"Yes, Milord."
Xu Keyi swiftly left with the order. In truth, Wang Chong had already sent quite a few letters to the northwest, but as long as it was Wang Chong's order, Xu Keyi would never doubt it.
"Hualala!"
Xu Keyi had only taken a few steps when he heard the flapping of wings overhead. Everyone looked up and saw an eagle descending from the sky. On its right foot was a striking green piece of copper.
"Milord, it's a letter from the northwest!"
Cheng Sanyuan sternly said.
Wang Chong's subordinates often sent messages, and different regions had different emblems. Thus, there was no need to look at the letter to know where it had come from.
The eagle landed on the Eagle's shoulder. The latter tore down the letter, glanced at it, and immediately paled.
"Milord, it's bad! Li Siye and Su Hanshan have sent letters. Something has happened in the army!"
The Eagle quickly walked over and whispered into Wang Chong's ear. Rumble! A single stone stirred a thousand ripples. As Wang Chong took the letter from the Eagle, his mind was instantly in turmoil.
The letter had been sent by Su Hanshan, and Wang Chong's unease and conjecture had been confirmed.
With Wang Chong's departure, three Confucian experts had assumed command. Wang Chong's apparent demotion and the fact that he had been escorted away by the Bureau of Rites and the Golden Guards had infuriated the Qixi Protectorate and the mercenary army. Moreover, the Confucians' subsequent retreat from Khorasan and betrayal of their promise to the Sassanid Dynasty and the rebel army had left the army extremely dissatisfied with the Confucians.
Many Confucian experts had been sent to the army to supervise the army and suppress the Confucians, finally pushing the army's discontent to the extreme.
Even though Wang Chong had sent several letters to Su Hanshan and Li Siye to restrain themselves, there were some things that even the two of them couldn't control.
At the start, there were only one or two people, but as time went on, more and more people began to talk. In the end, the three Confucian commanders were forced to issue an order forbidding any further discussion of Khorasan. Anyone who disobeyed would be dealt with according to military law. Three soldiers who had been venting their dissatisfaction about Khorasan were discovered by the Confucian army supervisors and imprisoned. More and more people heard the news and began to gather around to participate in the discussion.
The three Confucian commanders gave the order to arrest everyone. By the time Su Hanshan and Li Siye received the news, it was already too late. This was because among those captured were the highwaymen trained by Su Hanshan and the Wushang cavalry under Li Siye. The former had a fiery temper and was easily agitated, while the latter had lost so many men in two major battles, only to have all their efforts go down the drain. They were also feeling indignant about Wang Chong's injustice, so the Confucians had seized this opportunity and imprisoned them.
Although the two of them had received Wang Chong's order for the army to restrain itself, at this time, as leaders, they could only participate in the resistance against the three Confucian Marshals in order to protect their subordinates. The last thing the two of them did was to write this letter before stepping forward, telling Wang Chong the whole story.
"In other words, both Su Hanshan and Li Siye have been arrested and thrown into prison!"
After reading the letter, Wang Chong's face warped. Even though he had done all he could to stop them, he had come too late.
Su Hanshan and Li Siye were the backbone of Wang Chong's forces. They had gone through fire and water with Wang Chong, fighting through two major battles, and Li Siye had been at his side since the southwest. Wang Chong couldn't just stand by and do nothing if something happened to these two. It was precisely for this reason that Wang Chong understood why, when the Wushang cavalry and the ballista troops trained by Su Hanshan's highwaymen were captured by the Confucians and dealt with according to military law, the two of them had still stepped forward despite knowing that they couldn't do anything, standing up against the three Confucian commanders.
Everything seemed normal, but Wang Chong could smell the thick scent of a scheme.
"The Eagle, I had Su Hanshan and Li Siye apply to be transferred back, and the Bureau of Military Personnel has already agreed. Why haven't the two of them done anything? Why are they still there?"
Wang Chong suddenly said.
Ever since his meeting with Li Junxian, Wang Chong had mentioned to Su Hanshan and Li Siye that the two of them apply to be transferred back to the interior. Whether it was the capital, the southwest, Longxi, or even Youzhou in the northwest, Wang Chong would have no problems. Given Wang Chong's current relationship with the various commanders, this was not a problem at all. In addition, the special environment in which the militarists and Confucians were fighting meant that there would not be any problems with the transfer of Su Hanshan and Li Siye. Moreover, Wang Chong had already obtained the approval through Zhangchou Jianqiong.
"Not too long ago, the two of them sent a letter saying that they truly had done as Milord said, but all the documents, including the orders from the Bureau of Military Personnel, were stuck in the hands of the three Confucian commanders. The three of them used the lack of capable officers as an excuse to keep Su Hanshan and Li Siye in the army. "
The Eagle lowered his head and sternly said.
"Bastard!"
Wang Chong's expression darkened, his entire being turning frigid. If what he had said before was just a premonition, then Wang Chong was now sure that while everything that had happened in the northwest seemed to have been a coincidence, it had all been planned.
