aircannonsinc Chapter 14 Turbulent Times, Across the Land and the Martial World!
Chapter 14 Turbulent Times, Across the Land and the Martial World!
The establishment of the World Society was like a pebble falling into an already murky lake.
The Mongols in the north eyed the world with predatory intent, the Jin Dynasty, though weakened, still possessed considerable strength, and the Song Dynasty, residing in the south, looked north towards the Central Plains, eager to make its move.
For the people of the Jin state, Yang Kang had only established a martial arts sect and had not raised the banner of rebellion. Shandong was still nominally under the jurisdiction of the Jin state. Wanyan Yongji, who was already in dire straits, thought it was better to avoid trouble and dared not mention the suppression of the rebellion in Shandong for a while.
To the people in the south, Yang Kang was nothing more than a bastard raised by the Jin dynasty's royal family. Even though he had the name of a hegemon and countless Han Chinese in the Central Plains regarded him as their savior, he was still no different from Ran Min. The Southern Song emperor sent an insignificant official, Gou Mengyu, to appoint Yang Kang to an extremely minor official position.
"Wu Yilang! He is the forty-first rank among the fifty-three ranks of military officials."
"Xin Qiji's achievement of storming the Jin camp with only a few dozen men and capturing the traitorous general was the only reason he was awarded this official position."
"The Song court really thinks highly of me, actually placing me alongside Xin Qiji!"
"What virtue or ability does Yang Kang possess to be compared to such heroes!"
Yang Kang boasted about the official position bestowed upon him by the Song court, but he was actually laughing in anger.
"So this is what Sun Wukong felt when he was appointed as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses?"
"This commotion in the Heavenly Palace is truly well-deserved!"
Yang Kang almost couldn't resist getting up and killing the messenger with a single blow.
"Shandong has long been outside the jurisdiction of the Han emperor. We are unaware of the Han dynasty's benevolent rule and fear we will disappoint the envoy. The envoy has come from afar as a guest; please go and rest first!"
"Mr. Yang has other important matters to attend to, so this matter will be discussed later."
Yang Kang said with a forced smile.
The envoy on the other side, Gou Mengyu, naturally understood that Yang Kang looked down on this insignificant official. When traveling, survival was the priority, and he certainly wouldn't risk offending Yang Kang at this moment for the sake of Lin'an's foolishness.
No sooner had Gou Mengyu left than Yelü Chucai walked in.
"It's utterly incomprehensible that the Song Dynasty, confined to a corner of Jiangnan for a century, could be so arrogant!"
Yelü Chucai said with a grim expression that the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Southern Song Dynasty was his idea, but he did not expect the Southern Song Dynasty to take them so lightly.
"Jinqing, it seems we won't be able to benefit from the Song Dynasty's influence anytime soon!"
"They don't even look down on us!"
Why bother trying to curry favor with someone who doesn't reciprocate?
Yang Kang looked at Yelü Chucai and said with great interest.
"It was my oversight; I never imagined the Song Dynasty would be so unwise!"
Yelü Chucai sighed.
"If the Zhao family had treated us Han Chinese from the north as their own, the Han Chinese of the Central Plains wouldn't have suffered a century of oppression under the Jurchens' swords and spears!"
"Sooner or later, I will avenge my leader by driving my horse to Lin'an and holding the Zhao Emperor accountable!"
Yang Miaozhen walked in from outside the door, clearly aware of Gou Mengyu's imperial decree.
She wasn't wearing red today, but rather simple clothes, yet her aura was all the more sharp, making people afraid to look directly at her. Despite being a rare beauty in this world, most people would instinctively feel fear upon first seeing her.
Yang Kang smiled calmly, not denying Yang Miaozhen's idea.
"Boss!"
"Zhang Rou is here!"
Yang Miaozhen cupped her hands and said.
Zhang Rou of Yizhou was a rare hero of his time, brave and arrogant, with a strong gambling instinct. He was unwilling to surrender to the Mongols and despised the Jin court. Originally struggling in the cracks, he heard that Yang Kang had broken away from his Jurchen identity and restored his Han bloodline, so he led his troops a thousand miles to join him without hesitation.
"Quickly, come with me to the city gate street to greet him!"
Yang Kang glanced at Yelü Chucai and immediately gave the order.
There's an old saying about spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones; Zhang Rou's actions at this time were a timely act of kindness.
"I aspire to be a hegemon, and accomplish great deeds!"
Before the city gate, Zhang Rou knelt on one knee and swore allegiance to Yang Kang.
Yang Kang greatly admired this courageous and powerful man, so he appointed him as the commander of the vanguard army, placing him alongside Wanyan Chenheshang as the second-in-command in his army.
