Chapter 220 Xu Fengnian practices swordsmanship! The Iron Pagoda goes out to fight!
Qingliang Mountain, Beiliang Palace.

Li Yishan asked solemnly, "Your Majesty, do you really agree that Fengnian will personally lead the expedition to Shazhou?"

Xu Xiao, who was sitting opposite the chessboard, raised his head, his big eyes filled with all kinds of complicated emotions.

"Feng Nian has been imprisoned for three years. What I am most afraid of is that he will be frightened and lose his courage and pride, and become completely useless."

"Fortunately, although Fengnian is young, he is very determined. He becomes more courageous as he faces more setbacks, and never forgets to conquer Shazhou to avenge his grievances."

The two of them sat in silence, as there was a very crucial fact involved.

After Xu Fengnian was brought back, Shazhou released the news that he had been imprisoned for three years, and Beiliang was unable to suppress it.

The Beiliang generals all thought that the prince was traveling around the world, but they didn't expect that he was imprisoned by Li Changan.

The prince of Beiliang was imprisoned. The army was outraged and calls for an attack on Shazhou were growing louder.

The army's will to fight is secondary. The most crucial thing is that Xu Fengnian's prestige has once again fallen to the bottom, and his reputation is even worse than his previous playboy reputation.

The entire Beiliang officialdom was abuzz with discussions, and everyone was dissatisfied with Xu Fengnian's position as the crown prince.

Is a man who has been held captive for three years still fit to be the crown prince and to inherit the throne of Beiliang?

"Old Li, let Fengnian lead the troops to conquer Shazhou, so that he can rebuild his prestige."

At this moment, Xu Xiao's eyes showed some helplessness, because this was the only other solution.

"Feng Nian is now at the center of the storm. I can no longer hide and protect him. He must fight for the position of King of Beiliang himself."

After saying this, Xu Xiao sighed in tangle, "Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sit still."

According to Xu Xiao's plan, Xu Fengnian was supposed to travel around the world, hone his mind, and truly grow up.

But his plan has been ruined by Li Changan, and now Xu Fengnian has to face all kinds of doubts from Beiliang on his own.

Li Yishan comforted him, "Let Wang Zhonglou pass the Dahuangting to Fengnian first. I just don't know if the old Taoist priest is willing to do so."

Hearing this, a hint of anger flashed in Xu Xiao's eyes, and then he slammed the table.

"If that old bastard dares to have other ideas, I will tear down his Wudang Mountain!"

Li Yishan nodded and said, "Let the prince lay a solid foundation in martial arts, and then let Yuan Zuozong and Qi Dangguo personally accompany the prince to the battle."

"Bring the Iron Pagoda and the Great Snow Dragon Riders with you this time. No matter how strong Li Changan is, he can't defeat the Iron Pagoda. This way, Fengnian will be safe."

The two of them were fully prepared. Winning would be great, but even if they lost, they couldn't let Xu Fengnian lose his life.

Xu Xiao had the same idea. He couldn't let his son die on the battlefield at all costs.

"I also invited the old sword god to protect Fengnian together with my father-in-law. It will be absolutely safe."

Qi Lianhua was actually seriously injured by Ba Linglong, which made Xu Xiao feel very nervous.

Qi Lianhua and Xu Yanbing have the same strength and are only one step away from becoming land immortals.

Such a hidden master was actually seriously injured by eight first-grade masters!
From this we can see that there are many hidden talents around Li Changan. Only when the old sword god and Qi Lianhua go there at the same time can Xu Fengnian's safety be guaranteed.

Half a year later, Wudang Mountain.

The former martial arts genius, one of the four great masters, the Sword God Li Chungang was lying in the bamboo forest, holding a piece of barnyard grass in his mouth.

At the other end of the bamboo forest is a turbulent waterfall, under which Xu Fengnian is practicing swordsmanship.

After Xu Fengnian returned to Beiliang, Xu Xiao generously used elixirs to quickly heal his injuries.

