Murong Fu died, killed in an attack by the soldiers of the Martial Command Office.
That is, after Xu Xiao finished talking with Qiao Feng, he turned around and saw that the people from Martial Command Office were already cleaning up the battlefield.
A moment later, Wu 1 ran up to report:
"Reporting, sir. The entire force of the Western Xia First-Class Hall has been annihilated; two are dead and seventeen are wounded."
"Are you sure you've finished them off?" Xu Xiao asked expressionlessly. The Turtle Breathing Technique is a life-saving tool for those in the martial arts world, and we can't let Murong Fu take Liaokong.
"Confirmed. I have already ordered my men to dig a pit and bury it on the spot."
"No need for that complicated process. We have kerosene with us, so we can just gather it all up and burn it."
"Yes, sir."
"The dead will receive double compensation, everyone can go back to collect their rewards, and the wounded will receive an extra portion."
"On behalf of my brothers, I thank you, sir!!!"
Wu 1 left with profuse thanks. After the establishment of the Martial Command Office, all rewards and compensations were based on the highest standards among the Imperial Army. Xu Xiao then raised their rewards even higher.
These days, serving someone means risking your life; who wouldn't be loyal to a leader who's willing to reward them?
In any case, money and the like are completely useless to Xu Xiao. In name, he is second only to the emperor, but in reality, the entire Great Song acts according to his will.
In addition to the countless gold and silver treasures he had amassed by Kaifeng Prefecture of high-ranking officials and wealthy families in Kaifeng, Xu Xiao was not stingy with his rewards.
If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it. The soldiers of the Martial Command Office are all elites in the army, and elites naturally have to pay the price for elites.
Xu Xiao plans to establish two branches of the Martial Command Office. One branch will be placed in the army to teach martial arts to the lower-ranking soldiers and help him control the troops. The other branch will be spread among the common people, with responsibilities similar to those of the Brocade Guard and Jianghu administrators.
As for how to manage it, the approach is a combination of carrots and sticks.
Xu Xiao was generous with rewards for his obedient subordinates, but ruthless in killing those who disobeyed him.
The incident at Apricot Grove has been completely resolved, and the Beggar Clan has begun to disband and merge into the Martial Command Office, starting from Hebei.
In no time, the reputation of the Martial Command Office began to spread throughout the martial arts world, and many martial artists who had initially disbelieved the announcement of the rectification of the martial arts world were thrown into a panic.
The Beggar Clan has fallen, which proves that the imperial court is serious this time, leaving most people in the martial arts world feeling utterly hopeless.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiao and his group set off again, beginning their return to Henan province.
Henan not only has the Shaolin on Mount Song, but also Wuyazi in the Deaf-Mute Valley of Mount Leigu, both of which are the destinations of Xu Xiao's trip.
After traveling for two days, strolling and exploring, they entered Henan province when an unexpected person blocked the way for the Martial Command Office's group.
Leaning on an iron staff, the mutilated Duan Yanqing found the Martial Command Office troops marching through Henan Province and obtained news of Ding Chunqiu.
Based on Duan Yanqing's previous personality, he would most likely have chosen to avoid a powerful new organization like the Martial Command Office.
There was nothing he could do. Xu Xiao knew about his one night of passion back then, and even said that he had a child left in the world, which had already given him a firm grip on his life.
Let alone risking his life by blocking the path of the Martial Command Office, he would gladly face any danger, even if it meant going through fire and water.
Fortunately, he knew he was there to see someone, and after politely announcing himself, he was granted an audience with Xu Xiao.
Upon meeting, without even a moment to marvel at how Xu Xiao had risen to a high position in the Great Song Dynasty's court in less than a month, Duan Yanqing immediately brought up the news of Ding Chunqiu.
" Ding Chunqiu recently returned to the Central Plains martial arts world from overseas. It is said that he is looking for a disciple who stole his treasure and escaped on his own. I met him in Huizhou two days ago, but unfortunately I failed to capture him."
"Originally, I wanted to capture Ding Chunqiu before seeking out a master, but his poison attacks and the Power-Dissolving Great Technique are too bizarre; it's simply beyond my capabilities alone."
Duan Yanqing became quite nervous as he spoke, looking at Xu Xiao and asking about the payment.
"I wonder if my message today will be enough to obtain the message the master promised."
Xu Xiao didn't rush to answer, but instead asked, "Can you track them down again in the next day or two?"
"Yes, I've slipped a drug into one of his disciples. If we search diligently, we're sure to find him."
Duan Yanqing spoke confidently. He had also practiced many unorthodox martial arts, and his little tricks for tracking people were completely undetectable.
"Alright, in that case, lead the way. Once we find Ding Chunqiu, I will keep my promise."
Xu Xiao decided to change his route temporarily. Now that he had news of Ding Chunqiu, he would capture him first, meet Wuyazi, and then go to Shaolin.
Duan Yanqing was perfectly comfortable with this; after all, he had no other choice but to lead the Martial Command Office to search for Ding Chunqiu's whereabouts.
On the evening of the second day, they successfully discovered traces of the Xingxiu Sect in an inn in a small town.
At this moment, the disciples of the Xingxiu Sect were still chanting flattering words like "Old Immortal Starry Sky, with boundless Magic Power," while Ding Chunqiu sat at the head of the table, eating and drinking with a smug look on his face.
His purpose in coming to the Central Plains martial arts world this time was to capture A'Zi, who stole the Divine Wood King Cauldron, and also to find the whereabouts of the Carefree Sect members, eliminating them completely.
Hearing that A'Zi had appeared in Henan, he brought his disciples here to search for her. Unfortunately, in such a large place Henan, it would be difficult for the Xingxiu Sect to find a single person on their own.
More than a month has passed, and I still haven't gained anything.
Today, as usual, they occupied an inn in this small town, eating and drinking for free and behaving recklessly.
Unbeknownst to them, a well-equipped troop of soldiers filed in from outside the city and then quietly booked the entire inn.
Then, at the leader's command, arrows rained down like a storm, while some people took out several earthenware jars and threw them in.
Ding Chunqiu, who was enjoying a drink, was caught off guard by the fierce barrage of arrows. He couldn't even break through and could only pull his disciple down with him.
This was the first time the disciples of the Xingxiu Sect had been tricked by someone in all their years of wandering the martial world.
After two volleys of arrows rained down from the outside, there was no one left alive in the inn except for Ding Chunqiu.
'Damn it, who plotted against me?'
Ding Chunqiu couldn't guess who was outside and was planning to wait and see before rushing out when they came in to search.
Suddenly, I caught a strange smell and looked in the direction of it, and saw the dozens of broken earthenware pots that had been thrown in.
'This is...? Fiery oil!!'
Ding Chunqiu's eyes widened, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
The next second, another rain of arrows came, but this time they were all flaming fire Rocket.
The Rocket ignited the oil on the ground, instantly causing a deflagration.
'boom!'
Kakkō, mixed with shockwaves, engulfed the entire inn in an instant.
Knowing that his opponent was Ding Chunqiu, who was skilled in using poison and the Power-Dissolving Great Technique," Xu Xiao naturally wouldn't let his men sacrifice lives.
No matter how powerful a venomous insect is, or how potent its poison, can it possibly injure someone through raging flames?
Flames roared, and the soldiers of the Martial Command Office stood guard outside with their crossbows, waiting for Ding Chunqiu, who could no longer endure the flames, to walk right into their trap.