blogombal Page 545
Page 545
"Thank you for your guidance, Ghost King."
"You're welcome!"
As for borrowing troops from Ghost Street, Zhao Gao knew that Zhang Xiaoshan was no longer involved, so it was even less likely that Ghost Street would lend troops.
Otherwise, Ghost Yama, the Four Guardians, Ghost Street Queen Ruyan, and their henchmen would definitely be a terrifying force.
Moreover, once the Zhang family makes a move, almost all nine gates will be mobilized.
Let alone the White Lotus Sect, even the five great families of the empire would give way to them.
After leaving Ghost Street, Zhao Gao sent invitations to the Sun Moon Sect, Heavenly Demon Sect, Money Gang, Carefree Heaven Sect, Taihu Guiyun Manor, and other sects within the nine gates of Ghost Street.
If one can atone for their mistakes with meritorious service, the punishment can be cancelled;
Those who come to our aid will be rewarded handsomely, and the empire will recognize their contribution.
Therefore, Zhao Gao believed that these people would be tempted, but he didn't know how many would come.
"Lord Zhao, the White Lotus Sect is nothing more than a simple matter of encircling and annihilating it with a large army. Why go through all this trouble?"
In the main tent of the three armies, Li Xin looked at the invitation letter sent by Zhao Gao with disdain in his eyes.
The White Lotus sect has always appeared as a righteous army or a group of believers.
As a rebel force within the empire, Li Xin had already conducted numerous purges, so he looked down on these White Lotus believers who were not even as good as greenhorns.
Zhao Gao did the same, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes as he looked at Li Xin.
As a famous general of the empire, Li Xin came from a wealthy family, but there was an absolute gap between him and the Wang and Meng families.
Even after pacifying the nine provinces, Li Xin's achievements are still inferior to those of Wang Ben and Meng Wu.
And compared to the below?
Which of Meng Tian, Wang Li, and Zhang Han is worse than Li Xin?
Therefore, Meng Tian held a mediocre position in the imperial military. If he weren't still somewhat valuable and worth trying to win over, Zhao Gao would have given him no consideration.
"General Li, do not underestimate the enemy. Besieging the White Lotus Sect's headquarters is not the same as besieging its branch headquarters."
The reason why this rebellious force is so powerful and can never be eradicated, and why it repeatedly revives, is because its core is full of experts.
The Zhang family tested her once before, and the White Lotus Holy Mother was a Grandmaster, with unfathomable strength.
Below the Holy Mother are two elders of unparalleled skill, four disciples, and ten protectors, all of whom are top-notch experts.
Previously, top-tier masters were known as the undisputed rulers of the martial arts world, capable of taking the head of a general from an army of 100,000. This is even more true considering the sheer number of top-tier masters, even peerless masters and grandmasters!
Upon hearing this, Li Xin's expression changed drastically, his tiger-like eyes filled with disbelief.
"Is Lord Zhao telling the truth?"
"The Grandmaster level of the White Lotus Holy Mother was obtained from the Zhang family."
The other information was all secret information obtained by Luo Wang's spies within the White Lotus Sect. Not to mention the White Lotus Mother, the strength of the White Lotus Sect members alone was enough to severely damage Luo Wang's vital energy.
Therefore, Zhao Gao had to consider the empire's interests; the Net of Heaven was a weapon of destruction for the empire, and it could not be broken!
Li Xin nodded. Although he was reckless, he wasn't an idiot.
Knowing how terrifying those martial arts masters are,
In the previous siege of the branch stronghold, even a top-tier expert was a tough nut to crack, and in the end, they still couldn't hold onto the enemy.
The White Lotus Sect possesses so many top-tier experts, including unparalleled grandmasters and grandmasters above them all. No wonder even the legendary, unfathomable Zhao Gao is so cautious!
Chapter 632 Heroes Gather to Bombard the White Lotus Sect
"General Li, the headquarters of the White Lotus Sect is just ahead!"
The White Lotus Sect had already received word of the massive, black-armored imperial army surrounding their headquarters.
