“Didn’t Wei Yuan just capture the Shaman Religion’s headquarters? Didn’t he pierce through the heart of the Yan State?” Qian Qingshu exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.
According to the officials’ estimates, the heavily damaged Shaman Religion would most likely swallow their anger and bide their time to recover.
Or, after initially pacifying the people and repairing the cities, they would redeploy troops. These tasks couldn’t possibly be completed in just a few months, let alone half a year.
The war had taken place on Shaman-religion territory, with civilians fleeing and cities falling. Even their headquarters had been captured and destroyed.
Post-war reconstruction, pacification, and other matters were supposed to be a long and troublesome process.
Who would have thought that less than a month after Wei Yuan captured Jingshan City, the Yan and Kang states would amass an army of 80,000 to attack Yuyang Pass?!
This behavior, which defied the norms of warfare, left the Grand Secretaries present both shocked, angered, and bewildered.
Wang Zhenwen’s face was as calm as still water: “How is the battle situation…”
He paused, then rephrased, “How many cities in Xiangzhou have been occupied?”
With 80,000 allied troops from the two countries, the enemy, driven by the flames of revenge, would surely fight to the death. The morale of the border troops, having experienced Wei Yuan’s death in battle, was understandably low.
The disparity in numbers, coupled with Li Yi’s return to the capital… all this information told Wang Zhenwen that Yuyang Pass had fallen, and the civilians of Xiangzhou were now suffering under the trampling of iron cavalry.
This made the usually composed old Prime Minister somewhat anxious, to the point of restlessness.
Hearing this, Li Yi instinctively smiled, a glimmer of admiration flashing in his eyes.
He smiled… Zhao Tingfang and others looked slightly dazed and then heard Li Yi say:
“Fortunately, Sir Xu was there at the time. He almost single-handedly helped us hold off the enemy army.”
Hearing this, the Grand Secretaries instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. Given Xu Qi’an’s past capabilities, he always managed to resolve situations, whether through violence or other extreme measures.
But then they realized something was amiss. Given Xu Qi’an’s level of cultivation, how could the words “single-handedly” be justified?
Wang Zhenwen frowned slightly, voicing his confusion.
Li Yi said: “Sir Xu broke through the enemy formation alone, cutting through the enemy army, slaying over ten thousand enemy soldiers in total. He killed the Kang State commander Su Gudou Hong Xiong, and with one slash, beheaded the Yan monarch Nur Hachi amidst thousands of troops…”
As Li Yi narrated, the Grand Secretaries were stunned, their aged faces frozen with identical expressions.
The teacup in Prime Minister Wang’s hands slowly tilted, scalding tea spilling again, jolting him awake as it burned him, causing his whole body to nearly shudder.
“Is this true?!”
Prime Minister Wang heard his voice trembling.
“This humble officer would not dare falsely report military intelligence. I have already sent the battlefield report to the Ministry of War. I came here at Commander Zhang’s request, hoping that the Prime Minister and the gentlemen could make decisions as soon as possible and dispatch reinforcements to the three border provinces,” Li Yi said.
Prime Minister Wang nodded slowly and said, “Wait outside for a moment while we discuss.”
After Li Yi left, the council hall fell silent for a moment.
In the minds of the scholars, the image of that young constable from the year of the imperial examination simultaneously appeared. At that time, he was just a small figure jumping up and down, relying on Wei Yuan’s favor.
Now, with Wei Yuan’s death in battle, he had become a legendary figure capable of shouldering great responsibilities on his own.
Times had changed.
Zhao Tingfang sighed: “Who would have thought he would grow to this extent? In five to ten years, replacing the Northern Border King and becoming Great Liang’s top martial artist won’t be a problem.”
Killing nearly ten thousand enemies at the foot of the city wall, beheading the Yan monarch Nur Hachi with one slash.
With just these merits alone, being granted a Marquis title was a certainty.
It’s a pity that such a figure had cut his official’s tablet in half with one slash, no longer serving as an official.
The hot-tempered Qian Qingshu coldly snorted:
“For the sake of the Huai Prince and the royal family’s face, His Majesty has completely severed ties with him. He can no longer serve in court. Moreover, given Xu Qi’an’s personality, even if His Majesty were to let bygones be bygones, he wouldn’t return to court.”
What a pity, such a waste!
The Grand Secretary of the Huagai Hall lowered his voice: “After Wei Yuan’s death, he might leave the capital…”
The Grand Secretaries fell silent.
