She bowed and said, "The two of us, along with Mei Taoniang from Zuo Dao and the Xuanshan couple, fought against the five servants of Lie Zunyi. These five people are very powerful and it was difficult for us to win. It was all thanks to the combined skills of Mr. Xuanshan and the old woman Xuanshan that they suppressed the five servants, giving us the opportunity."
Shi Hao nodded. Shi Zun Wu Ku was a new generation of warriors of the Jin clan who was personally cultivated by Lie Zunyi. It was a blessing that both of them were able to escape unscathed.
Sha Lingshan said: "Afterwards, someone discovered that a dragon emerged from the underground palace and went north along the Grand Canal. In one day, it crossed thousands of miles and defeated the mysterious formation set up by the Emperor Zu Chiwu and Prime Minister Fu Tu of the Barbarian Court near Haodu.
"Someone saw that there seemed to be three people on the back of the dragon..."
Shi Hao smiled and said, "I won't hide it from you, those three people are me, Moon Altar Master, and Xiaoyan!"
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi, Sha Ling Shan, as well as She Ji and Long Niu behind them were all shocked.
Although they had guessed it before, they were still shocked to hear the young master admit it himself.
Sha Lingshan let out a sigh of relief and said, "Although Yun Caiyao and the female infant goddess came out with Lie Zunyi's head, Yun Caiyao, who is the true disciple of Taisu Xian Pavilion, told us that the Overlord Underground Palace is not the core of the Shenzhou Dragon Vein. At that time, although we knew we had fallen into a trap, we could do nothing about it. We had to spread the news that Lie Zunyi was killed by the Chinese martial arts world."
"Unexpectedly, just one day later, news came that Haodu had sunken. Some experts who were proficient in Fengshui and divination even sensed that the earth's power that had been distorted towards Haodu was quickly returning. But no one knew what had happened. It turned out that it was the young master's doing."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi bowed and said, "Young Master, should this news also be spread throughout the world so that everyone in the world knows about your might and virtue?"
Shi Hao shook his head: "You can send someone to spread the news secretly, saying that someone saw the person on the back of the dragon, who is suspected to be Shi Chongyun, the 'Hidden Dragon', but there is no need to link it with my identity as the 'Crazy Blade Hero'."
Xuanfeng Huanzhi said: "Yes!"
Sha Lingshan smiled and said, "Now everyone in the martial arts world calls you 'The Mad Blade Demonic Hero'."
Xuanfeng Huanzhi saw Sha Lingshan talking casually to the young master, and Yue Yaotai standing beside the young master like a personal maid. Only she seemed alienated, which made her feel a little uncomfortable, and at the same time she was secretly alert.
She bowed again and said, "Young Master, do you have any plans for the future?"
Shi Hao looked at her and asked, "What does Xuanfeng Sect Master think?"
Xuanfeng Huanzhi said in a clear voice: "Now that Lie Zunyi is dead, the Man Court has lost its backbone. Although the Prime Minister Fu Tu of the Man Court is a capable minister and works hard to govern the country, the four great families have their own thoughts and the officials under them are extremely corrupt. It won't be long before the Man Court is in chaos."
"In the future, the world will surely be full of dragons and snakes. Whoever can grow rapidly in a short period of time will have the opportunity to occupy a place in the next conflict and rule the future dynasty. Young Master, my Evil Lotus Sect has been patient for three hundred years, and we must do something."
Shi Hao asked: "How should we act?"
Xuanfeng Huanzhi said: "At present, the Barbarian Court still firmly controls the north, and the various rebel armies can only struggle in the south. Jingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Yuezhou are located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. My subordinates have already been in Jingxiang, secretly planning. The young master, with the remaining prestige of helping to kill Lie Zunyi, uses this Jinghua Lake to command the world, and uses Dongting Lake as a base to start an uprising in Jingxiang.
"Once Jingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Yuezhou fall into the hands of our clan, we can remotely control the entire Changhe River. We can advance to take the south, retreat to Bashu, go north to the Han River, and go south to occupy Chu and Xiang."
Sha Lingshan frowned: "If so, won't it expose my Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion to the public and expose it to the flames? My Mirror Flower Lake has been hidden for many years, how can it be easily revealed to the world like this?"
Xuanfeng Huanzhi said: "The three sects have merged into one. Whether it is Mirror Flower Lake, Black Lotus Realm, or Moon Lotus Tower, they are all part of our sect. Now is a chaotic time that only occurs once every three hundred years. It is also a good opportunity that only occurs once every three hundred years. If you miss this opportunity, you may have to wait another three hundred years."