After he recovered from his injuries, he came to Wudang Mountain. The head of the mountain, Wang Zhonglou, indeed, readily passed the Dahuangting to Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian was devoted to practicing martial arts for revenge, so Xu Xiao invited the old sword master Li Chungang to teach Xu Fengnian martial arts.

Xu Fengnian, who practiced sword in the original novel, now starts to practice sword under the guidance of Li Chungang and the company of Huang Zhentu.

Xu Fengnian held the sword and stabbed at the waterfall again and again.

"laugh!"

The waterfall was cut in half by the sword energy!
A look of relief appeared on Xu Fengnian's tired face. Finally, there was progress.

"With this kind of sword energy, I can be considered a second-grade junior master!"

Old Huang beside him also rushed up excitedly, "Congratulations, young master!"

"The young master is indeed a genius in swordsmanship, neither arrogant nor impatient."

“Although I have accepted the Six Great Huangting from Sect Leader Wang, I still practice hard.”

"Now, the prince's martial arts have improved by leaps and bounds, and he has become a second-grade junior master like the prince."

The smug look in Xu Fengnian's eyes did not last long before it turned into a hint of hatred.

"Old Huang, I heard that Li Changan actually killed the Northern Mang demon leader Hong Jingyan."

"What realm is he at now?"

Huang Zhentu was in a dilemma because Xu Fengnian was very concerned about the realm of his enemy Li Changan.

However, Li Changan's current martial arts attainments are already among the best under the Earthly Immortals.

Xu Fengnian, who inherited other people's internal skills and practiced them eagerly, is far from comparable to Li Changan in martial arts.

"Sir, Li Changan's strength is probably only slightly weaker than Mr. Xu and Mr. Qi."

The competitive spirit in Xu Fengnian's eyes was instantly extinguished. Although he was very unwilling, he had to accept the reality.

"Old Huang, tell me the truth."

"How long will it take for this prince to reach Li Changan's level?"

Old Huang smiled with a bitter face, a smile that was uglier than crying because he really didn't know.

He does not practice Taoism and does not understand the Dahuangting.

Xu Fengnian practiced Taoism, but did not enter the Taoist sect and remained a martial artist.

After entering the first level, one must also go through the three realms of Vajra, Zhixuan, and Tianxiang.

In other words, Xu Fengnian has to cultivate to the peak of the celestial realm before he can fight with Li Changan. Most people will never reach that level in their lifetime.

At this moment, a lazy and slightly sad voice answered the question.

"Sir, I can answer this question."

"If the prince doesn't go to brothels and practices hard day and night, it will take decades."

"But the martial arts emphasizes sudden enlightenment. If the prince can have some adventures and gain some insights between life and death, it is not impossible for him to gain enlightenment overnight."

The person who spoke was Wang Zhonglou's junior fellow apprentice, Hong Xixiang, who claimed that he would definitely become the best in the world.

At this moment, Hong Xixiang had a sad and haggard look on his face, with an untidy beard and an unkempt appearance.

When Xu Fengnian heard this answer, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought. This means that practicing day and night is not the best way to practice martial arts.

In other words, even if he continued to practice martial arts, he would most likely never be able to surpass Li Changan.

At this moment he suddenly felt very unwilling. He had been a child of destiny since childhood, with an exclusive status and he could get whatever he wanted.

It seemed that there was nothing he couldn't get and nothing he couldn't accomplish in this world as long as he wanted it.

But now he discovered that Li Changan, who was two years older than him, had achieved far more than he had.

The current Tang King Li Changan is already comparable to his father Xu Xiao and is much stronger than Xu Fengnian.

Just as he was daydreaming, Hong Xixiang walked up to him and Xu Fengnian couldn't help but look disgusted.

"You little Taoist priest, are you feeling sad for my elder sister again?"

Hong Xixiang said, "Ever since we met at the age of fourteen, I felt like we were destined to be together in our previous lives."

"But your elder sister has no feelings at all, and now she has been promised to Tang King Li Changan!"

