November 1st, the Seventh Year of Xuanhe, on the north bank of Fengzhou, a battle has just ended.

The scale of the battle was actually small. Luo Guang dispatched his confidant commander, a group of thousands, less than five thousand, crossing from the south bank to the north, successfully landing and then engaging in combat with the Fengzhou garrison on the north bank. Due to being outnumbered, they faced defeat and perished.

"General, we have captured three Fengzhou Army scouts." A captain rode over to report to Wan Zhen, who had led the force ashore from the north bank.

"Interrogate them now," Wan Zhen commanded.

Wan Zhen was an old hand who had initiated the uprising with Celestial Master Luo Guang. Originally a Daoist child in a temple, he followed Luo Guang in the northern conquest. After taking control of the entire Northern Land, Luo Guang rewarded him lavishly, granting him the position of commander. He was one of Luo Guang's most trusted confidants.

This time, in the southward attack on Fengzhou, he was appointed as one of the vanguard leaders, tasked with stealthily crossing the river with over four thousand Horse Step troops, driving away potential Fengzhou official army forces and covering the Celestial Master's main force crossing from the north bank.

In the afternoon, Luo Guang, the leader of the Celestial Master Army, along with two Grand Commanders, crossed the river with fifty thousand infantry, Wan Zhen stepped forward to report.

At this point, the entire north bank of Fengzhou was completely occupied by the Celestial Master Army, with more and more commanders leading their troops from the north bank successively coming ashore. In less than three days, they had captured Fengzhou's four major fortified cities.

The Prefect of Fengzhou, the Defense Envoy, and the Central Lang General previously sent by the Court were all besieged within.

Luo Guang did not order a direct assault but surrounded them with the army, pressuring them to surrender.

During the siege, Luo Guang even took the time to inquire about the situation of the Loyalist Army.

Fengzhou could send spies to infiltrate Qingzhou, so Luo Guang had already dispatched numerous followers of the Celestial Master Sect to the south.

Therefore, even though the Celestial Master Army's reach hadn't extended to the south, they were still somewhat informed about the Loyalist Army.

The commander in charge of intelligence said, "The front-line scouts just reported that the Loyalist Army, with the support of the Liang Family, has captured the lands of Hedong and West River. In the entire Hedong area, there are a hundred thousand Loyalist Army stationed, and Xu Guozhong's troops have been continuously defeated, almost never winning a battle. It won't be long before the Loyalist Army can reach Celestial River."

Luo Guang sneered, "Xu Guozhong is not an imperial family member, so he cannot harness the Earth's Dragon Vein Qi. Once the Loyalist Army reaches Celestial River, Xu Guozhong will undoubtedly be defeated."

Luo Guang knew that once Xu Guozhong was defeated, regardless of who the Court falls to afterward, anyone with ambitions of unifying the nation would inevitably target the Celestial Master Army.

Given the current strength of the Celestial Master Army, they were no match for the Loyalist Army, so Xu Guozhong couldn't lose, at least not quickly.

He must exert pressure on the Loyalist Army.

On November 5th, Luo Guang began a strong attack, completely annihilating the Fengzhou main force on that day.

On the evening of November 6th, the Prefect of Fengzhou, the Defense Envoy, and wives, concubines, and daughters of numerous Fifth- and Sixth-Grade officials were brought to the Celestial Master Army camp. Luo Guang invited the generals for a night of brutal entertainment, and finally, the "spoils of war" were rewarded to his personal soldiers.

On November 10th, Luo Guang deployed a large number of Celestial Master troops from the southern front, forming an assault battalion to launch a surprise attack on Prince Huai's main base, Huai State, via the Huai River to put pressure on the Loyalist Army.

With the assistance of ships transporting supplies and provisions, the Celestial Master Army moved very swiftly. On the evening of the 18th, the scouts of Huai State learned of the rebel army's intentions and hurriedly sent messengers to inform Prince Huai.

Although Huai State's stationed troops were adequate, for safety's sake, an elite force was dispatched to escort Princess Consort Huai and others to Jiangnan for refuge.

November 25th.

Upon learning of the base's attack, Prince Huai quickly pulled a large force from the east line for reinforcement.

Seeing this, Xu Guozhong immediately deployed his army to actively engage the Loyalist Army, achieving an initial victory, recapturing several counties in Hedong.

As the weather grew increasingly cold, various forces temporarily halted their conflicts.

Fengzhou.

"Who is Chen Mo?" Celestial Master Luo Guang asked, pointing at a battle report.

"Celestial Master, you forgot. He is the seventeen-year-old junior general who was commended and awarded in the last army briefing, serving under Yang Minggui," replied the strategist in the tent.

"Oh, it's him." With so many recent events and his extensive workload, Luo Guang somewhat forgot, but upon remembering, he quickly picked up the battle report submitted by Chen Mo.

The more he read, the tighter Luo Guang's brows furrowed. After finishing, he slapped the report on the desk in front of him, saying, "What a Liang Song. I underestimated him."

He not only underestimated Liang Song but also underestimated Chen Mo.

In his view, since a seventeen-year-old junior general could heavily damage Liang Song, he thought this Liang family prodigy wasn't worth much, so he only sent one Grand Commander and three Small Commanders for support, without sending a main force.

But unexpectedly, all Four Directions Commanders perished, leaving less than ten thousand troops.

"Celestial Master, what happened?" Seeing Luo Guang slap the table, the commanders in the tent asked with changed faces.

