[The second day of the second month of February in the tenth year of Daqian Jingyi, at noon, Zichen Hall of Xingqing Palace]

On the second day after Xu Ke married Yao Zibei, the emperor finally sent someone to invite him into the palace, saying that he was going to hold a meeting in front of the emperor to discuss the strategy of subduing demons.

At this time, in the Zichen Hall of Xingqing Palace, there were still four people sitting in front of the emperor, Sun Shunde, the prime minister, Shen Huan, the general of demon suppression, Song Jinhua, the general of the capital, and Xu Ke, the newly sealed general of demon suppression.

This time, listening to the emperor's tone, no matter what, we must negotiate a countermeasure, and this countermeasure must be able to break the current crisis.

It's no wonder that the emperor is anxious, but now the situation in Chang'an City has reached a precarious point. Water sources outside the city are becoming scarcer, and several wells have been unable to produce water for two days in a row. Although Shen Huan's demon slaying guards went out hunting every day, the materials they brought were still difficult to meet the needs of the people in the city. And the most fatal thing is the huge magic cave on the top of Bashan Mountain. The smoke spewed out by the Demon Cave every day diffused over the entire Chang'an City, and after the poisonous dust in the smoke was inhaled, ordinary people would be greatly injured, and after a long time, their lungs and veins would burn and die. Today, hundreds of people die every day from the black smoke and poisonous dust......

Therefore, the emperor set the premise of today's court meeting from the very beginning, that is, the Bashan Demon Cave must send troops to attack it as soon as possible! The Bashan Demon Cave will not stop for a day, and the people will inevitably have no way to live.

In other words, the content of the court meeting was actually to discuss how to march to Bashan and how to break through the Bashan Demon Nest?

After the emperor asked, the others naturally looked at Shen Huan, the general of demon slayer. But Shen Huan didn't seem to understand what the emperor was saying, he still shook his head and sighed: "Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that with the current strength of Chang'an, it is tantamount to a fantasy to capture the Bashan Demon Nest!"

When Li Ci heard this, he was a little unhappy, and said in a deep voice: "According to General Shen's intentions, can we only be trapped in the lonely city and sit and wait for death?"

Song Jinhua said: "Yes, General Shen, Your Majesty's concern is not unreasonable, now, Chang'an's water source is drying up day by day, the 'grain' from the guards is not enough for the people to share, and the black smoke in the air still contains poisonous dust...... If this continues, we will only be a dead end!"

Unexpectedly, Shen Huan still stubbornly said: "Jinhua, the water source is reduced, we can strengthen the control, so that the people can save some drink! If it really doesn't work, just drink the blood of those demonic beasts! The food is not enough, we can send more people and fight a few more times, there are demonic beasts around Chang'an City." Now, Brother Xu has also joined us. In the future, Brother Xu and I can take turns to go out hunting, or go out to hunt several times a day, and the problem of eating and drinking for the people in the city can still be solved......"

The eldest grandson Shunde said unhappily: "General Shen, even if the people will not die of hunger and thirst for a while, how can we break the poison of black smoke on our heads?"

Shen Huan said: "Prime Minister of the eldest grandson, although the black smoke is poisonous, it is a chronic poison, and it will not kill or injure too many people in a short period of time." Besides, as long as they are physically strong, they can still withstand this black smoke and poisonous dust, and as for those who are old, weak, sick and disabled, in this demonic world, there is no way to withstand it......"

The eldest grandson, Shunde, said abruptly: "General Shen, the old man really can't understand why you have to delay again and again? Even if you delay for a long time, can you drag the soldiers to rescue? At present, apart from capturing the Bashan Demon Cave, is there any other way to save Chang'an? Now, the corpse trucks in Chang'an City have to transport hundreds of corpses out every day. The crowd waiting in line for water every day is as long as several streets...... If it drags on like this, the people will poke us in the backbone!"

Shen Huan was unmoved, and still protested: "Prime Minister Changsun, have you ever thought that if we have only one strength, I am afraid that Bashan will not be defeated, but the soldiers will be buried in the mountain." If I lose these two thousand-man guards, in the future, who will protect Chang'an, and who will go out hunting?"

The eldest grandson said angrily: "You haven't even gone out to fight, how do you know you can't fight?!"

Shen Huan said: "Is this something unclear!"

......

