"…" The generals were stunned. Some were confused, some were at a loss, and some felt like they were in a dream.
Never in their wildest dreams would they have thought that the Marshal would actually set his sights on the Netherworld.
After a while, one of the generals said hesitantly, "How can the Heavenly Valley Palace accept us? The Empress is backed by the Xiahou family. Even if they agree, the Green Lord won't. How can the Green Lord let the Xiahou family control the army?"
Linghu Douzhong shook his head. "No. If we join the Heavenly Valley Palace and the Green Lord doesn't agree, how can the Xiahou family control the army? Although the Empress is from the Xiahou family, don't forget that the Green Lord can change the Empress at any time. Besides, according to the Xiahou family's style, they might not want to get involved. In other words, the Green Lord has the final say in this matter. The reason why I think the Green Lord will agree is because the Green Lord doesn't want us to fall into the hands of others! "
One of the generals said, "I'm afraid the others don't want us to fall into the Green Lord's hands either."
Linghu Douzhong said, "The best part is that Ying Jiuguang fell at this time. The Green Lord has a lot of initiative. First of all, if Teng Fei and Cheng Taize want to fulfill the Green Lord's promise, they won't go against the Green Lord. If the three heavenly kings want to rope them in, they won't make things difficult for them. After this, we won't have a chance to go to the Netherworld."
Another general said, "Commander! What level is the Netherworld? Is it appropriate for us to go? "
Linghu Douzhong asked, "Purgatory? Can we go in? Will the remnants of the Samsara believe us? Elysium? Will the Buddha Lord accept the Green Lord's men? If we join the Green Lord, there won't be a place for us to settle down. We won't be able to keep our ranks. We are all accomplices of Ying Jiuguang. We are all sinners! Not killing them is already a mercy! After this defeat, there is no place for us in the imperial court. Even if we manage to stay in the court, we will be attacked. Stay in the East Army? Teng and Cheng will definitely kill us. Plus, our army's morale is unstable. Ying Jiuguang is a good example. It's easy to repeat the same mistake. Is there a place for us to go in the vast starry sky? What about the food of so many people and their families? Rely on the Three Heavenly Kings? Everyone can imagine what will happen in the days to come. We are well aware of the internal situation of the three families. It would be strange if outsiders like us are not ostracized. Everyone has families, are you willing to be humiliated together? However, it would be different if they went to the Netherworld. Even if they were punished and demoted because of the incident with Ying Jiuguang, at least they would be able to ensure the safety of their family and not be humiliated. Besides, what kind of people are those in the Netherworld? Qingyue's position back then wasn't any lower than mine, and Long Xin was also a member of the imperial court back then. They were all officials who had been punished, and no one would look down on us if we went there. Of course, it would be impossible for us to keep our current riches and honor, but think about it. If we follow Ying Jiuguang and rebel, whether we go to the Netherworld or not, we won't be able to keep our riches and honor. Do you all have a choice? "
Everyone either muttered or nodded. Someone sighed and said, "But that is Niu Youde's territory. If Niu Youde acts against us at this time, and the Xiahou Family isn't happy to see it, the two sides will collude. Or rather, it won't only be two sides colluding, but also those who don't want to see us doing well. With the help of the imperial court and the Xiahou Family in the dark, I'm afraid there will be some trouble. What's more, that bastard Niu Youde is capable of doing anything. Now that he dares to interfere in such a big matter, I'm afraid he won't go easy on us. He will really do it! "
Linghu Douzhong said, "That's what I'm worried about as well. If we go to the Netherworld, how will we get along with Niu Youde will be a problem. However, that's secondary. As long as the Blue Lord wants to eat us, he will naturally find a way to deal with it. If he dares to go against the Blue Lord's wishes, the Blue Lord might just transfer him away."
"Since the Great Commander has already thought it through, we are willing to follow. However, what should we do now? What should we do with these people?"
After a brief discussion, everyone came to a conclusion. It was impossible to take these people with them. Not to mention, most of them would definitely be unwilling to go with them. If they forcefully took them with them, they might immediately rebel, which would make them feel uneasy. Most importantly, although there was a mix of good and bad people in front of them, this was a total of nearly a billion people. Although some of them hadn't arrived yet, this didn't include the cultivators who weren't at the Golden Lotus realm. If they really took all of these people with them, which faction would be able to sit idly by? It would definitely cause them a lot of trouble in escaping.
After gathering all the generals, Linghu Douzhong faced the crowd and loudly said, "I know that some of you don't share the same heart as I do, but I won't force you … …"
It was nothing more than Ying Jiuguang's death, and everyone had to go their separate ways. Those who wanted to stay would stay, and those who wanted to follow him would follow him. Everyone had a good time and didn't want to fight each other on the battlefield. However, Linghu Douzhong didn't say where he was going. He didn't say it because he wanted to leave a backup plan in case he was intercepted.
In truth, separating from Linghu Douzhong at this time was also a way to protect himself. As such, Linghu Douzhong's heart turned cold. Many of the people who originally belonged to his faction also parted ways with him. In the end, only about fifty million people were willing to follow him, and they were all directly under his command. They knew that they wouldn't have a good life if they left Linghu Douzhong. Otherwise, even more people would have gone their separate ways.