The power of the World Society was also growing rapidly. Under the pressure of the army of Chen Heshang and Yang An'er, Yan Shi, a local strongman in Shandong, surrendered his entire prefecture. Yang Kang accepted the land but reduced his power, keeping him as the prefect and sending a sub-prefect to supervise him.
Zhang Rong, who was holding Jinan, faced threats from the Mongols to the north and the growing power of the Tianxiahui (World Society) to the south. The Jin court was preoccupied with its own survival and lived in constant fear. Fearing being devoured, Zhang Rong, persuaded by Yelü Chucai, opened the gates and surrendered, and Jinan thus came under the control of the Tianxiahui.
The powerful Shi family of Zhen Ding, located far away in Hebei, though not directly connected to Shandong, sent their most outstanding disciple, Shi Tianze, to participate in the World Alliance, as a gesture of forming an alliance.
Within just a few months, the World Society had become a de facto state within a state.
Yang Kang, on the other hand, expanded his territory, consolidated his internal forces, and studied martial arts with Yang Miaozhen.
After obtaining Wang Chuyi's permission, Yang Kang passed on the Quanzhen Internal Skill and all his martial arts skills to Yang Miaozhen.
Yang Miaozhen also imparted her understanding of the spear intent to Yang Kang without reservation. Both of them gained something from it, and their martial arts improved noticeably every few days.
As they spent more and more time together, their relationship began to undergo subtle changes.
When the first chilly wind of winter blew into Yizhou Prefecture, Yang Miaozhen gifted her divine steed, Golden Crow, to Yang Kang, saying it was to repay him for passing on his skills.
Yang Kang wanted to refuse, but the magnificent steed was simply too luxurious, and he couldn't resist in the end.
Yang Kang leaped onto his horse, and the golden crow raised its head and neighed.
[System Prompt: Historical Scene - Profile of the Divine Steed]
[Xiang Yu template integration rate: 70%]
【Black Steed Treads on Snow - Extraordinary Riding Skills - Horse and Man as One - Unlocked】
In an instant, Yang Kang seemed to merge with the divine steed Jinwu beneath him, and Jinwu immediately understood Yang Kang's every intention. The man and the horse galloped along the banks of the long river.
"Is this really the first time the leader has ridden the Golden Crow?"
Yang An'er looked at her younger sister with a puzzled expression.
"It seems it really likes the leader!"
Yang Miaozhen's originally sharp gaze suddenly softened, making Yang An'er's eyelids twitch.
[Host: Yang Kang]
[Current World: The Legend of the Condor Heroes]
[Character Template: Xiang Yu Template (70% Integration, Overlord Physique, Military Strategy, Overlord Divine Arrow, Overlord Double Pupils, Black Steed Treading Snow)]
Martial Arts: Quanzhen Internal Energy, Nine Yang Divine Skill, Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill
[Note: Do you want to ride a horse?]
After a long while, Yang Kang reined in his horse and returned to camp. Looking at Yang Miaozhen on the ground, he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Fourth Miss, thank you for your kindness!"
Yang Kang held Yang Miaozhen still, while stroking the mane of the golden crow.
Yang Miaozhen smiled, drawing the attention of everyone around her.
"Brother, Master Qiu has arrived!"
"There is also a masked villain causing trouble in the mansion. Even if Master Qiu and Master Wang join forces, they are no match for him."
"You should go back quickly!"
Mu Nianci suddenly rushed over to ask for help.
Originally, Qiu Chuji encountered Mei Chaofeng causing trouble and chased after her. In this life, Qiu Chuji possesses the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" found by Yang Kang, making his martial arts skills vastly different from those in the original story.
Although Jiuyang is named after Yang, it is a balanced and harmonious internal skill that integrates Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and does not conflict with Qiu Chuji's "Quanzhen Internal Skill".
The combination of these two factors actually led to a significant improvement in his martial arts skills, making the blind Mei Chaofeng no match for Qiu Chuji.
Qiu Chuji pursued Mei Chaofeng all the way to Shandong. Mei Chaofeng was about to die, but a masked man suddenly appeared and rescued her.
Qiu Chuji pursued him relentlessly, which enraged the masked man, leading to a fierce fight between them.
The two fought for a day and a night, all the way to the World Society.
Seeing that he still couldn't capture the thief, Qiu Chuji hurriedly called for Yang Kang to come and help.
"You scoundrel, how dare you!"
"Fourth Mistress, come with me to meet the enemy!"
Yang Kang immediately reached out and pulled Yang Miaozhen to ride the Golden Crow steed together towards the mansion.
"My sworn brother!!!"
Mu Nianci paused for a moment, a hint of bitterness flashing across her face, but she immediately spurred her horse and followed.