radicalducati Page 653
Page 653
While the Mohists advocated sticking to established rules, they also believed that innovation was even more important.
To stick to the old ways and walk into death, or to forge ahead and enter a new era—this is their choice now.
Undoubtedly, they are the conservative faction.
"Humph!"
Although they were unhappy, neither Duanmu Rong nor Gao Jianli pursued the matter further, nor could they possibly do so anyway.
Given the Zhang family's power, if they really sent him, he probably wouldn't even be able to get through the door before being killed by the guards outside.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's first discuss the Dragon Emperor's travel route and where we should ambush him!"
With the Taoist master Xiaoyaozi interrupting, everyone immediately became serious.
The assassination of the Dragon Emperor was a shocking plan of the various schools of thought.
Moreover, it was formulated as early as ten years ago, and was discussed by five prominent schools of thought: the leader of the Mohist school, the leader of the Agricultural school, Gai Nie of the Guigu school, Xiaoyaozi of the Daoist school, and Zhang Liang of the Confucian school, plus the current military strategist—the Xiang family.
At this moment, everyone looked at the map brought by Zhang Liang. The red dots marked along the way were the counties and prefectures along the Dragon Emperor's route.
The group had long been prepared to ambush the Dragon Emperor, with the Azure Dragon of the Mo family as the main force.
With each family possessing a peerless master, and numerous top-tier experts, even the Dragon Emperor's entourage of powerful figures was rendered useless.
Moreover, Gai Nie knew the Dragon Emperor's greatest weakness—
On the night of the full moon, my power is greatly reduced!
Although Ying Zheng's defenses were strongest at that time, it was also the most opportune moment.
"A full moon night? The Dragon Emperor cultivated Taoist innate qi?"
Taoist innate qi is not just any ordinary qi; it is the primary protective qi. Back then, the Bad Commander relied on innate qi to directly block the attacks of Zhang Xiaoshan and the three bronze-armored warriors, demonstrating unparalleled defense.
Unexpectedly, the Dragon Emperor also cultivated such a domineering protective technique.
"Back then, when Meng Tian passed on his skills to the Dragon Emperor, one of the Zhang family members handed over the ultimate technique of innate qi to the Dragon Emperor."
However, the True Qi of the Wedding Dress is Buddhist True Qi, which is extremely strong and unsuitable for cultivating Taoist secret techniques. Therefore, the Dragon Emperor's power would be greatly reduced every time the moon was full.
Even so, the Dragon Emperor's strength should not be underestimated.
Upon hearing Gai Nie's explanation, everyone was furious with the Zhang family member.
The Dragon Emperor was originally an ordinary person, but after being dealt with by Zhang Xiaoshan, he not only underwent a complete transformation, but also became an unparalleled master, even a top master whose defense was comparable to that of a Grandmaster.
After all, the innate qi of Taoism and the Vajra indestructible divine skill of Buddhism are the strongest protective techniques in the world.
If one is at the Grandmaster level, the defense of innate qi can even withstand attacks from supreme martial arts techniques.
"If that's the case, then we must assassinate the Dragon Emperor on the night of the full moon."
·········Requesting flowers·· 0
A full moon night?
This essentially shut down their ambush plan.
Since the Dragon Emperor is at his weakest on the night of the full moon, his defenses must also be at their strongest at that time.
Imperial armor, Shadow Guards, assassins from the Net... even Grandmasters would inevitably protect Ying Zheng.
"Moreover, the Dragon Emperor is surrounded by many experts."
"With just a handful of unparalleled masters like Zhao Gao and Shangqing Meng Yi, plus the expert bodyguards protecting the Dragon Emperor, even the top grandmasters on the Heavenly Gang Ranking wouldn't be able to succeed!"
"Are the Grandmasters around the Dragon Emperor that powerful?"
"Just one person that I know is a nightmare for farmers!"
A farmer's nightmare?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jia narrowed his eyes and looked at Gai Nie with a gleam in his eyes.
....... . .......
To know that a Grandmaster who could become the nightmare of the Farmers must be a master with a deep connection to the Farmers, he really couldn't think of who it was.
But he did not doubt Guigu Gai Nie's assertion.
After all, Guiguzi is not among the five major schools of thought, yet it transcends their existence.
When he was angry, the feudal lords trembled; when he lived in peace, the world was at peace!
"Wu Anjun!"
"impossible!"
In an instant, Zhu Jia let out an extremely sharp scream, which terrified even the Mohists, Taoists, and Confucians.
"This is Gai's speculation, but it is not without basis."
"Master Zhu, are you familiar with the Man-Slaying Sword? Tell me, besides Lord Wu'an, who else in the world can wield it?"
"···"
A being capable of wielding the Human Slayer Sword?
Even the Zhu family couldn't help but look solemn. Regardless of whether he was really Lord Wu'an, he was a great enemy of their peasant family.
"Moreover, the Human Slaughter Sword has been enhanced by someone from the Zhang family. The killing intent on the sword has been suppressed with the power of merit, greatly increasing its power to the equivalent of a supreme divine weapon."
In other words, we are facing a Grandmaster wielding an unparalleled divine weapon.
Hiss...
Everyone gasped again upon hearing this.
A grandmaster wielding an unparalleled divine weapon, protected by two peerless masters, plus the Six Sword Slaves of the Luo Net, Shadow Guards, and Imperial Dragon Elephant Warriors...
Moreover, this is only the power they know; there are countless other experts they don't know about.
With such tight defenses, it was simply impossible to ambush and kill Emperor Ying Zheng.
Therefore, they must be prepared for any eventuality, even if it means mutual destruction.
Chapter 775 Zhang Xiaoshan's 'Tip-off'
"Young master, Bolangsha is just ahead!"