Qian Qingshu slammed the table, his lips moved, but he ultimately didn’t curse out those two words.
Prime Minister Wang glanced at this close friend, changing the subject: “I didn’t expect the Shaman Religion’s retaliation to come so swiftly. This is not reasonable.”
Chen Qi, Grand Secretary of the Jianjie Hall, pondered for a moment: “Nur Hachi might have been blinded by hatred, but the Kang State shouldn’t be, and above them are the high-ranking shamans of the Shaman Religion.
“The Jing State is engaged in battle at the northern border, the Yan State has suffered heavy losses and urgently needs to recuperate, so only the Kang State’s military strength remains relatively intact. Coming so forcefully might allow them to achieve temporary success, but once Great Liang reacts and deploys troops, it poses a risk of national destruction for the Yan State.”
The current situation is that the Jing State in the north is restrained by the beast tribes, the Jingshan City headquarters has fallen, and the low to mid-rank shamans have suffered heavy casualties.
If Great Liang grits its teeth and fights another large-scale battle with the Shaman Religion, the Yan State would be in danger of destruction, and the Kang State wouldn’t be much better off.
That’s why Prime Minister Wang had proposed to mobilize more troops from various provinces, but Emperor Yuanjing rejected it.
Grand Secretary Chen Qi looked around at everyone: “So what reason would make them invade the south regardless of the consequences?”
“Perhaps the Chief Star Diviner can tell me,” Prime Minister Wang said in a deep voice, then looked at Qian Qingshu and said, “Qingshu, please invite that general back in.”
Li Yi re-entered the council hall, and Prime Minister Wang asked in a gentle tone: “Is there anything else?”
Li Yi hesitated for a moment, then said: “Has Chen Ying arrived in the capital?”
Prime Minister Wang thought for a moment, remembering who Chen Ying was, and shook his head: “Not yet. Is there something else regarding this matter?”
It seems he hasn’t arrived so quickly… Li Yi immediately showed an indignant expression:
“Apart from the provisions we brought when we set out, the logistics team hasn’t delivered supplies even once. While our army was fighting the enemy, the Ministry of Revenue of the three provinces cut off our supplies. When we retreated and questioned the officials of the three provincial revenue departments, we learned that the military provisions were gone.”
Upon hearing this, the Grand Secretaries’ faces changed dramatically. Qian Qingshu stood up abruptly.
Prime Minister Wang’s fingers tapped the table rapidly, his tone more urgent:
“What do you mean the military provisions are gone? What about the supplies sent to the border before the army set out? Didn’t the three provincial revenue departments check? Didn’t you check? Where are the transport officials? Where are the supply supervisors?”
What’s most important in warfare?
Provisions rank first. With a hundred thousand people, both humans and horses need to eat. Without provisions, there would be mutiny.
“Of course, we sent people to check, but when we retreated, we discovered that the provisions were gone, already secretly transported away. The transport officials and supply supervisors responsible are nowhere to be found.
“Chen Ying questioned the revenue department officials, but those dog officials only said they were acting on orders and wouldn’t say anything else. So… in a fit of rage, Chen Ying beheaded them all.”
Li Yi lowered his head as he finished speaking.
Boom!
It was like five thunderbolts striking. The Grand Secretaries’ bodies swayed.
“Acting on orders? Whose orders? Whose orders?! That… that Chen Ying… who told him to behead everyone? Now that he’s killed them, who are we supposed to question?
“Brute, damned brute!”
The hot-tempered Qian Qingshu was furious.
Only Prime Minister Wang sat motionless, silent for a long time. When the Grand Secretaries had argued enough, he quietly picked up his official hat, put it on, and slowly walked out.
“I’m going to see the Chief Star Diviner.”
His voice was devoid of joy or sorrow.
…
At this moment, in the Ministry of War, the Minister of War sat in the hall, examining the contents of the battlefield report.
At the military outpost, two important events were recorded. First, the combined forces of Yan and Kang, totaling 80,000 troops, attacked Yuyang Pass. However, they were defeated by Xu Qi’an single-handedly. He slaughtered tens of thousands of enemies, killed the Yan ruler, and routed the allied army!
Second, the supplies mysteriously vanished.
In addition to the official report, there was a handwritten letter from Zhang Kaitai, pleading with the Minister of War and Imperial Censor Zhang Xingying to help save Chen Ying.