"The battle in Yu State failed, Lu Yonggang was killed, and Liang Song used our Celestial Master Army's heads to build a skull mound in Zhuima City. The Five Directions Army was almost completely wiped out," Luo Guang said gravely.

At these words, everyone was shocked.

It's known that the Celestial Master had sent thousands upon thousands of troops to attack Yu State, yet first Yang Minggui's division failed, almost completely wiped out. Now again, almost completely wiped out, after capturing Fengzhou, the casualties were never this high.

"Lu Yonggang perished, and the junior general is still alive?" asked a commander.

"Not only alive, but thriving. He saved nearly ten thousand remnants in Zhuima City and has currently withdrawn to Celestial Water Town, requesting us to send reinforcements," Luo Guang said.

The commanders gasped, for Lu Yonggang, a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist, had fallen, yet a junior general of Sixth-Grade was still alive.

Wan Zhen rolled his eyes and said, "Now that our army has crossed the river, if we rush to aid, it will take more than a month, and it's already winter, close to the year's end. Starting a war now seems inappropriate; it might be better to have him withdraw back to Qingzhou to prevent Liang Song from advancing north."

Upon hearing this, the Multiple Commanders quickly agreed, saying, "Marshal Wan's words make sense; the cold weather is not suitable for warfare."

They had fought hard to reach Fengzhou, finally settled down, and were unwilling to battle again in Yu State in the dead of winter.

Luo Guang, knowing the thoughts of those below, immediately said, "In this war report, Chen Mo intends to incorporate the nearly ten thousand remnant troops to lead them. What are your thoughts?"

The Thirty-Six Commanders had been long established by Luo Guang. If a commander died in battle, the remaining commanders would sit down together to decide who should replace them.

"It is inappropriate; he is only a Sixth Grade, while we commanders are at least Fifth Grade in strength. Moreover, his qualifications are low, and he is young, lacking the capacity to command a large army."

"That's not quite right; precisely because he is young, it indicates great future potential. Besides, last time he managed to kill five thousand enemies, capture six thousand, and escape Liang Song's pursuit, showing both courage and strategy. As for low qualifications, which of you did not grow from battle to battle?"

"True enough, and since we've already crossed the river, that remnant troops indeed need someone to command. Moreover, several commanders have been killed in action, and someone must fill the gap."

"..."

The commanders each expressed their own opinions.

More opinions leaned towards agreement.

Mainly because they looked down on those remnant troops and, being far away, found it better to sell a favor.

Luo Guang looked at Wan Zhen, who hadn't spoken, seeking his thoughts.

Wan Zhen merely asked, "Marshal Yang is also a Grand Commander; where is he?"

"Yang Minggui has reported illness to this humble one, saying he needs some time to recuperate," said Luo Guang.

"Since that's the case, Qingzhou will need someone to command. I also agree with appointing Chen Mo as commander," said Wan Zhen.

Luo Guang gently tapped the table with his fingers and then said, "In that case, this humble one will order Chen Mo to assume the position of Small Commander of Song Niu."

...

On November 28th, Chen Mo, with over a hundred riders and all warhorses, headed to Pingting County.

After withdrawing from Celestial Water Town, he led his troops back to Quanyang County and stationed there. They were still within Yu State territory, and since Chen Mo had hidden his tracks, it wasn't considered desertion.

Also, he had Geng Songfu transport winter clothes from Pingting County, which were distributed to the eight camps.

Seeing that there was only a month left until the New Year, with no response from above, Chen Mo took the initiative and, with over a hundred Divine Brave Guard, first returned to Pingting County to have a look.

He left Sun Meng, Liu Ze, Shao Jinneng, Su Wu, and others to guard Quanyang County.

...

Pingting County City.

"Master, give me a sugar figurine."

Yi Shiyin, dressed in a thick blue cotton outfit with a hem like a skirt and a fox fur draped over her shoulders, said to the vendor in front of her.

Yi Shiyin was already married as a concubine, not an unmarried girl, so even if she showed her face outside, it was no big deal.

"Sister-in-law, do you want one?" Yi Shiyin turned her head to glance at Han Anniang beside her.

Han Anniang, like Yi Shiyin, wore a thick cotton outfit. Yi Shiyin, being petite, contrasted with Han Anniang's curvaceous figure. Even in thick clothing, her gourd-shaped silhouette was evident, along with her mature and steady attire. Standing together, one might think they were mother and daughter if they didn't know better.

Han Anniang shook her head: "I don't eat that, it's cold outside. Uncle wrote, saying he should be back in the next few days. We should hurry to gather some New Year goods to take home."

"Okay."

Yi Shiyin paid for the sugar figurine, and the two walked towards the "Fu Ze Restaurant."

The so-called Fu Ze Restaurant had relocated to the county from Fu Ze Village, now a general store.

Under Geng Songfu's bold reforms, the store expanded into a building, thus named Fu Ze Restaurant.

The first floor of Fu Ze Restaurant sells various commodities and general merchandise.

The second floor sells clothes and rouge.

The third floor is a high-end shop where you can buy perfumes, fine salt, jerky, and more.

The fourth floor is for dining.

To open a shop in Fu Ze Restaurant, one must pay rent and a deposit to the owner.

Many street vendors surrounded Fu Ze Restaurant, selling goods.

Today's Fu Ze Restaurant has obviously become the commercial center of Pingting County City.

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