Chapter 556
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Chapter 556: Chaos in Southern Chen Kingdom
The news of what happened in Zhong State city spread quickly to the southern Chen Kingdom, causing a huge shock and uproar among the people.
They were shocked by Lin Jiang’s boldness and ruthlessness, as a powerful minister, a prince of the Chen Kingdom, who could kill without hesitation.
They were amazed by Lin Jiang’s terrifying power, with thousands of elite soldiers, hundreds of Martial Arts Masters, who seemed as fragile as paper in front of Lin Jiang. Even Martial Saints couldn’t withstand a single move. Is he still human?
After the shock, there was an uproar like a tsunami, power was not to be challenged or threatened. Warlords from various regions condemned Lin Jiang’s crimes while desperately recruiting Martial Arts Masters to protect themselves.
In the south of the Chen Kingdom, it was a scene of chaos with demons dancing.
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While countless scouts were searching for Lin Jiang’s whereabouts, Lin Jiang had already made a round in the Yunzhong Mountain Range. He went there mainly to inspect the frontline defenses of the Southern Chen Kingdom.
However, after the inspection, Lin Jiang was even more disappointed. He didn’t see any elite troops, but mainly saw the elderly and weak. Some warlords of the Southern Chen Kingdom kept their elite forces with them, guarding against attacks from other warlords, rather than resisting the Demon Humans on the frontline.
Simply put, since the Demon Humans didn’t advance south, how could the elderly and weak resist their attacks if they did?
As for why the Demon Humans didn’t advance south, Lin Jiang already knew. The main reason was that the Demon Humans were not numerous. According to the northerners who fled south, the Demon Humans who invaded the Immortal Kingdom and the Chen Kingdom were from only five major tribes with a few dozen smaller tribes. The total number of Demon Humans was not more than tens of millions.
Many Demon Humans ruled over a vast area, but could not completely dominate it. Even now, in the north of the Immortal Kingdom and Chen Kingdom, Demon Humans only control major cities and not the rural areas where there are no Demon Humans.
Demon Humans have changed from their cruel ways a thousand years ago, they no longer just kill humans but have also recruited many humans to serve them.
Compared to the progress of the Demon Humans, those people in Chen Kingdom seem beyond help, they should start anew somewhere else.
Lin Jiang was extremely disappointed, he no longer relied on those warlords and decided to start afresh. Since they were not reliable, he would rely on himself.
Returning from Yunzhong Mountain Range, Lin Jiang investigated and found out that the incident in Zhong State’s city had happened three to four months ago. The warlords were only searching for him without taking any action.
Lin Jiang understood that Chen Kingdom was already in decline, plagued with problems. It was no surprise that they couldn’t fix things internally in a few months.
With a firm determination to start anew, Lin Jiang reached Qiyun Mountain in Feng State where there was a rebel army.
Chen Kingdom had been unlucky, losing control of the north and facing unrest in the south. In recent years, disasters like earthquakes, floods, droughts, and locust plagues had struck one after the other due to the vast territory.
Chen Kingdom couldn’t afford to help the disaster victims anymore, so the refugees turned into rebel armies. Once they became rebels, there was no more need for aid, only suppression.
The rebel army was weak and couldn’t fight the imperial army. They were quickly defeated and surrounded. But in Feng State, a general took pity on the rebels and let them escape into Qiyun Mountain.
Qiyun Mountain is a large, steep, and lush area with dense vegetation and harmful gases. It’s hard to survive there, especially for thousands of refugees. The imperial army didn’t go into the mountain to hunt down the rebels but blocked the exits to starve them out.
The warlords nowadays are afraid to send too many troops into the mountain, fearing that their rivals might take advantage of their weakened position.
"It’s General Little Qin!"
In a hidden spot of Qiyun Mountain, soldiers with bows suddenly appeared, led by a young man with porters. The man calmly greeted them and directed the porters to leave their goods before sending them away.
"Thank you all for your help. Leave the goods here and go back."
General Little Qin paid the porters and sent them off while the soldiers carried the goods deeper into the mountain.
Along the way, they met rebel lookouts who helped them. After a long journey, they reached a flat valley surrounded by huts and wooden houses.
"General Little Qin, how was your journey down the mountain? Did you face any danger?"
