I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 81: Conferred the title of Marquis and appointed as a General

After repelling the Southern Xiongnu cavalry, Wang Jing did not choose to continue the pursuit. Instead, he turned his guns on the spot and launched a fierce attack on the Baibo army in order to completely put down the rebellion in Hedong.

"kill!"

After Wang Jing used all his strength to shoot and kill Yu Furuo with one arrow, he himself was exhausted, but he still led his troops to charge and was at the forefront.

The morale of the Northern Army was greatly boosted, and everyone fought bravely. Under the iron hoof, the rebels who resisted stubbornly were turned into powder.

At this moment, the astonishing lethality caused by the group charge of the heavy cavalry was fully demonstrated on the battlefield. The enemy's tens of thousands of troops were immediately scattered after being charged back and forth several times by Wang Jing's one thousand cavalry, and they had no power to fight back at all.

In the chaos of the army, Guo Da and Hu Cai were beheaded by Wang Jing with a single sword in the howling cold wind and died under their horses.

With the deaths of Guo Da and Hu Cai in battle, the morale of the Baibo Army completely collapsed.

Wang Jing raised his sword high and shouted, "The two thieves Guo and Hu have surrendered. Those who surrender will be spared!"

Shocked by Wang Jing's powerful personal strength, the Baibo Army immediately dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground in surrender.

After this battle, the Hedong rebellion was finally put down, and Wang Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Huns came to disrupt the situation, everything went smoothly.

"Won!"

"Wan Sheng!"

Every member of the Northern Army cheered and revered Wang Jing as a god.

In their eyes, this battle was extremely dangerous. They first used a small force against a large one, with less than 10,000 people taking the initiative to attack the main force of the rebels of 50,000 to 60,000, and won a great victory without any geographical advantage.

Even after being stabbed in the back by the Southern Xiongnu and even the deployment of the Golden Men for Heavenly Offerings, they still could not stop the Northern Army's victory. In this battle, Wang Jing truly made a name for himself and made the Northern Army a powerful army recognized by the world.

There is no doubt that this was a resounding victory.

In this battle, tens of thousands of rebels were killed or wounded, and the rest surrendered. The Huns also fled north in a panic after leaving behind more than 2,000 corpses.

Wang Jing took advantage of the situation and entered Baibo Valley, ordered the establishment of camp, and waited for the court's response.

"My lord, after this battle, the Southern Xiongnu will not dare to attack for three years, and Hedong will be stabilized. Our army will hold this place, and we can go east through Huguan to look at Jizhou, go north to Taiyuan to seize Bingzhou, cross the Yellow River to the south to capture Sili, and go west to Guanzhong to dominate Liangzhou. Great achievements are indeed expected."

As a counselor, Xun You's vision is unmatched by ordinary people. The Xun family of Yingchuan has traveled around the countries since the time of Xunzi. Therefore, they are not only familiar with the general situation of the world, but also can talk about the past and present, and they are familiar with the mountains and rivers of the Chinese land.

Xun You took out a jade pendant, injected the power of thought into it, and then projected a very realistic map of mountains and rivers in front of Wang Jing.

Xun You highlighted the location of Hedong and further analyzed for Wang Jing how important the strategic location of Hedong was: "My lord, please take a look. In ancient times, Tang Yao founded the country, Shun's capital was Puban, Yu's capital was Anyi, and the capital of the Xia Dynasty was all in Hedong. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Three Kingdoms divided Jin, and Hedong belonged to Wei. The Wei Kingdom also chose Anyi as its capital because this place not only has the benefits of salt and iron, but also controls the east and west, and is a hub connecting Luoyang and Chang'an."

In Xun You's opinion, Wang Jing's troops marched out of Hedong and won victory after victory. At this time, Hedong had already been occupied by the Northern Army. They could attack or defend, and at the very least they could reproduce the situation of Wei, one of the Seven Kingdoms during the Warring States Period.

However, if one works hard to govern the country, follows the will of heaven, seizes the advantage of geographical location, and has the support of harmony among people, then even if one competes for the Central Plains, there will be great potential.

Xun You was so excited, but Wang Jing was shocked: "Could it be that my luck is still affected by Wei Wu's destiny?"

He felt that everything was too coincidental and felt a little uneasy.

When he first came here, he had never thought about any grand ambitions. He just wanted to be a salted fish, lying down comfortably and enjoying life.

If Wang Yun and Wang Ling weren't both big scammers, why would he work so hard just to stay alive?
But later he became obsessed with practicing magical skills and for the benefit of his family, he ventured into the underground palace of the former Wei capital Daliang. As a result, by chance, he seized the Mandate of Wei from King Wei Jia.

