This was a military exercise arranged by Dong Zhuo.
He did not personally attend the recent military exercise, but after learning the results, he gave an extra reward today.
When Ma Chen returned to the queue, Dong Zhuo called out another person's name:
Li Qingshi.
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I heard your elderly father is seriously ill. Here are twenty taels of silver; you are granted a month's leave."
"General..."
"No need for further words, go quickly."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Qingshi, with red eyes, accepted the silver handed to him by Dong Zhuo and left the training ground.
After dealing with these two matters, Dong Zhuo patted Hua Xiong on the shoulder, signaling him to come with him.
The group entered the room.
Two maps were hanging inside the room: one was a map showing the defense deployment along the border between Shannan Circuit and Tubo, and the other was a map of the entire Wu Dynasty.
Hua Xiong looked at everyone present, including Li Que, Guo Si, Niu Fu, Zhang Ji, and other generals from various armies of the Shannan Army.
Hua Xiong immediately realized that something big was about to happen!
Dong Zhuo stood in the center, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "Yuan Shu has sent a letter!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present perked up.
They were all high-ranking officials in Shannan Commandery and confidants of Dong Zhuo, so they were naturally aware of their military governor's plans.
Since the new emperor ascended the throne, Dong Zhuo had been in contact with important figures in the capital to plot important matters.
These days, the words he has said most often to everyone are, "The time has come; it's time to seize the opportunity!"
"You should read this letter aloud to everyone."
Dong Zhuo took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to his son-in-law Li Ru, who was standing beside him.
Li Ru was both Dong Zhuo's chief strategist and his son-in-law. He took the letter and read it aloud in front of everyone:
"Recently, there have been many troubles in the palace and government, with relatives of the empress wielding power and authority, and the likes of Cui Jin usurping power and disrupting the order of the realm. Although I am determined to eliminate them, the imperial guards are suspicious, and the officers are watching and none of them are willing to take the initiative."
The capital is in turmoil, and people harbor disloyal intentions. This is truly the time for loyal ministers and martyrs to rise up.
You command elite troops from the Shannan, renowned for your prestige, and hold sway over the frontier, where your soldiers are utterly devoted. If you could lead your elite forces to the capital overnight, take command of the imperial guards, seize the palace, and apprehend the traitors, you would cleanse the court of evil and stabilize the nation!
"Time is of the essence; delay will only lead to unforeseen changes. If others seize the opportunity first, the victory will not be yours. I urge you to plan carefully."
The letter was short, Li Ru finished reading it quickly.
"This..."
The people present looked at each other in bewilderment.
The letter had no salutation, no signature, and no personal seal; nothing could be found to prove the writer's identity.
If Dong Zhuo hadn't spoken up and said that this was a letter written to him by Yuan Shu, probably no one would have believed that the head of the Yuan Clan family would say such a thing to a military governor.
He led troops into the capital to purge the emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials!
"Li Ru, what do you think?"
Dong Zhuo looked at his son-in-law.
Li Ru pondered for a moment before speaking, "My lord, this head of the Yuan Clan family doesn't want to give others cause for criticism. He wants us to raise the banner of 'purging the court of corrupt officials' and enter the capital ourselves. However, we lack the prestige of the Yuan Clan family, which has held high office for four generations, and the support of the gentry throughout the land. If we act alone, we fear we will be unable to withstand the pressure and will be condemned by everyone, leading to widespread rebellion!"
Niu Fu, standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "The letter said that if we don't act first, someone else will. This shows that the letter wasn't just written to you, sir, but to others as well. If we hesitate, won't we miss this opportunity?"
Li Ru glanced at Niu Fu and sneered, "This is nothing but Yuan Shu's rhetoric, meant to provoke us into action. Looking across the land, how many people have the strength and courage to raise an army to purge the court of corrupt officials? In my opinion, besides you, only the Prince of the Western Capital has the potential."
Upon hearing the words "Prince of the Western Capital, "Dong Zhuo's expression shifted.
Niu Fu, unconvinced, "What if the Prince of the Western Capital leads his troops into the capital first?"
