Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 561 - 452: Ruthless Li Qianzhi_1

Chapter 561: Chapter 452: Ruthless Li Qianzhi_1

As Li Xuan finished speaking, Master Chongyou, Yuanmiao, and Lingjie exchanged glances. They all picked up on the chilling displeasure in Li Xuan’s words.

However, shortly after, Master Lingjie from the Jingjue Temple, relying on the influence of the Pure Land Lotus Sect, was the first to speak, "I would like to ask Marquis Jingan, are you intending on heading south to Juyong Pass to partake in the battle there?"

"Indeed!" With Lingjie leading the way, Master Chongyou also gathered his courage, "Marquis Jingan, Juyong Pass is no easy place at this time. If we go now, we will inevitably be embroiled in the war."

Li Xuan’s countenance became even colder, "So what? All of you are monks and taoists ordained by the court, not only exempt from taxes and labor, but also supported by the common people’s toil. It’s fair to say that you are all recipients of the court’s grace. Isn’t it now time for you to repay your debt to the country?"

Master Yuanmiao of Shanji Temple furrowed his brows slightly, "Marquis Jingan, we are all monks. We are here to suppress the evil spirits on the battlefield. The war between the Jin Dynasty and Mengwu is a worldly conflict, in which we have no part."

"Monks?" Li Xuan looked at Yuanmiao, a glimmer of cold light condensing in his eyes, "Ridiculous! When you receive support from the court, why don’t you say that you are monks? When you collect money from the common people’s offerings, why don’t you consider yourselves monks?"

"I’ve made up my mind about this. All you need to do is follow my orders. If you dare to resist, not only will I enforce military law, but I will also report to the court after the fact, revoking your taoist certificate."

Both Yuanmiao and Lingjie couldn’t help but exchange glances, their eyes reflecting their dilemma.

They were wondering, with the Mengwu forces nearly penetrating Beijing, whether the Jin Dynasty could accomplish defending the north was already a question, who would still be concerned about the taoist certificate from the court?

Master Chongyou sighed bitterly, "Marquis Jingan, my Changchun Temple has always been supported by the state, so it’s only right for us to serve the country now."

"I’m just worried, at present, the Mengwu forces are vast and they have the assistance of the Yunzhong warships. We are few in number. If we rush over and are unable to make a significant impact on the situation, not only will we be of no use, but we might also sacrifice our lives."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuan looked more kindly upon Master Chongyou, "Rest assured! I won’t be foolish enough to seek a dead end. Going south to Juyong Pass, I have enough confidence. If it is impossible, I will not force you all."

Master Chongyou thought, ’Your words are fooling no one. Who doesn’t know that you, Li Xuan, are a disciple of Wen Zhonglie, notoriously forgetful of life and death, and spare no thought for your own?’

Can’t you see the magical instruments on your body all glowing? The aura of righteousness has already pierced through the clouds.

Master Chongyou felt helpless, but after some thought, he sighed softly, "Fine, my Changchun Temple will follow Marquis Jingan this time."

He was not a coward, but he had to care about the lives of his three hundred accompanying disciples.

He was also worried that if the Jin Dynasty couldn’t hold the north Zhili in the future, the Mongwu people would retaliate against the Changchun Temple, causing the lineage to die out.

At this time, a monk next to Lingjie spoke with a cold face, "Marquis Jingan, the mission given to us by the court was only to accompany you to purify the battlefield and eliminate evil spirits, not to intervene in the court’s military affairs. We in the Jingjue Temple are unable to obey your chaotic orders—"

As soon as Lingjie heard this, he knew it was not good. Didn’t his junior brother see that Li Xuan’s murderous intent was no longer a secret? Who could withstand such defiance?

Sure enough, before this person’s words were finished, a flash of lightning appeared in the void. The monk’s face showed an incredulous expression, then his head was shot up several feet by a fountain of blood.

"When I first arrived at Juyong Pass, I told you all, those who disobey orders shall be beheaded!"

