Zhuo Ding County, Governor's Mansion
Light shone from within the study room. A man was in the middle of the room, reviewing military affairs.
Along the corridor outside the study room, soldiers stood guard every few steps. Lanterns hung in the courtyard, illuminating the place.
Not far from the garden, crickets could be heard chirping. A few frogs could be heard croaking in the pond. Fireflies could be seen flying in the night sky, breaking the silence of the night.
A Daoist official invited someone in to report, "Quick, report to the Dao Master. I have something important to report."
Before long, he came out, "Call him in."
"Dao Master, Chen Ping is dead. The navy has surrendered." The Daoist official entered and smiled as he reported. Pei Zi Yun wasn't surprised when he heard this. He nodded his head, "Alright, I got it. Ji Bei Hou's last chance of survival has been severed. He's at the end of his road!"
"Contact Song Zhi, and order the County Magistrate to bring the families of the rebels here. Do you understand?" Pei Zi Yun ordered as he paced around.
"Yes, Dao Master." The Daoist official turned around and left. As the study room closed, Pei Zi Yun paced a few more steps before pushing open the window. In the night, the crickets and frogs could be heard chirping noises. A cool breeze blew into the room, but his face remained expressionless.
Several Days, Official Road
The commoners were not soldiers. Thousands of people were dragged out for miles. Some of the ground was covered in grass, and many of the commoners stepped onto the grass. Several soldiers stood by the side, watching over them. There were constables and bailiffs, who were all from different counties. They didn't scold or beat them, but only urged them on.
A constable held a strand of green foxtail grass in his mouth as he walked in front. The bailiffs followed behind. An old man and a young man walked up to the constable and whispered, "Constable Hu, this is a gift."
The old man stretched out his hand and handed over a silver ingot, "Constable Hu, the imperial court has summoned us. Why is it? Please tell us, if not we will feel uneasy. "
Hearing the old man's words, the constable looked around and received the silver ingot, "Don't worry. The imperial court has issued an order to invite you here. I'm sure it's to persuade the rebels to surrender."
"Thank you Constable Hu." The old man heaved a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of anything else, but he was afraid that one of his family members would be dragged away to be punished or besieged by the rebels of the Northern Meadows. That would be the end.
Watching the old man leave, the constable muttered in a low voice, "If the imperial court wants you to go, I'm just a small constable. How would I know what they want you to do? It's not impossible to get you to attack the city."
"What is this?" In one of the teams, several people looked at the loudspeaker in their hands, not understanding what it was.
"It's a simple sound amplification tool. It can amplify some sound. It's not much, but it's enough." A Daoist explained, "Hurry, hurry. These thousands of people must reach the Prefecture City within three days. We cannot delay the Enlightened Master's orders. If not, we cannot afford to bear the consequences."
Hearing this, the constables and yamen runners couldn't help but quicken their pace as they recalled the recent bloody example.
State capital
"The navy surrendered and Chen Ping was killed?" Shen Zhi reported the news to Ji Bei Hou. When Ji Bei Hou heard the news, his face turned pale. His body trembled, and a loud rumbling sound could be heard. It was as if he had lost something. It was as if he was a hero at the end of his road.
"Ah!" Ji Bei Hou felt as if his heart was on fire. It was unbearable, and he cried out in pain. His face was contorted, but he didn't scream out loud. Instead, he grabbed onto his clothes and held on.
After a long time, Ji Bei Hou finally calmed down. He leaned back on his chair, and his eyes were bloodshot. Shen Zhi raised his head, and realized that Ji Bei Hou had aged significantly. Even his hair had turned white. A feeling of a hero past his prime welled up in Shen Zhi's heart, "Master Hou, you have to take care of yourself!"
Hearing the voice, Ji Bei Hou raised his head and stared blankly. There were several lamps in the study room, illuminating the room brightly. His lips trembled for a long time before he muttered to himself, "When I was fifteen, I starved to the point where I couldn't live. Hence, I followed someone and rebelled. When I was twenty-three, I followed the Great General. When I was twenty-five, I became a Squad Leader. I followed the Great General and won every single battle. The Great General became the Emperor, and I became a Hou. I suffered a huge defeat before, but when I went back to regroup, I won again.
Ji Bei Hou looked at the lamp and laughed out, "So this is what it feels like to be defeated?"
As he said this, Shen Zhi looked at Ji Bei Hou, choking on his tears. He then used his sleeves to wipe them away. He then walked up to him and whispered, "Duke, there might still be a chance. As long as we hold on, we will have another chance. When that time comes, we will be able to conquer the world once more."
"Haha, at this point, you don't have to console me." When Ji Bei Hou heard this, he burst out into laughter. When he finished laughing, his tone became extremely calm, "Since the heavens have arranged this for me, I can only accept it."
"I'm not going to make it, but there are some things that I have to arrange." Seeing that Shen Zhi was about to speak, Ji Bei Hou waved his hands, "We still have a Daoist. Call him up. I want to communicate with Ba Dao Gong immediately. If this happens in the future, even the Daoist would have escaped."
Shen Zhi looked at Ji Bei Hou, whose hair had turned white and whose face had turned green. His heart trembled. This was his master. He then replied, "Yes!"
As he said this, he turned around and walked out the door.
The Daoist bowed and didn't speak. Ji Bei Hou then spoke out coldly, "Initially, when you followed me, I missed you. Now that things have come to this, there's nothing left. However, I won't let you work for nothing."
