Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 523: Secret of Summoning Wind and Rain

As soon as Song Qingshu finished speaking, his figure shot up the mountain like a wisp of smoke. 

Along the way, the swords scattered on the ground seemed to be controlled by countless invisible threads, rising into the air and circling around Song Qingshu. From a distance, it looked as if Song Qingshu had grown wings made of countless swords.

With Song Qingshu’s Qinggong, it didn’t take long before he encountered the Qing army’s vanguard. 

By now, Sa Bu Su’s cavalry was already in disarray, unable to organize any effective resistance. Wherever Song Qingshu passed, blood splattered, and the Qing soldiers who tried to block his way fell one by one.

Anyone watching their comrades being effortlessly cut down like blades of grass could not remain calm. Soon, all the Qing soldiers around him were filled with fear; none dared to block his path anymore, instinctively moving aside, leaving a clear road between Song Qingshu and Sa Bu Su.

“Stop him!” a frightened subordinate beside Sa Bu Su shouted, but by now, the entire army had collapsed, and no one paid him any heed.

Sa Bu Su, however, remained much calmer than the panicked subordinate beside him. Holding his waist saber, he coldly watched as the deadly wings of swords drew closer and closer. His last thought was a long sigh: ‘It’s a pity I will never get to learn how he could summon wind and rain…’

“Sa Bu Su is dead! From now on, anyone who lays down their weapons and surrenders will be spared.”

Behind Song Qingshu, countless swords still floated, dripping with blood. Illuminated by flashes of lightning and thunder, he looked like a demon god. 

Once someone took the lead, more and more Qing soldiers chose to surrender. In the end, apart from a few who managed to escape, nearly half of the Northern Route Army perished in the chaos, while the remaining half chose to surrender.

The news of the annihilation of the three armies quickly reached the Central Army. 

Yue Le walked out of the command tent alone, staring blankly at the vast green mountains in the distance for a long time before finally summoning the subordinate generals for an emergency meeting, where he announced an immediate retreat.

“Commander, we cannot retreat! We have suffered heavy losses, and if we return to the capital without any accomplishments, we will surely face punishment.”

“That’s right, Commander. Even if the other three armies are wiped out, the Golden Serpent Camp must have also suffered significant losses. We still have 40,000 men; we can still fight.”

“I volunteer to lead 5,000 elite soldiers to strike directly at the rebel headquarters!”

…

The command tent was in an uproar as the generals voiced their opinions.

“The Golden Serpent Camp has won several great victories, and their morale is at its peak. In contrast, our army’s morale has reached the bottom. Staying here would be futile,” Yue Le raised his hand to stop the discussions and made the final decision. “No more arguments. I have already decided. If the Emperor blames us when we return to the capital, I will bear the responsibility alone.”

Seeing the unwilling looks in the eyes of the departing generals, Yue Le sighed, his brows full of worry: “This southern expedition was supposed to be a coordinated effort of four armies, mutually supporting each other. Yet, the Golden Serpent Camp managed to strike with precision each time, attacking when the other armies were unable to come to the rescue. If there’s no traitor in the court leaking information, I wouldn’t believe it. If we continue fighting, we might lose even the 40,000 men we have left. It’s better to return to the capital and present a secret report to the Emperor before making any further decisions.”

Yue Le, a seasoned and battle-hardened general, quickly identified the key reason for their failure, preserving the Qing dynasty’s remaining forces. 

Unfortunately, despite all his calculations, he never imagined that the biggest traitor in the capital was the Emperor himself.

The news of the Qing army’s retreat quickly reached the Golden Serpent Camp, and the camp erupted in cheers. Although they had won the previous three battles by overcoming great odds, everyone knew they had been walking on a tightrope, taking risks that the Qing soldiers could afford, but they could not. 

A single misstep would have led to their total destruction!

The leaders who had been sent out to harass and intercept the other three armies returned to the headquarters with their subordinates, each looking at Song Qingshu with a newfound respect.

