Chapter 107 Leaving Jiangchun

After causing trouble in Jiangchun for several months, the troublemaker Chen Feng finally laid down his arms and stopped making trouble.

The official governments and martial arts sects in various counties and cities of Jiangchun finally had a chance to breathe.

While they were anxiously guessing who Chen Feng would target next, news spread throughout the martial world that someone had seen Chen Feng and his group sailing west, showing signs of leaving Jiangchun.

As soon as the news came out, all the officials, dignitaries, and wealthy gentry of Jiangchun breathed a sigh of relief.

This plague god has finally left!

For several months, half of the counties in Jiangchun had been visited by this person, and countless corrupt officials and evil gentry had died, making the various places in Jiangchun terrified.

However, after the Jiangchun government could do nothing about Chen Feng, the landlords and gentry in each county did not just sit around waiting to die. They all ran away to take refuge, which led to Chen Feng finding fewer and fewer people to kill each time he visited a county, and the results of his elimination of evil gradually decreased.

After all, Chen Feng only had a group of people; there was nothing he could do about it.

Now, hearing that this person had left, the local gentry of the counties who were afraid of Chen Feng coming to their door, and thus took their families to nearby prefectures and provincial borders to take refuge, dared to return to their hometowns.

This troublemaker was like a sword hanging over their heads, not knowing when it would fall, making many dignitaries and wealthy gentry in Jiangchun nervous and afraid to intensify their actions.

Although this person has left, they can return to their hometowns, but their actions are not as flamboyant as before. They are cautious, with lingering fears, afraid that Chen Feng will make a comeback.

Unlike the joy of the Jiangchun dignitaries, the dignitaries of neighboring provinces began to panic.

They were originally just watching the excitement, but now that the troublemaker might step into their territory, they themselves have become the excitement!

The governments of the surrounding southern provinces were very nervous, constantly inquiring about Chen Feng's whereabouts, secretly praying that this guy would not come here, and that he would cause trouble for the neighbors instead.

At the same time, the rural gentry near the provincial borders had already packed their valuables and were ready to run away. Once Chen Feng appeared in their province, they planned to flee immediately, really not wanting to gamble with their lives.

If this person is not completely eliminated, they will have trouble sleeping and eating!

However, the reaction of the common people was exactly the opposite of that of the dignitaries.

Chen Feng's reputation was at its peak. Some people were afraid, but more people admired him.

The common people in the neighboring provinces were overjoyed and looked forward to Chen Feng coming to their territory, wanting to be the next beneficiaries of Chen Feng's elimination of traitors and evil.

But the people of Jiangchun felt greatly disappointed.

Especially in those counties where the local gentry had escaped to take refuge and avoided disaster, or simply had not waited for Chen Feng to visit, the people inside had a sense of lost expectation, and even a kind of unspeakable despair.

When Chen Feng was traveling around Jiangchun, many people felt that there was still a chance, so they kept waiting, hoping that Chen Feng would come and eliminate the local bullies and gentry in their hometowns.

But now, the bullies in their hometowns had not been eliminated yet, and Chen Feng had left. Who else could eliminate these people?

Chen Feng is gone. Will he ever come back?

Many commoners were at a loss.

However, after Chen Feng left, the impact began to appear.

In a few counties in Jiangchun, imitators actually appeared.

Some outlaws or poor villagers began to form loose gangs, taking advantage of the escape of the local tyrants and evil gentry in their hometowns to organize and plan to find opportunities to fight back against the returning bullies.

After experiencing days of hope, some people suddenly became unwilling to muddle along. When they realized that for a long time, no one would come to "act on behalf of heaven" to make a change, some people did not have the patience to wait for the next "Chen Feng" to appear out of nowhere, and simply stood up for justice themselves.

Chen Feng's actions became an example for them to follow... Kill corrupt officials and eliminate bullies. If Chen Feng can do it, then so can we!

In the eyes of the local governments in Jiangchun, this was Chen Feng's remaining evil that had not been eliminated. They colluded with the gentry to suppress these emerging gangs, planning to kill the violent civilians and make the remaining mud legs who should not have such thoughts become obedient again.

When Chen Feng was still around, many commoners could still be content with the status quo and wait, but after he left, the civil unrest began to spread.

For a time, chaos began to appear in Jiangchun.

...

Ning Tian Prefecture.

One of the wealthy families, as usual, hired famous chefs to hold a grand banquet, inviting important figures from various aristocratic families as guests to connect with each other.

All kinds of delicacies and fine wines were served in abundance, and courtesans from brothels were invited to play the zither and dance to add to the fun.

Soft and fragrant jade, the sound of silk and bamboo, a scene of extravagance.

As the wine flowed, the crowd began to talk about recent events.

"That troublemaker Chen Feng has finally left Jiangchun, which is really a great thing. A few days ago, those martial arts sects were retaliated against, and I thought that Chen Feng would come to settle accounts with us, but fortunately, this person did not come to Ning Tian Prefecture."

Someone said happily.

Another person curled his lips and said stubbornly, "Humph, Ning Tian Prefecture is not those rural counties and cities. If he dares to come, he will definitely not return."

