In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Page 597

"This is the Armored Divine Skill, which can conceal your Nine Cauldrons Divine Skill; the wine jar contains the Five Poisons, which is the Five Treasures Flower Honey Wine from Miao territory. It can strengthen your aura, increase your power, and allow you to quickly master the Armored Divine Skill. Moreover, it is also of great benefit to the cultivation of the Nine Cauldrons Divine Skill."

Five Treasures Honey Wine?

Zhang Sheng's eyes lit up; he knew without a doubt that this was his Ninth Sister's masterpiece.

Moreover, the Zhang family doesn't even consider ordinary Five Treasures Honey Wine a threat. Since Zhang Xiaoshan has brought it out, it must be a top-tier treasure, even more valuable than the gallbladder of a ten-year-old medicinal snake.

···

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

After meeting Zhang Xiaoshan, Zhang Sheng spent his days reading and his nights cultivating.

Within a short month, with the help of Five Treasures Flower Honey Wine, which is soaked in extremely poisonous liquid and aided by millennia-old spiritual herbs, he successfully cultivated the Armored Divine Skill to its peak.

He also upgraded his newly broken-through Seven Cauldrons Realm to the mid-stage of Seven Cauldrons.

The medicinal power of the ten-year-old snake medicine, combined with the enhancement from the Five Treasures Flower Honey Wine, greatly benefited Zhang Sheng.

In addition, every night, Zhang Sheng would secretly sneak into the library and randomly pick up a book he hadn't read.

He reads books without restraint during the day, then returns them to his parents at night and exchanges them for a different book...

This went on for a month, and no one noticed Zhang Sheng's actions.

With such a vast collection of books, unless one happens to stumble upon it by chance, it would be very difficult for Zhang Sheng, with his strength and agility, to discover it.

Besides, the two boys had by then gotten used to life at the academy, and the friends they had made made them no longer lonely.

Moreover, with Zhang Sheng, using the alias Zi'an, watching over them, apart from Zi Yu occasionally probing them, no one else suspected the two's true identities.

Although the news that the two were studying at Xiaoshengxianzhuang had already spread throughout the entire Sanghai City.

But basically no one believed these things, just as princes would come to Xiaoshengxianzhuang to study, they would not be treated the same as them.

Moreover, Zhang Zhong and Zhang Shujun were both top students, the kind of students everyone considered model students, prodigies among prodigies, and no one would have guessed that they were of the Zhang family bloodline.

After all, once they entered the academy, they all used the same generational names.

"The Zhang family has left?"

The Mo family, who had been in hiding for a month, received unbelievable news today—

Zhang Xiaoshan actually left Sanghai City with his female relatives!

Knowing that they were constantly on the run from the Zhang family's relentless pursuit of extermination, Gao Jianli looked at the butcher with suspicion. Wasn't this a scheme to lure the snake out of its hole?

Moreover, two of the Zhang family's younger members are studying at Xiaoshengxianzhuang. Even the Zhang family's forces remaining in Sanghai City—the Ghost Street Elder Faqiu Tianguan and the Merchant Guild Guard Commander Zhao Longxiang—are simply not enough to guarantee the safety of the two young masters and ladies.

After all, given the Zhang family's situation, anyone who dares to get involved with the Zhang family is definitely not an ordinary person.

But Gai Nie was not surprised, nor did he doubt Pao Ding.

After all, if Butcher Ding had really betrayed them, their hiding place would have been unsafe long ago.

He knew the Zhang family's methods; even if the Mo family had multiple escape routes, it would be useless against the Zhang family.

From the very beginning, he was certain that the Zhang family's target was not the Mo family!

After all, the Mo family's strength didn't even include a single peerless master, so the two teams of Blood Droplets basically had no way to escape.

"The young master has indeed left; it seems he went to Japan."

"Japan?"

Gai Nie's expression suddenly turned serious, and he gradually guessed what was going on.

"It seems that this time the Empire is not only going to the New World, but also to wipe out the Later Jin in one fell swoop!"