A middle-aged man approached General Little Qin and told him that they were trapped in Qiyun Mountain and lacking supplies, so they regularly sent people down the mountain to buy things secretly.
"We didn’t encounter any danger. My father’s former subordinates are all here. This time, we brought two hundred pounds of salt and ten thousand arrows."
General Little Qin explained that his father used to be a commander in Feng State. Out of sympathy for the rebel army, he secretly allowed them to escape to Qiyun Mountain. However, his father was persecuted by the government as a result, and their whole family was wiped out. He was the only survivor, so he joined the thieves in Qiyun Mountain.
Due to the lack of supplies in Qiyun Mountain, he bravely volunteered to go down the mountain for purchases. With his father’s connections, he managed to do so safely. He had already gone down the mountain seven or eight times, and each time was smooth.
"That’s good to hear, General Little Qin. How is the situation outside?"
"Not good. The officials are still corrupt and getting even more ruthless. The Emperor of Daizhou State is recruiting soldiers again, and the people are suffering more. Also, something has happened in Zhong State."
"Is it King Chu from Zhong State? What happened?"
"In Zhong State, there is a Martial Saint elder named Mr. Wolong. He has been proclaiming that whoever possesses Wolong will conquer the world. At first, no one paid attention, but soon he declared to all the emperors of Chen Kingdom that if they don’t reform internally and prepare for an attack from the north, he will kill them."
"Oh, this person is so arrogant. King Chu can’t tolerate it, and Wang Lun won’t either, right?"
"Yes, so when trouble happened, Wang Lun sent thousands of soldiers to besiege Mr. Wolong, but they were no match for him. Even Wang Lun’s personal guards and the famous Martial Saint, Canghai Swordsman, were killed by Mr. Wolong with just one move. Later, Mr. Wolong also killed King Chu and Wang Lun, warning everyone that if a righteous ruler didn’t appear, he would kill everyone. Now, the Zhong State has been divided."
"Wow, there really is such a powerful warrior in the world?"
Everyone felt disbelief after hearing it – could someone really ignore a large army?
"I can’t guarantee the specifics are true, but I’ve heard wild rumors. The Emperor of Daizhou State is terrified and constantly seeking martial artists to protect him. The price for hiring an Innate Martial Artist has skyrocketed to five hundred gold coins per month, more expensive than even the Grand Master of Martial Arts before."
"If the Emperor of Daizhou State is so frightened, it must be true. Oh, such a hero, if he continues to serve as a lackey for the court, it wouldn’t be good for the world."
The middle-aged man spoke, revealing his disillusionment with the court over the years. He believed they were all incompetent and greedy, exploiting the common people to the bone.
The more powerful experts joined the court, the heavier the burden on the common people became.
"Uncle Tian, should we still plan to break through? Many Martial Arts Masters from Feng State have been transferred away. If we break through now, our chances of success are much greater than before."
"Not yet. There are many elderly, weak, sick, and disabled here. If we break through, they won’t be able to escape. If we leave, they will surely die here."
The middle-aged man said. Qiyun Mountain is like a trap, they will eventually be trapped and die here. Relying on General Little Qin to bring back supplies from outside is not enough. But he can’t bear to leave behind the old, weak, sick and disabled. If they leave, only a few people will be left, how can they survive.
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Lin Jiang secretly stayed in Qiyun Mountain for half a month. He had heard about this group of rebels in Qiyun Mountain even when he was in Zhong State. Lin Jiang wanted to gather a group of reliable people who opposed the court and that’s exactly what these rebels were to him.
However, Lin Jiang also needed to check the character of these people. He was selective and didn’t want just anyone. Currently, he was quite satisfied with this group of rebels in Qiyun Mountain.
Because Lin Jiang saw many admirable things, like the elderly, weak, sick, and injured soldiers. These people were considered burdens for their group, but they were not abandoned. This kindness of human nature is something to be admired in any era.
Secondly, Lin Jiang noticed that there were many farmlands inside Qiyun Mountain. Some people were even working on improving irrigation methods, and they had a good relationship with the local villagers. They traded with them, taught them advanced agricultural techniques.
This shows that the leader of these rebels was brave and strategic, with a long-term vision. Not to mention the constant lookout posts and hidden sentries in Qiyun Mountain, indicating their decent military quality.
So, Lin Jiang thought for a while and decided to reveal himself and start anew, beginning from Qiyun Mountain.
