12dz Chapter 289 Using the Qiang to Subdue the Barbarians, the Golden Toad Makes Its Move
Chapter 289 Using the Qiang to Subdue the Barbarians, the Golden Toad Makes Its Move
After the island chain in the South China Sea sought peace, two powerful figures emerged in the south, Yuan Gong and Yuan Puyu, forcing the emperor to abandon the capital.
Now that the Western Qiang capital has been defeated by the army, Li Hui's spear-wielding of the Qiang king and his personal execution on the spot marks another milestone in the Dragon Struggle.
Seeing Li Hui's spirited appearance, Marquis Jinchuan couldn't help but sigh:
"If this boy had not been supported by the Golden Toad Sage, he would have died by my sword before he even entered the capital. Now that he has obtained the fortune of the dragon, he has grown from an ordinary mortal to the same level as us. He is truly a potential enemy in the Dragon Conquest!"
Marquis Jinchuan was of noble birth, only one rank lower than Duke Yuan of Zhenguo. It was only because of the war with the Western Qiang that he did not raise the banner of rebellion and march on the capital...
General Jin Yan shook his head and smiled: "This boy is from your Western Frontier Guard after all. I don't think you'll find an opportunity to kill him. At most, you'll just take credit for Li Hui's victory in storming the Qiang capital and killing the Qiang King."
Li Hui was an upright man who earned the appreciation of many generals and had many like-minded heroes following him. He couldn't be executed just by opening one's mouth.
Moreover, Li Hui himself was already a Martial King, and with the Tiger King as his mount, under the protection of tens of thousands of soldiers, even a powerful god like Marquis Jinchuan would find it difficult to easily get close.
"Ugh!"
Although Marquis Jinchuan was sighing, he looked at Li Hui's guns and cannons with great envy:
"I never imagined that the Golden Toad Great Sage possessed such a treasure. With so many capable people under the Emperor's command, I wonder when he will be able to replicate it?"
Putting aside other things, the Golden Mountain Sect has many weapon-refining masters, and they even refined immortal weapons in the Golden Cave Sect back then.
Since Li Hui's troops can use guns and cannons, then the Marquis of Jinchuan can also make use of the power of guns and cannons.
That being said, General Golden Flame had already noticed something. Although anyone could make guns and cannons, the cost would be difficult to control in a short time due to the material requirements. Not to mention that the formulas for those high-intensity gunpowders could not be deciphered in a short time.
Yes, if Li Hui's troops were to turn around and use guns and cannons to intimidate the Western Frontier troops at this moment, they might actually take advantage of the momentum of killing the Qiang King to win over many Western Frontier soldiers.
Marquis Jinchuan saw this, which is why he harbored some murderous intent towards Li Hui, but dared not act on it out of fear of the might of the Golden Toad Great Sage.
Several days later, news of the great victory in the Western Frontier spread throughout the land, and Li Hui and the guns and cannons of his army became famous, causing all sides to be wary.
If Li Hui strikes while the iron is hot and sends troops before other forces can replicate a large number of guns and cannons, he has a great chance of succeeding, whether he is defending the emperor or rebelling directly.
By protecting the emperor, one could seize control of the court by holding the young emperor hostage.
To rebel directly is to transform from a dragon into a serpent!
Many officials in the imperial court were alarmed and immediately drafted an edict appointing Li Hui as the Grand General Protector of the Nation and ordering him to go to Nanshan to suppress the rebel Yuan Gong.
Although Yuan Gong did not believe that guns and cannons could penetrate his soldiers, he was still on high alert and ready to break through the encirclement and fight his way back to the south at any time.
Unexpectedly, Li Hui made an unforeseen decision: to take advantage of this momentum and send troops to the northern frontier!
The biggest obstacle to the Human Emperor's unification was the barbarian gods of the northern frontier, who never managed to recover the lost territory until their death.
Li Hui's decision to send troops to the northern frontier, while met with incomprehension from many, also garnered support from various quarters.
Some officials even angrily denounced, "To repel foreign aggression, we must first pacify the internal situation. Why is Li Hui going to the northern frontier instead of dealing with the rebels from the south? This is clearly disobeying the imperial order!"
