In the mountains of the southwest.
A fierce storm crashed down.
Amidst the lightning and thunder, thousands of people were engaged in a chaotic lee.
Warhorses neighed and crashed to the ground; barbarian soldiers wielding scimitars and stone hamrs were extrely fierce.
The soldiers of the Kingdom of Jing were intrepid and unafraid of death, their blade edges curling from hacking.
Broken blades, severed limbs, and blood-stained leather armor rolled into a mass.
The endless flow of fresh blood dyed this valley, where the barbarian soldiers had been lured with great difficulty, a fiery red.
Among them, a man wearing light armor and holding a long saber.
The six-style saber technique of the army, opening and closing widely.
Leading several personal guards, he fought and charged fiercely.
Even when the barbarian's scimitar approached the top of his head, he didn't have the slightest fear, but instead took a step forward, thrusting the tip of his saber through the opponent's heart first.
The barbarian soldiers, who had already been ambushed and killed by a wave of archers from the mountaintop, seed sowhat unable to resist.
On the cliff face, Han Mingzhong, the great general of the Kingdom of Jing responsible for the expedition against the barbarians this ti, looked down at that brave military officer.
"This person is very good, whose command is he under?"
Zhou Dingyuan, who had returned from Mobei, escaped the imperial court's purge of the Marquis of Anping, and thereby been promoted to Commander, hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed.
"Great General, that is the Chiliarch under my command, Liao Shouyi."
"When this person was just a Platoon Commander in Mobei, he was already this intrepid. He said he wanted to establish rits and achievents, and beco a high official."
These words drew laughter from several military officers nearby. Han Mingzhong also smiled and said, "To be so intrepid and unafraid of death in order to beco a high official is quite rare."
"Very well, if we can truly annihilate the barbarians this ti and expand the territory for our Kingdom of Jing, I will report to the Ministry of War later and promote him to a Garrison Commander."
"Zhou Dingyuan, you also need to put in more effort, otherwise wouldn't it make people laugh if you let a forr subordinate Platoon Commander surpass you?"
Zhou Dingyuan nodded and said, "This subordinate will do his utmost."
Han Mingzhong didn't look at the fierce battle in the valley anymore, but raised his eyes to look further away.
He said indifferently, "Past this mountain range is the State of Wu, famous for forging weapons. I used to think it was quite far, but looking at it now, it's not considered far."
Everyone followed his gaze and seed to understand sothing.
Year 7 of Yongji, the Kingdom of Jing's expedition against the barbarians had taken three long years.
At Yixiantian, the main force of the barbarians was routed.
Then sweeping across the southwest, the territory of the Kingdom of Jing expanded by hundreds of miles as a result.
But Shitou did not return, only because there were still many small tribes in the mountains resisting with all their might.
Although small in number, they were like poisonous snakes hidden in the dark, making it impossible to guard against them.
The Ministry of War issued an order that the small tribes in the southwest must be completely pacified.
However, in Year 10 of Yongji, the Emperor suddenly died suddenly, not even having ti to leave a posthumous edict.
---
Pinecone Village.
Zhang Anxiu, who was already fifty-three years old, had mostly white hair, and more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
Accompanied by a few dicinal herb rchants, she strolled around the dicinal fields, checking this year's harvest and discussing prices.
Fighting the barbarians took six long years, and the price of dicinal herbs rose by fifty percent as a result.
It beca more expensive for commoners to see a doctor and get dicine. Plus, the imperial court put pressure on the local areas, and the local areas transferred the pressure to the farrs and rchants.
Every prefecture and county tried every ans to increase tax revenue.
Coupled with the increasingly serious forcible occupation of land by the gentry and powerful families, and the occasional natural disasters of severe droughts and floods.
The officials of the prefectures and counties, seeking self-preservation, did not report the disaster situations.
Causing the commoners to starve to death with nowhere to complain.
Displaced and destitute, their wails filled the roads.
By the field, Chu Xun stood there.
At the age of fifty-five, many people were already old, hunched over, and had stiff legs and feet.
Chu Xun was much better than them, except that the grizzled beard he had grown over these years was extrely thick, almost covering the lower half of his face.
Many young people in the village had already gotten used to this appearance of his. Even acquaintances like Qi Ermao had almost forgotten what Chu Xun looked like when he was young.
Chu Xun appeared to be waiting for the dicinal herb rchants to inspect the dicinal fields, but in reality, he was looking at his own growth.
【Water Elent Spell 41754/100000: Limited control of the marshes of heaven and earth within a hundred zhang】
【Earth Elent Spell 41594/100000: Limited control of the soil of heaven and earth within a hundred zhang】
Eight years of ti passed in a flash.
