vncnus Page 130
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But at that moment, Qin Ming roared and followed Dong Ping, becoming the second to rush into the city gate passage. She immediately transformed into a hellfire form tens of meters tall. Surrounded by demonic fire and molten lava, she grabbed the five-ton gate with both hands, pushed it hard, and carried the brass gate on her shoulder. Her bent knees slowly straightened, and her bent back straightened, pushing the gate back and preventing it from falling even an inch!
"Well done!"
Seeing Dong Ping and Qin Ming breach the city gate, the remaining Liangshan generals immediately charged forward, engaging the Dongping Prefecture garrison troops returning to reinforce the gate in a chaotic and terrifying melee, like a boiling cauldron of oil! The Golden-Winged Roc, with its twin blades on its wings, swirled and danced like four cleavers, whipping up a blood-soaked tornado of slaughter. Wherever it passed, severed hands, legs, and halves of bodies were torn apart as if by invisible giant hands, flying through the air and crashing violently into the blades and chests of their comrades, producing muffled thuds of breaking bones and the agonizing cries of the dying.
Deng Fei, the Fiery Lion, laughed wildly, his eyes spitting out two beams of laser flame that swept through the crowd, instantly slicing dozens of soldiers in half at the waist! The flesh torn apart by the flame beams was instantly charred like charcoal, without a single drop of blood flowing out. His flaming spear swept across the battlefield with wide, sweeping movements, and the blood that splattered out was instantly vaporized into a sky full of blood mist the moment it touched his flames.
"Anyone who stands in my way will die!!!"
With a roar, Suo Chao shook off the last two spear-wielding soldiers in front of him. He leaped into the air and slashed downwards, cleaving an armored Song army captain in two! Then, with a sweeping motion, he cut seven Song soldiers around him in half at the waist. They didn't die immediately; their severed bodies writhed and screamed in pain in pools of blood. Suo Chao didn't even glance at them. After confirming the location of the Song army commander with his eyes, he leaped three meters into the air again and then slashed a second time, smashing the commander's head to pieces!
In one corner of the battlefield, Xu Ning's hook-and-sickle spear, like a venomous snake, lashed out, targeting the gaps in the armor's joints, tearing flesh apart like shredded silk. Several heavily armored soldiers, once entangled, were instantly dismembered and their bones ripped from their bodies, convulsing in pools of blood like disassembled dolls.
Yang Zhi roared like a tiger, his spear moved like a dragon emerging from its lair, and his sword swept like a whirlwind. The thick iron shields and spears before him, along with their wielders, were sliced and cleaved in two. A horrific wave of blood instantly shattered the barely held-up defense. Hu Sanniang wielded her twin embroidered swords, creating a dazzling silver barrier. With a sharp cry, the heads of three captains who had charged with spears spun into the air, their severed necks spurting out three fountains of hot, bloody blood. Their heads rolled onto the blue brick ground, their eyes still wide with terror.
Lu Fang and Guo Sheng thrust out their two halberds simultaneously, like two dragons emerging from the sea, piercing through a tall instructor and pinning him to the ground, armor and all.
Gong Wanghua's tattooed neck seemed possessed by a demon; his left hand pierced an enemy's ribs with a tiger-shaped fork, while his right hand hurled a flying fork, pinning a fleeing civil official to the face. Ding Desun's steel whip struck heavily, crushing several heavily armored soldiers to the ground like rammed earth. Sun Liting's steel spear pierced through enemy soldiers like a string of candied hawthorns; Shi Jin's three-pointed double-edged sword, like a tiger's tail being cut off, severed several men in half at the waist; Luan Tingyu's iron rod crashed down with the force of thunder, causing heads to explode like watermelons! Li Cunxiao, Hua Rong, and Dong Ping wielded arrows like lightning, spears like pythons, and double spears like lightning… each displaying their unique skills, limbs and broken blades flying wildly, the entire city gate soaked in layers of blood, the thick blood even submerging the gaps between the blue bricks, making it difficult to walk.
The iron gate shattered, and the panicked crowd erupted like boiling porridge. The archers on the arrow tower had just nocked their arrows, and before the thunderous taut strings were even released, a sharp, piercing whistle suddenly rang out in the air! "Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Zhang Qing's hands moved in a blur, and the featherless arrows transformed into a sky full of cold, piercing stars. On the arrow tower and in the shadows, one by one, heads wearing phoenix-winged helmets exploded like ripe melons, their red and white brain matter mixed with broken bones splattering onto the city bricks.