"If Lord Shatan does not want the disciples of Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion to get involved in the war, that's fine. Just vacate Mirror Flower Lake and that'll be all."
Yueyaotai sneered, "You said that you want the young master to use the remaining prestige of killing Lie Zunyi to start a rebellion in Dongting Lake. Are you teaching the young master how to do things?"
The Yuelian Tower and the Black Lotus Realm have been in conflict for a long time, and she and Xuanfeng Huanzhi have never gotten along with each other, so they are naturally rude at this moment.
Xuanfeng Huanzhi ignored her and bowed to Shi Hao, saying, "Young Master, the opportunity is rare and will never come back. Now is the best chance to take Jingxiang. If we delay any longer, other forces will surely take advantage of the chaos in the Barbarian Court and rise up."
Sha Lingshan and Yue Yaotai wanted to talk more, but Shi Hao stood up and waved his hand, asking them to be quiet for the time being.
Chapter 267: Execute first and report later, three major factors
Xuanfeng Huanzhi bowed to the ground with his hands clasped. Although he looked humble, his determination was firm.
Snake Princess and Long Niu followed behind her and bowed down together.
Sha Lingshan and Yue Yaotai stood by.
Shi Hao put his hands behind his back, paced back and forth a few steps, and stood in front of Xuan Feng Huan Zhi.
He asked in a deep voice: "If we start an uprising in the name of 'Mad Blade Demon Knight' in Dongting Lake, how many days will it take to capture Jingzhou?"
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi said: "In three days at most, Jingzhou will be in our hands, and within seven days, Xiangzhou and Yuezhou will be in our hands. If we fail to do so, I will commit suicide."
Shi Hao nodded and said, "It seems that you have been prepared for a long time. This is also good!"
Sha Ling Shan and Yue Yao Tai said in unison: "Young Master..."
Shi Hao raised his hand and said, "To be honest, Xuanfeng Sect Master's suggestion is consistent with my idea. The main reason why I am hesitant is due to other reasons."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi said: "Please give me your instructions, young master."
Shi Hao paced two more steps and said, "These reasons can be mainly attributed to three points. First, the three sects have only been integrated for a short time, and whether they are of the same mind has yet to be tested. If they want to start an uprising from Dongting Lake, they will definitely have to use the foundation of Jinghua Lake, the power of Black Lotus Realm, and Yuelian Tower's trade route to the lower reaches of the Changhe River.
"If the three sects are at odds, then the Evil Lotus Sect itself will become a mob, fighting among itself. The faster it develops, the more likely it is to collapse internally. In this way, the Evil Lotus Sect will openly develop its power in the martial arts world, and there will be many internal conflicts. The more it does, the faster it will fail. It is better to continue to act in secret."
Yueyaotai and Shalingshan bowed down together.
Yueyaotai said: "As long as it is a matter decided by the young master, we will definitely go all out and will never sacrifice public interests for personal reasons."
Sha Lingshan said: "All subordinates will obey the orders of the young master and have no second thoughts."
Shi Hao nodded and continued, "The second reason is that the Xie Lian Sect is a 'demon sect', which carries a heavy burden. Let's not talk about the distant past, let's just talk about the near future. Chu Yinsheng and Meng Hui initially responded to Fu Shiyuan's call in the name of chivalry and raised an army to fight against the barbarians. Their momentum was not small, and their development was not slow."
"Now that it has been revealed that he is Hong Lei Chi's disciple and a pawn in Hong Lei Chi's attempt to dominate the world, many righteous men who had originally supported him have left one after another, and his subordinates have rebelled one after another. His power has suddenly fallen apart, and he has gone from resisting the barbarians to being forced to accept the orders of the Barbarian Court. A good army has gone from being a righteous army to a new entrant of the Barbarian Court, and has become notorious."
"From this, we can see how important reputation is. Just look at the Dukuei Sect's intention to occupy Bashu. They had to use roundabout means to first create the Hanyang Gang to do all kinds of evil things, and then use the Danyang Society to replace it. The 'Tiger Swordsman' Xiong Wanghu dared not have any contact with the Dukuei Sect openly, and that's why."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi whispered, "That is why we need the young master's help in destroying the reputation of the Barbarian Court's Retired Emperor Lie Zunyi and the reputation of the 'Mad Blade Demon Hero'."
Shi Hao continued, "In fact, I was previously in Bashan, contacting the Nine Villages of Bashan in the name of Shi Chongyun, and established a group training, the Yuxie Gang. I wanted to imitate the old deeds of the Qin and Sheng dynasties and control the east and south with the northwest. As a result, the Danyang Association disrupted my plan."
