguishers, specifically to guard against enemy firearms in retaliation—"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!..." Whenever a fire broke out on the Free Army's positions, it was quickly extinguished by the numerous fire extinguishers!
More than 30,000 reserve soldiers in black armor and red uniforms stood silently behind the catapult array, arranged in more than ten square formations. Occasionally, small stone projectiles launched from the city wall would roll to the front, easily blocked by shields. The strict military discipline rendered the army completely silent, and that silent, invisible, chilling pressure pressed down on the defenders on the city wall, shaking their very souls. Silence—sometimes more terrifying than a deafening roar.
"Why is there still no movement on the coastal side?" Qiu Siyuan, the city garrison commander and reserve division commander of Tenglong Port, frowned as he hid behind a battlement in the distance, wondering why the Free Army was only using Demon Dragon Blood bombs to burn the city wall and was delaying their attack. Based on his years of experience, he intuitively felt that the Free Army's attack wouldn't be so simple.
Tenglong Port was somewhat similar to Zhenbao Island's West Port: one side faced the sea, and the other three sides were fortified with walls over six zhang high. Having long served as a major transit port between Zhenbao Island and Baiyang County, Tenglong Port had developed into a major port city with a population far exceeding 300,000, larger than Qingyuan Prefecture. To ensure the safety of Tenglong Port, moats eight zhang wide, filled with seawater, were dug outside the three walls. If the moats weren't only about two zhang deep, even large warships from the sea could probably sail directly into them!
The Free Army's "Dragon Blood Bullets" combined with the Sun-Shooting Arrows were indeed incredibly powerful. Despite having the advantage of the city walls, the Tenglong defenders couldn't gain any advantage in ranged attacks. From the very beginning, the city gates and both sides were quickly cleared by the "Dragon Blood Bullets," leaving a large section of the wall engulfed in flames, where no one dared to linger. However, the three drawbridges linked by massive iron chains were already raised, and the huge city gates, encased in half-foot-thick iron sheets, were tightly shut. How could a large number of Free Army soldiers possibly cross the eight-zhang-wide moat and then scale the six-zhang-high city walls?
Although the forty thousand Free Army soldiers before them were menacing, a direct assault on Tenglong City would not be easy.
"Order the warships to strengthen their defenses, not to stray more than a hundred paces from the shore, to guard against a Free Army naval attack!" Qiu Siyuan was a cautious man. After learning that the Free Army had formally declared war on the Qiu family, the naval personnel on the hundred warships had not disembarked. The Jade Dragon Army soldiers responsible for long-range defensive equipment on the shore also remained steadfast in their positions. The entire defense of Tenglong Port was focused on the coastal side, with 20,000 regular troops and 20,000 local guards deployed. Only one battalion of three thousand men was deployed at each of the north and east gates, while the remaining fourteen thousand were stationed at the west gate, where the Free Army had already appeared.
This deployment should be foolproof.
"Catapults and Sun-Shooting Archers, move forward and to the left and right flanks to control the city walls and cover the assault." After a fierce barrage of "Dragon Blood Bullets," seeing the Tenglong defenders' lack of reaction, Mu Shanzhu knew the enemy commander was not easily fooled and that a more serious approach would be necessary to achieve his goal. He quickly issued a second order.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" As the "Dragon Blood" on the city walls gradually burned out, the Free Army's giant catapult formation advanced rapidly thirty paces as ordered, unleashing deadly "Dragon Blood Bullets" towards the rear and sides of the city walls. The
old-style giant catapults were extremely cumbersome, requiring sufficient weight for stability and accuracy to launch massive stone projectiles. When movement was needed, the catapults had to be disassembled into several large parts, moved, and then reassembled, consuming a great deal of time and manpower, leaving them with almost no mobility. Hua Yinghong was deeply dissatisfied with the cumbersome and inconvenient movement of the old-style catapults. He personally collaborated with Lu Shenggong to research and improve them, creating a new type of giant catapult. Essentially, it was simply a matter of adding wide steel wheels and axles to the base of the old catapult, and installing tracks underneath, allowing it to be pushed or pulled by animal power or manpower in most terrains.
This new giant catapult required thick steel rods driven deep into the ground on all four sides to ensure its stability during sieges. However, such improvements were not easily replicated—without the large quantities of high-quality steel produced by open-hearth steelmaking to replace the old catapult's heavy frame, without the wide steel wheels and tracks, and without Hua Yinghong's "arsenal" filled with various new weapons, manufacturing and mass-producing this mobile cannon-like weapon would have been nothing but a pipe dream!
Even so, due to time constraints, the Free Army only produced a little over a thousand aircraft. Just before Mu Shanzhu's reserve division set off, a new batch produced by the Ordnance Department came in, which came in handy.
"Get out of the way!" Qiu Siyuan hadn't expected the Free Army to completely overturn his understanding of giant catapults. The large number of defenders who were ordered to assemble behind the city wall, ready to storm the city at any moment, were caught in the flames caused by the "Dragon Blood Bullets" and screamed in agony as they were burned! The defenders on both sides of the city wall were also kept far away by the flames ignited by the "Dragon Blood Bullets"...
150 paces, 120 paces, 90 paces... Under the cover of alternating firing of "Dragon Blood Bullets" and the Sun-Shooting Archers, the Free Army's giant catapult formation finally stopped when they were within 50 paces of the moat. They controlled a section of the city wall that was more than a mile long with the combined use of "Dragon Blood Bullets" and Sun-Shooting Archers!
"Boom!" The tall West Gate tower could not withstand the prolonged burning of the fire and collapsed. A large amount of timber and bricks fell into the moat, creating a towering column of water.
"The Free Army will prevail! The Free Army will prevail! Kill!..." The Free Army phalanx, which had been silently advancing with the catapult formation, suddenly erupted into a deafening roar, startling even the highly skilled Qiu Siyuan. From afar, the front phalanx of about three thousand Free Army soldiers suddenly charged forward. Upon reaching the moat, the first few hundred leaped into the air, hurling iron chains with iron claws. As they fell across six or seven zhang (approximately 33-40 meters), they used the iron claws to grip the city wall, pulling themselves up with alternating force. Hundreds of them had already scaled the city wall, with a dozen or so leaping across the eight-zhang (approximately 43 meters) moat in a single bound, their toes lightly touching the wall as they reached the top!
"Good!—" Tens of thousands of Free Army soldiers shouted in unison! These hundreds were experts sent by various forces, including Peach Blossom Palace, to cooperate with the Free Army. As the sky brightened, the Free Army soldiers of Mu Shanzhu's reserve division responded with thunderous cheers for the ease with which these men scaled the city wall.
If there were defenders on the city wall, these experts would be attacked from all sides while leaping into the air. At best, only one in ten would successfully scale the wall. If only a few dozen managed to scale the wall, how could they withstand the defenders' counterattack and gain a foothold? Clear a section of the wall first, then use the experts to seize the city – the Free Army was making the most of its new weaponry and skilled martial artists!
"Not good!" Qiu Siyuan began to panic. He was already a ninth-rank martial artist, and his eyesight was naturally exceptional. Tenglong Port had indeed been a place of hidden talents, but after the Qiu family expanded its forces, many experts had joined the newly formed Qiu Haohan's naval legion, Qiu Shuiba's Hundred Sheep Division, and the Eastern Division. Although there were still many experts, they had not yet assembled into a fighting force. It was feared that even with just these few hundred experts who had successfully scaled the wall, the west gate would fall in close combat!
"Ha!—" What happened next filled Qiu Siyuan with even more despair—from the Free Army's formation along the moat, hundreds more men simultaneously flung out thick iron chains, each as thick as a fist, which flew straight to the top of the city wall. One end was ensnared by the skilled warriors who had already scaled the wall and secured to the battlements, while the other end was taut and firmly fixed to the moat. The elite Free Army soldiers, primarily composed of Gaoshan tribesmen, leaped into the air, using the chains to move swiftly and quickly, reaching the top of the city wall in just a few bounds!
Without siege ladders, without towers... with almost no traditional siege equipment, relying on the powerful "Dragon Blood Bullets" and Sun-Shooting Arrows, the Free Army inadvertently created a new way of siege warfare, making fortified cities no longer so easy to defend and difficult to attack—until another siege method even more unbelievable in the Hua Long Continent appeared, it was still imitated by many armies other than the Free Army for a long time, and eventually faded from the stage of war...
"Order the navy at the seaside to leave 5,000 men, 1,000 men each at the east and north gates, and the rest to come to reinforce! Send an urgent signal to the patriarch!" Qiu Siyuan directed the suppression of the flames, preparing for a close battle with the Free Army to seize the city walls and gates, while mobilizing the navy soldiers at the seaside to come to reinforce. At this moment, he finally believed that his judgment had been flawed: the Free Army had unexpectedly deviated from its usual practice, so easily capturing the West Gate with a frontal assault, instead of the feint attack he had previously predicted, where the real attack would begin from the sea…
But this time, he was truly wrong—Hai Tianqing on the "Azure Sky" saw the signal raised at the West Gate of Tenglong Port and couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew Qiu Siyuan inside and out; almost every reaction of Qiu Siyuan was within his calculations! He knew Tenglong City inside and out; he knew exactly where to land, where the water was deep and shallow…
"All troops attack, boarding action. Be careful not to use the Demon Dragon Blood Bullets; seizing ships is the priority." After giving the order, Hai Tianqing silently murmured in his heart, "Tenglong Port, I'm back!"
Three hundred warships sailed with the tide towards the distant Tenglong Port…

Dawn had broken. On the high city gate tower of Qingyuan, Long Feiyang focused his gaze intently on Qiu Haoyu's Jade Dragon Army camp. Intelligence reports indicated that fireworks signals had been raised in the southwest direction of Changlong City and the south direction of Tenglong Port. Although he didn't know their meaning, he could guess a bit of it and awaited confirmation from the next move of the Qiu family's Jade Dragon Army. As expected, a sudden commotion erupted in Qiu Haoyu's Jade Dragon Army camp, and shortly after, 40,000 elite cavalry from the Eastern Legion sped towards Tenglong Port like lightning!
"Hua Yinghong's methods are truly brilliant. With this young man, who among the four great generals can compare?" Long Feiyang sighed and shook his head. The Son of Freedom, Hua Yingda, had acted swiftly, causing both Tenglong Port, which the Qiu family had occupied for years, and Changlong City, which they had cultivated for generations, to be in dire straits. This undoubtedly declared that Long Feiyang's Liang army, trapped in Qingyuan City, had escaped a desperate situation and achieved a stunning reversal from an extremely unfavorable predicament!
However, Long Feiyang didn't seem particularly excited about this—after all, handing over the vast territory of Yunyuan County and Nanhai County, encompassing six prefectures and millions of people, to someone like Hua Yinghong, the Son of Freedom, would only strengthen his ever-expanding power and ultimately become a major threat, akin to drinking poison to quench thirst!
But Long Feiyang truly had no other choice but to seek help from the Free Army!
"Order all units! Victory is in sight, prepare to attack at any time!" Long Feiyang ordered without turning his head.
