Qianye sighed inwardly, this may be the price of war.
After half a day of peace in Guanlan City, it suddenly fell into chaos at nightfall. Fires ignited everywhere in the city. It's just that some of them were aimlessly strafing the air, while others were clearly targeted and cleared one by one in a very layered manner. Some of the turrets blasted at the adjacent turret, and it didn't take long for it to collapse. .
There are family private troops passing by in a hurry everywhere on the street, among which the Xue family has the most horses and is the most eye-catching. These soldiers were full of murderous intent, rushed into several family houses one after another, and killed anyone they saw after entering, without mercy. Even a small family that had been on good terms with Xue's family was not immune.
At some point in the night sky, several floating ships appeared. They looked like ordinary cargo ships, but their firepower was incredible. Any place on the ground that resisted fiercely would be hit by air strikes, suppressed in an instant, and then swept by Xue's private army.
The fierce fighting went on all night until dawn, when it gradually stopped, and sporadic gunshots could still be heard from time to time.
Qianye was standing on the airship in the air at this moment, looking down at the burning city. The floating ship hovered continuously in the air, vibrating violently from time to time, dumping shells into the city below.
The artillery fire was exceptionally accurate, as far as Qianye saw, there were almost no accidental injuries. This shows that the gunner who operates the cannon is also a strong man, at least at the level of a warrior.
On the ground, the resistance of the various families gradually disintegrated. Occasionally, a black figure would jump up from the battlefield, and would be chased and killed by several people immediately. Those were the demon descendants hidden in the various families. When the turmoil happened, they had no time to escape.
There were not many demon descendants killed, and their strength was not too strong. A strong man like Aiden had never been seen before. Qianye and Ji Tianqing also had no chance to make a move. This is not surprising, the demons are also good at hiding and breaking through, and the real strong have already fled when the flames of war first ignited. The rest are just small fish and shrimp.
However, after this battle, the demonic forces were still severely damaged, and the vassal families were uprooted, making them lose all their minions, eyes and ears, and it was no longer difficult to organize effective actions. Although they still had a strong man like Aiden, there was also Qianye on the side of the empire, so Aiden did not dare to act rashly.
With this free time, Song Zining would have the opportunity to make arrangements calmly. Even if the commanding power of this battle is not in his hands, but based on Qianye's understanding of Song Zining, the former Seventh Young Master of the Song Dynasty will still bow to his best without reservation.
The price of this opportunity is the burning Guanlan City and the families that were exterminated in the city. The hatred tonight may last for hundreds of years.
This is war.
Watching the battlefield silently, Qianye suddenly asked: "How many people have you sent?"
Ji Tianqing asked without answering, "Did you see it?"
Qianye pointed casually, and said, "Aren't those people the angels with broken wings? The exercises are too obvious."
"Less than a hundred."
Although less than a hundred people were sent to Mission Hills this time, all of them were elites. They are divided into groups of several people, sometimes infiltrating alone, and sometimes working together in groups to take down large targets. Looking at the elite on the ground, Qianye seemed to have returned to his rookie career.
From the beginning to the end, neither Aiden nor other strong demons appeared, and there was no suspense in the battle situation. Finally, Ji Tianqing said: "Go back." The floating ship slowly turned around and flew towards Nanqingcheng.
In Nanqing City, the Dark Fire headquarters was not filled with victory and joy, but filled with the smell of gunpowder.
In the conference room, Song Zining sat upright, shaking his folding fan lightly, with a calm demeanor. But the few cronies behind him were not so relaxed, some seemed very nervous, while others glared angrily. It was probably because all the accusations in the meeting room at this moment were aimed at Song Zining.
Yan Ding didn't sit down, but stood, his hand almost pointing to the tip of Song Zining's nose: "Song Zining! You are so crazy! Who gave you the courage to snatch the warship of the army! This is a crime of extermination!"
Song Zining didn't answer, but used the folding fan to push away the finger that was about to poke the tip of his nose, and said with a smile, "General Yan, calm down."
Yan Ding was trembling with anger, and said angrily, "Song Zining! Good, good! Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster to the family?"
"Oh, I'm afraid..."
In addition to Yan Ding and Song Zining, there were two other people in the room. At this moment, some people couldn't help but chuckled.
Everyone knew that even if Song Zining committed the crime of genocide, no one could really copy the Song Clan. The common practice in the empire was that the Song Clan expelled Song Zining from the family, so as to clear the relationship. This is also a privilege of the aristocratic family. If they change to the gentry, they will really copy the family and exterminate the family.
Yan Ding obviously knew this too, so he was even more furious. If it wasn't for his self-knowledge, knowing that he was no match for Song Zining, he might have already made a violent move at this moment.
But he couldn't be scolded or beaten. In front of everyone, Yan Ding felt that he lost all face, and couldn't help saying angrily: "You aristocratic families are cancerous tumors of the empire. If we don't uproot you, how can the empire rejuvenate!"
As soon as this remark came out, the faces of many people changed immediately. Basically, most of the people present are from aristocratic families, and a few have various connections.
Li Kuanglan was also present, and the moment his sword eyebrows raised, he was about to explode. An old man beside him couldn't hold back even more, and said coldly: "I waited for the families to follow the Taizu to establish the country. How much blood and sweat was shed for thousands of years to have the empire today. Ignorant rats, dare to speak nonsense?"
Another old man also said: "The military department is serving the empire, and there are some eagle dogs in it. Why are you so arrogant recently, and you can't figure out your identity?"
There was another person who said sadly: "Is the military planning to remove our family? Then after all the family members have fallen, who will we get rid of?"
"Is there any need to ask? Whoever is at the head of the military department will be eliminated."
