Chapter 556: War Begins

Chapter 556: War Begins

Chapter 556: War Begins (Total 9K, +1 chapter)
Dongyang City in the night.

There was a curfew in the city, and every household kept their doors and windows closed. As usual, soldiers from the Dongyang Guard were patrolling the streets, and everything was safe and sound. The biggest problem was a headless corpse outside the palace.

Inside the mansion, Jiang He listened to the prompt tone.

[Tip: Main quest ① has been released]
[Mission Name: Tiger and Wolf Division]
[Mission requirements: Recapture Dengfeng City]
[Task Introduction: Qingzhou in the northeast of Southern Liang includes the three counties of Donglai near the sea, Dongyang in the center, and Gaomi in the hinterland. Dengfeng City is a key pass to resist the Northern Wei in the north. Everything has its destiny. The surrender of the Dengfeng general led the Tiange Army stationed in Licheng of the Northern Wei to move south. They have already captured Dengfeng and are expected to attack Dongyangzhou City and then capture the entire Qingzhou.]
[Task time limit: 30 natural days]
[Task Penalty: None]
[Quest Reward: Immortal Level Skill Upgrade Scroll*1 (Hunter Partners get Epic Level)]
[Note: The Tian Ge army has 30,000 infantry and cavalry, and has gathered 20,000 infantrymen from the surrendered army, with an estimated total of more than 50,000 people. They are full of experts and have a strong military force]
In Chengyun Hall, Jiang He contacted Lao Hei.

"What is the total number of troops in the palace?"

"Fifteen hundred people."

Taking the emperor's mood into consideration, the princes' ceremonial guards usually would not be assigned elite warriors who have been through many battles. As for safety, the elders of Xuanjin Villa are responsible for it, so at least it won't be difficult to keep a few people safe.

"Wuhe, come back for a moment."

"clear."

Jiang He did not stand up. He was very clear about King Yong's identity and that he was not qualified to lead the war. Especially before the news reached him, the commanders of the various garrisons in Qingzhou would not obey his orders as long as they wanted to live. After all, being able to command a garrison meant they could rebel across the board.

The Southern Liang Dynasty always maintained a policy of high pressure and generous salaries for the royal family and princes, and took a series of negative measures, including restricting entry into the capital, restricting leaving the county, prohibiting them from commanding troops, and requiring the emperor to arrange marriages, all because of one thing.

——The vassal princes have some legitimacy to become emperors, especially those who are directly descended from them.

After just a quarter of an hour, the golden light returned.

Wuhe stood on someone's shoulder skillfully.

"Boss, the Tiange Army's vanguard will arrive by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"hold on."

Jiang He casually flipped through two books of immortal martial arts.

……

The night was deep and the streets were dark.

"The sky is dry and everything is dry, be careful about the fire."

Two night watchmen were walking in pairs on the street, holding gongs. When they passed by the palace, the old night watchman caught sight of a headless corpse on the side of the road. He was so frightened that he jumped to his feet and his hair stood on end.

"puppet!?"

"It's a real person!"

The young night watchman bravely took a few steps closer, but the stench emanating from the headless corpse made him step back repeatedly.

The two night watchmen looked at each other in bewilderment. They had to strike the gong at night and basically slept during the day, so they had no idea about the "unsolved case" that the neighbors were talking about.

"What should I do?" The young night watchman was at a loss, he had no idea. Collecting the body was a great favor, and according to custom he could receive a generous reward from the family, but the location was in front of the palace, and the government didn't care, so who knew what the connection was.

In the darkness all around, Pei family didn't even send a spy. The eldest son of Pei family died gloriously protecting the emperor. The headless corpse thrown out by the palace was certainly not Pei Weidao. The two were completely unrelated. Pei family's face remained spotless.

The old night watchman stamped his feet, his eyes flickering.

"Death is the greatest thing. I'll take care of it. I'm old now anyway. I just hope someone will collect my body for me in the future."

The young night watchman looked at the old man with some admiration in his eyes.

A man of courage can do what others cannot do.

The old night watchman turned around and said, "You can't leave him here to stink. I'll carry him away. Be careful tonight."

"Go ahead, I will never mention it again." The young night watchman patted his chest and said resolutely.

The two of them split up.

The old night watchman carried the headless body away with great effort, while the young night watchman continued to beat the gong.

"It's dry and dry, be careful with the candles!"

In the darkness of night, a crow dimmed the golden light and flew out of the palace.

……

West of the city, Ronghuafang.

The old night watchman carried the corpse, skillfully avoiding the patrolling soldiers all the way, and came to the back street of the mansion.

He put the body down, then knocked on the door, three short knocks and one long, then turned and left, walking as fast as the wind.

After a while, a porter went out with a dung bucket on his shoulder. When he returned, he dragged the corpse in naturally.

