Chiyu Army Camp.
In less than half an hour, the entire Crimson Feather Army underwent a complete overhaul of its centurions.
When Xie Kui gathered all the soldiers in the camp and announced this matter, the Crimson Feather Army soldiers were all bewildered and incredulous.
Many of these soldiers had intricate ties to the Gongsun family Family through their interests.
Some squad leaders and platoon leaders inevitably felt a surge of panic.
However, these soldiers were not given much time to react. Under Lin Sheng's instruction, Meng Lie decisively and drastically removed all soldiers from the army whose cultivation was below Bones Transformation.
Those who resisted were killed on the spot, and after nearly a hundred lives were lost, no one dared to be a trailblazer anymore.
They could only obediently follow orders.
In less than half a day, the number of soldiers in the Crimson Feather Army was reduced by more than half.
From over 3,000 previously, it was streamlined to about one thousand.
Inside the tent.
"General, everything has been handled properly as you instructed. Now, the Crimson Feather Army is essentially free of extraneous personnel."
Meng Lie knelt on one knee, speaking respectfully.
His gaze towards Lin Sheng was now noticeably more deferential than before.
He had to admit that while Lin Sheng's methods were overly ruthless and bloody, their efficiency was indeed unimaginable. This was far more effective than the various feasible plans he had considered on the way.
Of course, to achieve this, there had to be a prerequisite: the ability to suppress everything with overwhelming strength.
Although he had known before arriving that Lin Sheng's combat power was extremely strong, capable of killing Yao Beasts alone—a feat even he, a Peak Divine Form Martial Artist, might not be able to accomplish—
it was only today, after witnessing Lin Sheng's actions firsthand, that he truly understood that the future Imperial Son-in-Law's strength was far superior to his own.
He now also understood why His Majesty had chosen him to resolve the Crimson Feather Army matter.
The Gongsun family Family had been rooted in the imperial court for many years, possessing considerable influence.
Although still far from comparable to the imperial Family, His Majesty found it inconvenient to intervene personally due to this connection.
Sending a Grandmaster expert would only escalate the situation.
Dispatching the Imperial Son-in-Law, a member of the younger generation, was undoubtedly the most suitable choice.
But the thought of the tragically deceased centurions gave him a headache.
After all, with things having progressed to this point, there was no room for de-escalation. When Grand Councillor Gongsun family learned of this news, he would surely be enraged.
These centurions were all outstanding descendants of the Gongsun family Family. Now that they were almost all dead, who could remain indifferent!?
He had already sent an urgent message back to the palace detailing everything that happened today.
He wondered what His Majesty would think when he learned of these events?
On the main seat, Lin Sheng's gaze fell on Meng Lie as he put down the scroll in his hand.
He was unaware of what the latter was thinking at the moment, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
"Good efficiency. Have Xie Kui collect information on the sea bandits that have appeared in the near-shore area recently and pinpoint their locations."
"Yes, I will arrange it immediately."
Meng Lie was momentarily stunned, then nodded in agreement.
He hadn't expected that before the Crimson Feather Army was even fully reorganized, the Imperial Son-in-Law had already set his sights on the sea bandits.
Although their main purpose in coming here this time was to reclaim the Crimson Feather Army, they also had the mission of combating sea bandits.
He couldn't help but sigh, thinking, 'This man truly acts with lightning speed.'
Just as he was about to leave, Lin Sheng suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, right, isn't there also a Deputy Commander from the Gongsun family Family in the Crimson Feather Army? What was his name, Gongsun Changhai?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Lie immediately replied.
"Indeed, but Gongsun Changhai led a portion of the Crimson Feather Army out to sea to suppress bandits some time ago and has not yet returned."
"Suppress bandits at sea?"
Lin Sheng nodded, a cold smile appearing on his face.
The scroll in his hand recorded the Crimson Feather Army's military expenditure over the years.
It was clearly far in excess of the Crimson Feather Army's normal attrition.
Especially with multiple anti-piracy operations in recent years, not only have the pirate woes not decreased, but they have instead shown an increasing trend. This situation was clearly not right.
It was likely that suppressing bandits was a pretense, while embezzling military supplies was the truth.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but secretly sigh with regret.
If Gongsun Changhai had been in the army camp, he could have dealt with him directly.
The hidden dangers within the Crimson Feather Army had been largely cleared.
"Alright, you may go. I will be in seclusion for a few days. If Gongsun Changhai returns during this time, just inform me."
Shaking his head slightly, Lin Sheng gave a brief instruction, then waved his hand, signaling Meng Lie to withdraw.
"Your subordinate obeys."