After the twenty-three men seized the city gate, the two thousand Liangshan Imperial Guards cavalrymen, who had been hiding in the woods outside the city, immediately roared in! They filed in through the wooden gate that Dong Ping had smashed and through the thousand-gold gate that Qin Ming had held up, and stormed into Dongping Prefecture!
Chapter 372: The Dual-Gun Generals Stain the Government Office with Blood
At this moment, inside the government office, Prefect Cheng was still deeply distressed about losing Dong Ping, a valuable pawn. He paced anxiously back and forth within the office. Just then, a girl entered the room. Her exquisite hair was adorned with jewels, her fair face was powdered, her eyebrows were slightly drooping, and her almond eyes were captivating. Her brocade dress draped her graceful figure, and the tinkling of her ornaments as she moved was like the chirping of a fledgling bird. She resembled a lark kept in an exquisite cage.
“Father, why grieve for Dong Ping? She’s just a peasant, a soldier who rose through the ranks by fighting and killing! I never wanted to marry her in the first place. I think you didn’t want to marry me to Dong Ping either, you just wanted to use this marriage contract to keep her by your side. I just don’t understand, is Dong Ping worth this treatment? What’s so great about that shy, clueless girl? She’s not even as brave as my servants!”
"At this moment, she is fighting against Liangshan. If she is defeated and captured, there are only two possible outcomes: death or becoming a bandit. We will all be freed from this marriage!"
Miss Cheng's words carried a hint of contempt for Dong Ping, and a sense of relief at the annulment of the engagement.
“She’s very good to me, but her status is too low. My father is a prefect, and if I were to marry, I could only marry the son of a prefect, or even higher. What is Dong Ping compared to her?”
"shut up!"
Prefect Cheng was furious and angrily scolded his daughter.
"What do you know? Dong Ping really likes you! That's why she's so flustered and submissive in front of you! What are your servants?! They're always bullying me because of my reputation. You've never seen Dong Ping in battle! If I could exchange your servants for Dong Ping, or even all my servants for one of Dong Ping's henchmen, I'd be willing!!!"
"Then why don't you just make her marry me!"
Miss Cheng also cursed in despair, and even cried in her anger.
"You want Dong Ping, but you're unwilling to marry me to her! To put it bluntly, you're indecisive and reluctant, dragging this out until I'm 22! On one hand, you want Dong Ping to do things for you, and on the other hand, you want to marry me off to a high-ranking official or a wealthy family! You want to take all the advantages, but you're unwilling to pay any price! There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!"
"I……"
The prefect was furious that his daughter had hit a nerve. Just then, a burst of golden light flashed in the corner of their eyes, followed by a deafening explosion and shattering sound!
Thick smoke billowed into the sky, carrying broken oak logs and shattered tiles that cascaded down the street like a waterfall. Before the dust had settled, a figure more ferocious than thunder had already emerged from within! Dong Ping didn't dodge or bother to go around it; he and the two short guns in his hands transformed into a beam of destructive light wrapped in human flesh and blood, rushing straight towards the towering black shadow of the government office.
The towering mansion wall seemed to have been cleaved in two by a giant axe. Countless huge blue bricks, like stones swept up by a hurricane, radiated violently toward the inner side of the mansion. Each brick was melted by the heat, and among the broken bricks were even smaller fragments—the severed limbs of several unfortunate crossbowmen on the wall. Under the enormous impact, they were thrown into the air along with the bricks, instantly creating a brief but cruel rain of flesh and blood.
Before the dust and brick rain had even settled, the destructive figure that had torn apart the mansion wall had already burst through! Dong Ping was covered in dust and a thick, dripping layer of blood, as if he had just been soaked in a pool of blood from hell. Those two spear points were the most violent and unparalleled tips of this storm, gleaming with a cold light that devoured life, and irresistibly pierced into the hearts of the soldiers gathered in the mansion behind the wall! A shrill, desperate scream was choked off before it could even escape his throat, as the two spear tips mercilessly pierced through his back, impaling two instantly killed, mangled corpses.
