dmims Chapter 16 Innate Skill, The Battle for Self-Establishment
Chapter 16 Innate Skill, The Battle for Self-Establishment
"The Five Greatest Wonders in the World!"
"Truly no ordinary person!"
Yang Kang holstered his gun, turned around, and said with a solemn expression.
He never imagined that he, who could move freely among thousands of troops, would still be as clumsy as a child in front of this Eastern Heretic.
Even when he joined forces with Yang Miaozhen, they still couldn't defeat Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, who had been fighting for a day and a night.
"Miaozhen, you have truly underestimated the heroes of the world!"
"If the Eastern Heretic is this terrifying, one can only imagine the prowess of his equals, the Western Poison, the Southern Emperor, and the Northern Beggar!"
Yang Miaozhen was also still immersed in the battle she had just fought.
Although they forced Huang Yaoshi to flee in a mere fifty moves together, they knew perfectly well that if either of them faced Huang Yaoshi alone today, the outcome would likely be reversed.
"Brother, Sister Miaozhen, please stop being so modest. Even someone as formidable as her was still defeated and forced to flee in a sorry state by your combined efforts."
Mu Nianci jogged over and said with a smile.
Although she admired Yang Kang, at this moment she felt that only someone like Yang Miaozhen was worthy of her domineering brother.
"Miss Mu is right. If we have another twenty years, the gang leader and I will surely be able to defeat him."
Yang Miaozhen looked at Mu Nianci and nodded in agreement.
"Twenty years is too long!"
Yang Kang narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with murderous intent.
Having a grudge against a master like the Eastern Heretic is truly a matter that makes one restless and unable to eat or sleep.
"Kang'er!"
Wang Chuyi shouted anxiously, for Qiu Chuji had already fainted from exhaustion.
Amidst the chaos, Yang Kang quickly instructed Yang Miaozhen to handle the aftermath, while he took Qiu Chuji back to the training room to heal his injuries.
As night fell, Qiu Chuji slowly awoke thanks to the combined efforts of Yang Kang and Wang Chuyi.
"Kang'er, you've grown up!"
The first thing Qiu Chuji said when he opened his eyes was to look at Yang Kang with a face full of satisfaction.
"Huang Yaoshi truly lives up to his name as the Eastern Heretic; a grandmaster of his stature has so disregarded all decorum by attacking his senior brother!"
When Wang Chuyi saw Qiu Chuji wake up, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and couldn't help but sigh.
"I never expected that the bronze corpse Mei Chaofeng would actually be Huang Yaoshi's disciple."
"Thinking that thieves were helping them, they pursued too recklessly, which angered the Eastern Heretic and caused him to attack."
"If it weren't for Kang'er finding the Nine Yang Divine Skill, I would have already lost my life at his hands."
"This time, however, I'm the one taking the risk!"
Qiu Chuji clutched his chest and laughed self-deprecatingly.
"Back then, when I asked you all to practice the Nine Yang Divine Skill with me, you all claimed that your Quanzhen martial arts were unparalleled in the world. Did you think I was crazy?"
"Now you know how powerful this skill is!"
Qiu Chuji suddenly smiled and said to Wang Chuyi.
"Mastering divine skills is no easy feat. We can't even get the basics of our own 'Innate Skill,' so why bother trying to acquire the Nine Yang Skill?"
"To be honest, since you brought this 'Nine Yang Divine Skill' back to Quanzhen, several of us fellow disciples have tried to practice it, but with very little success!"
Wang Chuyi said with a slightly bitter tone.
"Since Master has left Quanzhen, why didn't you come to find me sooner?"
Yang Kang looked at Qiu Chuji curiously and asked.
"I went to Zhongdu to look for you early this morning, but I didn't expect we would miss each other!"
"I have long known of your ambition to rule the world, and I originally intended to groom you to become the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, to achieve the great deeds of Yao and Shun! This would also be a way to restore the Han Dynasty's rule."
"But I never expected you to know your past, and to possess such unyielding spirit—the courage to sacrifice an arm to survive, and the indomitable will to rise again after destruction!"
"I haven't told you about your background all these years, Kang'er. Do you blame your master for that?"
Qiu Chuji stood up, looked at Yang Kang, and sighed.