Killing a Ministry of Revenue official was tantamount to mutiny. Historically, in cases of mutiny, soldiers could be pardoned, but the ringleaders were always executed.
The Minister of War, a key figure in Wei Yuan’s faction, had been personally promoted by Wei Yuan. After pondering for a long while, he summoned his confidant and said, “Leak the contents of the military report, but only the first part, not the second.”
The matter of the missing supplies was still inconclusive and too sensitive to disclose at this time. However, Xu Qi’an’s exploits could be spread to publicize the victory in this battle. Since His Majesty was hesitant and unwilling to honor Wei Gong posthumously, this would give him a push.
…
Soon, with the help of certain interested parties, the story of Xu Qi’an single-handedly repelling the forces of Yan and Kang began to circulate among court officials and throughout the marketplace.
In a high-end restaurant in the inner city, a group of court officials gathered. After entering a private room and ordering food and wine, they began to discuss the matter enthusiastically. One official, after a few drinks, said:
“I just got news from a friend in the Ministry of War. The day before yesterday, the allied forces of Yan and Kang, numbering 80,000 elite troops, attacked Yuyang Pass.”
His colleagues’ faces changed dramatically. “Has Xiangzhou fallen?”
“No, no,” the official waved his hand, looking around at everyone before continuing vividly, “As it happened, Constable Xu was there. With just one man and one blade, he killed over 20,000 enemy troops, slew the Kang commander, and even beheaded the Yan ruler.”
“Nonsense! Eat more food and drink less wine. You’re talking drunkenly,” his colleagues didn’t believe him.
“This matter is true. You’ll all know about it sooner or later anyway, so why would I deceive you? Is Su’s reputation worth nothing?”
“What exactly happened? Tell us quickly…”
Outside the private room, a waiter who had been serving them heard everything. He immediately ran downstairs, his face flushed with excitement, to find the manager.
“Manager, manager, something big has happened!”
The manager behind the counter changed expression: “Did customers get into a fight?”
The waiter waved his hands repeatedly, then gesticulated wildly as he shouted, “The allied forces of Yan and Kang, 80,000 strong, attacked our border, and Constable Xu single-handedly wiped them out. Even the Yan ruler is dead.”
The noisy main hall of the restaurant instantly fell silent.
…
In a certain brothel.
“Have you heard? Constable Xu single-handedly repelled 100,000 troops from Yan and Kang at the Xiangzhou border, killing them all.”
“Isn’t Constable Xu in the capital?”
“Who told you he’s in the capital? This is confidential government intelligence. I only know about this because I have a relative who’s an official in the court. A full 100,000 troops, my goodness, the pile of corpses must be higher than the city walls.”
…
At the entrance of an alley.
Someone shouted: “Listen, everyone, I’m about to tell you about a thrilling event. You may not believe it, but I can guarantee every word is true.”
“What is it?”
Passersby stopped to gather around.
The caller announced: “Yesterday, at Yuyang Pass, Constable Xu single-handedly repelled 150,000 troops from the Wushen Cult. One slash, ten thousand dead. After fifteen slashes, the enemy army was annihilated.”
“Is this true?” A passerby doubted.
“I heard about it too, but it was said to be 200,000 troops, not 150,000. Don’t downplay Constable Xu’s achievements.”
“Oh? Wasn’t it 250,000?”
“This must be a rumor, right?”
“What rumor? If it’s Constable Xu, he can do it. Have you forgotten? Last year in Yunzhou, Constable Xu single-handedly repelled 20,000 rebel troops and quelled the rebellion by himself.”
Voices kept rising from the crowd.
The news spread rapidly, from one to ten, ten to a hundred, quickly circulating among the common people in the capital.
The capital’s citizens were delighted to hear this, wearing expressions of “as expected of him.” Some were elated, believing it was heaven’s blessing on Great Feng. Others frowned, thinking that if Constable Xu continued like this, the mortal realm wouldn’t be able to contain him anymore, and he’d ascend to heaven, a loss Great Feng couldn’t bear.
…
In the Imperial Palace.
The Crown Prince learned the first-hand news from his trusted officials and was dumbfounded, his level of shock no less than when he heard of Wei Yuan’s death in battle.
Upon hearing the news, his first reaction was to find Lin’an.
The Crown Prince had noticed the mutual affection between Lin’an and Xu Qi’an during the Consort Fu incident. Especially his naive sister, who could be described as deeply in love.