Inside Qingyuan City, 150,000 Liang troops completed their assembly with remarkable efficiency…

Volume 6, Chaos Under Heaven, Chapter 114: A Brilliant Plan to Defeat the Enemy
. In less than half a day, Changlong City was captured by the Free Army. Although the Qiu family's 10,000 reserve troops defending the city fought desperately, they were no match for the Special Operations Brigade and the Fire Phoenix Division in terms of equipment, weaponry, and training. Under the powerful attacks of the "Sun-Shooting Arrows" and the Divine Crossbows, many of the weaker defenders were shot dead before they even had a chance to fight in close combat, while the stronger ones couldn't hold out for long before being killed by the Free Army's experts!
The female soldiers of the "Fire Phoenix Division," trained by Feng Yanran, were as ruthless as a pack of tigresses! In close combat, they used the "Nine Strikes of Fengran" spear technique and the domineering "Weeping Rain and Startling Wind" sword technique, coordinating perfectly. Under the leadership of Feng Yanran and Liu Ju, each female soldier possessed an extraordinary killing intent and astonishing combat power, even impressing the elite experts of the Special Operations Brigade! The Special Operations Brigade and the Fire Phoenix Division controlled all the key points in Changlong City at the cost of only a little over a thousand casualties, planting the Phoenix Banner on the four high city gate towers and the city garrison's mansion in the city center!
Sporadic fighting continued. Changlong City, as expected of one of the Qiu family's long-established strongholds, saw many local powerful families loyal to the Qiu family hastily organize private armies of hundreds of men to put up a fierce resistance even after the Free Army issued martial law.
Based on intelligence gathered by the Restoration Society and the Changlong branch of the Peach Blossom Palace, the Special Operations Brigade, in cooperation with experts from the Peach Blossom Palace, annihilated over two thousand elite warriors from three of the Qiu family's collateral branches, confiscating their property. The Fire Phoenix Division dispatched a regiment of female soldiers, forming squads of three hundred men, each interspersed with several martial arts experts, to patrol the main streets continuously. Anyone violating martial law was mercilessly shot and killed with crossbows and sun-shooting arrows.
Overwhelmed by the Free Army's formidable fighting strength and ruthless suppression methods, by midday, the entire city of Changlong had gradually calmed down...
As originally planned, Liu Ju and the 30,000 female soldiers of the Fire Phoenix Division remained to hold Changlong City. Feng Yanran, on the other hand, led her most elite direct-command regiment and Batian's special operations force out of the north gate.
The battle for Tenglong Port proceeded more smoothly—although the port city had a large population, its unique position made it a melting pot of various powerful and diverse factions. The Qiu family, with its formidable military force and latent influence yet to be deployed, maintained control. However, Hai Tianqing, intimately familiar with Tenglong Port, led his navy to decisively defeat the Jade Dragon Army's fleet on the warships, then swiftly landed at the docks and launched a massive attack on the city.
Recognizing the favorable situation for the Free Army, some local forces in Tenglong Port, long admiring the prosperity, lenient policies, and immense benefits under the Free Alliance's rule, intervened, guiding and even assisting the Free Army in attacking strategic points throughout the city!
Mu Shanzhu led his reserve division in a massive swarm from the west gate, launching a pincer attack that was unstoppable. The Qiu family's rule in Tenglong Port finally crumbled. Tenglong Port's defender, Qiu Siyuan, ordered his last three thousand Jade Dragon Army soldiers to flee through the north gate towards Qingyuan City before fighting to the death!
Just before the Free Army's navy was about to annihilate the Qiu Clan's navy, a Yulong Army warship suddenly broke away from the main force and fled eastward into the depths of the Zhenbao Strait. Hai Tianqing simply assumed it was a deserter and paid it little attention. Later, he learned that this seemingly deserting warship had caused considerable trouble for the entire Hualong Continent.
The successful capture of Tenglong Port marked a significant strategic victory for the Free Army. Not only could they launch a northward offensive at any time to flank Qiu Haoyu's army at Qingyuan City, seventy miles away, but they could also advance eastward to directly attack Maoming Prefecture, which was left sparsely defended after Qiu Shuibo's South China Sea Fleet marched north to Zhanjiang Prefecture. Not only has the situation of the Liang army under Long Feiyang been completely reversed, but the potential danger of the Qiu family using Tenglong Port as a springboard to attack Zhenbao Island has also been eliminated. Even if the Qiu family wants to attack Zhenbao Island through the naval forces of Baijiang Prefecture, they have to worry about the Free Army's navy launching a surprise attack from Tenglong Port to cut off their base. The key to attacking is Changlong City and Tenglong Port, while the key to defending is Dongguan City and Tianshui Prefecture. Ye Zhiqiu's analysis before the battle has already demonstrated the strategic vision of a famous general, which is why Hua Yinghong praised it!
Another major gain from the capture of Tenglong Port is that the Yulong Army under the Qiu family, which has always been known for its unwavering fighting spirit, has finally seen a large number of soldiers surrender. Among the more than two hundred guards of Qiu Shuibian who were the first to surrender at Jubao Ferry, dozens of them joined the Free Army. Coincidentally, more than thirty of them were from Tenglong Port and were specially arranged by Hua Yinghong to participate in the battle to capture the port in Mu Shanzhu's reserve division. Apart from a few die-hard members of the Qiu clan, the reserve troops scattered throughout the city, who had only recently joined the Qiu family's army, saw no hope of breaking out. Some of the earlier surrenderers, who had already become captains or even regimental commanders in the Free Army, came forward to persuade the surrenderers, throwing down their weapons and bows. The final count revealed a staggering 16,000 surrendered soldiers. As a result, in the battle to capture Tenglong Port, the Free Army annihilated (or captured) 37,000 enemy troops (excluding local guards), while suffering only 5,000 casualties, of which only 2,977 were truly killed in action—once again achieving an incredible and brilliant victory!
Hai Tianqing was even more impressed by Hua Yinghong's foresight: if he had executed Qiu Shuibian and the other surrendered soldiers two months ago in a fit of anger, there certainly wouldn't have been such a good result, such a great harvest!
"Utilizing all favorable factors to win the war at the lowest cost"—Hua Yinghong's philosophy of war had already transcended the essence of war itself!
Twenty miles north of Tenglong Port, Qiu Shuiliu led 40,000 Qiu Clan cavalry on a rapid fifty-mile march. They encountered 3,000 reserve soldiers fleeing north. Knowing the Free Army had already occupied Tenglong Port and that 40,000 cavalry could not possibly retake it by force, they reluctantly retreated northward…

The Free Army's southern position at Qingshui Ridge.
The afternoon sun was bright and inviting, its warmth giving a languid feeling.
“Zhi Qiu, are you ready?” Hua Yinghong asked calmly, gazing at the Jinghai Army camp of the Sixth Prince, Sima Yuan, in the distance. Using 160,000 Free Army troops as bait required extraordinary courage and determination, but this risk had to be taken. Fortunately, news from various places indicated that Tenglong Port and Changlong City had been successfully captured. The first half of the "Phoenix Rising from the Ashes" plan had been successfully completed. The remaining challenge was how to fight the tough battles to come!
"Big Brother, as long as Second Brother and Yanran cut off Sima Yuan's path into Dongguan Prefecture, the First Division will not disappoint you!" Ye Zhiqiu's First Division was the best-equipped, best-trained, and most combat-experienced elite division of the Free Army, second only to the Special Operations Brigade. It had seen the most battles since the Battle of the Iron Mine Camp. Coupled with the Special Operations Brigade and the Fire Phoenix Division's directly subordinate regiments, if they couldn't cleanly and decisively eliminate one of Sima Yuan's divisions, Ye Zhiqiu would probably have to buy two pounds of rouge and put it on his face—to die of embarrassment!
"Good! Big Brother, let's see you fight a beautiful annihilation battle!" Hua Yinghong pointed to the southwest sky, where a bright, multicolored firework rose, signaling that Feng Yanran and Batian had reached their designated positions!
"Order to attack!" Ye Zhiqiu leaped onto a warhorse, his movements agile and graceful, devoid of any trace of worldly malice, clearly demonstrating that his skill had reached a considerably high level. Hua Yinghong showed no favoritism towards his two sworn brothers, and in the past few days, he had been channeling a large amount of Sea Dragon Pill Qi and Primordial True Qi into Ye Zhiqiu to enhance his cultivation—now that they had embarked on the path to dominating the world, enemy experts, both overt and covert, could assassinate them or any high-ranking general of the Free Army. Besides sending more experts to protect them, improving their own strength was the best defense!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!... Boom!..." The Free Army's war drums sounded, and five hundred new, mobile giant catapults launched "Dragon Blood Bullets" at the right flank of the Sima clan's position, initiating a fierce attack. After each concentrated volley created a large area of undefended territory, they advanced thirty paces and launched again...
Sima Yuan and Murong Bo, atop a distant hill, overlooked the entire battlefield, their hearts filled with worry. This was an unfair decisive battle—the Free Army's "Dragon Blood Bullets" had a range of over 300 paces, and many of their archers had a lethal range of 130 paces. Sima Yuan's Jinghai Army's giant catapults could only inflict some damage on the Free Army by using smaller stones, but these were quickly destroyed by the long-range attacks of the "Dragon Blood Bullets"! Although the Free Army's attack speed wasn't fast, it encountered almost no significant resistance, penetrating the Jinghai Army's right flank like a sharp knife cutting through tofu.
"Sixth Prince, it's time for a brave man to cut his losses! As long as the green hills remain, there's always firewood to burn," Murong Bo advised. Changlong City had been captured by the Free Army, and although it was only 15 li away, the Jinghai Army dared not make the slightest move to its rescue. The Jinghai Army was responsible for encircling the Free Army's southern flank at Qingshui Ridge and reinforcing the Changlong reserve army towards Dongguan Prefecture. Currently, only one division had constructed a defensive line relying on the relatively gentle mountain terrain, while the opposing force was the Free Army's most elite First Division. How could Sima Yuan dare to divide his forces? Upon learning of the fall of Changlong City, while still hesitating whether to retreat to Baiyang City without waiting for Qiu Shuiba's signal, the Free Army's offensive had already begun!
On the left flank of the Jinghai Army, the Free Army's Special Operations Brigade and the Fire Phoenix Division's direct subordinate regiment had severed the communication between the 20,000 Jinghai Army cavalry and 20,000 infantry responsible for blocking the Free Army's return route to Dongguan Prefecture west of Qingshui Ridge. If the Free Army were to penetrate the right flank and form a counter-encirclement, there would be no chance of escape—heaven knows why the Free Army, in addition to the "Dragon Blood Bullets," also possessed easily movable giant catapults! Being attacked without being able to retaliate would only lead to total annihilation if the conflict dragged on, with no chance of escape!
Charge in for close combat? This thought only flashed through Sima Yuan's mind before he immediately rejected it—first, they would have to endure the baptism of the "Dragon Blood Bullets," then be blocked by the powerful Sun-Shooting Arrows and Divine Crossbows; how many men could possibly manage to reach the Free Army's positions?