With just a few thousand men, he had effortlessly wiped out Tu Hai’s 30,000 elite Eastern Route Army, then swiftly destroyed Feiyanggu’s 25,000 Western Route Army, and finally, in a hasty encounter with the Northern Route Army’s elite cavalry, he defeated them with almost no casualties, capturing nearly half of their forces.

Tu Hai and Fei Yanggu were renowned generals of their time. The Golden Serpent Camp had fought them many times, and even at its peak, the camp found them difficult to deal with. 

Yet now, Song Qingshu, leading a group of old, weak, and injured soldiers, had easily defeated the Qing dynasty’s 100,000 elite soldiers!

This alone was enough to inspire awe, but what shocked everyone even more was the final battle. 

Song Qingshu, standing on a high platform, had summoned wind and rain, single-handedly destroying 8,000 elite Northern Route cavalrymen. The story quickly spread among those present, and soon everyone in the Golden Serpent Camp knew about it. Naturally, the story became more exaggerated with each retelling, and now, in the hearts of the lower-ranking soldiers, their new Golden Serpent King was no ordinary man but a deity reincarnated.

Even the ordinary soldiers weren’t the only ones affected; the leaders of the various factions within the Golden Serpent Camp were also filled with both reverence and fear. They didn’t even dare to look Song Qingshu in the eye.

As for those leaders who had always supported Song Qingshu, like Xia Qingqing, Situ Bolei, Shui Jian, and Cheng Qingzhu, they became completely loyal to him.

The previously neutral leaders, such as Jiao Wan’er, Rong Cai, Nie Tianfeng, and Zheng Qiyun, also began to express their allegiance to Song Qingshu with the most formal kneeling rituals, though it was unclear who initiated it.

Seeing his former colleagues kneeling in submission, Sha Tongtian, who had always opposed Song Qingshu, couldn’t help but feel his legs go weak and followed suit.

Sitting at the main seat, watching the people below him kneeling respectfully, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotions. Previously, when he had disguised himself as Kangxi, the grandeur of the imperial palace far surpassed this moment, yet it hadn’t moved him as much. This was because back then, those people were kneeling to Kangxi, but now, they were kneeling to him personally.

‘In history class, I read about how Xiang Yu, after his great victory at the Battle of Julu, returned to find all the vassal lords trembling in fear, bowing to him and honoring him as the supreme general. I never thought I’d experience something like this myself…’ Just as Song Qingshu was feeling a bit smug, his expression suddenly changed. ‘Pah, pah, pah! What’s there to learn from that unfortunate Xiang Yu? In the end, he lost his wife and ended up committing suicide at the Wujiang River. Bad luck, bad luck!’

“Cough, cough…”

Song Qingshu was startled and looked over to see Huang Rong sitting there solemnly, staring straight ahead.

The Madame was being considerate, Song Qingshu thought with a slight smile. However, he understood that this was the time to establish authority, so he didn’t rush to let everyone below stand up. Instead, he scanned the room coldly and asked, “Where are Chu Hongliu and Meng Bofei?”

The people below looked at each other, only now realizing that the two were not present in the council hall. They all knew very well that one of them had taken a military oath but failed to prevent the enemy troops led by Tu Hai from escaping, and the other had done something even worse by leading Sa Bu Su’s northern army directly toward Song Qingshu’s main force, attempting to kill him using another’s hand. How could they dare to return now?

“Leader Sha, you have always been close to them. Tell me, where have they gone?” Song Qingshu asked with a half-smile.

Sha Tongtian’s face twitched, and he quickly replied, “You must be joking, Chief. I am not familiar with those two traitors at all.”

Seeing that Song Qingshu was still staring at him, Sha Tongtian gritted his teeth and continued, “Those two traitors had malicious intentions and sought to harm you, Chief. But who would have thought that the Chief, embodying the god of war, would instead annihilate the Qing army? Naturally, they don’t have the guts to return and face death. Who knows where they’ve fled to? However, most of their subordinates admire the Chief’s divine power and were unwilling to follow them in fleeing. Except for a few confidants, the rest have all returned to the Golden Serpent Camp…”

Listening to Sha Tongtian’s detailed explanation, Song Qingshu understood that he was offering a show of loyalty. Once his words reached the ears of Chu Hongliu, Meng Bofei, and others, there would be no reconciliation between them.

