Chapter 566: Personal Expedition

After hearing these words from Jiumozhi, the Golden Wheel Dharma King instantly understood that Zhu Ying was now invincible under heaven. If the Great Ming Empire led by Zhu Ying were to destroy the Ming Kingdom, then Tibet would naturally fall as well.

Thus, the Golden Wheel Dharma King's idea was very simple: form an alliance with the Ming Kingdom. Only in this way could there be a glimmer of hope for survival.

Once the Golden Wheel Dharma King finished speaking, Jiumozhi nodded; clearly, he was in complete agreement with the proposal.

Immediately after.

With a serious expression, Jiumozhi said to the Golden Wheel Dharma King, "At this stage, my Tibet has no way out. How about this: you personally make a trip to the Ming Kingdom and strive to forge an alliance with them!"

...

Meanwhile.

A few days later, within the Imperial Palace of the capital of Song Province, Great Ming Empire.

Liu Lei, serving as the Commander of the Royal Guards, was reporting military intelligence to Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Ying.

"Reporting to the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Imperial Grandson: your subordinate has just received news that the three Great Ming armies have, with irresistible force, successively broken through dozens of the Ming Kingdom's capital cities!"

"Currently, General Lan Yu has captured twenty cities, General Guo Zhen has captured fifteen, and General Mu Ying has captured twenty-five!"

"At present, more than half of the Ming Kingdom's territory has already been brought under the control of our Great Ming Empire!"

As Liu Lei finished his report, Zhu Yuanzhang was understandably quite excited. Old Zhu praised repeatedly, "Good! Excellent!"

"As expected of our Great Ming soldiers! Truly powerful!"

"However, this also shows that the Ming Kingdom's military strength is far too poor. In less than half a month, they have actually lost half of their territory!"

Beside him, Zhu Biao said, "Father, this is a good thing for our Great Ming Empire. If the current marching speed continues, I fear we will break through the Ming Kingdom's capital within another ten days!"

At that moment.

Zhu Ying turned to Liu Lei and asked, "What is the movement within the Ming Kingdom?"

Not daring to hesitate, Liu Lei immediately replied, "Reporting to the Imperial Grandson: since the start of the war, the Ming Kingdom has been actively mobilizing troops. Currently, the Ming general Wu Longhui has organized a force of no less than three hundred thousand troops in an attempt to annihilate the Imperial Guards entirely. Unfortunately, Wu Longhui completely underestimated the strength of the Imperial Guards."

"The three hundred thousand troops led by Wu Longhui were essentially wiped out by the Imperial Guards led by General Guo Zhen!"

As Liu Lei's voice fell, Zhu Biao could not help but praise, "Guo Zhen's military capability is indeed formidable. Since the main force of the Ming army has been destroyed, the destruction of the Ming Kingdom is merely a matter of time."

Zhu Yuanzhang also praised, "Immediately send word to Guo Zhen. Tell him to continue leading the army to pursue the enemy in victory and quickly break through the Ming Kingdom's capital. Once the Ming Kingdom is destroyed, I shall grant him great rewards!"

In contrast to the excited Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, Zhu Ying remained quite calm upon hearing the battle report.

This was because this was a result he had long anticipated.

In Zhu Ying's view, whether it was the Cavalry Camp led by Lan Yu, the Imperial Guards, or the Mountain Camp, these armies were all equipped with modernized weapons.

Furthermore, they had the assistance of the Dinosaur Legion!

Therefore.

Relying solely on the military strength of the Ming Kingdom, they had no way to withstand the impact of these three armies.

However.

What Zhu Ying worried about most were the martial arts experts within the Ming Kingdom.

Thus.

Zhu Ying asked Liu Lei with a serious expression, "Is there any intelligence regarding the Ming Kingdom's martial arts experts?"

Following Zhu Ying's question, Liu Lei did not dare delay and immediately said, "Reporting to Your Highness: according to rumors, Cao Zhengchun has already sent people to contact the martial arts experts within the Ming Kingdom!"

"Additionally, there is intelligence suggesting that the Dali Kingdom and Tibet have also sent envoys to the Ming Kingdom in an attempt to form an alliance!"

At this point.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly erupted in anger, "What! Tibet and Dali actually want to oppose our Great Ming Empire? These two countries are simply seeking death!"

"In that case, we shall wipe them all out in one fell swoop!"

Clearly, to Old Zhu, he would never allow any other country to oppose the Great Ming Empire. Therefore... when Zhu Yuanzhang heard that Dali and Tibet were preparing to ally with the Ming Kingdom, he was naturally furious.

But Zhu Ying did not hold these two countries in high regard.

