I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 19 Family Secrets, King Wei's Underground Palace

"Sir, Captain, please forgive me for being late in coming to your rescue!"

After learning that there was no ambush and that the main force of the imperial court was still alive, Wang Jing personally led his troops to provide support and appeared in front of Huang Wan and Bao Hong.

Glancing at the panicked soldiers in the camp, Wang Jing knew that the battle could not be fought, and quickly suggested: "The situation is unclear now, please evacuate this place as soon as possible, the whole army first."

Huang Wan knew that the most important thing at the moment was to preserve his strength, so he nodded with a gloomy face: "Yes."

Although Bao Hong was unwilling, his soldiers had no fighting spirit and his generals had no desire to fight. Even if he wanted to act on his own, it would be futile. He could only swing his sword and cut off the barricades beside him to vent his anger.

"withdraw!"

As soon as the military order was given, the army slowly retreated towards Gushi City.

In order to be on the safe side, Wang Jing personally stayed behind to cover the evacuation of the main force of the imperial court. At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although he failed to quell the rebellion, he was able to save the main force of the government army, which was a great achievement for him.

Bao Hong and Huang Wan are both still alive, so if anyone really has to take the blame, it must be them, and it has nothing to do with me.

At this time, inside Gepi City.

He Yi and Liu Pizheng clasped their fists and asked for battle: "Great and wise Master, the morale of the government troops has been weakened. Should we send troops to pursue them?"

"No need for that. The established goal has been achieved. There is no need to make unnecessary sacrifices."

"This... is it. I will obey your orders."

Although He Yi was somewhat reluctant, he also knew what was important.

In this way, Wang Jing led his army back to Gushi City safely without any danger.

As soon as they entered the city, Cao Ren appeared in front of Wang Jing: "Yuan Xu, the envoy wants to see you."

"what?"

Wang Jing was stunned, then agreed: "Okay, I'll go see the envoy after I wash myself up."

"Your humble servant greets you, Lord."

"Haha, Sima Wang, please get up quickly. If you hadn't rescued me in time, I would have been in great danger."

"Your Excellency's words are too serious. I am terrified."

After Wang Jing and Huang Wan exchanged a few polite words, they soon got down to business.

"Sir, the Yellow Turbans are now numerous and powerful, wreaking havoc in Yuzhou. The royal army is not doing well in the conquest. When will the court send reinforcements?"

"Alas, there will be no more reinforcements."

"Ah? Why is this?"

After hearing Huang Wan's reply, Wang Jing was a little confused, and then he suddenly realized that it was the emperor Liu Hong who was giving up!
The king of a country actually...

Wang Jing didn't know what to say. He could only sigh that the people in the late Eastern Han Dynasty had a hard life with such an emperor and such a world.

"You summoned me here today, but what do you want me to do?"

"It would be too polite to say that you are giving me orders. Yuzhou is now exhausted and the war is still going on. It is time for heroes to sacrifice their lives. Sima Wang is both talented in literature and martial arts, and is wise and resourceful. You are worthy of being a descendant of a famous family. Are you willing to stay in Yuzhou and show your talents?"

Huang Wan spoke sincerely, and it was obvious that she wanted to recruit Wang Jing to her team.

He had seen Wang Jing's performance in the previous battles. Although he was sometimes too cunning, he had killed two Yellow Turban bandit generals, Huang Shao and He Man, in succession, and his contribution surpassed that of the entire army.

In Huang Wan's view, Wang Jing is a rare talent.

Of course, the most important thing is that Yuzhou currently needs a general who can keep the situation under control, because the emperor has made it clear that he will never continue to send troops.

If Yuzhou wants to quell the war, Huang Wan can only find a way on his own.

However, Wang Jing had his own considerations. It was impossible to stay in Yuzhou. Liu Hong would die in a few months. By then, Dong Zhuo would enter the capital and all the eyes of the world would be on Luoyang.

By then, Wang Yun would inevitably be involved, and it would be meaningless for him to stay in Yuzhou alone.

What's more, Huang Wan is not a wise leader, so there is no point in voting for him.

Having made up his mind, Wang Jing politely declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, but I have been away from home for half a year and I am eager to return home. I can only let you down."

After the refusal, Wang Jing thought for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "In fact, Yuzhou is located in the heart of the Central Plains, with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Since you are the governor of Yuzhou, why do you have to go far away? There is a man in Qiao County who is ten times better than you in terms of military strategy. If you can get his help, it will be easy to put down the rebellion."

Huang Wan, who originally wanted to give more advice, couldn't help but become curious after hearing what Wang Jing said: "I wonder which family this outstanding person Sima Wang is talking about?"

"The Cao family of Qiao County, Cao Ren and Cao Zixiao."

