Chapter 1121: The City Burns (Part 1) [Happy Labor Day]
Wei Cheng said that Shen Tang's thinking was too petty.
“It’s not that I can’t accept defeat. I can admit defeat.” Wei Cheng has eccentricities, but his conduct can be described as upright. “If you spare my uncle and me, I wouldn’t do anything like stabbing you in the back.”
Shen Tang nodded meaningfully: "You really can't do it."
The implication is clear: Wei Lou is capable of such a thing.
If it weren't for the fact that Cloud Thanos Plus Dale was determined to destroy the world and render the conflict meaningless, she wouldn't have felt at ease with the uncle and nephew.
Despite Wei Cheng's seemingly empty mind, he wasn't stupid. He could tell that Shen Tang was being sarcastic: "Whether you believe it or not, the Eternal Life Cult is nothing more than a way to pass the time. I have no interest in contacting those undercover agents."
Shen Tang responded with an "Oh," and said, "There really are undercover agents."
Wei Cheng: "..."
Shen Tang didn't push Wei Cheng too far, lest the skeleton break down and become enraged: "I don't care what you're up to, next time remember to use the main entrance, don't squat on the roof. I'll let it slide this time, but next time I'll treat you as a traitor."
Wei Cheng neither confirmed nor denied this.
He came here to see how far Shen Tang's army had advanced and how it compared to the late lord's Wu Kingdom, so that he could have something to talk about with his uncle when he got back, and also to give Shen Tang a reminder.
Shen Tang raised her eyes and calmly replied, "A reminder?"
Wei Cheng: "The Eternal Life Cult, you figure it out yourself."
Several question marks popped into Shen Tang's head, and even the way she looked at Wei Cheng became subtle: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
The flames in Wei Cheng's eyes flickered irregularly, revealing a guilty conscience: "The Eternal Life Cult was established out of boredom to fool the gods. I don't manage it; my uncle is in charge."
The doctrines and principles of the Eternal Life Cult were all made up by Wei Lou on the spot.
Both uncle and nephew knew this was a joke.
Even the most absurd and ridiculous ideas will be promoted and vigorously publicized if they benefit oneself. Countless ignorant people devoutly follow, while noble families, nobles, and royalty feign ignorance, flocking to the religion of immortality and willingly offering countless treasures as tribute. These people may not actually believe in the religion of immortality; they simply find its doctrines beneficial to themselves, making it easy for them to distort and distort the truth.
Driven by the enthusiastic efforts of these "believers," the Eternal Life Cult rapidly expanded, with many rising to the rank of "offering monks" to preach to the ignorant masses. Since most people were illiterate and only saw copied versions of the doctrinal outlines, the interpretation of the content depended entirely on the "offering monks'" abilities. Inevitably, some "offering monks" used the doctrine for personal gain, deliberately distorting the original meaning and inserting their own agendas.
The larger the scale, the more severe the distortion.
The doctrines that were passed down differed greatly from the original, with some even contradicting it. Uncle Wei Lou was not unaware of this, but he did not care, allowing the seed of the Eternal Life Cult to sprout and grow wildly. This example also intensified Wei Lou's prejudice and disgust towards cults—how many so-called gods are not arbitrarily embellished by their followers? It's less about worshipping gods and more about worshipping people's hearts.
The darker the human heart, the more filthy the god who reflects it.
Wei Lou hadn't expected Shen Youli to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Wei Cheng said, "Now that things have come to this, we can only try our best to make amends."
Shen Tang was almost speechless upon hearing this.
"Is your way of making amends just by giving a reminder?"
Wei Cheng retorted, "Otherwise what?"
He could not possibly be loyal to anyone other than the former lord. His uncle had always had a problem with Shen Tang, so of course they would not help Shen Tang clean up this mess: "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test his will, strain his muscles and bones, and starve his body..."
Moreover, Shen Youli is still the "heaven".
Isn't it normal for her to work harder and suffer more?
Shen Tang took a few deep breaths, suppressing the urge to grab the table and swing Wei Cheng's skull, and pointed to the door.
Wei Cheng left some clues before he left.
There are also internal divisions within the Eternal Life Cult, led by several powerful families. While using its doctrines to deceive the common people, they also engage in factionalism and extermination. Shen Tang shows no mercy when dealing with them. This information was given to him by his uncle; Wei Cheng felt it was unnecessary. Just looking at Shen Tang's ruthless methods against the powerful families, one can tell what fate awaits those families once Shen Tang expands his territory to the southwest…
Wei Cheng came and went in a hurry.
It didn't even alert Shen Tang's personal guards.
"The Southwest...we need to scout it out..."
Focusing on investigating the internal structure of the Eternal Life Cult might allow us to use their strength against them, dividing these forces with their doctrines and making them shoot themselves in the foot. Shen Tang lowered her eyes in thought, unaware that the sky was already turning a pale white as the sun began to rise.
As the three armies simultaneously approached the capital of Gaowang.
Battle reports poured into the Gao King's court, landing on the new ruler's desk. He was so anxious he developed blisters on his lips, and his temper grew increasingly volatile. He would frequently smash things and verbally abuse palace servants. His roars and curses could be heard from afar, starting with courtiers feigning illness and escalating to generals who refused to fight or obey orders. When Lady Mi arrived, the ground was littered with debris and wreckage, leaving no room to step.
Upon seeing the familiar figure, the new owner managed to calm down.
A wave of grievance welled up in my heart: "Mother..."