"Leave one regiment to cover the rear and retreat towards Baiyang City! Order the western cavalry and two regiments to charge towards Dongguan Prefecture." Sima Yuan gritted his teeth and gave the order. Seeing the fighting power displayed by the Free Army at this moment, he realized that the Free Army had actually been hiding its strength during the landing battle at Longtan Town, and he realized how big a mistake it had been to instigate Qiu Shuiba to start a war against the Free Army and then try to take the opportunity to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Free Army!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..." Seeing the central command flag of the Jinghai Army flutter, Ye Zhi Qiu gave the order for a full-scale attack!
"Kill!" Chang Sheng Qiu, deputy commander of the First Division and commander of the directly subordinate regiment, raised his long sword high, and ten thousand Free Army cavalrymen, who had not fought for a long time, charged forward in neat formation, pursuing the Jinghai Army!
"Damn it!" Zhenbao Island lacked the conditions to raise warhorses, and the Free Army had never used cavalry on a large scale in previous battles, including the Jinghai Army regiment that pursued Sima Yuan after landing at Longtan Town. As a result, Sima Yuan and Murong Bo both thought that the Free Army did not have a large-scale organized cavalry force at all. When Chang Shengqiu's cavalry charged out in formation, the two were shocked! In the plains and hilly areas, for the Yulong Army infantry, who had no special defensive means or fortifications, cavalry was simply a massacre, a nightmare!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..." The Free Army cavalry, riding at full speed, drew their powerful bows and fired arrows with the "Sun-Shooting Arrow Technique," covering the Jinghai Army's rearguard position with a barrage of arrows. The Yulong Army under Sima Yuan's command was reduced to only five or six thousand men!
After years of being unappreciated and suppressed by the Qiu family, Chang Shengqiu finally met Hua Yinghong, an enlightened ruler who did not adhere to the rules of personnel selection. Hua Yinghong bestowed upon him unparalleled martial arts techniques and entrusted him with important responsibilities. The saying goes, "A scholar will die for one who understands him." Under Chang Shengqiu's leadership, the cavalry regiment spent almost every day, except for sleeping, honing their skills on horseback. They not only mastered the "Two Divine Techniques," but were also proficient in the "Chaotic Wind Blade Technique" and the "Nine Strike Winds" spear technique, and were skilled in mounted archery, making them no less formidable than any iron cavalry force on the Hua Long Continent!
"Kill!" After three volleys of arrows, the Jade Dragon Army, left to cover the rear, was nearly wiped out. The Free Army cavalry, bows strapped to their saddles, swords and spears drawn, charged towards Sima Yuan's Jinghai main force! …
The outcome of this battle was never in doubt!

"The Free Army displayed its might, the Jianghan Army suffered heavy losses," "One day's notice, retreat or be annihilated," "Twenty thousand cavalrymen lost their spirits…" Overnight, slogans and banners of the Free Army were plastered everywhere in Jianghan City, in prominent street corners, markets, and other busy areas, announcing to the public that twenty thousand Ding family cavalry had been ambushed and annihilated, and that the Free Army declared war on the Ding family if they did not withdraw from Dongguan Prefecture within a day, wiping out the entire Jianghan Army!
The entire city of Jianghan was abuzz with news of the Ding family's defeat in their first battle against the Free Army. For over two months, the situation on the mainland had been turbulent, but Jianghan County, under the Ding family's control, had not felt much of a war atmosphere. The Later Tang Empire's southwestern army in Zijiang Town was held back by over two hundred thousand elite troops from the northern army and reserves, and their reinforcements had been cut off, their supplies were running low, and they posed little threat to the heart of Jianghan County. However, the Ding family launched a surprise attack on Dongguan Prefecture without a declaration of war. Their vanguard of 20,000 elite cavalry was annihilated by the Free Army, making the people of Jianghan County, who had thought it could be a haven from the chaos of war, feel the cruelty of war!

Volume 6, Chapter 115: Chaos Across the Land
"To retreat or to attack?" Ding Zixing held two documents in his hands, once again caught in a dilemma: on one hand, Qiu Haoyu, the head of the Qiu family, demanded that the Ding family immediately attack Dongguan City; on the other hand, the Free Army issued an ultimatum to withdraw from the entire territory of Dongguan Prefecture within one day.
If they launched a full-scale attack, there would be no room for negotiation with the now-powerful Free Army, and if they were defeated, their entire family would be in danger of being wiped out; if they withdrew now, not only would they be unable to explain to the 20,000 Jianghan soldiers who had died, but the initial defeat and being frightened away by the Free Army would greatly lower the morale of the Ding family's army, and the hearts of the people would also be unstable. Their desire to dominate the world would probably be forever lost!
"Order the Jianghan Army to capture Dongguan City with all its might! Send two reserve divisions to reinforce Dongguan Prefecture! The Huaiyin Navy will cooperate with the Beijiang Army to attack Shunde Prefecture..." There was no turning back now. After much deliberation, Ding Zixing was unwilling to abandon his grand ambitions, which he had been preparing for many years.
Qiu Haoyu, the head of the Qiu family, had secretly offered Ding Zixing tempting terms: if he could join forces with the Qiu family to defeat the Free Army and annihilate Long Feiyang's Liang army, Shunde Prefecture, Dongguan Prefecture, and Tianshui Prefecture would all belong to the Ding family! Ding Zixing, therefore, readily revealed his trump card, cooperating with the Qiu family in the decisive battle against the Free Army and the Liang army—with these three prefectures, the Ding family's controlled territory would expand to nearly two counties, with a population exceeding 14 million, and they would have an outlet and passage to attack Zhenbao Island. Conquering the world would no longer be just a dream!
The official population statistics for the four prefectures of Jianghan announced by the Ding family were 6.2 million. In fact, Ding Zixing knew perfectly well that concealing the population was a common trick used by the major families to prevent the Jade Dragon King Sima Yuan from becoming suspicious; the true population of Jianghan Prefecture already exceeded 8 million! Having managed Jianghan Prefecture for generations, the Ding family's influence had penetrated every level and corner. In the numerous mines, farms, and armories controlled by the Ding family, which required large numbers of manpower, their hidden power was no less than that of the Qiu family!
In the ever-changing battlefield, only strength can ensure victory. At this time, Ding Zixing had secretly expanded his military force significantly—the original Yulong Army's Northern Legion and two reserve divisions, totaling 240,000 men, were responsible for repelling the Later Tang southwestern Legion at Zijiang Town; Jianghan Prefecture, Beijiang Prefecture, and Nanjiang Prefecture had each secretly trained and formed a new legion, named after their prefectures: the Jianghan Legion, the Beijiang Legion, and the Nanjiang Legion. Each of these three prefectures also had a reserve division still undergoing intensive training, and the Huaiyin Port navy had also expanded with a reserve naval division…
The current situation in the Yulong Kingdom was one of each side exerting their strength: King Sima Yuan of Yulong was preoccupied with fighting on several fronts and had no power to stop the Ding family's massive military expansion; instead, he had to appease them as he had with the Qiu family. With such a massive military force and potential, if the Ding family were to be intimidated by the Free Army, which had been established for less than three months and had a total strength of only over 400,000, the Ding family would truly have no face left
to live in the world! In Shilong Town, Ding Zizai, having received orders from the family head, once again commanded his Jianghan Army to advance towards Dongguan City. Meanwhile, two reserve divisions of the Ding family also rushed from Jianghan Prefecture to Dongguan Prefecture—"Son of Freedom" Hua Yinghong's brazen attempt to intimidate the Ding family seemed to have met its match…
*********
Yulong County, Longshan Prefecture City.
Sima Changfeng sat triumphantly in the high seat of the city garrison's council hall, looking at the dozens of generals dressed in Yulong military uniforms, strutting around with an air of arrogance.
As a member of a collateral branch of the Sima royal family, Sima Changfeng considered himself skilled in both literature and martial arts, possessing exceptional military strategy and wisdom, no less than any of the elite members of the Sima family. He believed he should be a pillar of the Sima dynasty, but was instead assigned to Longshan Prefecture, near the Jade Dragon Mountains, as its governor, much to his disappointment. Although he governed Longshan Prefecture relatively peacefully, and the Yinming Sect in the neighboring Jade Dragon Mountains did not cause any major trouble, he never held any military power. In the eyes of Sima Yuan, who valued military prowess over civil affairs, Sima Changfeng was at best a capable civil official, utterly unworthy of the heroic spirit implied in his name, "The long wind blows for tens of thousands of miles, passing through the Jade Dragon Pass."
In a peaceful and prosperous era, the forty-three-year-old Sima Changfeng might have simply lived out his days there. Fortunately, the chaotic era finally arrived. The Sima clan expanded their army significantly, fighting on multiple fronts. They transferred the entire First Guard Division stationed in Longshan Prefecture to attack the "Free Rebel Army," authorizing Sima Changfeng to recruit and build his own troops in Longshan Prefecture to serve the country and the Sima family. If he could recruit a division, he could serve as its commander; if he could recruit a legion, he could serve as its commander... In any case, they were all members of the royal family, and at this point, Prince Yulong
, Sima Yuan, could not care about anything else. Sima Changfeng was overjoyed after receiving the royal decree: Longshan Prefecture had always been known for its fierce and brave people, who were fond of fighting. He used all the wealth he had accumulated over the years as the prefect, mobilizing all available manpower, material resources, and financial resources. In just a few days, he recruited a large number of strong soldiers, more than enough to form a legion, including the local guards. After submitting the report, Prince Yulong, Sima Yuan, issued an edict appointing him as the commander of the "Longshan Legion."
It is said that due to the unfavorable situation of the Sima clan on all fronts, even recruiting a single full-fledged reserve division is proving difficult in the other prefectures of the twelve prefectures controlled by the Sima clan, including Wuling, Luolan, and Yulong. Sima Changfeng's achievements in such a short period are truly remarkable. He is immensely proud of this, imagining himself soon leading the well-trained Longshan Army to the front lines, winning battle after battle, reversing the Sima clan's decline, turning the tide, and becoming the mainstay of the Sima dynasty…
"Commander, everyone is here." The speaker was an exceptionally handsome young general—in fact, "exceptional handsome" wouldn't even begin to describe him. His face was as radiant as the full moon on Mid-Autumn Festival, his handsome, well-defined eyes brimming with a captivating charm, his eyebrows long and elegant like ink paintings, and his skin as smooth as a peeled egg coated in powder, fair and rosy. Most striking was his forehead; a small birthmark, its color a vibrant red like a crescent moon, adorned his broad forehead, drawing the eye. He wore pure white armor, his composed demeanor radiating a comfortable and approachable aura. Even men would exclaim, "Such a handsome man exists in the world!"
"Good, Shao Peng, report on the training and equipment situation." Sima Changfeng was extremely satisfied with and trusted this handsome young general. Half a year ago, Shao Peng traveled to Longshan Prefecture, where he met Sima Changfeng's beloved daughter, Sima Qingying, and fell in love at first sight. After extensive investigation, including sending people to Shao Peng's hometown to verify his background, Sima Changfeng readily accepted him and betrothed Sima Qingying to Shao Peng.