From then on, Wang Jing's fate gradually began to deviate from his original idea. With his good luck flourishing, he was doing very well. He happened to take advantage of the political turmoil caused by the turmoil in the court after the death of Emperor Ling, and things got out of control from then on.

It is said that if you stand in the right wind, even a pig can fly.

What's more, Wang Jing is neither a pig nor a fool. He is also aware of the changes in the general situation in advance. Therefore, he moves forward cautiously and takes the lead at every step. In this chaotic situation of the transition of power between the old and the new, he soars to the sky.

If it were just this, then at most it would be just following Dong Zhuo's old path.

It just so happened that a rebellion broke out in Hedong at this time. Wang Jing was born into a prominent family in Bingzhou, and he also incorporated the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry that originally belonged to Ding Yuan. It was truly a God-given foundation.

All this happened so coincidentally that even Wang Jing, a materialist fighter who believed in science, couldn't help but start to waver.

Seeing that Wang Jing didn't seem happy, Wang Ling couldn't help but ask, "Second brother, why are you so worried?"

Wang Jing sighed and expressed his worries and doubts: "I wonder, is there really such a thing as 'fate' in this world?"

Tian Si once told him that Wei Wu's Mandate of Heaven could bring benefits, but it also had great hidden dangers.

At that time, Wang Jing did not understand what it meant, but now that he has realized the influence that luck can bring, he is more and more in awe of this incomprehensible and difficult to control power.

Xun You stroked his beard and smiled: "My lord, even if there is such a thing as destiny, we must follow the will of the people. If one's own strength and virtue are insufficient, what does it matter even if one has destiny? The former overlord Xiang Yu had destiny and the help of ancient gods, but in the end, he was defeated by Emperor Gaozu and died in Wujiang?"

Wang Jing was stunned at first, then he laughed with relief and said, "Gongda really woke me up with a word. Yes, destiny is unpredictable and difficult to figure out, so everything depends on human efforts. The Book of Changes says: Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement. The earth is in a low state, and a gentleman should carry all things with virtue."

"The Northern Army is fortunate that the Lord thinks this way. In the past, when the phoenix sang on Mount Qishan, didn't King Wen also have the Mandate of Heaven? But it took two generations to conquer King Zhou and destroy the Shang Dynasty. It was not until King Wu that he seized the opportunity and succeeded in one fell swoop. This shows that the Mandate of Heaven is not omnipotent, nor is it the only one. Now that the Han Dynasty has lost its power, heroes all over the world will compete for it. When the time comes, dragons and snakes will rise from the land. Who among the heroes will not have the Mandate of Heaven? In the final analysis, the Mandate of Heaven is just an opportunity. Whether you can seize it and hold on to it firmly depends on your own ability."

While the three were talking, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao and others who were in charge of cleaning up the battlefield, taking prisoners and counting the casualties also came to report.

The first thing Wang Jing did was to inquire about the casualties: "How much did the Northern Army lose?"

Xu Huang's expression was solemn: "More than a thousand people were killed in the battle, and the remaining wounded are no less than two thousand. The entire army needs to rest and recuperate. It will not be able to recover to its peak state until at least the beginning of next spring."

The total strength of the eight battalions of the Northern Army was about 10,000 people. One-tenth of them were killed in one battle, and another 20% were injured or disabled. The loss was quite large.

Among them, the one that caused the greatest casualties was Yu Furuo's golden man for offering sacrifices to the sky.

Of the one thousand casualties, he alone killed more than six hundred, causing more casualties than the Southern Xiongnu cavalry and the Baibo Army combined.

Even if Xun You had not used Bingsha to launch the Yin military strategy, allowing Wang Jing to take advantage of Yu Furuo's unpreparedness to launch a sneak attack with the Overlord Bow and the Fierce Feather Arrow, quickly establishing victory, the Northern Army would have been wiped out in Hedong.

"We provide generous compensation to the fallen soldiers. Not only do we give them money, but we also try to arrange for their families to work on the veterans' farms. If there are elderly people in their families, we will support them, and if there are children, we will also raise them until they grow up."

Wang Jing attaches great importance to the morale of the army. After all, many of the magical powers of the military are related to it. The strong are powerful, but if you want to dominate the world, the army is still indispensable.

Otherwise, even a powerful king like Xiang Yu would not have ended up with the tragic fate of committing suicide by slashing his own throat at the Wujiang River.

Xu Huang was also excited when he heard this: "In this way, the soldiers in the army will no longer have to worry about the consequences, and they are willing to die for their lord."

Then Wang Jing asked Zhang Liao about the spoils of war: "In this battle, our army severely damaged Yu Fuluo's Southern Xiongnu cavalry, and also destroyed the last main force of the Baibo Army. Did you capture any spoils?"