The reason was simple: Zhu Ying understood that whether it was Tibet or the Dali Kingdom, the strength of these two nations was quite weak. Even if Dali and Tibet allied with the Ming Kingdom, it would be impossible for them to influence the final outcome.

"Imperial Grandfather, the countries of Tibet and Dali are not important. What I worry about most are the martial arts experts of the Ming Kingdom."

"Martial arts experts?" Seeing Zhu Ying say this, a hint of panic immediately appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

Zhu Yuanzhang pressed immediately, "Xiongying, are the Ming Kingdom's martial arts experts very strong?"

Zhu Ying replied expressionlessly, "While the Ming Kingdom lacks those in the Half-Step Gangqi Realm, there are still many masters in the Grandmaster Realm and the Divine Ability Realm."

"If all the martial arts experts of the Ming Kingdom are put to use by the court, it will instead pose a significant challenge to our frontline troops."

Zhu Ying knew very well that although the Great Ming Empire was far more powerful than the Ming Kingdom of this world in terms of weaponry—since the Ming Kingdom's weapons were mostly cold steel while the Great Ming soldiers were equipped with uniform modern weaponry and had the Dinosaur Legion at their disposal—the outcome would be uncertain if martial arts experts joined the fray.

After all, there were indeed many martial arts experts within the Ming Kingdom.

If these experts united, they could still exert considerable pressure on the Great Ming Empire's army.

As Zhu Ying finished speaking, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao showed traces of tension on their faces.

Especially Old Zhu.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Ying with a grave expression, "Since that is the case, Xiongying, what should we do?"

"I do not wish to see too many casualties in the Great Ming Empire's army."

This was naturally Zhu Yuanzhang's true thought. As the Emperor of the Ming Kingdom, Zhu Yuanzhang valued the lives of his soldiers highly, especially since these soldiers were the elites of the Ming.

In this world of diverse martial arts, if casualties were too high, Zhu Yuanzhang would naturally feel the sting.

At this time, Zhu Ying said calmly, "In that case, Xiongying can only go personally."

Zhu Ying knew very well that to defeat the martial arts experts of the Ming Kingdom, he would have to step forward himself.

Upon hearing that Zhu Ying intended to lead a personal expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately praised, "If Xiongying can personally lead the campaign, I suspect the martial arts experts of the Ming Kingdom will be scared out of their wits."

Zhu Yuanzhang had long witnessed Zhu Ying's strength, and he knew very well that Zhu Ying had already broken through to the Gangqi Realm, making him the undisputed number one in this world of martial arts.

Therefore, as long as Zhu Ying personally led the expedition, the Ming Kingdom would naturally have no power to resist.

Zhu Ying then added, "Of course. Since the martial arts experts of the Ming Kingdom dare to oppose my Great Ming Empire, Xiongying will show them what's what."

Although Zhu Ying decided to take action personally to teach the Ming Kingdom's experts a lesson, he also understood that the people of the Ming Kingdom were essentially Han Chinese from the Central Plains.

They shared the same ancestry as the Great Ming Empire. Thus, Zhu Ying said to the Royal Guard Commander Liu Lei, "Immediately notify Lan Yu and the others. After capturing a city, they must absolutely not massacre the inhabitants."

"Furthermore, if there are Ming soldiers who surrender, they may be taken in; they must never be harmed."

"In this battle, the target is only the Emperor of the Ming Kingdom; it has nothing to do with anyone else. Do you understand?"

As Zhu Ying's voice fell, Commander Liu Lei immediately responded, "Your subordinate obeys. Please rest assured, Your Highness; I will immediately send word to the various generals."

Zhu Ying nodded, and in the next second, he suddenly vanished from the great hall.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were equally astonished.

"I did not expect that after ascending to the Gangqi Realm, Xiongying would gain the ability to vanish into thin air. Truly powerful!" Zhu Yuanzhang remarked with heartfelt emotion.

Zhu Biao also said, "After entering the Gangqi Realm, Xiongying is naturally no longer an ordinary person; he is almost at the realm of a Half-Step Immortal."

"It is normal to possess such an ability."

...

Within the Wudang Mountains of the Central Plains.

As one of the Seven Disciples of Wudang, Song Qingshu arrived at Zhang Sanfeng's cultivation site with a nervous tone.

However, Zhang Sanfeng was currently in deep meditation, and even Song Qingshu did not dare to barge into the room to disturb him.

Thus, Song Qingshu could only stand outside the room to convey the important news to Zhang Sanfeng.

"Master, something terrible has happened! According to rumors in the martial arts world, the Imperial Grandson of the Great Ming Empire has killed the Shaolin founder, Bodhidharma. Additionally, the Sweeping Monk has also met a tragic end."

