Chapter 223: I am the High Priest of the Jiang Dynasty

"Old Bai, to make a long story short, go find the one-eyed old man and ask him to lead troops to reinforce Yangcheng." Su Zhenzhen spoke very quickly. "Yangcheng only has 10,000 troops, but there are several times that number of enemies outside the city."

Before the old man could even process what was happening, he hurriedly left the coffin shop to search for the one-eyed old man in the woods outside Shanxian County.

Su Zhenzhen had no other choice; she had soldiers but no generals, and they were afraid of being wiped out halfway.

Qingshan followed Hensheng to Xijun. Among the old men in Huo's army, only the one-eyed old man could keep things in order.

Before Su Zhenzhen could make any more plans, an invisible force pulled her body backward, and even with all her strength, she couldn't withstand the primordial vortex behind her.

As if falling from the clouds, Su Zhenzhen felt as if all the bones in her body had been shattered. When she came to her senses, she was already lying on a bed in the Yangcheng villa.

Su Zhenzhen was unsure whether it was because her current cultivation level was not high enough, or because using her own soul was a heaven-defying act that could not be continued for long.

Fortunately, the message had already been sent out. If they marched quickly, it would only take five or six days to get from Shanxian to Yangcheng.

Yangcheng's city walls are sturdy and thick; with Chunzhi's abilities, it wouldn't be a problem for 10,000 men to hold out for five or six days.

Hu Wen, greedy and afraid of death, invested a large sum of money in the defense of the city walls, which indirectly helped them.

Su Zhenzhen always believed in leaving professional matters to professionals. She wouldn't cause trouble by leading troops to defend the city. On the contrary, she might be able to help calm down the people in the city who were as frightened as birds.

The north gate of Yangcheng was engulfed in flames, and the east, west, and south gates were in no better shape, as they were surrounded by a small number of enemies, making it impossible to take the opportunity to send the civilians out.

Su Zhenzhen had glanced at Yangcheng's files earlier. During Hu Wen's rule, there were no robberies in the streets, let alone murders.

The city's inhabitants include both original residents and villagers from nearby villages who carry loads into the city to set up stalls.

No money is required to enter or leave Yangcheng; all you need is a household registration certificate. As a result, Yangcheng has the highest daily population flow among the surrounding cities, and now all of these people are stuck in the city.

The people's thinking was simple: if there were madmen killing people inside the city, then they had to flee outside. As for the fighting at the north gate, the other gates weren't under attack. Besides, who knew if they'd be conscripted if they stayed in the city? They heard that when that lady was fighting the barbarians in the border region, everyone who was breathing was sent to the battlefield.

No matter how many benevolent policies Chunzhi implemented in Yangcheng, people would naturally sing her praises during peaceful times, but when their own lives were in danger, even ants would try to survive.

"Let us out!"

"I want to go home! There are thugs in the city!"

Despite Chunzhi's order that anyone who disobeyed military orders and sought refuge indoors be dragged to the city wall to fight the enemy, there were always some reckless and brainless individuals who liked to make their presence felt during such a critical moment.

The guards arrested a few of the most vocal individuals and brought them up to the city wall, but this not only failed to intimidate the others, but also provoked public outrage.

See? When war breaks out, they'll use the lives of ordinary people like us to fill the hole. All those in power are the same.

Chunzhi's benevolent rule had both advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, people naturally looked down on women, so the common people felt that female officials were not so scary. They thought that if they made a fuss together, they might soften their hearts and let them leave the city.

Yangcheng has approximately 200,000 ordinary citizens, and it's impossible to bring them all up to the city wall. The guards can only keep them in the alleys to prevent them from running around in the streets.

"Let us out! We'll all die if we're too late!"

"I don't want to die! I just had my son yesterday. I should never have come to the city today! Waaah—"

When Su Zhenzhen arrived, this was the bizarre scene she saw.

Outside the city, war raged, and the general fought bravely against the enemy from the city tower, while the people inside the city begged the soldiers to let them out of the city.

Do they even realize that leaving the city means certain death?

However, it is understandable. Yangcheng had not experienced any war for more than 20 years. The previous skirmish to save Hensheng was minor and resulted in no casualties. Many people were sound asleep when Yangcheng changed hands.

But now the situation is clearly not right, and with the limited knowledge of ordinary people, all they can think of is running away. Where to run? To places they think are safe, such as hiding in the mountains.

Ultimately, they didn't believe they could win.

Even though Chunzhi did a lot, the world still held women in contempt.

Suddenly, a surge of frustration rose in her heart, and Su Zhenzhen no longer wanted to care about these ignorant people.

Why should we care about the lives of these people? Why should we care about the lives of everyone in the world?

She's just a spirit medium. When someone dies and there are wronged souls who can't enter the cycle of reincarnation, she steps in to help them pass on. That's a good deed. Why would she want to cause trouble for herself?

Although this behavior was called "fishing" in the 906th century, who doesn't fish?

Su Zhenzhen was torn between her inner thoughts and her own conscience, but ultimately, the sliver of kindness in her heart prevailed.

If Hu Wen were to step in now, he would definitely be able to intimidate the people in the city. Hu Wen may not care about taking lives, but his methods are enough to make everyone suffer.

However, this has a very obvious drawback.

From this point on, the people of Yangcheng will subconsciously come to recognize Hu Wen as their former master, and all of Chunzhi's previous efforts will have been for naught. Their patriarchal views will even intensify. They will believe that Chunzhi was merely brave, daring to risk her life on the city walls; for important matters like overseeing the overall situation and protecting the people, it is still the men who must be relied upon.

Su Zhenzhen could not accept this outcome no matter what.

When science fails to solve a problem, then we have to resort to some mystical methods.

Su Zhenzhen immediately made hand seals and chanted an incantation, "Use myself to guide the soul, soul, return!"

The already gloomy weather suddenly picked up, the wind picked up even more, and thunder rumbled one after another, as if the heavens were about to unleash their wrath and strike down these mortals.

The ignorant people immediately knelt down with their heads in their hands, muttering incantations and begging God to give them a way to live.

Su Zhenzhen was both angry and amused. These people were ignorant and foolish, but it wasn't their fault; it was the fault of this era. People like the cook, who were decisive and self-aware, were extremely rare.

Thinking of the cook, Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but recall what she had seen and heard that day in Tianjia Village.

Among these people trapped in the city, there may be some from Tianjia Village.

The world is so corrupt that the people are ignorant; those in power must educate them.

Su Zhenzhen was suspended in the air by the wind. The souls of the people who had been killed by the thieves earlier were unjustly killed and surrounded her.

Upon seeing this, the people kneeling on the ground began a new round of prayers.

"Weren't those people just dead? I saw their intestines spill out with my own eyes. Who is that woman? Could she be an immortal? Did an immortal bring them back to life?"

"Greetings, Immortal! I beg you, Immortal, to save my life!"

"Immortal, please save me! May I have a son this year!"

The cries for help were mixed with grand aspirations; I really don't know what to say.

Su Zhenzhen suppressed the helplessness on her lips and said coldly, "I am the High Priest of the Jiang Dynasty!"