"Alas... love has always been full of regrets..." Xu Fengnian said bitterly, "Don't worry, my elder sister will never marry Li Changan!"

After Xu Fengnian finished speaking, he put the sword back into the scabbard.

Huang Zhentu said in surprise, "Master, you don't want to practice anymore?"

Xu Fengnian also knew his situation in Beiliang. Many elders in Beiliang had already proposed to replace the candidate for the crown prince.

He had been imprisoned for three years and his prestige had plummeted. He wanted to quickly master martial arts in order to enhance his prestige in Beiliang.

Now it seems that the path of practicing martial arts may not be feasible, and Xu Xiao and Chu Lushan are both second-grade junior masters, and they are both invincible.

For him, the Prince of Beiliang, martial arts skills are enough as long as they can protect himself, but military merit is also necessary.

He is the prince of Beiliang and has thousands of soldiers under his command. He wants to seek revenge on Li Changan. Why should he practice martial arts hard and fight on his own?

If he wants to secure his position as the Prince of Beiliang and not be squeezed out by Chen Zhibao, he can no longer just sit there and wait for death.

"Old Huang, I think I've gone insane. I may never be able to surpass Li Changan in martial arts in my lifetime."

"What's more, when martial arts is practiced to a certain level, one must also experience enlightenment. Now that Da Huang Ting is proficient, what remains is the experience of real swords and guns."

Then, he looked at the old Sword God in the bamboo forest, "Senior Sword God!"

"If I lead the army to the west, can you guarantee that I won't be assassinated by the masters of Shazhou?"

Li Chungang accidentally killed his lover and his state of mind was greatly damaged, falling from the Earthly Immortal realm to the Zhixuan realm.

He stayed in Wudang for more than half a year, and after torturing the Wudang sword fanatic Wang Xiaoping several times, he recovered to the level of Tianxiang cultivation.

"Boy, I get stronger when I meet a strong opponent. If I really meet a master from Shazhou, maybe I can even recover my earthly immortal status."

"Your father has so many experts under his command, are you afraid that he can't protect you? How can you achieve anything if you are hesitant and cautious?"

Li Chungang said this with confidence. Although Wang Xiaoping was weaker than him, he was a great inspiration to him. Maybe one day he would be able to recover his cultivation to become a land immortal.

After listening to Li Chungang's words, Xu Fengnian further strengthened his confidence.

"Old Huang, go back to the palace!"

Fifteen days later, at the Beiliang Palace.

In the lobby of the palace, Xu Fengnian sat at the first seat with a cold expression. Those present were his supporters or Xu Xiao's loyal friends.

There were more than a dozen military generals and more than a dozen first-class masters. At the head of the hall sat the current Great Pillar of the State, King of Beiliang Xu Xiao.

"Everyone, Li Changan has been rooted behind Beiliang for more than two years. Not only did he steal the 100,000 refugee reserve troops hidden by the military advisor in Qingcang, he also killed the envoy I sent to Shazhou!"

If Xu Xiao wanted to conquer Shazhou, he must of course find the most legitimate reason, and he couldn't make the fact that Xu Fengnian was imprisoned public.

"Over the years, His Majesty has issued orders many times for me to exterminate Li Changan, but I have never had the heart to do it, considering that he has recovered his homeland and made great contributions to the country."

"But now, he has become a serious threat to Beiliang, and we must not keep him here any longer!"

"My Northern Liang army swept across the world and destroyed the six kingdoms of the Spring and Autumn Period. Each of them was several times larger than Shazhou!"

Xu Xiao had made up his mind, and the generals in the hall also understood his meaning.

"Your Majesty, we are waiting for your order!"

"Shazhou has provoked us everywhere, even killing the prince's envoy. This is simply a way to die!"

"Li Changan has eliminated several of our hidden men. Fushuifang must take his life!"

"Your Majesty, send out the troops to crush Shazhou! Capture Li Changan alive!"

"Shazhou soldiers are good at bullying some small tribes, but they have no idea how powerful the world's number one army is!"

