lovenovelstory Chapter 78 Loyal Minister
Chapter 78 Loyal Minister
Blood-red moonlight fell upon the world.
The moment it touched Si Chen's palm, it vanished as if it had encountered its natural enemy.
Si Chen sighed; now there was even more trouble.
Wherever the moonlight touched, countless creatures harbored evil thoughts. The once peaceful and tranquil sea suddenly turned into a boiling pot, with large numbers of marine creatures clashing and fighting.
Si Chen observed carefully and realized that these were merely ordinary creatures that had not yet gained wisdom.
But if things continue like this, progressing by a single step each day, chaos will surely ensue sooner or later.
Si Chen returned indoors and sat cross-legged.
As the sea breeze howled, the night flew by.
When Wu Sangui came looking for him, Si Chen had already watched the Dinghai ship sail away.
With a large amount of steam gushing out, the massive treasure ship crushed through the broken ice and swallowed the large number of corpses from the previous day.
The lingering shadow of the blood moon still hung in the sky.
The sun had already risen from the sea.
The effects of the blood moon quickly dissipated.
Si Chen turned around and asked, "Did you see the blood moon last night? Did you discover anything?"
"The moon has gone mad." Wu Sangui swallowed hard, lowering his head and not daring to look directly at the crescent moon, as if he had seen an indescribable monster. "Last night, I tried to draw moonlight into my body, but I didn't expect to hear countless sounds echoing in my ears."
Several samurai who patrolled last night also underwent slight mutations.
But Wu Sangui did not say it explicitly.
He has already detained those people and is awaiting their fate.
Si Chen turned his gaze to Wu Sangui. "Yes, the moon has gone mad. Tell them not to look directly at the moon or stars, for great terror awaits."
A group of demons were causing trouble up there.
Six demon kings secretly made their move.
The Great Horned Rat God must have been eager to descend to the mortal realm, which is why he activated the technique.
All eyes in the world are on this matter.
There was also pulling and tugging.
The four generals beside him—the silver-armored general Jiaxu, the red-armored general Jiashen, the blue-armored general Jiawu, and the white-armored general Jiayin—also turned their gazes to Wu Sangui. What exactly was this man's stance?
Wu Sangui felt a chill in his heart, but his hand was already gripping the military tally, which made him feel slightly more at ease.
At worst, we can just lead a large army to drive them away.
long silence.
Si Chen then said, "I have already ordered two generals to transport grain. Let's reassure the people first."
Wu Sangui hurriedly said, "Heavenly Official, have mercy!"
What a kind person.
Wu Sangui's joy did not reach his eyes. Damn it, he still preferred dealing with those missionaries; at least they would sell anything.
Dealing with Si Chen is troublesome; he can turn on you at any time.
Si Chen didn't hold back. When faced with such a wavering fellow, one should exploit him thoroughly. "I wish to borrow your precious land to build a Palace of Saints to appease the spirits of the dead here. General, please make the arrangements as soon as possible."
Wu Sangui's face looked rather grim.
motherfucker.
The emperor was urging them from inside.
Dorgon pressured him from the outside, eliminating many of his outposts and reducing the range of his scouts to less than twenty miles.
Zheng Lian also took advantage of the Five Merchants Guild to inflate prices.
He's like a spinning top.
Now that Si Chen is involved, they're even more audacious. Are they treating him like a subordinate?
You wicked brat, I'll...
Si Chen glanced at it, his tone indifferent, "What's wrong, are you having trouble?"
Wu Sangui forced a smile, "No objection! This is a good thing!"
"Guards! Summon our celestial craftsmen and let these divine generals command us. Isn't there a Buddhist temple on this hilltop? Smash it! Make room for the Palace of the Great Teacher of Virtue."
Wu Sangui, holding the military tally in his hand, gave the order.
Last night I had a rare, hearty meal.
The warriors lazily agreed.
The group of men and horses watched for a moment, then turned and left.
Si Chen turned and walked towards the Dragon's Neck Pass. "Lead the way, let's go to Ningyuan City first."
Wu Sangui then revealed a smile, before covering himself up completely. "This way, please."
Juehua Island is 20 miles from the coast.
Today, Ningyuan, as the only remaining fortified city, has undergone several reinforcements, making it magnificent and even awe-inspiring.
But it still felt a bit crowded.
The city has a circumference of nearly eight li, making it the second largest city outside of Shanhaiguan.
Compared to the cities in the hinterland, Ningyuan City had beacon towers, watchtowers, artillery emplacements, and enemy towers.
Compared to the cities along the nine borders, Ningyuan City, like Tongzhou, has four huge warehouse districts.
Outside the south gate, a pier connects the ditch to the sea, and the pier is surrounded by moats, gun emplacements, and other coastal defense facilities. Salt fields are located on both sides of the gun emplacements, and fertile fields lie to the north. Nestled between mountains and the sea, it integrates fortified town, post station, beacon tower, coastal defense, border defense, agricultural settlement, salt production, and warehousing.
This was almost identical to the Tianjin city that Si Chen had envisioned, with both land and water defenses and two military settlements.
You can see a tall bell and drum tower in the middle of the city from outside the city.
But when a full 100,000 people gathered here.
That would make it seem extremely crowded.
Si Chen stood with his feet barely touching the ground, his robes fluttering, his hands clasped behind his back.
Wu Sangui kept turning back in amazement.
Si Chen could already sense the large number of people in the city and the many troubles lurking within it. His gaze drifted down to the underground, where there were extremely complex underground tunnels.
Fresh traces of artillery fire still remain on the city walls.
But this is the front line.
Before Wu Sangui's generals could even pay their respects, they were driven away. Wu Sangui then explained, "My men are all uncouth and crude; I fear they might slight the master."
Si Chen didn't take it seriously; he was worried that Si Chen would use this opportunity to interfere in internal affairs.
But he was already content with just getting Juehua Island.
Ningyuan City should be left to Wu Sangui to handle.
Si Chen smiled and said, "To resist an entire nation's army with a single isolated city is truly remarkable, General. In this world today, all armies are observing celestial phenomena and awaiting a change of dynasty, yet they do not understand the meaning of loyalty to a subject. Only General Wu is a man of great righteousness, utterly loyal."
Wu Sangui immediately felt refreshed.
"That's too much praise, too much."
Si Chen stroked his beard with one hand and looked at the people of the city with the other.
They were all disheveled and filthy, and a large number of thatched huts were piled together, emitting a foul stench.
When simply surviving is a luxury, dignity becomes unsurprising.
They arrived at Wu Sangui's residence.
There is also a plaque personally bestowed by Emperor Chongzhen in front of it.
"Please!" Wu Sangui waited until Si Chen had taken in all of this before pointing towards the door.
Si Chen turned to the paladins and said, "General Wu, you may take a stroll around the city. Do you mind?"
Wu Sangui looked at these men dressed in black robes and wearing silver masks, and asked, "Who are these people?"
"They are Han Chinese I rescued from the slave ships, and they might even be from Ningyuanwei."
"Really? Hehe, then you're most welcome."
Wu Sangui broke out in a cold sweat.
Si Chen chuckled. "There's one more thing. They are paladins. The Gongyang School."
Wu Sangui's eyes widened. "Ah! Heavenly Official! Heavenly Official! Master, you mustn't!"
With each vengeful mark cast by these paladins, the black market is utterly destroyed.
Wu Sangui's vision blurred, and he hurriedly summoned his trusted retainers, "You, go and protect them well, don't let those blind fools disturb them!"
"Yes, sir!" Several men and horses responded and left.
What Wu Sangui failed to see was that the marks of revenge on these men were burning brightly.
It might even catch fire.