"Did Chen Qing really betray his country?"
Yuchi Peng had already led a large army out of the capital, could hardly believe it and looked curiously at the Vice Minister of Ministry of Rites who had come with him.
This Vice Minister is not the same Vice Minister Yang who strongly advocated for the campaign. The six ministers of the Great Jin must have been born into families of sorcerers. In order to allow ordinary families to also have a chance to speak in the court, the position of Vice Minister was reserved. Vice Minister Yang of the Ministry of Rites was the Left Vice Minister.
According to ancient etiquette, the left is more noble than the right, and the Left Vice Minister is one rank higher than the Right Vice Minister. The Great Jin also follows this rule. However, everyone knows that among the Six Ministries, the Right Vice Minister has the most prestigious status because all Right Vice Ministers are born into families of sorcerers. In the future, only the Right Vice Minister can take over the position of Minister.
The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, surnamed Luo, was only 45 years old and a very rigid and fair young man.
Yes, young people. In the warlock family, anyone under fifty is considered young.
Before the other party could reply, Yuchi Peng shook his head and said, "I don't believe it. I haven't known Chen Qing for long, but I can tell he's not an ambitious person. I think the court's reaction this time is excessive!"
Luo Yi looked up at the other person and sighed, "Since Your Excellency already has the answer, why ask me?"
"I just find it absurd," Yuchi Peng frowned. "The imperial court is already short of troops. Under these circumstances, instead of using its forces to support the northern battlefield, it's making a baseless attack on a prefect of Jiangnan. I think it's just ridiculous."
"Why is Your Excellency in such a panic?" Luo Yi said calmly, "It's just to confirm something. If Chen Qing is willing to return to the capital with us, he will be the youngest Vice Minister of Ministry of War since the founding of the dynasty. What an honor!"
Yuchi Peng remained silent. What he said was reasonable, but given the current state of the court, wouldn't Chen Qing be in trouble if he really went to the capital?
He hadn't seen Wang Ye for a year!
The official explanation is that Wang Ye needs further investigation, hence the temporary detention. But a whole year has passed, and the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review of Judicial Review remains vacant. Shouldn't there be some explanation?
Wang Ye took enormous risks to investigate Jiangnan back then, and now look what happened to him?
What will become of Chen Qing, who successfully prevented the Eldest Princess from taking over Jiangnan?
Yuchi Peng dared not think about it and felt somewhat powerless. He had given his father a good beating back then because he didn't want to be bound by the family and wanted to make his own decisions. But now, he found himself just as powerless as he was when he was a child. When his friend got into trouble, not only could he not help, but he was also adding to the pressure.
Thinking of this, he could only secretly vow that if Chen Qing went back with him, he would definitely ensure her safety this time and would never let her end up like Wang Ye!
The force consisted mostly of light cavalry, with an advance force of 10,000. It took them five days to reach the outskirts of Jiangnan.
At this moment, Vice Minister Luo Yi looked down from high above and, seeing the thick fog that seemed to cover almost the entire Jiangnan, sighed to himself, "Just as my mentor said, Jiangnan... is a place descended from ancient times!"
He was not from a prominent family, but because of his exceptional talent, he was chosen as a son-in-law by the Ministry of Rites and gained the support of a top-tier family. Since there were no outstanding sons in the Minister's family this generation, they focused on supporting him, the son-in-law who came to live with the family. Although he was not a member of the family, he was highly valued.
In the imperial court, he could even be the successor to the next Minister of Ministry of Rites.
He was quite familiar with some things happening in the capital.
The eldest princess had been planning for many years to seize command of this operation. There were quite a few sorcerer families in the capital who supported her. Her master speculated that the reason she was able to garner so much support was that the eldest princess might be related to the ancient Jiangnan region.
Unexpectedly, my master's words came true. The princess was so ruthless that she turned 300,000 Golden Dragon Guard into living corpses. But this only made my master more certain that the princess had colluded with ancient forces.
The current situation in the court is strange. Not to mention these great sorcerers, even those blood-related aristocratic families loyal to the emperor are holding back and waiting for the right opportunity.
This newly established dynasty, only twenty years old, is already showing signs of division!
"Lord Luo, haven't you seen it clearly yet?" Yuchi Peng frowned beside him.
As one of the few military generals capable of flying high into the sky, he was also shocked by the vast fog below. But hadn't Luo Yi been staring at it for a little too long?
Luo Yi nodded and slowly descended. Yuchi Peng folded his wings and followed suit. The two of them flew ahead of the main army to the outskirts of Jiangnan.
