Jiang Hòu was in a state of confusion. What was going on?
She asked hesitantly, "Can I see my two sons? They must have suffered a lot."
The Goddess of Jinling said calmly, "You have been dead for several years. A lot has happened in these years. The Taoist will allow you to see your two sons, but not now."
In fact, at this moment, it would be most convenient for Wen Zhong, as the Taiji Master, to persuade Jiang Hòu. However, the Goddess of Jinling declined, wanting to see the wise queen's own choice.
Jiang Hòu pondered for a moment. She felt that in her current situation, there was nothing to lose. The Goddess of Jinling was open and straightforward, directly stating her purpose, which immediately created goodwill.
She also wanted to gain some power; at the very least, it would enable her to protect her son.
She immediately knelt down and officially became the third disciple of the Goddess of Jinling.
Bo Yikao was constantly sending emissaries to HAN to seek aid. Initially, the emissaries arrived with mahjong tiles in their mouths, and even after that, the couriers continued to arrive in a steady stream.
Deng Jiugong is still a decent person. With allies being killed, bodies littering the fields, and rivers running red with blood, we should be enjoying peaceful times with music and dance while playing mahjong? He thought it was not appropriate.
On the 15th day of the celebration, he issued a military order to Hanzhong. Deng Yi and Zheng Lun led troops of 50,000 to rescue Xiqi. At least they need to make a gesture.
The General Qiu Yin of the Shang Dynasty immediately deployed 30,000 troops from the encircling army to block the Han soldiers at the northern end of the Jin Niu Road.
Both sides had a tacit understanding, and they sat in a state of quiet confrontation across an unremarkable mountain path. They sat for three days, without either side firing the first arrow.
Deng Yi dispatched messengers to Bo Yikao.
We are coming to help you, but the mountain road is difficult to traverse, and we can't break through at the moment. Marquis, please hold on a bit longer.
With 150,000 powerful experts from the great Dang Dynasty encircling Xixi, the value of our Han ally has been demonstrated. Although only 30,000 have managed to escape so far.
Bo Yikao thanked the Han envoy and then sent him out of the city.
Realizing that these were the envoys of a "third party," the Shang soldiers did not interfere. The Han envoy entered and left as if there were no one around, coming and going without any hindrance.
Bo Yikao, as usual, inspected the city walls, boosted the morale of his brothers-in-arms, and calmed down Yin Hong, Weizi, and all the civil and military officials. Only then did he return to the Chieftain's Mansion of JI Chang.
JI Chang was sick, and the illness was severe.
The successive losses of Zhou troops and Qi Mountain, and the seven years of hard work to reach the gate of San Shui Pass, have been wiped out in one stroke, and the elderly man aged 93 is struggling to cope with such a huge failure.
He believed it was divine retribution; that he had sinned against heaven and was guilty.
"Father, how is your body feeling today?" Bo Yikao personally fed him the medicine, and his expression of concern was very sincere.
JI Chang was thin as a skeleton, and his voice was very soft.
"Is there any relief army coming?"
Bo Yikao very objectively said, "Yes, father. The Han country has sent 50,000 troops, but they are currently blocked on the Jin Niu Road. Some of the Shang army's troops have been deployed to intercept them, and there has been no city attack today."
JI Chang coughed twice: "What about those people?"
Bo Yikao gently shook his head, knowing that his father was referring to the deities of the Xuanjiao sect.
The Xuanjiao sect's intention to use Xixi and treat the common people as pawns in a game was too obvious, and he did not like the Xuanjiao sect.
Especially the "odd-looking" Ran Deng Daoist.
To look like this, could he be a real immortal?
JI Chang grabbed his sleeve and said in a firm voice, "Remember, there is no good or evil. We only do our thing."
"Yes, father!"
JI Chang felt exhausted after speaking just a few sentences, forcing himself to sound energetic: "What do you plan to do next?"
"Father, I plan to send messengers to the north. We need reinforcements."
"Non-of-us! Cough cough!" JI Chang coughed continuously, with a tone of disapproval in his words.
This time, Bo Yikao was quite insistent.
"Foreigners who become Chinese, we Chinese will accept them; Chinese who become foreigners, we will expel them. The power of the Southern Han country is increasing day by day. Some words are still reasonable."
JI Chang shook his head, "This is not the same thing. Han country is forcing barbarians to learn Chinese, change customs, abandon their ancestral temples and die if they do not. What about us? Do not imitate mechanically!"
He thought Bo Yikao was too idealistic, but there wasn't a much better choice at the moment.
The old man nodded silently, and he quickly fell asleep again.
In the North, in Jin region.
Yuan Hong has been the northern overlord for nearly ten years. Back then, he had thought of leading these "demons" and "humano demons" to carve out a path, and then he would have gone back to Mei Mountain to continue his cultivation practice after taking care of everything.
Now? Mei Mountain? Where is Mei Mountain? What am I going to do there?
His attitude was almost like "I now understand the joy of being a king." The human realm was a million times stronger than Mei Mountain, and most importantly, he could share a portion of the human realm's qi yun.
He was at the level of a celestial immortal when he fought against Wen Zhong. Over these years, with the auspiciousness of the human realm, he experienced moments of enlightenment, opportunities, and spiritual light from time to time. Now, he has reached the level of a true immortal and is just a hair's breadth away from breaking through to a higher level.
The brothers of Jin Dàshēng were killed by "Unknown Passersby," but at least he had left behind two old friends, Dài Lǐ and Wú Lóng. Among them, Dài Lǐ was a cunning person, with a treasure called a "dog's kidney" in his stomach, and Wú Lóng was a centipede demon. When the young woman Deng Chányù vowed to wipe out the five toxins, she did not involve the demons who had become immortals before. So there was little impact on the Wu Long side.
Today, Yuan Hong summoned his two old friends to his presence and unrolled a letter, asking them to read it.
"That Xixi, Bo Yicai, is seeking aid from someone. As long as we send troops to save him, he will be willing to cede Jiameng Pass and surrounding lands to us."
Jiameng Pass was stealthily captured with the help of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon and Hu Sheng. Now the main general in charge is Ji Xu Kun.
Jiameng Pass and Xixi are separated by the Great River. Xixi is on the west bank, while Jiameng Pass is on the east bank. In recent years, Xixi has vigorously cultivated the land on the east bank, which is not only fertile but also has a larger population than before.
The North is becoming increasingly cold, and in Jin region, whatever does not survive the harsh winter will perish.
King Zhou and his two sons were fighting in chaos. Most of the people went to the south, at least it was warmer there! A few came to Jin region, which has contributed to the development of productivity here.
Yuan Hong, greedy for more, desires even more territory.
Nowadays, Bo Yicai has given him a good opportunity.
"Big brother, only ceding Jiameng Pass?" Dai Li asked.
Yuan Hong stroked his short beard, "Then Bo Yikao wants to make a sworn brother with me."
He was also perplexed. He had heard that Bo Yicai was a refined and elegant nobleman, but he had never met him before. After seeing these conditions, how could there be a sense of bandit and road boss in the air? What did you learn this from?
They referred to each other as brothers in Mei Mountain Seven Demons, but they didn't actually make a brotherhood.
These days, whether they are immortals or humans, people hold the heavens and earth in high regard. The most frequent place for making sworn brothers is in the Southern Han country where a certain reactionary military group relies on means such as sworn brotherhood and marriage alliances to unify their respective powers.
