Demon, don't come any closer!

Chapter 41 Mobilizing the entire nation to send troops 3

Lang County.

Zhao Gao stood atop the city wall, looking down at the departing soldiers.

The queue, which started out barely organized but later became crooked and disorganized, had completely broken apart and descended into chaos as it was about to disappear from sight.

His brow furrowed involuntarily, revealing a look of worry.

Of the three hundred men that were barely gathered, only a few dozen had actual combat experience. This was only because County Magistrate Lin had put in a lot of effort. The rest of the men were just a group of people who had no coordination and had never practiced battle formations together.

From Zhao Gao's perspective, forcibly gathering them together would not only fail to enhance their fighting strength, but would actually weaken them, turning them into a complete rabble.

Such people could have been used to defend the city and delay it for a few more days, but Dou Changsheng defied common sense and chose to take the initiative to attack, which was truly unexpected.

Not only were County Magistrate Lin and his men shocked, but Zhao Gao was equally surprised, so he immediately began to contact his superiors, the Hundred Generals of the Black Ice Guard.

The sound of rustling footsteps rang out, and a hundred generals clad in black robes arrived atop the city wall, standing beside Zhao Gao. They immediately asked, "Are you worried about their defeat?"

Zhao Gao nodded without hesitation and said, "That's right."

"If it weren't for Uncle Dou Jiu, this rabble wouldn't have been able to attack Lin County, let alone defeat Xiang Jielong alone."

"Xiang Jielong withdrew from Lang County not because he was afraid of Uncle Dou, but because he was afraid of being besieged. Now that he has the support of Lin County, with his family's academic background, he personally commands hundreds of soldiers, and his fighting strength has doubled."

"Uncle Dou is no match for Xiang Jielong. It would be difficult for him to even hold Xiang Jielong back. Not to mention the protective formation in Lin County, Dou Changsheng and his group would not be able to win in a battle in the wild. They are doomed to defeat."

General Bai calmly asked, "Then why didn't you stop them?"

Zhao Gao sighed and said, "We can't stop them unless we take the initiative to intervene. Otherwise, we can't make the decision for Dou Changsheng if we are just assisting him."

Bai Jiang agreed, saying, "Since you know the key point, don't sigh and complain here."

"Lang County has rebelled. Regardless of the outcome, we have succeeded, and you have made a great contribution."

"One Lang County isn't important, but what about ten, or a hundred?"

"The war to destroy Chu is not something you are doing alone. You have companions who are all fighting and working hard, so there is no need to worry. Just do your best."

"We cannot take the initiative to intervene, otherwise we will turn the internal conflict of Chu into a confrontation between Qin and Chu."

"Look at the Taiyi statue in the Donghuang Temple. They've already asked their own people to remove it. If we were to do it, even a mid-level third-grade martial artist couldn't do it. It would attract Taiyi's attention, and we'd end up suffering the consequences."

"Only their own people can quickly undermine Taiyi's foundation. Destruction is always faster than construction. Even if the rebellion in Lang County has been quelled, restoring the Donghuang Temple and providing faith to Taiyi is definitely not something that can be accomplished this year."

"And that is our goal; this window of opportunity is enough for us to destroy Chu."

"Dou Changsheng's death might not be such a bad thing. Didn't you say he was too clever?"

"If he succeeds, we can continue to support him. He will cause even greater damage to the Great Chu, making it easier for the royal army to march south."

Zhao Gao said in a complicated tone, "I believe that Dou Changsheng will undoubtedly be defeated on this trip."

"But I had a complicated feeling in my heart, and I thought that Dou Changsheng would not fail so easily."

"He came from humble origins. In order to rise above others, he colluded with demons and manipulated people's hearts, seeking only the opportunity to rise to power. Later, he gradually took the step of rebellion. Although we played a role in this, wasn't Dou Changsheng also taking advantage of the situation?"

Dou Changsheng understood that it was too difficult to rise above others through ordinary means. Even if there were no opportunities, he had to create them. Although rebellion was dangerous, it was also a quick way to rise to power.

"As long as he has any use, we will continue to support him and give him whatever he needs."

"This kind of person is very bold and ruthless. He knows what his purpose is and is determined to achieve it. What he is doing now is definitely not a desperate act. Dou Changsheng must have his own reasons for doing so."

"But I don't know what gave Dou Changsheng such great confidence that he was able to defeat three mid-level martial artists, including Xiang Jielong, as well as a group of people from Lin County."

"If you're counting on us, you'll definitely be disappointed. We won't steal the show. Even Uncle Dou will only play a supporting role; he won't really risk his life."

"As for that imperial weapon, the Yue King's Sword, it is now just an empty shell, completely a decoration."

"With restless hearts, a lack of belonging and recognition, and no established system in place, the dragon's energy cannot be obtained, so an imperial weapon is no better than an ordinary magic artifact."

Bai Jiang laughed and said, "Your analysis makes perfect sense, but in my opinion, you're just overthinking it. Why don't you just go and see for yourself?"

"People like Qibaoge and Shuishen Temple went to see for themselves to see whether this rebellion was a joke or a battle that could change the world's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or the state of affairs).

Zhao Gao remained silent for a moment. The high-ranking officials of Lang County had been wiped out by Dou Changsheng, but that was just a pretext. In reality, Dou Changsheng would not dare to touch temples like the Water God Temple, which worshipped the gods. Other powerful forces with connections to the heavens, such as the Seven Treasures Pavilion, also avoided him like the plague.

With a flick of his black robes, Bai Jiang unleashed wisps of black energy, which eventually swept up Bai Jiang and Zhao Gao like a whirlwind, causing them to vanish together.

Zhao Gao's gaze was calm, but a hint of apprehension appeared in his eyes. This centurion was not a high-ranking officer, but he had been suppressing Zhao Gao relentlessly. His background was definitely extraordinary. Even the centurion's rank was just a smokescreen. In reality, he might be a big shot in the Black Ice Guard.

In no time, they had arrived in Lin County.

Bai Jiang raised his arm and pointed forward, saying, "It's no surprise that Xiang Jielong didn't choose to defend the city. The other side is a member of the Xiang family of Xiaxiang. They rely on being the descendants of famous generals. How could they tolerate an unknown person showing off their power?"

"Dou Changsheng dared to attack Linxian because he believed that this was not a siege, but a decisive battle in the field."

"Xiang Jielong did this not only for the honor of his family, but also for morale. With a large number of people, they dared not fight in the field. They were afraid of the enemy like tigers. If their morale was low, it would be difficult to fight. In particular, even if they won in the end, Xiang Jielong would have lost and would have no future."

"Family, future prospects, morale, and the overall situation of the Chu Kingdom are all forcing Xiang Jielong to leave the city and fight in the field to quickly quell the rebellion."

"Dou Changsheng also needs to buy time to have a chance of survival."

"Both sides have reached a consensus and are going to fight this decisive battle in the wild."

Suddenly, Bai Jiang said in confusion, "Take a closer look at that young general in front of you. Doesn't he look a lot like Xiang Ji of the Xiang clan?"

"Wait, why is he standing next to Dou Changsheng?"

"I must be seeing things, I must be mistaken."

"How could the Xiang family betray Chu?"