At this time, the two fell into an endless quarrel again. Li Ci shook his head helplessly, waved his hand and said, "Okay, okay! Don't make any noise!

After a pause, the emperor stared at Shen Huan again and asked:

"General Shen, have you heard any news, as long as we can delay for a year and a half, there will be divine soldiers descending from the sky to sweep away the demons and save the common people?"

Shen Huan arched his hand and said, "This ...... Wechen didn't know. ”

"Don't you know?" At this moment, even Li Ci was angry, "Then what do you mean by insisting on delaying and refusing to lead your troops to attack Bashan? Even if you drag it down, you will die, if you don't drag it down, you will die, why can't we give it a go and simply fight with those monsters to break the net!"

"Your Majesty......" Shen Huan leaned over and said earnestly: "So, Weichen has the audacity to say, let's move the capital as soon as possible!"

"No!" Li Xi said angrily: "If you want to go to Yanzhou, you can go! Let me leave these 30,000 people in the city, I can't do it!"

"Your Majesty!"

......

For a while, there was silence in the Zichen Hall again, and everyone didn't know what to say.

"Then ......" After a while, Song Jinhua couldn't help but speak and broke the deadlock:

"Your Majesty, I heard that in addition to the big city of Chang'an, there are more than a dozen earthen cities and dozens of earthen forts. If you can concentrate the forces of those earthen cities and earth forts in one place, and the big guys attack Bashan together, or can you defeat that demon cave?"

The eldest grandson Shunde immediately shook his head and said: "It is absolutely impossible! First, these earthen cities and earth forts are scattered in all directions, and the farthest ones are thousands of miles away from Chang'an! Now there are monsters everywhere

Second, even if His Majesty issued a holy decree to recruit those city lords into Beijing, in this demonic world, other city lords may not have a better life than ours! Everyone is already busy taking care of themselves, and who else is willing to come to support Chang'an?"

Song Jinhua lowered his head and stopped talking, he knew in his heart that what the prime minister said was indeed reasonable.

Shen Huan asked again: "Your Majesty, that envoy of the Sang Kingdom, He Mao Zhongxing, where is he at the moment? I heard that he has a spell that drives the gods to run through the clouds. If I let Mr. He Mao help deliver the message, it won't take a few days for all the city lords in my world to receive a summons from His Majesty, and when the time comes, one by one!"

Li Xi sighed: "Mr. He Mao received an urgent move from the Empress Dowager of their Sang Kingdom the day before yesterday, and I am afraid that he will not be able to come for a while!"

......

At this time, Xu Ke couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, why don't you let Wu Shan go to Bashan first to inquire and see the situation?"

Li Ci was immediately overjoyed and said, "Great! General Xu, are you willing to lead a team to attack Bashan?"

Xu Ke replied: "The minister's meaning is to let me go and investigate alone...... first."

Shen Huan immediately waved his hand and said, "Brother Xu, the Bashan Demon Cave is not playing with you! If you go alone, it's not safe!"

Song Jinhua also said: "General Xu, it's too dangerous for you to go alone, you can't get it right, and you can't go back!"

At this time, Emperor Li Xi finally issued a decree: "In this way, General Xu, I will order you to command the thousand-man guards in the north of the city, go out in three days, and lead the people to attack Bashan!"

The emperor ordered Shen Huan again: "General Shen, you are the minister of my great cadres, at this time of crisis, the general must not shirk! I order you to command a thousand-strong guard in the south of the city, and together with General Xu, go hand in hand to attack Bashan, you two must work together to break the devil's nest, fill the devil's cave, and return the people of Chang'an to a peaceful world!"

At this point, Shen Huan had no choice but to bow down and receive the order: "Weichen has the order!"

Next, the emperor ordered Sun Shunde, the chief minister, to be responsible for coordinating the deployment of war materials during these three days, ensuring that the soldiers were well fed, and making every effort to appease the families of the soldiers. Song Jinhua was ordered to lead a 100-person guard, coordinate in the middle, and respond before and after.

Finally, the emperor said that in the next three days, he would personally march for the soldiers outside the west gate.

......

After the court meeting, Xu Kejing returned home. As soon as he arrived outside the Xingqing Palace, he was stopped by Shen Huan. Shen Huandao, it's time for lunch now, why don't you go to the Moon Tower together?

