Chapter 128

Yang Yinglong's troops left Loushan Pass, broke through Jiupan Mountain, attacked Tongziyi, and seized Sanyuan Dam. The imperial army sent troops from Qingping, Dongxi, and Zhenzhou. The three armies formed an arrowhead and met Yang Yinglong's attack head-on.

Commander Liu Chengsi and Staff General Guo Cheng boasted that their troops were well-trained and that the native troops were a motley crew. Thus, they boldly advanced and took the initiative to meet the enemy head-on. In one battle, Yang Yinglong was utterly defeated. Vanguard Tian Yipeng was the first to escape.

Liu Chengsi and Guo Cheng were overjoyed and were even more certain that the native troops were useless. They chased after Sanyuan Dam, Tongziyi, and Jiupan Mountain without any effort. The Ming army's morale was greatly boosted and everyone was optimistic. They all said that in three to five days, they would roast all the "Yang" in Hailong Village!

Following that, Loushan Pass, an important town in Bozhou, was also captured by them in one fell swoop, just like the previous few checkpoints. Unexpectedly, Yang Yinglong had feigned defeat. The previous checkpoints had been purposely surrendered to them. They had "seized" Loushan Pass and were chasing after the defeated soldiers, but their escape route had been cut off by Yang Yinglong's ambush.

Tian Yipeng, who had been lying in ambush near Loushan Pass, suddenly attacked and took it back. Zhao Wenyuan and Great Shepherd Chen Xiao led their troops and attacked from the left and right. Tian Yipeng, who had feigned defeat, suddenly launched a fierce counterattack. The ambushed imperial army immediately fell into chaos.

In a great battle, the imperial army was completely annihilated. General Guo Cheng only managed to escape with his robe and hair disheveled. He disguised himself as a deserter and luckily escaped. Commander Liu retreated in panic and all the supplies fell into the hands of Yang Yinglong.

Yang Yinglong then marched straight in and sent ten thousand elites to capture the lost territory that had been purposely left to the imperial army. They attacked Sichuan and bathed the Qijiang in blood. The Qijiang was only two hundred li from Chongqing Prefecture. They could reach it in one day and one night. The news spread and Sichuan was in chaos.

Fortunately, the native troops arrived first and protected Chongqing Prefecture, giving Wang Jiguang time to recruit troops from all over the country. Yang Yinglong's great victory gave him a sharp spirit, but he was also worried that his lone army would enter deep into the enemy's territory and repeat General Guo's mistake. Therefore, he stopped his advance and expanded to the left and right, trying to stabilize his territory first, and then finally pull out the big nail that was Chongqing prefecture.

The imperial court was furious and memorials impeaching Sichuan Inspector Wang Jiguang flew into the palace like snowflakes. Emperor Wanli made a prompt decision, he dismissed Wang Jiguang from his post and appointed Tan Xisi as the Inspector-General of Sichuan, letting the commander-in-chief Liu Chengsi atone for his crime by performing meritorious service and taking the opportunity to suppress the rebels.

Liu Chengsi had already been scared out of his wits by the previous tragic battle. He wrote to the imperial court to "beg for bones", wanting to retire and return to his hometown. This made the young and vigorous Emperor of Wanli so angry that smoke was coming out of his nostrils. If it weren't for the fact that it was a taboo in the army to change a general just before a battle, he would have already taken out the Emperor's Sword and killed this bastard.

But after this incident, Wanli could see that he couldn't rely on this coward to deal with Yang Yinglong. So, he first issued a decree to reprimand Liu Zongbing, telling him to defend and wait for reinforcements. Yang Yinglong ordered the native troops to defend the city and appointed patrols.

Yang Yinglong dispatched the local officials to fortify the Imperial Citadel and set up patrols. He raided the enemy's people and plundered the fortresses. He confiscated all the property of the well-to-do families and used it as a reward for the army. The native troops became even more ferocious and were willing to die for Yang Yinglong.