Luo Yi glanced at the map and said, "The dense fog is indeed dissipating. According to the battle report sent by the Duke of Qin, the fog in Jiangnan extended all the way to Nine Borders City, separating it from the West Sea. Now, the fog has split into two waves, one isolating Jiangnan and the other isolating the West Sea, which are quite different. The fog in Jiangnan has also retreated to the area across the river from Nanming Prefecture. Judging from this, it won't be long before the fog in Jiangnan dissipates."
So what exactly was hidden beneath the fog of antiquity?
Are they really just a bunch of man-eating zombies? If that's all there is to it, isn't it a bit too simplistic?
"Put the prepared imperial edict inside," Luo Yi said.
Yuchi Peng nodded, opened the large wooden box on his back, and a huge wooden bird flew out and took off into the sky over Jiangnan. The bird was flying very fast. It was the latest work of the Ministry of Works and was based on the puppet craftsmanship heritage of Painted Skin Mister.
The wooden bird circled in the air, releasing countless sparks that flowed down like dye, forming enormous characters that slowly descended across the entire sky of Jiangnan.
By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Prefect Chen Qing of Liuzhou, with his exceptional talent and outstanding political achievements, single-handedly protected the people of Jiangnan during this great calamity. He is a model of civil officials of our time. He is hereby promoted six ranks, namely, to the Ministry of War, as Vice Minister of Ministry of War Left. Due to the tense situation and the difficulty in distinguishing between loyalty and treachery, Prefect Chen Qing of Liuzhou is ordered to respond to the court within one day and receive the imperial edict. So be it!
A vast expanse of fireworks streamed down over Nanming Prefecture. A wooden bird let out a long cry and was about to fly away to set off fireworks elsewhere when a black dot suddenly appeared!
While in mid-air, Yuchi Peng felt a chill run down his spine and quickly dodged. Instantly, he felt a gust of wind pass by him and soar into the sky, striking the soaring wooden bird with incredible precision. The immense force shattered it in a single blow!
Only then did Yuchi Peng realize that what was flying towards him was an enormous crossbow bolt with a peculiar shape, at least three meters long. It must have been a huge military crossbow inside a ballista cart. What puzzled him was that this was from ten thousand meters in the air!
What kind of ballista can shoot bolts that high?
Could someone really possess such strength?
Yuchi Peng knew very well that such a thing didn't exist before; if it had, his Yuchi Household wouldn't have been so highly valued!
This kind of anti-air capability is simply the nemesis of the Yuchi Household!
The wooden bird shattered instantly, and Luo Yi, who was not far away, remained silent for a long time after witnessing this scene.
He was knowledgeable in engineering and knew the craftsmanship behind such crossbow bolts. If they could penetrate so deeply into the air, how terrifying would their battlefield destructive power be if fired from flat ground?
If their formation isn't right, that arrow could easily pierce through a hundred men.
After a long while, he finally came to his senses, looked at Yuchi Peng was also somewhat dazed, and whispered, "Does the Duke believe it now? That Chen Qing is plotting a rebellion?"
Yuchi Peng silent. The fact that Chen Qing's Jiangnan possessed something like this meant it was definitely not just a simple militia force.
He must have had the backing of an enormous military-industrial complex. Who was behind him? The Duke of Qin? Someone from another state?
Just as they were wondering what was going on, several people emerged from the mist.
The group of people were all walking on air; upon closer inspection, it would be apparent that the misty layer of Jiangnan seemed to be carrying them.
And the person in charge was none other than Chen Qing, whom Yuchi Peng had been longing for!
"Greetings, Your Excellency!" Chen Qing led the way in bowing, glancing at the remains of the wooden bird falling from the sky, and said, "I am truly sorry, sir. Your wooden bird arrived so suddenly, and with such dazzling calligraphy, my men couldn't immediately distinguish friend from foe, so they shot it down with crossbows. Recently, Nanming Prefecture has been actively preparing for war, and the guards in charge have been overly tense and sensitive."
Luo Yi looked at the other person, his brows furrowed. "You are Chen Qing?"
"This humble official is Chen Qing." Chen Qing smiled and said, "Greetings, sir."
Yuchi Peng, standing to the side, was even more shocked by the two people behind Chen Qing. One was dressed in black, looking like a scholar and strategist, while the other was clad in silver armor, exuding immense power.
They were all people I knew very well.
Gongcheng? Feihu?
Two updates in a row! There will be two more updates later, but it will be quite late. I should be able to post them before midnight, hahaha.
I promised to pay the interest for the remaining chapter, but I can only do so tomorrow. I'm truly sorry, dear readers.