Therefore, Li Boyang adopted a strategy of driving away the remaining 50,000 White Lotus followers without attacking them, and had the militia of Baozhilin heavily guard the route the White Lotus followers took to Hunan.
The purpose of this was to prevent them from joining forces with the Hunan White Lotus sect and increasing their strength, thus forcing the White Lotus sect members to flee to Fujian and Shanxi.
During the White Lotus Sect's escape, the local militia stayed close behind them, putting pressure on them and forcing them not to stay in Guangdong and Guangxi for even a moment.
Just after the White Lotus sect in Guangdong and Guangxi was basically eradicated, a memorial from Zhang Shusheng flew into the Forbidden City.
The memorial stated that the White Lotus sect in Guangdong and Guangxi had become so powerful because of the secret support of the gentry, and requested the court to grant him the authority to act first and report later in order to purge the gentry who supported the White Lotus sect.
Upon learning the truth, the powerful figures in the Forbidden City were furious. They never expected that the White Lotus Rebellion was caused by such a reason, and immediately agreed to the demands of Zhang Shusheng, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Meanwhile, in order to quell the rebellion as soon as possible, the powerful figures in the Forbidden City increased the power of the governor-general. Originally, the governor-general could only handle government affairs, but now he was in charge of the military and political affairs of the two provinces.
At this time, the governor-general was somewhat similar to the provincial governor during the Three Kingdoms period, overseeing the military and political affairs of a province and having his own local army. The only difference was that the governor-general oversaw two provinces, with a larger territory and more formidable power.
Li Boyang, who had finally received the imperial edict in Guangzhou, could not wait any longer and raised his sword against the gentry.
Huizhou was under the jurisdiction of Yuanwai Prefecture.
Master Yu, the owner of the mansion, was drinking tea and basking in the sun on a grand chair in the courtyard.
It's hard to believe that there are still families like this in Meizhou, which was thoroughly purged by the White Lotus Rebellion, seemingly unaffected by it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of banging sounds rang out.
Dozens of fierce-looking militia soldiers kicked open the gate of the Yu residence.
"Who are you? Why are you breaking into my home?"
While leisurely enjoying his afternoon tea, Master Yu's hand trembled, and the teacup fell directly onto the brick-paved ground, cracking with a "crack".
The militia soldier in charge pulled out an arrest warrant and said menacingly, "According to the investigation, you are involved in the White Lotus Rebellion. Come with me to the yamen."
“You are slandering me. My son is a vice minister in the capital. Get out of here right now.”
After finishing his sentence, the leading soldier ignored the threats made by Master Yu and shouted, "Arrest all the people in the Yu household and bring them all back to the yamen. Anyone who dares to resist will be shot dead on the spot."
As soon as the words were spoken, the ravenous militia soldiers began arresting people all over the mansion.
Meanwhile, within Huizhou city.
Is this the place?
"This is the Lin residence. You can see it written on the sign, class monitor."
The squad leader smacked the soldier who was speaking on the head and cursed, "You son of a bitch, don't you know I can't read?"
"Charge in! The platoon leader said anyone who resists will be killed or punished."
This scene was simultaneously playing out in many places in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.
Meanwhile, Li Boyang was not idle either, leading 5,000 elite militiamen to Shaoguan City in Guangdong.
At the Governor-General's Mansion in Shaoguang, Li Boyang sat upright under the plaque inscribed with the words "Diligent in Governance and Serving the People," quietly awaiting news.
A moment later, a militia battalion commander rushed into the governor's mansion and reported:
"Mr. Li, just as you predicted, the White Lotus Cult members are heading towards Shaoguan City, and they are less than twenty miles away."
"So they really came."
The White Lotus Sect's actions were exactly what Li Boyang had anticipated. There was no place for the White Lotus Sect in Guangdong and Guangxi anymore, and if they wanted to leave Guangdong and Guangxi, the White Lotus Sect only had two choices.
The first option is to pass through Shaoguang and enter Hunan; the second option is to pass through Meizhou and enter Fujian or Shanxi.
The White Lotus sect in Hunan is still advancing northward with unstoppable momentum. If it could join forces with the White Lotus sect in Hunan, it would naturally be the best option at present.
Therefore, Li Boyang anticipated that the Nine Palaces Master would lead the White Lotus Sect followers toward Shaoguan, and led the local militia to wait here in comfort.
He didn't want to let Master Jiugong lead these White Lotus followers to join forces with the White Lotus sect in the two lakes, and then greatly increase their strength, putting pressure on him. He wanted to force Master Jiugong to cause trouble in Fujian or Shanxi.
"Pass on my order: break camp immediately and engage the remnants of the White Lotus Cult."
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Chapter 40: Another Battle with Master Jiugong
The scorching sun and humid air provide the perfect growing environment for trees.
Along the three-way official road three miles outside Shaoguan City, there are dense forests of these tall and large trees everywhere.
This three-way intersection leads to Shaoguan City in one direction and Hunan Province in the other, making it a necessary route for the White Lotus Religion followers.
Li Boyang led five thousand elite militiamen into the dense forest on both sides of the official road. They had been waiting for an hour, but unfortunately, the White Lotus Sect was moving more slowly than expected and had not yet arrived.
It wasn't that Li Boyang didn't want to defend the city and insisted on venturing into this dilapidated forest full of blood-sucking mosquitoes; rather, Li Boyang knew that if his family stayed in Shaoguan City, this trip would have been in vain.
It is said that Master Jiugong will simply lead the White Lotus Sect to bypass the city. They originally did not intend to attack the city, but only wanted to escape into Hunan.
The dense forest was teeming with mosquitoes, spiders, and other insects. Many militia soldiers had developed large, swollen welts on their bodies, the handiwork of these forest killers.
Li Boyang was alright. Just as a blood-sucking mosquito landed on his skin, before it could even extend its mouthparts, it suddenly convulsed and died as if it had been poisoned.
This is precisely the power of a master of internal energy transformation. The moment a mosquito touches Li Boyang's skin, it is killed directly by the force naturally fed back by his body. This is the unique characteristic of a master of internal energy transformation: not even a feather can be added, and not even a fly can land.
"Be careful to stay hidden."