King Lu laughed out coldly, his eyes gleamed as he replied, "That's a good question. When I bid farewell to my Emperor Father, my Emperor Father reminded me that Qin Prefecture is the border. The barbarians on the plains are afraid of King Lu's might and have no morals. I've come to Qin Prefecture not to have fun, nor to enjoy life. I've come here to command my troops. I've come here to be the commander-in-chief of the three armies and expel the barbarians!
"If not, why would my father instruct me to control the three prefectures? He even gave me six hundred thousand silver taels from the Ministry of Revenue for special military expenses. Where should I spend this money?"
King Lu's eyes gleamed coldly, "The army has its own share of rations. This money is to compensate the warriors who have died, and to reward those who have performed meritorious deeds!"
"If I can't clear the borders, how can I live up to my father's wishes?" As he finished speaking, his expression was calm. The entire stage fell silent. It was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.
There was some truth to these words. The Emperor had casually instructed them to do so, but it wasn't King Lu who said it. However, the soldiers present didn't know this.
The few generals looked at each other in dismay. Some of them even had flushed red faces. This was a blatant act of usurpation. However, under the eyes of the crowd, nobody could refute this. The Emperor had instructed King Lu to control the three prefectures and guard the borders.
Seeing that the generals had been intimidated, King Lu knew that he had succeeded. With this tacit agreement, all his subordinates now saw him as their commander. He laughed and shouted, "Reward them!"
At this point, each of them was rewarded with a hundred taels of silver. A hundred taels of silver wasn't light at all, it was around seven to eight catties. Everyone's faces turned red as they kowtowed, "Thank you, King Lu, for your reward!"
"Three steps forward, one step forward!" King Lu commanded.
"Yes!" The first person was wearing a red scarf and had a heroic air about him. He was twenty years old and had blood stains all over his body. He had forty beast tails on his body.
The second place was a burly man with a full beard. He was tall and sturdy and had thirty beast tails.
The third person was skinny and had shifty eyes. He had twenty tails as well.
King Lu then asked for the names of the first three.
"Take Li Hengming, Cheng Zhi Yuan and Chen Wu."
King Lu looked at them with admiration, "The three of you are really brave warriors. I shall immediately promote you by one rank. Since there are no vacancies, you shall be the temporary commanders."
Promotions could only be done as replacements. Unless the person above them died, migrated or retired, it would be difficult to promote them. The three of them were elated as they knelt down in front of King Lu, "Thank you, King Lu."
"Do you see that? I admire capable warriors the most and detest mediocre cowards the most. "
"I will reward meritorious deeds and punish mistakes!"
"Yes, Your Highness." Everyone present, apart from the generals, had flushed red faces as they replied loudly. King Lu was extremely satisfied, "Let's go back and celebrate."
There were dozens of cauldrons in the camp, all of them boiling.
Today's hunted prey was cooked in the pot. Garlic, ginger, chili, star anise, cinnamon were all thrown into the pot.
The fire was burning fiercely, and the hot water in the pot kept boiling. A layer of oil floated on the surface of the water. One of the soldiers in charge of cooking the pot scooped some of the oil into a large bowl. The oil on top of the oil carried the fragrance of meat, and it was steaming.
He took a sip and said, "Good."
He looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he cut a piece of meat. There was some fat on the meat, and it was fragrant. He finished it in a few bites.
Following the banquet, Team Zhengying was currently eating meat and drinking wine at the table outside. Li Hengming, Cheng Zhiyuan and Chen Wu had quite a few Team Zhengying coming up to them. Some were respectful, some were jealous, and all of them were trying to force them to drink wine.
There were also many battalion commanders whose eyes were filled with haze.
A military tent
The chef that King Lu had brought along was roasting meat within the tent.
King Lu picked up a cup of wine and stood up, "Today's hunt has seen many brave warriors. It's all thanks to all of you generals. Come, let me offer you a toast."
"Thank you, King Lu." The generals all stood up and raised their cups.
After three rounds of wine, King Lu returned to his tent and ordered his attendants to leave. Only the three of them were left in the tent. There was only a single oil lamp in the tent, and the light was very dim.