"Afterwards, I went to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and during the trip, I kept analyzing the overall situation, and then I realized where I went wrong. Today is different from the past. Development based on Bashan, Shu, and Hanzhong is no longer feasible in this era. Well, I believe that the leader of the Xuanfeng Temple has already had an opinion on this point, so why not talk about it."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi said resolutely: "The climate is changing, and the water line is moving south. In ancient times, the north was prosperous and the south was barren. Now the south is rich, but Bashan, Hanzhong and other places are beginning to lack water and food. Even if we build an army, we have to rely on food transported from other places, which is difficult to support."
"Although the Han River is a tributary of the Yangtze River, it is only a tributary. Without large lakes like Dongting and Poyang, it is impossible to build a navy. Without a navy, there is no way to open up waterways. In this era, the land of Bashu is not even strong enough to maintain its business, let alone rule the world."
Shi Hao sat back in the big chair, patted his thigh and sighed, "It was also my fault for reading history books. I only knew to learn from history, but failed to combine it with reality. I wasted my energy in Bashan. As the leader of Xuanfeng said, the geographical location of Bashu and Hanzhong is no longer important now, but the role of the navy has greatly increased. To build a navy, we must have large lakes like Dongting and Poyang."
"Poyang Lake is not available at the moment. Although there are a large number of barbarian troops stationed in Dongting Lake and the surrounding states and counties, the people are miserable and hate the barbarian troops very much. The Barbarian Court is far away from here. The barbarian troops were transported from the surrounding areas of the capital to suppress Sheng Menghui. At the moment when the Barbarian Court's emperor was defeated, I'm afraid they have no intention of defending this place, and in fact they can't defend it."
"This is also the main reason why I came to Dongting Lake after traveling so far. The opinion of the Xuanfeng Altar Master is really in line with my opinion."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi said, "If it weren't for the young master guarding Bashan, then Bashan, Hanshui, and Chu would have most likely fallen into the hands of Hong Lei Chi. The young master was right to go to Bashan. And if you wanted to start an uprising in Jingzhou before, it was too early. As long as Lie Zunyi is alive, the Man Court will never give up Jingzhou."
"But at this moment, the Barbarian Court will no longer be able to control the upper reaches of the Changhe River due to the death of Lie Zunyi. Sheng Menghui is in turmoil. He originally had the momentum to sweep across Chuyin and firmly take over one of the eight provinces, but now it is falling apart and putting out fires everywhere in his own territory."
"Wei Yuxin, one of the eight martial immortals of Chongxian Sect and the 'Liuguang Immortal Book', is stationed in Jingxiang and plotting secretly. He intends to wait for the barbarian army to retreat and fill the vacancy of the barbarian court in Jingzhou. However, he is caught in two sides. He wants to cut ties with the barbarian army, but he is afraid of cutting ties too early and becoming a target of suppression by the barbarian army."
"Young Master, the opportunity is rare and will never come back. The importance of Jingzhou is self-evident. At this moment, the people are full of resentment. As long as someone takes the lead, it will set the prairie on fire. However, all parties are powerless at this moment. This is a great opportunity for us to develop."
Shi Hao smiled and said, "This is also the main reason why you came to Dongting Lake this time, right? If I wasn't here, what would you do? Start a riot around Dongting Lake, start a war, start an uprising in the name of the Evil Lotus Sect, and then involve Jinghua Tower. With the fait accompli, you can turn around and coerce me, the young master, to kill first and report later?"
Sha Lingshan turned her head to look at Xuan Feng Huan Zhi and whispered, "Ah—"
Panic flashed in Xuanfeng Huanzhi's eyes, and he bowed hastily, "I have overstepped my bounds, young master, please punish me."
She also didn't expect that her thoughts would be seen through by the young master so quickly.
No sect could tolerate such reckless behavior. At this moment, her heart sank.
If the young master wanted to kill her here, she would surely die.
As the young master is a true disciple, "Magic Lotus Tianyin" has absolute suppressive power over her.
What's more, this is Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion. If the young master wants to kill her, Yue Yaotai and Sha Lingshan will definitely not mind joining forces with the young master.
Even though she was accompanied by Longniu and Sheji, there were also Meihua Niangzi and Taohua Niangzi beside her, not to mention Zhijinhua was also a fifth-rank master.
Shi Hao sat on a big chair, looking at Xuan Feng Huan Zhi lying on the ground, and sighed: "In the name of the Evil Lotus Sect, you started a rebellion in Dongting. This is such a big deal, but you are ready to act on your own and kill first and report later. If this matter is not investigated, does the Evil Lotus Sect still have rules?"
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi gritted his teeth and said, "This subordinate deserves death!"