Without pausing, and disdainfully withdrawing her gun, with a piercing "whoosh" of friction and tearing, the two corpses were instantly ripped into countless pieces of mangled flesh by the intense heat of the impact. She used the momentum to forcefully slam them into another group of stunned personal guards in front of her! She wiped out the Song army protecting the government office!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"
Dong Ping's eyes were bloodshot and wide with anger. She had heard the father and daughter's words clearly and was now furious!
"Dong, Dong Ping? You're back safe and sound?! That's wonderful!"
The prefect was somewhat taken aback and was about to say something when Dong Ping pierced his heart with a spear! Blood gushed out like a waterfall, and Miss Cheng was so frightened that her limbs trembled and she screamed at the top of her lungs! Dong Ping glanced at her with an extremely complicated look in his eyes.
For sixteen years, I fought for Prefect Cheng, and for sixteen years I battled for our marriage agreement. In the end, it was all a lie? A deception! Prefect Cheng was just admiring my abilities and unwilling to give up such a powerful pawn, so he kept me hanging on.
Miss Cheng, on the other hand, never looked down on herself because of her impoverished background.
"Fine, fine, you think you're so high and mighty?! You think you're unattainable? You think I'm not good enough for you? Well, today I'll show you who's not good enough for whom!"
Dong Ping suddenly swung his arm, sending the corpse of the prefect flying off the tip of his spear. It landed directly on Miss Cheng, who was striding forward in a fit of rage.
The next second, the young lady screamed and knelt down, pressing down hard on a seal ring on her father's corpse.
The next second, an endless stream of Confucian energy erupted from the seal ring! A power far beyond what should exist in the human world poured out wildly from the ancient engraved ring face! It appeared as a viscous, deep blue light, yet it carried a warp energy that tore apart reason, like the angry screams of billions of volumes of burned torrents, coalescing into a psionic dragon composed purely of violent energy that occupied half of the dome of the hall!
It had no real flesh and blood; its entire body was filled with churning, surging, eerie blue flames. Each dragon scale seemed to be a twisted, ancient script burning and disintegrating. The enormous dragon head was lowered, and within its hollow eye sockets were swirling nebulae of burning flames.
"Dong Ping! You don't understand, do you? The Great Song Dynasty has more than two hundred prefectures and thirty-eight counties! These thirty-eight prefects will all be given a seal ring by the Emperor Zhao, which can summon a projection of a blue dragon in times of crisis! Its level and combat power are unparalleled among mortals! You think you can defeat the Emperor Zhao?"
Seeing that she had barely managed to summon the psionic dragon, Miss Cheng suddenly regained her confidence. Her body stopped trembling, and she stood majestically under the protection of the psionic dragon, arrogantly looking at Dong Ping, who was covered in blood and had stormed into the government office from the city gate.
The next second, Dong Ping moved—not with a charge of flesh and blood, but with an explosive beam of blazing white light! What surged from his body was no longer blood energy and killing intent, but the ultimate light erupting from his burning will, bones, and even life potential! His entire flesh and blood transformed into the most brilliant, dazzling, and swift light!
With a soft cracking sound, almost drowned out by the roar of energy, Dong Ping smashed the dragon's head, the most concentrated and intimidating part of its energy.
There was no earth-shattering collision, only a dazzling golden light that pierced the azure core without any resistance. A smooth-edged cavity, its edges rippling with annihilation waves, appeared in the center of the enormous dragon's head. Then, the beam of light shattered the entire dragon body, entering from the head and exiting from the tail, annihilating it completely in a single strike! The raging subspace psionic energy that constituted its body lost its most crucial restraining node. The colossal energy body began a terrifying disintegration from the inside out!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Millions of enormous energy fragments, burning with eerie blue flames and studded with distorted text, exploded from within the dragon like ignited crystal mountains! They scattered and surged wildly behind Dong Ping, tearing through the air, shattering pillars, and ripping off the roof—a spectacle both magnificent and deadly. Countless massive orbs of eerie blue fire, accompanied by streams of light like shattered jade, exploded and rose with earth-shattering force, illuminating the entire luxurious prefectural palace as if it were a bizarre and surreal abyss.
The shattered energy flames, trailing long tails, crashed into the towering dome, the solid walls, and the remaining carved beams and painted rafters, triggering smaller, chain reactions of flashes. Brilliant, chaotic, and terrifying, it was like a grand, destructive fireworks display unleashed from the depths of hell!