According to Xu Ke's thoughts ten years ago, he must have insisted on refusing. But now in this world, he gradually has a good impression of this demon general. At this time, the expedition was imminent, and he knew that Shen Huan must be worried in his heart, so he readily agreed.

The two of them went north together, and only walked more than 100 steps before they came to the door of a restaurant in Daozhengfang. Xu Ke vaguely remembered that ten years ago, it was exactly where the "Deyue Tower" of Chang'an was located. At this time, the Deyue Tower was changed to the Moon Tower, although it was only a word difference, but it also revealed the infinite bitterness of the owner......

Naturally, at this time, the Moon Tower was only a small three-room tiled house, with seven or eight square tables inside. There were no customers in the restaurant, and the shopkeeper was an old man with a dark and thin face. When he saw Shen Huan striding over, he hurriedly bowed down and saluted, "The general is here, what do you want to eat today?"

"What else can there be? Except for python meat, everything else will do!" Shen Huan said with a smile.

No, the shopkeeper smiled awkwardly and replied: "General Hui, there is only python meat in the shop today, and this is still what you sent three days ago!"

"How...... I also sent someone to send a three-headed wolf seven days ago, what about those wolf meat?" Shen Huan was a little surprised, he didn't expect that the materials in the best restaurant in Chang'an City were already so embarrassed.

The thin black old man just shook his head and sighed.

"Okay then, let's have a plate of stir-fried two-headed snakes!" Shen Huan commanded helplessly.

The two found a place to sit by the window, and Shen Huan said apologetically: "Brother Xu, I'm sorry! I wanted to invite you to a good meal today, but even in this Moon Tower, there are only some double-headed python meat left, so I have to let you be wronged!"

Xu Ke waved his hand and said, "It's okay, it's okay! Speaking of which, I've been in this world for so long, but I haven't eaten any 'two-headed python meat'!"

Shen Huan asked: "Brother Xu, you haven't eaten python meat in the past ten years?

"Oh...... This one!" Xu Ke scratched his forehead, and his heart almost said that I had come from time in time. He said nonsense again: "We are in Xuchang, and we eat some three big wolf meat and black bear meat......

"I didn't expect that Brother Xu could still hit the black bear, which is really rare!" Shen Huan said curiously: "In this world full of monsters, those tigers, wolves, foxes, and snakes are ...... All of them have been demonized, but this black bear has not yet fallen into the demon, I have tasted it a few times in Xingqing Palace, and the taste is really wonderful!"

"I don't get it often, it's just occasional luck......," Xu Ke replied.

......

The two chatted for a while, and the shopkeeper brought a large pot full of broth, and also brought them two bowls of "water and wine". When it is said to be water wine, it is naturally just two bowls of hot water. Xu Ke could accept the water in the bowl, but he was really a little unbearable for the broth in the pot. Before the python meat was eaten, Xu Ke smelled a fishy smell in the basin, and he couldn't help frowning slightly.

"Brother Xu, you're welcome!" Unexpectedly, at this time, Shen Huan stretched out his chopsticks

picked up the python meat, put it in his mouth, opened his mouth and chewed it, looking at his appearance, it seemed that he was still eating with relish.

Xu Ke couldn't help but be more curious about this world. He saw that Shen Huan was a demon general, and even Emperor Li Ci had special respect for him. He said in his heart that even if this Shen Huan is not usually clothed and fed, at least as he is treated in the Xu Mansion, there should always be it, right?

However, at this moment, he was able to eat the pot of "python broth" that he felt disgusted with as soon as he smelled it, which made Xu Ke really a little unexpected.

Next, Shen Huan ate meat and drank soup, and Xu Ke just drank the water in the bowl. Shen Huan saw that he didn't want to taste the meat, and he didn't force it, so he just kept picking up the pieces of meat and sending them into his mouth.

The two of them ate and drank like this, chatting while eating.

Shen Huan: "Brother Xu, you should know that with our current two thousand-strong team, if we attack Bashan recklessly like this, we can only send them to death!"

Xu Ke: "I know!"

Shen Huan: "Then why do you still want to make a statement to Your Majesty and go to Bashan?"

Xu Ke: "General Shen, if we don't attack Bashan and go on like this, will we not be able to die?"

Shen Huan pondered for a while, shook his head and sighed: "If this continues, sooner or later it will be a death! Ahem! Either starvation, thirst, freezing to death, or being poisoned by black smoke!"

