Meng Jin, the encampment of the Jin Wu Guards.
On the drill ground, the soldiers were playing with stone dumbbells and practicing their bows. It was very lively. In the middle of the field, there was a large group of generals. In the middle of the crowd, there was a man wearing arrow sleeves who was practicing his spear.
This man was burly and his hair was slightly white. He was already in his fifties, but his body was still strong and strong. He advanced and retreated as steady as a rock and moved like a cunning rabbit. It was a breathtaking sight.
That great spear, in this person's hand, thrust horizontally, cut downwards, flick upwards, stab in the middle, block outwards, and grab inwards, all of these movements were vigorous and powerful. It was just one person and one spear, but within a radius of five zhang, it seemed as if nothing else could be contained.
As the saying goes, charging and breaking through enemy lines is like breathing deeply, beheading generals and troops is like a golden rooster nodding its head, blocking horses and shooting arrows is like a dazzling spear flower. The spectating generals were all experts in this field; seeing this old general using the spear, each time he reached the most exquisite point, they all shouted out in unison, "Cheers!"
This man used 'block', 'take', 'lift', 'push', 'shake', and 'entangle'. The spear in his hand was like a wheel and the tip of the spear was like snow. Suddenly, his body was like a mountain and with the spear in his hand, he had the aura of one man holding the pass against ten thousand enemies. This man was the Great General of the Jin Wu Guards, Qiu Shenji.
Thunderous cheers erupted from all around. Qiu Shenji threw the spear to one of his soldiers and another soldier immediately passed him a towel. Qiu Shenji wiped the sweat on his face and said to the spectating generals: "Whether it is fists, legs, or weapons, there is a fixed stance when practicing but there is no fixed stance when using it. The stance is the way to die. If you keep it in your heart, you will not be able to move freely. If you meet an expert, you will suffer greatly …"
Lieutenant General Zheng Shuliang said: "Great General is right. Although this logic is clear, how many people can have such attainments like Great General?"
Qiu Shenji laughed: "If you used half of your flattery skills, you would also be able to have this old man's spear skills."
The generals all laughed when they heard this. Zheng Shuliang was Qiu Shenji's confidant and did not feel embarrassed when he was ridiculed. Instead, he was pleased with himself as if he was proud of it.
At this time, a man came running from afar. Because horses were not allowed in the camp, this man ran like the wind. Under the scorching sun, he was sweating profusely.
"Grand General, the Dragonmartial Guard's Great General Li Xun and the Inner Guard's Great General Wu Youji are training their troops and passing by the campsite of our Jinwu Guards."
The Forbidden Army was the main force protecting the imperial capital. In order to maintain the strength of this force, not only did the imperial court take turns mobilizing them to participate in the border battles, but it was also common for them to train the troops and practice military tactics. Thus, Qiu Shenji did not find it strange at all.
These two generals were loyal to the Wu Clan, and Wu Youji was a member of the Wu Clan. They were very familiar with each other. Since they passed by, Qiu Shenji couldn't ignore them. Hearing this, he quickly said, "Li Xun and Wu Youji are here? Wait for this old man to meet them. "
Qiu Shenji hurried to the gate. His subordinates had already brought the horses over. Qiu Shenji leaped onto the horse and led a dozen of his subordinates to gallop away.
In the distance, he could see the Dragon Rider Guard cavalry and the Inner Guard infantry forming a long line, hurrying along the official road. Qiu Shenji saw the "Li" and "Wu" flags side by side and immediately urged his horse to welcome them. When he got closer, he saw Li Xun and Wu Youji side by side. They were riding on their war horses, leisurely chatting as they walked.
Seeing Qiu Shenji rushing over, the advancing troops immediately opened up a path. Wu Youji and Li Xun also reined in their war horses. Qiu Shenji slowed down his horse to welcome them and laughed: "Since the two of you are passing by this Qiu's territory, why didn't you send someone to inform me? This Qiu could have prepared a banquet to entertain the two generals."