Li Xuan sheathed his Bixue Leique Sword, looking at the three people coldly, as well as the dozens of monks and taoists behind them, "Do you have anything else to say?"

At this moment, Luo Yan also drew a pair of red-sleeved swords into his hands, his gaze as cold as frost.

And so, including Master Lingjie whose disciple had been killed, they all fell silent under the pressure of their sword qi, not daring to utter a word.

Two days earlier, they had all personally witnessed the divine power of ’Tianji Dihe Yin-Yang Knife’. They knew that all of them were not a match for these two.

Master Lingjie had a clear understanding, at this point if he dared to argue again, Li Xuan would really kill him.

When all the monks and taoists had left, Luo Yan looked at Li Xuan with some worry, "As you can see, many of these monks and baldies are unconvinced. Even if you force them to go to Juyong Pass, they may not try their hardest."

Li Xuan didn’t mind, shaking his head, "I don’t care about that, just getting them there will be enough."

These monks and taoists, either have knowledge of techniques or are experts in small-scale battle formations, are still very useful, especially in city defense.

Li Xuan didn’t think he had the persuasive skills to make people willingly die, nor did he have the chips or methods to have these monks and taoists obey him, so he could only suppress them with violence. It was the simplest way.

Thus, Li Xuan went to look for Xuanchenzi next, "From my Shenyi Department, select twenty experts to supervise the battle, if these monks and taoists dare to flee or try to stir up trouble, kill them without mercy!"

Xuanchenzi hesitated, but after some thought, he agreed decisively.

Although this was an unpopular task, he didn’t care at all.

Xuanchenzi was just surprised at the heavy killing intent of Li Xuan, thinking that as expected from a military family, the more critical the moment, the more ruthless he is.

※※※※

Apart from the accompanying monks and taoists, Li Xuan also took away parts of the forces from the Chang’an Qianhu Office and Yunchuan Qianhu Office.

He had already obtained the approval of Xuanfu General Zhu Guoneng and Minister of War Yu Jie to draw troops from the two Qianhu Offices to reinforce Juyong Pass.

Zhu Guoneng also understood that the gain or loss of Juyong Pass was crucial. Not only did he agree to Li Xuan’s request, but even under the heavy pressure of tens of thousands of iron cavalry from the Datang general Bater, he also dispatched additional 1,200 elite cavalry from his army to meet them on their way.

It’s a pity that they didn’t have enough horses. Even with the horses captured from the Qiexue Army the previous two days, Li Xuan could only select eight hundred men from the two Qiuhu Offices to accompany him to Juyong Pass.

At this point, he had about eight hundred people from the Liudao Division’s three Alliances and ten Banners, plus seven hundred monks and taoists, giving him a total of around three thousand five hundred men.

Luckily, when Li Xuan and his force of three thousand five hundred men galloped to Juyong Pass, there were no signs of any Mongwu soldiers in the vicinity.

The latest news was that the Mongwu had already conquered Yanqing, and their army was advancing toward Juyong Pass. But with the Shangguan and Badaling Passes located north of the military capital, which they had to cross first, Li Xuan estimated that it would take them five to ten hours to reach here, even with the aid of Yunzhong warships.

However, when they arrived in front of the pass city, they found that the gate of Juyong Pass was tightly closed, and the soldiers above the pass city turned a blind eye to their arrival.

Only a Qianzong came to the top of the wall to respond: "Marquis of Jingan, please leave! Yesterday, our General gave an order to seal the city in and out from today, on the one hand to prevent Mongwu’s spies from infiltrating, and on the other hand to ban irrelevant people."

Li Xuan was taken aback, and his gaze immediately became sharp: "Please inform General Yuan that I am here to reinforce Juyong Pass under the orders of the Minister of War and Fumo Venerable. What audacity does he have to close the door on the Liudao Division?"

The Qianzong was startled, then turned his head and walked into the gate tower.