Xu Ke: "Since sooner or later it will be a death, why don't we take the risk of fighting and seeing! Maybe we can find a way to survive from the nine deaths?"

Shen Huan still shook his head: "Brother Xu, you don't know how powerful the demon cave in Bashan is!" The leader stationed there is one of the four demon kings under the Demon Monarch's throne, and his name is 'Tsing Yi Demon King'!"

Xu Ke said curiously: "'Tsing Yi Demon King'?

Shen Huan: "The Tsing Yi Demon King himself has great magical power, in the past nine years, I don't know how many generals of our human race have ordered him to give it to him! Moreover, his most powerful thing is the ...... of this 'Demon Legion' under his command."

Xu Ke asked, "What kind of soldiers are they?"

Shen Huan: "This 'Demon Legion' of the Tsing Yi Demon King is different from the 'Demon Beast Corps' of the White Rat Demon King, and it is full of some 'demonized people'. Brother Xu, you should know that those demonized people are the most terrifying creatures nowadays! Although their combat effectiveness is not strong, once you are contaminated with the slightest bit of 'demonic blood' on their bodies, you will also instantly 'demonize' ......."

Xu Ke remembered that he had heard Yao Zibei tell him before that there is still a so-called "demonized person" in this world, but unexpectedly, what he is about to face in Bashan is a whole corps of "demonized people"!

Shen Huan said again: "Actually, Brother Xu, to tell you the truth, I'd rather fight to kill the 'Demon Beast Regiment' of the White Rat Demon King, at least I can kill it happily, it's a big deal, and I can still leave a horse leather shroud and return! But if you meet this 'Demon Legion', it will be a real headache! You have to fight with them while worrying, don't get contaminated with the 'demon blood' in their bodies...... If you stumble upon a little bit of 'demon blood', you will become just like them, a monster who knows nothing but killing!"

"This demon army is so terrifying!" Xu Ke exclaimed. He couldn't help but regret a little, why he was so impulsive today and took on this unlucky errand!

"That'...... How many people are under the demon of this Tsing Yi Demon King?" Xu Ke asked again.

Shen Huan: "I heard that there are at least 1,000 people! I don't know how many people there are......

Xu Ke: "Thousands of people? It's okay, it's not too many......! General Shen, there is no other way to deal with those demonized people?"

Shen Huan: "Only long-range attack, use arrows and crossbows!"

Xu Ke: "Then we will ambush in the valley, attack from afar with archers, and kill a demon when we see one! ”

Shen Huan shook his head: "Brother Xu doesn't know, although these demonized people look like they are a person, they have already become monsters. They are all extremely difficult to kill, and with ordinary bows and arrows, even if you shoot them into a hedgehog, they still don't die!"

"Huh?" Xu Ke exclaimed, "Then how can we kill them?"

Shen Huan: "You have to use melee combat, either cut off their heads with a single sword, or smash and cut their bodies into pieces...... Otherwise, you still can't kill it!"

Xu Ke: "But if it's a close combat, isn't it easy to touch the demon blood in their bodies?"

Shen Huan sighed: "Ahem! So, in the past few years, I have opposed the attack on the Bashan Demon Cave countless times, Brother Xu, you should understand my hardship!"

"......" Xu Ke scratched his forehead vigorously, and for a while, he was also inexplicably worried.

Shen Huan said again: "Don't listen to the eldest grandson Shunde's nonsense! Although he is righteous and righteous on the surface, he speaks in a high-sounding manner, and keeps saying that he can't leave the people of Chang'an, but in fact, he himself is the most greedy person for life and afraid of death!"

Xu Ke said helplessly: "But...... Your Majesty has already decreed, and now the arrow is on the bow, and in three days, no matter what, we will have to lead the troops to set off!"

Shen Huan drank all the water in the bowl in one gulp, swallowed a piece of python meat in one gulp, and said with a wry smile: "Three days later, if we go to Bashan like this in three days, not only will neither of you and I be spared, but the two thousand soldiers under our command will all become 'demonized people'!"

"It's a pity! These two thousand soldiers followed me to fight in the Demon Domain, and how many demonic beasts have been defeated! Now, because of the words of the eldest grandson, they are about to become demonized monsters......"

Shen Huan sighed again.