A maid dressed in silk and satin covered her nose with her bare hands and said softly, "Master Niu, I will go and tell the master the news."

Ah Niu, the worshipper, smiled naively, took out a pipe and lit it. Manure is fertilizer, and fighting for fertilizer is a common thing, so the dung workers are also organized.

Similar professions, including night watchmen, were considered the lowest nine classes in the eyes of Southern Liang scholars. However, martial arts aptitude was not determined by the means of making a living. When someone linked them together, the lowest nine classes became the Nine Class Sect, which was in the first echelon below the ten major sects due to its scale and comprehensive strength, and the whereabouts of its members were extremely secretive.

In the study of the mansion.

A row of deaf-mute maids, blindfolded with black cloth, stood at the door acting as a screen. The left councilor of Qingzhou Province was pacing back and forth.

As a local official of the third rank, Zuo Canzheng is already qualified to stand on tiptoe and take a peek at the core circle. As for Pei, the family that supports the crown prince, other contenders for the throne naturally cannot ignore it. They place people in the local area to monitor them. Both sides are well aware of this, but they may not be clear about the specific personnel.

"Master, the things have been retrieved." The maid came in with a soft voice. She looked very happy and almost fell into the other's arms.

"Okay!" Zuo Canzheng stood still and supported the maid, clapping his fists, and said with a happy face: "Pei Weidao's body is useful for throwing dirty water. Although you used to be the eldest prince's personal maid, I'm afraid you won't believe it if I tell you the betrothal gift. How about the bride price?"

The maid was pleasantly surprised. Being able to marry a high-ranking official as a concubine was beyond her expectations. Besides, as long as His Highness was still alive, she would be no different from the legal wife. They could still talk about it after His Highness ascended the throne in the future.

"Thank you for your grace, sir."

The two of them were talking, and the crow on the windowsill couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Boss, one is a smiling tiger and the other is a vixen. If these two get together, there will be no good results in the future."

"There is no future."

"Who is speaking?"

puff!

A broken lance of the Dengfeng City cavalry pierced the left councilor and the maidservant to death at the same time. The lance was one of the burial objects demanded during the day and was considered to be recycled.

Jiang He walked out of the shadows. The space teleportation was very difficult, but his core ability, animal companion, showed its value at the critical moment.

"An unknown assassin killed a third-rank official. This is so bold and sensational. Notify the commander of the Dongyang Guard outside the city and ask him to lead his troops into the city immediately to seal the gates and arrest the assassin. The murder weapon came from the Dengfeng City garrison. Send an envoy to urgently order the Dengfeng general to send someone to assist in the investigation."

"As for the head, cut it off and send it to Pei. It's their business how to verify the evidence as agreed upon."

"Understood." Wuhe nodded. The boss gave a solution and pointed out the direction and steps. He could just leave the rest of the trivial process to himself. ...

The night is not over yet.

Ronghuafang was like a pot of boiling water, alarming various dignitaries. In just half an hour, all the Dongyang guards outside the city entered the city, and 5,600 people sealed the nine gates. At any time, if a core official of a local state was assassinated, it would be a major event that could reach the sky.

"Fuck you, you won't let me live!"

On the street, Dongyang Commander Sheng Gui was furious and whipped everyone he saw with his whip.

"Before dawn, catch anyone you see on the street and throw them all into jail. Block the city gates and have the hounds surround the wall to look for secret passages. I've lost my hat, so none of you will have a good life."

Veins appeared on Sheng Gui's forehead and he roared repeatedly. The local guards were usually responsible for public security. If they couldn't catch the murderer, they would have to pay a heavy price unless they had bigger things to do and made greater contributions.

Unfortunately, nothing was found until dawn.

However, the military experts sent to Dengfeng City at night brought back great news - the Northern Wei army appeared on the plain north of the city, suspected to be the Tiange Army of Licheng.

When the news came out, the whole city was shocked.

Before anyone could question it, a cavalry of a thousand men from the Tiange Army had already arrived at the outskirts of the city. This vanguard battalion, each man riding two horses, had abandoned all their baggage and had intended to open up the situation before the people of Nanliang could react, but they were blocked outside and had no choice but to retreat.

The Qingzhou Censor, Commander Sheng Gui, the head of the Pei family Pei Yuchu, and the leader of the Dongyang Sect, all four of them visited the palace together.

"Please come forward, Your Majesty, and take care of the overall situation."

There was a huge crowd of people standing in Chengyun Hall.

With disaster imminent and power not concentrated, these guys began to seek solutions out of political instinct. At this moment, Prince Yong, who symbolized the Southern Liang royal family, was undoubtedly the best signboard with a noble status.

Jiang He looked at Pei Yuwu, who was in the first position among the princes.

"The family tradition of courtesy and virtue spreads far and wide,"

"Only diligence can keep a business long and bring long-lasting blessings."

"Why is Mr. Pei so reserved now?"

