179: Chapter 180 The world is in disarray, and the Yuan Demon runs rampant.

As they spoke, another person stepped forward quickly and fell to his knees with a thud.

"Sect Master! Shi Huolong and the Beggars Gang Disciples are willing to serve as the vanguard to sweep away the Yuan-Mongol, and restore our rivers and mountains!"

The newcomer was none other than the Chief of the Beggars Gang, Shi Huolong.

As he knelt, a large number of Beggars Gang Disciples behind him also knelt in unison, creating a grand spectacle.

"Good! A truly loyal and righteous Beggars Gang!"

Lu Chen's gaze swept over them, and he nodded slightly.

"All of you, rise."

At this time, the other heroes from various paths also stepped forward to pay their respects.

For a moment, the main hall of the Shangqing Palace was bustling with activity.

"Everyone!"

Lu Chen pressed his hands down in the air, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"Today, I, Lu Chen, shall write a manifesto here to proclaim to the world that we shall raise the banner of righteousness together, expel the barbarians, and restore China!"

After speaking, he strode toward a long table that had been prepared beforehand.

On the table, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were all ready.

Yin Susu personally stepped forward to grind the ink for Lu Chen.

Fang Yanqing and Ji Xiaofu unfolded the paper for him.

Yang Huangyi, her face full of curiosity, stood by his side, wanting to see what Lu Chen would write.

Lu Chen lifted the brush, paused for a moment in thought, and then his brush moved like flying dragons and dancing snakes, completing the writing in one go.

The brush stopped, and the characters were formed.

A manifesto appeared vividly on the paper:

"Since ancient times, when Emperors ruled the world, China occupied the center to govern the barbarians, while the barbarians resided on the periphery to serve China. Never has it been heard that barbarians entered China to rule it..."

"...Today, the world has lost its way, truly due to the rampaging violence of the Yuan monsters... Now, all tribes rise together, and the soldiers offer their lives, following the mandate of heaven to restore social order and save the common people..."

"...My orders are strict, with no looting or harassment; let the people peacefully attend to their eternal professions, and have no doubts or fears..."

"...Expel the barbarians, restore China, establish order and discipline, and provide relief to the people..."

Lu Chen's voice rose and fell with rhythm, echoing in the vast hall.

The heroes present felt their blood boil as they listened.

"Well said!"

"Expel the barbarians, restore China!"

"Kill all the Yuan dogs!"

The crowd's passion was high, their voices shaking the roof tiles.

"What a great 'Expel the barbarians, restore China'!"

Lu Chen threw the brush aside and looked around,

"This is our shared ambition today!"

"Everyone, do you dare to follow me and join in this grand undertaking?"

"We swear to follow the Sect Master to the death!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The heroes raised their arms and shouted, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

"Good!" Lu Chen nodded,

"In that case, we shall start with those tax farming officials!"

"These fellows usually act with overbearing pride, oppressing the commoners; the people's resentment has long been boiling over."

Lu Chen sneered, "It's the perfect time to use their heads to consecrate the banner of my Jiejiao!"

"Left Envoy Yang!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Yang Xiao quickly responded.

"This matter shall be handled by you!" Lu Chen commanded.

"Remember, be fast! Accurate! And ruthless!"

"Anyone who colludes with the Yuan Court and helps the tyrant, leave none alive!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Yang Xiao bowed to receive the order, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Chief Shi!" Lu Chen then looked at Shi Huolong.

"Your subordinate is here!" Shi Huolong cupped his fists.

"Beggars Gang Disciples are spread throughout the world and are well-informed," Lu Chen said slowly,

"You shall be responsible for gathering intelligence and clearing the way for the army!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Shi Huolong answered loudly.

"The rest of the sects, perform your respective duties and await orders!"

"Yes!" the heroes responded in unison.

Lu Chen stood on high ground, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below,

"Remember, our Jiejiao raises troops for nothing else but to return peace to the world!"

He paused and looked at the four beauties beside him,

"To seek a world of peace and prosperity for the sons and daughters of our Huaxia!"

"This world has long been rotten to the core!"

Lu Chen looked around,

"The Yuan Court levies exorbitant taxes, the people suffer unspeakably, and righteous armies rise everywhere, yet they all fight their own battles, like a heap of loose sand!"

He sneered,

"Those barbarian princes are also a bunch of useless fools, only knowing how to fight amongst themselves!"

"Names like 'Yesun Temür', 'Toqto'a Temür', and that 'Nao'ertu'—they can't even pick decent names, yet they want to rule the land?"

"Hmph!"

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Sect Master, we certainly cannot learn from them!" Shi Huolong shouted.

"That is natural." Lu Chen nodded,

"However, we must not underestimate the enemy either."

The crowd fell silent upon hearing this.

"Therefore, when our Jiejiao raises troops, we must have rules and a plan!"

Lu Chen's eyes were bright,

"My plan is to have five armies rise simultaneously, supporting each other, advancing step by step, and fighting steadily!"

"The first army, the Azure Dragon Army, will start from Daning, the headquarters of the Heavenly Eagle Sect, and be personally led by the Eagle King!"

He looked at Yin Susu and Yin Tianzheng.

"Father-in-law, the Giant Whale Gang and the Haisha Sect are local powers along the coast, familiar with the routes."