Li Xun and Wu Youji were both dressed in military attire. Wu Youji was younger than Li Xun by more than ten years. He was young and strong, and should be in his prime. However, he had been drinking too much recently. Although he was dressed in a heroic military attire, he still looked listless.
When Wu Youji saw Qiu Shenji arrive, he lazily pulled the saddle and dismounted from his horse. In the end, he seemed to be unable to bear the heavy armor and staggered when he landed. Qiu Shenji despised him in his heart, but he still had a friendly smile on his face. He leaped up and landed from his horse.
Li Xun was full of smiles as he chatted with him and said: "I have military affairs to attend to. I'm just passing by your territory. How would I dare to trouble Great General Qiu? If you want to drink, it's better to wait …"
As he spoke, he also got down from his horse. However, his movements were slow and a beat slower than Qiu Shenji. Qiu Shenji got down from his horse and stood still. The dozen or so soldiers behind him also got down from their horses. Li Xun suddenly straightened his body and sat back on his horse. His face sank as he shouted: "Take down Qiu Shenji for this Marshal!"
"Swoosh!"
The internal guards on the left and right who were marching with spears seemed to have been prepared. With Li Xun's command, their advancing figures stopped abruptly. They straightened their spears and thrust forward, shouting in unison, "Kill!" A forest of spears surrounded Qiu Shenji and his dozen or so soldiers standing in the middle of the road.
The Longwu Guards on horseback also moved in response to the command. They all drew their bows and looked down from above, aiming at Qiu Shenji's vital points. At this moment, Maqiao, who had been promoted to the commander of the Longwu Guards, drew his bow and aimed at Qiu Shenji's chest. He shouted: "Abandon your swords!"
Qiu Shenji's expression changed drastically. He said in shock: "Generals, you … are you joking?"
Wu Youji, who looked like he had drunk too much, yawned weakly and took out a yellow silk scroll from his sleeve. He slowly unrolled it and said: "Sinner Qiu Shenji kneels to receive the imperial edict!"
At this moment, hundreds of cavalrymen swept towards the camp of the Jinwu Guards like a gust of wind. The Jinwu Guards on the watchtower shouted from afar: "Halt! Who dares to trespass the camp! "
One of the cavalrymen galloped in front. He raised a dazzling golden command talisman and shouted: "The Great General of the Yulin Guards is patrolling under the imperial edict. Quickly summon all generals above the rank of brigade commander to the main camp to welcome him!"
This command talisman was a token passed down from ancient times. The Tang Dynasty taboo name of Li Hu, the ancestor of the Li Clan, so the tiger talisman was no longer called the tiger talisman, but the fish talisman. Its shape was no longer that of a fierce tiger, but its function was the same.
When the winged cavalry arrived at the gate, one of the soldiers guarding the gate welcomed them. After checking that the tiger talisman matched with the Ministry of War, he waved his hand and quickly cleaned up the antlers and barricades before opening the gate. At this moment, more than a hundred cavalrymen had already rushed to the gate and swept into the main camp like a gust of wind.
That soldier shouted: "Sigh! Horses are not allowed in the camp … "
Before he could finish his sentence, the dust kicked up by the galloping horses buried him.
"Dong, dong, dong …"
Drums sounded in the main camp of the Jinwu Guards. When the generals heard the drums, they didn't dare to be negligent and all neatly dressed and rushed to the main camp.
In the main camp, Wu Youyi was neatly dressed and full of killing intent. Behind him, four junior colonels stood with their hands on their sabers. Another two deputy generals stood to his left and right, one holding a fish talisman and the other an imperial edict.
Wu Youyi stood behind the marshal's desk with one hand on the marshal's seal. Seeing that all the generals had arrived and were standing in the tent like a forest, he raised his voice and shouted: "Men, inspect the fish talisman!"