"In this battle, our army rescued more than 20,000 people who were abducted by the Xiongnu, most of whom were women and strong men, which can enrich the population of Hedong. In addition, we also seized tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, thousands of horses, and 500 Xiongnu war wolves, which can expand the scale of wolf cavalry."

Zhang Liao became more and more excited as he spoke, and Wang Jing was also in a good mood.

When developing military farming in Hedong, Wang Jing not only wanted to farm, but also wanted to open pastures to raise livestock, especially to expand the sheep herd.

After all, after the wool textile industry was established, wool was no longer trash, but a hot commodity. The Northern Army could recruit soldiers in Hedong and arrange for their families to work on the farms. After all, after the war, many lands in Hedong had lost their original owners.

Rather than allowing these lands to be annexed by Ho Tung's aristocratic families under various pretexts, it would be better for Wang Jing to take them himself and establish a government-run veterans' farm.

Even after he had gained a firm foothold, Wang Jing had to liquidate the lands that had been illegally occupied by aristocratic families, and closely link the land with the army. He followed the example of Wu Qi, the second sage of military strategists, and established an elite force similar to the Wei Wuzu in Hedong, so as to expand his base, consolidate his foundation, and prepare for further competition for the world.

Then Zhang Liao gave Wang Jing another big surprise: "My lord, I searched the battlefield and found Yu Fuluo's body."

Wang Jing was stunned when he heard this: "It's just a corpse, why did Wenyuan mention it specifically?"

Military generals in ancient times liked to use the heads of their enemies to demonstrate their bravery, but Wang Jing did not have this habit, mainly because he found it disgusting.

Zhang Liao kept it a secret: "My lord, you will know it at a glance."

"?"

Afterwards, Yu Furo's body was carried into the big tent by more than a dozen tall personal soldiers, and Wang Jing finally understood why Zhang Liao thought Yu Furo's body was a treasure.

At this time, Yu Furuo's entire body had turned into metal. His flesh, blood, and bones had been completely transformed by the innate Xin metal Qi and the innate Geng metal Qi, turning him into a golden body.

Xun You was obviously well-informed and knew that this golden body was a good thing, so he was very shocked: "The Jinde Dragon Qi enters the body, Xin Jin turns into flesh and blood, and Geng Jin turns into tendons and bones. If you can obtain the secret technique inherited from the ancient Yanshi lineage, you can refine this golden body into a powerful fighting puppet. You only need to inject the Bingsha, and its combat power can be comparable to that of a peerless general."

"The secret technique inherited from the Yanshi lineage?"

Wang Jing immediately thought of Mo Shi, and immediately came up with an idea in his mind: "Right now, the Northern Army needs to rest and should not move rashly. It's a good opportunity for me to quietly return to Luoyang and wait for Dong Zhuo and Yuan Wei to fall out, and then I will take advantage of the situation."

A few days later, at the Grand Tutor's Mansion in the south of Luoyang City.

With a clang, a precious celadon wine pot worth a thousand gold pieces was smashed to the ground. The Xiliang generals who had been talking and laughing loudly at the banquet now looked at each other and then shut their mouths, for fear of angering Dong Zhuo who was already furious.

Dong Zhuo, who was sitting in the east seat at this time, was obviously furious. On his fat and ferocious face, a gloomy expression lingered. Anyone could see that he was in a very bad mood.

None of his generals dared to speak, and one could hear a pin drop in the hall.

Only Li Ru, who had just joined the Xiliang Army and was promoted to military advisor because of his intelligence and talent, stepped out of the crowd and asked, "Grandmaster, why are you angry?"

In his rage, Dong Zhuo crushed the bronze wine cup in his hand into a copper cake. Then he threw the secret letter to Li Ru and said through gritted teeth: "The rebellion in Hedong was quelled by Wang Jing."

"what!"

"How is this possible in just a few months?"

Guo Si, Li Jue and others were all good at fighting, so after hearing the news, they were all shocked, and some even thought that the military intelligence was fake.

Rebellion broke out in Hedong. The Baibo Army was so powerful that it defeated the local county and state soldiers one after another. There was even the active presence of the Southern Xiongnu behind them. Even if they personally led the Western Liang cavalry to fight, it would be impossible to end the war before the summer.

The main reason is that fighting in winter is very difficult. Even though most of the Xiliang soldiers came from cold and harsh places, it is impossible for them to quell the rebellion in the midst of wind and snow.

If we really do this, the number of people who will freeze to death will be several times more than those who die in battle. It is really not worth it.

