"Rumor has it that they are impervious to supernatural forces and all evil... who would have thought that not even guns and cannons could..."
A chill ran down his spine, freezing him to the core.
He instinctively stepped back half a step, bumping against the edge of the table. A thought, previously unthinkable, exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.
"Could it be... that Lu Xuan truly is destined by heaven?"
Upon asking this, the command post fell into dead silence.
When the enemy defies all logic, the belief sustaining their resistance begins to crumble.
Not long after!
Jiang, the major general who had just been pale in the command post, now forced himself to adopt an almost twisted expression of "eagerness" and scrambled towards the city gate.
He snatched the tin megaphone from the hands of the messenger soldier and hid most of his body behind the thick city gate barrier, using all his strength to shout hoarsely towards the outside of the city.
"Cease fire—! Stop fighting! We surrender—!"
"The might of the Southern Army is great! Grand Marshal Lu is heaven’s chosen! It is indeed my greatest fortune, Jiang, to lead my troops in surrender and partake in this great cause!
For the innocent people of this land, I, Jiang Hengzhi... willingly bear the infamy for ages!"
He actually imitated exactly the rhetoric Deputy Mo had just used, raising his arms and shouting.
"Grand Marshal Lu, by heaven’s command, vows to purge the universe and restore clarity to the land!
The old heavens are dead, and the Yellow Heavens shall rise! In the year of the Master, there shall be great peace under heaven—open the gates, welcome the royal army!"
The heavy city gates slowly opened under the bewildered gaze of the defending troops.
Jiang Hengzhi quickly stepped forward, his face filled with a humble smile, personally welcoming Deputy Mo.
When facing an invincible army, the wisest choice is to join them.
What’s more, the Southern Army is not an ordinary warlord force.
Their deeds of "charm scripts against evil, bringing peace to the land" have long spread across Qingzhou.
Under the rule of the mysterious Grand Marshal Lu, this army not only refrains from disturbing the people but becomes increasingly protective of the civilians, gaining a reputation exemplary in these troubled times.
It is said that in the six counties in northern Qingzhou, the people are willing to risk everything to support the Southern Army.
To operate a separatist force so heartily embraced by the people is unheard of.
Under the justification of this "heaven’s mandate" and concrete benevolent governance, not only the six northern counties, even places like Xinyu County adjacent to the Northern Territory, are already stirred by undercurrents among the people.
As a result, the slogan "Peace under heaven, Grand Marshal Lu is heaven’s chosen" is quietly spreading.
And as the highest defensive commander of Xinyu County, Jiang Hengzhi feels this the most.
He has witnessed the public sentiment gradually slipping away and knows that these walls have long been breached from within.
The current opening of the city and surrender is merely in compliance with this unstoppable trend.
"Grand Marshal! This is bad! The Southern Army has attacked! Jiang Hengzhi, that spineless coward, has opened the city gates in surrender—Xinyu County... has fallen!"
The urgent report from the front line exploded like a thunderclap in the Military Governor’s office at Hejiang Prefecture.
In the bedroom, the old but strong Military Governor of Qingzhou, Chen Xiong, violently extricated himself from the arms and legs of several concubines.
He stood shirtless, his chest heaving violently, as the bad news instantly scattered his sleepiness and drunkenness.
"What? What the hell are you talking about!!!!"
A few days ago, he was consulting with his advisers on how to curb the growing power of the Southern Army, contemplating whether to ally with them or suppress them.
Little did he expect that while he was weighing the pros and cons and had not yet taken action, the other side would defy convention and directly attack!
Young people have no respect for the rules!!!!
"Lu Xuan... you are audacious!"
Chen Xiong pushed away the servant girl trying to drape clothes over him, his eyes filled with a mix of shock and anger.
Xinyu County is not an ordinary border town, but the gateway to his heartland.
Once this city falls, the spearhead of the Southern Army can advance straight into Hejiang City?
Ruling over Qingzhou for years, this was the first time he was driven to such a desperate situation.
And in the following half-month, the tide of battle presented a one-sided collapse.
Chen Xiong watched helplessly as the domain he had managed for years disintegrated like an avalanche.
The two key counties neighboring Xinyu County nearly fell into the hands of the Southern Army without any bloodshed.
What made him vomit blood was that the people of these two areas willingly became "guides" for the enemy, with scenes of them offering food and welcoming the royal army everywhere.
Facing the cold reality of shifting public sentiment, the defending generals of the two counties knew the cause was lost.
For the lives of their brothers and their own future, they all chose to be wise and submitted to the circumstances.
In an instant, Chen Xiong’s so-called 500,000 Qingzhou army collapsed—more than 400,000 troops turned their guns around and became the Southern Army’s new force.
Tens of thousands of loyalists perished in resistance.
Finally, fewer than 50,000 remnants remained, following Chen Xiong as he retreated to the last fortress of Hejiang Prefecture, fighting like cornered beasts.
The once invincible King of Qingzhou now had only a single isolated city left.
"Grand Marshal! Lu Xuan is too formidable, this place cannot hold for long! Better to abandon the city and break out, retreating to the capital!"
The guest advisor under Chen Xiong’s command, known for his divination technique, was now pale-faced, his voice anxious.
"The area around the capital gathers the lingering fortune of successive dynasties and is where the dragon veins of the land converge, deemed impervious to all techniques!"
"No matter the proficiency of Lu Xuan in talismans, he will be suppressed there!"
"We may still rely on the foundation left and rise again!"
"Escape? Heh... hahahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiong couldn’t help but let out an extremely bitter laugh.
His eyes were bloodshot, pointing to the tightly besieged gates outside: "This Military Governor also wants to escape! But look at this situation—a surrounding so tight, not even water can pass through!