Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 407 - 365 - s: Winning people over with virtue, top military generals

Chapter 407: 365 Chapters: Winning people over with virtue, top military generals

The county yamen was brightly lit, and a few people had just finished talking.

Around the corner of the wall, several burly men clad in armor came cursing and swearing.

At a glance, they saw Zhou Ping’an sitting at the main seat with Xiao Chengfeng sitting next to him, and Yu Changlie standing solemnly to the side.

Standing with him were a few civil officials, shivering and standing quietly with their heads bowed.

"Where is Lord Ran?"

"Scoundrel Xiao, could it be that you colluded with outsiders, harmed Lord Ran, and usurped Pinghu?"

"No wonder it was calm outside the city less than half an hour after leaving. It’s utterly outrageous! Lord Ran trusted you so much, yet this is how he ended up."

Some people roared angrily, while others wailed loudly.

"How dare you."

Xiao Chengfeng suddenly stood up, scolding as he rose.

He turned his head to look at Zhou Ping’an, and seeing this recently met young man in Green Clothes with a majestic demeanor, his expression unchanged and his gaze inscrutable, he figured out what to do.

"Lian Yi and Ran Sifei, the two scoundrels, joined hands with the Red Lotus Saintess, overestimating their abilities, offended General Zhou’s mighty power, and have now been dealt with by law.

If you are willing to turn over a new leaf, come forward quickly and pay respects to General Zhou."

He stepped aside to clear the front, ignoring the shocked and bewildered looks of the arriving officers, and with respectful hands clasped towards Zhou Ping’an, said, "The name of General Zhou must have been heard by you all, guarding Qingyang, opening granaries to provide food, nurturing the common people, with over six hundred thousand citizens within the territory feeling grateful for his kindness. Follow him, and as long as you are loyal, you need not fear lacking a future..."

"Indeed, a sycophantic villain."

One burly man with a purplish complexion and a sword at his side drew his sword with surging energy, and his True Qi boiled as he pointed at Xiao Chengfeng.

He was about to continue berating.

Buzz...

A flash of cold light inside the hall.

A bloody hole appeared in his throat.

Between the flickering shadows, the sound of the lance shook the candles wildly, and the dragon’s cry entered the ears.

Another person shouted next to him.

"Yu Changlie, how dare you kill a colleague, death..."

He suddenly pulled out the long mace from his back, its whooshing sound thundering as it tore through the air, the atmosphere exploding like thunder.

Splat...

The lance flickered slightly.

This person only made it halfway before abruptly stopping, blood spurting from his throat like a fountain.

He desperately clutched his throat, making gurgle sounds, his body swayed, and he fell to the ground too.

Yu Changlie repositioned his lance by his waist, only pinching half a foot from the tip, then slowly lifted his head, his gaze icy cold, "I gave you a path to live, you didn’t cherish it. Fools like you who waste food by living are better off dead."

The remaining four trembled, and when they looked at Yu Changlie again, their eyes were filled with fear.

And upon looking at Zhou Ping’an and Xiao Chengfeng, their mouths opened, but they could not utter a single word.

Xiao Chengfeng, who usually seemed like the good guy, suddenly became harsh and stern, not giving any face at all.

The man who usually acted brotherly, with a friendly face, seemed to be a mere façade.

And Yu Mutou, who couldn’t even get a fart out with three sticks, was now showing his ferocious fangs.

With the lance in hand, they didn’t even see the shadow of the lance.

Jiao Zan and Yuan Santan, one a ruler over Three Mountains, commanding three thousand strong men, himself bold and mighty, his Iron Shirt Technique reaching Grand Circulation.

The other, a Deputy Rudder Master of the Crimson Lotus sub-branch, held a high position, commanding five thousand foot soldiers, his True Flame Technique producing Xuji Flames, his cultivation profound, also at the Grand Circulation level.

These two, under the Saintess, were not unknown in the Red Lotus Army of Guangyun.