Yang Yinglong also captured more than a thousand monks and gathered them at the foot of Chongqing Prefecture to summon the soul of his son Yang Kedong. The soldiers and civilians on the city wall saw their power and became even more fearful.

…

Yang Yinglong's troops entering Sichuan shocked not only the imperial court but also Guizhou.

Shuixi, Chieftain An's Mansion. It was obvious that people came from afar. People dressed in all kinds of clothes went in and out. These people were the scouts of Shuixi An's horse. They constantly sent news to Old Master An for analysis.

The An Mansion was so busy but Old Master An was sitting in the back garden. He seemed very relaxed. He held a cup of fragrant tea in his hand and the fragrance of flowers and tea filled the hall. Colorful butterflies danced in the air and the shade above his head was like a canopy. Annam Tien was at the side mixing a stick of sandalwood. He covered the incense burner and walked to Old Master An's side with his hands by his side.

At this moment, a maidservant in green quickly came over and handed him an intelligence report that had already been filtered and organized. An Nantian opened it and looked at it. His expression changed slightly and he waved his hand to dismiss the maidservant. He whispered to Old Master An, "Grandfather, Yang Yinglong dug out the coffin of Chieftain Mao Chengyun of Yuqing and cut off his corpse. After that, he plundered Daqian, Duba, Burning Calamity, Yuqing, Cottage, Xinglong, Pianzhen, and Duyun. His younger brother Yang Zhaolong conquered Huangping and killed the entire family of Zhang Xi. Last month, he personally led his troops and plundered Jiangjin and Nanchuan. His power is growing! "

Old Master An was twirling his teacup. He paused for a moment but then calmly twirled his teacup again.

Annam Tien asked tentatively: "Grandfather?"

Old Master An shook his head lightly: "Let's wait and see!"

Annam Tien said: "Yang Yinglong has already entered Sichuan. Our rear is empty. If our An family wants to make a move, it's the right time!"

Old Master An glanced at him and said indifferently: "Why should we make a move?"

Annam Tien was stunned and hesitated: "This … we are not … not …"

Old Master An smiled and said slowly: "That's right! The stability of Guizhou is in the best interest of our An family, but … it's already in chaos! "

Old Master An sighed and took a sip of tea. He said slowly: "Since it's already in chaos, we have to see it clearly before we make a move. The art of war says: War is a matter of great importance to a country. It's a place of life and death, the path of survival. It can't be ignored! For a country to be so cautious in using troops, could it be that the An family's foundation is stronger than the imperial court? "

Old Master An shook his head and said: "Does Yang Yinglong really trust our An family and Shuidong's Song family? If he dares to enter Sichuan, he must have a backup plan. This is the first reason. Currently, Yang Yinglong is in the limelight. Even if we want to make a move, should we choose when his morale is high? This is the second reason. If we want to make a move, we have to have a good reason. Ye Mengxiong hasn't made a move yet, and the imperial court hasn't issued a decree. Sometimes, it's better not to do anything … "

Annam Tien slowly lowered his head and said: "Yes, your grandson understands!"

Old Master An sighed softly and said slowly: "The imperial court hasn't had time to make a move. Once the imperial court strikes, who can gain the upper hand? If Yang Yinglong really succeeds … how do you think a dynasty of a hundred years and a chieftain of a thousand years came about? "

Annam Tien was shocked.

…

In the West Paradise, the Song family's master stood under a pine tree welcoming guests. He looked into the distance with his hands behind his back.

In the distance, the Wu River rolled forward. On the other side of the river was the boundary of Bozhou.

Song Tiandao stood beside his father and reported softly: "Song Shichen and Luo Chengen entered the capital to accuse Yang Yinglong of plotting a rebellion. Yang Yinglong has always hated them to the bone. After he raised the flag to rebel, the Song family and the Luo family hid in Siqiao Citadel. Now they have also been found by Yang Yinglong.