Wang Chuyi looked at Qiu Chuji in surprise, hearing about his senior brother's scheme for the first time.
"Master, you don't blame me for taking it upon myself to restore my Han identity?"
Yang Kang asked curiously.
"I've had this idea for a long time, but I've been hesitant."
"If you revert to your original surname and establish a separatist regime in Shandong, Jin Ting will not let it go easily."
Are you prepared?
Qiu Chuji said with concern.
"Master is absolutely right. The reason I established the World Society instead of directly declaring myself king is that I didn't want to break ties with Zhongdu so soon."
"However, I expect Wanyan Yongji will not let this go so easily. There will definitely be a battle for the survival of the World Society."
Yang Kang chuckled lightly and said confidently.
After so many years of preparation, he was not acting on a whim. Several days ago, someone had already reported the unusual activity in Zhongdu to him.
Wanyan Honglie was imprisoned and spent his days indulging in a life of debauchery, escaping reality.
Jin Ting then mobilized his troops, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Yizhou Prefecture and annihilate Yang Kang while the World Society was still in its early stages and its foothold was not yet secure.
The main force of the Jin Dynasty had suffered heavy losses at Yefuling, and the remaining troops were all in the hands of Yang Kang in Shandong. The Mongols were eyeing the city from the north, and the defenses around Zhongdu were under strain.
Despite Zhongdu's best efforts, it could only muster five thousand men, three thousand of whom were Han infantrymen recruited from Shandong. The core force consisted of only eight hundred elite Jurchen cavalry, one of Wanyan Yongji's last remaining assets.
While Wanyan Yongji secretly sent people to contact the generals of various tribes in Shandong, offering them high-ranking positions and generous salaries in an attempt to persuade them to defect and return to the fold, he also ordered his 5,000 troops to march straight into Yizhou Prefecture.
In their eyes, Yang Kang, as a minor prince of the Jurchen tribe, had only been able to command the 100,000-strong army in Shandong for a little over a year. Now, with just one order from them, Shandong could be recovered in no time.
In the eyes of the powerful and influential in Zhongdu, the Red Turban Army and their ilk were nothing more than a rabble.
Upon hearing that Zhongdu was about to attack and that Yang Kang knew about the troop deployment, Qiu Chuji nodded.
"Is Kang'er confident?"
Qiu Chuji asked curiously.
"Zhongdu is also out of manpower. The leader this time is neither Wanyan Chenghui nor Wanyan Gang."
Yang Kang shook his head and smiled.
"Does Kang'er know who the visitor is?"
Wang and Qiu exchanged a glance and asked curiously.
"Wanyan Ting, whose original name was Li Ercuo, was granted the surname Wanyan because of his military achievements."
"He was a loyal subject of the Jin Dynasty and one of the few Han Chinese generals in the Jurchen court."
"Wanyan Yongji sent someone who had abandoned his Han surname and changed it to Wanyan to fight someone who had abandoned Wanyan and returned to his Han surname."
"My imperial grandfather was quite a talent!!"
Yang Kang chuckled helplessly.
Being treated like a child by the enemy is both an insult and a stroke of luck!
Qiu Chuji and Wang Chuyi exchanged a glance, then both nodded. Wang Chuyi took out a secret manual from his pocket and handed it to Yang Kang.
The words "Xiantian Gong" were prominently displayed above.
"Master, Uncle-Master, what's this?"
Yang Kang took the manual and looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression.
"My senior brother once said that you are exceptionally talented and are the most likely among my Quanzhen disciples to cultivate the 'Innate Skill'!"
"The seven of us are of one mind and share the same blood. Since our senior brother has said so, we naturally will not object!"
"At that time, you were still a prince of the Jin Kingdom. I was afraid that my senior brother had entrusted the wrong person, so I volunteered to come to Zhongdu to test your character."
"In retrospect, it was all unnecessary!"
"Kang'er, we are outsiders, ignorant of military and national affairs, but we only hope to lend you a helping hand!"
Wang Chuyi patted Yang Kang on the shoulder and said earnestly.
Qiu Chuji, standing to the side, stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction.
"Master, Uncle-Master, rest assured! Kang'er will not let you down."
