"Sir, how could we not fight for our lives to the death for you?"
Hearing that Hong Yi wanted to clean up the corpses of the dead soldiers after the battle and pay for them to be sent back to their hometowns, the remaining two hundred people exchanged glances and knelt down one after another. They let out a roar in unison, causing the entire Snake Colony to reverberate for a long time.
Usually, the corpses of soldiers who died on the battlefield were abandoned in the wilderness. No one would take care of them. Even if the victorious side collected the corpses, they would be cremated and buried together. There was no reason to bury them in their hometowns because the price was too high.
However, it was a tradition of the Da Qian for generations to return to their hometowns. Only by burying them in their hometowns could they rest in peace. This belief was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Even great scholars who did not believe in gods or ghosts would return to their hometowns, let alone these soldiers.
"Good! Rest here. "
This was the effect that Hong Yi wanted. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers got up and sat on the ground to rest. Some drank water, while others wiped their sweat.
"Although we suffered heavy losses, we killed Lü Mei. This is a great merit for us." Chi Zhuiyang walked into the stream and picked up Lü Mei's charred corpse. Although it did not look like a human, one could still vaguely see his sinister face. This did not prevent him from asking for credit.
"Cut off his head and bring it back!" The Golden Spider said carelessly.
"Leave his corpse intact," Hong Yi stopped Chi Zhuiyang when he saw that he was about to cut off his head with a rebar knife.
"The few of you, stay here and look after the corpses and the battlefield. Also, look after the weapons and armor that we have seized. Wait for the army that will come later. The others will continue to advance with me. After passing through the Serpent Valley, we will probably reach the pirate's base camp. Everyone, be careful! "
Hong Yi issued a series of orders without missing a beat.
Some of the weaker ones stayed behind to take care of the injured soldiers and guard the battlefield, waiting for the following troops to come in. It was naturally the best choice for him to lead a powerful team and continue forward.
"Brother Hong, come over and take a look!" Chi Zhuiyang lifted Lü Mei's corpse and seemed to have found something.
Hong Yi stood up, walked over, and casually glanced over. He saw that Green Eyebrows's green robe had been burned off, revealing a faint dark gold color. On the dark gold robe, there were many interwoven warp lines. Originally, it was unremarkable, but after being burned by the fire and washed by water, it sparkled like a precious robe. This dark colored robe seemed to be a kasaya.
"This is a kasaya?"
Hong Yi and Chi Zhuiyang exchanged glances.
"That's right, it's a kasaya, and it's made of black gold thread. It's not afraid of fire, and the more it burns, the brighter it becomes. Moreover, once it's wrapped, it won't be injured by swords or sabers. It's a level better than the Silver Shark Armor. This was the kasaya used by the elders of the Daizen Temple in the past, "Chi Zhuiyang said.
"Black gold thread! No wonder … "Hong Yi suddenly remembered that the cloth of the Amitabha Sutra had the same color and texture, but it was much purer than the kasaya on Lü Mei's corpse.
"Even all of our belongings can't compare to this kasaya." Chi Zhuiyang stretched out his hand and pulled the kasaya from Lü Mei's body. A large piece of black gold cloth that looked like a sheet was pulled out and folded. It was no different from a handkerchief!
"Eh? There are words on this kasaya. " Hong Yi stopped Chi Zhuiyang from folding it. He shook the kasaya, and when it was exposed to the sun, he found traces of words in the center of the kasaya. It seemed to be a scripture.
"What are these words? Is it a martial arts secret manual? "Chi Zhuiyang moved his eyes closer, but he couldn't recognize the words.
"This is seal script from a thousand years ago," Hong Yi said, "It's not a martial arts secret manual, but a merit chapter in a scripture."
"What kind of merit scripture is this … It's so strange, but it's so direct!" Hong Yi replied to Chi Zhuiyang as he looked at the scripture on the kasaya. The more he looked at it, the more shocked he became.
The scripture on the kasaya was not a martial arts secret manual, nor was it a Taoist cultivation manual. It was a scripture that talked about merit!
Hong Yi had read many Buddhist scriptures, Taoist scriptures, and Confucian and Taoist scriptures that advised people to do good, and all of them mentioned merit. However, the merit on this kasaya was completely different from the ones he had read before.
"When I heard this, I asked the Buddha, what is merit? If I use the boundless world and endless treasures to give to the poor people, to make the world peaceful and free from suffering, will there be merit? The Buddha said, there is no merit. When giving alms, the good intention is to seek blessings, not to use blessings as merit. The merit is in the Dharmakaya, not in seeking blessings. Seeing one's nature is merit, equality is virtue. Thinking without stagnation, seeing one's nature, and using it for real is merit … "
"Merit has nothing to do with good and evil? Thinking without stagnation means that every thought is smooth and unobstructed. Is this merit? If it's a devil and he acts according to his own nature, killing people like flies to satisfy his own desires, is that also merit? " Hong Yi was a scholar after all, so he immediately understood the meaning of the scripture. However, he still had doubts, so he quickly continued reading.