Sima Changfeng's high regard for Shao Peng wasn't solely due to their seemingly perfect match, but also because Shao Peng possessed extraordinary wisdom, martial arts skills, and a keen understanding of the world's affairs. Within just six months, he had offered Sima Changfeng dozens of strategies, secretly recruited numerous experts, and quietly cultivated a vast power base, undetected even by the ever-present Jade Dragon spies. Shao Peng truly deserves the greatest credit for the swift formation of the Dragon Mountain Legion.
"My father-in-law has invested countless resources these past few days, and with the Jade Dragon King bringing in a considerable amount of weaponry, the legion's equipment is now second to none among regular armies. As for training, these soldiers all have a certain level of martial arts skill; with just a little training in battle formations and defensive tactics, they will be of great use. However—" Shao Peng paused slightly, his tone suddenly shifting, "The name of the legion is too limiting. I wish to use this legion to spread light throughout the world, and from today onwards, the Dragon Mountain Legion will be renamed the Light Army!"
"What!" Sima Changfeng was as if choked by something, suddenly slamming his fist on the table in a fit of rage, "Shao Peng! How dare you! You actually change the name of the legion without permission. Have you taken the wrong medicine and gone mad?" Sima Changfeng was so angry at Shao Peng's unexpected words that he trembled all over, and for a moment he couldn't even make sense of the meaning of the word "light."
"Father-in-law, please calm down. Be careful not to upset yourself. Your presence is still needed for my wedding with Qingying." Shao Peng smiled faintly and said calmly, "There's something I need to tell you. My full name is Xu-Shao-Peng!"
"What! You're the adopted son of 'Yinming Divine Fist' Xu Ling, the one known as the Jade-Faced Gentleman, Xu...Shao...Peng?" Sima Changfeng felt a wave of dizziness and almost fainted! He finally understood: why the formation of the Dragon Mountain Legion was so easy, and why the powerful Yinming Sect's headquarters, located in the Jade Dragon Mountain to the south, had remained silent and hadn't caused any trouble while the First Guard Division was away. He, Sima Changfeng, had been working for the Yinming Sect's benefit! Even though he wasn't particularly familiar with the martial arts world of Hualong Continent, he was no stranger to the name of the famous "Jade-Faced Gentleman" Xu Shaopeng of the Yinming Sect. He just never expected that he would become his future son-in-law without even realizing it!
"You madmen of the demonic sect, prepare to die!" Six loyal generals of Sima Changfeng roared, drawing their swords and leaping three zhang into the air, charging towards Xu Shaopeng. Before they were even a zhang away, the chilling force of their blades and swords was already upon Xu Shaopeng. Judging solely from their swordplay and movements, it was clear that these men were no less than ninth-rank masters!
The remaining dozens of generals in the hall were all members of the Yinming Sect, yet not one of them rose to intercept or come to Xu Shaopeng's aid. A fleeting murderous glint appeared on Xu Shaoling's handsome face. Without making a move, he gently clenched his right fist and flicked it out, uttering a soft sigh, "Why are you all doing this?"
The punch was unremarkable, like the simplest move, "Black Tiger Claws the Heart." The fist was so fast that everyone only saw one punch, but then, "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Six loud sounds rang out almost simultaneously. The six figures that had lunged forward were all sent flying backward, falling to the ground, none of them able to stand up again!
"Mountain-Splitting Fist!" Seeing Xu Shaopeng defeat six experts so easily, Sima Changfeng's initial confidence in having reached the ninth rank and his desire to have his trusted guards outside enter for a final showdown vanished instantly. He slumped into a chair and said, "From today onwards, the Dragon Mountain Legion will be renamed the Bright Army. I hope you will spare my family for Qingying's sake."
"Father-in-law, rest assured, Qingying and I are of one heart. How could I possibly harm you? Consider the Dragon Mountain Legion as Qingying's dowry. Father-in-law can rest assured and enjoy your retirement while I lead the Bright Army to dominate the world and bring glory to our family." Xu Shaopeng smiled faintly, his mind filled with Sima Qingying's incomparably beautiful face and exquisitely graceful figure. Although not listed among the "Top Ten Beauties" of the Hua Long Continent, Sima Qingying's beauty was in no way inferior to any peerless beauty, and she was also gentle and considerate—Sima Changfeng had indeed given birth to a wonderful daughter. With the seizure of military power ending this way, at least some of the guilt towards Qingying was lessened…

Starting on November 15th, 994 of the Hua Long Calendar, a series of explosive news shocked the entire Hua Long Continent, etching this day as a day of “great chaos” in history—
Changlong City and Tenglong Port fell into the hands of the Free Army. Sima Yuan and Murong Bo were defeated at Qingshui Ridge, managing to escape back to Baiyang City with only 300 of their most elite cavalry and 100 elite Jade Dragon secret agents. Qiu Shuiba led his army back to Baiyang City, and the siege of Qingshui Ridge by the Free Army was lifted. The remaining 15,000 Changlong reserve troops, responsible for blocking the Free Army's return to Dongguan City, along with Sima Yuan's 20,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry of the Jinghai Army, were counter-encircled by the Free Army, and the entire Changlong army was wiped out! The Sima clan's Jinghai Army had no hope of breaking out, and under the powerful long-range attacks of the “Demon Dragon Blood Bullets” and “Sun-Shooting Arrows,” they were powerless to retaliate. After 15,000 of them were killed, the rest surrendered!
Ding's Jianghan Army, numbering 140,000, besieged Dongguan City, engaging in fierce fighting with the 50,000-strong Free Army defending the city until nightfall. Despite suffering 40,000 casualties, they failed to breach the city walls. Upon receiving news that the Battle of Qingshui Ridge had ended and the main Free Army force had returned to Dongguan Prefecture, they hastily retreated to the Shilong Town line, receiving reinforcements from two reserve divisions and occupying the northern half of Dongguan Prefecture north of Shilong Town. In this battle, the Free Army defending Dongguan City suffered 15,000 casualties!
Faced with the Free Army's post-victory strength posing a real threat to Baiyang City, Qiu Haoyu voluntarily lifted the siege of Qingyuan City and retreated to Baiyang City with Sima's Third Guard Division and the Baiyi Special Division. Long Feiyang led 40,000 Liang cavalry and 40,000 infantry in pursuit, engaging in fierce fighting with Qiu Shuiliu's 40,000 cavalry at the rear. With less than 20,000 cavalry remaining, Qiu Shuiliu retreated to Baiyang City. The Liang army suffered only 10,000 casualties. Taking advantage of this, they turned and attacked the sparsely defended Maoming Prefecture, opening up access to the sea.
At this point, Long Feiyang's army was not only on the verge of returning home, but also posed a threat from Maoming Prefecture to Qiu Shuibo's South China Sea naval legion in Zhanjiang Prefecture to the north, and to Qiu Haohan's naval legion in Baijiang Prefecture to the east, forming a pincer movement with Shangguan Ruoyu's army in Baiquan Prefecture. With the intervention of the Free Army, the "Reversal" plan finally succeeded, and the strategic situation of the Long family against the Qiu family was completely reversed!
In Longshan Prefecture of Yulong County and the neighboring Yushan Prefecture, large numbers of members of the Yinming Sect killed reserve generals and changed their banners, raising the banner of the Bright Army. With the handsome young man Xu Shaopeng as the "Young Marshal," the Yinming Sect quickly assembled two large legions totaling 320,000 men. With the cooperation of Yinming Sect disciples in various regions, they swept through a vast area with a population of over eight million in the two prefectures, as if detonating a bomb in the heart of the Sima clan's Jade Dragon Dynasty, directly threatening the safety of the capital, Jade Dragon Prefecture and Jade Dragon City! Sima Yuan urgently ordered the 80,000-strong Imperial Guard Division and the First Division, which had already approached the border of Tianshui Prefecture, to rush back to reinforce...
Jiang'an County of the Golden Dragon Kingdom. The third largest force of the Radiant Cult—the Black Tiger Gang—also raised the banner of the Radiant Army, seizing command of three reserve divisions of the Golden Dragon Kingdom. With Xiong Zhan, son of the Black Tiger Gang leader Xiong Zhenlei, as commander, they quickly formed two large legions of 320,000 men, primarily composed of gang members. Combined with their numerous followers throughout the region, they controlled almost half of Jiang'an Prefecture south of the Yulong River…
In the Later Tang Empire, bordering Nanhu Prefecture to the south of Dongting Lake, the second largest force of the Radiant Cult—the Divine Water Sect—instigated a rebellion and seized control of three reserve divisions of the Everest Legion. They formed two large legions of 320,000 men, primarily composed of Shenshui Sect disciples, and also established a 40,000-strong naval force composed mainly of Dongting Lake pirates. They similarly raised the banner of the Radiant Army and quickly controlled Yueyang Prefecture and Kazan Prefecture, both bordering Dongting Lake in Everest Prefecture…
What gripped the hearts of the people of Hualong Continent even more was that in Wuyi County of the Liang Kingdom, the Japanese army, with its overwhelming numerical superiority in warships, annihilated 40,000 men of the Liang Kingdom's Wuyi navy and seized the important eastern port of Fu Ri Port. Ten Japanese divisions, totaling 400,000 troops, continuously landed, burning, killing, and looting their way into the heart of Wuyi County of the Liang Kingdom...
The flames of war on Hualong Continent had finally spiraled out of control!
(End of Volume 6, please read Volume 7, "Who Rules the World")

Volume 7 Who Rules the World Chapter 116 Chaotic World
"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; the light shall reappear, and the world shall be blessed!"
The simultaneous decision by the three major forces of the Bright Demonic Sect—the Yinming Sect, the Black Tiger Gang, and the Divine Water Gate—to launch their uprising on November 15th was no coincidence. The position of the leader of the Demonic Sect was to be elected on August 15th of the following year. At that time, the one with the greatest power would be elected as the leader, commanding millions of highly skilled followers, both openly and secretly, throughout Hualong Continent. Dominating the world would not be just empty talk!
On the one hand, time was of the essence, and on the other hand, various countries were embroiled in conflict, leading to a massive expansion of reserves. With large armies engaged in battle, intelligence organizations and spies focused their efforts on gathering intelligence and preventing enemy assassinations of their generals and key figures, resulting in weaker domestic control. This created an opportune moment for the three major forces of the Demonic Cult to launch their uprising.
The reason these forces all chose November 15th was to follow the Demonic Cult's custom: worshipping the sun at noon and the moon at midnight, symbolizing the restoration of light.
The Demonic Cult's ability to secretly develop its vast power stemmed from the fact that the rule of various countries on the Hua Long Continent prioritized maintaining the political, economic interests and privileges of powerful clans, neglecting the interests of the general populace. These powerful clans, officials, and gentry, comprising less than 20% of the population, controlled nearly 80% of the land and wealth, and wielded considerable special political and economic power.