These Ning Tian aristocratic families hired twenty-eight famous figures from the martial world. After the matter was exposed, they had been worried, fearing that Chen Feng would come to their door, and now they were finally relieved.

Sun Mao Cai sipped his wine and said with a smile, "Although there are many troops stationed in Ning Tian, that troublemaker is brave enough to take on ten thousand men, so he may not be afraid. In my opinion, it is fortunate that True Man Yu Feng is stationed here, so Chen Feng did not dare to provoke the True Man and retreated. Otherwise, how could he give up?"

Everyone nodded and praised each other.

These days, True Man Yu Feng was their reassurance. As long as True Man Yu Feng stayed here, they would feel safe.

"It's not just the True Man's merit. His Majesty is now in Ning Tian, protected by the dragon's aura, which must have deterred Chen Feng and made him afraid to offend the imperial dignity, so he retreated in a panic." Someone said, flattering him from afar.

Everyone present paused, then echoed, looked at each other and smiled, feeling relaxed.

In any case, the troublemaker Chen Feng left Jiangchun, and they thought he would not come back in a short time, so they felt they could sit back and relax.

...

The Da Xia Dynasty has twenty-four provinces in the world, and Hu Yang is located at the junction of the Central Plains and the South. It is very vast. Although it is also a province, its area is close to the sum of Lu He and Jiangchun.

From Jiangchun to Hu Yang, whether by land or water, passing through Lu He is the closest.

Because Zhou Jing didn't want to return the same way and stay in Lu He, he planned to take the faster waterway, without doing anything else along the way, which could save a lot of time.

Whoosh...

On the wide river, the large ship sailed against the waves.

On the deck, Zhou Jing leaned against the ship's railing, watching the scenery moving along the bank. His whole person was like an iron tower standing tall, even if the ship swayed, he remained unmoved, while his thin clothes fluttered in the river wind, making a rustling sound.

Guo Hai Shen also stood by the ship, introducing the situation of Hu Yang to him:

"This Hu Yang has a vast area, with a dense network of waterways, countless rivers and lakes, so there are often floods. And Yue Shan Lake is located here, said to be nine hundred *li* wide, spanning dozens of villages and counties, and is a famous lake in the world."

Zhou Jing nodded and asked, "What is the situation of the Green Forest here?"

Guo Hai Shen pondered:

"Speaking of which, this Hu Yang is the most prosperous area of the Southern Green Forest. Because there are often floods, there are many poor people and the folk customs are sturdy. Also, due to the terrain, the imperial court is difficult to encircle and suppress, which leads to an endless stream of water bandits in this area, known as 'Nine Hundred *Li* Yue Shan, Six Hundred *Li* Water Village'. There are more than a dozen water bandits with names and surnames in the Green Forest alone, with as few as one thousand people and as many as three to five thousand people, and small groups of water bandits are even more numerous."

Hearing this, Zhou Jing narrowed his eyes and asked, "Then, in this Green Forest, are there any big bandits who have become a force to be reckoned with?"

"Of course there are." Guo Hai Shen nodded: "There are three famous Green Forest heroes in this area, known as the Three Flood Dragons of Hu Yang. Not only do they have many lackeys under their command, but they have also gained the support of some of the Hu Yang water bandits and occupy one side. I have dealt with them before. These three all plan to dominate the Hu Yang Green Forest and have been fighting endlessly, but they can't do anything to each other, and they are still in a three-legged confrontation."

"So, is the Hu Yang water bandits currently in a divided situation, and no one can command all the water bandits?"

"That's right."

Hearing this, Zhou Jing's mind became active.

He is currently an insurgent bandit causing trouble everywhere. Because Chen Feng's goal, the path of rebellion will mostly use guerrilla tactics and cannot be limited to one place. But in the end, it is best to have a reliable base to accumulate strength.

As his Green Forest reputation grows and the [Number One Under Heaven] milestone gradually moves towards completion, he can now start preparing for the early stages of the rebellion. Sharpening the knife does not delay the work.

Red Cloud Mountain is too small and its strategic location is not good. It is too easy to be encircled and suppressed, and Zhou Jing does not want to settle there, which is one of the reasons why he has been rejecting the invitations of the leaders of Red Cloud.

But this Yue Shan Lake is different. It has a vast area and complex terrain, with rivers and lakes as natural barriers. It is also adjacent to the Central Plains, and there are many water bandits. It has all the right conditions, making it an ideal place to start an uprising.

If he can unify the six hundred *li* water village in this area and bring the Hu Yang water bandits under his command, he will become a great bandit in the world, no less than the Heavenly King Village in the north, and then he will have the foundation for the uprising.

Moreover, the people's livelihood in Hu Yang is declining, and there are many poor people. When he comes up with a slogan and rises up, he may be able to gather a crowd, perhaps hundreds of thousands of them.

Zhou Jing looked at the river ahead, his eyes flashing:

'It seems I have to meet these Hu Yang water bandits. I don't know if my current Green Forest reputation is enough for them to give me some face.'

He secretly made up his mind that this time he went to Hu Yang, it was no longer just a simple roaming, but to really find a way to take down a base and officially debut as a mountain stronghold lord.

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