Chapter Eighty-One: Strength to Lift Tripods

  The emperor's death was not concealed, and this news seemed to be the last straw that crushed the camel, adding a strong stimulus to the already crumbling Song Dynasty.

  It was as if a drop of water had fallen into boiling oil, and the Song Dynasty had blown its top. The insurgent armies in various regions continued to grow in strength, and the regional kings and marquises could no longer bear to conceal their ferocious ambitions for the imperial throne of the Song Dynasty.

  The eight kings and marquises, under the banner of "clearing the imperial court", led their troops to Beijing from all over the country to protect the only bloodline of the royal family. The refugees who had suffered for a long time rose up in unison, shouting loudly: "Where is the dignity of the king and the general?" It was as if a thunderbolt on a clear day, coupled with the emperor's death, instantly gave the rebels from all over the country a feeling that the fate of the Song Dynasty was doomed.

  This is a surging tide of people, flames engulfing the earth and sky, chaos has completely arrived!

  Facing the uprising masses, Yu Yuan was worried and helpless, although he had the heart to kill the rebels, but he had no power to change the situation.

  The rebel army is now sweeping like a broken bamboo, occupying nearly half of Qingzhou. Yu Yuan can only suppress the rebels in Yanchuan County, but other parts of Qingzhou have been suffering for a long time under various pressures and temptations, quickly spreading to Qingzhou. Since Qingzhou and Pingzhou are adjacent, Pingzhou also has a feeling of impending doom.

  Moreover, the largest of the three rebel armies absorbed other scattered rebel forces and became one of the Three Kingdoms. It slowly began to invade other states around it.

  Bingzhou was the first to bear the brunt, and it is said that the number of rebel soldiers has reached as many as 300,000. In just two months, the number is still increasing. Bingzhou usually only has a garrison of tens of thousands, and now they have to be dispersed in various places to protect each county, and the number is far from enough. The nine counties of Bingzhou began to recruit soldiers, and young and strong civilians were taken away to become soldiers one by one.

  These militiamen are farmers during busy seasons and train during their free time. Although they don't have the strength of regular soldiers, with just a bit of training they can go into battle. After surviving one or two battles, those who remain can be considered elite troops, ready for major deployments.

  "What? You want to form a righteous army?" Song Wen said in shock to Pan Hao.

  "You're just a spoiled rich kid who's never experienced the cruelty of war, with blood flowing like rivers and corpses piling up like mountains! Do you want to die?" Song Wen glared at Pan Hao, this child had never seen the brutality of war, and as a pampered son of a wealthy family, how could he possibly understand?!

  "This is just a temporary anger, it's about whether I can restore the glory of my ancestors, and this is exactly what I've been waiting for!" Pan Hao said calmly, his eyes gleaming with a deep light.

  "A man should go to battle and achieve immortal merits! I want our Song family to rise again in my hands!" Pan Hao's eyes shone brightly, gazing at Song Wen firmly.

  "Impossible, I disagree! You've been weak and sickly since childhood, you're not cut out for being a soldier at all! What if you don't achieve anything and become cannon fodder on the battlefield!" Song Wen didn't back down one bit. Pan Hao is trying to wipe out the Song family line!

  "Father, you underestimate me!" Pan Hao's body shook, his right foot twitched, and with a loud crack, the large bluestone under his feet shattered into dozens of pieces.

  Song Wen looked at Pan Hao in disbelief, this was still his own son, when did he learn such martial arts?

  "When did you learn all these martial arts?" Song Wen asked incredulously.

  "I don't know either, it was just a divine revelation in my dreams!" Pan Hao naturally wouldn't confess, and with a serious expression, he stared at Song Wen.

  "Divine Man?" Song Wen's mind flashed with the image of a blind old Taoist.

  "But the battlefield is full of unpredictable dangers." Song Wen furrowed his brow and sighed with his hands behind his back.