Although the number of people nominally enslaved on the Hua Long Continent was only about 10%, in reality, the vast majority of ordinary people had been reduced to a status equivalent to slavery: a large number of people were dependent on large landowners as tenant farmers, and even in years of good weather and abundant harvests, after paying as much as 60-70% in rent, they only received enough food to survive; in years of famine and disaster, they often went hungry and cold, and countless people died of hunger and cold, with even the tragic case of exchanging children for food occurring! The situation of a large number of urban residents was slightly better, and many were able to do some small business to support their families, but they often encountered exorbitant taxes and levies, and their lives were still quite difficult!
This situation gave the Brightness Cult an opportunity: they spread their doctrines of brotherhood and acting on impulse among the large number of lower-class people, while putting forward tempting slogans such as "distributing land, equalizing wealth and poverty, and equalizing social status". The Radiant Cult also selectively disseminated its martial arts techniques, which were treasured by powerful families and passed down only to their members and the soldiers under their control, to its followers, thus gaining widespread support from the lower classes. This is precisely why Xu Xiaoyao, the "Amorous Young Master," easily garnered popular support when he launched his uprising in Keelung City on Treasure Island. Even without the internecine warfare between the various nations of the Hua Long Continent, a major uprising by the Radiant Cult would have been inevitable!
Xu Shaopeng, the "Jade-Faced Gentleman," was indeed a rare talent—the Yinming Sect's headquarters in Jade Dragon Mountain, except for the necessary guards, sent out tens of thousands of highly skilled core disciples, including a thousand each from the "Yinming Iron Guard," "Yinming Silver Guard," "Overlord Spear Guard," and "Demon Blade Guard." The Yinming Sect's two major legions split into several groups and within three days swept through the powerful families of Longshan Prefecture and Yushan Prefecture, south of the Jade Dragon Mountains, including Jade Dragon spies. Only a few managed to escape!
To win over the people, Xu Shaopeng, the commander of the army, and Xu Shan, the governor, announced that the vast amounts of confiscated land and property from wealthy families would be distributed to commoners and slaves, fulfilling the dream of "land to the tiller." The large sums of money confiscated would be used to expand the Bright Army. The people of both prefectures responded enthusiastically, killing wealthy families and distributing land with the support of the Bright Army… The Sima clan's rule in the two prefectures collapsed!
Within days, the Bright Army under the Yinming Sect rapidly expanded to four legions and 640,000 men, with many more newly liberated commoners and slaves eager to join. Limited by financial resources and equipment, Xu Shaopeng only sent a group of officers familiar with military training to organize and train these men into local armed forces as a reserve force.
November 19th, Hua Long Continent Calendar. After a brief period of integration and training, the Bright Army under the Yinming Sect left two divisions of the Fourth Legion, led by Tang Tianxiao, the "Overlord Spear" and sworn brother of Xu Ling ("Yinming Divine Fist"), to garrison Longshan Prefecture and Yushan Prefecture respectively. Xu Shaopeng personally led the First Legion, while Yang Shidao, the "Bloodthirsty Demon Blade," led the Second Legion and two divisions of the Fourth Legion, totaling 400,000 troops, and marched towards Yulong Prefecture, the capital of the Yulong Kingdom, Yulong City. Meanwhile, Wei Wuji, the "Blood-Floating Sword" and also a sworn brother of Xu Ling, led the Third Legion of 160,000 men to attack the neighboring Shiyan Prefecture from Longshan Prefecture to the north.
Once Shiyan City is captured and Yanmen Pass, a crucial strategic point on the route west to Jinling Prefecture in Luolan County, the hundreds of thousands of troops led by Sima An, the third prince of Luolan County, along with several newly established reserve divisions, will be unable to directly advance eastward to reinforce Yulong County. Capturing Yulong City would be tantamount to the Yinming Sect's Bright Army overthrowing the Sima Dynasty. Afterwards, the hearts of the people in all the counties under Sima's rule would belong to the Yinming Sect, making the establishment of a new kingdom a certainty! If Xu Ling, the "Yinming Divine Fist," were to further seize the position of leader of the Bright Sect and integrate the other major forces within the sect, he could then seize the opportunity to sweep across the world—this was the entire plan devised by the Jade-Faced Gentleman Xu Shaopeng!
In Jiang'an County of the Golden Dragon Kingdom, the young leader of the Black Tiger Gang, "Young Marshal" Xiong Zhan, employed almost the same strategy as Xu Shaopeng, even more ruthless policies, nearly exterminating and wiping out the powerful families in a large area of southern Jiang'an County. The Black Tiger Gang's Bright Army also quickly organized four legions totaling 640,000 men. After occupying Anqing Port on the banks of the Jade Dragon River, the Black Tiger Gang assembled a naval force of over 300 warships and 60,000 men from impoverished fishermen. "Young Marshal" Xiong Zhan personally led three legions totaling 480,000 men northward towards Longzhou City, the seat of the Jiang'an Prefect!
Jiang'an Prefecture comprised four prefectures, forming an irregular "田" (field) shape, covering an area with an average depth of approximately 700 li (about 350 kilometers) and a length of approximately 600 li (about 300 kilometers). Jiaozhou Prefecture was located in the upper left corner, Longzhou Prefecture in the upper right, and Jiqing Prefecture in the lower left and Sanchuan Prefecture in the lower right, with the mighty Jade Dragon River flowing to the south. Jiang'an Prefecture was a rare land of plenty in the Golden Dragon Kingdom, crisscrossed by numerous rivers that irrigated vast tracts of fertile land. Even excluding the hidden population, official statistics showed it supported over seven million people.
Jiang'an County, for many years, has borne nearly 40% of the tax revenue and 50% of the grain of the entire Golden Dragon Kingdom, making it an indispensable granary and treasury for the kingdom. Furthermore, with the recent large-scale expansion of the army by King Liu Cao of the Golden Dragon Kingdom in his war against the Later Tang Empire, the financial resources, provisions, and manpower diverted from Jiang'an County for logistical support have increased even further. The lower classes have long suffered immensely, and their support for the Bright Light Sect is even greater than that of Longshan Prefecture and Yushan Prefecture in the Jade Dragon Kingdom! Wherever the Sun and Moon Flag representing the Bright Light Sect and the Black Tiger Flag representing the Black Tiger Gang went, the long-simmering resentment of the populace spontaneously killed officials and opened the city gates to welcome them. Hundreds of thousands of troops marched in a grand procession, encountering almost no resistance, towards Longzhou City, the capital of Jiang'an County in the north!
Later Tang Empire, Everest County. After the Bright Army under the Shenshui Sect occupied Yueyang Prefecture and Kazan Prefecture, its methods differed greatly from those of the Yinming Sect and the Black Tiger Gang. Instead, they were largely similar to the Free Army's practices on Zhenbao Island: unconditionally releasing government slaves; releasing private slaves after their owners purchased them at market price in gold coins; forcibly seizing large tracts of land from wealthy families for a certain price, then separating urban commercial land from agricultural land, auctioning off urban land, and distributing ten acres of agricultural land free of charge to each farmer and reducing taxes to 10%...
Many of the Shenshui Sect's policies were almost identical to those of the Free Army, leading one to suspect that the Shenshui Sect was copying the Free Army's methods, or that the Free Army was secretly orchestrating the entire operation. However, according to rumors, the young sect leader of the Shenshui Sect, Leng Xiangrui, who spearheaded the uprising, was a beautiful young woman of seventeen or eighteen, completely unrelated to the Free Army. Perhaps it was her soft heart as a young woman that prevented her from causing further bloodshed!
However, Shenshuimen's policies were still a great success: not only did they gain the support of ordinary people, but even some local powerful clans secretly sided with the moderate Shenshuimen and cooperated with them. In a short period, Shenshuimen also built a large army of 480,000 men in three legions and an 80,000-strong navy mainly composed of Dongting Lake pirates, in addition to four reserve divisions of 160,000 men. Strangely, Shenshuimen did not rush to expand outwards, but instead placed hundreds of thousands of troops in Yueyang and Kazan prefectures for intensive training; their true intentions were difficult to predict…
In any case, the Yulong Kingdom encountered real trouble. The Jinlong Kingdom and the Later Tang Empire, who had initially been somewhat gloating over the Yulong Kingdom's situation and harbored ill intentions, also encountered trouble—not just ordinary trouble, but a major headache!

November 20th, Yulong Royal Court.
"My beloved ministers," said Jade Dragon King Sima Yuan, his face a mask of uncertainty, his mind unsettled. "The situation today truly threatens the very existence of our kingdom. Whatever your strategy, however far-fetched, you must offer it. I will not punish you for any of it!" The internal strife instigated by the Demonic Sect was different from a foreign invasion—no matter how powerful the enemy, with the people united in their hatred, victory, however high, is inevitable. Internal strife, however, is purely a matter of domestic affairs. If the Demonic Sect's deceptive tactics were to gain power, it would shake the very foundations of the kingdom's rule, and powerful clans, including the Sima family, would face annihilation!
"Your Majesty," Lin Yuanzhi, Minister of Revenue, said, "I believe those farmers are only rebelling because they are tempted by the immediate benefits offered by the Demonic Sect. If we can promise them benefits, we can appease them. I suggest that we issue an order to temporarily exempt the farmers from their taxes for two years to stabilize the people's hearts. Recently, the Land Law has brought in a great deal of revenue, and our financial situation has improved significantly. Exempting them from the agricultural taxes for two years should not be a problem." He was prompted by the Left Chancellor, Murong Ming, to speak first.
"Hmm, that makes sense. This plan is feasible," Sima Yuan, the Jade Dragon King, knew that he should affirm the one who first offered the suggestion, otherwise others would not dare to speak. Moreover, the Land Law, implemented for less than ten days, had, under the subtle threat, resulted in land prices being sold at 30% lower than usual. However, the proceeds from the first batch of land auctions in hundreds of towns and cities across the three prefectures amounted to a staggering 45 million gold coins, roughly equivalent to the Jade Dragon Kingdom's annual tax revenue. The farmers' taxes accounted for less than 30% of the kingdom's total tax revenue, less than 12 million gold coins. In this critical moment, the availability of this money was irrelevant.
Ironically, this method of raising funds through land auctions benefited from the Free Army's influence; the "Jade Dragon Land Decree" was essentially a copy of the Free Army's "Land Decree"! It also benefited from the influence of the Nangong family—King Sima Yuan of Jade Dragon, already aware of the Nangong family's close ties with the Free Army, had considered confiscating their vast assets under Sima's rule, even at the cost of a falling out with them. Unexpectedly, during the land auction, the Nangong family, closely allied with the Free Alliance, became the most generous buyer, spending a total of six million gold coins to purchase land in many prefectures and towns across the three counties currently under Sima's control, including Jade Dragon City!
Given the Nangong family's reputation for never making a loss, this spurred a large influx of merchants and even wealthy families to purchase land at the auction, enabling Sima to successfully raise a substantial amount of gold coins. Although he didn't know the Nangong family's intentions, Sima Yuan had no reason to deal with them. If he were to target such a generous and wealthy family, the merchants and tycoons in the several prefectures under Sima's rule would likely flee openly and secretly, withdrawing all their funds. The blow to the Yulong Kingdom's finances would be no less than the annihilation of several legions! Even if he won the battle temporarily, the Yulong Dynasty established by Sima would not be far from its collapse!