Wang Jing strongly recommended him to Huang Wan, saying, "Jintan is a strange and upright place, which was obtained from one's heart. Yuqian was conquered without any effort due to accumulated experience. Ji followed Confucianism, but it was not enough to match his elegant songs. Cao Ren is wise and brave, and he can be used to win. If you want to govern Yuzhou, if you can employ talents like Zixiao, you will not have to worry about not accomplishing great things."

"To be praised so highly by Sima Wang, Cao Zixiao must have some extraordinary qualities."

Huang Wan immediately summoned Cao Ren and tested him face to face.

Compared to Wang Jing, an amateur who changed his career halfway, Cao Ren's basic skills in military strategy were obviously much more solid. After several conversations, Huang Wan was very satisfied with Cao Ren and immediately recruited him as a military officer in Yuzhou, making him one of the senior assistant officers in the governor's office.

When leaving, Cao Ren expressed his gratitude to Wang Jing: "If it weren't for Yuan Xu's recommendation, how could I have been appreciated by you, Lord?"

After saying this, he bowed deeply to Wang Jing.

Although Cao Ren also came from the Cao family of Qiao County, his father was Cao Chi, Marquis Mu of Chen, and he had served in the positions of Shizhong, Taizhong Daifu, and Changshui Cavalry Captain. Logically speaking, Cao Ren should not have done too badly.

Unfortunately, Cao Chi died early, and Cao Ren lost his father when he was fourteen years old. He lost the most critical support during his growth stage. He had resources but no connections, so that when Cao Ren reached the age of twenty, he was the eldest son in the family, but he could not even get the title of filial and honest official.

Therefore, Wang Jing's recommendation was like a rebirth for Cao Ren.

"Why do we have to say such awkward words between you and me?"

Wang Jing laughed out loud, but he was very happy in his heart.

It was just a military officer, and he didn't need him anyway. Now, he could ask Cao Ren for a big favor by offering him a favor. It was really a great deal.

In the blink of an eye, it was February of the sixth year of Zhongping.

Bao Hong was still organizing his army and preparing for war, anxiously awaiting the imperial court to send reinforcements to wipe out the Yellow Turbans in Runan in one fell swoop and vent the anger in his heart.

However, instead of waiting for reinforcements, he received an imperial edict from the emperor punishing him.

Zuo Feng, the eunuch, had a sinister look in his eyes and read in a sharp voice: "When the lower army lieutenant Bao Hong was fighting against the Gepi bandits, he took advantage of the army's requisition of supplies to steal official property and embezzled tens of millions of yuan. Fortunately, Huang Wan, the governor of Yuzhou, reported the matter to the court in time, investigated his crime, and punished him according to the law."

As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial edict emitted brilliant light and turned into shackles that were put on the unprepared Bao Hong.

Under the restriction of dragon energy, no matter how powerful you are or how energetic you are, it will be like a drop in the ocean and you will be unable to escape.

Bao Hong's energy and blood were locked up, and he couldn't use his powerful martial arts at all. He was captured on the spot by several imperial guards who were accompanying him and were to be taken back to Luoyang to await the emperor's decision.

"Damn it, Huang Wan, you old bastard! How dare you frame me!"

Bao Hong's face was filled with grief and indignation. He understood at this moment that he had become the scapegoat.

Did he embezzle military funds?

Greedy.

But who doesn’t do this these days?
Among all the civil and military officials in the court, how many are not greedy?
If we really have to judge the crime based on this, the first person to be punished should be Zhang Rang, and even death by slicing would not be enough to atone for his crime.

The reason why Bao Hong was put in jail was not because he took money he shouldn’t have taken, but because he failed to do what he should have done!
Seeing Bao Hong being taken away, he was still cursing. Wang Jing, who was watching the show from the side, sighed: "The official career is really dangerous. We lived and died together before, but we never thought that we would turn against each other so easily now."

"Second brother, do you mean that this matter was stabbed in the back by the governor of Yuzhou?"

"if not?"

Wang Ling frowned: "Huang Yuzhou is well-known throughout the world and has a high moral character. He should not deliberately frame someone."

Wang Jing, who had seen the treacherous hearts of people in his previous life, was not like Wang Ling who was blinded by the halo of a famous minister. He smiled contemptuously and said, "Political struggles are always bloody. Moreover, if you want to stab someone in the back, you don't necessarily have to frame them. After all, no one is perfect. If you find their weakness, you can kill them with one strike."

In Wang Jing's opinion, Bao Hong's theft of military pay could be a big or small matter.

Is 10 million coins a lot? Cao Song spent 100 million coins to buy the position of one of the Three Dukes!

Moreover, he only held this position for five months, less than half a year, which means that Liu Hong could sell this position again.