Yan Ding was furious at the beginning, but later he was in a cold sweat. The family members of these aristocratic families are sophisticated in planning, and they don't mention strictness in a word, but they all put their hats on the head of the military. If these heart-breaking words are passed back, the chiefs of the military department will definitely be the first to let Yan Ding go, and there is no need for the aristocratic family to do it.
At this time Song Zining said: "This young master just borrowed a few cargo ships. Why is General Yan so impatient? Now that they are coming back soon, if there is any damage, this young master will compensate you. If there is any credit, you will also be strict." A share of the general!"
Yan Ding was in dire straits, but at this moment he finally had a step, he snorted heavily, and said: "If you really deserve credit, it's because of your Seventh Young Master's strategic planning, how can you pretend to be the general?"
His face was full of anger, but his feet were very fast, and he quickly returned to his seat and sat down. The room is further divided into four sides, namely Song Zining, Yan Ding, Li Kuanglan and other aristocratic families, and the imperial family. These few dozen people represent all the power of the empire in the neutral land.
At this moment, on the side of the imperial family, an old man with a white face and no beard cleared his throat, and said slowly: "Seventh Young Master's thunderous methods really lived up to King Qingyang's admiration and trust. Our family admires it. It's just that this battle just made the surroundings quieter. The descendants are not injured. So what should we do next?"
Song Zining said without hesitation: "Strike Tingchao City by force and take down the Great Maelstrom!"
As soon as this remark came out, everyone in the hall was shocked.
The white-faced and beardless old man couldn't hide his surprise, he said: "Seventh Young Master, are you joking? How can we attack Ting Chaocheng with the people we have now?"
Song Zining said: "Based on our current strength, we are indeed inferior to Tingchao City, but we still have to fight. As long as we restrain the leader of Tingchao City, Luo Bingfeng, concentrate all our troops, attack eastward and westward, and avoid reality and attack falsehood, it will not be difficult to defeat Tingchaocheng." The Chaocheng defenders are defeated, and Luo Bingfeng will be unable to fight alone, so he will retreat."
The old man frowned and said: "This move is really too risky. We don't know anything about Luo Bingfeng, so it's not easy to contain such a great master? In addition, according to Seventh Young Master, the command and dispatch of this battle is also the key. And who should be in command?"
Song Zining said calmly, "Of course it's me."
The old man in the imperial family frowned and said nothing, while Yan Ding sneered and said, "How do I know that you won't let my people go to death on purpose? This general has already offended you, Seventh Young Master, to death, right?"
Song Zining didn't pay attention to him, but looked at Li Kuanglan and asked, "What did Mr. Kuanglan say?"
Li Kuanglan snorted, expressionless, and said calmly: "This is not right."
Song Zining had a look of astonishment, it wasn't just an act. He collected himself and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's just wrong!"
Song Zining opened his mouth, stunned, not knowing how to answer. Judging from what Li Kuanglan meant, it seemed that no matter what Song Zining said, he was going to object. All members of the aristocratic family, including an elder of the Li family, also looked at each other in blank dismay, not understanding what Li Kuanglan meant by this move.
"Young Master Kuanglan, this matter is of great importance. Haven't we already discussed it?" Song Zining said. As soon as this remark came out, Yan Ding immediately snorted, extremely dissatisfied. The old man in the imperial family was also thoughtful. Obviously, Song Zining and the family headed by the Li family had a secret agreement long ago, but they don't know how far the secret agreement covers. In addition, for some reason, it seems that Li Kuanglan does not intend to fulfill the secret agreement.
The elder Li's family coughed and said, "My lord, what's wrong, you might as well tell me about it. The Seventh Young Master and my Li family have always been on good terms, and they've been very helpful recently. Your empress has given Qi Shao a lot of praise."
Unexpectedly, Li Kuanglan stood up abruptly, and said in a loud voice: "It's just wrong! If you want to talk, you can continue talking, and you don't need to look for me anymore!"
After saying that, he got up with his sword and left the table.
Song Zining couldn't hide his astonishment, and the elders of the aristocratic family also looked puzzled, not understanding what went wrong. The Li parents are old enough to have seen big scenes, so they smoothed things over at this moment: "Mr. Kuanglan has other important matters, so leave for a while, and I will continue to discuss."
Among the Li family members in the neutral place, although Li Kuanglan is the most respected, he is devoted to martial arts and has no interest in other things, nor does he want to take care of those trivial matters, so his presence or absence is just a symbol. The elder of the Li family was the one who did the actual work just now. So although Li Kuanglan left the meeting suddenly, after everyone was astonished, they continued to discuss.
As for why Li Kuanglan lost his temper suddenly, everyone is a smart person, and they would never ask even if they were curious.
Yan Ding suddenly said angrily: "You discuss slowly, I think I'd better go first."
Song Zining smiled and said, "Why is General Yan in such a hurry to leave? If he wins this battle, the contribution will be too great, and no matter how much he gets, he won't lose any points."
Yan Ding looked disdainful, but he couldn't move his feet very much.
Both the aristocratic family and the imperial family looked indifferent. At this moment, everyone knew in their hearts that the warship in Yan Ding's hands was taken away by Song Zining by some means, and they would never come back. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense whether Yan Ding participates in the Tingchao City battle, it's nothing more than an extra level 16 powerhouse. In the upcoming battle, the key is to contain Luo Bingfeng, that is a battle close to the level of a heavenly king. So whether there are strict rules has nothing to do with the final outcome.
However, Song Zining was willing to give Yan Ding the credit for what he said, and some old people nodded secretly, thinking that although the seven boys from the Song Clan were young, they were experienced in handling things and would have great potential in the future. Unknowingly, the evaluation of Song Zining was a little higher.
Only those who are really familiar with Song Zining will know that when Qi Shao was smiling, no one knew what he was thinking.