Li Ru frowned as he picked up the secret letter, then read through the contents at a glance. He could not help but sigh, "The divine feathered arrow killed Yufuluo with amazing archery skills and destroyed the golden man offering sacrifices to the heaven. The Northern General is indeed as brave as a tyrant. He won battle after battle when he first entered Hedong, and then defeated the enemy with a small force outside Baibo Valley. Even powerful Southern Xiongnu warriors like Yufuluo and Huochuquan were killed while the other escaped. He is truly extraordinary."

As Dong Zhuo's adviser, Li Ru naturally understood how unfavorable the current situation was to the Western Liang army.

Dong Zhuo was able to show off his power in Luoyang because of his military power. He was actually nothing in politics, and the entire court was not convinced by him. Therefore, if Wang Jing led his troops south and crossed the Yellow River at this time, and joined forces with the aristocratic civil servants in the court, the Western Liang army would be trapped both internally and externally.

Dong Zhuo himself was well aware of this.

He was born in Guanzhong, and his family was just poor. In the current imperial dynasty, he had no political appeal at all.

Even though he could depose and enthrone emperors by relying on his heavy military power, and control the government together with Yuan Wei, this was only superficial power.

Even after Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu fled, the relationship between Dong Zhuo and the Guandong families deteriorated rapidly, and it was only a matter of time before a full-scale civil war broke out.

If he fails to appease Wang Jing, the variable, his Xiliang army will inevitably be attacked from both sides.

But Wang Jing was very reluctant to let Dong Zhuo reward him like this.

Just as he was struggling, Li Ru stood up and said, "Grand Master, you can appoint Wang Jing as the General Du Liao, give him a higher rank, grant him a title, and then order him to guard the northern border. He is not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict."

Dong Zhuo thought this was a good idea, so he nodded in agreement: "Okay."

Li Su, who thought he had made a great contribution by persuading Lü Bu to surrender, was extremely jealous of Li Ru and took the opportunity to make things difficult for him: "If Wang Jing insists on leading his army south, giving him an official position would be like throwing meat buns at a dog, wouldn't it?"

After saying that, he glanced at Li Ru, and his contemptuous look seemed to say: You little brat, let’s see if you dare to steal my limelight!

Li Ru, however, did not take this relative from five hundred years ago seriously. He bowed and advised Dong Zhuo: "Grandmaster, I have a plan that can make Wang Jing too busy to look south."

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and said: "Wenyou, if you have any good ideas, please speak up."

Dong Zhuo, who was extremely short of advisers, valued Li Ru very much and almost obeyed his every word.

Therefore, although Li Ru had just joined the Xiliang Army camp for less than a month, his status was promoted very quickly, and he even overshadowed Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo's godson.

For Li Ru, Dong Zhuo was also his mentor, allowing him to step onto the stage of power and realize his ambitions.

Therefore, Li Ru's planning for Dong Zhuo can be said to be done with all his heart and soul: "Ru heard that Wang Jing has a tiger general named Zhang Liao under his command. This man is brave and resourceful. He was originally a subordinate of Ding Yuan and has great prestige among the wolf riders of Bingzhou. Why not appoint him as the governor of Bingzhou to guard the northern gate for the court?"

Dong Zhuo laughed loudly upon hearing this: "Haha, Wen You's plan is brilliant! I really like it!"

Although the number of Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry in Wang Jing's Eight Battalions of the Northern Army is small, their combat effectiveness accounts for more than half.

Therefore, as long as the official positions were used to divide the relationship between Wang Jing and Zhang Liao, the threat posed by the Northern Army could be eliminated.

Dong Zhuo thought that with such huge benefits, Wang Jing
Xihe County, Baibo Valley.

In the Northern Army Camp, Wang Jing received an imperial edict from Luoyang. In the name of Emperor Liu Xie, Dong Zhuo promoted Wang Jing. Not only did he replace Jia Cong as the General Du Liao, he also conferred him the title of Marquis Qi.

"Congratulations, lord!"

"Congratulations, my lord!"

All the generals under Wang Jing's command cheered. Qi County was Wang Jing's hometown, and Dong Zhuo made him a county marquis right from the start, which was quite generous.

You should know that according to the title system of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the title of king was only given to the relatives of the Han Dynasty, and there was basically no duke. Below that was the rank of marquis. Among the rank of marquis, there were three levels: county marquis, township marquis, and pavilion marquis. Basically, county marquis was the pinnacle that a military general could achieve in his life, and any higher rank was not something that could be achieved by merit.

For example, Cao Cao was once granted the title of Duke, but he relied on holding the emperor hostage to control the other princes.

Even though Lu Bu became Dong Zhuo's son, he was only granted the title of Marquis of Ting.

(End of this chapter)