12dz Chapter 354 The storm is rising
Chapter 354 The storm is rising
In the early winter of the 468th year of the Red Moon Calendar, His Majesty the Northern Emperor of the Great Zhou personally led 9,000 guards from the capital of the Great Zhou, with the goal of joining forces with the 300,000-strong army of the Wing King, who had already breached the border of Tian Sheng. According to the plan, the two armies would be assembled to launch an attack on Hanyang City within the territory of the Great Liao.
According to later historical records, this was Emperor Bei Da's first large-scale western expedition, and it was also a crucial step in laying the foundation for the unification of the world in the future.
Along the way, the 300,000-strong army led by the Wing King swept across the northeast of Tian Sheng with great force, and occasionally sent good news to Emperor Bei Zun. Wherever the army went, if it encountered resistance, the Wing King would directly lead his army to attack.
Emperor Beizun and his nine thousand guards traveled day and night, finally catching up with the Wing King's main force seven days later, thus beginning his bloody and brutal western expedition—
The army advanced at full speed, swift as thunder and urgent as a hurricane. Wherever the army went, it offered preferential treatment to those who surrendered. Anyone who resisted or expressed dissatisfaction was slaughtered. The army's domineering and swift conquest of cities was so rapid that the Tian Sheng Dynasty had almost no time to react. By the time they wanted to organize a large army to resist, or just as they received news of the movements of the Imperial Northern Army, news of the surrender or annihilation of the garrison troops of Tian Sheng cities and the fall of the cities followed one after another.
Bad news keeps coming!
The Northern Emperor adopted a strategy of sustaining war through warfare, and his army marched northwestward. He no longer cared about the reactions of Tian Sheng and Da Liao, and simply went all out. Tian Sheng's cities were breached one after another, and the power of the Great Zhou was swift and overwhelming, striking fear into the hearts of all who went. Many city-defending generals, upon learning that the Northern Emperor's army was about to attack, simply opened their city gates to welcome them...
The reason why Di Beizun dared to act so recklessly was because he had received intelligence—
After catching up with the Wing King's main force, Sikong Jin's army of over 100,000 men marched towards Tashe City the very next day. After a day and night of fierce fighting, they captured the city. After a brief rest, they continued their westward advance, their target being Patan City!
In just two months, nearly half of the cities in the northeast had fallen into the hands of the Great Zhou.
The battle unfolded so suddenly that no one had time to react. However, everyone knew that a terrible storm of war had already engulfed the entire Fengyun Continent!
On December 10th of the 468th year of the Red Moon Calendar, the 300,000-strong Northern Army of the Great Zhou Dynasty, under the personal command of His Majesty the Northern Emperor, successfully captured Handan City, a key city near the border between Tiansheng and the Great Liao Dynasty, after two hours of fierce fighting.
On the city wall of Handan, the young Emperor of the North looked down at the battlefield that his soldiers had already cleaned up. His beautiful face was calm and serene.
The wind in December was cold, and white snowflakes were drifting faintly in the gloomy sky, making the whole world a white expanse. The city of Handan was very quiet as evening approached.
'Da Da!'
At this moment, a cold sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from below the city gate. He looked down and saw two riders riding towards Handan City, their backs covered in the cold wind. There were two people in black cloaks on their backs.
As soon as they arrived at the city gate, they were stopped by the guards.
A moment later, a guard came to report—
"Your Majesty, Young Master Changfeng and Young Master Sikong Mo have come to the city gate with Your Majesty's tokens and request an audience with Your Majesty!"
"Let them into the city."
After saying this, Emperor Beizun suddenly turned around and walked down the city wall.
Changfeng and Sikong Mo were taken directly to the Northern Emperor's temporary palace by the guards.
"Changfeng greets the Master!"
Inside the study, Changfeng looked at Di Beizun, who was dressed in a black robe, and respectfully knelt down. Sikong Mo, who was beside him, was about to kneel down as well, but Di Beizun raised his hand slightly to stop them.
"No more courtesy!"
After uttering those few words, his deep gaze fell on Sikong Mo, who was standing next to Changfeng.
Sikong Mo has grown quite tall now. In the past few years, he has traveled all over the country with Changfeng. Compared to the naive little boy he was in the Dayong Imperial City, he has matured a lot. He is very handsome, and the outline of his small face is somewhat similar to that of Sikong Jin. He looks quite composed.
Clearly, he had also heard of Emperor Beizun's great name. At this moment, Sikong Mo looked at Emperor Beizun in front of him with undisguised excitement in his eyes. He never expected that their mysterious and unpredictable Lord of the Tower was actually His Majesty the Northern Emperor of the Great Zhou!
The eldest brother seems to have said that he is still their cousin from the north!
"Sikong Mo?"
Emperor Beizun stared at him for a long while before speaking in a low voice.
"Oh, oh, I am Sikong Mo, greetings to the Master!"
Sikong Mo appeared somewhat nervous. Emperor Beizun's aura was too powerful, and when they were in the building, everyone almost worshipped the building master. So Sikong Mo couldn't help but feel awe, especially knowing that the person in front of him was none other than the Northern Emperor, who was feared and respected throughout the entire Fengyun Continent.
Emperor Beizun nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and then said calmly, "You don't need to be nervous. Ajin asked me to take good care of you. From now on, you will stay by my side. You should be able to see her in a while."
Brother!
Upon hearing Di Beizun's words, Sikong Mo was suddenly taken aback, and a hint of longing couldn't help but surface in his clear eyes.
Before we parted, we had promised to come see him soon, but in the blink of an eye, nearly three years have passed and I still haven't seen him. I can only receive letters from him occasionally.
Over this long period of time, he had thought about going to find him, but each time he was stopped by Protector Changfeng.
Protector Changfeng told him that only with sufficient strength could he go to find his elder brother Sikong Jin; otherwise, he would only become a burden to his elder brother, just like his mother who was imprisoned in the imperial city.
Over the past two years, Sikong Mo has become increasingly sensible. He not only understands Sikong Jin's original intention in sending him away from the capital, but also the mission placed on Sikong Jin's shoulders. Therefore, he has worked even harder, demonstrating remarkable skill in medicine and putting in tremendous effort in martial arts.
"Xiao Mo, you should call the poster brother-in-law!"
Suddenly, a low, gentle reminder came from Changfeng.
As the first protector of Fengyun Tower, Changfeng was in charge of the tower's intelligence. When Yuan Yun was investigating Sikong Jin, a lot of the information passed through Changfeng's hands. Sikong Jin's gender was no secret to him.
Moreover, he was very clear about the relationship between the Lord of the Tower, Emperor Beizun, and Sikong Jin.