"Your task is to take the entire southeast coast!"

"Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou... not a single one can be missed!"

"Once these places are taken, our navy can head north to Tianjin and directly threaten Dadu!"

"Rest assured, leave it to me!" Yin Tianzheng accepted the command readily, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"The second army, the White Tiger Army, will use the Shangqing Palace as its base and be commanded by Dharma King Xie! Take Shazhou Road, Suzhou, and Ganzhou!" Lu Chen looked at Xie Xun.

"Me?" Xie Xun was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected such an important task to fall on his shoulders.

"What, no confidence?" Lu Chen's brow furrowed slightly.

"Who says I don't? They're just a few clowns! Watch me twist their heads off!" Xie Xun said with heroic spirit.

"The third army, the Vermilion Bird Army, and the fourth army, the Black Tortoise Army..." Lu Chen paused intentionally, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the crowd,

"...will be led by Bat King Wei and Chief Shi respectively!"

"Bat King Wei will contact the Wudang Sect and lead the Vermilion Bird Army to take Xiangyang, then head south to Jingmen to establish a base!"

"Shi Huolong will lead the Beggars Gang righteous army to rise from Junshan, leading the Black Tortoise Army to take Changde, Mianyang, and Jingnan, and rendezvous with the Vermilion Bird Army in Jingmen!"

"Then, split into two routes. Bat King Wei's route will head west to take Fangzhou, Guizhou, and Kuizhou, then proceed west to take Dazhou, Bazhou, and Chengdu! Seize the Land of Abundance, and then control Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Tibet."

"Chief Shi's route will head north through territories the Beggars Gang has managed for years: Anlu, Suizhou, Xinyang, Nanyang, Ruzhou, and Xuzhou. For this campaign, the Beggars Gang will contact the Shaolin Sect for assistance. After consolidating the gains, head west and rendezvous with the Central Army at Tongguan Pass!"

"We will perform a 'multi-pronged pincer attack' to completely divide the barbarians, making it impossible for them to coordinate between their front and rear!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Bat King Wei excitedly cupped his fists to receive the command.

"What is the Central Army?" Shi Huolong asked in doubt.

Lu Chen nodded to Shi Huolong, "Five Elements Banners, hear my command: from this day forth, you are the Central Army, my personal guard. You are temporarily placed under the joint command of Yang Xiao and Fan Yao. Proceed to Zhongnan Mountain to establish the Central Revolutionary Base. Use this as your foundation to strike in all directions and expand our territory."

The Banner Leaders of the Five Elements Banners all accepted the orders.

Lu Chen spoke with finality, "Henceforth, wherever the sun and moon shine, it shall all be Han land!"

"Our righteous army shall use the Sun and Moon as its sign, and the Sun and Moon together make 'Ming'. We shall be collectively known as the Ming Army!"

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, it shall all be Han land?"

As soon as Lu Chen finished speaking, the hall fell into a dead silence.

Everyone looked at each other, mulling over the meaning of these words.

"What a great 'Wherever the sun and moon shine, it shall all be Han land'!"

Yang Xiao stepped out and said, "Sect Master's words have spoken the thoughts in our hearts!"

"This world was originally the land of us Han people!"

"Those barbarians are merely usurpers; they should have rolled back to their old homes long ago!"

He became more excited as he spoke, "Our righteous army should have this kind of spirit!"

"Everywhere the sun and moon can reach should be our Han family's land!"

"Well said!" Lu Chen nodded,

"Our righteous army shall be called the 'Ming Army'!"

"Using 'Sun and Moon' as our sign, we proclaim to the world that we will return a clear sky and bright earth to this world!"

"Ming Army? A good name!" A bright light flashed in Yin Susu's eyes,

"This name is both connected to our Ming Cult and coincides with the legend of the 'Advent of the Bright King', killing two birds with one stone!"

"Furthermore, the word 'Ming' symbolizes light and justice, which aligns with our purpose!"

"Exactly!" Lu Chen waved his hand,

He changed the subject, "However, having a good name is not enough; we must also have a rigorous organization!"

"Otherwise, with so many people and conflicting opinions, each doing as they please, trouble will arise sooner or later!"

He paused, "My intention is to establish a 'Great Ming Five Military Commissions' as the supreme command for our Ming Army!"

"I will serve as the Commander-in-Chief, with Yang Xiao and Fan Yao as Deputy Commanders, and the Five Scatterers assisting, jointly responsible for military decisions!"

"All major military affairs will be discussed and decided collectively by the Five Military Commissions; no one is allowed to act on their own!"

"The five regional armies must 'follow a single source of orders', with the commands of the Five Military Commissions being the supreme instructions!"

Lu Chen swept his hand, "Remember, the purpose of our Ming Army is to 'Expel the barbarians, restore China'!"

"Do not take a single needle or thread from the people; do not disturb the commoners, and do not loot!"

"Whoever dares to violate this will be dealt with by military law!"

He paused, "Of course, those who are wealthy but unkind, and those who assist the tyrant, do not let them go either!"

"Confiscate their property! Distribute the grain! Let the people see that our Ming Army truly has their best interests at heart!"

"We obey the Commander-in-Chief's orders!" the crowd responded in unison.