So what happened to them?

In front of Yu Hai Yu Changlie, this wooden man, they couldn’t even make a single move, barely stronger than two small hens.

At least when the hens are killed, they can flutter a little, clucking twice.

The two of them, they died as soon as they opened their mouths, without any power to fight back.

Was Yu Changlie really this formidable?

The remaining three were simultaneously gripped by great fear.

Thinking that Yu Changlie always followed Xiao Chengfeng’s lead, listening to whatever he said.

And now Xiao Chengfeng treated the sitting "General Zhou" with utmost respect, as if he were a lord.

Some things shouldn’t be delved into.

Just a careful thought would sap away their courage.

Considering Xiao Chengfeng’s earlier words, not only were Yi Heavenly King and Ran Sifei already dead, but even the Red Lotus Saintess Yun Ling had been killed by the adversary.

If it had been when they first came in.

They might have thought that it was boasting, trying to bluff.

But the deaths of their colleagues, somewhat differing from their own ranks, had made it crystal clear.

Many things are no joking matter.

"This humble one, Chang Ming, pays respects to General Zhou and is willing to follow behind the horse, to help stabilize the chaos."

A refined-looking middle-aged military officer hurriedly spoke.

He paced forward three steps, knelt to the ground, and crawled forward.

He wore the expression of a man washed downstream who finally found an enlightened master.

"This humble one, Zhang Jili, pays respects to Magistrate Zhou." This one had a thinner skin.

He knelt but did not crawl on his knees, his head lowered and his face blushing, not capable of buttering up with flattering words.

However, seeing his robust build and honest face, Zhou Ping’an decided to forgive him.

"This humble one, Fang Zhenwei, pays respects to Magistrate Zhou. If the magistrate commands me east, I dare not go west, tells me to beat a dog, I dare not chase a chicken..."

This one was clearly a fawning person, and his parents had named him with profound meaning; whether his focus was solely on bedroom affairs, and if he was lecherous by nature, if he transgressed in Zhou Ping’an’s hands, he would be dealt with in the future.

Zhou Ping’an assessed in silence.

With a high raise of his hand, he lightly allowed them to get up.

"Everyone, please rise. From now on, we’ll be stirring the pot with the same ladle, all for a full meal. And when we have the means, we’ll make sure our families and folks back home can also have their fill."

"Mr. Zhou is young and inexperienced. If there’s anything lacking in my actions, I’ll need all of you wise folks to kindly point it out."

"We dare not. We wish to follow your lead to the bitter end, even if it leads to our deaths," they said hastily, faces filled with panic.

Only then did their hearts settle, and they promptly stood up, taking their places silently at the sides.

Chang Ming was crafty, always siding with the strongest without any firm stance of his own.

Zhang Jili was single-minded. As long as he had food to eat, he would fight without concern for the Imperial Court or the rebels. Whoever he was told to attack, he would attack.

Fang Zhenwei was glib, presumably from a once-wealthy but now decayed family heritage.

Selling off family assets, gathering some manpower, he had joined the Red Lotus Army, seeking to strike it rich.

Here was an opportunist, adept at indulging in pleasure and excess.

Zhou Ping’an, however, wouldn’t truly judge a person.

He was in need of people and was not overly picky at the moment.

Anyone he met, as long as they had some redeeming qualities and could follow orders, he would use them boldly and with confidence.

As for any trouble that arose later on, naturally, he would show no mercy.

Among the three, the weakest, Fang Zhenwei, had reached Minor Heavenly Cycle Completion. Even in the realm of True Qi, he was not considered weak.

The other two, Chang Ming was at the True Qi Great Heavenly Circuit.

Zhang Jili, even more so, had an underlying presence of Gang Qi...

An unorthodox fighter from Jianghu, he had managed to refine his True Qi and initiate the transforming process into Gang Qi in his early thirties.