Li Junxian!
A thought flashed through Wang Chong's mind as he recalled that white-robed young man in Drunken Moon Pavilion. This' battle 'between the two of them had come much faster than he had imagined.
"Help me contact Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong. Tell him to have the Bureau of Military Personnel immediately intervene in this matter. In addition, immediately write two letters for me, one to the Anxi Protectorate and the other to Longxi. Ask Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han to help me put pressure on them. In addition, if possible, have Beiting Protector-General An Sishun appear as well. All the Great Generals of the Bureau of Military Personnel are in the same boat. An Sishun should understand what to do. I'd like to see if they would dare to act recklessly with the combined pressure of three Great Generals from the Bureau of Military Personnel! "
Wang Chong's expression was as cold as ice.
"In addition, Zhang Que, take my token and then go to The King of Song's residence. Take my and The King of Song's tokens and travel day and night to Qixi. The Imperial Court is one thing, but I'd like to see if they dare to make an enemy of the Bureau of Military Personnel and all the Protector-Generals and Great Generals of the world in the army! "
Three Great Generals, two Great Princes, and Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong — this was an unimaginably vast force, enough to make anyone feel deep respect.
"Yes, Milord!"
The Eagle and Zhang Que both left to carry out their orders.
"Cheng Sanyuan, immediately contact Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong. I want all the information on those three Confucian commanders as soon as possible!"
Wang Chong sternly said.
"Your subordinate will go!"
Cheng Sanyuan hurriedly bowed.
"Xu Keyi, it is impolite not to reciprocate. Prepare a memorial for me. I want to bring all three Confucian commanders to the Imperial Court!"
Wang Chong turned his head in the direction of the Imperial Palace, his eyes exuding a dazzling light.
Xu Keyi rejoiced at these words and hurriedly lowered his head.
"Your subordinate will go!"
"Boom!"
Several hours later, when Wang Chong's memorial was delivered to the court and reached the ears of all the officials, it immediately set off massive waves in the capital. As the empire's illustrious War God, Wang Chong had an extremely high reputation both in and out of society. Whether it was his status as the Son of Heaven's disciple, his accomplishments in the northwest, or his status as King of Foreign Lands, Wang Chong's every word and action carried enormous weight.
This was the first time since Wang Chong had become King of Foreign Lands that he had formally brought a memorial to the Imperial Court to impeach someone, and his targets were the three newly appointed Confucian commanders of the Qixi Protectorate. The moment this matter broke out, it immediately caused a massive uproar in society.
… …
Flapflap!
While Wang Chong's memorial was causing massive waves in the capital, a white pigeon flew into a remote and quiet bamboo garden in the northwest of the capital. In the Bamboo Garden, a candle was lit. Behind the candlelight, a white-robed Confucian scholar was sitting upright and still, flipping through an ancient book.
"Young Master, what do we do? The other side's counterattack was too fast. The northwest only just began to deal with his subordinates, and now he's already begun to act, bringing them to the Imperial Court. In the military, we might not be able to defeat him for now. "
A voice came from behind Li Junxian, a bowing black-robed elder standing behind him. A black insignia could be faintly seen on his right wrist, indicating that he was an expert of the Confucian Sect.
Wang Chong's counterattack had been too swift and fierce. In their plan, they had originally planned to use Wang Chong's subordinates in the northwest to threaten Wang Chong so that he would hesitate in taking action. At the very least, he would be unable to divert his attention to other matters. But they had not expected Wang Chong's reaction to be so fierce, so sharp that they had been caught off guard.
"Young Master, in addition, our people in the Bureau of Military Personnel have sent word that Zhangchou Jianqiong is already drafting a military order to pressure the three experts of our sect in the northwest. Zhangchou Jianqiong couldn't have learned of this news so quickly. It must have been the King of Foreign Lands who informed him. Since the Bureau of Military Personnel has intervened, the other forces are probably moving as well, placing us in a disadvantageous position. Young Master, should we inform Wen Changqing, Tang Chengyu, and Li Fanming to release the King of Foreign Lands' two subordinates and all the detained soldiers? "
Another voice came from the side, and in the faint light of the flames, one could faintly make out the silhouette of a young girl of sixteen or seventeen. The girl wore a plain white robe, and her hair was as black as ink. Strands of it cascaded down from the top of her head like a waterfall. Her hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin without any decorations. She gave off a sense of tranquility and elegance, like an orchid.
But what was most striking about her was the boundless energy in her body. If one looked closely, they would discover that the girl was actually barefooted and hovering a few inches above the ground. Her toes were smooth and exquisite, as if they had been carved from white jade. In the candlelight, they glimmered.
Li Junxian said nothing, only slowly raised his head from the ancient scroll in his hand. The faint candlelight cast a slender figure on the wall behind him, exuding an extremely serene and tranquil aura. He was like an ancient well, a deep pool, incapable of stirring the slightest ripple.
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