Chapter 455: Chapter 455. Getting a Good General
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“What did you say? Qiu Yongkang lied to me?”
Wan Shengchang was furious when he heard the report. He didn’t believe that he, who had schemed against people his entire life, was deceived by a fledgling brat.
But how was that possible?
Qiu Yongkang had contributed a great killing weapon and even helped to develop it. He had personally witnessed the power of the great killing weapon. If Qiu Yongkang was pretending to surrender, how could he give such an important weapon to him?
One had to know that he had sent several waves of people before and after for this great killing weapon, but he had not been able to obtain it.
Also, why did he tell about the coal and iron mine if he wanted to lie?
Was there such a liar?
” When I arrived at the coal mine, Qiu Yongkang proposed to use a trick to lure the rebels out of Mo City. He asked us to set up a pocket formation on the road from Mo City to the coal mine. He brought the flying guillotine into the city to assassinate Su Qing and left behind all the weapons. 1 agreed to his plan when I heard that there was nothing suspicious about it. Who knew…Who knew he would bring the army of Mo City here and lure us into a trap…This subordinate heard the woman say that Yongkang’s move was excellent to lure them all over.”
The commander knelt on the ground and angrily reported the situation to the Emperor. He also noted what Su Qing had said to the Emperor. To make the Emperor not blame him for running away, he exaggerated Su Qing’s words so that the Emperor would shift all his anger to Qiu Yongkang.
“Traitor, I trusted him so much and gave him supreme honor. How dare he lie to me? Someone had ordered a reward for the capture of the traitor Qiu Yongkang. A thousand cuts would execute him. No, Che Lie would make him die the same way as Xiao Heng. He would be cut into pieces, and his nine families would be confiscated.”
Wan Shengchang was furious. He was angry that all of them were killed, but he was even more angry that Qiu Yongkang tricked him.
He was so angry that his head was dizzy, and the blood only rushed to his forehead. However, the commander gave him another heavy blow.
“Your Majesty, that traitor from the Xiao Family has taken over Jin City. He tore down the Wan Family’s flag and replaced it with the Xiao Family’s military flag. Quickly send troops to attack him.”
“What?”
Wan Shengchang sat down on the dragon throne. The Hu and Nanman people in the south had taken the opportunity to invade. The remnants of the previous dynasty had also made things difficult for him occasionally. There were also those disaster victims and refugees who made him worry. However, none of these were as shocking as the news of Xiao Heng’s son taking down Jin City.
The others were nothing to be afraid of. With a great killing weapon, they could quickly quell the chaos.
Only the Xiao Family Army was a thorn in Wan Shengchang’s heart. Although Xiao Heng was dead, the soul of the Xiao Family Army was still there. That terrifying cohesiveness, that supreme worship for Xiao Heng, made him uneasy.
Although only one Jin City had been taken down, Jin City and Luo City were the only roads to the capital. If Luo City was lost too, the Xiao family’s child could occupy Luo City and fight against him. Perhaps the next step would be to march straight into the capital and attack it.
“Go and find General Wan.”
Wan Shengchang’s head felt dizzy, and his mouth was filled with a fishy taste. As soon as he gave the order, blood started to drip from his nose. At first, he was dripping blood, but he collapsed in the blink of an eye. The blood flowed uncontrollably, and Wan Shengchang’s vision went black as he fell to the ground.
The Emperor’s fainting frightened the eunuchs and palace maids in Yangxin Palace Hall and the commander who came to report. They panicked and brought all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Academy of Medicine to Yangxin Palace Hall.
By the time Wan Yulin received the news and entered the palace, Wan Shengchang was already on the verge of death. He had eaten too many pills the old Daoist priest refined, and the lead poison had already invaded his blood. Medicine and stones were difficult to cure, and the imperial physicians were helpless. Even if they beheaded the Emperor, they could not cure him. They all knelt on the ground, waiting for death with despair in their eyes.