Against the backdrop of a rain of eerie blue fire and an endless torrent of shattered energy, the blazing white light that pierced the dragon had dissipated, and Dong Ping's true form solidified again at the epicenter of the explosion! The violent airflow from the explosion tore off the hem of her blood-stained battle robe, revealing her bulging, muscular muscles.
The gun in her hand, its tip pressed steadily, precisely, and coldly against Miss Cheng's slender and delicate throat! A drop of bright red blood instantly seeped onto her pink neck skin.
Miss Cheng's face turned pale again, and her body trembled once more. Looking at Dong Ping's blood-stained face, she could only stammer out a sentence.
"Honey...darling, when should we...have our wedding?"
Chapter 373: Dongping Prefecture's Dongping Ascends to Demonhood
The blood-stained gun tip pressed against Miss Cheng's warm throat. The faint pulse throbbing beneath her delicate veins was clearly transmitted to the cold steel. Dong Ping's knuckles turned white from the force, the flames burning in his eyes almost incinerating his childhood sweetheart! Just one more inch... just one more inch!
However, Dong Ping still couldn't bring himself to do it. The pent-up humiliation, anger, destruction, and numerous negative desires could no longer be suppressed, transforming into a sonic boom that exploded from her mouth! The sound was no longer a human roar, but like the howl of a giant beast tearing the sky apart! A violent ripple of power spread wildly from him, and the destructive impact of light and heat ignited all the remaining window frames, screens, and corpses within a radius of several meters, then shattered and scattered them!
"Roar--!!!"
At this moment, Dong Ping had completely descended into madness, her reason replaced by boundless rage. She had become the singularity of the subspace in the physical world; endless chaotic spiritual energy from another world seeped into the physical plane, condensing and erupting within her. She no longer looked at Miss Cheng. Instead, she aimed her twin pistols at the other targets within the government office. The two steel guns, now like two blood-red dragons awakened from hell, unleashed unprecedented power in her hands.
There was no mercy, no objective, only pure and utter destruction! The surviving guards in the government office, the panicked servants, the officials trying to escape... everyone, every living being! They became the targets for Dong Ping to vent his endless rage!
"boom!!!"
Dong Ping launched another charge. One moment she was in the center of the government office, and the next she had already reached the north gate of the government office! All the brick walls, trees, soldiers and servants along the way were smashed to pieces, leaving a huge, melted, burning human-shaped crater on each wall.
A pair of short spears, like two burning stars, each swing sending up a spray of crimson flesh and blood. Limbs and severed bodies, like tattered rag dolls, were swept high into the air by the violent air currents. Melting heads exploded like ripe fruit, splattering red and white matter across the carved beams and painted rafters. Even the sturdy brick pillars crumbled like tofu under the spear's beam, imbued with boundless hatred!
Dong Ping exhaled a breath of stale air and inhaled a breath of fresh air. She transformed into a beam of light for the second time and crashed southward, becoming a stream of light that traveled from north to east, and then from east to west. With each charge, she left a burning wound on the massive government office. She was so angry, so irritable, so frenzied. She charged a total of one hundred and eight times, leaving one hundred and eight terrifying wounds that tore through the government office, forming a huge, frenzied rune array on the ground.
The once luxurious and solemn prefectural mansion has now become an infernal hell where blood and flesh are mixed together! Painful screams, desperate curses, and the terrifying cracking sounds of bones and flesh being torn apart blend into a symphony of hell, which eventually falls silent amidst continuous, deafening explosions.
Apart from Miss Cheng, everyone else who could speak at this moment had been completely crushed by Dong Ping.
Soon, an absolute silence enveloped the ruins soaked in blood. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood and gunpowder. As far as the eye could see, only mountains of mangled corpses remained. These remains, regardless of their social status in life, were now stacked and piled up in strange, twisted forms, forming a massive, bloody altar that reeked of the sweet, pungent smell of death. They were arranged haphazardly yet according to a certain pattern on the rune array that Dong Ping had personally drawn.
Dong Ping stood atop this altar of corpses, which he had personally built.
Her mortal flesh and blood were boiling, burning, and undergoing a violent transformation in the extreme hatred and pure killing energy. Her skin cracked inch by inch, revealing the blazing light flowing like molten gold beneath. Her broken muscles and bones were reshaped in the light—no longer a mortal body, but an embodiment of pure and violent energy!
