Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 111 Long Yuan
Jiaozhou Prefecture, Longyuan
Inside the Dusi Office, a middle-aged man with a square mouth, broad eyes and a strong body stood beside a giant sand table. The man had two thick eyebrows and looked to be in his forties. He was wearing a scarlet official uniform with a lion painted on it, and he looked majestic without even getting angry.

"Deputy Envoy Shen, has General Zhang sent back any news?"

"Your Excellency, there is no battle report from the front. I guess the general is still in Thanh Hoa to maintain stability and cannot take care of us for the time being."

"That bastard Ma Qi! He has been plundering the wealth of the natives under the pretext of the Emperor's orders for the past few years, causing frequent rebellions in Jiaozhi. Now I have to clean up his mess!"

Seeing that there was no news coming back from the front line, the man suddenly started cursing, not knowing what he was thinking.

Deputy Envoy Shen, who was wearing a purple official uniform, felt a little helpless, but he also had no good feelings towards the eunuch supervising the army, so he could only follow in a low voice and curse a few words.

"Sir, Ma Qi is a close confidant of His Majesty. Not only did he dare to offend Minister Huang, but he also flaunted his power in Jiaozhou Prefecture. He is really hateful."

The middle-aged man shook his head and didn't want to mention this unlucky person anymore. He turned to ask Shen Zhong about the Dharma Assembly.

"Have the men who were sent out to deliver letters to the Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries returned?"

"Most of them have returned. The remaining ones may have had trouble on the way. It is still unclear whether they can return safely."

The purple-robed deputy envoy remained silent, while the middle-aged man stared at the sand table with his eyes narrowed.

"The land of Jiaozhi is but a tiny place. Even though it has many mountains and deep forests, the disaster caused by the demons should not be so severe. In my opinion, it is still the chieftains who are causing trouble and want to cut off our voice in Jiaozhou Prefecture!"

Deputy Envoy Shen nodded and confirmed Shangguan's statement: "Ye Bushou has fought in Jiaozhi for many years, and most of the elite soldiers who died in the battle were harmed by evil magic and demons. The intentions of these chieftains are obvious, and they are really vicious."

"Why worry about it, Three Officials? No matter how strange and unpredictable this evil magic is, it can't ruin the heavenly atmosphere. As long as we can have one more high-level Taoist who can achieve the heavenly atmosphere, won't these demons and ghosts be destroyed in an instant?"

When the two military officers heard this, they frowned and turned to look at the other person sitting in the hall.

The man who spoke was very young, about twenty years old. He was wearing a blue-gray Taoist robe, a jade crown with rolling clouds on his head, and a silver-white talisman in his hand. His skin was fair and smooth, and he had a good-looking appearance.

"It is so difficult to achieve the status of a celestial being. Abbot Dehong was over fifty years old before he achieved the status of a celestial being. Master Huineng was also sixty years old before he was able to break through the obstacles of knowledge and perception and enter the Vajra state. Let alone the status of a celestial being in our Three Divisions, there may not even be a good candidate in Jiaozhi."

Lü Er, the commander of Jiaozhi, who was wearing the scarlet lion official uniform, sighed and waved his hand to signal Deputy Envoy Shen to sit down as well.

Lu Er also tried hard to understand the heavenly atmosphere that the young Taoist priest talked about.

Unfortunately, practice has proved that he is just a pure warrior, without any understanding of the power of heaven and earth, and can only go further and further down the path of qi and blood martial arts.

Although Qi and Blood Martial Arts is easy to get started and has quick results, its shortcomings are also obvious.

As one gets older, it is inevitable that the blood and qi will be depleted and the physical condition will deteriorate. If there is no precious medicine to maintain it, the condition will gradually decline until death.

Facing all kinds of evil magic in the Nanyang Annan area, practitioners of Qi and Blood Martial Arts can protect themselves without any problem, but once there are too many people, they will inevitably be unable to cope with the situation.

Just as the three of them were sitting opposite each other, discussing countermeasures.

"Reporting~ Qin Huai, a small flag officer of the Metropolitan Command, has returned to the city to report back. He said he has important intelligence to report!"

"Enter!"

Upon hearing his superior's permission, Qin Huai stepped into the conference room carrying the Mandrill Claw and the Ghost Shadow Dust. Seeing Lü Er sitting beside the sand table with a solemn expression, and the young Taoist priest and the deputy envoy Shen Zhong sitting next to him also with expressionless faces, he immediately bowed and saluted.

"Commander-in-chief, Deputy Commander-in-chief."

"You're back? Tell me, what information do you have?"

Looking at the young flag officer in front of him who walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, Lu Er suddenly became interested.

"Please look at these items, sir."

The three of them looked at the demon materials Qin Huai was holding and the alien insect corpse he took out of his arms.

"Mandrill claws, ghostly shadow dust, hmm, an unfamiliar bug that looks a bit like a soul-breaking bug."

Although the young Taoist didn't recognize the insect, he accurately called out the names of the other two creatures.