Li Ru chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Yuan Shu would never write a letter to the Prince of the Western Capital!"
Niu Fu: "Why is it impossible?"
Li Ru, however, was too lazy to explain further to him. He turned to Dong Zhuo, cupped his hands, and said:
"My lord, if Yuan Shu wants to cooperate with us, we must at least have him issue a secret order in the name of the Yuan Clan family head; otherwise, we will absolutely not take the initiative!"
"Grown ups!"
Upon hearing Niu Fu became anxious and was about to speak.
Dong Zhuo waved his hand, interrupting Niu Fu.
He said to Li Ru, "Write a reply for me, just as you described."
Li Ru was overjoyed and glanced at Niu Fu: "Yes!"
After finishing his statement, Dong Zhuo turned to look at the border defense map and issued a series of orders.
These orders were all about troop deployment. Dong Zhuo transferred more auxiliary troops from the rear to the front-line border towns, and withdrew some of the elite soldiers from the front-line border towns.
Upon hearing these orders, everyone understood Dong Zhuo's meaning.
This transformed the border defenses of Shannan Circuit from having the capability to launch counterattacks into a purely defensive posture.
The advantage of doing this is that it allows for the withdrawal of a large number of elite soldiers.
As for what the withdrawn elite troops were going to do, everyone present knew perfectly well!
"Everyone!"
Dong Zhuo's gaze swept over everyone present again. "Since Yuan Shu is willing to write this letter, his secret orders will surely arrive soon. You should all go back and prepare. When the time is right, it will be our time to seize the opportunity!"
"Yes!"
The generals inside the room all agreed.
Dong Zhuo then dismissed the others, leaving Niu Fu behind alone.
He was furious looking at Niu Fu's defiant expression.
This son-in-law is brave and loyal, but he's just not smart!
Do you know why Li Ru said Yuan Shu would never write a letter to the Prince of the Western Capital?
Dong Zhuo asked.
Niu Fu pursed his lips and shook his head.
"The Xiang Clan and the Yuan Clan are both among the Four Great Aristocratic Clans, with deep-rooted power. If they summon my Shannan Army to the capital, Yuan Shu is confident he can control them. But if they summon the Prince of the Western Capital to lead his troops to the capital, it would be tantamount to playing with fire and getting burned!"
Dong Zhuo said coldly.
Upon hearing Niu Fu remained unconvinced. "Our Shannan Army is no less capable than the Northern Garrison Army. Yuan Shu is underestimating us, and underestimating you, sir!"
Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo was furious. He kicked Niu Fu and roared, "Get outside and stand guard!"
"Oh."
Niu Fu sullenly.
"Return!"
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Dong Zhuo suddenly called out to him again.
"Grown ups?"
"Xu Rong died at the hands of Lu Yulin. It was said at the time that Lu Yulin had become Great Grandmaster, which enabled him to kill Xu Rong."
Dong Zhuo said in a deep voice, "But now we've heard news from Jiannan Circuit that Lu Yulin was defeated by a nineteen-year-old. This matter is probably a bit suspicious."
Upon hearing this, Niu Fu perked up. "Sir, there must be something fishy about this! How can a nineteen-year-old become Great Grandmaster? I bet Lu Yulin hasn't even reached the Grandmaster realm!"
Dong Zhuo looked at him and said, "Go find Wang Yan and tell him to thoroughly investigate those soldiers who returned back then."
Niu Fu the order and left.
Watching the other person's departing figure, Dong Zhuo sighed.
"Wu Shuangren..."
He muttered to himself, his expression somewhat complicated.
Even if the opponent isn't Great Grandmaster, a 19-year-old First Rank expert is still astonishing enough!
Moreover, the fact that the opponent was able to organize a militia of 10,000 men in Yi Province and lead these militia and local braves to defeat the Mount Liang army shows that the opponent has remarkable military leadership and combat capabilities.
Grand Tutor Yuan Feng, who has already passed away, was not the first important figure to notice the impressive fighting strength of the Yi Province Militia; Dong Zhuo was.
