Heaven rewards those who work hard: There is no bottleneck in my martial arts

Chapter 173 The news spread back to Daliang, and the court was shocked
Wu Qi and others stood guard outside the city, holding their breath and waiting for news. The expected battle and call for help did not happen.

After about a stick of incense, the ten-man team that entered Hexi City returned intact.

The leader of Wei Wuzu replied: "Reporting to the general, all Zhao troops have evacuated from Hexi City, and no trace of Zhao troops has been found."

Wu Qi frowned and decided after a moment: "Enter the city!"

Wei Wu soldiers entered Hexi City in large numbers and found that the entire Hexi City was empty and seemed extremely desolate.

Although Hexi City is not a big city, it is still a city with a population of 7 to [-] people. Even if it encounters the disaster of war, it will not be to this extent.

What about the rest?

Wu Qi went straight to the county government office in Hexi City and found several male corpses hanging at the door.

Judging from their attire, they should be the official offices of Hexi City.

Wu Qi was not surprised by this, and his expression was calm.

It was really common for him to die in battle.

Even if he captured a Zhao city, if there were Zhao officials in the city who refused to cooperate, he would kill the chickens to scare the monkeys.

Wu Qi walked into the county government office and found that there were many traces of Zhao Jun's activities inside.

Other generals around him shouted loudly: "Is there anyone in the county government? Come out and answer."

His voice echoed in the huge county government office, but there was no response.

The general was about to open his mouth to shout again, but was stopped by Wu Qi at the side: "Don't waste your efforts, no one will answer you, go and search."

People around him began to fiddle around.

The wooden cover on the water tank behind the county government office moved slightly, revealing a pair of eyes, looking out cautiously.

dare not make any sound.

But his slight movement was caught by Wu Qi, who was already in the Xiantian realm.

Wu Qi walked to the water tank.

Other subordinates also realized that there might be a problem in the water tank and gathered around.

Under Wu Qi's gaze, one of the generals violently opened the wooden cover on the water tank.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

There was an unkempt man hiding in the water tank. The latter was as frightened as a frightened bird.

Wu Qi's men caught him and said, "Who are you? You are sneaking around here."

"Master Jun... I'm a villain, I'm the cook here..."

Wu Qi asked, "Where are the people in Hexi City?"

"All the men were captured by Zhao Jun." The man said in fear: "Now only the old, weak, sick, disabled and women are left in Hexi City."

Zhao Jun actually kidnapped all the prime-age labor force in Hexi City?

A general wanted to confirm, so he shouted in a threatening tone: "What about you? Why weren't you taken away?"

"Young Master is wronged." The man's wrinkled face revealed a smile that was uglier than crying: "I am a cripple. They saw that my legs and feet were inconvenient, so they didn't take me away. If I could walk well, they would definitely take me away as well. He was taken captive to the other side of the river."

"General, does this mean that Zhao Jun was afraid of being beaten by us, so he made a fortune and left?" A subordinate expressed his guess.

Wu Qi shook his head and said: "On the contrary, I think Zhao Jun has not given up on the goal of occupying Ying County. If they really want to retreat, they should choose to massacre and loot the city. That is the mentality of making a profit and leaving."

"Only young and middle-aged men were taken captive, which shows that they wanted to accumulate strength and reorganize their armaments. Now after the battle of Jinyin, the Zhao army is wary of us. Li Mu Shanshou, we want to do this again It’s not that easy to build miracles anymore.”

"General, what shall we do next?"

"If it's not what I expected, Zhao Jun has retreated to the east of Hedong and is reorganizing the army." Wu Qi walked to the county government office, pondered for a while and said: "Send scouts first to investigate one or two, and wait to find out the specific details of the enemy's army. I'll make a decision based on the trends."

"Yes, General." The general who was born in the Forbidden Army next to him agreed immediately.

Wu Qi continued: "At present, the military merits of the Jinyin battle have not been fulfilled. Let's take the opportunity to distribute them today."

The generals around him all showed excited expressions.

In the battle at Jinyin, they defeated the many with less, and they fought extremely well.

The military merit obtained can almost upgrade the entire army to one level, and some bosses can even be upgraded to three levels in a row.

There are a lot of wish stones, exercises, and silver coins waiting for me.

How could they not be excited?
These soldiers live their lives licking blood on the edge of the knife, focusing only on the present.

If Wu Qi fails to fulfill his military exploits, they won't say much, but they will definitely be a little dissatisfied.

Reflected on the battlefield, it is hard to say how much combat effectiveness will be lost.

In fact, no matter whether Zhao Jun is in Hexi or not, Wu Qi will discuss merits, reward them and calculate military merits today.

The military merits have been delayed and the decline in morale is not fatal. It will be troublesome if the people below have doubts about the achieved military merit system.

Regarding this point, he had already communicated with Zhao Hongming before setting off today.

When he is ready a little later, Zhao Hongming will personally escort the grain, grass and soldiers' pay to discuss merit and reward.