Longniu and Sheji opened their mouths to speak, but Madam Plum Blossom and Madam Peach Blossom pressed forward, and neither of them dared to move.
Shi Hao looked at Sha Lingshan and said, "Master Sha, is there anything in the pavilion that can be used to enforce the family rules?"
Sha Ling fanned the fan slightly, and said with a smile: "There is such a thing!" She floated away, and after a while, she came back with a ruler.
Shi Hao picked up the ruler, put his hands behind his back, and walked half a circle around Xuan Feng Huan Zhi. He looked down and saw Xuan Feng Huan Zhi wearing a long emerald green gown, lying on the ground with her skirt trailing on the ground like a peacock. Her buttocks were raised and, upon closer inspection, they were round and well-proportioned.
He took the ruler and hit Xuan Feng Huan Zhi Qiao three times with "slap, snap, snap".
Yueyaotai, Longniu, and Sheji all opened their eyes wide... How could this be a punishment? It was like a teasing
Sha Lingshan said: "Oh my god..."
Shi Hao walked back to the big chair and said with a smile: "Since the punishment has been given, the past will not be pursued. Everyone, get up."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi rose up softly, her face turning red... She also felt that she was being teased by the young master.
In fact, at that moment, she thought she was dead, but she didn't expect that the young master would give her such a "punishment".
With her fourth-grade strength, if the young master hit her with all his strength three times without suppressing her with the Magic Lotus Tianyin, she would not necessarily die even if she did not dare to resist.
But gently "snapping" this part up and down three times gives a completely different feeling.
After everyone stood up, Shi Hao did not sit back in the chair, but looked around at the women of the Evil Lotus Sect and said, "It's easy to start a rebellion in Dongting, but it's not easy to develop and expand after the rebellion. The Demon Sect has too much baggage, and the people in the martial arts world are not fools. No matter how they disguise themselves, it's not easy to get rid of the word "Demon Sect" so easily."
"I'm not worried that the uprising will fail. What I'm worried about is that the outer reaches of the Black Lotus Territory will continue to act in the same way as the Demon Sect during their development. The warriors they recruit are mostly gangsters, with a mixed bag of good and bad. They have replaced the Barbarian Army, but like the Barbarian Army, they have committed crimes that harm the world and morality, and their military discipline has been corrupted, hurting and harming the people. They already carry the name of the Demon Sect, and with the evil things they have done, it's wishful thinking for such an army to succeed."
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi said solemnly: "Young Master, what you said is absolutely right!"
Shi Hao continued, "First, we must have a sense of justice. The Barbarian Court has been a scourge to the Central Plains for three hundred years. Fighting the barbarians is a sense of justice. Therefore, we must hold on to the sense of justice and make everything centered on fighting the barbarians. We must put on an attitude that anyone who is willing to fight the barbarians with us, regardless of whether they are in the underworld or the white world, is a comrade-in-arms. Only in this way can we recruit talents."
"Secondly, we must keep a low profile. Jingxiang is too much of an eyesore. We are also related to the Demon Sect. If we make it clear from the beginning that we want to take over the world, we will easily become the target of public criticism. So, apart from the banner of fighting against the barbarians, we should not mention anything else. We should not seek auspicious signs for ourselves or come up with slogans like 'Huang Tian Dang Li'. We should first quietly develop our power and stabilize Jingzhou. We don't even need any other name. We can just call ourselves the Dongting Army."
After a quick glance, he turned to Xuan Feng Huan Zhi again: "The most important thing is discipline! I have three major rules and eight points of attention. I will list them one by one and make sure everyone follows them."
Chapter 268: Just Play and Do Your Best
At this point, Shi Hao's expression was solemn and serious: "Enforcing discipline is the most difficult thing, but it must be done. From the beginning, we must be willing to do less than less. We must find the hardest persimmons to pick. We must dare to attack the royal family or wealthy families who have persecuted the people in the past, and use their granaries to replenish supplies. At the same time, we must never harm the people, and even help them."
"We must adopt an attitude that is different from others. No matter what others say about us being hypocritical or having ulterior motives, we don't care. We must suppress those who violate the discipline from the very beginning. We should not worry about driving away so-called talents. Those who are unwilling to stand on the side of the people are not talents."
"In troubled times, most troops, even those so-called righteous armies, will start to bully others over time. Only those with strict discipline can make it to the end. As time goes by, no matter what others say, the common people will see the difference between us and other troops."
"So, at the beginning, our goal was to resist the oppression of the local evil gentry, resist the scourge of the barbarian court, and protect the stability of the people. After we have truly established an iron army, we will start to raise the banner."