Ji Bei Hou retrieved a stack of banknotes and weighed them in his hands. He then laughed and said, "You can't take the silver from the treasury with you, but you can take these banknotes. These are five thousand taels of silver. The maximum limit is a hundred taels of silver, and it's not in my name. You can take them away."
"Yes, Duke. If there's anything you need, please instruct us." Even at this point, he was still so calm. The Daoist couldn't help but admire him. Hearing Ji Bei Hou's words, he understood. He then took the banknotes and kowtowed a few times.
"Send a message to Ba Dao Gong. I wish to speak to Third Son."
"Yes!" The Daoist retrieved a talisman and was about to contact Ji Bei Hou when he remembered something. He then looked at Ji Bei Hou and his face fell. Ji Bei Hou's Qi had dissipated by more than half. However, he couldn't say it out loud. He then said, "Duke, the law doesn't apply to the Noble. The Noble is unable to communicate with me directly. However, I shall retrieve a magical weapon crafted by my sect. Perhaps I can communicate with you for a short while."
Hearing these words, Ji Bei Hou didn't speak. He knew that he was at the peak of his power. Now that his Qi had dissipated, he was afraid that the Noble was just a figurehead. He laughed bitterly, "Just for a short while will do."
The Daoist hurried off to retrieve the magical weapon, accompanied by Shen Zhi. When they returned, the Daoist revealed a mirror in front of Ji Bei Hou. It was about three inches long, and looked simple and unassuming. The Daoist retrieved a talisman and placed it on the mirror. The mirror then lit up, and a bright light flashed.
After some time, the image of Third Young Master Wei Ang appeared. The image was a little shaky, but it was still clear.
This was the first time Ji Bei Hou had seen a Dao Art. Perhaps it was also the first time Wei Ang had seen it. He could clearly see his father in front of him. His hair was white, and his face was green. He looked extremely old, "Father, what happened to you? If this doesn't work, father, you should hurry back to Eight Palace Island and make a comeback in the future. "
Seeing Wei Ang's worry, anxiety, and advice, Ji Bei Hou felt much better. He waved his hands, as a fatherly smile appeared on his face. He stared at Wei Ang, as though he wanted to imprint him into his heart. He then said, "I'm fine. It's just a small loss. I'll defend the prefecture, and the imperial court won't be able to take it down anytime soon. Once King Lu invades the north, the imperial court will have to retreat."
"Alright, communication is short. Let's not talk about this. Long story short. Wei Ang, are you doing well on Eight Palace Island?"
Hearing his father's words, Wei Ang felt that something wasn't quite right. He then replied, "Yes, father. I've basically settled down. Now the island is being farmed, and a new route has been opened up. The government officials and ancestral halls have all been built. Things are getting better and better."
Ji Bei Hou nodded his head in satisfaction. This was the foundation of the Wei family. As long as it continued to develop, it would definitely flourish in the future.
"Are the people of our Wei family doing well?"
Wei Ang hurriedly replied, "Father, everything is fine. It's just that there are some people who aren't happy with my ascension to the position of Marquis. I've dealt with them, but spared their lives."
"Phew, you've dealt with them well." Ji Bei Hou heaved a long sigh, as he felt much more relaxed. He then took several steps forward, "That's good. Don't contact me again."
Ji Bei Hou paused for sometime before realizing that he had gone overboard. He then smiled, "Wei Ang, just focus on running your business. If there's no news from me, or if there's news that I've been defeated, don't get close to the mainland. You shall live on Eight Palace Island. Although this island isn't a secret, the imperial court doesn't know where it is exactly. Ai, if all my plans for hegemony come to nothing, then the Eight Palace Island will be the last piece of land for my Wei family."
As Ji Bei Hou spoke, tears began to roll down his cheeks. He couldn't control them no matter how hard he tried. The mirror in front of him started to ripple, before it started to blur.
"Father." Wei Ang replied, his eyes were red as well. He understood that his father was making arrangements for his funeral. As he spoke up to this point, the mirror started to blur. All that could be seen was Wei Ang prostrating himself on the ground, "Father!"
The sound of crying could be heard, before it died down. Everything was empty. Ji Bei Hou looked at the mirror in shock, as he stretched out his hand to touch the air, as if he couldn't believe it.
Seeing Ji Bei Hou in such a state, the Daoist sighed and bowed before turning around to leave.
"Master!" After some time, Shen Zhi called out to him. Ji Bei Hou regained his senses and wiped his tears. He then retrieved a piece of paper from within his robes. It was about the size of a palm, and was filled with tiny words. He handed it to Shen Zhi and said, "These are the people who have been following me. However, their targets aren't big. Outsiders don't know much about them. According to the name list, here are ten thousand taels of silver.
You shall distribute the money, and disperse them immediately. "He then continued," It's a pity that you're too famous, and have nowhere to go. If you have any reliable connections, then leave the mansion immediately.
As soon as he finished speaking, tears rolled down his cheeks.
Shen Zhi smiled, "Master, at this point, I don't have any plans to stay alive. You'll be lonely on your way to the Yellow Springs, how can I not follow you?"
"If we're talking about a small family, I have two wives and concubines. One of them has gone to the Eight Islands of the Palace, where Third Young Master will take care of them. The other one has gone to another county, where they have some land and a shop. They won't starve to death."
When Ji Bei Hou heard this, he laughed, "You can make the arrangements."
At this point, someone reported, "High Duke, the Imperial Army is about to attack the city. The army has arrived."
"They're here?" Ji Bei Hou turned around and laughed, "It's good that you've come. Let's see how many teeth I, a tough nut to crack."
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