Eunuch Liao bowed and retrieved a report, "Your Highness, out of the seven hundred and nineteen officers from the three prefectures, thirty-nine of them are close to us. Forty-four of them are cold to us, and the rest are wavering."
King Lu turned around and looked at Xie Cheng Dong, "Does Mister have a good plan?"
"It's normal for them to waver. Those who are cold to us should be killed as a warning to others. Those who pledge allegiance to us should be rewarded. This is the same thing."
"King Lu will take turns to lead the three prefectures to patrol the borders. He can secretly meet with those who pledge allegiance to us, and give them a chance to earn merits. As for those who refuse to submit, we can think of a way to kill them in battle, or make use of small mistakes to demote them. However, those who pledge allegiance to us have to do it themselves, and we will only recognize them."
"Even if something happens, it's because King Lu doesn't know about it, and has been deceived by a villain."
"As for those who pledge allegiance to us who betray their comrades, and get promoted, they have no choice but to follow King Lu to the end."
King Lu's eyes flashed as he laughed out loud, "That's great!"
The light from the lantern dimmed, and as King Lu laughed, the light flickered. His shadow was reflected in the tent, and it looked somewhat sinister. After King Lu finished laughing, he asked Eunuch Liao, "Has anything happened in the capital city recently?"
Hearing King Lu's words, Eunuch Liao then handed over the report, "King Lu, since you've been reinstated, all your connections have been restored. Many people are now willing to report back to you."
"There's news from the capital city. His Majesty has stripped Li Gang of his military power. I've also heard that Wu Shun Bo and Ji Bei Hou are about to be stripped as well."
As these words were spoken, the atmosphere within the tent became somewhat tense. King Lu received the report and looked at it for some time before sighing.
"Even if my foundation in Qin Prefecture is stable, I've already lost all my military power. How can I even talk about conquering the world?" King Lu looked at the report, as a sense of injustice welled up in his heart. He then smashed his teacup onto the ground, causing it to shatter into pieces. Even the report was thrown onto the ground.
Xie Cheng Dong picked up the report and looked at it carefully. He then pondered for sometime before speaking, "The Emperor is paving the way for the Crown Prince, in case the Crown Prince gets hurt."
He then paused for some time before speaking, "Anyone who the Emperor wishes to strip of their military power, King Lu can contact them in secret. There's some risk to this, but if you want to conquer the world, you have to take the risk."
King Lu sighed as well, "Ai, sometimes I don't know if this is the right or wrong thing to do. If any of the towns rebel, they would definitely be wiped out. But if I were to be implicated, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to escape the laws of the country."
Xie Cheng Dong laughed before looking at King Lu, "King Lu, His Majesty has spent half his life in the military, and has conquered the world. Which one of the generals isn't a general under His Majesty's command? It's impossible that they don't know of His Majesty's methods. Who would dare to rebel? Now they've merely seized control of the army. It's not yet time for them to fight to the death. "
"Actually, from what I can see, if someone were to rebel, it's a good thing. If the waters aren't muddled, how can they take the opportunity to do so? Who knows, they might be paving the way for King Lu."
"Let me say something disgraceful. The Emperor isn't in good health. This is an open secret."
"A plan?" King Lu nodded his head as he leaned back in his chair, looking extremely tired. Eunuch Liao hurriedly fetched a wet towel and stood up to help him.
Xie Cheng Dong laughed and didn't speak. He then picked up a brush and started writing. He then spoke, "The Emperor intentionally placed a thorn cane on the ground for the Crown Prince to pick up. The Crown Prince had a look of difficulty on his face."
"The Emperor was very disappointed. He turned around and sighed. If the Crown Prince had the guts to pick it up, I would have handed the world over to him. But he didn't dare to do so. I had no choice but to be the villain and remove all the thorns before handing them over to the Crown Prince."
The light within the tent was dim as Xie Cheng Dong wrote. His shadow moved along with the movement of the brush. Eunuch Liao stood up and looked at him. His eyes were filled with suspicion as he asked, "Mister Xie, what's the meaning behind this?"