At this moment, the White Lotus Saintess's face was gloomy. After the Zhang family tracked down and discovered the headquarters last time, the White Lotus Sect had no choice but to abandon its century-old foundation and find a new headquarters.
Unexpectedly, less than twenty years after the headquarters moved, the imperial army found them again.
The Net organization is ubiquitous!
From the moment she learned that Luo Wang had made its move, the White Lotus Saint Mother had anticipated that this day might come.
Therefore, the headquarters was surrounded by numerous traps. In addition, the White Lotus Sect had a deep-rooted foundation with hundreds of years of heritage. If the imperial army wanted to besiege the White Lotus Sect, it would undoubtedly be courting death.
However, what the White Lotus Holy Mother feared most was whether the Zhang family had intervened.
If the Zhang family were to intervene, they could easily crush them.
Putting everything else aside, just considering that black-armored warrior back then, it took her three years to recover from her serious injuries.
Although their martial arts skills had improved, they were still wary of the terrifying flames.
Moreover, besides the skinny guy, there's also a black-armored demon god who also uses fire, but is even more domineering.
"Lord Zhao, have any of the experts you invited come? Why haven't we seen a single one?"
"It's not that they didn't come, it's that they didn't show up."
They are all top-tier martial arts masters, regional overlords, commanding tens of thousands of men. If they were to suddenly join us, the White Lotus Sect would certainly be on guard. Therefore, we agreed to meet here.
"I see!"
Even Li Xin couldn't help but look solemn upon hearing this.
Good heavens, each of them is a leader of tens of thousands of people. You know, people in the martial arts world are known for their martial arts skills, so an organization of tens of thousands of people could easily be classified as a rebel group against the empire.
However, he also knew that this was a gangster organization, not some rebellious group.
Since these people were not under the empire's jurisdiction, just like the Ghost Street back then, he couldn't say anything.
But an organization of tens of thousands of people, all of whom are highly skilled, is not easy to deal with.
"My lord, general, a martial arts expert named Shangguan Jin Hong has come to pay his respects!"
"please!"
Shangguan Jin Hong, leader of the Money Gang.
Money falls to the ground, but heads are lost!
Although the Money Gang did not have the financial resources of the Zhang family, it was still the wealthiest gang in the martial arts world, which is why it recruited many experts.
Li Xin saw a seven-foot-tall middle-aged man in a brocade robe, with an extraordinary bearing, slowly walking in. He had two large gold rings on his hands, an adornment that suggested his wealth and power.
Beside him stood a cold-faced swordsman, his arrogant expression radiating murderous intent.
"This humble citizen, Shangguan Jin Hong, greets General Zhao!"
"You're too kind, Chief Shangguan!"
Zhao Gao looked at Shangguan Jin Hong and Jing Wuming and nodded.
This is a peerless master, a top-tier assassin and swordsman, an absolute core combat force.
"Chief Shangguan, please have a seat!"
"Thank you very much, Lord Zhao!"
As soon as he sat down, Shangguan Jin Hong couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Lord Zhao, besides the Money Gang, which other forces have accepted the invitation this time?"
“Apart from the Sun Moon Cult, the Dongming Sect far away in the East China Sea, and the elusive Celestial Official of the Tomb Raiders, they have all replied.”
The three major powers have not responded?
The Dongming Sect is located far away in the East China Sea and deals in weapons, so they basically don't interfere in matters on the mainland; while the Faqiu Celestial Official is elusive and his business is even less likely to lead him into a trap.
Only the Sun Moon Cult completely ignored Zhao Gao.
Even before, the Sun Moon Cult disdained to give Zhao Gao any face, let alone now.
Who can blame them for having the qualifications—a Grandmaster!
Moreover, the strength of the Sun Moon Sect, with its left and right Bright Envoys Tu Xuehua and Young Master Zhao, and its four hall masters and ten elders, are all top-notch experts, in no way inferior to the White Lotus Sect.
How much power did the empire mobilize for this campaign against the White Lotus Sect?