……

At the same moment, Daliang was five hundred miles away.

Wei Palace, Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Jian'an Zhao Meixu got the news that Zhao Guo Li Mu was undeclared war and planned to attack Ying County in a sneak attack.

"What does Lu Zonghui want to do? Does he want to rebel? And Pu Yuanqing, as a lieutenant of Ying County, is not guarding the city in Ying County and has been walking with Lu Zonghui. What does he want to do? Ah!"

He looked at the row of Wei ministers kneeling on the ground with a gloomy face and became furious.

Jian'an Emperor Zhao Meixu already knew through the Imperial City Division that in recent times, the general of the Eastern Army had not been actively deploying defenses, but had been "working hard" and delayed sending troops.

Judging from the news sent back by secret agents in the army, Lu Zonghui wanted to take advantage of Li Mu's opportunity to send troops to get the news that he had given King Wu one hundred thousand soldiers.

How can this make him not angry?

It just doesn't make sense.

"I am incompetent and failed to relieve your majesty. I hope your majesty will forgive me." Xiao Boling, the right prime minister in Zhongshu, knelt on the ground and was the first to apologize.

Immediately after him, Zhongshu Zuo Chenghong Daowen, Minister of War and Shaobao Yu Hezheng, Minister of Works Chen Mou and others all knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "I am incompetent and failed to share your majesty's worries. I hope your majesty will forgive me."

Emperor Jian'an Zhao Meixu was even more furious when he heard this, and said angrily: "Forgive me, forgive me, what else can you do besides asking me to forgive you?"

Zhao Meixu, overcome with anger, was like a wild beast, losing part of his sanity.

"At the beginning, you suggested that I let the martial arts forces on the three sides keep their own wish stones after two years. Now it's better. These border wings have become hardened. Do you want me to repeat the mistakes of the Zhou royal family? You rebellious ministers .”

Even without the coercion of martial arts power, Emperor Jian'an's anger made the atmosphere in Qianqing Palace extremely depressing and dull.

The ministers here all clearly remember that this edict was only issued after Emperor Jian'an agreed.

It's just that everyone didn't expect that the development of East Road exceeded their expectations.

Now that the East Road has weakened the court's power because of this edict, Emperor Jian'an obviously does not want to bear such a fault.

"It's all my fault, please punish me, Your Majesty,"

Officials such as Xiao Boling and Hong Daowen had followed Emperor Jian'an for many years and knew that his temperament was a good one. But at the same time, they also knew that the emperor in front of him understood the priorities of things and had a strong balance in his heart.

If he was responsible, they would just give him a step back and admit his mistake honestly, and Emperor Jian'an would expose the matter.

If he had to be given the ability to "distinguish right from wrong", he would be at risk of resigning, or at worst risking his life.They are all human beings and would not do stupid things like that.

Sure enough, after Xiao Boling, Hong Daowen and other courtiers "admitted their mistakes", the tone of Jian'an Emperor Zhao Meixu softened significantly.

"Humph, isn't it easy to punish me? As ministers, you don't just want me to punish you, you want to give me advice!"

Emperor Jian'an said in a slightly slower tone: "This time the frontline came to report that Zhao Guo Li Mu personally led an army of 18. Zhao Guo is a country with a large population, and this is definitely not the upper limit."

"You all know what it means if Yingjun is lost."

"Behind Ying County, Heyuan County is known as the granary of Wei State. If Ying County is taken away by Zhao State, Heyuan County may not be saved. At best, it may lose one-third. Zhao State is obviously well prepared this time. .”

"If the country entrusted to me by my ancestors is destroyed in my hands, how can I have the face to meet the ancestors of the Wei Kingdom?"

What Emperor Jian'an said is true.

In fact, he was putting it lightly.

Because although Ying County is a borderland, its geographical location is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is a dangerous place and it is the east gate of Wei State.

He was obviously uneasy about placing such a position in the hands of others.

The King of Martial Arts, Zhao Hongming, had dragon veins and was a man of great luck. He was also a martial arts genius. Unlike his prince, he would not fall into misfortune so easily.

Then the ideas he had always had in his mind could be implemented.

In his plan, he turned Ying County into King Wu's fiefdom, relying on King Wu's ability to firmly hold this dangerous land in the hands of the royal family.

When there is a war, the Eastern Army located near Yingjun will provide timely support and defend each other. This will ensure that Wei is on the eastern front and resists Qi and Zhao.

But unexpectedly, Lu Zonghui of the Eastern Army now had his own small thoughts after the edict issued by the Three Kingdoms to conquer Wei. Facing the enemy of Zhao State, he only focused on the present.

This was a blatant challenge to the imperial court, but the imperial court was helpless and had few means to check and balance him.

This brought to the fore the already fragile and sensitive relationship between the court and local governments, and also brought to the fore the Wei royal family's fragile control over the border.

In fact, that's all.

After all, it was just an internal conflict within Wei State.

