Xu Qi'an was slightly startled. His eyes suddenly sharpened as he stared at the middle-aged official and said in a deep voice, "This joke is not funny."
In his ears, it was as if he was saying, "Your father is dead."
If he did not know Wang Shoufu's character, Xu Qi'an would even think that Wang Shoufu was deliberately provoking him. But because he knew that Wang Shoufu would not do so, he was even angrier, more confused, and more gloomy.
The middle-aged official bowed his head slightly and said in a low voice,
"Duke Wei died in the headquarter of the Witchcraft Cult in Jingshan City. Only about 16,000 of the 100,000 soldiers returned … Eight hundred miles express, just arrived tonight."
After that, there was no response for a long time. The middle-aged official looked up and saw a pale face.
"His Majesty and the officials will definitely discuss this matter at the court meeting today. The follow-up reports will also arrive in the capital one after another … Since I have delivered the message, I will leave first."
After bowing, he turned around and left.
…
"Squeak …"
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Zhong Li raised her head in a daze. Seeing that it was Xu Qi'an, she felt relieved and continued to sleep.
Senior Sister Zhong paid great attention to her sleep, which had nothing to do with women aging due to lack of sleep. The main reason was that if she did not get enough sleep, it might lead to some sudden diseases, such as myocardial infarction, sudden death, etc.
In that case, life and death would only be a moment, and the Celestial Commissioner might not even have time to take the elixir.
Of course, this situation was rare, but Senior Sister Zhong was experienced and knew how to protect herself. She would not put herself in such a dangerous situation.
Soon, the sky brightened. Zhong Li woke up after a short rest. She sat up lazily and stretched her curvy mature body. Suddenly, she was stunned …
There was a figure sitting beside the desk. He was so quiet that he looked like a statue that had existed since ancient times.
He had been sitting there since he returned to his room! Zhong Li suddenly understood. She carefully observed him. His expression was so lonely, so quiet.
Like a wandering traveler in a foreign land.
…
At this time, in the Throne Room of the imperial court.
The civil and military officials passed through the Meridian Gate, crossed the Golden Water Bridge, and stopped at the positions corresponding to their official positions.
The officials walked past the Pill Emperor and entered the magnificent Throne Room.
Today's court meeting was a little late. Because of a sudden emergency, it was almost dawn when the palace informed the officials of the capital to attend court one by one. They were not allowed to ask for leave for any reason, including sickness. As long as they were not dead, they had to be carried into the palace.
Something big must have happened!
The officials of the capital were all experienced and immediately realized the urgency of the situation.
The officials entered the throne room in an orderly manner. They lined up neatly and were silent. At this moment, Wang Shoufu slowly turned his head and looked to his left. There was no one there. There should have been a figure in green there.
This was the first time Wei Yuan had done something like this since he had set off.
Some of the sharp-witted officials fell into deep thought.
After a quarter of an hour, the Yuanjing Emperor came in from the back of the palace. He was no longer wearing his Daoist robe, but a bright yellow imperial robe.
The officials were stunned the moment they saw the Yuanjing Emperor. The old emperor, who had regrown black hair and a healthy complexion, looked like an old man who had just suffered a major blow in his life.
His eyes were filled with sorrow and were dull. His skin was dry and lacked luster. He looked extremely haggard.
"This …" The officials' pupils shrank.
The old eunuch stepped forward and said loudly, "Report to the Emperor."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Shoufu stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the northeast.
Wei Yuan led his army deep into the enemy's territory and captured the headquarters of the Witchcraft Cult. He sacrificed his life for the country. Out of the 100,000 troops, only about 16,000 retreated … "
Inside the throne room, there were stiff and lifeless faces. After a few seconds, the Throne Room was in an uproar.
"Silence!"
The old eunuch waved his whip and lashed it on the smooth floor.
However, he could not suppress the uproar of the officials.
Just like how Wang Shoufu lost his composure when he heard the grievous news, the officials were the same. There were some things that could not be calmed down just by being calm.
The 100,000 troops were almost wiped out. This was undoubtedly a head-on blow. It even shook the foundation of Daibun.
The real reason that shook the officials and caused them to lose their composure was the sacrifice of the Daibun's God of War.
