Longzang

Chapter 303 More Discipline
When the smoke cleared, only blood and corpses remained.

Amidst the pile of corpses, Luo Bingtian suddenly stood up, forcefully wiping the blood from his face, and roared in a beast-like voice: "Brothers, charge! Kill them all! Avenge our fallen brothers!"

The twenty thousand iron cavalry in the distance stirred, and several thousand broke away from their original formation and charged toward them. At this moment, with Yue Jinshan gone, the generals were somewhat leaderless; some shouted to stop them, while others remained silent.

Luo Bingtian punched himself in the chest, and a blood-stained cone shot out from behind him. He raised his longsword and shouted in a completely hoarse voice, "I'm done being a general! My brothers, come with me to avenge them! We men of the Northern Frontier cannot stand by and watch our brothers die before our eyes!"

Another commotion erupted in the rear cavalry, with several thousand more breaking away and joining the advancing men. In an instant, over ten thousand of the twenty thousand cavalry who had been holding back rushed to the battlefield.

Spurred on by the military spirit, the 30,000 youths spontaneously converged, forming a dense square formation. They removed the daggers hanging from their waists and simultaneously loaded them into their empty rifles. The movements of the 30,000 men were perfectly synchronized and rhythmic; the loading of the daggers produced only a click!
Then, the 30,000 youths lowered their waists and retreated, assuming a posture of bloody hand-to-hand combat. Their military spirit soared into the sky, and the world darkened by three degrees!

Luo Bingtian, wielding his sword in both hands, roared as he charged towards the army formation. The tens of thousands of cavalry behind him, spurred on by his momentum, also began to accelerate.

Just then, Luo Bingtian suddenly heard footsteps. The sound was calm and composed, each step seemingly resonating with the heavens and earth. Then he saw Wei Yuan, spear in hand, step into the battlefield and stand calmly before the thirty thousand youths.

"Let's stop killing each other!" Wei Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it rang in everyone's ears.

Luo Bingtian roared, "Anyone who dares to stand in my way of avenging my brothers, I'll kill them!"

"Is that so? Then feel free to give it a try." Wei Yuan held a bright red immortal sword in his left hand and attached it to the lower part of the spear with a click.

Then he held the gun in one hand, and the tip of the immortal sword, which had transformed into a spearhead, pointed to the ground, and a sudden gust of wind rose between heaven and earth!
Wei Yuan stood in the eye of the storm, waved his left hand behind him, and all the youths simultaneously put away their guns, changed formation, and set off in rows and squads, heading into the depths of the realm.

Wei Yuan stood with his spear held horizontally, blocking the path into the realm all by himself.

Several commanders of the Northern Frontier Cavalry sensed something was wrong and finally stopped observing, rushing over to grab Luo Bingtian. Luo Bingtian looked back at the tens of thousands of cavalry behind him, then at the corpses scattered on the ground, his grief and anger overflowing. He pointed at Wei Yuan and shouted, "Fine! We won't move our soldiers, but I will fight you to the death! No one else is allowed to interfere!"

Several colleagues were shocked and tried to persuade Luo Bingtian while desperately pulling him back.

Unexpectedly, Wei Yuan withdrew his aura and, with a snap, took the red immortal sword from his body and stored it away.

A blue steed rode in on clouds and stopped beside Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan leaped onto the horse and casually hung his spear beside the saddle.

Luo Bingtian was completely baffled and shouted, "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

Wei Yuan glanced at him and said, "You're not even a Dharma Aspect, it wouldn't be fair to fight you."

Luo Bingtian flew into a rage and roared, "Let me go! I'll chop this guy to pieces today!"

Wei Yuan said calmly, "If you're really not afraid of death, go kill a few more alien races, and I might think more highly of you."

Wei Yuan then spurred his horse and galloped towards the border. As soon as he left, the thousand or so knights who had been standing still followed him.

While they were standing, they were unremarkable, but as they moved, each of them exuded a powerful aura. Countless imposing presences converged into a surging killing intent, like waves crashing and billowing, following Wei Yuan as he marched away. Judging from their military spirit, the thousand-odd knights were in no way inferior to the ten thousand iron cavalry of the Northern Frontier.