Sure enough, the following scripture mentioned this question again.
This merit scripture was written in the form of a question and answer. The Buddha's disciple asked the Buddha, and the Buddha answered.
"Thinking without stagnation is merit. If a devil is evil in nature, following his evil nature and killing people, is that merit? The Buddha said, 'It is merit. The devil is evil in nature, but by recognizing his nature and killing people, he becomes free and equal to the Buddha.'
"My goodness, this scripture is simply disgraceful and heresy! Is this a Buddhist scripture? Not a deviant scripture? " When Hong Yi read to this point, his entire body shivered. This passage of scripture was said by Buddha to his disciple. The meaning was like this: The disciple of Buddha asked Buddha that the nature of the Skyfiend was to kill and was extremely evil. If the Skyfiend followed his nature to kill and injure, allowing his nature to be unleashed, would that be considered merit? The Buddha answered, "It is merit." When the devil recognizes his evil nature and does evil things to ease his thoughts, it is also merit. This kind of devil has the supernatural power of great freedom, and is called the Freedom Devil. It has the same power as the Buddha.
"The process of recognizing one's nature is merit! After knowing one's nature, doing things according to one's nature, so that one's nature can be relaxed, this is merit! Merit has nothing to do with good and evil … Outrageous, outrageous … What a scripture! No wonder the Daizen Temple was destroyed. However … at the beginning of man, his nature is good. Man's nature is good … This scripture doesn't seem to be wrong. What is my nature? Is it good or evil? Is it hatred? Or did he have to take revenge? Or weakness? Or is it virtue? Or advocates reason, advocates violence … "
Hong Yi was deeply immersed in this merit scripture.
Suddenly, he realized that he did not have a clear and sufficient understanding of his own nature.
What was his true nature like?
Hong Yi did not have a clear conclusion, and his mind was a little fuzzy.
"It seems that my merit is not enough. Without merit, there is no merit to speak of. This scripture, is it really deviant? Is it really what the Buddha said? It can't be a fake Buddha, right? "
Hong Yi had read books for more than ten years, no matter if it was from any religion or any classics, official or folk. When it came to merit, it talked about how to do good, how to accumulate virtue, how to give, and how to do good deeds.
It never said that knowing one's nature and doing things according to one's nature was merit.
If this scripture was brought to the imperial court, it would definitely be regarded as a heretical and crooked sect. It would be severely criticized, banned, and spurned by thousands of people.
"Brother Hong, you don't have to study anymore. The soldiers are well rested, let's pass through the Serpent Valley. " When Chi Zhuiyang heard that it was not a martial arts manual, nor was it a Dao technique manual, but a scholarly scripture, he had long lost interest. Seeing that Hong Yi was engrossed in it, he could not help but shake his kasaya.
"Hmm? Put away your kasaya. "Hong Yi woke up and put aside the narration of the merit scripture, calming his mind. Seeing that his soldiers were well rested, he roared, "Prepare to depart!"
Shua shua shua!
Swords clashed, bows and arrows hung on their bodies, all the valiant soldiers stood up and lined up neatly.
After the battle just now, this group of soldiers seemed to have matured in an instant!
"Fighting a war still depends on the core strength, the rest of the soldiers can only play a supporting role. No wonder the founding emperors in history always had a few generals by their side. Although they were defeated and fled, they could regroup at any time. As long as the core is not scattered, it is easy to recruit new soldiers! No wonder it is easy to get a thousand troops, but hard to find a good general. "
Other than the soldiers who stayed in the Serpent Valley to wait for the main army, Hong Yi's strong soldiers all began to march quickly.
During the intense march, Hong Yi recalled the fierce battle just now and understood the saying, "It is easy to get a thousand troops, but hard to find a good general."
During the battle with the Green-browed Pirates, Hong Yi took the lead, along with Chi Zhuiyang, Shen Tiezhu, Mu The Younger, and the five elders of the White Cloud. The rest of the soldiers followed behind them, using the "Chiseling Tactic", they were invincible. Three to four hundred people against five to six hundred, and there were very few casualties. However, they were blocked by the Green-browed Pirates, and their momentum was hindered, causing their subordinates to immediately suffer heavy casualties.
This made Hong Yi understand the role of the core vanguard in the army.
If an army had an invincible vanguard, they would be invincible and win every battle. Without an invincible vanguard, no matter how many soldiers they had, they would still be defeated.
In the history books, there was an example of an army of seven thousand defeating an army of one hundred thousand. Hong Yi couldn't understand why, and thought that the history books were just boasting. Now, he finally understood.
"In the future, the troops under my command will still be mainly elite experts, with silver as support. As long as I have core troops and strong financial resources, I can gather a hundred battle lion at any time," said Hong Yi.
