Laughing at Chang'an

"I heard that General Dick entered the palace yesterday."

"Has the Northern Expeditionary Army been transferred back? Your Majesty this time..."

The Great Bright Palace, which is still under restoration, is filled with a tense and depressing atmosphere. Whether it is the recent riots in the imperial capital or the recent news from the palace, it seems that something is about to happen.Wearing a gray robe, Wang Zhen's face was hidden in the cloak. Everyone bowed and saluted wherever he passed. He heard people's discussions behind his back. That young face was like a wooden statue, without any waves.

The structure of the Illuminati has continued to expand over the past 1000 years, but the clearest distinction remains between the white robes and the gray robes.The white robe sits in front of people, studying the true meaning of light and enlightening the world.The man in the gray robe hides behind others, walking between religion and secularism, is a ubiquitous and nowhere to be found shadow.The Gray Robe Department is headed by the sages of the past dynasties. It was a shackle that the predecessors put on the imperial power that was destined to be extremely expanded at the beginning of the establishment of the empire.In order to prevent the power of the Illuminati from being abused by the imperial power, the gray robe system has extremely high authority independent of the imperial power and a hidden power to contend with the imperial power.In the history of the Guangming Empire, there were three emperors who were deemed disqualified during their reign and forcibly abdicated by the gray robes.

Such a power is naturally a thorn in the eyes and a thorn in the flesh of the emperors. However, compared with the royal family with good and bad, all the sages in the past are extraordinary people with outstanding wisdom and ambition. The authority is well preserved to this day.

The gray robe on Wang Zhen's body and the black buckle on his chest both showed his identity. The gray robe knight is the executor who is second only to the sage. Compared with tens of thousands of bright knights, he is usually no more than ten people.They have the power of supervision and execution, are only responsible to the sages, and are respectively in charge of the hidden power of the gray robes.Even the Twelve Paladins of the Great Bright Palace have to bow and salute in front of any gray-robed knight.

He walked through the Great Bright Hall which was being rebuilt, walked along the deep corridor, and walked to the westernmost courtyard enclosed by a wall.

There was a white house in the courtyard. He took off the black buckle on his chest and put it into the empty slot with six fingers on the metal gate.The door opened slowly, and Wang Zhen stepped forward, walked through the passage at the door, and walked into a bright and quiet room.

There were already five people sitting at the round table in the center.He walked to the sixth chair and sat down, pulled his hood down, and nodded to the others.

"This way everyone is here, let's get started."

The old man sitting on the first chair spoke, his eyes swept over everyone one by one, and finally stopped on Wang Zhen's face: "I haven't seen his successor since the death of Your Excellency Thea. The sixth knight, The sage called me to wait here by your mouth, but he himself could not be there, I can hardly agree with such an approach."

"I'm just conveying the will of the sage. If you are dissatisfied, please tell him yourself." Wang Zhen replied without showing weakness, "The sage summoned us to fight for the emperor's upcoming war."

These words made the room quiet. As the only six gray knights today, they all knew very well what the war the emperor was preparing for meant.

"What does the sage mean... to stop this war?" the third knight asked.

"No." Wang Zhen replied, "He wants to use this war to launch changes."

"Ridiculous!" The first knight jumped up, and angrily said: "The emperor did not make any mistakes, he is a wise emperor! Why should he initiate reforms? It is unreasonable, it is simply absurd!"

The second knight, who had never spoken, frowned, and looked up at the first knight coldly: "You are too excited, sit down."

The first knight, who was like a furious old lion, actually calmed down after being told this, and sat back on his chair angrily.The second knight cast his eyes on Wang Zhen, nodded slightly, and said, "Please continue."

"The sages think that today's Illuminati has seriously deteriorated and needs a big change." Wang Zhen said blankly, "The emperor's launch of this war is the best opportunity. If the imperial power continues to expand, when the emperor captures the central Earth, the Illuminati will be completely reduced to the opponent's ruling tool, and we will also be eradicated."

"In the final analysis, it is for self-protection." The first knight disdainfully said, "It seems that the sage has also fallen, attached to the power in his hand, greedy for life and afraid of death... Conquering the Middle Earth, dominating the world, and letting the light shine on the world, isn't that right? What am I pursuing? One day I can witness such a grand event with my own eyes, even death is enough."

With a sneer, Wang Zhen questioned——

"First Knight, what exactly is your so-called light? Is it the Illuminati? Or the one we are creating with our own hands, called the light?"

"The light in people's hearts has been corrupted, and they are taught to be blind believers who can only bow to the light. Wherever the light goes, it is full of ignorance. If this is the grand occasion you want to see, then I have nothing to say."

After a death-like silence, a clear voice with warmth and strength resounded in the room, it was the fourth knight.

"Your Excellency Thea also discussed this issue with me during his lifetime. For thousands of years, the corruption of the Illuminati has not appeared on the surface, but something more fundamental and deeper has changed. People bathed in peace lack a sense of crisis , in the face of too many temptations, it is difficult to stick to the belief in the heart. Temporary changes and corrections cannot solve the fundamental problem.

