I just became the Pirate King, and you're telling me I also time-traveled at the same time.

Chapter 203 A Distinguished Guest Arrives! The Qi Family Army's Winning Strategy!

The capital city is a very interesting place.

Previously, under the emperor's control, it was difficult for news from the outside to get in, and this place has always been a place of peace and prosperity, with little change.

This time, the news of the emperor's death was kept very tightly under control. Before the outside world had received any news, the court completed the funeral in a very short time.

But even in this situation where neither can get in nor out, a shocking piece of news came from Jinling City and spread throughout the capital overnight, making it known to everyone in the city!

Jinling City was attacked by the demon race. The wise king defended the city gate alone and killed two demon kings.

The legendary Demon King!

In the minds of the people in the capital, the Demon King only existed in the words of elders to scare children, such as "If you don't behave, the Demon King will take you away."

But now, the Demon King has actually appeared in the official gazette, and the news has spread throughout the entire capital at an extremely fast pace.

It makes one believe that the Demon King... really exists!

The only thing that could make people doubt the authenticity of the official gazette was the news that the Wise Prince had killed two demon kings, which was even more astonishing than the fact that the demon kings themselves actually existed.

That纨绔之名“享誉”的贤王，其实能杀两嘇王？

Dude, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?

If people were asked to choose between the fact that the Demon King truly existed and the fact that the Wise King killed the Demon King, everyone would choose the latter without hesitation.

Without exception, any native Beijing resident would have strong doubts about this.

If things were to proceed normally, the capital would be in an uproar after the news broke, and some people might even go to the Prince's residence to accuse the Prince of stealing credit from others.

But things didn't go that way.

Because Qi Jiguang, the general who defended Nanjing, entered the capital city in full view of the public, holding a "Ten Thousand People Umbrella".

Even the people of Beijing, who were often kept in the dark, knew who Qi Jiguang was.

A universally recognized hero of the entire nation and people!

Even Guo Bujing, who was known as a "great hero" by the world, was inferior to him. To be more accurate, Guo Bujing greatly admired him.

This was the man who, holding the "Ten Thousand People's Umbrella," represented the people of Nanjing as they went to the capital to express their gratitude.

The "Ten Thousand People Umbrella" cannot be imitated because it was made by Buddhist and Taoist masters using the lights of ten thousand homes. These lights represent the most sincere gratitude in the hearts of the people.

The light of the lamp is the fire of the heart.

This item is the only treasure since the great changes in the world that can make demons nowhere to hide. If any demons enter the city, the Umbrella of Ten Thousand People will automatically open and illuminate the entire city with the light of the fire of the heart.

As soon as they entered Beijing, the "Ten Thousand People's Umbrella" reacted, slipping from Qi Jiguang's grasp and slowly flying away. Qi Jiguang dared not delay and led a portion of his Qi Family Army to follow closely behind.

Many onlookers followed them from a distance to watch the spectacle.

……

The weather is nice today, and they're having hot pot inside the Prince's Mansion.

Lu Xiaofeng was eating hotpot and singing when he suddenly realized it was getting dark. He looked up and saw an umbrella floating overhead, glowing...

The chopsticks slipped from his hand, and his gaze became somewhat vacant. "What is this thing?"

Li Gexiao, a former deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had seen the "Ten Thousand People Umbrella" before. When he was still a centurion, he had seen the scene of ten thousand people kneeling to see off their official in the south.

It's a pity that the civil official was harmed by a villain. A good official with the "umbrella of ten thousand people" did not die at the hands of demons, but instead died at the hands of his own people.

This incident greatly shocked Li Gexiao at the time, and he was even unsure whether demons or humans were more evil.

"This is the 'Umbrella of Ten Thousand People,' made from the lights of ten thousand homes; it can be said to be the most precious treasure in the world..."

Li Gexiao eloquently recounted the origin of the "Umbrella for Ten Thousand People".

"I've heard of it, but I've never seen it before. So this is the Umbrella of Ten Thousand People."

Lu Xiaofeng circled around the Wanmin Umbrella in mid-air, almost making Chu Yang dizzy. Fortunately, at this moment, the Wanmin Umbrella slowly closed and fell into Chu Yang's arms.

Lu Xiaofeng and Li Gexiao both looked at Chu Yang at the same time.

"Your Highness, is this yours?" Li Gexiao asked in surprise, "How come I've never seen this before?"

"What a coincidence, I've never seen it before either." Chu Yang picked up the Wanmin Umbrella, examined it for a moment, and then said, "How would I know whose it is?"

Lu Xiaofeng seemed to be deep in thought, then revealed a mysterious smile, "I guess we have a distinguished guest coming today."

"Who is it?" Li Gexiao asked curiously.

Lu Xiaofeng, however, remained mysterious and refused to tell him.

Call ~

A gust of wind blew across the yard.