"Later Jin?"

Gao Jianli looked at Gai Nie with a puzzled expression. Was it really that fantastical to just go to Japan?

The others were equally puzzled, looking at Gai Nie with confusion. It seemed that the Zhang family had no enmity with the Later Jin.

"The Jurchen tribe is a foreign race, and I think you all know the Zhang family's attitude towards foreigners..."

Especially in the territory occupied by the Later Jin, which occupied a portion of Youzhou, at least 90% of the plains were inhabited by Han Chinese, and none of the Zhang family members had ever held a hostile attitude towards the Later Jin.

"Is the empire planning a pincer attack from both inside and outside Shanhaiguan and Goguryeo?"

"That should be pretty much the plan."

Otherwise, the Zhang family's plans in Japan wouldn't have required this person to make a personal trip, especially since this year marks the tenth anniversary!

"The tenth year? What does that mean?"

Everyone looked at Gai Nie, wondering if this was another empire that had perished.

"This is a decade of recuperation for the empire."

Although the Dragon Emperor can be called one of the greatest emperors in history, he also had his flaws. He was impatient for quick results and engaged in large-scale construction projects, so it was not without reason that he was called a tyrant.

However, over the years, the Zhang family has contracted many projects in the empire, which can be said to have relieved most of the pressure within the empire. This is also the reason why the Zhang family has been able to coexist with the empire.

This ten-year plan was proposed by the Zhang family.

The aim is to allow the people of the empire to recuperate and for the nine provinces to regain their vitality. Years of war have decimated the empire's able-bodied men, reducing them by half.

"So that's how it is! No wonder the tyrant has been so obedient these past ten years!"

Even the people present couldn't help but marvel, never expecting that all of this was thanks to the Zhang family.

It alleviated the burden on the people, transformed corvée labor into employment, and afterwards supported countless families, which can be described as a great deed.

Aside from being associated with a tyrant, the Zhang family was undoubtedly a model of benevolence in the entire land.

Unfortunately, they are not on the same side.

"Ten years have passed. Now the empire controls the sea routes and Goguryeo. Undoubtedly, the Later Jin is already in the empire's grasp."

"Has the empire's path of conquest begun?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jianli's eyes flashed with a terrifying light.

It should be understood that imperial conquests inevitably deplete most of the empire's internal military strength, which presents them with an opportune moment to strike.

Otherwise, even if a Grandmaster could take the head of a general from among a million armored soldiers, the Empire would still be unable to withstand this relentless pursuit.

Moreover, the Empire's 2.0 division is also full of experts.

Only by dispersing the empire's power can the Dragon Emperor be at his weakest.

"Indeed, after ten years of recuperation, his army is strong and well-equipped, and he has many famous generals. His ambition is not only for the nine provinces, but for the whole world!"

Gai Nie sometimes couldn't help but sigh, if the Dragon Emperor lived another thirty years, he might really be able to unify the world.

This world includes the West, the New World, Southeast Asia...

"In addition to the fleet that the Empire is about to set sail to explore the so-called end of the world, there will surely be many experts accompanying them."

"The Yin-Yang School! The Empire! The Zhang Family!"

Gao Jianli thought of the giant who died at the hands of the Six Souls Curse, the empire that sent troops to besiege the Mechanized City, and the Zhang family that took over the Mo Family's Mechanized City—these were the three major enemies.

However, there is a possibility that the Zhang family can resolve the situation, since completely offending the Zhang family is definitely not the best option for the Mo family.

But the Yin-Yang School and the Empire are unforgivable!

Moreover, according to Gai Nie, there will definitely be many experts on this trip to the new continent and the end of the world.

In this way, the strength of all three parties has been greatly reduced, which is a good thing.

Once you're overseas and exploring, it will take at least three to five years to return.

Chapter 696 The War Against Jin and the Subjugation of the Border Regions

On the banks of the Yalu River.

At this time, the moon was bright and the stars were few, shining like a radiant flower, creating an exceptionally clear and quiet atmosphere.