"Your Majesty, I believe that Minister Lin's words only address the symptoms, not the root cause, and do not address the core issue—how to deal with the Demonic Sect's overwhelming attack?" Sima Cheng said, "The 160,000-strong Bright Army is already at the gates of Shiyan City. Although two reserve divisions have been urgently deployed to Shiyan City, they have only been trained for a few days and are probably no match for the fearless Yinming Demonic Army. It remains to be seen how long they can hold out. The main force of the Yinming Demonic Army, 400,000 strong, is only 120 li from our capital. Currently, there are only 240,000 troops in the city, including the Imperial Guard Division, the First Division, and the Imperial Guard. It will be extremely difficult to defend the outer city walls, which are nearly 30 li long on each side, and to prevent the Demonic Army from making a major breakthrough."
"Isn't there still 80,000 guards in the city?" Sima Yuan asked with some surprise.
"Your Majesty, I dare not include the guards, spies, and imperial guards in the garrison," Sima Cheng continued. "The Demonic Cult is omnipresent. Jade Dragon City originally had over 1.3 million inhabitants, and recently many refugees have fled in. It's difficult to discern how many have been misled by the Demonic Cult and how many are spies. Even with 80,000 guards and spies monitoring the city to prevent internal cult collusion, it might be difficult. Moreover, sending the guards into battle is questionable in terms of their combat effectiveness."
"What good plan does Your Majesty have? Is it really necessary to issue an emergency conscription order to solve the problem?" Sima Yuan became somewhat anxious!—He had originally thought that with over 200,000 men stationed in Jade Dragon City, plus a large number of highly skilled Jade Dragon spies and imperial guards, it wouldn't be so easy for the Demonic Cult to conquer such a large city. Once the three reserve divisions from Wuling County arrived, the safety of Jade Dragon City would be basically guaranteed. But now it seems there are serious problems!

Volume 7, Chapter 117: Petty Men Ruin the Nation. In
the Hua Long Continent, all countries employ conscription, with enlistment generally voluntary, drawn by the good benefits and the promise of future generations. The "emergency conscription order" mentioned by Jade Dragon King Sima Yuan is a forced order issued under duress, conscripting civilians with some fighting ability and the ability to wield weapons into battle. Its advantage is the rapid mobilization of a large force, requiring only a weapon to be deployed; its disadvantage is the forced use of untrained civilians in human wave tactics against trained enemy troops, often resulting in a casualty ratio of five to one or even higher, easily alienating the people. If the populace refuses to die and turns against the government, the "emergency conscription order" could become their own death warrant, hence it is only used as a last resort!
"That won't be necessary. I believe there are two other sources of manpower available: First, the princes' residences, collateral branches, and officials of all ranks within our clan all possess a considerable number of private guards, many of whom are highly skilled. In this time of national crisis, they should all work together to overcome this difficulty. At least 80% of them should be dispatched under the unified command of the Ministry of War to participate in the defense of the city. My own residence has 3,000 guards; I would like to send 2,700, leaving only 300 to guard against petty thieves. This should provide at least 50,000 private soldiers for the entire city." Sima Cheng continued, "Second, the various martial arts sects within Jade Dragon City..." "Even the most prestigious sects like the Daoist sect, who have always been mortal enemies of the Demonic Sect and have a long-standing feud, will do their utmost to help if granted permission by royal decree to defend the city walls. Otherwise, the day the city falls will be the day these sects are annihilated. Your Majesty estimates that we can obtain over ten thousand men. Although the number is relatively small, they are all martial arts masters from various sects, each capable of taking on ten or even a hundred men. With these sixty thousand men, plus the elite Imperial Guards and the Royal Guards, totaling over three hundred thousand, even if the Demonic Army is powerful and has internal threats, your Majesty is absolutely confident that we can hold out until reinforcements arrive."
"Good! Good! Everything will be as Brother Cheng says!" Sima Yuan laughed heartily, "You truly are my brother! With Brother Cheng's loyal protection of the country, we have nothing to fear even if the sky falls! When I ascend the throne and become emperor, I will certainly grant Brother Cheng a fiefdom and make him a hereditary king." In his joy, Sima Yuan forgot himself and even forgot to address himself as "I, the Lonely One."
"Your Majesty, I am terrified and dare not harbor such a presumptuous thought..." Sima Cheng hurriedly knelt down—his third brother was extremely suspicious, often intentionally or unintentionally testing his subjects for any disloyalty, and even he, whom his brother always trusted most, dared not be careless in the slightest. Born into an imperial family, in times of power struggles, brotherly affection was so fragile, especially the scene of his third brother meticulously plotting and silently causing the deaths of his eldest and second brothers during the struggle for the throne, a scene that often lingered in his mind. Moreover...
no one noticed the complex look that flashed in the eyes of "Duke Protector of the State" Sima Cheng as he knelt down...
*********
Jiang'an County, Longzhou City, Golden Dragon King's Palace.
Golden Dragon King Liu Cao would come to Longzhou City, the capital of Jiang'an County, for inspection almost every year, staying at the palace for half a month.
The climate of Jiang'an Prefecture was worlds apart from that of Shengjing, the capital of the Golden Dragon Kingdom, a place of frigid cold and sandstorms! The beauties of Jiang'an Prefecture possessed skin as smooth as jade, gentle temperaments, and captivating figures, far surpassing the rough skin and calloused hands and feet of the women in the vast, wind-swept northwest wilderness. The Golden Dragon King lingered there, captivated by their charm. The advantages of Jiang'an Prefecture alone, for personal enjoyment, could be discussed for three days and three nights, not to mention its crucial role in the finances and provisions of the entire Golden Dragon Kingdom.
Before the Black Tiger Gang's uprising, the Golden Dragon Kingdom was in a much better position, far superior to the Jade Dragon Kingdom. Although Emperor Liu Piaoxu of the Later Tang Dynasty employed the renowned general Dongfang Bai, employing a strategy of attrition warfare to halt the Golden Dragon army's advance, King Liu Cao of the Golden Dragon Kingdom, after adjusting his troop deployment, incorporated most of the southwestern prefectures and half of the northwestern prefectures of the Later Tang Empire into his territory.
Working closely with the military, the Golden Dragon spies swiftly and decisively eliminated all forces loyal to the Later Tang Empire in the newly occupied territories. Even the renowned Blood-Clad Guards of the Later Tang Empire could not gain a foothold within the Golden Dragon Army's control! In the initial days, assassinations against Golden Dragon Army patrols and dispatched officials were rampant in the newly occupied southwestern and northwestern prefectures. However, within a few days, as the Blood-Clad Guards and slightly stronger local powerful families and larger resistance forces were either annihilated or forced into clandestine operations, the situation in the newly occupied territories was quickly brought under effective control.
Liu Cao adopted a strategy of both hard and soft tactics towards the newly incorporated areas and people: ruthlessly suppressing those who opposed him; offering generous rewards to those who cooperated; and providing more lenient policies to ordinary people than those of the Later Tang Empire… As long as the Golden Dragon Kingdom did not suffer defeats and held its ground, it would not be difficult to gain popular support in time, truly bringing this one and a half prefectures and more than ten million people under the complete rule of the Golden Dragon Kingdom.
At this critical juncture, the Black Tiger Gang of the Demonic Cult wreaked havoc in Jiang'an County, essentially stabbing the tiger in the backside. The vast majority of Golden Dragon King Liu Cao's million-strong army was engaged in a standoff with the Central Army, Northwest Army, and Imperial Guard of the Later Tang Empire in the Southwest and Northwest Counties. At this time, Longzhou Prefecture only had a newly established reserve division and 40,000 Imperial Guards, totaling only 80,000 men. Facing the overwhelming force of the Black Tiger Gang's 480,000-strong Bright Army, no matter how strong the Imperial Guards were, the disparity in numbers was too great; they would be exhausted to death! Moreover, the Demonic Cult members were renowned throughout the continent for their martial arts prowess and their fearlessness.
"Where is Liu Quan's Wanghai Army?" Liu Cao was fifty-five years old, seven feet tall, with a majestic physique, a square, purple face, and long, beardless hair. Due to his long-term practice of the Liu family's "Emperor's Manual," his entire body was enveloped in a faint purple aura, radiating the domineering aura of an emperor.
"Your Majesty! The navy is ordered to proceed day and night towards Longzhou, less than sixty li from here. The vanguard of 40,000 cavalry is expected to arrive in an hour." The speaker was Prime Minister Zhuge Ming, the head of the Zhuge family, the largest family in the Golden Dragon Kingdom besides the royal Liu family.
The Zhuge family's rise to power began fifty years ago when the extraordinary Zhuge Mou assisted Liu Cao's grandfather, Liu Bi, who rose from humble beginnings. Before the great Emperor Liu Suifeng unified the Hua Long continent, the Zhuge family waged wars east and west, employing countless ingenious strategies to conquer cities and territories, establishing the Later Han regime amidst the chaos. Later, due to Liu Suifeng's overwhelming power and the full support of the Sword Inquiry Pavilion, Liu Bi was forced to submit to Liu Suifeng, being granted the title of Golden Dragon King and ordered to guard Ganlan County in the northwest, preventing the Ouba people from crossing the desert and attacking Ganlan Fortress, thus drawing the flames of war into the heart of Hua Long.
Liu Bi originally intended to bestow upon Zhuge Mou the title of Duke of Dingguo, but Zhuge Mou firmly declined, accepting only the title of "Marquis Wu." The Zhuge family inherited the title of "Marquis Wu," holding the position of Prime Minister for decades, truly the pillars of the Golden Dragon Kingdom.
Over the decades, as Liu Suifeng's descendants gradually lost control of the Hua Long Continent, the imperial power waned, and the Golden Dragon King's influence began to expand outwards, openly or covertly, from Ganlan County. Until ten years ago, when the "Five Kings Divided Tang," the Golden Dragon King Liu Cao, with the assistance of Prime Minister Zhuge Ming, seized control of the eight counties of the present-day Golden Dragon Kingdom, ultimately establishing the vast Golden Dragon Kingdom of today.
The "world-shaking conspiracy" orchestrated by the Golden Dragon Kingdom and the Jade Dragon Kingdom, which seized a vast territory of one and a half prefectures of the Later Tang Empire, owed much of its success to Zhuge Ming's planning!
"Prime Minister, the situation in Jiang'an Prefecture was entirely resolved thanks to your leadership." King Liu Cao of the Golden Dragon Kingdom had unquestionable trust in the Zhuge family: without the Zhuge family, the Liu family would not be where it is today. These two families, along with the other three major families of the Golden Dragon Kingdom—the Guan, Zhang, and Zhao families—had fought side-by-side in the past, and now formed intricate kinship ties, jointly supporting the Golden Dragon Dynasty. In fact, in terms of upper-level rule alone, the Golden Dragon Dynasty was more stable than any other nation!