"I've been running around doing all this for you guys, I'm exhausted like a dead dog, and all you guys are doing here is eating hot pot, is there any for me?"

A ghostly figure suddenly appeared beside Lu Xiaofeng, its slender fingers reaching for the meat in his bowl.

With lightning speed, Lu Xiaofeng used his unique skill, the "Lingxi Finger," to trap the "meat thief's" hand with his chopsticks.

"Monkey, don't you know you have to wash your hands before eating? Do you really think you're a monkey?" Lu Xiaofeng looked at Sikong Zhaixing with disdain.

The travel-worn Sikong Zhaixing seemed angry. She skillfully broke free of the chopsticks and then resolutely reached into Lu Xiaofeng's bowl to grab the meat.

The two of them started playfully fighting.

The meat in the bowl swayed precariously like a fishing boat on the sea, and before it could stay still for long, it flew out of the bowl. Li Gexiao reacted quickly, leaping up to catch the meat and putting it in his mouth with his chopsticks.

Having gotten a piece of fragrant meat for free, Li Gexiaomei's eyes narrowed, and she teased, "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

Chu Yang also laughed and said, "For you, it's indeed a great honor to have a guest come to your door, and you can even make a living from it."

"He's no honored guest whatsoever!" Lu Xiaofeng said with a sullen expression. "What kind of guest walks in and tries to steal meat?"

Chu Yang began to wonder, "So, the distinguished guest is someone else entirely?"

Sikong Zhaixing's eyes darted around, and she quickly spoke up, "Your Highness, I know our distinguished guest is..."

Before he could finish speaking, everyone heard the old butler's shout.

"Your Highness, please come out and see! There are so many people outside. They're probably here to cause us trouble. Sigh, what have you been doing all these days?"

The old steward was both angry and anxious, fearing that the people outside would storm the Prince's mansion. The huge mansion only had a few useless servants and not even a guard. Wouldn't something bad happen?

Chu Yang frowned slightly, got up and walked towards the main gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Li Gexiao and Lu Xiaofeng put down their bowls and chopsticks and followed behind Chu Yang. The two had different expressions. Lu Xiaofeng had a smile in his eyes, as if he thought something good was going to happen.

Li Gexiao, on the other hand, had a serious expression.

Before he even got close to the gate, Chu Yang heard a commotion outside. He turned to the old butler and said, "Open the door, let me see what's going on."

The old steward instructed the gatekeeper to open the door. The gatekeeper, trembling, pushed the door open, and with a creak, the gate of the Prince's Mansion slowly opened.

A wave of blood stench hits you, but even more intense is the chilling aura of the battlefield, like the icy winds of the north brushing against your face.

Appearing in front of Chu Yang was a burly man in armor. His face was weathered, his lips were chapped, and his armor was riddled with holes, but his eyes were bright and piercing.

"This humble general, Qi Jiguang, on behalf of all the people of Jinling City, kowtows to thank Your Highness for saving our lives!"

Chu Yang finally met Qi Jiguang, the legendary hero.

The other person was thinner than I had imagined, but he was able to hold up the armor. His aura was like that of a fierce tiger staring coldly at you.

His eyes were sharp, but devoid of any other emotion; they were very clear.

If an ordinary person met that kind of gaze, they would probably start trembling inside.

"General Qi, there are too many people and too much chatter outside. Please lead your men into the mansion for a chat." Chu Yang smiled and bowed to welcome Qi Jiguang and the Qi family army into the mansion.

"This subordinate obeys."

Qi Jiguang bowed respectfully and led the soldiers behind him into the palace in an orderly fashion.

The gates of the Prince's Mansion were quickly closed again, but the onlookers were still unwilling to leave, and the discussions not only did not disappear, but intensified.

"General Qi has entered the Prince's residence! That 'Ten Thousand People's Umbrella' truly belongs to the Wise Prince!"

"Good heavens, I'm starting to lose sight of the world..."

"Is the news that the Wise King slew two demon kings true?!"

"How old is he this year? Even Zhuge Liang didn't achieve such feats! Isn't he the number one martial artist in the world?!"

"With such high martial arts talent, why has the Wise Prince wasted so many years? He's just been unfairly criticized!"

"You wouldn't know this, would you? I have a brother who works in the palace. He heard a secret: when Prince Xian was a child, he was murdered by other princes..."

Rumors circulated endlessly, some true and some false, but the people didn't care; they just treated them as topics of conversation during their leisure time.

However, one thing is certain.

From now on, the frequency with which people mention the wise king's unbearable past will decrease, but it will not be forgotten. Instead, it will become a deeper "little secret".

When they reach the age of enjoying their grandchildren, each of them will smile and say to their grandchildren, "Do you know what our Emperor looked like when he was young?"

……

Chu Yang led the Qi Family Army to sit down in the courtyard. Looking at their travel-worn appearance, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy and respect. This was what soldiers of the Ming Dynasty should look like, not just a bunch of thugs who only knew how to exploit the people.

