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After listening to the woman's account, Liu Guanfeng couldn't help but furrow his brows. He hadn't expected that she was here for a matchmaking event for Platinum Wen, and that the young lady had been sent to General Qin Hongguan's residence. Fortunately, Qin Hongguan was not in Crimson Dragon City these days; if he had delayed his departure any longer, the girl might have fallen victim to Qin Hongguan.
Before long, all the soldiers were ready, including the items captured a few days ago. Liu Guanfeng then ordered a retreat. A well-executed annihilation battle came to an end, with none of the enemy surviving. Two soldiers even severed the heads of the Ghost King and Demon King, placing them in a wooden box as evidence for the future.
Liu Guanfeng did not dare to linger and immediately led his men toward the Hidden Armory near Crimson Dragon City. The leader guarding this place was a Demon King, and Liu Guanfeng had already sent Chonghong and other Thunder Eagle Knights for reinforcement because the Sixth Prince's safety had to be ensured.
When Liu Guanfeng and his soldiers rushed to Crimson Dragon City, they received news that the Hidden Military Locations nearby had been breached, and over ten thousand of Qin Hongguan's private soldiers had been captured. The Demon King also perished at the hands of Shangguan Jinglei.
In just half a day's time, good news also arrived from Azure Dragon City: over a thousand private soldiers had been captured, while the rest were executed on the spot. They were now heading to converge at Crimson Dragon City.
According to their prior agreement, Liu Guanfeng brought his men to the military camp outside Crimson Dragon City. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by numerous large wooden cages filled with ragged and emaciated soldiers. Having gone without opium for a long time, these individuals were nearly in a frenzied state, incessantly banging on the cages with their hands; some even used their heads to ram against them. Blood streamed from those who had injured themselves, yet they showed no signs of stopping, pleading, "Please, just let me have one more hit!"
At this moment, Shangguan Junhong and Shangguan Jinglei came out to greet Liu Guanfeng. Both were horrified by what they saw in the cages. Shangguan Junhong had never witnessed such a bloody scene before; during the attack on the Hidden Armory, it had been nighttime with poor visibility, and since it was his first battle, he had felt extremely excited—even when he stabbed several soldiers, it hadn't affected him much.
However, the current situation was different. These people seemed desperate as they pounded on the cages; if their hands broke, they would use their feet; if their feet twisted, they would use their heads; if their heads bled, they would use their backs. Shangguan Junhong tugged at Liu Guanfeng beside him and asked, "Elder Brother, don't they feel pain?"
Liu Guanfeng nodded. "Pain can alleviate their craving for opium. Now you understand why I insisted on destroying all opium back then? If we allow our people to become dependent on such substances, our Eastern Dragon Empire will be on the brink of collapse."
Shangguan Jinglei agreed with Liu Guanfeng's words. "It seems Liu Brother is quite knowledgeable. Once this matter is settled here, I will personally lead people to destroy all opium—every last bit of that plant called Poppy must be eradicated."
"Then I will report back to Father when I return and urge him to ban the cultivation and production of this plant nationwide. Anyone caught doing so should face execution on sight. We cannot allow this plant to ruin our entire Eastern Dragon Empire."
Liu Guanfeng looked at both of them with appreciation and patted Shangguan Junhong on the shoulder. "I estimate that completely eradicating it is impossible; however, as long as we are determined." Reflecting on society's reality, Liu Guanfeng could only say this; in real life, drug proliferation has led many minors down a path of addiction and crime. Even though the government has intensified its crackdown efforts, there are still those who engage in such nefarious trades driven by profit. This left Liu Guanfeng feeling helpless.
At that moment, Shangguan Junhong and Shangguan Jinglei suddenly noticed that behind Liu Guanfeng there were only eight women and not a single captive. Thus, Shangguan Junhong asked, "Elder Brother, didn't you capture any prisoners this time?"
Liu Guanfeng shook his head. "I didn't order any captures because I knew that even if we brought them back like this, it would be futile. Rather than letting them suffer further, it's better to put them out of their misery and allow them to be reborn." In truth, Liu Guanfeng felt quite helpless about this matter; it wasn't that he was heartless but rather that he didn't want anyone knowing about Poppy's existence in this world. If these people lived on, whether they could overcome their addiction was uncertain since he had no idea what rehabilitation centers did. Moreover, these individuals recognized Poppy and knew how to extract it. Therefore, Liu Guanfeng did not want to take any risks; he needed to eradicate this harmful substance before it could take root.
Soon, Liu Guanfeng ordered someone to bring out the heads of the Ghost King and the Demon King. "Here are the two guards at the Hidden Armory, known as the Ghost King and the Demon King."
Shangguan Junhong took the two heads and had them placed properly. To prolong the preservation of the heads, Liu Guanfeng put a small piece of Cold Jade in each box. "Brother, why is this box so cold?"
Liu Guanfeng explained the refrigeration process to Shangguan Junhong again and then gave him two more pieces of Cold Jade to store the remaining two generals' heads for later reporting back to Shangguan Ji.
Five days later, Song Hero arrived at Crimson Dragon City's camp, escorting nearly a hundred wooden cages. At that time, Liu Guanfeng and the other two had already arrived early at the camp to wait. When they saw Song Hero arrive, they all stepped forward to greet him:
"Brother Song, you’ve worked hard." "Old Song, you finally made it back." "Greetings, Senior Song."
Song Hero quickly approached the three: "You all arrived early." He led Song Hero into the Tent and they took their seats according to their status.
"Senior Song, you really worked hard this time," Shangguan Junhong said humbly.
Song Hero laughed heartily: "Not hard at all! Brother Thunder, I have to thank you this time. It’s been a long time since I fought so freely."