In reality, many people did not agree with the imperial decree.
After all, there are still doubts about the Emperor's death. No one knows whether he died in a mutiny. If the decree was issued by the mutiny, it would have no effect at all.
Some people lamented, "If Li Hui goes to the Northern Frontier, he could easily get caught up in it. Even if he recovers his homeland, how much of his strength will he have left for the Dragon Conquest?"
The lost territory in the northern frontier is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the barbarian tribe is much stronger than the Western Qiang tribe. The Marquis of Zhenbei has not been able to conquer it for many years, and many people are not optimistic about Li Hui.
After all, based on the current information, those guns and cannons are only effective against ordinary soldiers, but they may not be very useful against beings at the level of a god of strength.
Naturally, there were also people who supported Li Hui, who said with great interest: "If Li Hui can take back the former territory of the Northern Frontier in one fell swoop, then he will have accomplished a great feat. Even if he does not have the intention to join the Dragon Conquest immediately, he can still occupy the territory and become a king at his own pace!"
At present, the situation in the imperial court is too complicated, and with Yuan Shao's army entrenched in the southern mountains, many people feel that it would be better for Li Hui to take control of the Central Plains at this time.
Moreover, Li Hui doesn't have a large army. Only after a few more years of development can he become a powerful overlord.
The world was abuzz with discussion, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of Li Hui's troops. Not only did ordinary people come to join the army, but some powerful families also took the initiative to join.
What is most shocking is that Li Hui actually recruited soldiers among the Qiang people, preparing to use the Qiang to control the barbarians!
Many Qiang people, having just lost their country and homes, harbored deep hatred for Li Hui and other people from the Central Plains, yet they were forced to confront the reality of survival after their defeat.
Most of the prisoners would become slaves, and many would be held accountable for their crimes; the future was bleak.
Li Hui gave the Qiang people a chance to join the army and redeem themselves through meritorious service. As long as they earned enough military merit, they could get rid of their slave status and even be promoted to higher ranks based on their military achievements!
Moreover, some people began to enumerate the faults of the Qiang king and the Fan soldiers, causing the Qiang people's hatred to shift onto the Fan soldiers and the Qiang king. Subtly, even many Qiang civilians began to join the army.
"Using the Qiang to control the barbarians? What a brilliant scheme!"
Marquis Jinchuan was both envious and jealous. They had a deep hatred for the Qiang people and it was impossible for them to trust them.
Li Hui, a native of Yuzhou, first killed the Qiang king to establish his authority, and then promulgated some rules that benefited the Qiang people, thus reconciling the conflict with them.
Half a month later, Li Hui led an army of over 100,000 men straight to the northern frontier. The logistics of the East-West Chamber of Commerce were fully mobilized, and there were no major problems along the way.
Marquis Zhenbei, unaware of Li Hui's true intentions, used his illness as an excuse and only sent his family members to greet him.
Unexpectedly, Li Hui was not angry at all. Instead, he personally visited the Marquis of Zhenbei with a generous gift. The gift was none other than twenty high-quality steel cannons!
The Barbarian Clan was able to hold out for so long thanks to their advantageous terrain and city defenses. Not to mention, in addition to being able to use the power of totems, the Barbarian Clan also had the Undying Demonic Cult causing trouble everywhere...
As a powerful general, Zhenbei Hou was too busy to be in two places at once. While confronting and fighting against the high-end combat forces of the Barbarian God Clan, he still needed his generals to lead troops to attack the city.
Twenty high-quality steel cannons will greatly enhance the soldiers' ability to conquer cities and territories. As long as the Marquis of Zhenbei keeps the barbarian gods' high-end combat power in check, this war of the century will surely be won with unstoppable momentum!
That night, Li Hui and the Marquis of Zhenbei stayed in their tents all night, leaving many soldiers in the northern frontier looking at each other in bewilderment.
The next morning, the Marquis of Zhenbei reviewed the three armies and reached an alliance agreement with Li Hui's troops.
In early autumn, the Marquis of Zhenbei divided his troops into three routes, advancing from the east, southeast, and south, while Li Hui's troops advanced from the southwest and west, launching a fierce attack on the Barbarian God Clan.