Although Wei Yuan's political enemies often shouted, "Your Majesty, please cut off this dog's head."
But whether they liked it or not, in the hearts of the officials, including the political enemies like the Royal Faction, they all admitted that Wei Yuan was the pillar of Daibun.
Although Duke Huai was a Third Grade Warrior, he could defend a region. If he wanted to prop up the mountain of Daibun, he was still lacking.
Only Wei Yuan, the Daibun's God of War who won the Battle of Shanhai Pass, was the person that all the major forces in the Nine Prefectures feared. This was because they were already afraid of him twenty years ago.
It was painful.
King of Zhenbei? At that time, he was just a green leaf beside Wei Yuan.
Now, the true pillar of the nation had fallen …
The officials instinctively did not believe this fact. However, the urgent military report had never been wrong in the six hundred years since the founding of Daibun. After all, this was a crime punishable by death. There was no room for mistakes.
The Yuanjing Emperor looked at this scene in silence. He was neither happy nor sad.
After waiting for a long time until the noise in the hall died down, he said with a pained expression, "My ministers, what should we do about this?"
It was still Wang Shoufu who replied. His tone was firm and powerful.
"I think that we should mobilize the troops from all the provinces and use the entire nation's military power to attack the Northeast. We should unite with the demons and barbarians to wipe out the Witchcraft Cult."
The Yuanjing Emperor sighed, "Daibun has already lost close to 100,000 troops. They were all my people, my children. Minister Wang, how can I bear to start a war?"
"Your Majesty!"
Wang Shoufu raised his voice and said emotionally,
"According to the reports, Wei Yuan has captured Jing Shan City. The Witchcraft Cult has suffered heavy losses. Nearly 70% of the masters in their headquarters have been killed. The Fire Country's hinterland has been penetrated by the army. Now, the difficult cities have been conquered by Wei Yuan.
"The Jing Kingdom has been fighting in the north for several months. They have suffered heavy losses and the demons and barbarians in the north are holding them back. At present, only the Kang Kingdom has preserved its military power. If we fight another war now, the descendants of Daibun will not have to worry about the Witchcraft Cult for a hundred years. "
His suggestion won the approval of some nobles and generals.
Wei Yuan had used up all the national power of the Witchcraft Cult to capture the headquarters. The dangerous pass of Yan Kingdom, which had blocked the Daibun army, would no longer exist. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Minister Wang …"
The Yuanjing Emperor waved his hand and said earnestly, "They have exhausted their military power."
Wang Shoufu looked at the emperor sitting high on the dragon throne. He opened his mouth and retreated dejectedly.
As he retreated, the wheel of history turned in another direction. When the later generations reviewed this period of history, they analyzed the national power of Daibun and the Witchcraft Cult. After comparing the losses of both sides, they agreed that if the current Daibun could be ruthless and fight against the Witchcraft Cult with the national power of the next ten years.
Then the Witchcraft Cult, a giant that had dominated the Northeast for thousands of years, would suddenly collapse and would not be able to rise again.
Countless people of the later generations sighed.
As for the Tsing Yi God of War who had died in Jing Shan City, the evaluation in the history books was that he had kept the Central Plains alive.
The Yuanjing Emperor no longer looked at Wang Shoufu who had retreated. He turned to the officials and said, "How do you think we should deal with this matter?"
The Minister of War stepped forward and said,
"I think we should transfer 20,000 troops from the neighboring states of Xiang, Jing, and Yu to the border. The remaining troops should also stay at the border of the three states to prevent the Witchcraft Cult from counterattacking.
"In addition, since Duke Wei has already sacrificed his life, Your Majesty will have to send another commander over."
The Yuanjing Emperor looked at him. Seeing that he did not continue, he nodded and said, "Minister Chen is right."
At this moment, the Assistant Minister of War, Qin Yuandao, stepped forward and said, "If Your Majesty wants peace, then we should discuss the relevant matters as soon as possible and confirm the envoy to the Northeast for peace talks."
The Assistant Minister of War, Qin Yuandao, was a firm supporter of the Emperor. He was in the same boat as Yuan Xiong, who was demoted to the Right Imperial Censor of the Imperial Censorate. Both of them were core members of the Emperor's faction.