  "Father, the young eagle will one day leave its mother's nest and soar into the vast sky. If I cannot spread my wings and fly high, even if I die on the battlefield, I would have no regrets. A man should have ambitions and achievements." Pan Hao's voice was loud and clear, his eyes shone brightly, his posture was proud and upright, with a fearless spirit.

  Song Wen's eyes sparkled with a sharp light, looking at Pan Hao standing proudly, a sense of familiarity arose; "Alright, I can let you out if you can subdue the righteous warriors you've invited. If you succeed, I'll help you along the way!"

  "Alright! It's settled then!" Pan Hao agreed immediately.

  ……

  The emperor ordered a general mobilization of all officials and civilians' horses; also, he conscripted civilians as soldiers, with every seven households providing one able-bodied man for the army, who had to bring their own armor and weapons, known as the "Righteous Army".

  The righteous army has been around since ancient times. When the founding emperor of the Great Song Dynasty was still alive, there were already many members of the righteous army under him. Later, they followed the emperor to conquer the world and establish the foundation of the Great Song Dynasty. Many of them were even enfeoffed as marquises or appointed as generals. Until now, several families of hereditary princes are also descended from those who passed down their legacy.

  Pan Haixin sneered in his heart, how could he be limited by the princes and nobles! If not a true dragon, how can the emperor's prestige be established.

  He sent out a message to recruit righteous soldiers and issued a proclamation, saying that whoever could defeat him would be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver. Instantly, people came to enlist in droves, all knowing that Song Yu was a young master who had grown up in luxury, never having to lift a finger for anything. The thought flashed through their minds that not coming would be foolish, and besides, the pay promised by Pan Hao's righteous army was slightly better than what the government offered. And then there was the possibility of achieving merit by cutting down enemies, which might even bring honor to their ancestors in the future!

  In an open courtyard, a crowd of people gathered in front of the gate.

  "Song Gongzi, I don't know what it takes to be considered stronger than you!" A tall and sturdy man stood out, slightly disdainfully sizing up the bookish-looking Pan Hao.

  "Everyone can see the two stone lions in front of my door." Pan Hao pointed to the high-footed, majestic-looking lion with a face full of dignity in front of the door.

  "Seeing this, I don't know what it has to do with anything?" The man and everyone else were all bewildered.

  "Lift up the stone lion and you can defeat me!"

  "Haha, I'm dying of laughter! This young master can't be an idiot, right?!"

  "Absurd! Are you saying that with these words, Song Gongzi can be lifted up?"

  "How dare you tease me like this, it's too much!"

  Everyone was in an uproar, this stone lion looked like it weighed over 2,000 catties. It must have taken a lot of effort to transport it here. Now, someone actually wants one person to lift it up. Unless they possess the legendary strength that can hold up a tripod and pull nine cows backwards, it's impossible.

  "You're not very kind, young master. Looking at your small build, I'm not sure I can lift the stone lion, but swatting you is still easy." A burly man walked out of the crowd, his eyes showing disdain and contempt.

  "It's just that, who doesn't know you Song Yu have been a spoiled rich kid since childhood? You tell us to lift the stone lion, but you should be the one lifting it first!" A sturdy man with rough movements and a butcher knife in hand pointed at Pan Hao, sneering.

  "Exactly, exactly!"

  A crowd makes a fuss, and since ancient times, there have been no shortage of onlookers who enjoy watching the commotion. After one round of noise, even more people are attracted.

  "A loud cry of 'Cheers!' erupted, rumbling, the giant stone lion slowly rose amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd."

  "Make way!" A clear and loud male voice rang out, the crowd around him hastily retreated in a flurry, with a loud crash, Pan Hao raised the stone lion above his head and threw it forward. Suddenly, the ground shook, the stone bricks in front of the door shattered one after another, and dust flew everywhere.

  "Great!" Pan Hao clapped his hands and raised his head to smile at everyone.

  At this time, everyone was already stunned, as if they were looking at a monster, sizing up Pan Hao.