The world was so cold that Linghu Douzhong couldn't do anything about it. However, this small number of people made him lose a lot of bargaining power. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it. In the end, he took his people and left the army, quickly disappearing into the depths of the vast starry sky.
A person's heart was like water. Flowers bloomed and wilted. The affairs of the world were like a game of chess.
A generation's Heavenly King had come to an end, and a generation's Marshal had left with a heart full of sorrow. The situation had changed, and the Eastern Army had officially become a part of history. It would become a topic of conversation for the people of the world.
They had already arrived from the stargates on the east and west sides, and they were waiting for Linghu Douzhong to come in. Teng Fei and Cheng Taize were stunned, and they looked at each other in dismay.
"He ran? Where could he have gone? "Teng Fei asked.
Cheng Taize shook his head. He couldn't think of where Linghu Douzhong could have gone. He didn't believe that the Green Lord and the three Princes would offend them at this time. They would push them toward the enemy and take Linghu Douzhong in. But where else could he have gone? No one had an answer to this question.
The key was that they couldn't send anyone to intercept him. The Eastern Army's troops that could effectively fight had already been mobilized. There was no one left to stop Linghu Douzhong's fifty million troops. Moreover, this was fifty million troops that had been pushed to the brink of death. They had reduced the burden, so their fighting strength would definitely be formidable. Should they ask the other three Heavenly Kings to help intercept him? Not to mention whether or not they were willing to help, who knew? They might even seek refuge with them.
Cheng Taize sighed in the end. "Forget it. It's good that he left. We won't have to waste any more of our troops. A measly ten million troops won't be able to do much. As long as the others aren't taken away, they can still help us control the Yin Road. Right now, the most important thing is to pacify the Southern, Western, and Northern Armies. Their reinforcements are on their way here, and they'll be here soon. As long as we can reassure the three Princes, Linghu Douzhong's troops won't be a problem. We won't have a chance to make a comeback! "
Teng Fei nodded. "Linghu Douzhong has escaped. The situation is settled. Contact them!"
In the Kou Tianwang Residence, there was a rumbling sound in the bamboo forest. In a pavilion, Kou Lingxu flipped over the stone table in a fit of anger. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He let out a beast-like roar. "Teng Fei wants to stand on equal footing with this Prince? Who does he think he is? Wishful thinking! "
Kou Zheng looked at the flipped stone table and knew that his father was in a fit of anger. He didn't dare to make a sound.
Tang Henian was still on the phone. After he received the Star Bell, he reported, "Your Highness, Cheng Taize sent a message. He has the same intention as Teng Fei. He's willing to defend the Eastern Army's territory with Teng Fei. He's willing to follow Ying Jiu Guang's original route. He hopes that Your Highness can withdraw your reinforcements. He doesn't want to cross swords with Your Highness's people!"
"Wishful thinking!" Kou Lingxu roared again.
Tang Henian was speechless. He could only wait. He knew that His Highness wasn't calm. Ying Jiu Guang's death was hard for him to accept.
That was indeed the case. After Kou Lingxu calmed down, he slowly sat down on the stone bench. He put his fists on his knees and pondered for a long time. "Sigh!" He sighed softly. "Ying Jiu Guang, oh Ying Jiu Guang. Why couldn't you hold on a little longer … The target of your reinforcements is gone. Withdraw your troops! The people of Heavenly Street should withdraw as well. "His voice was full of helplessness. He couldn't fight for loyalty. In the end, he had to compromise with reality.
"Yes!" Tang Henian responded and carried out the order.
Inside the Hall of Stars, the results of the battle were not out yet. However, the Imperial Guards had suffered losses. More than 30 million of their 300 million soldiers were killed. The battle strength of Ying Jiu Guang's personal guards was obvious. The losses caused Qing Zhu to fall silent.
Then, Shangguan Qing's secret message made Qing Zhu raise his head in surprise. "Heavenly Valley Palace? The Netherworld? "
Shangguan Qing nodded. "Yes."
Qing Zhu stood up from the table. He frowned and paced back and forth in the hall. After a long time, he suddenly laughed. "This Linghu Douzhong is a little interesting. He has a crafty eye! Gao Guan, what do you think? "
Gao Guan was stunned. He cupped his hands and said, "What does Your Majesty mean?"
Only then did Qing Zhu remember that it was Shangguan Qing's secret message. Gao Guan didn't hear it. He pointed at Gao Guan and said, "Shangguan, tell him."
"Yes!" Shangguan Qing responded. He smiled and said to Gao Guan, "Right Emissary Gao, His Majesty's army launched a surprise attack. Linghu Douzhong's army didn't have time to rescue Ying Jiu Guang and escaped with 50 million soldiers. He just reported to His Majesty and asked for forgiveness. However, he relied on the fact that he still has some soldiers to negotiate with His Majesty. He wants to rely on the Heavenly Valley Palace to establish himself in the Netherworld!"
Gao Guan didn't even think about it. He said indifferently, "A defeated general dares to negotiate with His Majesty. We should take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate him. His Majesty can order the troops of the four armies to surround and annihilate him. If the four armies don't comply, His Majesty can threaten to take Linghu Douzhong into his army. The four armies will definitely surround and annihilate him. His Majesty won't need to move a single soldier! "
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