In the next instant, her entire body transformed into a miniature, blazing sun! Not the warm sunlight, but a tyrannical corona capable of evaporating stars and incinerating the world! Endless golden-red flames erupted from her body, every inch of her skin violently churning and spewing out destructive, high-temperature particles. The light was blindingly bright; Miss Cheng only glanced at it before her eyes were burned by the intense light, and she covered her eyes, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.
At the same time, the space behind him distorted violently, and thirty-six blazing rays of light pierced through the heavens and earth, suddenly tearing through the void. These were thirty-six enormous wings of light burning with the fire of the sun's corona. Each wing was formed from pure light and fire, with liquid golden flames flowing along its edges, radiating a terrifying pressure that could burn away the eight wastelands.
They are not the soft lines of wings, but sharp, torn edges, like countless whips of light tempered to the extreme, full of violent aggression! This unfolding posture is by no means a holy redemption, but a deity of destruction born from the deepest darkness, cloaked in a blazing cloak of light!
Dong Ping wielded thirty-six whips of light, or rather, thirty-six wings of light, hovering silently above the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. The corona-like flames illuminated the endless filth and death beneath his feet with exquisite detail, yet the extreme brightness also created an eerie sense of holiness. The thirty-six wings of light pulsed slowly, each slight flap generating an energy storm powerful enough to melt steel, stirring the vortex of this land of death.
Beneath the mountain of corpses, Miss Cheng's small figure still stood motionless, covered in blood and grime, her face still bearing the bewilderment that had not been completely washed away by the cruel reality. She was the only living being in this bloody inferno, and the ultimate proof of Dong Ping's ascension to demonhood.
She stared blankly at the Twin-Gun General, who hung high above the altar of bones like a deity of the end times. Deep in her heart, only endless fear remained. Then, Dong Ping grabbed her and wrapped her up in his arms. Thirty-six dazzling wings, like whips of light, intertwined and spun around her, enveloping the two of them in the center of the Egg of Light like an eggshell.
Chapter 374: The Cheng Family Suffers Humiliation in the Ruins of the Court
At this moment, as Dong Ping ascended to demonhood, the demon in her heart also merged with Dong Ping, becoming one with him.
【Demon Messenger - Twin Light Spears】: Your body instantly transforms into a light spear, charging straight forward at a speed of 299792.46 km/s, with a maximum charge distance of 600 meters (12 character levels * 50 meters). Furthermore, it inflicts two charges (dual-weapon combat) of damage on all obstacles within a 5-meter width (reached by the short spear) in your charge path. All targets are caught off guard and cannot be blocked by agility.
每次攻击的冲锋伤害，固定为寻常近战伤害的6倍（1/2x12人物等级），附加额外的12~240点光耀伤害。
While transformed into a spear of light, you are in an elemental state, ignoring physical attacks and having a 50% chance to ignore magical attacks.
Dong Ping stared at the terrifying force of his light spear's impact, and now, it was becoming even more terrifying! Extreme!
【Demon Prince - Corona Spear】: Your body instantly transforms into a spear of light, charging straight forward at a speed of 299792.46 km/s, with a maximum charge distance of 1200 meters (12 character levels * 100 meters). It also deals two instances of charge damage (dual-weapon combat) to all obstacles within a 20-meter width (reached by the light wings) along the charge path. All targets are caught off guard and cannot be blocked by agility.
每次攻击的冲锋伤害，固定为寻常近战伤害的6倍（1/2x12人物等级），附加额外的12~240点光耀伤害。
While transformed into a spear of light, you are in an elemental state, ignoring physical attacks and having a 50% chance to ignore magical attacks.
After checking his own abilities, Dong Ping looked at Miss Cheng, who was enveloped by thirty-six light whips or wings of light. Having ascended to demonhood, all his desires had been amplified infinitely.
The young lady didn't even have time to dodge. A tendril of light coiled around her slender ankle like a serpent, and what she felt instantly was not pain, but an intense burning sensation! Her silk shoes turned into wisps of smoke with a sizzling sound, revealing her delicate ankle, and her tender, fair skin instantly became red and swollen.