"You just came down from the battlefield? What's the situation in the south? Did the demon race attack the city again after I left?"

Chu Yang asked three questions in one breath, which even surprised Qi Jiguang.

Seeing Chu Yang's sincere gaze, Qi Jiguang's tone and eyes became serious. "Your Highness, rest assured, the situation in the south is relatively stable. Since Your Highness killed the two demon kings, the demon race has not appeared near Wanglong City again."

"To be honest, the injuries we sustained were the result of fighting with our own people."

Chu Yang seemed to have anticipated this, and sighed, "How many generals defending the cities in the south have rebelled?"

Qi Jiguang replied, "About 70% of them are independent factions that feel the court is too busy to deal with them and has no resources to suppress them."

Chu Yang shook his head and chuckled, "General Qi, please don't hold back. Speak boldly, what percentage is it?"

Qi Jiguang clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "Ninety percent!"

Li Gexiao and Lu Xiaofeng both gasped in shock. What did 90% mean? It was almost equivalent to all the military generals in the south choosing to rebel.

"That's pretty much what I thought."

Chu Yang was not too alarmed, because this world was, in a strict sense, completely different from the Ming Dynasty in history.

Due to the threat from the demon race, military generals wielded immense power; they were the true leaders, just as Qi Jiguang's position in Nanjing was unshakeable.

The people of the city relied on the general and his soldiers to survive in the chaos. The imperial court was too distant for the local people, so distant that it had no practical significance.

It's almost costless for military officers to rebel, but there's never been any need for it, given the 800,000 Imperial Guards in the capital.

Now, news of the demon race's actions has spread throughout the south, and these military generals are certain that the imperial court is too busy fighting the demon race to spare any extra troops to wipe them out.

Many people even believed that the Ming Dynasty was doomed to lose, and they were secretly studying what type of sorcerer would be the most worthwhile to become in the future.

Therefore, rebellion became a matter of course.

This is why Chu Yang prioritized dealing with the south rather than rushing to aid the Xuanbing City on the northern border.

The emperor had only been buried for a few days, and they were already so impatient.

Chu Yang asked, "Isn't Jinling City now the target of everyone's criticism?"

Qi Jiguang laughed and said, "In just a few days, hundreds of thousands of troops gathered under the city walls, but they were all driven back by the Qi Family Army. Now we can finally take a break."

After saying this, the soldiers behind Qi Jiguang all proudly puffed out their chests.

"The Qi Family Army truly lives up to its reputation; it deserves to be called the strongest army in the Ming Dynasty," Chu Yang praised first, then asked, "But given the urgency of the situation, why did General Qi choose to enter the capital at this time?"

Qi Jiguang clasped his hands and said, "I have come here not only to deliver the 'Umbrella of Ten Thousand People' to Your Highness, but also to escort a batch of newly developed military equipment to support the North."

"With the demon race moving north, the situation in the north will soon be the same as in the south. Having weapons will make fighting the demon race much easier."

Chu Yang was deeply moved.

A few days ago, when discussing decisions in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Sheng Yayu mentioned the weapons of Qi Jiguang's army, believing that they were powerful tools to help defend the border cities, but this suggestion was rejected.

From the very beginning, Chu Yang's goal was not only to rebuild the southern lands but also to fight in even more distant places, so the Qi Family Army's combat capabilities could not be weakened in the slightest.

Qi Jiguang is now personally escorting military equipment into Beijing to aid the north, even at the cost of weakening his own troops' combat capabilities.

His dedication to the country and its people is evident.

However, his arrival gave Chu Yang a new idea.

Chu Yang asked, "The Qi Family Army's new firearms are famous throughout the world. I would like to ask General Qi, are your new weapons still firearms?"

Speaking of the new firearms, Qi Jiguang excitedly replied, "Your Highness, yes, the artisans and array masters of the firearms battalion are working day and night, neglecting sleep and meals, all in the hope that the human race can gain the upper hand in the war against the demon race."

"The greatest threat to an army is often not the great demons or demon kings, but the millions of demonic beasts, and even more numerous wild animals!"

"Once they charge into battle, even if the soldiers take advantage of the battle formation and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, the final result is still heavy losses."

"Therefore, before the two sides make contact, it is necessary to use firearms to reduce the number of demons and wild beasts, so that they will lose their numerical advantage and become disorganized. The great demons will often find it difficult to break through the battle formation, and it is only a matter of time before the demon race loses the war."

Using firepower to suppress the overwhelming force of the beast horde is countered by the fact that those low-intelligence beasts, who do not understand cooperation, will only charge on instinct, and the outcome is predictable.

Thinking of this, Chu Yang smiled mysteriously.

"General Qi, I also know a little about firearms. How about we exchange some knowledge?" (End of Chapter)