CHAPTER 60: 60. WAR ENDS (SEEKING MORE TO READ)

"Gongyang Yi, you betrayed the King of Law..."

"You won’t die a good death!"

Even if Wang Tong’s martial arts skills were extraordinary, his weapons had already been confiscated after entering the Siming Mountain Stronghold. Now, facing the siege of hundreds of Righteous Army soldiers there, he was soon struck by several arrows and on the verge of death.

Before dying, he stared angrily at Gongyang Yi, who was standing in the courtyard accompanying Xu Xing, his expression resentful.

No wonder there had been a dispute between Wang Tong and Gongyang Yi before entering the Siming Mountain Stronghold, and Gongyang Yi hadn’t even bothered to engage with him. It turned out that Gongyang Yi had long intended to betray Heyang Mountain. That was why he ignored Wang Tong—because in Gongyang Yi’s eyes, Wang Tong was already a dead man.

"A good bird chooses a tree to nest in; a loyal minister chooses a lord to serve."

"The Eight-Armed Dharma King... disregarding good advice will lead to defeat sooner or later. Mister Gongyang, don’t let General Wang’s nonsense upset you..." Xu Xing comforted Gongyang Yi.

Although he was also cautious about Gongyang Yi’s betrayal, he still had to keep up appearances.

"King Xing Tian, I’m fine." Gongyang Yi smiled, not bothered at all.

He had fulfilled his duty as a strategist before betraying Monk Shang. The Three Plans he provided, without exception, could resolve the crisis at Heyang Mountain. It’s just that in the last plan, he had made some alterations to allow himself to escape from Heyang Mountain, this "dead end," in advance.

「 」

Thanks to Xu Xing’s introduction, King of Sorrow Yao Dang quickly accepted Gongyang Yi. Gongyang Yi also explained why he chose to meet Xu Xing first instead of Yao Dang.

"Both King Xing Tian and I are strategists with past grievances. If I were to meet the Heavenly King first, he, considering our brotherhood, would not accept me. Therefore, I had no other choice but to meet King Xing Tian first to seek his understanding."

Upon hearing this, no matter what Yao Dang currently thought, he could only temporarily suppress the displeasure in his heart.

Brotherly loyalty... How could he go against brotherly loyalty?

"King of Sorrow..." After entering Mount Siming, Gongyang Yi immediately proposed his strategy. "Now, the official soldiers and the Righteous Army are in a confrontation. The Local Army is watching the Forbidden Army’s annihilation for three reasons: first, their past conflicts; second, the wealth involved; and third"—he paused—"the Local Army has also seen the corruption of the Imperial Court and wants to preserve its strength to grow and rule independently!"

As long as they have soldiers, the leaders of the Local Army are like kings. Even if Emperor Chongming is dissatisfied, he can only hold his nose and acknowledge the "merit" of the Local Army.

"Therefore, Heavenly King, you can accept the position of Deputy Alliance Leader offered by Monk Shang."

"Allocate the old and weak soldiers to the rebel kings, gaining a reputation. Then, take the elite soldiers through Hukou Falls, exit Jiangnan West Road, and head north, bypassing the confrontation with the Imperial Court Army, and enter Guanxi Road."

"Then, throw all the troubles to Monk Shang."

"Let him be the target of the official soldiers."

"With years of disaster and famine in Guanxi Road, the Imperial Court is unable to provide aid, and public discontent is high, with constant uprisings. Once our well-established Righteous Army enters Guanxi Road, we will be like fish in water..."

"As Deputy Alliance Leader with a reputation for benevolence and justice, the local rebels will surely bow to you."

Gongyang Yi revealed his general plan.

"Mister Gongyang’s strategy and Fourth Brother’s..."

"Are quite similar," Heavenly Kun King, who was straightforward and didn’t play mind games, candidly remarked as soon as he heard the strategy.

Present in the room were not only the Three Great Kings and strategist Gongyang Yi but also the leaders of the Twelve Banners, the Five Tiger Envoys of the Five Tiger Hall, and General Chang Ji, who now commanded two Great Banners. Essentially, all the high-level members of Mount Siming were present.