Could it be that Gai Nie and his group are really going to assassinate the Dragon Emperor here?
Bolangsha was a place that the First Emperor of Qin would definitely pass through during his eastern tour, and it was also the place where Zhang Liang sent people to assassinate Ying Zheng in history.
Although the timeline is out of sync, some points of overlap lead to Zhang Liang becoming a wanted criminal of the empire.
At this time, Zhang Xiaoshan's goal was to subdue Zhang Liang.
It's important to understand that Liu Bang's ultimate victory was due not only to his own character and abilities, but primarily to three key supporters—
Zhang Liang's strategies, Xiao He's logistics, and Han Xin's military tactics!
Xiao He's information is unclear, and given the Zhang family's current resources and capabilities, they don't need Xiao He as a logistics manager.
After all, the Zhang family lacks nothing, and once the base is completed, the Zhang family will be the most resource-rich and powerful force.
Han Xin was a disciple of a peasant family, so I believe he was of sound mind and knew exactly what to choose in the end.
The Xiang family? Liu Ji?
Regardless of which one, the Zhang family is definitely a better choice than them, not to mention the Zhang family's powerful influence.
But those are things for the future.
After the Dragon Emperor's death, there will be a three-year reign for the second generation, during which each family will accumulate strength.
This is also why Zhang Xiaoshan wanted the Mechanical City to speed up.
If the situation changes, the Zhang family will inevitably be the first to be affected.
With ample preparation, the Zhang family can handle anything, especially the things that the Zhang family's base can produce.
Various types of steel, Hongyi cannons, steel war chariots...
This is something that all forces covet, and there will definitely be many forces willing to offend the Zhang family to seize control of the Mechanized City.
Planning ahead can prevent all of this.
The Zhang family is not the Mo family; the Zhang family uses gunpowder, so their defense is far superior to that of the Mo family.
It's impossible to repeat the mistakes of the past.
The Zhang family uses activated carbon to filter their water source, and they have complete anti-toxic facilities.
"This is a place that the Dragon Emperor must pass through on his eastern tour. Several families must have set up an ambush here, but the chances of success are extremely slim."
The Dragon Emperor died in the Land of Trapped Dragons, not here.
Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan was clear about the success or failure of this operation, so he planned to step in and salvage the situation in order to gain the greatest benefit.
As for offending the five major schools of thought—Mohism, Agriculture, Taoism, Confucianism, and Xiang (military) schools—Zhang Xiaoshan didn't care at all.
Strength is the only capital that determines everything.
The five prominent schools of thought, not to mention dealing with the Zhang family, are already overwhelmed by the Empire's manhunts.
Moreover, since the Zhang family benefited, they were naturally better able to win over the imperial generals.
It should be understood that the empire's downfall was not due to a lack of strength, but rather because the empire had expanded too far and its generals were fragmented.
Zhao Tuo, who conquered the southern Yue kingdoms; Meng Tian, who led the northern campaigns against the grasslands; Zhang Han, a military strategist renowned at the end of the Qin Dynasty…
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; the Zhang family could easily win over these renowned generals who commanded the north and south of the empire by leveraging their connections with the empire.
"By the way, where is An'er now?"
"Young Master should be arriving soon, at the latest by tomorrow morning, he should reach Bolangsha."
Liu Sheng Piaoxu notified Zhang Sheng early in the morning to come and meet him at Bolangsha.
After all, if Zhang Xiaoshan is playing the good guy, then someone in the Zhang family also needs to play the bad guy, and Zhang Sheng is the best candidate.
Especially Zhang Sheng, who had just devoured the Dragon Saliva Fruit, even if he wasn't a Grandmaster, his strength was still incredibly close to that of a top expert, allowing him to take it at will.
Zhang Sheng was the most suitable candidate to recruit Zhang Liang.
The two were old acquaintances, and with their mutual understanding, Zhang Liang was able to better win over Zhang Sheng after learning his true identity.
In comparison, Liu Ji is completely incomparable.
When the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden; when the cunning rabbit dies, the lackeys are cooked.
People from non-aristocratic families often attain enlightenment; Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang are the most typical examples.
"Tell Sheng'er to wait for an opportunity to rescue Zhang Liang."
"Yes, son!"
Liu Sheng Piaoxu nodded. Of the six major forces, Zhang Xiaoshan had already made his stance clear by only allowing Zhang Sheng to rescue Zhang Liang.
···
"Your Majesty, news has just arrived from the Zhang family:"
The Mohists, the Agriculturalists, and the Xiang family, together with Guiguzi Gai Nie, the Confucian Zhang Liang, and the Taoist Xiaoyaozi, are plotting to assassinate Your Majesty on your inevitable journey!
Moreover, the Mohists might deploy the Azure Dragon this time, and the Farmer's School will likely bring out those old fellows from the Tomb of the Six Sages.
Zhao Gao handed the message to the Dragon Emperor, his expression grave.
At the same time, Zhao Gao was also extremely surprised, not expecting that Zhang Xiaoshan had informed the empire in advance and interfered in the feud between the empire and the various schools of thought.
The Dragon Emperor was the same; after receiving the letter, his starry eyes gleamed as he pondered the dangers contained within.
Soon, the Dragon Emperor delivered the message to Zhao Gao and gave the following instructions:
"A bunch of rats in the dark dare to dream of slaying a dragon!"
Zhao Gao, bring all eight swords of the King of Yue here. Also, inform the Yin-Yang School that I want none of these rats left alive...
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Gao could naturally sense the anger of Emperor Ying Zheng.
The above can be said to include all five major schools of thought: Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, the School of Military Strategists, and the School of Agriculture, plus the School of Diplomacy, which poses an even greater threat than the five major schools of thought.