Xie Cheng Dong kept his brush and opened his mouth, "The Emperor's plan was to take a step at a time. I'm going to break this pattern. This thorn cane theory is my weapon."
When Eunuch Liao heard this, he understood. He looked at Xie Cheng Dong and felt his heart turn cold. He then praised, "Wonderful. Isn't the Crown Prince kind and benevolent? Although this thorn cane theory is a fabrication, it's in line with the Crown Prince's character. It's in line with the Emperor's choice. Who wouldn't believe it? "
King Lu had drunk some wine and was somewhat annoyed. He retrieved a wet towel and wiped his face. When he heard these words, he hurriedly removed the wet towel and stood up, "Mister, you've come up with another plan for me?"
Eunuch Liao was overjoyed as he took out a scroll. King Lu received it and looked at it. He then understood, 'This plan is really vicious.'
"More importantly, there's no way to refute it."
"Men, spread the news and spread the rumor." King Lu spoke.
Dark Altar Mountain, Remote Daoist Monastery
Within the Daoist temple, there was a dark atmosphere. Within a small hall, the blind Daoist sat in front of a shrine. The light was still dim, but at this point, the anchor on the ship lit up with a red glow. Faintly, the cracks on the anchor could be seen, as the red glow healed the cracks on the anchor.
Two incense sticks were lit beneath the anchor, as two pairs of eyes stared into the darkness.
The blind Daoist sat down cross-legged, as the amount of black Qi around him lessened. His entire body was shrouded in a black glow. Spiritual Qi continued to fall from the sky, before being absorbed by the black glow.
The blind Daoist opened his eyes, as blood vessels squirmed around his eye sockets like parasites. It took a long time before everything calmed down.
When he opened his eyes again, a new pair of eyes appeared. Although it didn't look like he could see anything, he had grown eyeballs. The blind Daoist wasn't used to it as he rubbed his eyes, 'Is this real? Can eyeballs really grow out?'
'Even if one becomes an Earth Immortal, it would be difficult for one's physical body to reach this level right?'
'Perhaps only those who become True Sovereigns can do this. It seems like I made the right bet by worshipping this anchor. I am the one who was born from the will of the heavens!'
Thinking of this, the blind Daoist laughed out loud. After a long time, he stopped laughing, 'It's just that my lifespan hasn't recovered, and my sins have been suppressed. How difficult. Now, let me see how much of my powers have recovered.'
The blind Daoist placed his hands on the anchor, as a spiritual light shone from the anchor. After a long time, the light stopped, and some information was transmitted into the blind Daoist's mind.
The blind Daoist closed his eyes in deep thought before laughing, "If the heavens want to destroy you, they must first make you mad. Xie Cheng Dong, as long as you continue to grow stronger, the fruits of your labor will be more plentiful. Let me give you another helping hand."
As he spoke, he placed his hands on the anchor and chanted an incantation. With a wave of his hand, multiple red snakes appeared. He grabbed them all in his hands.
The Imperial Qi gathered into a ball, as a weak little dragon appeared. The moment it appeared, it wriggled its body, as though it was trying to escape.
The blind Daoist laughed coldly, "Hmph, many years ago, if it weren't for your help in the dark, how could you, a mere Daoist and a mere Daoist, kill the Hidden Dragon?"
"After killing the Hidden Dragon, the Imperial Qi that I kept for myself will finally be put to good use. Xie Cheng Dong, I will open the way for you. I will let the person you hoped to stir up trouble appear!"
As he spoke, he tossed the Imperial Qi out, and the pale yellow silhouette of the dragon flew out, disappearing into the skies.
The moment the silhouette of the dragon appeared, the originally clear night sky turned dark. Thick clouds began to gather in the sky, and soon, half of the sky was covered in clouds.
"Boom!" The heavens seemed to be enraged, as a bolt of lightning pierced through the dark clouds, illuminating the entire hall. A deafening thunder rumbled, and the red glow of the anchor broke apart. The blind Daoist's entire body trembled as he covered his face with his hands. Tears of blood flowed down his cheeks.
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