The latter bowed and then turned to leave.
After watching him depart, Lin Sheng closed his eyes and entered into cultivation.
*
*
Nanzhao Imperial City.
Imperial Palace backyard.
Jing Emperor sat in the center, a golden Dragon-shaped phantom faintly appearing behind him. The phantom was lifelike, like a true Dragon, exuding powerful pressure.
As Jing Emperor's Qi circulated, the Dragon-shaped phantom began to move continuously around his body.
At the same time, golden luster gradually appeared on Jing Emperor's skin, and tiny, dense golden scales began to grow.
After a while, with a change in the Dragon-shaped phantom, it disappeared at a visible speed.
Jing Emperor slowly opened his eyes, his aura dissipating and returning to normal.
"Come in. Where did the urgent report come from this time, the front lines?"
He slightly moved his neck, speaking indifferently.
Wang Fu, outside the courtyard, then quickly walked in and knelt on the ground.
Holding a square jade tablet in his hands, he respectfully replied.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is not from the front lines, but a message from General Meng Lie."
"Oh? Meng Lie!"
Upon hearing this, Jing Emperor's face showed surprise. He frowned slightly, his heart tightening.
"Could something have happened to Lin Sheng!?"
Meng Lie's urgent message clearly indicated something important had occurred.
He was truly worried about Lin Sheng's safety, as he was quite satisfied with this future Imperial Son-in-Law.
Thinking this, he immediately took the jade tablet into his hand, then activated his Qi.
Soon, faint, ethereal light emanated from the jade tablet, and then a series of messages appeared.
【Your Majesty, your humble servant and others have successfully arrived at Haihe Valley Chiyu Army Camp. Everything is stable, but Commander Lin, he...】
After scanning the information on the jade tablet, the worry in his heart immediately eased considerably. However, upon seeing the subsequent content, his eyes widened.
"I..."
If he weren't mindful of his status, he probably would have cursed aloud.
But he quickly calmed down again, wiping his finger across the jade tablet, and its content immediately vanished.
"This boy, he really..."
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Although he was aware of Lin Sheng's temperament and methods based on the intelligence gathered, he had some expectations.
But he had never expected that upon merely arriving at the Chiyu Army Camp, he would directly kill nine centurions from the Gongsun family Family. Such a move was truly beyond his imagination.
After a brief contemplation, he waved his hand, signaling Wang Fu to withdraw.
Not long after, a thin figure in a black robe appeared in the courtyard.
"You suddenly called me over, is there something else?"
The thin figure's hoarse voice sounded.
Jing Emperor nodded.
"Elder Long, during this period, I still need to trouble you to keep a close eye on that old fellow, Gongsun Yue."
"Oh?"
Elder Long's aged face showed a hint of confusion.
Jing Emperor immediately recounted the contents of Meng Lie's message.
"This boy's methods are too ruthless. I didn't expect things to escalate to this point."
He shook his head slightly, a touch of helplessness on his face.
Elder Long, however, after listening, initially showed some surprise on his aged face, but soon a stiff smile appeared.
"This child's actions are indeed somewhat unexpected, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Cutting through the mess quickly saves a lot of entanglement."
Jing Emperor, however, sighed softly, saying.
"While that is true, such extreme actions worry me about what that old fellow Gongsun Yue might do, so I still need to trouble you, Elder Long."
"Hmph, what does Gongsun Yue dare to do!? This time his Gongsun family Family suffered heavy losses, which is entirely their own fault. Such a severe beating can be considered a lesson for him."
Elder Long snorted, and halfway through his words, his gaze fell on Jing Emperor again.
"Tianyuan, you are just like your Imperial Father, always too gentle in your actions. If you were like this child, the Gongsun family Family wouldn't dare to go so overboard."
Jing Emperor's face showed an awkward expression, but he remained silent.
Elder Long, according to seniority, was his grand-uncle, and also watched him grow up, so it was normal for him to reprimand him.
"Don't worry, I will keep an eye on the Gongsun family Family during this time. If any Grandmaster dares to act rashly, I will stop them."
Seeing that Jing Emperor did not reply, Elder Long said no more. After dropping that sentence, his figure had already disappeared from the courtyard.
Jing Emperor, meanwhile, sat at the stone table in the courtyard, seemingly contemplating something.
Soon, he again ordered Wang Fu to be summoned.
"Wang Fu, convey my imperial decree: dispatch three Imperial Guard Captains from the palace to Haihe Valley to rendezvous with Meng Lie and others. Everything is to be under the command of Commander Lin Sheng."
"Your humble servant obeys."