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly protect Longzhou City." Zhuge Ming appeared utterly confident. With the assistance of the 160,000-strong Wanghai Army, although he only had 240,000 men at his disposal, he could still defend the 800,000-strong Longzhou City as if it were an impregnable fortress. Once the situation in the Southwest and Northwest prefectures stabilizes, the army can be freed up to deal with the internal strife in Jiang'an Prefecture, which can naturally be quelled. The military strategies passed down through the Zhuge family are not to be underestimated; how could a group of peasants who have just taken up arms compare?
However, at this crucial moment, the army confronting the Later Tang Empire on the eastern front dared not be mobilized too much. As the saying goes, "Strike while the iron is hot." If too many troops were diverted to defend against a Later Tang counterattack, the renowned general Dongfang Bai would not let go of such a golden opportunity for a counter-offensive!
"I trust the Prime Minister's plans. The matter of Jiang'an Prefecture will be handled entirely by the Prime Minister. Anyone below the rank of legion commander who disagrees may be executed first and reported later." Although he had not yet proclaimed himself emperor, the Golden Dragon King Liu Cao still preferred to call himself "Guaren" (寡人, meaning "I, the lonely one") and liked to hear his ministers address him as "Your Majesty" (陛下, meaning "Your Majesty"). According to the Hua Long etiquette, there was only one emperor on the entire continent who could call himself "Guaren," unless he intended to provoke the nominal Later Tang emperor, Liu Piaoxu! No one dared to question Liu Cao's overstepping of etiquette in addressing him, unless someone was courting death—on this point, Jade Dragon King Sima Yuan, Great Liang King Zhu Wen, and New Song King Zhao Gou all shared a common interest. These four kings, wielding vast armies and controlling tens of millions of people, who would genuinely submit to Liu Piaoxu, the nominal emperor of the Later Tang Empire?
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhuge Ming respectfully replied, watching the hasty departure of Golden Dragon King Liu Cao. Liu Cao, who claimed to be "ill," must be rushing to meet his new favorite beauty, Gongsun Yuji.
At this critical juncture, the Golden Dragon King still had the mind to favor a beauty—Zhuge Ming couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly; this amorous prince always had this inclination.
However, on the other hand, this also fully demonstrated the Golden Dragon King's loyalty and trust in Zhuge Ming's abilities—if they couldn't share the emperor's burdens, what were these ministers for?

Central Prefecture of the Great Liang Kingdom, the capital city of Yajing, the Hongde Palace.
"Gentlemen, those with matters to report, may you adjourn the court." Zhu Wen, the Prince of Liang, yawned, appearing sleep-deprived and listless. The entire country knew that since taking the favored concubine Cheng Yuanyuan, presented by the eunuch Gao Zhongxian, a year ago, Zhu Wen had often been like this, sometimes even skipping the morning court. Many affairs were handled by eunuchs led by the Grand Eunuch Gao Zhongxian, and some officials wouldn't even see Zhu Wen for ten days or half a month.
"Your Majesty," Yu Chenglong, Minister of War, stepped forward and reported, "after the Japanese army of 400,000 occupied Fuzhou Port, they are rapidly advancing into the heart of Wuyi County, and have now occupied the entire Fuqing Prefecture. The Wuyi Third Division stationed in Fuqing City, along with 80,000 righteous civilians, have all perished. Reports indicate that the Japanese army is still reinforcing its troops; this attack is far more ferocious than the usual raids by ronin. I believe we should make thorough preparations as soon as possible."
The Wuyi Commandery of the Great Liang Dynasty comprised four prefectures: Fuqing Prefecture, bordering the New Song Dynasty by the sea; Yong'an Prefecture, to the north, bordering the Lishui River; Yongding Prefecture, west of Yong'an Prefecture; Fu'an Prefecture, west of Fuqing Prefecture; and further east, the territory of the Central Commandery.
"Minister Gao, wasn't it said that it was merely a few tens of thousands of ronin landing and harassing us?" Zhu Wen, the King of Great Liang, asked the Grand Eunuch Gao Zhongxian with some doubt. These past few days, he had only heard good news about Long Feiyang's successful "reversal" plan, which had driven the Qiu family into a corner, and the imminent recapture of Yunyuan and Nanhai Commanderies. As for the Japanese clowns, they had always only been able to harass with ronin raids, which, while annoying, had never truly taken Zhu Wen, the King of Great Liang, seriously.
"Your Majesty! I only received the news today that Fuzhou Port has been occupied by the Japanese army. However, Lord Yu is exaggerating. How could those Japanese clowns possibly stand against the elite troops of our Great Liang? Didn't Lord Yu already dispatch two divisions of the Imperial Guard?" Gao Zhongxian glared fiercely at the upright Yu Chenglong. Of all the civil and military officials, only a handful, led by Yu Chenglong, dared to oppose him. Yu Chenglong was always loyal to the country, and even Zhu Wen, the King of Great Liang, knew he couldn't do without such a pillar of the state, and despite repeated slander, he couldn't touch him.
"Indeed! The Japanese army numbers 400,000; my 300,000 elite Great Liang troops should be enough to annihilate them all, right?" Zhu Wen finished speaking and yawned again. He knew Gao Zhongxian's habit of reporting only good news and not bad, but he had no intention of punishing him for it. Of all the officials in the court, only Gao Zhongxian understood how to read his mind, finding ways to please him and win his favor. The emperor couldn't function without him.
"Your Majesty! While Wuyi Commandery is temporarily safe, our Central Army is far west of the Yulong River. Most of the Imperial Guards have been transferred, and the Wuyi Navy has been destroyed. I fear the Japanese will launch a large-scale invasion from the Central Commandery, threatening the capital!" Seeing Zhu Wen's apparent indifference, Yu Chenglong hurriedly pleaded, "Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty's permission to immediately establish at least two naval divisions in the Central Commandery, and to expand the army..."
"Ah!..." Zhu Wen yawned inelegantly, interrupting Yu Chenglong, "The Japanese are a tiny country. Not long ago, over 200,000 of their men were annihilated at Zhenbao Island. How could they possibly launch a two-front attack? Minister Yu, there's no need to discuss expanding the army. Court adjourned!" Hearing about expanding the army, Zhu Wen thought of the gold coins flowing out of his treasury recently, and felt a pang of heartache. Expanding the navy would cost far more than expanding the army!
"Court adjourned!" Gao Zhongxian's shrill, unpleasant, and androgynous voice rang out in the hall.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!—" Yu Chenglong cried out anxiously, but received no response from Zhu Wen. Helplessly, he watched Zhu Wen leave accompanied by the eunuch Gao, and sighed inwardly, "A villain ruins the country..."

Volume VII, Chapter 118: Military Reform.
Just as the miserly King Zhu Wen of Liang was reluctant to spend his gold coins on expanding his army, a seemingly ignorant figure in Changlong City—Hua Yinghong—proposed a new plan that would cost a fortune: military reform.
The resounding success of the first half of the "Phoenix Rising from the Ashes" plan propelled the Free Army and Hua Yinghong's prestige to unprecedented heights! Almost no one was willing to consider whether the Free Army would be defeated—facing the combined forces of the Sima, Qiu, and Ding clans, the Free Army, at the cost of only over 50,000 casualties, with only over 30,000 truly killed in action, not only captured the two important cities of Changlong City and Tenglong Port, but also annihilated 80,000 of the Sima clan's Jade Dragon Army, nearly 100,000 of the Qiu clan's Jade Dragon Army, and 60,000 of the Ding clan's Jade Dragon Army, capturing over 70,000 prisoners. Although many of the three clans' allied forces were reserves, the near one-to-five ratio still demonstrated that the Free Army's brilliant achievements, relying on superior weaponry, unorthodox tactics, and skillful use of the situation, left no room for doubt!
The rumor of "The Sea Dragon bows three times, the king returns" was intentionally or unintentionally spread throughout the Hualong Continent, and the image of the Free Army as a kingly army had been established among many mainland citizens. After the Bright Demonic Cult launched its uprising in Yulong County on the 15th, large numbers of people from Yulong County migrated daily to the neighboring Tianshui Prefecture. Although the Ding family occupied the northern part of Dongguan Prefecture, a large number of people fled westward from Ding's control into Tianshui Prefecture. Despite Changlong Prefecture being the Qiu family's stronghold, a large number of people still fled south and east into the Free Army's controlled area. Although Maoming Prefecture was recaptured by Long Feiyang, a large number of people from towns and villages migrated southward to the Free Army's controlled area in Qingyuan Prefecture... Everyone believed that the Free Army's new territory would become a "paradise on earth" like Zhenbao Island!
The Sima, Ding, Qiu, and Long Feiyang were too busy to stop the flow of refugees, nor did they dare to. After all, the Free Army was watching them closely, and if they took forceful measures to stop the refugees, they would lose even more popular support—if they could not protect the people and provide them with a peaceful and prosperous life, coercive measures would only backfire and sow their own seeds of disaster!
For more than four days, Liu Ju's father had been extremely busy. Aside from her passionate encounter with Hua Yinghong on the first night, she spent the vast majority of her time dealing with numerous internal affairs, resting only for two hours each day. The nearly 30,000 internal affairs personnel brought from Zhenbao Island also worked almost non-stop, quickly establishing the framework of the internal affairs department centered on Changlong City. Fortunately, with the assistance of the Nangong family, the shipping guild, and other forces, things quickly got on track. The more than one million refugees who had poured into the controlled area were also properly resettled, and hundreds of thousands boarded transport ships directly towards the long-awaited "paradise on earth," Zhenbao Island—the severe shortage of manpower in all sectors of Zhenbao Island would be greatly alleviated!
Following the Battle of Qingshui Ridge, Hua Yinghong temporarily ceased military operations: over 300,000 Free Army troops were stationed in various locations within the newly occupied territories: Tianshui Prefecture was defended by Lin Zhi's Second Division and Zhang Qunfeng's Fifth Division, with the assistance of Wanmei Manor, and should be undaunted by attacks from any direction; the Free Army's defensive line in Dongguan Prefecture was pushed north to the Pumpkin Hill line, defended by Liu Litao's Third Division and Pang Yi's Fourth Division, equipped with a large number of "Dragon Blood Bullets" and long-range weapons, in addition to the Tianshui Prefecture garrison to the west With flanking support, they were temporarily unfazed by the southward advance of the Ding family's Jianghan Army from Shilong Town. However, Changlong City, being the Qiu family's long-established stronghold and only about thirty li from Baiyang City, posed a risk of being overwhelmed by a counterattack from within, especially if the Qiu family launched a major offensive from Baiyang City. Therefore, Ye Zhiqi's First Division, Qin Zhong's Sixth Division, and Feng Yanran's Fire Phoenix Division were all stationed there. Tenglong Port was garrisoned by Hai Tianqing's navy and reserve divisions, as well as Mu Shanzhu's reserve division, making the Free Army's entire defensive line relatively solid. However, this dispersed force also temporarily deprived them of the initiative to launch attacks at any time.