In just half a month, the Barbarian God Clan lost eight cities, and many displaced people rose up in rebellion, making the situation very favorable.
At a higher level, in order to deal with Zhenbei Hou and the Sun Goddess, the Barbarian God Clan mobilized more Barbarian Gods into the Calamity and even sent assassins to kill Li Hui.
The Barbarian God Clan couldn't easily assassinate Zhenbei Hou, who possessed the invincible power of a divine general. However, Li Hui only had the power of a Martial King. Even with the protection of immortals and gods, it wasn't impossible for Li Hui to find an opportunity to assassinate him.
Unexpectedly, the divine assassin finally managed to break into the camp, only to be met with a tiger's claw. He only realized before his death that the tiger king, who was thought to be at the level of a demon king, had unknowingly advanced to the level of a divine weapon-level power god.
Such powerful demonic weapons could even defeat ordinary divine generals, let alone such divine assassins. This battle made the Tiger King's name resound throughout the northern frontier.
The Barbarian God Clan did not abandon their assassination plan. After keeping the Sun Goddess and the Marquis of Zhenbei occupied, they actually sent out a Barbarian God of the God-King level. The Barbarian God of the God-King level, "Black Desert," entered the calamity. This was a huge investment by the Barbarian God Clan to resist the Central Plains army. Such a being was not enough to assassinate the Marquis of Zhenbei, but it was perfect for assassinating Li Hui, the rising star of Long Zheng.
The Barbarian God Clan even considered the God of Wealth from the East-West Merchant Guild, and specially dispatched a Human God from the Barbarian God Clan to accompany them, with the aim of assassinating Li Hui in one fell swoop and breaking up the alliance between Li Hui and the Marquis of Zhenbei.
"With the combined might of two divine lords, Li Hui can be remembered in history even after his death!"
"Li Hui's death immediately instigated conflict between the Qiang people and the Central Plains people, and the Undying Demonic Cult promptly entered the scene to carry out a blood sacrifice!"
"Unless the Golden Toad Great Sage is willing to be tainted by the calamities of the mortal world and personally intervenes, Li Hui is doomed!"
The barbarian gods observed for a long time and, after confirming that there were no unexpected divine protections around Li Hui, quietly made their move.
When the two deities approached to a certain distance, they were immediately noticed by the God of Wealth. The Human God of the Barbarian Clan held off the God of Wealth, while the Barbarian Clan's God of Wealth, "Black Desert," charged directly at Li Hui.
In an instant, it looked as if a giant finger made of sand and dust had appeared in the sky above the military camp; even just that sand and dust could bury a house.
In the blink of an eye, earth and rocks suddenly shot out from beside Li Hui, and a huge copper coin soared into the sky.
"Dispel evil spirits!"
Then, the giant copper coin flashed with light, and the giant finger seemed to lose its support, turning into wisps of dust that scattered in all directions.
"Suppress!"
Then, the giant copper coin spun around, and a beam of light shone on the barbarian god-king "Black Desert".
Hei Mo felt that the void was as sticky as a swamp, and the more he tried to get closer to Li Hui, the greater the resistance he encountered.
"Dust tornado!"
Black Desert opened its mouth and spewed out a storm, not only to disrupt the force field around it, but also to use it to lift Li Hui up and tear him apart to death in the sandstorm tornado.
Just then, a huge creature suddenly leaped up from the ground and spat out a dazzling white light.
The visitor was none other than Su Ji's golden toad clone!
Before Su Ji had even paved his way to sainthood, the Golden Toad clone already possessed the combat power of a divine general. After so many years of growth, it had already reached the level of a divine lord by devouring rare and precious materials from the Golden Path.
This Golden Dao Divine Lord possesses a physical strength comparable to a physical saint, and has mastered corresponding high-grade earth-level divine abilities; he might even be considered a quasi-Great Saint.
Where the dazzling white light reached, a sandstorm tornado split in two, and even though the Barbarian God Lord "Black Desert" was wearing a full suit of armor, a bloody hole still appeared on his arm.
"What kind of monster is this?!"
Black Desert was shocked and lost all thought of assassinating Li Hui. He turned around and tried to flee into the distance.