"As far as Shangguan knows, the amount of Five-Stone Powder refined by the Sun Moon Sect this time is no less than that of the White Lotus Sect."
"The Luo Wang naturally knew this information, but the Sun Moon Cult somehow managed to distribute all of these Five Stone Powders to various tribes on the grasslands and the Later Jin Empire."
I think it must have been the work of that Young Master Zhao, the Right Envoy of Light. She's the daughter of the Prince of Ruyang of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. She was captured by the Sun Moon Cult for being a spy for the Northern Yuan, but unexpectedly became the Right Envoy of Light of the Sun Moon Cult, a position of great prestige, commanding the Two Elders of Xuanming and the Four Great Masters!
Upon hearing the intelligence from the Luo Wang, Shangguan Jin Hong's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
I never expected the Sun Moon Cult to have such capabilities, and this Right Envoy of Light is actually a spy from the Northern Yuan that Dongfang Bubai captured back then. Dongfang Bubai really dares to use him.
Or rather, the Three Corpse Brain God Pill is indeed extremely terrifying.
"Moreover, the Sun Moon Cult has a close relationship with the Zhang family and can accurately control the Zhang family's bottom line."
The Zhang family's attitude towards foreign races is clear: if the Sun Moon Sect faces trouble, the Zhang family will certainly intervene. Moreover, the Sun Moon Sect's strength is no less than the White Lotus Sect's; the only difference is their ignorant followers!
"What Lord Zhao says is absolutely right!"
Li Xin, sitting in the seat of honor as the two men conversed eloquently, felt somewhat uncomfortable, as he, the commander-in-chief, was like a puppet.
But as the commander-in-chief, he still knew to prioritize the overall situation.
Besides Shangguan Jin Hong, the Longevity Venerable Shi Long, Demon Blade Ding Peng, Tianzong Xiaoyao Hou, Taihu Dragon Head Lu Guanying, and others arrived one after another.
The gathering of experts exceeded thirty people.
To be able to step into the main tent, one must be at least a top-tier expert, and to be able to sit there, one must be at least a master of the highest level.
Therefore, Zhao Gao was naturally delighted to see these experts.
In this way, there's no need for the experts from the Luo Wang organization to take action.
Moreover, if they could win over some members, it would be a good thing for Luo Wang.
"Today, Zhao Gao thanks everyone for their help. Afterwards, Zhao Gao will definitely report to His Majesty and request that you all be rewarded!"
"Don't dare!"
···
"Artillery ready, fire!"
Li Xin transported over a hundred Hongyi cannons stationed in Jiangnan, since the White Lotus Sect headquarters was located in the mountains, with numerous traps and difficult mountain roads.
A direct assault would be extremely disadvantageous to one's own troops.
Therefore, upon seeing the Hongyi cannon, I immediately realized that this thing not only had a long range but also great power.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...
The first row of thirty cannons fired simultaneously, creating a thunderous and awe-inspiring spectacle!
In an instant, not only did the mountains erupt in earthquake-like explosions, but the barrage of bombardment also destroyed many of the traps prepared by the White Lotus Sect, resulting in the loss of many disciples who had been lying in ambush.
The tremors from the ground fueled the burning desire in Shangguan Jin Hong and the others' eyes.
This thing is incredibly powerful!
During the last battle in the northern frontier, they merely watched from afar.
Moreover, the Northern Yuan cavalry's raids were conducted at considerable intervals, unlike densely packed foot troops, so a single cannon shot could only hit a few targets.
The truly formidable gunpowder was the Zhang family's incendiary bombs and their extremely bizarre minefields, so few of them paid any attention to the power of the red-coated cannons!
Witnessing the overwhelming power of artillery firsthand is truly awe-inspiring!
Even the last Hellgate incident wasn't this domineering.
Besides the Empire, another faction was involved in the forging of the red cannons—
Zhang family!
Moreover, the super cannons that the Zhang family donated to the border were far more powerful than the Hongyi cannons.
It's just too heavy to move.
"Ready, launch!"
The second row of forty Hongyi cannons opened fire again, this time positioned much further inward than before.