“Alright, everyone can rise. Let these two traitors enjoy a few days of freedom. For now, our priority is to press the advantage.” Song Qingshu walked to the prepared sand table and pointed at the entire Shandong region. “The invader army of one hundred thousand has been completely annihilated. Now, within a thousand miles, there is no force left that can oppose us. The news has already spread, and everywhere, people are trembling in fear. Wherever our army goes, the cities and counties will surely surrender. In the coming days, your task will be to capture these territories.”

“We dare not disobey!” The leaders were overjoyed. Never before had the Golden Serpent Camp been so powerful. Even at its peak, it only controlled a few small counties nearby, but now the entire Shandong province was within their grasp.

“We have limited strength and cannot hold too much territory, so we will use the Yellow River as the boundary. Within half a month, I want the counties south of the Yellow River to belong to our Golden Serpent Camp. Situ Bolei, you will lead your forces to attack Jining. Commander Shui, you will take your men to attack Zhangqiu…”

After assigning tasks, Song Qingshu suddenly emphasized in a stern voice, “I know that many of you here came from the underworld and may not have shed your old habits. So let me make this clear: we cannot stay holed up in the mountains as bandits forever. Even if we are to plunder, our targets should be the invaders who have seized our Han people’s lands!

“Therefore, in this campaign, no one is allowed to seize any property from the common people, nor harm any women. Killers will be executed, those who injure others will be punished, and thieves will be sentenced! If anyone dares to violate this order, I will punish them severely, no matter who they are!”

Hearing Song Qingshu’s fierce words, the leaders were all shocked. However, given Song Qingshu’s rising prestige, no one dared to object.

Seeing Song Qingshu emulate Liu Bang’s three rules, Huang Rong couldn’t help but feel a shiver of concern. 

This man clearly had grand ambitions!

After the leaders received their orders and left, Xiao Feng stood up and cupped his fists. “Brother Song, now that the matters here are settled, we should take our leave.”

Song Qingshu quickly stood up. “Brother Xiao, what are you saying? It was only thanks to your tremendous assistance that we were able to achieve such a great victory. I haven’t even properly thanked you yet. How can you leave so soon?”

Xiao Feng smiled bitterly at this and said, “Brother Song, you don’t need to be so modest. With your abilities, even without me, you would have easily repelled the enemy. Moreover, we have been away from Liao for quite some time now, and with the country in turmoil, it’s best for us to return as soon as possible.”

“If it weren’t for someone like Brother Xiao leading the charge, how could we have inspired such fighting spirit in those unruly troops? You truly deserve great credit for this victory,” Song Qingshu insisted.

As the two men exchanged courtesies, Yelu Nanxian, standing by, couldn’t help but roll her eyes and mutter, “You’re so hypocritical. If you really want to thank us, why not tell us how you managed to summon the wind and rain? Why bother with these empty words?”

HELP: 

During the recent unrest in the country I am from, our family hardware store was broken into and looted by thugs. I don’t know why they did it, since my family has always been minding our own business, without bothering anyone else. I’m guessing some people are taking advantage of the current lawless and chaotic state of the country. 

Anyways, the incident now leaves me as the only earning member of my family. Long time readers know that I was already dealing with a mountain of trouble (that I inherited from my father), and was already struggling. I had created a plan of action, and was steadily moving forward. But this incident destroyed whatever plans I had, again. I don’t know why bad things keep happening to me again and again. I might as well be cursed or something.

So here I am, after much hesitation, once again asking for your support. If you are reading this, please help if you are able to, I repeat, help only if you are able to. I am not asking something for free, you can become a Patron at Patreon to gain access to more chapters, or sponsor as many chapters you can from any of the novels you enjoy on Goblinslate here at BuymeaCoffee. Or if you just want to help, you can donate any amount at the Wishlist at BuymeaCoffee.

Thank you.