"If we can't do this, we might as well give up early. You know, in the end, only one team can truly establish a new dynasty, and the others will inevitably become stepping stones for the new dynasty. We must take a long-term view. We must work on things like people's hearts and discipline, no matter how difficult it is, and we must do it well from the beginning."
"Once a reputation is ruined, it is hard to recover. Sheng Menghui is a lesson for us. He originally had many followers, but when his identity as Hong Lei Chi Ma's vanguard was exposed, he used brutal means to develop his reputation regardless of everything. It was like pouring fuel on the fire. It looked ferocious, but in a short time, he had burned almost all the firewood he had collected with great difficulty."
"Who still thinks he can dominate the world now? Not to mention the world, he can't even handle Chu Yin."
Unexpectedly, the young master considered it so far. Xuan Feng Huan Zhi was moved and bowed, saying, "Young master, rest assured. I will follow your instructions and do my best."
Somehow, when he heard her say "go all out", Shi Hao couldn't help but glance at her chest. He felt that although it was not as full as Sister Yue's, it was also very good.
He quickly gathered his thoughts and looked at Sha Lingshan: "Master Sha, Jinghua Lake will be given to Master Xuanfeng as a base to control the Jingxiang area. The disciples of Jinghua Shuiyue Pavilion will be transferred to Yuelian Tower for the time being."
"None of the inner disciples of the Evil Lotus Sect participated in the uprising. This uprising in Dongting Lake was mainly carried out under the name of 'Mad Blade Demon Knight', with the outer periphery of the Black Lotus Territory as the backbone, gathering people in the martial arts world who are willing to resist the barbarians, as well as the common people and refugees who were oppressed by the barbarian court and evil gentry."
"Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion and Moon Lotus Tower will still be hidden martial arts sects, and will only intervene when matters involve the martial arts world. In addition, the inner disciples of your two sects should also communicate more and integrate with each other."
Sha Ling Shan and Yue Yao Tai responded in unison: "Yes!"
After a pause, Sha Lingshan smiled and said, "Young Master, you said earlier that there were originally three factors that made you hesitant. One was that you were worried that the people of the three sects were not united. The second was that you were worried that the Demon Sect had a bad reputation and was too burdened. Even if you formed a team, it would be a mixed bag. But you haven't mentioned the third point yet.
"I wonder what this third point is?"
Shi Hao thought to himself, "Good question!"
Holding the ruler in his hand, he walked into the hall with his hands behind his back. He turned his back to them, looked up at the sky outside, and said, "The third point is that no matter how grand and spectacular our actions are, they don't actually mean much. It's very likely that in the end, everyone is just playing around."
Just playing? The three forum masters looked at each other, confused for a moment.
Xuan Feng Huan Zhi bowed and asked, "Why do you say that, young master?"
Shi Hao said in a deep voice: "I personally participated in the battle in the Overlord Underground Palace and saw the decisive battle between Lie Zunyi and the Goddess Infant and Yun Caiyao. With my strength, I am still far behind them, but at least I can barely understand the battle between them and deliver a decisive blow at the critical moment."
"Lie Zunyi is a first-rank master. With his powerful strength, he can help the entire Jin clan invade the Central Plains and rule the Central Plains for three hundred years. In the eyes of ordinary people, the first rank is the pinnacle of martial arts, dominating the world and being invincible."
He turned around and looked at them, but smiled again: "But I have also witnessed the Sect Master's actions. While he was joking, he could make thunder with a snap of his fingers. When he was playing, the situation was unpredictable. To be frank, three hundred years ago, Lie Zunyi was no match for the Sect Master. Three hundred years later, the Sect Master has left Lie Zunyi far behind."
"Let's put it this way. Even if Lie Zunyi, Nu Nuying, and Yun Caiyao attack together, they have no chance of winning against the Sect Master."
The three altar masters were all moved... Although they knew that their own sect master was extremely powerful, they did not dare to imagine that she could be that powerful.
Shi Hao knew that while personal talent was important, a strong opponent was equally important.
Lie Zunyi has been unrivaled in the mortal world for three hundred years, all thanks to his own research, and in fact, he can no longer make any progress.
Master's wife and Sister Ziyin have been fighting each other in Yuanshi Cave Heaven, each showing off their unique skills. In order to overwhelm the other, they have exhausted all their energy and used all means. The two are still making continuous progress. Although they have not yet reached the level of transcendental saints, they have truly reached the pinnacle of humanity below the immortals and gods.
He dared to participate in the battle between Lie Zunyi and the goddess Ying and Yun Caiyao, and he indeed turned the situation around.
He didn't dare to take part in the fight between the two ladies, and he basically couldn't understand it. He could do nothing but stare in amazement.