Looking at her son, who had aged more than ten years in such a short time, Mi felt a pang of sorrow: "I heard from the palace servants that you haven't eaten for three days. I've made your favorite dish, please try it."
The new master shook his head: "My son isn't hungry."
His heart was burning with rage, causing excruciating pain in his internal organs. He couldn't feel the hunger at all, but he couldn't resist Mi Shi's insistence, so he could only endure the nausea and eat a few bites. Mi Shi bent down to pick up the scattered memorials on the ground and quickly read through them.
There was no good news.
One city surrendered voluntarily, another fell. Commoners even composed and spread folk songs, applauding and declaring the new ruler's ascension to the throne illegitimate and that he deserved it. The new ruler attempted to punish officials who feigned illness as a warning to others, but these officials, relying on their seniority, submitted memorials claiming incompetence and wishing to resign. And it wasn't just one or two resigning; it was a group, clearly pre-arranged…
No matter how many remedial measures the new ruler takes, he is stuck in the capital.
Seeing his mother looking at the memorials, he snatched them away and said, "Mother, don't look at them. It's not worth getting angry over these petty people."
Mi Shi's face remained expressionless.
What are your plans?
Defend the city, or abandon it?
"No matter what you choose, your mother will always be there for you."
The new master remained silent for a long time: "Your son plans to send your mother and younger siblings away first. Shen Youli will not kill refugees. You can hide in the mountains to take refuge until the war is over. After everything has settled down, you can contact your father. He will certainly not treat you badly."
Mi was extremely dissatisfied with this arrangement.
Her usually gentle demeanor hardened: "No!"
The new ruler exudes an air of decline, a far cry from the high spirits he displayed on the day of the palace coup. It's only been less than two months.
Knowing his mother's temperament, he could only try to appease her first.
He said, "Okay, I'll do whatever Mother says."
Only then did Lady Mi's expression soften.
"Your mother will always be with you."
Lady Mi refused to leave, but that didn't mean she wanted her other children to die with her. She agreed to the new ruler's arrangements and sent her three children out of the capital ahead of schedule. However, the two disagreed on the timing. Lady Mi said, "Which of these people in the court isn't watching the palace's movements? If we send them away now, they'll fall into their hands the moment they're gone, and they can use them to threaten us, mother and children."
Sending them away during the chaos is the safest option.
It's not chaotic enough right now.
Neither the mother nor the son expected the opportunity to come so quickly.
Or rather, Shen Tang's troops attacked too quickly.
The Kang Kingdom's army was less than a day's journey from the capital, which now only had one last strategic pass remaining. Based on the strength of the defenses, they estimated the capital wouldn't last more than two hours. Since receiving the news, the capital had descended into chaos, filled with fleeing people. Looking at the palace, Mi Shi made a decision: "...Didn't the memorial mention that Shen Youli found a pretext to imprison powerful families from various regions?"
The new master said, "Hmm."
At this moment, the mother and son were of one mind.
They tacitly amplified the news, changing the imprisonment to execution, all in order to bind the various families in the capital to flee with them. Wu Xian left 10,000 elite troops in the capital, which were the last troops the mother and son could mobilize.
Time was of the essence, and much of their wealth could not be taken with them.
Furthermore, due to a shortage of carriages and horses, even a group of people had to be abandoned.
The capital was in complete chaos, both inside and out.
The remaining members of the Mi clan disguised themselves as palace servants fleeing the disaster and, under the escort of their trusted confidants, blended into the refugee crowd, leaving the city unnoticed. The Mi clan and her eldest son, escorted by elite troops, embarked on their escape along with a group of royal nobles, civil and military officials, and powerful families.
All along the way were cries, curses, and the sound of horses' hooves.
Occasionally, women and children would be kicked off the carriages. The caravan could only carry a limited amount of belongings, so those who were insignificant could naturally be discarded.
Mi Shi sat in the carriage with her eyes closed.
These sounds reminded her of her early years of wandering and displacement.
All that's left is a sigh: "No matter how much we go around in circles, we can't escape it."
Mi Shi had a subtle premonition that this escape would be in vain. It's likely that she wasn't the only one with this premonition; many people were also aware of it, but their survival instincts made them cling to a sliver of hope.
What if?
If they could escape to a neighboring country, they might be able to seek asylum.
This would certainly mean living under someone else's roof, but it's better than losing your life.
A moment later, the eldest son bent down and went inside, his expression grim: "The pursuers didn't catch up. Someone set a fire before leaving."
Lady Mi was startled: "Who put this there?"
Most of the houses in the capital are made of wood, which is dry and flammable. With the current chaos of war, no one has the time to fight the fire. Even if Shen Youli were willing to fight the fire, by the time her troops arrive, the fire will be too large to control, and many civilians inside the city are still unable to evacuate! With the wind fanning the flames, this fire could claim countless lives!
The eldest son glanced at the back of the group and remained silent.
Mi Shi immediately guessed the truth.
She exhaled a breath of stale air: "Truly ruthless!"
They have the audacity to use the people of an entire city to buy themselves time.
This is absolutely outrageous!
Traveling with this group of people puts my safety and that of my child at risk.
Before long, some members of the fleeing group spotted a patch of orange-red on the horizon behind them, and were instantly struck dumb. They didn't know who had started the fire, only one thing: there was no going back.
|ω`)
Happy Labor Day! Hehe, I also took a break, but there were just too many people outside. All I saw today was a sea of heads _(:з」∠)_
This chapter only has one and a half updates, which is a thousand words less than usual.
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