Another tentacle wrapped around her waist, like a scorching golden ring, binding her slender waist that was originally so delicate under the brocade. The most deadly tentacle gently, yet with irresistible force, wrapped around her long neck, dangerously grazing her pulsating artery, forcing her to tilt her swan-like neck back.
It wasn't a true physical binding, yet it was more terrifying than any rope! What bound her were corona whips made of pure energy, powerful enough to vaporize steel! When they touched her skin, they left no charred marks, but instead triggered a burning sensation that penetrated to the bone marrow, as if the blood flowing inside was being heated and boiling! The bound areas felt a continuous, suffocating heat and pressure. Dong Ping only needed a single thought to obliterate her, while she precisely controlled the temperature of each of her light wings.
The light whip raged, flames burned, and thirty-six light wings swiftly wrapped around Miss Cheng's graceful and delicate body. Her clothes began to carbonize destructively the moment the light wings wrapped around them. The fabric around her waist tore and scattered like ashes, revealing a small section of smooth skin on her waist and abdomen. Her fair skin quickly turned a vivid, luscious peach-red under the high temperature, as if she had been slapped hard.
The shoulder straps of her robe snapped open, and the exquisite brocade front tore open along the trail of light with a hissing sound, revealing her graceful collarbone and fair shoulders. With each slight struggle, more of the remaining fabric turned to ash, which, under the blazing white light, resembled dancing black butterflies. Her last remaining garments, covering her body, gradually burned away in the flames and firelight, transforming into countless black butterflies that fluttered away.
"Waaah... Let... let me go!"
Miss Cheng tried in vain to break free. But the light tendrils tightened even more as she twisted. The light tendrils wrapped around her ankles slid upwards, the strange, cold, and burning sensation spreading along the curves of her calves. The corset around her waist even lifted her an inch off the ground! The panic brought on by weightlessness made her instinctively scream, but under the restraint of the light tendrils around her neck, it turned into a broken, soft sob.
She was imprisoned in mid-air in front of Dong Ping, like a broken offering. Her disheveled hair was stained with sweat and bloodstains from who-knows-who stuck to her flushed cheeks and neck, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with physiological tears and lingering bewilderment and fear.
Every tiny struggle made her reddened skin exposed to the scorching air even more conspicuous. Every tremor and sob caused by that strange "burn" was like the instinctive wail of prey under the claws of a powerful predator, so fragile it was heartbreaking, yet the surrounding backdrop of mountains of corpses and seas of blood and the oppressive power of the sun demon made it all the more grotesque and impactful.
Dong Ping hovered in front of her, took out the last five tentacles, and under her horrified gaze, he stuffed one of the tentacles into her cherry lips, deep into her throat, choking her until her eyes rolled back, and tears streamed from the corners of her eyes as she suffocated in pain.
The other two tentacles climbed onto her chest, whose clothes had already been burned away, and coiled around her two snow-white breasts like snakes. The tip of the light whip gently touched the cherry blossoms on the snow-capped peaks. Although the temperature dropped, the extreme burning still made Miss Cheng tremble all over! Her beautiful legs, which were wrapped in the light whip, kicked wildly, and her ten warm and smooth jade toes kept curling and unfolding. Her whole body was trembling in spasms!
The last two tentacles pierced through her plump, beautiful legs, grazed her fair buttocks, and burrowed into the dark forest. The light and heat even scorched away the hair on her genitals. In extreme humiliation, they first tentatively probed, and then plunged into her two small mouths below! This made her body tremble tenfold!
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!"
Dong Ping indifferently played with the green plum in his arms. Countless light whips wrapped around and bound her delicate body while he frantically played with her every sensitive spot with their tips. When the Liangshan generals arrived, they only saw a light egg surrounded by thirty-six light wings, from which came the woman's moans filled with lust and pain.
"Let her play. Give her some private space. Go and get the grain and gold from the treasury first!"
Liu Hong didn't disturb Dong Ping, who had just ascended to demonhood, from venting his desires, and quickly led his brothers and sisters to get down to business.
Dong Ping's stamina was so abundant, her endurance was on par with Lu Junyi's. While the two thousand imperial guards of Liangshan had taken control of Dongping Prefecture, seized the land registers and population records, and transported all the grain and gold back to Liangshan Marsh, she was still fighting fiercely with the Cheng family's young lady in the Egg of Light. It took three whole days for the outcome to be seen. The young lady was repeatedly played with until she fainted, and then repeatedly played with until she woke up again. Her whole body was covered with red marks from being burned by the high temperature, and her fair skin had been burned into an even more delicate and terrifying pale pink color.