At this time in the Eastern Han court, the sale of official positions and titles was clearly priced, without deception. The prices were all filled in by Emperor Liu Hong himself. One can imagine how rotten the atmosphere was in the court and the country.

If we really say that all the ministers in the court are incorruptible, then where does the money for buying official positions come from?
So, Liu Hong doesn’t care at all whether you use your power to secretly make money.

Under normal circumstances, even if Huang Wan reported it, the matter would be of little consequence and would eventually be left unresolved.

After all, Bao Hong works for the emperor, and you have to look at the owner before you beat the dog.

But Bao Hong messed up the emperor's business, so Huang Wan's report was extremely fatal.

Wang Ling was also a smart man. After Wang Jing's advice, he immediately understood Huang Wan's intention: "Is Yuzhou Mu trying to seize military power?"

Wang Jing nodded and said, "By reporting Bao Hong, we can not only put the blame for the defeat on him, but also seize the military power, which is like killing two birds with one stone. But this matter has nothing to do with us, so don't get involved. Just join in the fun from the sidelines."

Wang Ling suddenly felt as if his dream had been shattered. The Confucian celebrities he knew before were clearly not like this!

When the idol halo disappeared, these celebrities in his eyes suddenly seemed no different from ordinary people. They were all profit-driven, penny-wise and calculating against each other.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before news came that Bao Hong had fought in vain and died in prison.

In the Yuzhou area, various Yellow Turban tribes rose and fell, and their power grew stronger again.

Huang Wan entrusted Cao Ren with an important task and began to recruit the power of local noble families to strangle the remnants of the Yellow Turban Army in Runan.

Everyone thought there would be a fierce battle, but the "Great Sage Teacher" disappeared, and He Yi and Liu Pi did not continue to attack. The two sides seemed to maintain a tacit understanding and standoff.

Without the constraints of He Yi and Liu Pi, Huang Wan ordered Cao Ren to lead troops to attack from all sides and wipe out the bandits in Yuzhou, which greatly shocked his reputation. Soon, he became a role model for the whole country with his achievements in government, and was granted the title of Guannei Hou for his merits.

Wang Jing was promoted to the position of Cavalry Commandant because of his timely rescue and recommendation of talents.

Chenliu, the governor's office.

"Father."

"Yuan Xu, you finally returned safely."

Wang Yun stroked his beard, his eyes fell on Wang Jing, with a gratified expression.

The naughty second son has grown up a lot now and is capable of taking on important responsibilities.

"Tell me the details of this expedition."

"Yes, father, please allow me to..."

Wang Jing then told him the whole process in detail, and then talked about Wang Ling's cultivation: "Yan Yun finally succeeded in forming the elixir yesterday after this training."

"really?"

"Yes."

"Okay, that's great!"

Wang Yun was also very happy when he heard this, even happier than Wang Jing when he was promoted to Cavalry Commandant.

After all, official positions are insignificant to the Wang family of Taiyuan today, and they don’t need a lot of help from Wang Jing.

Gathering three clan members who can practice "Nine Refinements of True Yang" is a matter of life and death for the family.

Wang Jing was also quite puzzled when he saw this, and couldn't help asking: "Father, I have actually wanted to ask for a long time, why does the family need to gather three people who can practice the "Nine Refinings of True Yang"? My Taiyuan Wang family doesn't only have this one magical skill, other skills can also be used to cultivate talents, right?"

Seeing that there were no outsiders present, Wang Yun told Wang Jing a shocking secret that had been hidden for a long time in his family: "Yuan Xu, do you know the origin of my Taiyuan Wang family?"

"According to the family rules and genealogy, my Taiyuan Wang family is descended from the Ji surname of the Zhou Dynasty, and is a descendant of the royal family. During the Warring States Period, our ancestors Wang Jian and his son Wang Ben entered the Qin Dynasty to serve, leading the Qin elite to fight east and west, south and north, sweeping across the world, successively destroying five countries, and making great military achievements."

"After the Immortal Qin Dynasty unified the world, our ancestors Wang Jian and Wang Ben retired from the government and returned to their hometown. They no longer participated in government affairs. Fearing that the First Emperor would become suspicious, our ancestor Wang Jian did not hesitate to split the family into two. The Taiyuan Wang family obtained the "Nine Refinements of True Yang" and the Langya Wang family obtained the "Hongyu Sword Scripture". From then on, the two families no longer had any contact with each other and lived separately."

Wang Yun nodded slightly, as if recalling the past. The Wang family of Taiyuan once had glorious days, but now it was just a temporary dormancy.

"In the 22nd year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign, my ancestor Wang Ben led an army of 100,000 to attack the State of Wei. At that time, the Qin army surrounded the Wei capital Daliang and diverted water from the Yellow River and the Dagou to flood Daliang. Three months later, the city of Daliang was destroyed. King Jia of Wei surrendered and was later executed. Thus ended the war to destroy Wei, and the Qin army took all of its territory."