For the sake of the overall situation, as long as it was not too ugly and the stability of the border could be maintained, Emperor Jian'an was willing to continue to appease, and was even willing to agree to some of the conditions of the Eastern Army Lu Zonghui.

However, Zhao Hongming, the Martial King of Ying County, had only been in power for half a year and had only [-] troops at his disposal.

Facing Zhao's 18-strong army, there was almost no chance. It was a inevitable defeat.

Things were already at stake.

At this juncture, Dongjun Lu Zonghui was still thinking about his own little plan.

How could Emperor Jian'an endure it?
Can he not be angry?

Many ministers in the Qianqing Palace knelt on the ground without saying a word.

The dull atmosphere in the hall became increasingly oppressive.

Even Feng Dabao, the palm print eunuch standing next to him, couldn't help but a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

The emperor next to me could really kill people in the palace.

Emperor Jian'an took a deep breath, calmed down the anger in his heart and said: "General Cen Xiu is still on the way. Let him rush to Yingjun as soon as possible to assist King Wu. Then Lu Zonghui of the Eastern Army can no longer stay in the Eastern Army. , take a look, choose a suitable excuse, let him hand over the military power obediently, and then let Cen Xiu take over the defense."

The ministers frowned.

What Emperor Jian'an Zhao Meixu has to do is really not simple.

Now that Lu Zonghui has had different intentions, it may be more difficult than climbing to the sky to hand over the power of the Eastern Army.

The emperor's power was weak, and they couldn't accuse him of an unfounded crime.

This might even force Lu Zonghui to turn against him completely.

The ministers in the Qianqing Palace all had sad faces.

"Report! There is a major military situation in Ying County."

At this moment, someone from the Imperial City Department outside the palace sent important information.

Upon hearing the information from Yingjun, all the ministers in the palace raised their heads and looked over.

Emperor Jian'an Zhao Meixu stood up from the dragon throne: "Express, what's the news?"

The people from the Imperial City Division gasped and said, "Back to Your Majesty... Li Mu had led an army of 18 to capture Hexi City the day before yesterday. When Xiaguan left, Li Mu had already led his troops to attack Jinyin."

"What?" Emperor Jian'an Zhao Meixu asked hurriedly: "What about our side, what are the movements of the Eastern Army?"

"The Eastern Army showed no sign of sending troops. The only ones facing the Zhao army were His Highness King Wu's [-] Wei soldiers."

After hearing the news, Emperor Jian'an slowly sat back on the dragon throne with a solemn expression.

Not only him, but other ministers also fell silent and stopped talking when they heard the news.

Thirty thousand troops versus 18 troops, such a disparity in strength would probably require the existence of a warrior in the Creation realm to make up for it.

Not to mention, Emperor Jian'an knew that these [-] troops were just an army formed by King Wu Zhao Hongming. They had never been on the battlefield. They were new recruits on the battlefield.

From any angle, King Wu Zhao Hongming is very likely to be defeated, and Ying County is also very likely to fall.

Jian'an Emperor Zhao Meixu gritted his teeth and said: "Whether Lu Zonghui rebels or not, the fall of Yingjun will mean his death. I will kill him at all costs."

Yu Hezheng, the Minister of War and Shaobao, clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, now that the matter is over, we should urgently prepare a large army. If the Eastern Army is sure to rebel, then Ying County will be difficult to defend. Before the Zhao army captures Ying County, we may still be able to defend it." There are some opportunities, otherwise by the time the situation in Ying County deteriorates, it will be too late for us to respond."

"As you said, since the battle of Jinyin happened yesterday, even if one city is built in one day, it will take more than ten days. We still have some chance." Emperor Jian'an Zhao Meixu ordered: "You guys, quickly adjust the situation Army, with General Cen as the commander, try to block the Zhao army as much as possible."

"Feng Daban, if there is any news from Ying County as soon as possible, I will sit in the main hall and wait."

"The slave obeys."

In an instant, the entire Qianqing Palace was extremely busy.

Time passed by minute by minute.

As time passed, the atmosphere in Qianqing Palace became extremely depressing.

Everyone was dealing with important items urgently, but at the same time they were worried.

In the afternoon, a fast horse rushed into the palace outside the palace.

"Five hundred miles faster! Get out of the way quickly."

"Report! Yingjun's latest battle report."

An urgent report outside the palace shocked Emperor Jian'an. He was worried that it would be another bad battle report.

"Summon quickly!"

Emperor Jian'an recognized that the person who came was the guard beside King Wu Zhao Hongming. He asked impatiently: "How is the battle situation in Ying County? Is King Wu safe?"

The guard was panting like a cow and said: "Report to your Majesty... I won..."

"What won?"

The guard tried to calm down his breathing and said quickly: "Our 18 Wei soldiers defeated the [-] Zhao army... We won a great victory... His Highness King Wu won... His Highness specially asked me to rush back overnight to report This news..."

"what?"

Hearing the news, all the officials in the court were shocked.

(End of this chapter)