"Still trying to escape?"
Three mechs suddenly appeared in the sky. Two of them were wooden mechs belonging to the Thousand Transformations Ancestor, while the third, a metal mech, was piloted by Mo Linglong herself.
Although the three mechs were only at the God General level, they were still able to hold back a Barbarian God Lord when they worked together, which gave the Golden Toad clone time to catch up.
Ultimately, while the Golden Toad clone was powerful, its cumbersome body made it somewhat slow, which was why Su Ji didn't directly send the Golden Toad clone into battle.
With the three divine mechs now holding him back, the Barbarian God Lord Hei Mo was indeed unable to escape. Even though the Barbarian God Lord of Humanity spared no effort to send reinforcements, his situation remained precarious.
Then, the Golden Toad clone, under the control of Yan Tianchou, unleashed its brute strength and supernatural powers, leaving the Barbarian God Clan's Lord Hei Mo covered in blood.
The immortals and gods watching the battle from the barbarian god clan looked at each other in bewilderment, but none of them dared to step forward to help Hei Mo. Some were not strong enough, while others were unwilling to take the initiative to enter the tribulation.
The Divine Lords are not commonplace figures; their relationships are complex and intertwined. Some are currently engaged in battle with the Marquis of Zhenbei and others and cannot extricate themselves from the conflict. Some are not advocates of war, while others are extremely afraid of losing their lives.
Therefore, while the barbarian gods and immortals were in an uproar, none of them actually entered the tribulation because of it.
"If no one else steps in, the Black Desert God will probably die here!"
"Could it be that the Black Desert God-King is about to perish as soon as he enters the tribulation?"
"Desert God, quickly abandon your physical body so that your soul can escape. As long as you're alive, you can always rebuild!"
Faced with the greatest life-or-death crisis, the Black Desert God immediately chose to leave his body and escape. Even if he had to abandon his divine flesh and blood body, he would still have the opportunity to become a powerful being in the future by merging his divine soul with the Dao of Heaven and Earth.
"Trying to run away!"
Yan Tianchou already had a plan, and immediately activated the supernatural power within the copper coin.
"Suppress!"
In an instant, the soul of the Black Desert God was as if it had sunk into a quagmire, struggling desperately but to little avail.
Just as the Black Desert God's soul was about to be swallowed by the golden toad, a bolt of black lightning suddenly erupted from it, leaving only a blur in the spot.
"Invincible Divine Shield!"
Upon seeing this, the Human God of the Barbarian God Clan spared no effort to expend a great deal of divine power to protect the weakened soul of the Black Desert God, and then fled rapidly into the distance.
"Pity……"
The giant golden toad transformed and landed, its mouth now containing the physical body of a divine lord. Although not as powerful as a being who achieved sainthood through physical means, it could still be considered a rare and precious object.
Su Ji was fairly satisfied with the battle, saying, "Giving this Divine Lord's flesh and blood body to Fellow Daoist Qianji should greatly benefit his flesh and blood mechanism technique."
This victory would not have been possible without the assistance of the Mo family's mechs.
Yan Tianchou also gained something: the entire suit of armor belonging to the Black Desert God Lord fell into the mouth of the Golden Toad clone.
"The barbarian god-king is dead. All generals, follow me into battle!"
Having survived this ordeal, Li Hui gained a deeper understanding of the Golden Toad Sage's profound wisdom and foresight, and his confidence in reclaiming the lost territory increased even more.
At that time, Li Hui's troops seized seven cities in one fell swoop and marched straight towards the "New Capital" established by the barbarian gods as descendants of the previous dynasty's crown prince.
Knowing that their cause was lost, the Barbarian God Clan began to retreat their forces to the harsh lands north of the Northern Desert, and the remnants of the previous dynasty became expendable pawns to draw enemy fire.
Some suggested that Li Hui attack the new capital, kill the former emperor and many remnants, and gain more humanitarian fortune.
Li Hui, however, turned his attention to the Northern Desert, personally leading 30,000 troops in pursuit, determined to break the backbone of the Barbarian God Clan in one fell swoop, preventing them from ever waging war again for decades. (End of Chapter)