Yang Kang knelt down, raised the "Innate Skill" above his head, and solemnly promised.
. . . . . .
Everything was proceeding as Wanyan Yongji had planned.
Wanyan Ting's 5,000 troops approached Yizhou Prefecture without any hindrance. Rumors spread throughout Shandong that Jin Ting's 100,000-strong army was about to arrive, but the original military commanders of Shandong remained strangely silent.
For a time, the once-famous World Society seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
"Jinqing, do you think he will surrender?"
Just before Wanyan Ting was about to enter Juye, Yang Kang looked at the secret letter and asked Yelü Chucai beside him.
"Even after a century of rule, the Jin dynasty has never lacked loyal ministers!"
"Although Wanyan Ting is despised by the Han people, Zhongdu has indeed never wronged him!"
Yelü Chucai shook his head.
"It seems that Zhongdu has never treated me unfairly!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang couldn't help but laugh.
Soon, Wanyan Ting's 5,000 troops encountered Yang Kang's 100 Iron Pagoda personal guards on the Juye Plain outside Yizhou Prefecture.
Wanyan Ting used light cavalry to harass the flanks, while heavy cavalry charged forward in the center, with Han infantry arrayed behind to provide support.
This standard Jurchen fighting style once conquered the Central Plains, and even when facing the Mongols, they had the strength to fight.
Wanyan Ting's plan was flawless, but the battle ended much faster than he had anticipated.
The eight hundred Jurchen elite cavalry were Wanyan Yongji's trump card, but they were far inferior to Genghis Khan's personal guard, the Kheshig, on the battlefield of Yehuling.
Yang Kang's martial arts skills had improved significantly since his time at Wild Fox Ridge. His overwhelming power was unstoppable. Wherever his iron spear passed, men and horses were shattered. He tore through Wanyan Ting's formation without any hindrance and charged to the command post of his central army.
Yang Miao then led the remaining Iron Pagoda personal guards and, with overwhelming force, shattered Wanyan Ting's formation.
Three thousand Han infantrymen collapsed first, throwing their weapons on the ground and fleeing south without looking back. Eight hundred Jurchen elite cavalrymen, having lost the support of their infantry, were surrounded and suffered more than half their casualties, with the remainder scattering in all directions.
Wanyan Chenheshang did not appear, nor did the three divisions of the Red Turban Army. None of the troops that had been secretly exchanging letters and promising to join forces with him to wipe out Yang Kang's forces showed up.
Before Wanyan Ting could react, he had already become Yang Kang's prisoner.
"General, do you really like the surname Wanyan that much?"
"Is it worth turning your back on your ancestors?"
Yang Kang pressed his spear against Wanyan Ting's shoulder and asked curiously, while Yang Miaozhen in the distance was sweeping away the scattered and fleeing Jin army.
"Before leaving, His Majesty also asked me to ask the young prince, 'Do you really dislike the surname Wanyan that much?'"
"Is it worth forgetting eighteen years of nurturing kindness and betraying the court's trust?"
Wanyan Ting was forced to kneel down by Yang Kang's iron spear, but he still gritted his teeth and stood up, stubbornly looking at him.
"Among your soldiers, besides those from Zhongdu, there are three thousand infantrymen who are Han Chinese civilians who have been driven to desperation by the court."
"If they hadn't followed you, they probably would have joined Yang An'er and the others in rebellion. Now they are all my subjects!"
"General, Zhongdu has been kind to you and me, but to them it is an immense enmity."
Yang Kang shook his head and sighed, then put away the iron spear in his hand.
"You can leave now!"
"Go back and tell my royal grandfather."
"Yang Kang had already repaid the imperial court's favor during the Mongol-Jin War."
"The kindness of raising me for eighteen years is the kindness of my father. As long as he is alive, Yang Kang will not raise the flag of rebellion."
"From now on, the affairs of Shandong will no longer require the court's concern."
Yang Kang finished speaking indifferently, then mounted his horse.
Wanyan Ting stared blankly at Yang Kang for a long time before gritting his teeth and riding away.
"Loyalty and loyalty are truly an incredibly useful banner!"
"I don't want to face the Mongol Empire with Genghis Khan so soon!!!"
Yang Kang watched Wanyan Ting's departing figure and thought indifferently.