20demayo Chapter 85 This world has no mercy
Chapter 85 This world has no mercy
Juehua Island, in front of the Liesheng Palace.
Three thousand blue stone steps are hidden in the forest.
Jia Chen tumbled out of the shadows in a disheveled state, shook his head, and then staggered to his feet. This damned shadow world was no place for a human being.
The divine general Jiawu appeared at the end of the steps, holding a small pagoda in his hands. He glanced at it strangely and asked, "It can still move?"
Jia Chen patted his chest. "What a joke. There's good news. Take me to see the boss."
"Remember not to look at the boss's face."
"Um?"
"Boss is no longer a mortal. I'm afraid your heroic spirit body will burst from the strain."
Jia Chen was astonished; it had only been a few days.
It's really hard to understand.
The two calmly entered the temple, bowed their heads, and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, Azalea has sent a letter. The plan has been postponed."
Si Chen sat cross-legged on a futon, a whisk lying across his knees, his entire body enveloped in a halo of light. "What happened?"
Jia Chen cupped his hands in greeting, "The Chen family's fleet will arrive soon. She wants you to personally take charge and pull off a big heist."
"Which branch of the Chen family is it?"
"A Yin Spirit cultivator personally conducted a soul search; the visitor was from the Chen family of Haining."
Si Chen frowned and remained silent. He had only wanted to test the waters, but how did things escalate like this? That old schemer from Yiwulü Mountain was still watching from the moon. Such a large-scale event needed careful consideration.
The generals waited silently for Si Chen's decision.
Si Chen: "Aren't they afraid of overeating?"
Jia Chen watched Si Chen's retreating figure, "As for the position, is it possible that their confidence rests on you? The strange phenomena on Juehua Island and Ningyuan City have already spread far and wide..."
Si Chen was speechless. "That's incredibly audacious."
"Doesn't this make you seem incredibly righteous? Otherwise, how could they possibly place their hopes on this? I've already seen it; they are indeed living a very difficult life, but with the protection of the Changbai Mountain God, it's not too bad. They are all unfortunate girls; the men in their families have all been slaughtered by the Eight Banners." Jia Chen had some things on his mind that he really had to say.
These Eight Banners people really wreaked havoc on this land.
The phrase "draining the pond to catch all the fish" truly comes to life here.
Si Chen sensed the fluctuating spiritual energy of Jia Chen and asked, "Tell me, what's the situation over there?"
Jia Chen then said, "I think that place is like a ghost town; there's hardly anyone around from morning till night."
After saying that, he looked up at the ceiling again.
"Han people's lives are worthless."
"Those Eight Banners were also reckless, basically still relying on the weather for their livelihood. They wiped out all the Han people's 'Minister of Agriculture,' and as a result, they themselves didn't know how to farm anymore."
"And those divine creations have also become consumables."
"It seems their only purpose is to exterminate us."
"There are still many missionaries there, and there's also Johann Adam Schall von Bell, who was supposedly killed in the bombing in Beijing..."
Si Chen nodded repeatedly. That's right. They came with the intention of destroying your country and wiping out your race, but they're still fighting for power and profit internally.
The issue of transferring Wu Sangui back to the interior to serve the emperor was repeatedly discussed in the capital.
Si Chen even wondered if the Grand Secretary Chen Yan was actually an undercover agent sent by the enemy.
Are there any normal people left in the entire Ming Dynasty?
"Wait, Johann Adam Schall von Bell? Are you sure?" Si Chen remembered clearly that those nobles had patted their chests and guaranteed that they would blow people up to dust.
As long as one is still a mortal.
Our bodies are mortal, ultimately made of flesh and blood.
When people are killed, they die.
Jia Chen raised his hand, "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false? No matter how well these missionaries hid, they could not escape Du Juan's eyes in the end."
"The number of people not collecting taxes at night is still too much."
Spending too much time in the shadow world can lead to assimilation.
Forever trapped in that dark world.
The situation became increasingly complicated, and it remained to be seen whether there was a traitor among the nobles or whether the missionary was simply lucky.
In this world, good people don't necessarily die, bad people don't necessarily die, only fools die.
These missionaries were undoubtedly modern-day spies; could anyone truly be a good person to have infiltrated the heart of the Ming Dynasty?
He doesn't believe it.
These worthless things have come from afar to educate and spread knowledge.
Why isn't it spreading in South India?
Si Chen opened his eyes. "First, take the Fire Ox Divine Swift Formation, the Wooden Man Fire Horse Heavenly Thunder Cannon, and the others to reinforce the formation. These things can be discarded if necessary."
"Yes, sir!" Jia Chen immediately bowed and left.
After Jiazi and Jiachen left, Jiazi carefully inspected the left and right sides of the temple.
"What do you think is the background of this cuckoo?"
"It might be related to the Shen family."
Si Chen laughed and said, "Back then, Mao Wenlong, a mere military man, managed to survive the ten years of chaos without losing his life or his official position, and then quickly rose to power, establishing himself as the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang and becoming the commander of the Imperial Guard. His garrisoning of Pi Island may seem abrupt, but it was actually a natural progression. So many unexpected events are hardly unexpected."
If you have no connections in the court, don't become an official.
This is the truth.
Especially in this era, there is no one who is completely poor and destitute.
There was only one Zhu Yuanzhang.
Si Chen: "Therefore, he must have had supporters in the court. Apart from the Tianqi Emperor, it was the Shen family that provided strong support behind the scenes when Mao Wenlong and Yuan Chonghuan were vying for power. The head of the Shen family is Mao Wenlong's maternal uncle."
"Mao Wenlong's mother was from the Shen family of Hangzhou, and his wife was from the Zhang family of Pingyang. She was a relative of Zhang Siwei, a merchant from Pu. Han Kuang, a minister of the Donglin Academy, was Zhang Siwei's son-in-law and was of the same generation as Mao Wenlong's wife. Mao Wenlong and Han Kuang were cousins and brothers-in-law for three generations."
"Shen Shikui, as Mao Wenlong's maternal uncle, belonged to the Zhejiang faction, a prominent family that had passed the imperial examinations. The marriage alliance with the Mao family not only brought him money but also military power in the border region. After Mao Wenlong's death, he wanted to become the general of Pi Island and turned a blind eye to Geng Zhongyu's rebellion and attempt to kill General Huang Long. If it weren't for Shang Kexi's intervention, Huang Long would have died. Later, Kong, Geng, and Shang successively surrendered to Huang Taiji, but Shen Shikui died in the Battle of Pi Island. His nephew, Shen Zhixiang, led the remaining troops and held the island for nearly half a year without Ming army support before finally surrendering."
These prominent families are very conspicuous on the world stage.
"After all, they are a clan. Although I don't know how they persuaded the God of Changbai Mountain to protect them, it's a good thing."
All the prominent families in Jiangnan were deeply involved in the changes of the times.
They just never do anything right.
The power struggle between Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Wenlong was merely a microcosm of the times.
The clans maintained a state of fighting without breaking apart.
Si Chen said, "So you think the Shen family is supporting them behind the scenes? This is a struggle between two powerful clans."
Jiazi nodded. "Someone is trying to take advantage of the compassion of those in power."
Si Chen laughed and said, "That's not the right way to think. Trying to outmaneuver these powerful clans is a bad idea. We should participate in the Haizhou uprising, but we need to change our strategy."
"Yes." Jiazi then bowed and withdrew.
A moment later, Xu Wenjue walked in hesitantly from outside the hall.
"Ascend."
"There's a big problem in the South."