Since Emperor Xuanhe ascended the throne and the great power fell into the hands of others, the court, already in a state of crisis, has gradually intensified, with chaotic orders from the court and local governments, causing hardships for the people.

Luo Guang was formerly a Daoist in a dilapidated Daoist temple in the mountains of the Northern Land. Unable to bear the people's suffering, he used "spells" and incantations to heal people everywhere. Many sick people recovered after drinking his talismanic water. Since then, Luo Guang has been revered by the people as a living immortal, honored as the Celestial Master.

Luo Guang also established the Celestial Master Sect and, during this period, sent six Daoist children as envoys to spread the teachings. In just a few years, the number of followers increased rapidly to tens of thousands, spreading across several states in the Northern Land.

Later, when a great drought turned the Northern Land into a parched wasteland, Luo Guang seized the opportunity to rise up. The followers across various states in the Northern Land responded in droves, swelling from the initial tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands and even millions.

Many people, in order to join Luo Guang, sold their family properties and rushed from afar to defect.

Seeing the increase in followers, Luo Guang transformed the Celestial Master Sect into the Celestial Master Army. To manage the army, he divided the forces into thirty-six districts called "Fang," with large Fang comprising thirty thousand to sixty thousand people, and small Fang three thousand to ten thousand. Each Fang was led by a leader, called a commander, all under the control of Luo Guang.

Among them were Northern Land's noble families, powerful figures, and officials.

However, as the Celestial Master Army continued to grow and expand, it gradually strayed from its original intentions, leading to many internal conflicts.

The noble families initially sided with Luo Guang because he appeared as a figure representing the Royal Army, coupled with strong powers capable of summoning thunderbolts. They believed he could succeed, thus investing in him.

But recent developments have left these noble families somewhat uneasy.

Chuanhai, the northernmost inner sea of the Great Song Dynasty, is also the name of a state.

Among these, the Nangong Family is the first "noble family" in Chuanhai. It developed in the past hundred years, prospering through maritime trade. Although its influence cannot match the Seven Great Noble Families, its wealth is certainly not inferior.

Due to frequent overseas trade dealings and numerous pirates and bandits at sea, a navy was established by the Nangong Family.

Back then, when the situation was chaotic, the common people were not allowed to raise private soldiers, which was strictly regulated. Therefore, the Nangong Family's navy was secretly formed, recruiting only orphans and those with no household registration, starting with fewer than a thousand people.

As overseas business grew more prosperous, the Nangong Family's wealth accumulated, allowing them to bribe various levels of officials in Chuanhai and transform themselves from lowly merchant status to the local gentry and affluent families.

In the following decades, by forming marriage alliances and exchanging benefits with local and surrounding major families, the Nangong Family grew bolder, expanding their private army from less than a thousand to five thousand, and reorganizing the pirates on the sea, gaining considerable fame for a time.

Of course, the ambitions of the Nangong Family did not stop there; their goal was to hold office, significant office.

Thus, with Luo Guang's uprising, the Nangong Family saw the potential of the Celestial Master Sect and quickly contacted Luo Guang to provide assistance.

Because the Nangong Family understood that they were ultimately of merchant lineage, looked down upon by true noble families. This was evident from recent decades' marriage alliances—most Nangong women married off to these families were concubines of legitimate sons, while brides taken from noble families were either illegitimate or from collateral branches.

The Nangong Family had a long-term vision, seeing that today's Seven Great Noble Families, all of whom have undergone dynastic changes.

In mid-October, Luo Cheng's envoy once again requested grain and warships from the Nangong Family, demanding so much that the current patriarch of the Nangong Family, Nangong Jin, felt overwhelmed.

In recent months, to support the Celestial Master Army in attacking Fengzhou, Nangong Jin had dispatched the entire Nangong Navy to the front lines, expending manpower, effort, and money, but the results were disappointing, with repeated defeats.

This made Nangong Jin feel as if the Fengzhou battlefield was a bottomless pit. Additionally, the recent actions of the Celestial Master Army also left him deeply disappointed, as the pillaging in the Northern Land harmed Nangong Family's interests.

Of course, harming interests is not an issue, provided there are returns on those interests. But when there is nothing, thoughts will change.

In a garden, Nangong Jin had just sent away Luo Guang's envoy.

"Master, I hear the Loyalist Army has already reached the Heaven-Suppressing Gate. Once the gate falls, Prince Huai's Loyalist Army can march all the way to the capital. When the court's internal strife concludes, they will turn back to cleanse the rebels. Can the Celestial Master Army withstand it?" Nangong Jin's wife, Zhang Shi, served him a bowl of soup noodles and asked worriedly.

"Worry not, my lady," Nangong Jin smiled and said. "The Loyalist Army is composed of various forces and factions. Though they seem united, their alliance is superficial with hidden undercurrents. Take Prince Huai, for instance. Even if he kills Xu Guozhong, would he return power to the Emperor? He might become the second Xu Guozhong. This war won't end so quickly."

"Though that's how it appears, currently, the internal complexities of the Celestial Master Army exceed those of the Loyalist Army. Incidents of soldiers harassing civilians occur frequently, and women with any semblance of beauty dare not leave their homes, fearing abduction by the troops."