The other princes knew that their father was in critical condition, and all had their ulterior motives. Who didn’t want to be the Emperor? Those with some military power were ready to move.
Seeing that his father’s time was up, Wan Yulin did not stay any longer. He immediately sent troops to surround Yangxin Palace Hall and locked all the princes inside, preventing them from coming into contact with the outside world.
The princes and imperial concubines were not easy to deal with. They mobilized all their connections to fight Wan Yulin.
Su Qing did not know that her plan to make Qiu Yongkang lose his foothold in the Chinese service had angered Wan Shengchang to the point of being critically ill. He was about to die before he could even sit on the throne!
A few princes fought to the death for the throne. The regime was unstable, and there was bloodshed. Wan Yulin did not have time to care about Jin City’s matters to seize the throne. This allowed Xiao Zeyu to strengthen the Xiao family’s army.
The martial arts competition would begin five days later. After entering the finals, there would be a literary examination. The scale of the competition was no less than that of the imperial court’s martial arts examination.
Now that the ordinary people of Jin City knew that the Xiao Family’s army would oppose the imperial court, some were afraid, some were excited, and even more, people wanted to use the chaotic times to change their fate, make contributions, and soar from then on.
More and more people came to register for the competition. Xiao Zeyu didn’t set a time limit for the selection of generals. Even if you came to register at the last moment before the end of the competition, you wouldn’t be rejected.
More and more people signed up to be soldiers. Soon, it exceeded two thousand people, which required many military expenses. Fortunately, they had punished corrupt officials and hooligans and confiscated hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, which was enough for their military costs for two years.
All the soldiers who joined the Xiao family’s army were given two taels of silver to settle down. With such generous conditions, more people signed up to join the army.
Today was the fifth day of the competition. Xiao Zeyu and Su Qing had personally come to the arena to oversee the selection of important talents. They couldn’t let anyone else do it.
Su Qing was a little tired of watching. Why were they all boorish people who came to compete? There were no outstanding martial arts skills. Such people could only be soldiers, not generals.
Xiao Zeyu was very anxious to find someone who could bear the heavy burden even after so many days. Could it be that no one in Jin City was proficient in martial arts and the art of war?
Just as Xiao Zeyu was feeling vexed, someone came to register. This person was completely out of Xiao Zeyu’s expectations.
Su Qing was stunned when he saw him. What? Was he still capable of literature and martial arts?
“I, Zhang Jinglin, have signed up for the martial arts competition.”
Zhang Jinglin cupped his fists and said to Xiao Zeyu in a clear voice. He was still wearing the same unlined garment, but his spirit was completely different from when he went to the government office to ask for help. He had an imposing appearance and was full of energy. His eyes were full of vigor, and his footsteps carried the wind. His voice from his dantian was full of power and had the heroic spirit of a martial arts practitioner.
“Alright, 1 look forward to your performance.”
Xiao Zeyu looked at Zhang Jinglin with joy. He lacked people who were good at both literature and martial arts. If Zhang Jinglin were a person good at literature and martial arts, he would put him in an important position.
Zhang Jinglin turned around and faced Su Qing. He lifted his shirt and knelt on one knee, cupping his fists.
“Thank you, Miss Su, for saving me. My mother’s health has already recovered. From today onwards, Zhang Jinglin’s life is yours. If Miss Su gives the order, 1 will go through fire and water.”
“You win this competition first.”
Su Qing waved her hand with a cold expression. She wanted to see Zhang Jinglin’s actual ability.
Going through fire and water would be useless if he were a useless person.
“Yes.”
Since Su Qing treated his mother, Zhang Jinglin knew she had a cold personality. He was not dissatisfied with her insensitive attitude at all. He stood up and respectfully cupped his fists in agreement. In his heart, he had already recognized Su Qing as his master.
On the arena was a burly man as strong as a black bear. He was an absolute strength type. When he saw that a pretty boy wanted to compete with him, he curled his lips in disdain. He moved his wrist and was prepared to throw this arrogant, cute boy to death off the stage..
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