"The purpose of establishing the empire is to unify Fanglu. The original intention has not changed, but the light has changed." The fifth knight nodded.

"If you want to initiate a change, this war is indeed the best opportunity." The third knight said, "Conquering Middle-earth requires all the power of the country, and the domestic defense force is bound to be empty. I wonder if the sage has a specific plan?"

Wang Zhen looked at the other five people, including the first knight who folded his arms and fell silent. The people sitting here, no matter what, are the executors of the sage's will.

"He is preparing to assassinate the emperor."

………………

Datang calendar ninety-nine years, June [-]th.

Somewhere on the border between Central Earth and the Western Continent, a small conflict occurred, and this insignificant conflict became the trigger for the Guangming Empire to launch a war against Datang.

Three Hanhai-class warships sailed into the sky over Middle Earth, and occupied the conflicting Huye Autonomous Dominion overnight. 60 imperial elites invaded Middle Earth across the board. Within a day, 28 autonomous territories on the western border of Datang fell. The official declaration of war was long overdue.Unprepared, the Datang General Chamber of Commerce immediately contacted the headquarters of the Chang'an Mercenary Guild, demanding that the guild fulfill the war treaty and immediately send support to resist the invasion of the Guangming Empire.

In the meeting hall of Weiyang Palace, hundreds of regiment leaders gathered together, headed by Geng Yan, to discuss countermeasures.In the end, it was agreed to mobilize the elites of each family to form a main army to face the empire, and each undertake a part of the defensive task of the line of defense.It is impossible to expect everyone to have no selfish intentions. The discussion was at an impasse for a while, and after Geng Yan took the initiative to undertake the most difficult part of the line of defense on behalf of the Geng Army, he reluctantly pushed forward.

As a result of such discord, the Lightning Empire advanced like lightning. In just three days, nearly one-fifth of the territory in Middle-earth fell.

The world was in an uproar, everyone in China was in danger, and the spineless merchants turned and surrendered one after another. Often before the imperial army arrived, many dominions had already voluntarily hung up white flags and sent envoys to surrender. Be misunderstood and want to fight.

Chang'an City is dead and silent, and those who are familiar with history are no strangers to this. Thousands of years to the present, every time a war comes, it will eventually become a lonely battle in Chang'an City.It is better to expect the sun to rise in the west than to expect the loyalty of merchants.The Dominion near the front line is thinking of surrendering, while the Dominion at the back is thinking of transferring their wealth and fleeing. There are even more rumors spreading that the empire's army is invincible and invincible.

One word, chaos.

On the side of the empire, the One Hundred Thousand Knights of Light directly under the Five Great Paladins was used as an arrow to point directly at Chang'an. The 20 Imperial Northern Expedition Army rushed from west to north, and the 30 Imperial Imperial Guards circled to the south, gradually encircling Chang'an in three directions. The 300 million regular garrison followed closely behind, receiving the results and suppressing the occupied lands.

The Golden Banner of Fire burns in Middle-earth.

On June [-]th, [-], the year of the Tang Dynasty, twelve Hanhai-class warships came to Chang'an. Unlike the last time, there were hundreds of Scorching Sun-class warships and several Tens of thousands of small and medium-sized airships filled the entire western sky.

In Chang'an City, Feng He buckled the last clip of his battle armor.

He went to the Geng Army Guild Hall with his gun in hand, and said to Li Xifeng, "Tell Geng Yan that Li Shen is going to die, will he come to see him?"

Li Xifeng's eyes widened in astonishment, for a while, he ran back without saying a word, and after a while hurried out again, asking Feng He, "Where are you?"

Feng He pointed to his feet.

"It's in Chang'an."

When he received the news from Li Xifeng, Geng Yan was sitting in a Hanhai-class battleship outside the city, discussing the next strategy with the five holy knights under his command.He was not dazzled by the initial victory, on the contrary, he knew better than anyone else that the real war would come next.

One country, one city.

The ancestors who fell in front of this city used their own painful lessons to tell future generations what price they would pay for underestimating this city.In the previous life, Geng Yan thought he was clear, but it was not until after he was reborn that he truly became a part of this city that he realized how ridiculous his previous thoughts were.

If it was the glory before the civil strife, the power of one family would be enough to stop at least 30 elite troops of the empire. If the blood slaughter was added, the empire would have no choice but to retreat. Prepare to be counterattacked.The most important thing is that as long as there is glow and blood slaughter, the mercenary group below will also be twisted into one rope. Just thinking about such power is terrifying enough.

So Geng Yan would never underestimate this city.

Since Feng He is using Li Shen as a bait to lure him into the game, then he will see what other tricks the other party can come up with... Geng Yan stroked the Kongshan Gold in his palm, and a cruel smile overflowed his lips.

Kill without pardon.