……

Regardless of whether they supported Xu Fengnian or not, the generals of Beiliang all shared a common hatred for Li Changan, who was behind Beiliang.

A hint of excitement flashed in Xu Xiao's eyes. He hadn't seen such a scene of people being so excited and asking to fight in many years.

If it wasn't for giving his son a chance to turn things around, he would have wanted to go on this expedition himself.

"Yuan Zuo Zong!"

At Xu Xiao's command, one of the six adopted sons, White Bear Yuan Zuozong, stepped out of the class.

"The child is here!"

Yuan Zuozong of the Tianxiang Realm is known as the best general in the world, and the 10,000 Snow Dragon Cavalry he leads are known as the best cavalry in the world.

"Gather 10,000 Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and 50,000 Liangzhou Iron Cavalry, and follow the prince to attack Shazhou!"

Yuan Zuozong answered loudly, "Yes, sir!"

Xu Xiao continued to give orders, "Qi is the leader!"

"I have already dispatched six thousand Iron Buddhas, and I order you to lead them and fifty thousand elite soldiers from Lingzhou to follow the Crown Prince to attack Shazhou!"

"Order!"

Qi Dangguo was the commander-in-chief of the Northern Liang army, and also the most stable and loyal one.

Xu Fengnian calmly watched the two generals leave the team, knowing that Xu Xiao had allocated the strongest force to himself.

Among the 350,000 soldiers, there were 140,000 cavalry and 210,000 infantry.

However, Liangzhou, Lingzhou and Youzhou all need troops to garrison and defend against the southward advance of Beimang.

The 116,000 people assigned to Xu Fengnian this time were mobilized after nearly a year of personal arrangement by Xu Xiao.

What's more, the most powerful cavalry, the Great Snow Dragon Riders and the Iron Pagoda, and the best wolfhounds and white bears were also sent out.

It can be said that none of the eight countries in the Spring and Autumn Period could withstand such generals and military forces.

Xu Fengnian knew that Xu Xiao had spent a huge amount of money to help him consolidate his position as the crown prince.

Although Li Changan's military strength has increased dramatically in recent years, including the garrisons in various places, there are only about 150,000 people.

In fact, there are only about 70,000 to 80,000 people who can fight the enemy with all their strength.

In the eyes of Beiliang’s generals, Beiliang’s soldiers were experienced warriors who had fought in hundreds of battles, and Shazhou’s greatest achievement was just sweeping away some grassland tribes.

Such a record cannot be compared with the Northern Liang soldiers who wiped out the six kingdoms and killed 500,000 enemies.

Afterwards, Xu Xiao gathered more than a dozen veteran generals in the army and asked them to go into battle with Xu Fengnian.

In addition to these troops, there were also more than a dozen first-class masters who went on the expedition with Xu Fengnian.

Except for Xu Yanbing who stayed behind to protect Xu Xiao, Li Chungang and Qi Lianhua also went on the expedition with Xu Fengnian. It can be said that Xu Xiao gave his all.

Xu Xiao's expression was solemn and his tone was stern, completely unlike the cheerful and cheerful look he had when he was with Xu Fengnian before.

"Xu Fengnian!"

Xu Fengnian also stood up and bowed, without any dandy air at all.

"The child is here!"

Xu Xiao said generously, "This battle concerns the survival of Beiliang. If you don't take Shazhou, you will be beheaded!"

This may be the most serious sentence Xu Xiao has ever said to Xu Feng since he was older than her.

But these are Xu Xiao's true feelings. Li Changan is a big threat to Beiliang and can stab Beiliang in the back at any time.

Moreover, the army that Xu Fengnian brought with him could be said to be the elite troops of Beiliang.

If they lose this battle, Beiliang will have to be on the defensive against Shazhou, and the situation will be very passive.

For Xu Fengnian, if he loses this battle, he will lose his position as the crown prince.

"I will follow the orders of the Great Pillar State General. I will not return until Shazhou is destroyed!"

(End of this chapter)