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Chapter 374: The Imperial Expedition

"Too quickly?" Six Paths' expression darkened slightly.

"Yes! Besides the sudden rise of the Ming Dynasty to unprecedented strength, the two armies of the Great Zhen Dynasty are sweeping everything before them like a torrential flood. They're advancing non-stop, as if they're not fighting a war, but...," Du Xiu furrowed his brows.

"But what?" Six Paths inquired.

"They're racing. It's as if they're competing in a running race. Their speed in capturing cities is like that of a forced march. They just keep charging forward relentlessly. Wherever they go, enemy forces collapse like ant colonies under a flood, unable to withstand the onslaught. Their speed... it's beyond words. The commanders of these two armies are unparalleled in their military prowess, something rarely seen in the world!" Du Xiu marveled.

"Unparalleled?" Six Paths frowned.

"Yes, their commanding talent is so exceptional that it's once in a millennium to find even one such commander, yet the Great Zhen Dynasty has found two, both fully subdued. The Great Zhen Dynasty is approaching with unstoppable momentum!" Du Xiu sighed.

"Two armies? I see it as three armies!" Six Paths furrowed his brow.

"Report!!!" A loud shout echoed from outside the hall.

Immediately, a soldier rushed into the hall and knelt before the throne. "Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty has formally declared its allegiance to the Great Zhen Dynasty. Henceforth, there is no more Ming Dynasty, only the Great Zhen Dynasty!"

After delivering his report, the soldier promptly exited the hall.

"Do you see? The third army has now emerged!" Six Paths sneered coldly.

"The Great Zhen Dynasty has been planning this for a long time. With three armies, each led by exceptional commanders, Your Majesty, we are truly facing a tough battle," Du Xiu said with a bitter smile.

"Have the commanders of these three armies been identified?" Six Paths asked.

"Later reports confirmed them as the commanders of the Great Zhen Dynasty's First Corps and Second Corps. Since the Ming Dynasty has joined the Great Zhen Dynasty, the commander of the third army under the 'Yi' flag is also clear: Yi Yan, commander of the Great Zhen Dynasty's Third Corps!" Du Xiu explained.

"Yi Yan? Could it be the immensely powerful Yi Yan from the Divine Land? It's impossible. He's the Grand Commander of the Imperial Capital, why would he come to a small dynasty? Perhaps it's a case of homonyms," Six Paths pondered, shaking his head.

"Your Majesty, it seems that our true opponents are not the three major dynasties but this Great Zhen Dynasty. Soon, we may face a decisive battle," Du Xiu suggested after some thought.

"Indeed. What do you all think we should do?" Six Paths turned to the ministers.

"Your Majesty, we should temporarily ignore the three armies of the Great Zhen Dynasty and focus on capturing as many cities as we can. We should also recruit the armies of the three major dynasties to resist the Great Zhen Dynasty together," one minister proposed.

"No, Your Majesty!" Du Xiu immediately objected.

"Oh?" Six Paths looked at Du Xiu.

"Your Majesty, if we recruit the armies of the three major dynasties while the Great Zhen Dynasty is also recruiting them, they are currently weak. If we only gain a little benefit from them, but for the Great Zhen Dynasty, it will be eating meat. Now, the Great Zhen Dynasty is strong, but it's not as strong as our dynasty. If they grow larger, it will be too late for us to overthrow them!" Du Xiu urgently explained.

"Minister Du has a point. They are just a small dynasty. How can they compare with our dynasty?" the earlier minister argued.

"Your Majesty, in the past, our Yin Moon Empire was also just a small dynasty. We cannot afford to be complacent!" Du Xiu insisted.

Six Paths glanced at everyone, his brow slightly furrowed, before he declared, "Inform the First Corps, Second Corps, and Third Corps to halt their advance on surrounding cities and focus all efforts on encircling the Great Zhen Dynasty's armies."

"Indeed!" the ministers immediately responded—

Da Lou Kingdom, Xuanjing, Changsheng Hall

Zhongshan donned a set of War Dragon robes, looking at the white little wolf before him. The wolf nudged Zhongshan's leg unhappily.

"It's alright, Xianxian. Don't blame yourself. I know your grandfather won't come. If he didn't come, then so be it. It doesn't matter. We will still unify Tianlang Island," Zhongshan chuckled, patting Xianxian's head.

"Woo woo woo," Xianxian whimpered, still somewhat upset.

"Alright, we should go," Zhongshan said. The little wolf wagged its tail and followed Zhongshan out of Changsheng Hall.

Outside Changsheng Hall stood Bao'er, Qianyou, Wei Taizhong, Haomeili, and numerous officials. In the distance were tens of thousands of Imperial Guards, each a top member of the Da Lou Kingdom's military.

"Long live our Emperor, long live, long live!"

Except for Haomeili's disdainful look, everyone else shouted with fervor.

"Lu Jianping——"

"Here!" Lu Jianping responded promptly.

"Prepare to depart——" Zhongshan ordered.

"Yes!" Lu Jianping replied immediately.