Yang Yinglong ordered his subordinates to rape their fathers and their daughters and to rape their wives in front of their husbands. In the end, he drove them naked onto firewood and set them on fire for fun. Or he caught snakes and roasted their tails, forcing the snakes and insects to enter through the nether regions. In the end, he burned them with fire, killing both humans and snakes. Even the ancestral graves of these families have been dug up by him. He burned the remains of the ancestors of these two families, causing ashes to cover the sky … "

The face of the Song family's master twitched a few times. He slowly said: "Since ancient times, there has never been such a cruel person who has conquered the world!"

There was anger on Song Tiandao's face as he said in a low voice: "This person is perverse and unpopular! I feel that it is time for our Song family to make a move! "

His father was silent for a moment. He shook his head gently and looked to the west again. Looking to the west from Little Western Paradise, there was only the undulating mountains. Nothing else could be seen, but Song Tiandao knew what his father was looking at. He wanted to see the Shuixian clan.

After staring for a very, very long time, the Song family's master said slowly, "Wait! Wait and see what the An family will do! "

…

"Yang Yinglong has gone north to Sichuan, but he has left Shiqian and Tongren, which are easier to take. What does he mean by this?"

The parlor of the Ye family in Crouching Bull Ridge was currently filled with people. Compared to the An family and the Song family, the Ye family was much more democratic. There were quite a few people participating in the discussion. The person who had raised the question was Li Dazhuang.

Gedore said in a self-righteous manner, "Shiqian and Tongren belong to Guizhou. If he dares to send troops here, the governor of Guizhou will definitely send troops. At that time, he will have to fight on both sides. Does that brat have the courage?"

Ye Xiaotian smiled and said, "Even if he doesn't touch Shiqian and Tongren, the governor of Guizhou will still send troops sooner or later. We only look at a single place, but they look at the entire world. The entire world belongs to the imperial court!"

Guoji Grong shot a glance at him and said, "Then tell me, why hasn't he touched the Shiqian and Tongren prefectures?"

Ye Xiaotian said leisurely, "That's because he thought he already controlled me in the past, so he could easily devour the Shiqian and Tongren prefectures. However, that's not possible now! Moreover, the Shuixian clan and the Shuixian clan have both expressed goodwill to me this time, yet Yang Yinglong has just appeased them to prevent them from dragging him down. Under these circumstances, he's worried that he'll poke a hornet's nest by heading east, which will trap him. As a result, heading north is the best choice. "

Tian Miaowen said, "Whether it's because of his need to expand or his personal grievances with our Crouching Bull Ridge, he'll come sooner or later, so we can't be careless because of this. During this period of time, we can recruit troops and wait for an opportunity! "

Ye Xiaotian glanced at her and said, "Madam, you're only half right! We can't become complacent just because he has no intentions of touching us for now. However, we can't just recruit troops and wait for an opportunity! "

Tian Miaowen frowned slightly and said, "That's what the An family and Song family are doing. They're preserving their strength for now and waiting for the best opportunity …"

Ye Xiaotian interrupted her and shook his head. "The An family and Song family's status is extraordinary. They can advance or retreat as they please. As a result, they can wait, but we can't! If Yang Yinglong gains control of the world, no matter how despicable he was with the An family and Song family in the past, he'll have to endure it for the sake of the stability of the world. He'll be like the emperors of every empire. As long as they submit, he'll cast a seal and send it over, allowing them to continue being local tyrants. However, our Crouching Bull Ridge can't do that! "

Ye Xiaotian looked around and said sternly, "If Yang Yinglong gains power, the Crouching Bull Ridge will definitely perish! As a result, we're just a little grasshopper tied to the thigh of the imperial court. Whether we're willing or not, we have to follow it! Not to mention … "

Ye Xiaotian stood up slowly. As he looked around, he was filled with pride. "Are we satisfied just by having a foothold in the Crouching Bull Ridge? Everyone, if you want to stand shoulder to shoulder with An and Song, this is a rare opportunity for our Crouching Bull Ridge! "