Upon receiving the order, Wang Fu immediately hurried off to make arrangements.
Just as Jing Emperor was making arrangements here in the Imperial Palace.
On the other side, at the Bureau of Military Affairs.
Clap!
With a crisp sound, in the study, Gongsun Yue slammed his hand on the desk in front of him, shattering it.
His face was extremely grim, flushed red, clearly burning with rage.
This sudden outburst of fury startled Hei He, a thin figure standing to the side.
In the several decades he had been in the Gongsun family Family, it was the first time he had seen the Family Head in such a furious state.
He couldn't help but guess what had happened in the letter that had just arrived from Haihe Valley.
"Too much... too much!"
"Do they really think my Gongsun family Family has no one!? That damned brat, to dare to kill nine of my Gongsun family Family's sons! Destroying my Family's Legacy, he deserves to die..."
Gongsun Yue's voice was utterly chilling, every word filled with undisguised Killing Intent.
Terrifying Killing Intent emanated, startling Hei He, who subconsciously retreated a few steps.
From the brief words, Hei He now understood something. His eyes widened, his heart filled with disbelief.
He naturally knew that there were nine outstanding descendants of the Family in the Crimson Feather Army.
But from the sound of it, these nine people seemed to have already...
He dared not think further, fearing to add fuel to his master's fire, and merely stood by, head bowed, in silence.
Gongsun Yue clenched his hands, making his bones crackle.
After a while, he finally calmed down, but the gloom on his face remained terrifyingly dense.
"Your Majesty, my good Your Majesty, you truly have done a good deed!!"
He murmured in a low voice, his words full of coldness.
"Since that is the case, then don't blame this old subject."
...
Haihe City, near the sea.
An unnamed island.
The island was densely vegetated, but upon closer inspection, figures flickered on it, indicating quite a few people were present.
On the coast, a sizable dock where several large ships were moored.
Strong sailors constantly unloaded goods.
Looking across, the center of the island had a continuous stretch of buildings, like a small town.
Inside a luxuriously decorated mansion.
Beautiful music played, and graceful women in revealing clothing danced.
On the main seat was a strong, dark-skinned middle-aged man.
Looking at these dancers, a hint of impatience suddenly appeared on his face.
"All of you, get out."
After a roar, the dancers, startled, retreated in a panic.
"Brother, why are you so angry?"
Besides the dark-skinned man, there was another person in the hall, who now spoke softly.
"What else could it be for! Just thinking about that brat, I want to go back to the army camp and grind him to dust."
The dark-skinned man was none other than the Deputy Commander of the Crimson Feather Army, Gongsun Changhai.
And the other person was also from the Gongsun family Family, named Gongsun Changyue, Gongsun Changhai's cousin.
"Brother, how I wish I could take that brat's life. However, he is, after all, the current Imperial Son-in-Law and Jing Emperor's newly appointed Commander. It's not convenient for us to act directly. Let's wait for the Family Head's reply before making a decision."
Gongsun Changyue advised from the side.
"After all, we cannot let this brat disrupt our Gongsun family Family's many years of planning."
"If it weren't for that consideration, I would have returned to the army camp five days ago and killed that brat on the spot."
Gongsun Changhai spoke in a deep voice.
Five days had passed since Lin Sheng and the others arrived at the Chiyu Army Camp.
That afternoon, he received a secret letter from the army camp, informing him of everything that had happened.
If his cousin hadn't stopped him, he would have rushed back then.
Nine descendants of the Gongsun family Family, and all of them were outstanding individuals of their generation, with Gongsun Chongfeng being his own son, and the others all his nephews. Their lives were at stake.
Upon learning of their tragic deaths, he was so enraged he almost vomited blood on the spot.
As Gongsun Changyue was about to offer a few more comforting words, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.
"First Young Master, Second Young Master, a message from the Family Head has arrived!"
A servant quickly walked in, holding a communication jade stone.
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a phantom appear before him, and the jade stone in his hand was already in Gongsun Changhai's possession.
"Finally, news!"
Gongsun Changhai's face showed an eager expression, and he immediately activated the communication jade stone with his Qi.
Soon, a series of characters appeared on it.
After seeing the content, a cruel smile appeared on his face.
He then threw it to Gongsun Changyue and slowly spoke.
"Second Brother, the Family Head's meaning is very clear: this time, everyone who came from the Imperial City, leave no one alive!"
After reading the content, Gongsun Changyue's brows furrowed slightly, but he still nodded and said.
"Since that is the case, then let's deal with these people. However, we cannot act directly; we still need to plan."
"Don't worry, I have a plan for this."