Chapter 375: Shandong in Turmoil, Imperial Court Reprimands and Grants Amnesty
After the Liangshan troops had slaughtered all the high-ranking officials of Dongping Prefecture and looted all their treasures, carrying them all back to Liangshan, the news of this had already reached the ears of the imperial court.
Liangshan Marsh has now become a bleeding wound in the Song Dynasty, constantly draining its lifeblood.
Meanwhile, the magistrates of the other counties under the jurisdiction of Dongping Prefecture, seeing the ruins, were terrified and immediately reported the previous events to the capital, Tokyo. The Imperial Secretariat also received reports from various prefectures and counties in Shandong and Henan, all concerning the rebellion and disturbances caused by Liu Hong and his followers. The high-ranking officials presented a comprehensive report. That day, when the Jingyang Bell rang, they all came to the waiting hall to attend the morning court and report to the Emperor.
At this time, the Daojun Emperor had not attended court for a month, spending his days idly. That morning, the imperial court was held. Three whips cracked in the imperial pavilion, and officials lined the golden steps. The Holy Emperor attended court, and the officials bowed. The head official listlessly shouted, "If you have something to say, step forward and speak; if not, roll up the curtain and dismiss the court." He then prepared to go home and slack off.
Seeing that today's morning court session would be just a formality, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices hurriedly stepped forward to petition the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, I have received numerous memorials from various prefectures and counties, all reporting that Liu Hong and his band of rebels openly advance into prefectures and counties, plundering treasuries, looting granaries, and murdering soldiers and civilians. Their greed is insatiable! Wherever they go, no one can stand against them. If they are not suppressed as soon as possible, they will surely become a great threat in the future. I humbly beg Your Majesty for your wise consideration!"
The Emperor Zhao paused for a moment: "I remember that Liangshan has harassed us several times. Qin Ming and Huyan Zhuo were defeated twice. Last year, Guan Sheng was sent with 100,000 troops and 200,000 to 300,000 laborers, making it a million-strong army to suppress them. Moreover, there are nearby prefectures and counties. I have repeatedly dispatched the Privy Council to advance troops, but so far there has been no reply. What is the situation with Guan Sheng?"
Gao Qiu wiped away his cold sweat and immediately knelt down to report.
"Your Majesty, that scoundrel Guan Sheng is two-faced! He disobeyed the orders of the Privy Council and suffered a crushing defeat in Jizhou, losing more than half of his million-strong army in a single battle! I then sent Generals Wei Dingguo and Shan Tinggui to provide support, but they were completely wiped out! This defeat is entirely the fault of these three!"
At this moment, the upright officials who opposed Gao Qiu dared not speak freely. They also saw the reality: the emperor was siding with Gao Qiu and taking his side. Now that Gao Qiu had shifted all the blame to the general, he had enough reasons to become a scapegoat, and the emperor could not possibly remove Gao Qiu.
Since that's the case, we have no choice but to seize power first.
The Imperial Censor Cui Jing immediately stepped forward and reported: "Liangshan has now grown strong. The Grand Commandant has launched three campaigns against them, each resulting in a major defeat and heavy losses. I have heard that a large banner has been erected at Liangshan Marsh, inscribed with the four characters 'Acting on behalf of Heaven.' This is a tactic to appease the people. With the people's hearts already won over, we cannot send troops. Moreover, the Western Xia army is growing stronger every day, and the Great Jin has allied with our Great Song to launch a pincer attack on the Great Liao from the north and south to recover the old Yan and Yun territories. We simply cannot spare any extra troops."
At this moment, why not issue an imperial edict, have the Court of Imperial Sacrifices bestow upon the emperor wine and delicacies, and send a high-ranking official to Liangshan Marsh to persuade them to surrender? Let the Liangshan army attack Liao and reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, thus resolving the dilemma of surrender instead of retribution!
Upon hearing this, the emperor nodded. Gao Qiu had just suffered a defeat and was afraid of being impeached. In addition, he couldn't think of anyone else who could lead the campaign against Liangshan. Therefore, he did not object and ordered the court to begin the process of granting amnesty and accepting surrender.