"Now, the entire Shaolin Temple has been exterminated by this Ming Imperial Grandson."

As Song Qingshu finished speaking, Zhang Sanfeng, who had been meditating, suddenly walked out of the room.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at Song Qingshu with a heavy expression and said, "Shaolin has been exterminated? How is that possible!"

"If I remember correctly, Grandmaster Bodhidharma was a master in the Half-Step Gangqi Realm, and the Sweeping Monk was the same. How could the two of them be killed?"

Clearly, upon hearing that both Bodhidharma and the Sweeping Monk had been killed, Zhang Sanfeng was extremely shocked and shaken.

He never imagined that there could truly be someone in the world with such strength.

A massive sense of pressure immediately descended.

Song Qingshu said hurriedly, "Reporting to Master: currently, the one known as the Ming Imperial Grandson has already led his army to begin attacking the Ming Kingdom."

"Now, the martial arts experts throughout the Ming Kingdom, under the leadership of Cao Zhengchun, are preparing to resist actively."

"Should our Wudang also take action?"

Following Song Qingshu's words, Zhang Sanfeng nodded slightly and said, "Of course. Since the Ming Imperial Grandson has exterminated Shaolin, our Wudang cannot simply sit idly by."

"Immediately summon all Wudang disciples and head to the Ming Kingdom at once to help the Ming Kingdom resist the Ming Imperial Grandson."

"If this Ming Imperial Grandson truly dares to show himself, this master will certainly not let him go."

...

Zhang Sanfeng knew very well that if the Great Ming Empire truly destroyed the Ming Kingdom, they would certainly continue to attack the various sects, and one day, they would also massacre the Wudang Sect.

Therefore, Zhang Sanfeng decided to strike first to gain the upper hand.

He would join forces with the various experts of the Ming Kingdom to resist the Ming Imperial Grandson.

At the same time.

Within the Imperial Palace of the Ming Kingdom, many martial arts experts had already arrived, including Gu Santong. Gu Santong was Cheng Shifei's father.

Therefore, when Gu Santong heard Cao Zhengchun's call to gather the martial arts experts of the Ming Kingdom to resist the Ming Imperial Grandson, he was the first to choose to join.

In addition to Gu Santong, there were also eunuchs from the former dynasty.

This former dynasty eunuch was the creator of the Sunflower Manual, possessed extremely high martial arts, and was also Cao Zhengchun's senior.

Furthermore, there were Ximen Chuixue, Ye Gucheng, Dongfang Bubai, Chu Liuxiang, as well as Ren Woxing, Linghu Chong, and others.

These were all peak Grandmasters or masters of Divine Ability.

It could be said that the quality of the Ming Kingdom's martial arts experts was not inferior to that of the Song Kingdom.

This group of martial arts experts gathered together, discussing the impending great war.

Just then, Cao Zhengchun arrived slowly before the crowd, bringing with him the Ming Emperor, Zhu Houzhao.

Upon seeing Zhu Houzhao arrive, the group of martial arts experts did not dare to hesitate and bowed to him one after another.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"

To be honest, seeing so many martial arts experts gathered in the palace, Zhu Houzhao felt quite excited deep down. He hurriedly said to the crowd, "Rise, everyone."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As the martial arts experts stood up, Zhu Houzhao said with an excited tone, "You are all the top martial arts experts of our Ming Kingdom. With your help, I believe we can certainly resist the foreign enemy."

"As long as we can defeat the Ming Imperial Grandson this time, I will guarantee you wealth and honor."

At this moment, Gu Santong stepped forward and said, "I do not want wealth and honor. I only want the dog life of that Ming Imperial Grandson. I ask Your Majesty to promise me that you will let me slaughter him with my own hands!"

After hearing Gu Santong's words, Zhu Houzhao burst into laughter.

This was exactly the result Zhu Houzhao hoped to see.

"That is naturally no problem. I promise you!"

Zhu Houzhao then said to everyone, "The fate of the Ming Kingdom rests entirely on all of you. I ask you all to bring out your best skills; the Ming Imperial Grandson is by no means an ordinary person."

"Please, everyone, be sure to proceed with caution."

As the Ming Emperor finished speaking, the martial arts experts all accepted their orders.

Meanwhile.

Within the Dragon Protection Villa, the Iron-Fisted Marquis, Zhu Wushì, also learned of the matter regarding Cao Zhengchun uniting many martial arts experts.

Upon hearing this, his expression darkened, and he immediately felt the approach of danger.

Immediately after, Zhu Wushì sent someone to pass this intelligence to the Great Ming Empire.