Hua Yinghong was not in a hurry. As the saying goes, "A weak foundation leads to instability." One must take things one step at a time; excessive expansion would not be beneficial to the Free Army. Based on the performance of the Bright Army under the three major forces of the Demonic Sect in the past few days, he was almost certain that the Black Tiger Gang, which was rushing headlong into Longzhou, would be the first to suffer a defeat. The consequences of "Jade-Faced Gentleman" Xu Shaopeng's strategy were still unpredictable. What was most terrifying, and what interested him most, were the various actions of the Divine Water Sect. He had already instructed Mo Yan's Military Intelligence Division, Peach Blossom Palace, and the Nangong Family to gather intelligence on the Divine Water Sect and its young master, Leng Xiangrui—perhaps there would be unexpected gains.
Hua Yinghong was indeed impressed by Lü Jingwei's efficiency: originally, he had requested that five reserve divisions, totaling 200,000 men, be delivered by the 20th, but unexpectedly, on the evening of the 19th, a large number of transport ships delivered the first batch of seven reserve divisions, totaling 280,000 men, to Tenglong Port and Longtan Town as requested. Almost every one of these reserve soldiers had practiced the widely circulated basic techniques of the Heaven and Earth Technique, the Void-Breaking Technique, and the Blazing Sun Technique. Influenced by the increasingly popular martial arts culture on Treasure Island, everyone had a solid foundation in martial arts. With military training and the tempering of war, they would become an invincible army in time! After replenishing the losses of each division, Hua Yinghong still commanded a mobile force of 240,000 men, which was extremely advantageous for him to implement his next plan.
"The main topic today is military reform. Please let Military Advisor Ji introduce it to everyone." Hua Yinghong looked at the generals in the hall. Except for Miao Youlan, who was busy taking over the affairs of Wanmei Manor, and Lü Jingwei, who was absent from Zhenbao Island, the main figures of the Free Alliance's internal affairs department and the generals above the division commander level of the Free Army were all present.
"According to the Legion Commander's plan, our army will undergo reorganization and reform. The plan is as follows: the army will be expanded into three major legions, each legion comprising four divisions of 160,000 men; the navy will be expanded into a reorganized legion of 160,000 men; additionally, a special operations independent division and a cavalry independent division will be established, and four reserve divisions will be recruited..." Ji Wumou threw out the Free Army's reorganization plan in one breath, and after a slight pause, said, "The difference from before is that the Free Army will implement a rank system."
"What is a rank system?" Ba Tian was always the first student to ask questions about new things, but he had also made a lot of jokes because of it.
"Simply put, the rank system ensures that everyone in the Free Army receives a corresponding rank. There are eleven ranks in total: private, squad leader, sergeant, platoon leader, senior sergeant, and so on upwards as second lieutenant, first lieutenant, captain, major general, lieutenant general, general, and finally marshal." Hua Yinghong combined the modern military rank system with the Hualong Continental Army system to create this somewhat incongruous yet undeniably significant rank system. He explained, "Rank is the foundation for the treatment of Free Army soldiers and the most basic reference when taking office. The benefits are too numerous to explain at once; you'll all experience them gradually."
"Now I announce the appointments of officers of the rank of division commander and above: Our army establishes an army group headquarters, with Ji Wumou as military advisor, holding the rank of lieutenant general; Hai Tianqing is appointed naval corps commander, holding the rank of general; Yun Shalang is appointed deputy naval corps commander and commander of the 1st Division, holding the rank of lieutenant general…; Ye Zhiqi is appointed commander of the 1st Army Corps, with Liu Litao as deputy, holding the rank of lieutenant general; Lin Zhi is appointed commander of the 2nd Army Corps, with Pang Yi as deputy, holding the rank of lieutenant general; Feng Yanran is appointed commander of the 3rd Army Corps, with Zhang Qunfeng as deputy, holding the rank of lieutenant general; Ba Tian is appointed commander of the Special Operations Division, holding the rank of lieutenant general; Chang Shengqiu is appointed commander of the Independent Cavalry Division." Major General rank; Qin Zhong, Mu Shanzhu, Li Tianhao, Gao Baisheng, Yang Rongbin, Cui Zhongxiu, Wei Buqun, Ye Shouxin, Lu Dafu, Gu Tianfang, and Qu Qingbo were appointed as commanders of the 1st to 11th Army Divisions respectively; the Fire Phoenix Division was the 12th Division, commanded by Zhao Qingsi; Xiao Zhanfeng, Mei Jian, Yuan Sitong, and Linghu Yong were appointed as commanders of the 1st to 4th Reserve Divisions, all with the rank of Major General; the newly recruited reserve divisions were temporarily left to defend the island. Deputy division commanders and lower-ranking military officers were jointly selected and appointed by the respective corps and division commanders, and reported to headquarters for record-keeping…”
“And what about you, Big Brother?” Ba Tian asked, somewhat dizzy, after hearing the long list of names, but notably missing his eldest brother Hua Yinghong’s.
“Second Brother, your brain must be filled with mush. Big Brother is naturally a Marshal.” Ye Zhi Qiu, having gained Hua Yinghong’s approval in the landing battle and the annihilation of the Jinghai Army at Qingshui Ridge, held the high position of First Corps Commander and was riding high, unable to resist teasing Ba Tian again.
"Hahaha..." All the generals had been promoted, and the Free Army was in a very good position. Seeing Ba Tian in a bad mood, they burst into laughter.
"Ye Laosan, don't be so smug. You're a lieutenant general, and so am I. If you piss me off, I'll still beat you up!" Ba Tian raised his fist, as big as a bowl, and roared with wide eyes. In the Special Forces, he believed that whoever had the strongest fist was the boss. Although Ye Zhi Qiu's martial arts had greatly improved, he was still no match for Ba Tian. When the two brothers sparred, Ye Zhi Qiu's swordsmanship was agile, and in terms of moves, Ba Tian couldn't even come close. However, Ba Tian was single-minded and only used the "Three Forms of Breaking the Sky" a few moves, using the same moves to deal with all changes, which left Ye Zhi Qiu with no chance. If Ba Tian had relied on his thick skin and tough body, using his brute force to exchange moves with moves, Ye Zhi Qiu would have been the one to suffer.
"Alright! Batian, Zhiqiu, stop fooling around." Hua Yinghong knew that his two sworn brothers would bicker endlessly, still childish at heart. He continued, "All units must complete their reorganization and troop rotation within four days. The Second Army Corps will be stationed in Tianshui Prefecture, the First Army Corps in Dongguan Prefecture, the Third Army Corps, the Special Operations Division, and the Independent Cavalry Division in Changlong City, and the Naval Army Corps in Tenglong Port. Focus on training your soldiers. Remember the saying: the more sweat you shed in peacetime, the less blood you bleed in wartime, and the more lives you save."
"Four days? That's so tight. Are we going to join forces with the Liang army to completely defeat the Qiu family?" Hai Tianqing sensed something was amiss, as if another major battle was imminent, and asked with some surprise. Of course, given the Free Army's consistently efficient style and excellent basic skills, adjusting defense zones and expanding the existing forces with reserves within four days shouldn't be a major problem.
"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed." Hua Yinghong sneered inwardly—to expect the renowned general Long Feiyang, who had reversed the situation, to obediently cede Yunyuan County and Nanhai County was wishful thinking. Conditions that are too tempting are not conditions at all. Who will have the last laugh? Only time will tell!
"Then when will we start another war?" Ba Tian was a battle maniac who couldn't stand a fight for three days without it; as long as there was a battle, anything was negotiable.
"Ba Tian, sharpening your axe won't delay your work. Don't rush, there are plenty of big battles to fight." Hua Yinghong said leisurely, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Brother, every time you smile like that, I know someone is going to be unlucky, and definitely very unlucky! Luckily, it won't be me." Besides Hua Yinghong's few confidantes, Ba Tian was the one most familiar with Hua Yinghong's temperament and style, and spoke frankly.
"Hahaha..." The hall erupted in laughter again. The glorious victory, the bright future, and the simple-minded and lively Ba Tian made it hard not to laugh...

Hundred Sheep City, Qiu Family.
"Father, Hao Yu is incompetent. One miscalculation has plunged the family into danger." Qiu Hao Yu said to a screen, as if talking to himself.
"Haoyu, don't blame yourself. It's not that you're incompetent, but that your opponent is too shrewd." A slightly aged voice came from behind the screen. "That boy, Shuiba, was too impulsive."
"I have relieved Shuiba of his position as commander of the legion, but he will remain as commander of the First Division. Shuiba is brave but lacks strategy; he is only suitable as a general charging into battle, not as a strategist." Qiu Haoyu said respectfully, "The situation is critical. I wonder if we should use..."
"I know you want to request the Ten Thousand Miles of Sorrowful Wind Token." A voice from behind the screen said, "Gambling the fate of your family's generations on a moment's luck is not something a wise person would do. When it's time to let go, let go. This Ten Thousand Miles of Sorrowful Wind Token should not be issued lightly."
"However, my Baiyang City still has nearly 300,000 troops, and Shuibo still has nearly 500,000 troops controlling Zhanjiang and Baijiang prefectures. Our family still has a large amount of untapped potential," Qiu Haoyu argued. "The entire Free Army, including the newly recruited reservists, has only about 800,000 men, and currently only about 600,000 have landed on the mainland. As long as we join forces with the Ding family to annihilate Long Feiyang and Shangguan Yunfei's hundreds of thousands of Liang troops and control Yunyuan and Nanhai prefectures, our family still has a great deal to achieve. Moreover, our family still has a large number of experts that we have cultivated over the years that have not been seriously injured. It would be truly unacceptable to give up now."
"I know you're unwilling," the voice behind the screen said. "Very well, take the Ten Thousand Miles of Sorrowful Wind Token. You will pass the position of family head to Shui Bo, relinquish your positions as Shui Ba and Shui Liu, and train with me along with Shui Ling. From now on, all major matters of our clan, including whether and when to use the Ten Thousand Miles of Sorrowful Wind Token, will be decided by Shui Bo."
A dark, unremarkable black iron token, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, suddenly hovered silently three feet in front of Qiu Haoyu, completely still!
"Yes!" Qiu Haoyu respectfully accepted the Ten Thousand Miles of Sorrowful Wind Token, representing the supreme power of the clan, with both hands. He knew he had stepped down from the leading role on the stage of dominating the world. Fortunately, Qiu Shui Bo was also his chosen successor. Perhaps in his hands, the Qiu clan would continue its glory, or even surpass it!
"Tell Shuibo, if things are impossible, don't force it. Never lightly use the family's forbidden power. Otherwise, even if you succeed temporarily, it will ultimately lead to the extermination of the entire clan." The voice behind the screen seemed to be a soliloquy, sighing, "I, Qiu Wanli, have dominated my entire life, only to be defeated once by Guan Shanyue. Though Guan Shanyue has flown away, Lang Qingyun remains, and a new generation surpasses the old..."
"Yes!" Qiu Haoyu's back was soaked with cold sweat—in a moment of crisis, he had even considered using the many experts in his family who had reached the Saint rank to assassinate the terrifying Free Son Hua Yinghong! But if violating the "unspoken rules" angered the undefeated legend of the martial world, the "Sword God" Lang Qingyun, coupled with the power of the Sword Inquiry Pavilion, the extermination of the Qiu clan might not be far off...

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