The youths also suffered hundreds of casualties, taking their comrades' bodies with them as they retreated. Wei Yuan left the battlefield to the enemy, allowing them to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades.

So the more than 10,000 cavalrymen dismounted and began to collect the bodies of their comrades one by one.

Amidst the pile of corpses, a cavalryman groaned as he awoke from his unconsciousness. Two searching cavalrymen immediately rushed over, lifted him up, and prepared to send him to the rear for treatment.

With a clang, something fell from the wounded cavalryman's body. The cavalryman who came to his aid picked it up and saw that it was a sharp cone the size of a palm and as thick as an egg, covered with blood and fragments of internal organs.

The cavalryman who picked it up stared blankly. Was this the thing that killed so many of his comrades? And where did it fall from?

With a whoosh, a large amount of blood and fragments of internal organs gushed from the armor of the cavalryman being carried, and his eyes quickly lost their light. The two cavalrymen carrying him were shocked and quickly checked him, only to find a large hole the size of a bowl on his abdomen, leading directly to the other side of his body, but the armor on the other side was not breached.

One day later.

The capital of the Western Jin Dynasty, the Hall of State Affairs.

More than ten high-ranking officials knelt on the ground and said in unison, "Welcome, Holy King!"

"Rise, all of you," Prince Jin said casually, then walked into the Hall of State Affairs and took his seat in the highest position.

The high-ranking officials rose and stood to the left and right. A eunuch carried a tray and placed it before the Prince of Jin. In the center of the tray was a cone about the thickness of an egg.

The Prince of Jin reached out and picked up the sharp awl, examined it for a moment, and said, "Is this the thing that killed my ten thousand iron cavalry?"

The Prince of Jin was tall and had the appearance of someone just reaching middle age, with a slightly effeminate and handsome look, and a soft yet magnetic voice. But everyone knew that the more feminine he spoke, the angrier he was.

The Minister of War said, "Although this item is novel and quite formidable, it is not the reason for the defeat. In fact, Yue Jinshan was defeated due to insufficient strength. Qingming has a secret technique that can instantly enhance the strength of soldiers. At the time of the battle, all 30,000 soldiers of the enemy had the strength of the Great Perfection of Bone Forging. With 30,000 Great Perfection of Bone Forging against 10,000 Great Perfection of Body Forging, victory should have been achieved."

"A secret technique? Interesting. Are there any limitations?" The Minister of War replied, "I know very little about that. I only know that this technique cannot be used outside the designated area; I know nothing else for now."

The Prince of Jin nodded slightly and said, "Being unable to leave the boundary is already quite formidable. Could you be of use to me?"

The Minister of Works stepped forward and said, "If this secret technique is related to the Azure Nether Immortal Stone, then the secret technique will most likely disappear after the stone is activated."

With a clang, the Prince of Jin tossed the pointed awl back onto the tray, saying, "Without this secret technique, Qingming is like a chicken bone—useless. And what about those few scattered boundary stones?"

A rather young official standing outside the hall stepped forward and said, “To acquire Wei Yuan is tantamount to acquiring this secret technique. This technique is more than capable of maintaining the status quo but not of plundering. Placing it in the far west would be perfect for protecting the nation’s borders. I request Your Majesty to reinstate the ancestral system and appoint Wei Yuan as the governor of a prefecture.”

This official, named Wang Wei, served as Imperial Censor and was granted the title of Vice Chancellor. He was allowed to stand below the hall and speak on matters.

The Prince of Jin pondered without speaking, seemingly somewhat tempted.

A general standing at the end of the hall said in a deep voice, "This is absolutely unacceptable!"

The Prince of Jin raised an eyebrow and said, "Why not?"

This general, surnamed Lü and named Zhongzhi, was the Commander of the Nine Gates and the Imperial Guard. By seniority, he was the nephew of the Prince of Jin and the only true military officer in the Council of State Affairs. Other military affairs were handled by the Right Chancellor and the Ministry of War.