At this moment, his eyes lit up!
The troops had finally passed through the Serpent Valley!
Although Hong Yi had seen the map before and knew that there was a plain behind the Serpent Valley, and in the middle of the plain was a mountain city called Giant Whale City. That was the base of the pirates, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he knew how magnificent it was!
A large plain appeared in front of him.
The plain was as flat as a mansion, and the plain was divided into large pieces of land. Beside the land, there were houses, canals, waterwheels, mills, cows, horses, and so on.
Golden paddy and all kinds of crops shone brightly on the plain.
Roads intersected between the fields, as if they were the official roads of the Da Qian.
In the middle of the plain was a city. At a glance, it was a few thousand mu wide. It wasn't big, and looked like a county town. There were tall houses in the city, and on top of the city's walls, there were vaguely soldiers standing guard, flags fluttering in the wind.
"These are pirates? Not a country? "
Hong Yi felt that it was unimaginable. In his impression, pirates were ships, shabby mountain forts, and caves. Even the most powerful pirates were just water forts built with huge logs.
Who knew that the pirates in front of him had even built a city in the central plain of Giant Whale Island! They had even started planting and rearing! This was completely an independent country on the sea, with the attitude of a city king!
"There used to be aborigines on this Giant Whale Island, but they've been brought together by the three Island Masters and implemented a slavery system. With Yun Meng's support, they've built up quite well. In a few more years, they'll probably be able to establish their own country! No wonder the Pacification Navy is making such a big move. After this place is conquered, they can completely transfer the landless commoners here, and turn this place into an overseas province of the Da Qian! "
Hong Yi murmured.
"Look, someone has already broken through! Fireworks are being lit over there, and they've begun attacking the city! It's Wei Lei's vanguard! " Chi Zhuiyang pointed at the city in the distance again, and saw an army of close to a thousand people charging out from the forest on the other side, charging onto the official road on the plain. They quickly approached the city and began attacking.
Hong Yi's eyes were good, and he could tell at a glance that it was the vanguard led by Wei Lei.
"We can't let them break through the city first and kill their way inside. There are countless treasures in this Giant Whale Island. Let's kill our way in! "The Golden Spider shrieked.
"You're a Golden Spider, what treasures do you want?" Mu The Younger looked at the Golden Spider, who was more excited than anyone else, and asked curiously.
"Humph, of course I like treasures." The Golden Spider looked at Hong Yi, jumping up and down. "Kill our way in! Kill our way in! "
"Of course we can't let Wei Lei get the credit. Everyone, let's go down! " Hong Yi's eyes flashed, and he raised the sword in his hand, leading his men down the Valley of Snakes and onto the official road on the Giant Whale Plains!
This Giant Whale Plains had a circumference of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, and was surrounded by mountains on all sides, forming a natural barrier. The plains were fertile, and there was plenty of water. It was practically a huge granary on the island. Building a city here, and farming on the island, it was practically a great base for development.
Hong Yi stepped onto the official road on the plains, and looked at the unharvested rice fields on both sides, secretly amazed at the wonders of nature.
On this Giant Whale Island, the rice crops were harvested four times a year.
"Young Master! There isn't much defensive power on the city walls. We can completely break through this city, and directly reach the mansion in the center of the city, and plunder first! "
At this time, Wei Lei's team of several hundred had already arrived at the foot of the Giant Whale Island.
Wei Lei looked at the flags on the city walls, and the few guards who seemed to be facing a great enemy. He laughed coldly. "That's natural. How many people are there on this Giant Whale Island? They know that it's impossible to defend, so they've all gone out to attack in the forests on all sides, fighting guerrilla warfare. I've broken through the blockade first, so I naturally have to break through the city first, and plunder in! Little Yu, blow up the city gates! "
"Yes! Young Master! "
Beside Wei Lei, a woman with a huge sword on her back hurriedly nodded. Suddenly, she took out a bow, and an arrow was nocked on the bow. This arrow was made of wood, and the body of the arrow was covered in dark runes, giving off a strong smell of gunpowder!
This woman shot the arrow, and it hit the city gates.
Boom!
The wooden arrow exploded, and the entire city gates shook. The black soldiers on the city walls were so frightened that they covered their heads and scurried away.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
This woman shot another three arrows consecutively!
Boom boom boom! The city gates were hit by the consecutive explosions, and they were on the verge of collapse. The old man under Wei Lei, Lélie the Tank, pounced forward and punched the crumbling city gates. Bam! The city gates were completely opened.
"Young Master, another group of soldiers is coming! It's that Hong Yi! "
At this time, the people beside Wei Lei saw Hong Yi and the others marching over on the official road.
"Lélie! Take thirty Dark Guards with you and intercept them! Kill them all, and don't leave a single one alive. I'll enter the city first! "Wei Lei snorted coldly.
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