The camp, which originally had only three thousand garrison troops, was now a dense mass of soldiers, with one hundred thousand armored soldiers of the empire standing throughout the entire camp.

As the commander-in-chief of the eastern army, Li Xin was prepared for a desperate battle.

They achieved victory in one battle and destroyed the Jin Dynasty.

However, on the other side of the Yalu River, the Later Jin also had 10,000 troops stationed along the riverbank, equipped with heavy weapons, and a sentry post was set up every three miles to monitor the river and the opposite bank day and night.

It can be said that as long as the other side moves, the sentries three miles away can see it clearly.

"Is General Li ready?"

"Please help me, young master!"

Once across the river, we can proceed directly into the area.

How to cross the river was Zhang Xiaoshan's objective this time.

Otherwise, Goguryeo would not have suffered three defeats against the Central Plains, nor would the Later Jin Empire have continued to launch attacks.

"General Li, rest assured, the Zhang family is ready."

Zhang Xiaoshan waved his hand, and dozens of iron-plated war chariots came from afar.

These iron chariots were all built by the Zhang family in recent years, with an investment of nearly 19 gold coins, with the goal of crossing the Yalu River today.

It can be said that the recapture of the Northeast Plain was extremely important to the Zhang family.

That's right, it's the Zhang family!

Although the empire has the right to rule the nine provinces, the true hearts and minds of the people at the grassroots level reside in the Zhang family.

In particular, the Zhang family had a strong foundation in the Later Jin Empire. Once the empire occupied the Northeast Plain, the Zhang family could rely on the advantages of the plain outside the Great Wall to establish their own power there.

At crucial moments, we'll get a share of the profits.

In the past, during times of chaos, the Zhang family did not do this because they did not want to fight each other and severely damage the vital energy of the Nine Provinces.

In the end, when a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer!

But now fate is hard to defy. Once the Dragon Emperor falls, the empire will surely fall into chaos, and heroes will vie for power.

When the time comes, it will be natural for the Zhang family to get a share of the spoils, which is the will of the people.

Moreover, the Zhang family's involvement will not only cause huge casualties in Kyushu, but the Zhang family can also end the turmoil with lightning speed, which is a great deed!

As for why the Zhang family chose the Northeast Plain outside the Great Wall instead of their main base in the south?

This is because the Later Jin Empire had just been recovered, and its control was not strong, so it would be absolutely difficult to win back the hearts and minds of the people outside the Great Wall in a short period of time.

Moreover, according to the empire's policy, large landowners outside the Great Wall will not be able to escape the empire's migration strategy.

Even outside the Great Wall, apart from the Jin dynasty nobles, there were no powerful aristocratic families from the Central Plains, so there was no major obstacle to the Zhang family's unification of the Northeast Plain.

As for Goguryeo and Japan?

It remains to be seen who will have the final say at that time.

"Does the young master intend to use armored chariots to open a passage?"

Li Xin looked at Zhang Xiaoshan suspiciously. After all, what use was this iron chariot if there was no boat to cross the river?

"General Li, have you ever heard of ships linked by iron chains?"

"Iron chains linking boats?"

Li Xin looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with a puzzled expression, not understanding what Zhang Xiaoshan was up to.

But considering this man's extraordinary abilities, and his confidence in getting the army across the Yalu River, he still believed that the other party wouldn't make baseless accusations.

But Zhang Xiaoshan smiled faintly at this moment:

"General, you should have the army prepare to cross the river. In a moment, the iron chains will be used to connect all the iron-clad chariots together to build a floating bridge on the river."

"At that time, at least ten thousand Imperial halberdiers will need to cross the river within fifteen minutes to hold off the enemy's counterattack and cover the rest of the army."

"A suspension bridge?"

Li Xin suddenly realized what was happening, and at the same time looked across the river with a fierce glint in his eyes.

Once they get through, and with attacks from three sides, the Later Jin will be no match for the overwhelming power of the Imperial Armor.

"They're being transferred in batches!"

"Don't worry, Young Master Zhang, I understand!"