Lu Zhongzhi said, "The northern gate of Taichu Palace is constantly expanding, blocking half of the way for our Great Jin to go north. Qingming is located in the far west. If we grant it a hundred-year prefecture, wouldn't that be giving up the western frontier to Taichu Palace? When our Great Jin expands its territory, will we still have to depend on Taichu Palace's attitude?"

The Prince of Jin's expression darkened slightly. He nodded and said, "Very well, we'll discuss this matter later."

The Prince of Jin rose and left the Hall of State Affairs. As he passed the Minister of War, he shoved the cone into the minister's hand and said, "You have so many learned men and artisans under your command, and you spend tens of millions of taels of silver every year. How come you can't even make such a small thing?"

The Minister of War, drenched in sweat, knelt down with a thud and repeatedly said, "This old minister is incompetent!"

The Prince of Jin snorted and left the Hall of State Affairs.

The Palace of the Prince of Jin, Chunhua Hall.

It was late spring, early summer, and the weather was perfect. The Imperial Concubine Yuan, dressed in her usual attire, leaned against a couch, gently stroking a snow-white cat in her hands. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether her hand or the cat was whiter.

King Qian of Xiang sat in the hall and said, "This morning Your Majesty went to the Hall of State Affairs. You originally intended to appoint Wei Yuan as the governor, but you were stopped by Lü Zhongzhi, the commander of the Nine Gates. Isn't Lü Zhongzhi one of your men? Should we give him a hint?"

Consort Yuan said somewhat lazily, "Lu Zhongzhi is my man, and also a member of the eunuch faction, but he is primarily the King's man."

Wang Qian suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! Since this is His Majesty's intention, there will probably be more twists and turns. However, no one could have imagined that Yue Jinshan would suffer such a crushing defeat. Anyone who wants to touch Qingming in the future will have to think twice. But I'm afraid the Crown Prince will still not give up."

"Killing only 10,000 isn't enough to make some people give up. If it were me, I would have slaughtered all 30,000 cavalry! Not to mention one prefecture, the entire Ningxi Prefecture would be mine. Xiao Yuan is still too soft-hearted. You should teach him a lesson when you have the chance."

With a howl, the cat, in pain, struggled free from Yuanfei's grasp and fled to the ground.

"His Majesty has rejected this proposal, what should we do now?"

Consort Yuan sneered and said, "If you don't give it now, you'll have to give it later. I've already made arrangements. In a while, even if the King doesn't want to grant it, he'll have to. And by then, one prefect will really not be enough."

Wang Qian praised, "I knew you had a way!"

Consort Yuan sighed and said, "We sisters have to figure everything out, what use is an uncle like you?"

Wang Qian wasn't annoyed at all, and smiled, "With a niece like you who can calculate everything perfectly, the most important thing for me as her uncle is not to act on my own initiative or think I'm clever. I'll do whatever you say."

Consort Yuan snorted and said, "I really can't do anything with you! How's my sister doing?"

"She's already met five or six young masters from prominent families, but none of them have caught her eye. Anyway, it's still early, so I'm thinking of letting her take a look around and make her choice. However, the families in the capital have already caused a sensation, and all the young talents are eager to try their luck. The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince are also interested. After all, Chunyi looks eighty percent like you."

Consort Yuan sat up straighter, took out a piece of jade paper, handed it to Wang Qian, and said, "These are all outstanding young people recently. I circled a few names so that she can meet them more often."

Wang Qian took the jade paper, glanced at it, and put it into his pocket. He laughed and said, "Chunyi has a very high opinion of herself and doesn't look down on ordinary people. By the way, she keeps saying that she wants to go to Qingming again to see Wei Yuan, saying that he is the one who is truly capable."

Consort Yuan snorted, reached out and beckoned, and the white cat hiding in the shadows let out a mournful howl and flew into her clutches.

Consort Yuan stroked the white cat gently, but the cat began to tremble.

"Children are prone to thinking about all sorts of things, so you, as their uncle, should discipline them more."

Wang Qian's smile was somewhat stiff, and his voice was dry as he said, "That's right, that's right, I will."

(End of this chapter)