On the day of the court examinations, Jiang? Ji received a battle report from Zhongzhao. The insignia on the report was black.
Jiang? Ji Yunshu opened the letter and carefully read every word three times.
"Wen Zheng has never disappointed me …"
She didn't burn the letter. Instead, she put it in her sleeve. She would need it later to build momentum. Since Jiang? Ji decided to have a child, she wrote a letter to Qiguan Rang at the border, asking him to take over half of Zhongzhao in the shortest time possible.
Taking over half of Zhongzhao was not difficult, but Jiang? Ji set a time limit for this task.
Zhongzhao was in a mess because of Qiguan Rang and Sun Wen. There were no less than 20 independent feudal lords. The internal strife was more serious than in Dongqing. Nie Qing was in dire straits and had long lost control of the situation. The Nie family's assets were also taken by the side branches. The elders of the other branches also jumped out to stir up trouble. In a short year or two, the situation had evolved into the present.
Jiang? Ji couldn't swallow all of Zhongzhao in one go, but it wasn't difficult to divide the cake into a dozen pieces and slowly nibble it away.
Qiguan Rang had this idea. He took advantage of Nie Qing's weakness and took advantage of the fact that the Nie family had little control over Zhongzhao to split them and stir up conflict among the various factions. At first, they could still control it. But later on, they were in a frenzy. Who cared about the country? Even if they wanted to control themselves, they couldn't stop Qiguan Rang and Old Man Sun from sending people to fan the flames.
Jiang? When Ji's letter reached Qiguan Rang, he had already decided to close the net after the autumn harvest. He had been afraid that Beiyuan and Xichang would take the opportunity to catch the cicada. In the end, he sent people to investigate and found that the situation in these two countries was even more exciting than he had imagined.
Without this layer of worry, even if Jiang? Ji didn't say anything, Qiguan Rang also wanted to petition for troops.
But sending troops was one thing, timing was very important.
A few months earlier and a few months later could result in a world of difference.
Qiguan Rang didn't understand why Jiang? Ji was in such a hurry to start the war.
But he was loyal to Jiang? As long as the other party's orders weren't outrageous and reasonable, he wouldn't question them.
Qiguan Rang held the letter and discussed with Sun Wen through the night, thinking about the possibility of taking over half of Zhongzhao within the stipulated time.
Old Master Sun said solemnly, "Why don't we write a letter to the Lord and ask for forgiveness for a month? It was not impossible to take down half of the Zhongzhao in such a short period of time, but it would be risky. They still had ample military supplies, so they could take the risk. It would be good if they could gain a firm foothold, but if they couldn't, I'm afraid our army wouldn't have the strength to attack this year. The punitive expedition against Zhongzhao has to be postponed to next year's autumn harvest. My Lord shouldn't be aware of this … "
Although Old Man Sun was not a stickler to the rules and often used tricks on the battlefield, when it came to the big picture, he preferred to fight steadily and surely. Zhongzhao was already in the bag. They could drag it out until the autumn harvest before sending troops to attack. Zhongzhao had been burdened by frequent wars in the past few years. In the past two years, there had been full-scale wars. Their crops could not keep up with their consumption. Starting the war in autumn was when the enemy was at their most ferocious.
All the feudal vassals were short of food, so why would they go all out to fight for food?
If Qiguan Rang and the others sent out their troops at this time, they could fight while dragging the battle on. They would definitely win!
If they sent out their troops now —
They had to take some risks.
Qiguan Rang understood this as well, but he knew Jiang Qin better. Ji needed this victory.
Even if the other party didn't say what they needed this victory for, as a subject, he had to achieve it for the other party.
Qiguan Rang's attitude was firm, and Old Man Sun compromised.
The two of them planned for several days and finally found a breakthrough.
Old Man Sun watched Qiguan Rang not sleep for several nights and had an absurd thought.
Could it be that Qiguan Rang had feelings for his Lord that surpassed that of a ruler and subject?
Old Man Sun asked in private, but Qiguan Rang flatly denied it.
"I don't. Don't talk nonsense. It's impossible."
Old Man Sun was speechless.
Old Man Sun was experienced and knowledgeable. He didn't believe that there was such a pure friendship between a man and a woman.
The facts proved that there was.
Jiang? Wasn't Ji and Qiguan Rang enough?
Or should he say, Jiang? Other than Ji and Wei Ci, the feelings of all men were so pure.
(: з) ∠) _
They didn't treat Jiang Qin as a woman at all. Ji Dexiang was a woman, and he was a straight man, so he was naturally a close friend.
Qiguan Rang hadn't slept much for a few days, but he was even more energetic.
He was high as if he was on steroids.
"I have a feeling that something good will happen if we take over half of Zhongzhao!"
His Lord didn't fight a battle unprepared. She suddenly asked Qiguan Rang to send troops to Zhongzhao. There must be a reason.
Sun Wen was speechless.
Old Man Sun felt that taking over half of Zhongzhao was a great thing. What could be better than this?
Beiyuan and Xichang surrender to them?
Unifying the five countries in minutes?
After guessing for half the night, Old Man Sun yawned and went to catch up on his sleep. He left the tactical arrangements and mobilization of troops to Qiguan Rang.
"I'm old, I don't have much energy."
Old Man Sun stretched his back and looked in the direction of Zhongzhao, deep in thought.
He had dreamed of his homeland countless times and had thought of ten thousand ways to take revenge on the enemy.
When this goal was about to be achieved, the old man didn't feel the joy he had imagined. Instead, he felt empty.
It wasn't the emptiness of being disappointed, but the emptiness after feeling refreshed.
(: з) ∠) _
Under the careful planning, the civil and military officials cooperated well. The chess pieces that had been planted were put to use one by one. Zhongzhao was like a domino that had collapsed. They looked strong, but when they encountered an enemy that was closing in on them, not only did they fail to defend their position, but they were also completely annihilated.
In just twenty-one days, of the thirty-three counties in Zhongzhao, four prefectures and sixteen counties fell.
A few days before conquering the Fourth Prefecture, Qiguan Rang sent a messenger to Jiang Xiang. Ji Yunshu used the highest grade black emblem to send the battle report.
Half of the Zhongzhao had fallen into his hands, and the first Palace Examination had entered its final phase.
This palace examination would be called the 'Fight of the Immortals' in later generations.
More than half of the scholars were the cornerstones of the second generation after the founding of the Jiang Dynasty. They played the role of connecting the preceding and the following and creating a prosperous era.
At the same time, this court examination created a record that would never be seen again.
The same person was hit four times in a row.
In later generations, the highest score in the imperial examinations was three yuan in a row, but this year, there was someone who passed four yuan in a row.
In the end, the top scorer was still the girl from the Golden Scale Academy. The last question was domineering and intimidating.
Feng Yi, one of the favorites to win the championship, was also suppressed by her. That was why she did not lose, but she lost in terms of momentum.
In the end, Jiang? Ji Yunshu named the girl as the top scorer.
In the previous few rounds, this person's score had always dominated the first place.
In addition to the top scorer in the graduation examination of the Golden Scale Academy, she was jokingly called the only one to pass four yuan in a row.
Feng Yi was not the third flower this time. He had risen to the position of the second rank. The original second rank did not perform well and was ranked sixth.
"To be able to obtain so many talents in this imperial examination is the greatest blessing in life."
According to the procedure, after a few words, it was time to go home and find their mothers, wash up, sleep, and prepare for the Qionglin Banquet the next day.
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