Zhang Shi sighed, being the daughter of a noble family, albeit illegitimate, she was not a country girl and could see things more broadly. She said,

"Master, there are things I cannot hide from you. Recently, there are rumors of people from Fengzhou contacting Brother Feng."

Zhang Feng, Zhang Shi's half-brother, currently serves at the front as Commander of the Nangong Navy.

Upon hearing, Nangong Jin stood up abruptly, his brows furrowed, and asked urgently, "How many people know about this matter?"

"Fear not, Master. Brother Feng has only written to me, seeking your decision," Zhang Shi replied.

Only then did Nangong Jin relax, took a seat, and asked, "What do the people from Fengzhou say?"

What 'suspected', it most likely is.

"That person claims to be an envoy from the Prefect of Fengzhou, assuring Brother Feng that as long as he turns against them at the crucial moment, once the matter is accomplished, he will definitely report to the Court, recommending the Master as the Prefect of Chuanhai, and Brother Feng as the Fengzhou Defense Envoy. By then, the government office will be a legitimate Fourth-Grade Official, bringing glory to the ancestors." Zhang Clan said.

The ultimate purpose of rebellion is nothing but wealth and glory, bringing honor to the ancestors.

But the uncertainties of rebellion are too many; one never knows when their life might be forfeited. Accepting amnesty at least provides some stability for a while, gradually working towards a future position in the Court.

Most importantly, the current Celestial Master Army seems to have glimpsed the future.

"Master, we should also find a way out for ourselves." Zhang Clan said.

Nangong Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers gently tapping on the table. He then said:

"Not appropriate, at least not for now. Besides, the Prefect of Fengzhou is merely a Fourth-Grade Official. How does he have the face to recommend someone else as a Fourth-Grade Official? In my view, it seems Fengzhou can't hold on much longer and is beginning to employ some divisive tactics."

Although the current Celestial Master Army has disappointed many, it hasn't been crippled. At this time, defecting would definitely make them a target for the Celestial Master Army.

Chuanhai is at the rear of the Celestial Master Army...

"Quickly send a reply to Zhang Feng, telling him to immediately sever ties with that person and report it to Luo Guang." Nangong Jin continued.

Zhang Clan complied with Nangong Jin's lead, and when she was about to write the reply, she saw the government gazette on the table and said: "Master, what is this?"

"This is the government gazette issued internally by the Celestial Master Army. The only notable thing is a young general named Chen Mo under Yang Minggui; he is only seventeen yet already a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist. This time on the Yu State battlefield, he decisively defeated the Yu State Army, heavily damaged the Profound Leopard Cavalry, killed five thousand enemies, captured six thousand, and even one of Liang Song's three great generals, Xu Jie, was slain under his horse." Nangong Jin said.

"Oh?" Zhang Clan became interested and said: "Could he be a prodigy from a Noble Family?"

Nangong Jin shook his head and said: "The gazette doesn't mention Chen Mo's background, but I haven't heard of any Chen family among the Noble Families in the North. However, there is a Chen Family in the Capital, but I have never heard of any family members from the Capital's Chen Family coming to the North."

...

Xia Lin.

The laborers ended their busy day, came to the food distribution area, and upon seeing the watery soup in their bowls, lamented immediately.

The porridge water was becoming increasingly thin.

At the beginning, the porridge was still thick, but as time went on, the grains became fewer.

They were doing hard labor, and not only was there no nutritional maintenance, but just after drinking, their stomachs would be growling by midnight.

"Sir, have mercy, give another bowl. This amount is truly not enough to eat."

An elderly man in his fifties, with a yellowish complexion, dressed in ragged hemp clothing, already starving to the bone, reached out with arms thinner than branches, trembling as he spoke to the soldier distributing food.

"Get lost, each person gets only one bowl. Everyone else has enough to eat; why don't you? Now move quickly."

The soldier picked up the wooden stick next to him, and if the old man had been a step slower, he would have been hit with it.

There are over thirty thousand laborers in Xia Lin, and the food Yang Minggui supplied them with was only three hundred shi. Normally, three hundred shi is merely enough for ten thousand people for one day, but now it's meant for over thirty thousand laborers. One can imagine how little each person receives...

With so little food, the soldiers responsible for distributing the porridge naturally had no opportunities to skim any off the top. With poor treatment, how could they have a good temper?

After drinking the porridge, many laborers lay down in a vast settlement camp. To preserve strength for tomorrow's work, they could only reduce movement.

Many laborers were conscripted from nearby county towns, so each settlement camp was crowded with thousands of people. The stench of sweat was overwhelming, especially since it rained a few days ago, the roofs leaked, and the settlement camp was soaked.

However, Yang Minggui's people did nothing about it.

One can imagine how terrible the conditions inside were.

Laborers had to endure prolonged torment before they could fall asleep.

As night deepened, the guards outside the settlement camp began to slack off, and it was at this moment that the "jokes" made days before echoed in the camp once more.

"Damn it, the food is getting less and less. If this continues, we'll either be beaten to death or starve and exhaust ourselves to death. Fellow villagers, we can't go on like this. We must resist, it's a matter of life and death anyway; I say, we fight them..."

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