The progress of the two types of spells had both approached the halfway mark.
Although they hadn't reached the point of promotion, compared to the beginning, they were much handier to use.
He no longer needed to use his eyes to see; he could rely on the water vapor between heaven and earth to accurately perceive everything within a hundred zhang.
Whether animals, plants, or even a small piece of soil, it was as if seen with his own eyes.
Moreover, it was not obstructed by the field of vision, truly leaving nowhere to hide.
When the raindrops carrying spiritual energy fell on the plants, it brought a comfort like water and milk blending together.
Water was no longer a dead object, but seed to have spirituality.
It created a connection between him and every single thing he ca into contact with.
Not only could he feel the comfort of the plants, he could even perceive the joyful emotions of the dicinal herb rchants.
This feeling was extrely wondrous.
It was like his own body had extended out to countless points.
"So this is the true spell, not simply controlling water, but an extension using water as a carrier."
To a certain extent, water was no longer water, but a part of the body.
"No wonder in the information of the Five Elents Dao Magic, I vaguely saw a divine being calling the wind and summoning the rain. It turns out one really can do it as easily as directing one's own arm, commanding the rivers, lakes, and seas."
"Brother Xun," Zhang Anxiu walked over and called out, "They've all taken a good look, there are no problems, the price is raised by ten percent compared to last year."
A few dicinal herb rchants wearing cloth clothes walked over, bowed slightly, and cupped their hands to Chu Xun, "Master Chu, the dicinal herbs in your dicinal field can be called top-grade. Not to ntion Zhangnan County, even in the neighboring counties, there are few families that can compare."
According to business, they shouldn't have praised so straightforwardly.
But for so unknown reason, standing in front of Chu Xun and being looked at by those bright eyes, they poured out everything they were thinking in their hearts exactly as it was.
So much so that after they finished speaking, they looked at each other sowhat blankly, seemingly not understanding why they were so honest today.
Chu Xun smiled and said, "Since you are satisfied, then take them away, the price is easy to negotiate."
As everyone knew, Master Chu was generous and open-handed, never haggling with people over small amounts of money.
A middle-aged dicinal herb rchant wearing a felt hat hesitated for a mont, but still opened his mouth and said, "Don't say that I am speaking unlucky words, Master Chu also doesn't lack silver, it's best to prepare more dicinal herbs for healing injuries and replenishing vitality."
A man next to him in a long gown, who looked more like a scholar than a dicinal herb rchant, followed up and said, "These words are indeed not wrong. I heard people say that the Capital City has already fought until blood flows like a river in order to fight for the throne."
"The commoners in the city don't dare to step out of their hos at all, and so people directly packed up their valuables and fled."
"What is this, the Great General Han Shizhong who went on the expedition against the barbarians six years ago now refuses to obey the orders of the Ministry of War. Saying sothing like as long as there is no monarch for a day, he will absolutely not withdraw the troops and return to the court."
"The way I see it, he probably wants to beco the King of the Southwest."
Chu Xun didn't interject, only listening quietly.
Zhangnan County was not a wealthy place, and was very far from the center of the power struggle, so it hadn't been affected for the ti being.
But the struggle for the throne was so perilous, who knew how many people would die unnatural deaths.
Thinking of Tang Shijun, who was now the Vice Minister of Revenue, Chu Xun couldn't help but feel sowhat worried.
After the dicinal herb rchants left, Zhang Anxiu couldn't help but ask, "Brother Xun, is what they said true?"
"Close to it," Chu Xun said.
Many pieces of news were easier for people in specific industries to know than ordinary people.
Zhang Anxiu's face was full of worry, "Huan'er is still a County Magistrate now. If the world is in great chaos, will he be alright?"
Chu Xun shook his head and said, "The world will not be in great chaos, just wait until a new Emperor is decided among those Princes to ascend the throne."
Zhang Anxiu still wanted to say sothing, but couldn't help coughing out loud.
She had caught a chill a few days ago and hadn't fully recovered yet.
Chu Xun originally told her not to co out, but Zhang Anxiu's temper had been fiercely stubborn since she was little.
The things she wanted to do, she had to do even if the sky collapsed and the earth sank.
Chu Xun supported her, gently stroking her back to help smooth her breathing.
Looking at his wife's head full of white hair, with less than thirty percent of black hair remaining, he couldn't help but sigh and say, "You're not a young person anymore, take more care of your own body."
Zhang Anxiu slowly exhaled a breath, looking up at this man she had been together with for decades.
His skin color was still as dark as before, and the attachnt in his eyes was still the sa as it had never changed.
"It's precisely because I'm not young anymore that I want to be with you more."
[End of Chapter]
User Comments
0 comments from readers