As Xu Qi’an demonstrated increasingly stronger abilities, the Crown Prince’s feelings became incredibly complex. On one hand, Xu Qi’an had offended the Emperor and was destined for doom. On the other hand, he was incredibly useful, so useful that the Crown Prince felt that if he could recruit Xu, his claim to the throne would be even more secure.
Not to mention, if a top-tier martial artist with superb cultivation were to serve him loyally, at the very least, his personal safety would be guaranteed.
Now, the Crown Prince was more convinced of this fact than ever.
Leaving the Eastern Palace, he quickly arrived at the nearby Shaoyin Garden. After being announced by the guards, he found his sister, dressed in a red gown, in the back garden.
Her face was round, fair, and white, with delicate features as if carved. Her watery, almond-shaped eyes always seemed to carry a hint of affection, charming but not vulgar, full of allure in every glance, yet not frivolous.
As siblings, the Crown Prince was naturally immune to Lin’an’s beauty, but at this moment, he felt that Lin’an’s beauty and inner charm were indeed formidable weapons.
“What brings Crown Prince Brother to visit me?” Lin’an sat in a pavilion, admiring the autumn scenery, turning back with a smile that could captivate anyone.
The Crown Prince strode in, laughing heartily, “I’ve come to share some big news with you, sister.”
He recounted Xu Qi’an’s heroic deed at Yuyang Pass.
After a pause, he probed, “Lin’an, Xu Qi’an is truly a rare talent. What do you think of him?”
Although his words hinted at using his sister to win someone’s heart, as the Crown Prince, this was a basic move.
Lin’an was stunned, her beautiful oval face expressionless for a long time.
After a while, she said softly, “So he went to the northeastern border…”
“Yes, he charged into battle alone, killed tens of thousands, and scared off fifty thousand enemy troops. It’s a feat rarely seen in Great Feng’s history,” the Crown Prince said excitedly.
Lin’an, however, only felt heartache. What drove him to travel thousands of miles to the border and fight at the forefront?
Wei Yuan’s death must have hit him hard.
When you like someone, your first concern is always their joys and sorrows, not the glory and brilliance they bring.
Of course, Lin’an also heard her own heart pounding fiercely.
That man now could overturn the heavenly palace and bring a celestial princess down to the mortal realm.
…
In the barracks where the Imperial Blade Guards were stationed, Xu Pingzhi received congratulations from colleagues and superiors.
“Congratulations, Lord Xu. The Xu family is truly loyal and devoted. Your second son joined the army on the expedition, while your eldest guards the border, establishing great merits.”
“In my opinion, it’s Lord Xu’s foresight that’s commendable. You recognized early on that Constable Xu was a heaven-sent martial prodigy.”
“Indeed, I regret having secretly cursed Lord Xu for being an unfilial son before.”
That last comment was unnecessary, you uncouth warrior… Xu Pingzhi thought with a complex expression as he smiled and responded to the pleasantries.
…
At the Star-Observing Tower.
Wang Zhenwen, dressed in a crimson robe, ascended to the Eight Trigrams Platform. In his memory, he had climbed to the top of the Star-Observing Tower fewer than five times.
He had met the Observatory Master equally a few times. This guardian deity of Great Feng, who had observed the mortal world for five hundred years, seemed detached from the mundane world despite living in it.
Since Wang Zhenwen had entered officialdom, the only time he had truly seen the Observatory Master intervene in state affairs was when he forced Emperor Yuan to issue an edict of self-blame.
What are you thinking… Wang Zhenwen sighed, then said:
“Is your disciple… unwell?”
Not far away, Yang Qianhuan was crouching with his back to them, muttering incessantly. Wang Zhenwen vaguely heard a few words:
“I’m not jealous, I’m not jealous… Damn Xu Ningyan, damn Xu Ningyan, damn Xu Ningyan…”
“Pay him no mind,” said the Observatory Master, looking as celestial as ever, though he seemed to choke a little.
Wang Zhenwen nodded and recounted the two military reports, then bowed and asked, “Please advise me, Observatory Master.”
The first report was about Wei Yuan’s death in battle, and the second was about the missing supplies.
The Observatory Master had his back to him, twirling a wine cup in his hand. He chuckled lightly and said, “Who does the Prime Minister think could cut off the supplies of a hundred thousand troops in Great Feng?”