As the Wei's Minister of War, he glared at Qin Yuandao.
He deliberately did not mention peace talks because he still wanted to fight with the Witchcraft Cult and avenge Wei Yuan.
The Yuanjing Emperor nodded slowly and said, "Good."
After Qin Yuandao returned to his seat, the Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said, "How should we decide on the compensation for the soldiers?"
As soon as he said that, the hall fell into dead silence.
For a long time, no one spoke.
The Yuanjing Emperor said slowly, "What do you all think?"
He asked three times in a row, but no one responded.
The Yuanjing Emperor looked at Yuan Xiong, the emperor's loyal "retainer". He avoided eye contact and did not say a word.
The compensation for the soldiers was very, very important.
According to Daibun's laws, when an infantryman died in battle, his family would be given three years of full military pay of 36 stone rice, which was equivalent to 18 taels of silver. After that, he would be given three to six buckets of rice per month for life.
When a cavalry died in battle, he would be given 72 stone rice, which was equivalent to 36 taels of silver. After that, he would be given six to ten buckets of rice per month for life.
The compensation for different types of soldiers and positions was different, and they all had strict rules and regulations.
Besides, there was another rule, which was also the reason why the officials in the court fell into dead silence.
If the battle was lost, the compensation would be halved!
The Minister of Revenue raised the issue of the compensation. The compensation was only on the surface. What really made the officials hesitate was the nature of the battle.
Would the battle be won or lost?
In the silence, Wang Shoufu stepped forward and said in a sorrowful tone, "Wei Yuan conquered the Witchcraft Cult's headquarters and made history in Daibun. This battle is a complete victory for Daibun."
Some people responded, some were deep in thought, and some were sad.
The Yuanjing Emperor nodded slowly, but he did not respond to Wang Shoufu. Instead, he said,
"I'm a little tired. This matter is very important. We'll discuss it tomorrow."
The old eunuch said loudly, "Court dismissed!"
…
"Knock, knock …"
The door of the room knocked twice weakly. It seemed that the person who knocked on the door was also a little lifeless.
Today, the second Uncle Xu, who was on break, woke up. He looked at his wife who was sleeping next to him. He did not knock loudly, so he did not wake her up.
With Second Uncle Xu's cultivation, he would immediately wake up if there was even the slightest movement outside.
He left the warm bed, put on some clothes, and went to the outer room to open the door.
"Ningyan?"
His nephew was standing at the door. He was expressionless, and there was a gloomy look between his eyebrows.
The second Uncle Xu's heart suddenly sank. He knew his nephew too well. The second Uncle Xu could understand his nephew's thoughts from his eyes and tone.
No one knew a son better than a father. He had raised him with all kinds of hardships.
"Second Uncle, pack up immediately and go to the Yunlu Academy. Go there and hide for a while. "Xu Qi 'an said softly.
The second Uncle Xu looked at him deeply. "Okay!"
Xu Qi 'an nodded, turned around, and knocked on the door of Li Miaozhen's room.
Susu, who was dressed in a snow-white dress, had lacquered eyes, and crimson lips, opened the door and said in a sweet voice, "What's the matter?"
Li Miaozhen, who was wearing an elegant Daoist robe and had her hair tied up, was sitting at the table, drinking tea and eating pastries.
Xu Qi 'an ignored her. His eyes swept past the beauty and looked at Li Miaozhen. He said slowly, "I want to go to the northeast border."
Li Miaozhen was stunned and asked doubtfully, "You want to go to the war too?"
Xu Qi 'an shook his head and said, "Duke Wei died on the battlefield."
Li Miaozhen's face suddenly froze, and the pastries in her hand fell to the ground.
She immediately came back to her senses and looked at Xu Qi 'an nervously. Because she knew how much this man trusted and respected Wei Yuan.
She also knew that he was indebted to Wei Yuan.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say to comfort him. Any words of comfort, at this time, would seem to be fake kindness that had nothing to do with her.
Xu Qi 'an said softly, "I don't believe it.
I don't believe that he died in the war. So, please take me to the border. If … he really died. "
He paused for a moment, and his eyes seemed to blur. "He has no children, no one to send him off. I want to go, I have to go …"
Li Miaozhen felt like a knife was twisting in her heart. "Okay."
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