"Brother Song, did you encounter any obstacles?"
"Believe it or not, that Hidden Armory was quite something, especially their big boss who was really impressive. Plus, with the Three Great Kings assisting and the Second King commanding, I was quite flustered at first. However, their strength ultimately fell short, and with our soldiers helping out, we resolved it quickly."
"Are you hurt?" Liu Guanfeng asked.
"How could I be so easily injured? Sixth Prince, your soldiers truly fight ten against one. Not only are the Crossbowmen's attacks sharp, but even ordinary soldiers can easily win one against three. They are truly elites among elites."
Shangguan Junhong clasped his fist: "Senior, you flatter me. My soldiers were all trained by my brother. Without him, I probably wouldn't have completed the mission so swiftly."
"Sixth Prince, do you have any plans next?"
"Before I left, my father gave me a secret letter instructing me to open it only after capturing all strongholds." Saying this, Shangguan Junhong opened the secret letter left for him by Shangguan Ji. After reading it, he handed it over to Shangguan Jinglei before it finally reached Song Hero's hands.
The content of the secret letter instructed Shangguan Junhong to raid Qin Hongguan's residence in Crimson Dragon City and required him to bring all his family members back to the capital.
"Everyone has read the secret letter. Let's take a short break, and tomorrow we will raid Qin Hongguan's lair and then return to the capital to report," said Shangguan Junhong.
Liu Guanfeng smiled slightly, "That's perfect. The eight maidens I brought back are actually servants of a young lady, who was captured a few days ago and taken to Qin Hongguan's residence. That young lady is also supposed to meet my friend for an arranged marriage, so this is a great opportunity to rescue her."
Even if Shangguan Ji had not allowed the raid, Liu Guanfeng would have found a way to rescue that young lady. Knowing that Qin Hongguan was in grave danger in the capital, he wasn't too anxious. A woman like her would certainly be well cared for in Qin Hongguan's household, and now that there was an opportunity, Liu Guanfeng was more than willing to act.
The next day, after explaining the purpose of their mission to the stationed guards, even the guards were taken aback. Although they had seized control of the military camp while Qin Hongguan was away, they were still apprehensive about what might happen if he returned. However, now that the Sixth Prince intended to raid his home, the guard felt reassured; it seemed better than worrying about what crimes Qin Hongguan might have committed.
The guard then asked, "Your Highness, do you need me to send someone to escort you?"
"No need. I will take my own people," came the reply.
"Then I wish the Sixth Prince great success." With that, the guard wisely took his leave.
"Brother, how many people should we take this time?" asked Liu Guanfeng.
"Three thousand Crossbowmen and two thousand soldiers."
"Brother, can we really use so many people for a raid?"
"In Qin Hongguan's back garden, there is an artificial lake with a small island in the center. On the surface, it looks ordinary, but beneath that island lies an underground palace built by Qin Hongguan. There are no fewer than twenty thousand soldiers hidden inside. Do you think bringing this many people is excessive?"
"Wow!" Shangguan Junhong gasped in surprise. "So many soldiers? It seems Qin Hongguan is doomed. Alright then, let's follow your suggestion and bring five thousand men."
When Shangguan Junhong entered Crimson Dragon City under the protection of Liu Guanfeng and two others, it caused quite a stir. The two young men in front were handsome and youthful, while the older ones were also spirited. The soldiers behind them maintained strict discipline and did not glance sideways; even the young ladies nearby did not dare to look too long.
At that moment, one of the love-struck girls exclaimed, "Wow, those two young men in front are so handsome! How happy I would be if I could become their wife!"
"With your appearance, do you think they would even look at you?"
"Even if they don't want me, I could still marry one of the soldiers."
After hearing the girl's words, the entire army continued to march forward, but the distance between them and the girl grew further, fearing that this infatuated girl might recklessly rush into their ranks.
Soon, under Liu Guanfeng's leadership, the group arrived at General Qin Hongguan's residence. At the entrance, there were two guards who, upon seeing so many people arrive, were first startled and then asked, "Who are you? Why are you here? Don't you know this is General Qin's residence..."
Before the guards could finish speaking, Gao Wei rushed up from behind and punched each of the two guards. The guards immediately fell to the ground but shouted loudly, "Help! Someone is causing trouble!"
Gao Wei ignored them and waved his hand behind him, signaling for his men to enter and search.
With Gao Wei's command, the soldiers behind Liu Guanfeng quickly rushed into the general's residence. The people inside heard the commotion at the door. Soon, a steward dressed in formal attire appeared from a distance, leading about a hundred Guardians out from within. As he walked, he cursed loudly, "Damn it! Which blind Little Guy dares to cause trouble at the general's residence? They must be tired of living. I will teach them a good lesson. Brothers, follow my lead and beat them to death. Steward, I’ll back you up."
When this steward saw the soldiers entering, he immediately fell silent and stood there dumbfounded. He was quite adept at dealing with ordinary ruffians or oppressing commoners, but now he was facing a group of fierce soldiers. His small number of men was simply not enough. After standing still for a few seconds, the steward shouted at Gao Wei, "Who are you? Why have you brought troops to my general's residence?"
Gao Wei sneered and replied, "The Emperor has issued an order for the Sixth Prince to lead a raid on Qin Hongguan's residence. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy."
"You say it's an imperial decree just like that? Show it to me," the steward asked boldly. He was quite familiar with matters regarding Qin Hongguan since he was the chief steward of the household and handled many affairs himself.
"What are you? Do you have the right to see an imperial decree? Men! Search the house and capture anyone who resists; kill without mercy."
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