After a period of travel, the Marquis of Jingyang's 50,000-strong army finally arrived at the border between Qiongzhou and Yukang Prefecture.

"Have someone deliver a message to Lu Yanzheng: if he voluntarily relinquishes his military power, I will spare his life; otherwise..." Marquis Jingyang's gaze sharpened, and he did not continue speaking.

His personal guard hesitated, saying, "But my lord, Lu Yanzheng has men and weapons at his disposal. He blocked the people the court sent before. If we go and deliver this message again, wouldn't that be a bit..."

He wanted to say that he had brought shame upon himself, but he was afraid that his lord would be displeased.

"No matter what he has, as long as Lu Yanzheng admits to being a Dayue person, he must obey the court's orders!" Marquis Jingyang sneered.

He admired young generals like Lu Yanzheng, but this admiration paled in comparison to the honor of his family.

Upon hearing this, the guard dared not say anything more and scurried out to give the order to deliver the message.

In his opinion, the Marquis's letter was delivered incorrectly; it was obvious that General Lu was about to rebel against the court!

They just didn't say it outright. Surely the Marquis doesn't think they wouldn't dare?

...

Meanwhile, Lu Yanzheng had just arrived at the army camp and hadn't even had a cup of tea when he received a message from the Marquis of Jingyang.

Qin Shen was so angry he laughed. "What a shameless person! He tells us to pay, so we have to pay?"

"How is the situation in Jinzhou?" Lu Yanzheng tossed aside the letter from the Marquis of Jingyang and asked about something else.

Qin Shen composed himself and nodded, saying, "Everything is being done according to the general's orders. The people of Jinzhou spontaneously support the general, and almost no one is on the side of the imperial court."

Lu Yanzheng nodded. "The time is almost right. Send a letter to Eagle and tell him to arrange the affairs of the border town before leading 10,000 elite troops to Dingshui Village."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." Qin Shen suppressed his excitement and hurried away.

His general is finally going to officially confront the imperial court!

Although Yongshan County is already in their hands, they still have to go through this formality.

Lu Yanzheng flipped through the military affairs records from the time he was away, tapping the table with one hand as he carefully considered whether there were any omissions.

The support of the people of Jinzhou, coupled with the imperial court's complete indifference to the lives of the people affected by the natural disaster, was enough for him to have a legitimate reason to start a rebellion.

Moreover, there's the matter of the Star-Picking Tower... Thinking of this, Lu Yanzheng couldn't help but want to thank Old Master Lu again.

He only knew that the imperial court was building the Star-Picking Tower, but he didn't know the specifics. Now that he has taken over Shunfeng Tower, the information about the Star-Picking Tower has been filled in.

Emperor Jingqing, solely because he desired immortality, poured the entire national treasury and his private coffers into alchemy and Taoist practices, disregarding the lives of the common people.

Once this news breaks, the Xiao family's rule will be pretty much over.

...

Lu Yanzheng didn't take the Marquis of Jingyang seriously. The Marquis of Jingyang waited for three days without receiving a reply, and then he got angry.

"That Lu Yanzheng! He's just a brat, yet he dares to be so disrespectful to an old man like this! Men! Prepare yourselves, we'll strike the Qiongzhou garrison at 1-3 AM tonight!" Enraged, Marquis Jingyang decided to confront the enemy directly.

When the guards saw the Marquis of Jingyang's appearance, they felt a chill in their hearts and dared not offer any further advice.

The old Marquis was impatient, and given that he hadn't received a reply from Lu Yanzheng for three days, it was no wonder he was furious.

However, he also wanted to see just how powerful the legendary border army weapons really were.

Soon, Marquis Jingyang and the others learned the answer.

"Charge! Charge in!"

"Take Qiongzhou, and take Lu Yanzheng!"

"Charge forward, all of you! Anyone who chickens out, I'll chop them down!"

"..."

At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the Marquis of Jingyang's army launched an attack on the border troops' garrison.

Lu Yanzheng had not yet rested and was studying the construction plan of the warships by lamplight. Hearing the shouts of battle, he remained extremely calm and said to Qin Shen beside him, "Give the court a little deterrence, but don't hurt too many of them."

After all, 50,000 troops is no small number. If he could use them all, the road ahead would be easier.

"Yes!" Qin Shen left with a beaming smile.

Hahaha... Those idiots in the imperial court have suffered so many losses but still haven't learned their lesson. Aren't they just handing themselves over to be beaten up?

Qin Shen stood on the city wall, holding several flags for command.

He waved the small green flag in his hand and shouted, "Fire smoke grenades! Prepare tear gas!"

Indeed, with Jiang Qinyu's suggestion and the strong support of Doctor Mo, the border troops have acquired new weapons, such as smoke grenades and tear gas. They are not very lethal, but they can significantly increase their chances of winning.

As expected, the Jingyang Marquis's army was caught off guard and completely confused by the initial smoke bombs. Many of the charging soldiers froze in place, looking at the white expanse all around them.

"What is this? What are they doing?"

"I can't see! Should we still charge?"

"Charge, all of you!"

"..."

With a final roar, the Jingyang Marquis's army continued forward, but before they had taken more than a few steps, something exploded on the ground ahead.

This time they didn't stop and rushed forward, but they soon discovered that the mist from the explosion could make people's eyes water!

Many men who had never cried in their lives were brought to tears by tear gas.

"This is fucking humiliating! I've never cried in my life..."

"Centurion, I can't stop crying. I can barely see the road ahead. How are we supposed to fight?"

"Fight like this! The Marquis is still watching. If you don't want to live, then stand here and cry!"

"..."

The Marquis of Jingyang's army charged forward comically, tears streaming down their faces. This delay meant that by the time they reached the city walls, Qin Shen's side had already made all the necessary preparations.

"Oh my, Your Excellency, what an honor to have you here! I am truly sorry for not welcoming you sooner!" Qin Shen smiled as he looked at the Marquis of Jingyang, who had already ridden up to the city wall.

Marquis Jingyang looked up at him with a grim expression and roared, "Tell Lu Yanzheng to come out and see me, or don't blame me for sending my 50,000 troops to trample your Qiongzhou Prefecture!"

The original troops in Qiongzhou were all taken away by Prince Yong. The current 20,000 troops are all border troops, plus some newly recruited soldiers. The total number of troops stationed there is less than 40,000.

New recruits couldn't possibly go to the battlefield at this time, so the only fighting force available was the 20,000 men that Lu Yanzheng had originally brought.

Marquis Jingyang believed that his 50,000 troops could defeat these people no matter what, so he did not head straight for the border city, but instead went to Qiongzhou to disperse and incorporate the border troops.

However, he was wrong.

Qin Shen looked at him with a smile, "What you say is true, Marquis. If you want to conquer Qiongzhou, we'll see if you have the ability. But..." He suddenly smiled mysteriously, "You may not have it, but we do! Fire the cannons!"

As soon as the last word was uttered, a cannonball was launched instantly, hitting the Marquis of Jingyang squarely on the head and falling off!

The moment the cannonballs exploded, the entire army of the Marquis of Jingyang was stunned.

Their lord...it seems he was killed?