If Emperor Yuanxing hadn't suddenly passed away, and Dong Zhuo hadn't focused his attention on the capital, he would definitely have done the same as Yuan Feng: to make a move in Jiannan Circuit to either win over or eliminate Wu Shuangren!
Now that the situation in the capital has been resolved, Dong Zhuo no longer has time to worry about Jiannan Circuit.
However, he was still quite moved when he heard the news that Wu Shuangren had defeated Lu Yulin.
Why can't I have such an excellent son-in-law?
Compared to Wu Shuangren, her two sons-in-law seemed rather lackluster.
Yi Province.
While recovering from his injuries, Wu Shuangren was unaware that a certain military governor was lamenting that he was not his son-in-law.
Today marks the thirty-sixth day since defeating Great Grandmaster Lu. Wu Shuangren's internal injuries have begun to stabilize, but he is still not advised to engage in combat.
After defeating Lu Yulin that day, he returned to Yi Province to recuperate under the escort of Lin Qian and his personal guards, while Xu Cheng continued to handle the aftermath.
The imperial court has now issued its verdict in the Zhang Da case, acknowledging the series of evidence submitted by Jiannan Circuit, removing Zhang Da from all his positions, and sentencing those involved to execution or exile to the army and prison camps.
As for Xu Cheng, who reported Zhang Da, the imperial court commended him and promoted him.
Xu Cheng was promoted from Commander of a Thousand Households in Shu Province to Deputy General of Shu Province!
If Xu Family truly accepts Yuan Clan's offer of a hand, Xu Cheng has a good chance of being promoted directly to the position of Assistant Commander of Shu Province based on this incident.
However, Yuan Clan clearly did not contribute to this incident.
In addition, Xu Cheng voluntarily shared some of the credit for Zhang Da's case with Su Jinfan, the military governor of Jiannan Circuit.
This was a suggestion made by Guo Jiwang.
For such a terrible thing to happen in his own jurisdiction, Su Jinfan, as the Jiannan Circuit Intendant, cannot escape blame.
Although the evidence in Zhang Da's case is conclusive and it is an ironclad case, things could become complicated if Su Jinfan refuses to cooperate in his memorial to the throne.
In order to resolve this matter satisfactorily and to improve relations with Su Jinfan, Guo Jiwang suggested that Xu Cheng voluntarily share some of the credit with Su Jinfan.
Xu Cheng agreed.
Therefore, he was eventually promoted to deputy general of Shu Province, and Su Jinfan was not punished but instead received a commendation.
Now that Zhang Da has been brought down, Xu Cheng has been promoted, and the revenge for Forged Edge Workshop has been achieved, it's a happy ending for everyone.
Of course, the biggest impact of this event was actually the battle between Wu Shuangren and Lu Yulin.
Wu Shuangren's performance Yi Prefecture City and on the city wall of Rong Province City could be deliberately concealed, making people mistakenly believe that he was just First Rate expert.
Because both Yi Province and Rong Province were within his sphere of influence.
But Shu Province is different.
The battle outside Zhou Family Village was observed by spies from all sides, and the duel between Wu Shuangren and Lu Yulin could not be kept secret.
Therefore, Wu Shuangren became famous in one battle!
During this time, he recuperated in Yi Prefecture City, and many martial arts practitioners who had heard of his reputation came to visit him.
Some asked for guidance on martial arts, some wanted to come and challenge him, and some wanted to become his disciples...
In response, Wu Shuangren refused to see any visitors, citing the need to recuperate from his injuries.
Some martial arts practitioners who came simply to watch the excitement, or who genuinely wanted to seek guidance or become apprentices, either left or chose to continue waiting in Yi Prefecture City.
Those who wanted to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble and gain fame were all suppressed by Xu Jing's government troops!
Seeing that Wu Shuangren had close ties with the government troops, the group of martial artists dared not cause trouble in the city, but they were also resentful.
So these people left the city and went to the Yi Province Militia's camp, or wanted to go to Bo County to cause trouble.