As soon as the Heavenly Kun King spoke, the expressions of those looking at Xu Xing changed slightly. The situation a few months ago was very different from the current one.

King Xing Tian... he could actually have predicted today’s events?

The atmosphere in the Righteousness Hall was as cold as ice.

"Third Brother is overpraising," Xu Xing humbly demurred. "My strategy... just happened to coincide with Mister Gongyang’s. It’s nothing special."

In fact, Gongyang Yi could have proposed many other strategies: for instance, going through Sunset Gorge to Lingnan Road to take advantage of the weak official soldiers and lock down Lingnan’s strategic points, or moving to Zhenyun Mountain to seize the Cao River. However, after discussing with Gongyang Yi, the two had agreed that Gongyang Yi would present the strategy in this manner during the high-level meeting at Mount Siming, thereby re-establishing Xu Xing’s prestige and authority.

If everyone on Mount Siming listened to Xu Xing for all matters, then even if he wasn’t the King of Sorrow, their Big Brother, he would become the de facto emperor pulling the strings behind him.

Power is gained from below, not from above!

"Mister Gongyang and Fourth Brother have both made reasonable and meritorious arguments..." King of Sorrow Yao Dang broke the silence. "Let’s proceed according to this plan."

「 」

「Heyang Mountain, Righteousness Hall.」

The 17 Kings in Rebellion gathered, but the seat for Mount Siming was empty.

"King of Law..."

"King of Law, it’s not good!"

Outside the hall, a Messenger Soldier rushed in and knelt. "King of Law, a message from Mount Siming! They say Wang Tong tried to assassinate the King of Sorrow and was killed in the attempt. As for the alleged mastermind, Mister Gongyang, he has been detained by them."

"But..." At this point, the Messenger Soldier hesitated.

"Speak up!" Monk Shang’s eyes blazed with fury, hearing his beloved general was dead and his strategist captured. "What else?" he demanded.

"Moreover..." the Messenger Soldier continued, "the King of Sorrow also said he is willing to accept your appointment as Deputy Alliance Leader and will follow your arrangements. As for the soldiers and horses to be allocated to each of the rebel kings, he has already left them at Tiger Soul River. The kings need only go and claim them!"

The words fell, and the rebel kings looked at each other. Monk Shang also felt exasperated. Without his strategist Gongyang Yi, he couldn’t figure out what Mount Siming was up to. It was hard to say they were being disrespectful, as they had, after all, ’obeyed’ his order as Alliance Leader.

Accept... or not accept? Monk Shang was torn. Once I accept Mount Siming’s arrangement, my current crisis will instantly vanish. After all, Mount Siming has made it clear they accept my arrangement and have allocated soldiers and horses to the rebel kings. I could continue to be the Alliance Leader. But if I accept... I have a nagging feeling I’m being subtly manipulated by Mount Siming...

"We are grateful to the Alliance Leader for his benevolence..." Before Monk Shang could even nod, the King of Howling Mountain, who had lost his soldiers and horses, immediately stood up and cupped his hands in thanks to Monk Shang.

They weren’t fools; they knew there might be some scheme of Mount Siming’s at play. But having already lost their forces, they desperately needed the soldiers and horses Mount Siming was offering. Whether Monk Shang, the Alliance Leader, agreed or not was of no concern to them.

"Thank you, Alliance Leader..."

"The Alliance Leader is generous..." Several other rebel kings chimed in.

Seeing that the tide had turned, Monk Shang had no choice but to reluctantly accept Mount Siming’s "arrangement." "This king has heard that Wang Tong and the King of Sorrow had grievances. Sending him as an envoy was intended to resolve this enmity. However, Wang Tong acted without authorization. Men, bring Wang Tong’s family and send them to the Courtesan Village... It is this king’s fault that Mister Gongyang was detained by the King of Sorrow because of Wang Tong."

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