On the 20th day of the third month of the seventh year of Gaia, Li Jing led the Flying Bear Army to attack Tubo.
It was only at this moment that the Tufan Dynasty, who had been watching from the sidelines, panicked. They hurriedly sent an envoy to the capital of Great Xia to discuss the matter of recognizing Great Xia as their suzerain.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Since the Great Xia army had set out, it was impossible for them to return empty-handed.
…
Great Zhou Dynasty, Handan City.
Even though the harshest part of winter was over and spring was beginning to return, there were still black, gloomy clouds that could not be dispersed within and outside the Great Zhou Royal Palace.
This was a sign that a dynasty was about to fall.
In the past winter, Di Chen didn't hold a single court meeting. All the memorials that were handed down were basically decided by Peerless Feng Hua and passed down. Only then did it not cause chaos in the court.
Facing the mountain-like pressure, Di Chen finally collapsed.
In the Imperial Garden, it was a scene of spring.
Di Chen was sitting in the pavilion. His beard was unkempt and he was drunk. He said self-mockingly, "Look, the Xia Dynasty has started to act. Today it's Tubo, and tomorrow it'll be our Zhou Dynasty."
"As long as the four-nation alliance still exists, there is still hope," Peerless Elegance comforted.
"Four-nation alliance?"
Di Chen seemed to be drunk, but he was actually very sober. His eyes were full of sarcasm. "We are the frogs in the frying pan, the meat on the chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered."
Peerless Elegance was silent. He sighed and said tentatively, "If it really doesn't work, we can just submit to Great Xia. Haven't Mighty Tyrant and Battle Wolf already taken the lead? It's not necessarily impossible. "
Di Chen glared at him and said loudly, "You want me to surrender to that old fox? No way! "
"If worst comes to worst, we'll fight to the death."
With Di Chen's pride, with the pride of the Di Shi Clan, they would never accept surrender.
"Then let's prepare for battle!"
His tone was filled with indescribable loneliness and helplessness.
…
In the blink of an eye, April arrived.
The smell of spring was getting stronger. The Central Plains was bustling with the spring sowing season. Be it the war in the distant African continent or the Tubo war at the border, none of them had any effect on the Central Plains.
However, on the 5th of April, a shocking case occurred in Great Xia.
That afternoon, there was a Wulin sect called the Dagger Society in Minnan Province. Under the banner of "robbing the rich to help the poor", 13 disciples under its command robbed a rich merchant's family in the city named Zhu.
Fifteen people from the Zhu Residence, including a three-year-old girl, all lost their lives.
Once the news came out, the entire court was shaken.
This was the first time since the founding of Great Xia that someone from the pugilistic world committed a crime and brazenly challenged the laws of Great Xia.
When Ouyang Shuo received the report, he was incomparably furious. He ordered the governor of Minnan Province, Xiong Ba, to personally oversee this case and arrest all the criminals and bring them to justice.
"If the Minnan yamen can't solve the case within a week, the Internal Affairs Department will intervene."
Although Xiong Ba had been in office for less than half a year, he felt that he had lost all face when such a big case happened under his rule. He personally reported to the imperial court and said, "If the case cannot be solved in five days, I am willing to take the blame and resign."
For this reason, Xiong Ba directly dispatched the Minnan Garrison Regiment and more than three hundred elite bailiffs to the Small Dagger Society's encampment to arrest them.
If he dared to resist, Xiong Ba would naturally not hesitate to use iron-blooded methods.
In front of the power of the imperial court, a small sect like the Small Dagger Society was no different from chickens and dogs. This crime was also caused by a few disciples who were blinded by greed and went down the evil path.
In order not to attract disaster, the Small Dagger Society did not dare to be negligent. They sent more than two hundred disciples to cooperate with the imperial court to arrest the criminals. In just three days, all thirteen disciples who committed the crime were arrested.
It was only right and proper to pay with one's life.
After the internal affairs department of the Minnan Governor's Yamen, they directly sentenced the thirteen criminals to death. At the same time, the Small Dagger Society was investigated for their lack of discipline and related joint responsibilities.
According to the law, the Small Dagger Society was directly banned and disappeared from the pugilistic world.
It was not until the middle of April that this big case that caused an uproar was finally settled. After the execution of the criminals, the governor of Minnan Province, Xiong Ba personally went to the Zhu Residence to offer condolences and comfort the deceased.
Although the matter had passed, the aftermath was still ongoing.
Great Xia valued martial arts. There were countless martial arts clubs and sects among the people. It was fine if they obeyed the law, but once greed arose, it would pose a huge threat to the county's security and could explode at any time.
It was not just a saying that chivalrous people violated the law with their martial arts.
Therefore, after the outbreak of the Four and Five Major Cases, Ouyang Shuo realized that he had to establish an organization at the imperial court level to supervise the pugilistic world and prevent this force from overstepping its boundaries.
Of course, this was not an easy task.
All martial artists and chivalrous people in the pugilistic world yearned for a free and unrestrained life where they could help others when they saw injustice and fight in the pugilistic world. They were most unwilling to be restrained.
Throughout the dynasties, the public officials of such organizations were called the "hawks and dogs of the imperial court" by the pugilistic world.
If Ouyang Shuo was a chivalrous person, he would probably not want the imperial court to interfere in the pugilistic world. However, since he was in a different camp, his way of thinking was naturally different. Ouyang Shuo would never allow such an unrestrained force to exist under his rule.
It was imperative to supervise the market.
The Four and Five Major Cases was an excellent opportunity to shut the mouths of the pugilistic world.
Ouyang Shuo had always been swift and decisive. Since he had made up his mind, he would not hesitate. He immediately issued an edict to establish the Martial Arts Department and appoint a commander to supervise the pugilistic world.
Like the Craggy Sea Guards and other organizations, the Martial Arts Department would take orders directly from Ouyang Shuo. Although it was only a department-level organization and the commander was only rank five, it was a position of great power.
Especially for the pugilistic world, it was a position that they could only dream of.
To put it bluntly, once the Martial Arts Department was operated with the support of the imperial court, the commander of the Martial Arts Department would be no different from the leader of the pugilistic world. He would have a supreme position in the pugilistic world and could be said to be an uncrowned king.
The commander of the Martial Arts Department would be Ouyang Shuo's spokesperson in the pugilistic world.
Therefore, when the news of the imperial court establishing the Martial Arts Department spread, many people were interested in this position. Even the leaders of some super sects volunteered themselves.
Ouyang Shuo was clear that the Martial Arts Department was like an unsheathed sword. If used well, it could help the imperial court effectively supervise the pugilistic world. However, if it was handed over to someone with ulterior motives, it could backfire.
If not handled well, it could nurture an ambitious person.
Therefore, the Martial Arts Department had to be handed over to someone who was both capable and absolutely reliable.
If Song Jia had not retreated behind the scenes, she would be the most suitable candidate. Ouyang Shuo could only settle for the next best thing, which was to ask Aunt Lin Jing to take care of her.
However, Lin Jing was still the commander of the Yulin Royal Guards, which was also very important.
Especially since the Yulin Royal Guards had just been established, Lin Jing was learning the art of war and how to fight with the help of the famous general Tang He. It was the most crucial time and he could not leave.
Because of this, Ouyang Shuo thought of a compromise. He decided to appoint Lin Yue, an elder of the Eastern Hedge Sword Faction, to temporarily hold the position of the commander of the Martial Arts Department.
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