These individuals were much stronger than the Hall Master of Baicao Hall in Qingyang City and the City Commandant, by two minor realms. It was clear that if placed in the Jianghu, they would count as formidable figures.

Under normal circumstances, they would either be a major bandit or a local tyrant.

Only with the Red Lotus Army in rebellion could they recruit experts from everywhere, killing or capturing these individuals one by one.

In this way, Zhou Ping’an had been saved a lot of trouble.

These were capable hands indeed, ones he could use.

Compared to Yu Hai and Yu Changlie, they naturally weren’t much to speak of.

Turning his head to look at the taciturn military officer, Zhou Ping’an’s gaze grew even stranger.

If there was another swordsman following Xiao Chengfeng, things would be even more complete.

Was he starting off at the peak level of a military officer?

Thinking of the other’s appearance, seemingly only in his late twenties, and stronger than Fang Yu, a true disciple of the Cloud Water Sect, one of the Four Great Immortal Sects, one really didn’t know how to assess his abilities.

Of course, one was refining Qi and the other was cultivating something sinister—they weren’t on the same path, so there wasn’t much to compare.

But regardless of what one cultivates, strength is the ultimate truth.

All the boasting in the world is useless without strength.

No wonder this world, with its Three Demon Paths and Four Immortals Sect, not to mention the Seven Great Sects with masters as numerous as clouds, is still firmly under the control of the Great Yu Dynasty. These high-powered individuals from both orthodox and heretical factions are forced to entrench themselves in the mountains, subjected to various constraints.

From this, one can see that the power of the dynasty itself is the most formidable.

Its depth of foundation is immeasurable.

Of course, the inability of these sects to unite under a common cause is one reason.

But at the very least, these descendants from military families fight too fiercely, surely the primary reason.

Just like the man before him, Yu Changlie.

"Changlie, you said that Daoist Cang Wu who attacked you wielded extremely powerful sword techniques. How exactly powerful are they, and how many moves could you withstand?"

This was a matter he had to care about.

Zhou Ping’an had initially thought Yu Changlie’s martial prowess would be, at most, on par with Ran Sifei’s.

But now it seemed that he was indeed comparable to Ran Sifei, but only to the battle prowess of that Divine General when he unleashed his Fifth Level Lotus Body.

Before the Divine General’s outburst, he wouldn’t even match up to Yu Changlie.

Moreover, Yu Changlie’s marksmanship was swift, with strong muscles and bones and astounding arm strength, combined with incredible endurance.

In this regard, he was even stronger than Ran Sifei.

’If I do not unleash the Sixth Level Lotus Body, relying solely on sword technique and muscles and bones, I might truly be unable to kill him in three or two moves, and it would probably take about ten moves.’

He silently evaluated.

Thinking of the outcome if he were to face Yu Changlie, with the flash of the opponent’s spear in his mind, Zhou Ping’an already had some judgment in his heart.

Thus, he could deduce the true strength of the Red Lotus Army in Huangze County at Yunjin Ferry, from his interactions with Yu Changlie.

He certainly did not think.

That by taking control of the Three Counties of Liyou and capturing the Red Lotus Holy Maiden along with the Divine General of the Dharma King, he could rest easy.

Far from being the end, it was actually the beginning.

Once this matter spread throughout the world.

He would naturally become a thorn in the side of the Red Lotus Sect, a target that they could not tolerate.

This group, professional at rebelling, was currently rising in thirty-six counties simultaneously.

Here in Guangyun County, they had only one route.

Just thinking about the power and influence of the sect made Zhou Ping’an’s head spin.

Therefore, he couldn’t help but pay extra attention to Daoist Cang Wu, the "grandmaster" level expert of the Red Lotus nearby.

What if that man, in a moment of rashness, decided to steal into his territory in the middle of the night to sever his head? What then?

"Not even one move," said Yu Changlie suddenly. "Old Daoist Cang Wu is too powerful. If it came down to a real fight, I wouldn’t stand a chance."

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