Wang Jing was puzzled: "This is recorded in history books and everyone knows it. Why did father mention it specifically?"

Wang Yun then revealed the secret: "The deceased Wei Wang Jia was just a substitute."

Wang Jing finally showed a shocked expression: "Is the King of Wei not dead?"

"At least he didn't die then."

Speaking of this, Wang Yun sighed with emotion: "At that time, Han and Zhao had been destroyed. My ancestor Wang Jian was far-sighted and feared that his achievements would overshadow the king and cause him to be suspicious, so he secretly planned for the continuation of the family. During the war to destroy Wei, my ancestor Wang Ben led his troops to approach Daliang and unexpectedly discovered that King Jia of Wei had secretly dug an underground palace outside the city, hoarding treasures, weapons and elixirs, and secretly recruiting soldiers, planning to fake his death and escape, in order to make a comeback in the future."

"At that time, the Qin Empire was at its peak, and the Wei Kingdom was doomed to be destroyed. However, our ancestor Wang Ben did not report the matter of the underground palace to the First Emperor, but secretly led the family's death squad to seal the entrance with the divine Danyu, trapping and killing King Jia of Wei and 800 Wei soldiers in the underground palace. The treasures and elixirs in the underground palace can serve as the foundation of our Wang family. Even if there are unexpected disasters, there will be a day to turn things around."

At the end, Wang Yun sighed: "The only problem is that to break the seal, we need to gather three tribesmen who have refined the Danyu Holy Flame, otherwise the passage will be destroyed."

In fact, even if the passage is destroyed, it is not difficult to dig for treasure. It just takes a little more effort to find someone to dig.

But the problem is that what Taiyuan Wang family needs most right now is not elixirs and treasures, but the divine object Danyu, which is used as the base of the sealing magic array. If they try to break it by force, the Danyu, which serves as the base of the array, will explode, which would be a loss.

After learning this secret, Wang Jing finally understood why his family attached so much importance to the martial arts book "Nine Refinings of True Yang".

"There is no time to lose. Once Yan Yun's body is fully developed, we will set out immediately to open the treasure and retrieve the relics of our ancestors."

"Yes, father."

Seven days later, Wang Ling's Qi formed a pill and he took the Holy Flame into his heart, and his body was initially completed.

After Wang Yun confirmed it again and again, he was overjoyed. He immediately called Wang Hong and led his family's death squad to Kaifeng County together.

Kaifeng County is located northwest of Chenliu City, and the two places are only about sixty miles apart.

The once majestic and magnificent capital of Wei State, Daliang, no longer has the glory of its former glory. Although it is still prosperous and peaceful, it has lost some of its dignity and royal aura.

In the northwest corner of the city, Wang Jing followed Wang Yun and Wang Hong to a river with fast-flowing water.

Wang Hong held a map made of tanned animal skins in his hand, and said solemnly: "According to the map, this is the place."

"Prepare the ceremony."

After Wang Yun finished speaking, he called Wang Jing and Wang Ling forward: "When I give the order, you will immediately activate your body skills and the magic circle."

"Yes!"

Wang Jing and Wang Ling looked at each other and stood on both sides of Wang Yun respectively.

"It's now!"

The three of them activated their skills at the same time, and the Danyu Holy Flame suddenly gushed out from their sea of ​​​​qi and enveloped their entire bodies.

While Wang Jing was wondering, the ground beneath his feet shook slightly, and then he saw an altar rising out of the ground. The magic array engraved on it was emitting red light, and fire flowed like streams, converging in three places along the patterns of the magic array, and finally turning into three golden suns, rising like the sun.

One of the golden suns was spinning in the air, generating a powerful suction force that began to pull at the Danyu Holy Flame in Wang Jing's body.

The same situation also happened to Wang Yun and Wang Ling.

Boom~
The three golden suns extracted holy flames from each of the three people, and after confirming their bloodline identities, the seal was finally successfully lifted.

Click~
After the shattering sound, a red feather with Wu Caixia's glow slowly fell down.

It is more than three feet long and as straight as a sword. It is the divine object Danyu.

Wang Yun was excited and quickly took out the blood-colored glazed jade box and put his ancestor's relics into the box with great care.

Wang Jing looked at the already opened entrance to the underground palace and couldn't help asking, "The purpose of this trip has been achieved. Will there be any danger in the next thing?"

Wang Hong smiled casually: "Yuan Xu, you are good in everything except that you are too cautious sometimes. Now that four hundred years have passed, the King of Wei is probably just a skeleton. Do you think he can still be alive?"

(End of this chapter)