Then, Lu Jianping waved his hand, and the vast land where tens of thousands of Imperial Guards were fighting slowly ascended into the air.

This was a huge floating island completely forged from bronze by Lu Jianping himself, inscribed with formations. It could carry people and float in the sky. Under the propulsion of the formations, it could even fly, much like the 'Divine Ship' of the ancient Xuan King.

Accompanied by Zhongshan were Xianxian, Bao'er, Qianyou, Haomeili, and Lu Jianping as they soared onto the massive triangular floating island.

On the triangular floating island, the Imperial Guards were all excited, standing straight.

Wei Taizhong stayed behind, bowing with other ministers simultaneously, "May Your Majesty have victory and reign for ten thousand years!"

On the bronze battle island, shaped like a triangle, with several palaces on it, at one corner was placed a Nine Dragons Emperor Throne, facing squarely towards the front outside.

Zhongshan flew to the Nine Dragons Emperor Throne and slowly sat down. The others stood around Zhongshan, while Xianxian curiously ran around the surroundings.

"Depart——" Zhongshan gave the order.

"Yes!" Lu Jianping immediately responded. Then, the bronze battle island accelerated slowly towards the north, swiftly departing.

Da Lou Kingdom, Zhongshan's Imperial Expedition, officially entered the northern battlefield——

Yin Yue Dynasty, Imperial Court

"Hahaha, what audacity!" Liu Dao sneered in frustration.

"Your Majesty, does Da Lou Kingdom really not want to live? Are they not going to fight? Our dynasty has deployed three army corps, and they only have Wei Yinglan facing us? Is she the only one opposing our three army corps? Meanwhile, Yi Yan and Lin Xiao are still seizing other cities. Hubris leads to defeat!" a minister quickly chimed in.

"Your Majesty, the situation is worse than imagined," Du Xiu frowned.

"Duke Du, what do you mean? Their arrogance and conceit, isn't that advantageous for our dynasty? What's there to fear?" the earlier minister asked.

"They cannot be unaware of our dynasty's strength. With the shifts in our three army corps' routes, how could they not know? Wei Yinglan has been unstoppable in her path, that is undeniable. But would such a commander make such a basic mistake? Even if she did, did Lin Xiao and Yi Yan also make the same mistake simultaneously?" Du Xiu furrowed his brow.

"Spread my command!" Liu Dao suddenly spoke up.

The ministers immediately stopped talking.

"The First Legion, the Second Legion, the Third Legion, charge with full force, sparing no cost, and annihilate the army led by Wei Yinglan," Liu Dao ordered.

"Yes!" the ministers promptly responded—

Tianlang Island, amidst the east-west traversing forests and mountains, where a large number of wolves raced madly. At this moment, wolves were everywhere, escorting a bronze battle island in the sky.

Wherever Zhongshan passed, everything went smoothly. From time to time, scouts flew up to the bronze battle island to report on the frontline situation to Zhongshan. Continuous reports of victories came from the frontline: the three major dynasties had all been completely defeated.

Yi Yan had captured thirty cities, Lin Xiao had seized eighteen fortresses, and after securing twelve fortresses, Yinglan began to reorganize her troops, preparing to face the army of the Yin Yue Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, where are we heading?" Lu Jianping asked.

"Due north, to the frontline. The battlefield of Yinglan!" Zhongshan replied.

"Yes!" Lu Jianping immediately responded.

"Inform Lin Xiao and Yi Yan's armies. As long as they have enough manpower, our objective is to swiftly crush the Yin Yue Dynasty. Those remote cities can be ignored for now. Once the Yin Yue Dynasty falls, Tianlang Island will belong entirely to the Da Lou Kingdom. Quickly gather our forces and join Yinglan's left and right wings. Prepare to march towards the city of Jinling!" Zhongshan ordered.

"Yes!" Lu Jianping responded ahead.

At this moment, Haomeili emerged from a palace behind.

"They sure have quite the momentum!" Haomeili remarked.

"War should be like this," Zhongshan nodded.

"How about this, let me help you deal with that Yin Yue Dynasty? Just watch me wipe them out!" Haomeili stared at Zhongshan and smiled.

Turning his head, Zhongshan looked at Haomeili. He never doubted her abilities. Although she had just entered the Golden Core stage, Haomeili's abilities were extraordinary. One could almost say she was invincible! If she chose to oppose someone, she could even knock down stars from the sky to crush her opponents.

"No, just watch is enough! Thank you for your kind offer," Zhongshan immediately shook his head and declined.

"Why?" Haomeili narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased, as if her carefully crafted plan had been interrupted by Zhongshan.

"Your help would be too costly, and I can't afford it!" Zhongshan said very directly.

Zhongshan knew that Haomeili must have her own demands for following him. What was she seeking? The Dragon Palace couldn't do it, her master, the Poison Emperor, couldn't do it, and even her own body, the Ten Thousand Evils Body, couldn't achieve it. How enormous must her difficulties be? It was better to refuse early.

(To be continued)