Pei Yu looked around and saw that the Inspector, the Commander-in-Chief and the Dongyang Sect Leader were silent.

In fact, Pei can also take charge of the overall situation, but once he serves as the supreme commander of the city defense, if he fails, it will be basically impossible for him to defect to the Northern Wei Dynasty. Of course, Pei absolutely does not want to give up Pei Ge Lao, unless it comes to the life and death of the entire family.

"Your Highness, bless the people of Qingzhou, and the Pei family does not want to overstep the line."

"Are there any reinforcements?"

"Your Highness, the five guards of Qingzhou have already set off to gather in Donglai City and will arrive to help in the near future."

Jiang He did not comment. Donglai City was the Pei family's base camp. The Five Guards of Qingzhou had about 28000 people. With the cooperation of Pei family's private soldiers and experts, there was a good hope of preserving Pei family's foundation.

As for Dongyang City, it was obviously a discarded pawn, with the sole purpose of maximizing the time for the five guards to travel and assemble, and consuming the Northern Wei army, thereby reducing the subsequent defensive pressure on the Pei family.

The so-called support is just a joke. Dongyang and Donglai are completely two different directions.

"What does the court say?"

"Lord Pei mobilized the troops from Langya Town...but the order was returned by the Prime Minister." Pei Yuwu was a little embarrassed to speak.

The Prime Minister used to be a teacher of the eldest prince, and the title was one of the symbolic powers of "family co-governance". Unlike the previous dynasty, the Prime Minister could not only veto the decisions of other cabinet ministers, but also return the emperor's will. However, the emperor could also let the Prime Minister pack up and go home, and this title could not be returned.

However, there were aristocratic families everywhere in the court. When one prime minister fell, there were thousands of others standing up, and the two sides reached a certain balance.

This time, the Prime Minister returned the military transfer order, simply intending to take advantage of the emperor's sacrifice in the Buddhist temple and the power vacuum to try to sit back and watch the Pei family be exterminated.

Jiang He couldn't help but sneer: "Just stir it up."

The political influence of the fight for the throne radiated to the military, resulting in Dongyang becoming an isolated city.

Pei Yu was slightly ashamed and said, "I will not retreat. I am willing to die with Your Highness."

In the face of the family's survival, the elder can be abandoned, the head of the family can be abandoned, even if the person who is abandoned is himself. In fact, Pei Yuwu could have left, but he took the initiative to stay to buy time for the defense line. He was afraid that if he was not there, the city would collapse in one blow.

"One thousand people." Jiang He said.

"No." Pei Yufan refused decisively. He would not transfer an elite from his home.

"I want to control the Dongyang troops." Jiang He said again.

"I would rather die than refuse." Pei Yuyou remained resolute.

Sheng Gui: “…”

Brother, whose soldiers do you think are in the city?

Pei Yu didn't even look at Sheng Gui, who was just a crude military general. The reason why he was willing to support King Yong was entirely because of the fourth-level warrior who suddenly appeared during the siege yesterday. The unknown made people frightened, but it also made people look forward to it. If there was another fourth-level warrior, then he could die with dignity.

Jiang He sat on the royal chair and thought for a moment, then said:

"From now on, the Dongyang Guards will be combined with the Royal Palace Ceremonial Guards and divided into seven thousand-household teams. This matter will be handed over to the Ceremonial Guards Commander and Commander."

Sheng Gui's face darkened, he glanced at Pei Wuxing and said reluctantly, "I know."

"All personnel of the Provincial Surveillance Department will patrol continuously from now on. Anyone who leaves their home at night will be executed. The Dongyang granary to the west of the city will be opened to distribute grain to Ronghuafang. Anyone who leaves their home during the day will also be executed."

The Censor sighed. Prince Yong was sure that he could not defend himself against the enemy's spies who set fire to the grain, so he simply hid the grain in the rich households. When he wanted to take it back in the future, he would inevitably suffer bloodshed. In times of crisis, he could even take away the rich households' stored grain.

But the Censor was stubborn and did not respond.

"There's no reason for you to be held responsible for posting the notice."

"Yes." The Censor accepted the order respectfully.

"As for the city defense equipment, leave it entirely to Mr. Pei."

"Dongyang is not the front line, and we need to demolish houses to make up for the shortage." Pei Yu said cautiously: "Can we post a notice?"

"roll."

As orders were issued one after another, with a backbone, the efficiency of all officials improved significantly. The most important thing was that King Yong never mentioned whether to escape from beginning to end, as if fighting to defend the city to the death was a matter of course.

Everyone left and Jiang He stood up. At this stage, the Dragon Spear must not be shown. It was the Overlord's iconic weapon, and exposing it would be tantamount to inviting enemies from all directions to fight.

The next moment, a black sun melted and turned into a pitch-black sword that fell into his palm.

"That's all right."

(End of this chapter)