The Jinwu Guards' Lieutenant General Zheng Shuliang was Qiu Shenji's confidant and was in charge of the fish talisman on his behalf. At this moment, he anxiously stepped forward and took out the half fish talisman he was guarding and combined it with Wu Youyi's half fish talisman. The fish talisman fit perfectly.
Wu Youyi ordered someone to show the combined fish talisman to the generals. He stretched out his right hand and the imperial edict fell into his hand. Wu Youyi slowly turned the imperial edict away and coldly swept his gaze across the Jinwu Guards' generals in the hall. He said in a deep voice: "His Majesty's decree!"
"Keng!"
There were no less than ten generals in the tent. They all cupped their fists and waited for the imperial edict. Their armors rubbed against each other and a loud 'keng' sound was heard. Wu Youyi paused for a while and loudly said: "My men: Qiu Shenji has evil intentions and is plotting against the law. He is hereby removed from his position as the Jinwu Guards' Great General. Wu Youyi will be in charge of the Jinwu Guards' military affairs! The Jinwu Guards are loyal to the country and have nothing to do with Qiu Shenji. Rest assured. Once the imperial edict arrives, everyone will be rewarded! "
After Wu Youyi finished reading, there was a commotion in the tent. Zheng Shuliang was shocked and angry. He was the first to step out and loudly said: "Great General Qiu is loyal and has no intention of rebelling. Someone must have framed him. I sincerely hope that Your Majesty will investigate and give Great General Qiu justice!"
Wu Youyi coldly said: "The imperial edict is here. Do you dare to disobey it?"
Zheng Shuliang loudly said: "The court's decision is unfair. I am only seeking justice for Great General Qiu. If Great General Wu is not guilty, why don't you let me speak?"
"Report!"
Suddenly, a junior colonel of the Jin Wu Guards appeared at the entrance of the tent and reported in panic, "Commander in Chief, Generals, the Inner Guards and the Dragon Guards have surrounded the Jin Wu Guards. General Qiu is tied up and is being held in front of the formation!" As soon as these words were said, the tent was instantly filled with silence. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop on the ground.
Wu Youyi grinned and pointed at Zheng Shuliang: "Zheng Shuliang is Qiu Shenji's accomplice. He disobeyed the imperial edict and is plotting treason. Take him down!"
As soon as Wu Youyi's voice fell, two of the hundred riders rushed towards Zheng Shuliang, grabbing his arms and twisting them behind his back. Then they kicked his knees, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Zheng Shuliang's face turned pale and he lowered his head sadly.
After a moment of silence, all the generals knelt on one knee and cupped their fists: "We obey the imperial edict and are willing to follow Great General Wu's orders!"
Wu Youyi opened his palm and grabbed the marshal's seal in his hand. He let out a proud laugh …
At this time, Zhou Xing had just stepped into the censorate and was personally led into the second hall by Lai Junchen.
Although Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen were both Wu Zetian's favoured officials and both worked as guards, they had never interacted much with each other. Lai Junchen came from a rough background and an official like Zhou Xing looked down on him. Moreover, there was a competitive relationship between the two.
However, as members of the judiciary, no matter how fiercely they fought in private, they still had to maintain a cordial relationship on the surface. Moreover, Lai Junchen rarely took the initiative to invite him and Zhou Xing was rather curious.
Zhou Xing saw that Lai Junchen was very polite and attentive towards him and guessed that the latter must have a favor to ask of him. His expression became even more reserved and arrogant. After taking a seat, looking at the table full of delicacies, Zhou Xing teased: "Haha, Middle Minister Lai's courtesy today is beyond my expectations. I wonder what Middle Minister Lai is up to?"
Smiling, Lai Junchen poured him a cup of wine and said: "Those who are polite must have a favor to ask of me! Today, I invited you, Minister Zhou, because there is a difficult matter and I sincerely want to ask for your advice. Haha … come come come, have a cup of wine and listen to me slowly! "
… …
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