Just a moment later, he came out again: "General Yan says, ’An outsider’s orders are not to be followed here.’ In short, Marquis of Jingan, if you want to enter the city, you can, unless you are willing to attack Juyong Pass!"

After that, he ignored Li Xuan and disappeared without a trace.

Peng Fulai was instantly shocked and angry, pressing his hand to his hip sword, eyes bulging: "This Yuan Jun, how dare he?"

Zhang Yue also couldn’t believe it: "Has this General Yuan gone mad?"

Not to mention that they had the flying order from the Minister of War, Yu Jie, in their hands. The Liudao Division itself also has the right to enter and exit the pass city before the war.

In accordance with the agreement between the Liudao Division and Emperor Tai of Jin, the Liudao Division has command authority over the border troops and the Weisuo Army.

Li Xuan’s eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at the pass city above.

At this time, in the gate tower, the General of Juyong Pass, Yuan Jun, was bound by iron chains , unable to move, and tied to an iron pillar. His face was ashen and extremely ugly.

Sitting in the command seat was a figure dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat.

It is noteworthy that behind this person stood a burly armored man about four meters tall, wrapped in black armor. The only exposed eyes were dull.

In front of the seat were several deputy generals and Youji Generals who were in charge of guarding Juyong Pass.

One of them asked with confusion: "Mr. Zhang, in fact, it’s alright to let them in. It is easy for us to deal with these scattered three thousand people when we are prepared."

This man in the robe of a deputy general was Li Yan, the right-hand man of General Yuan Jun of Juyong Pass. He was respectful to the young man in the blue robe.

The man sitting on the seat was holding commands from Mongwu Khan Totaabuqa and Mongwu Taishi Yexian. Next to him was a burly armored man who was said to be a disciple of Heavenly Master Zhang Guanlan, named ’Zhang Tianyuan’.

And these two people mattered to their life and death, glory and disgrace in the future.

Zhang Yuanfu sneered and glanced at them: "Easy? Do you know that just two days ago, Mongwu Dharma King Luosang Zundanba was killed by them?"

Hearing this, Li Yan and several Youji Generals couldn’t help looking at each other with disbelief.

Mongwu Dharma King Luosang Zundanba was killed?

The man in the black bamboo hat had a hint of helplessness and wariness in his eyes: "At this time, it’s best not to stir up trouble. Those ’Tianji Dihe Yin-Yang Knives’ can be a little tricky, but my brother Zhang and I can join forces to capture them.

However, we may risk damaging the Array within the pass city during the fight. If the Array is damaged, the loss outweighs the gain."

The man in the black bamboo hat then looked outside the pass city with a bland expression: "Master Zhang’s Yunzhong warship is invincible and easily conquers cities and forts. This Juyong Pass can be broken in just thirty or fifty rounds of fire.

The Grand Khan is willing to accept you a few as defectors and promise you high positions such as Mongwu Wanhu and Marquis, because he wants to ensure that this pass falls intact into the hands of our Mongwu.

Only in this way can we trap Yu Jie’s main forces in the Huailai area. This also benefits you, since you can become Marquis for generations to come only when the Jin Empire falls."

The men present immediately lifted their spirits and bowed in salute to show their respect.

Yuan Jun, the general of Juyong Pass who was tied to the iron pillar nearby, couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood: "You all received the grace of the nation, but are willing to be dogs of the Mongwu, the most shameless!"

Deputy General Li Yan’s face turned slightly red, but then he calmed down.

As the man in the black bamboo hat said, Master Zhang’s Yunzhong warship can easily conquer cities and forts. If they do not surrender today, can they hold out in Juyong Pass?

Besides, Minister of War Yu Jie was so upright that he could not tolerate any corruption. At present, he was actively investigating the corruption in the army because of the smuggling case involving the merchants of Datong in Jin.

This matter would eventually implicate him. By then, losing his position, having his property confiscated, and being banished would be the best outcomes.

Instead of that, it would be better to take this opportunity to gamble on his future prospects.