Qin Huai was relieved to see someone who knew what he was talking about, and said, "Commander, yesterday you sent me and Brother Wang to deliver a letter to Taoist Master Deshan of Qingyun Temple. Halfway through the journey, we encountered a demon ghost. Brother Wang was bewitched by the ghost and died in the cannibal forest. After I killed the mandrill ghost, I came to Qingyun Temple, but I didn't expect to meet Taoist Scorpion riding a ghost tiger. He was about to massacre Qingyun Temple, but after a hard fight between my subordinates and the Taoist masters, Taoist Scorpion was finally captured. But I saw that this insect was a bit strange, so I brought it back for your advice."

The young Taoist took a sip of tea, reached out to take the strange insect handed to him by Qin Huai, and raised his eyebrows slightly when he touched it with the juice.

"Can this bug ruin the weather?"

"The Taoist master has a sharp eye, it is true."

"No wonder that Taoist Scorpion dared to seek revenge on Uncle Deshan. It turns out he has someone to rely on."

The young Taoist murmured softly and handed the alien insect to the commander.

"Got it. I will remind all the Dharma lineages during the Dharma Assembly. Deputy Envoy Shen, give this kid a credit."

Lu Er took the alien insect and waved his hand, signaling Qin Huai and Shen Zhong to leave.

...

Dusi Office, Experience Room

Qin Huai, who was pulled out of the meeting room, was being interrogated in detail by Shen Zhong to determine his merits and rewards.

"So, you can be considered to have killed the Scorpion Taoist and the Ghost Tiger independently.

Well, you are worthy of being the most outstanding flag officer under my command.

What do you want to exchange this time, or medicinal herbs?"

Shen Zhong patted Qin Huai's thick shoulders, and a slight sound of metal was heard.

"Thank you for your kindness, Deputy Commander, but ordinary herbs are useless to me. This time I want to see if there are any suitable weapons in the treasury. The rebels are very powerful recently, and I want to find a weapon that is convenient for me to fight in the battlefield."

Shen Zhong was a little surprised, but remembering the dull sound of metal just now, he nodded.

"It's good that you have this intention. Think about it, it's almost time for you to break through. Those who joined the army with you have all become centurions. It's not a good idea for you to keep suppressing it."

The Ming Dynasty had a million soldiers. Although the military systems in different places were slightly different, the requirements for officers at all levels were roughly the same. The first and most important requirement was strength.

Although there are no explicit regulations, the basic tacit rule in the army is that the first level is the general flag, the second level is the hundred households, and the third level is the thousand households.

Those who are at the fourth level or above are big shots like the Zhenfu Assistant, which is not something that ordinary soldiers can aspire to achieve, so Qin Huai is not clear about it.

Although Deputy Envoy Shen Zhong in front of Qin Huai is not tall and thin, since he can sit in the position of Deputy Commander, he must be a fourth-level perfect soldier who has gone very far in the Qi and Blood Martial Arts.

"You killed Ghost Tiger and Scorpion Taoist, and saved everyone in Qingyun Temple. Your contribution is not small. When you break through, I will immediately promote you to the position of General Flag. During this time, you should practice with peace of mind. If you have any difficulties, remember to tell me."

"Thank you, Deputy Commander Shen. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

Seeing Shen Zhong nodded slightly and said nothing more, Qin Huai took the order and respectfully left.

Arriving at the treasury, Qin Huai handed over the warrant, and the heavy door was slowly opened by two soldiers, revealing the various weapons flashing with cold light inside. "Qin Xiaoqi, please. According to the warrant, you can choose any weapon from the first five rows."

There are many weapons in the treasury, which are divided into eight rows. The first five rows include swords, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks and forks, as well as armor, war equipment and strange weapons.

Qin Huai looked at the three rows of strange objects at the back of the treasury, shook his head, and turned his attention back to the various weapons in front of him.

After selecting for a long time, Qin Huai finally picked out two weapons from hundreds of weapons.

A large spear, seemingly an antique, forged from top-grade silver steel, the spear is fourteen feet long, with a silver pattern on the spear body, and although it is a little worn, it still retains its brilliance.

Gentian gun

Category: Weapons

Quality: Rare

Origin attribute: Dragon Gallbladder (increases attack speed and explosive power by 10%, doubled when in desperate situation)
Note: The dragon ascends to the ninth heaven to bring peace to the troubled times, the horse gallops across the wilderness while the flying swallow roars!

The other weapon is a big sword, forged by several master craftsmen. It is more than two meters long and has a green dragon blade. The handle is engraved with the words "Yi Jue". It is dark black in color and looks very majestic.

Spring and Autumn Sword
Category: Weapons

Quality: Rare

Own attribute: Righteousness (Convert the first attack of each battle into true damage)

Note: The knife drinks the blood of the blue dragon, and the horse tramples on the evil ghosts!

The sword and the spear are interdependent. As a master of spearmanship, Qin Huai can naturally also use the Spring and Autumn broadsword.

Qin Huai thought for a while, took off the two weapons, weighed them in his hands, and was secretly shocked.

The Longdan Spear weighing over 40 kilograms is already considered heavy, but I didn’t expect that this Spring and Autumn Broadsword is more than twice as heavy.

Although Qin Huai's arms already had a thousand pounds of strength, after weighing the pros and cons, he put the Spring and Autumn sword back.

According to Qin Huai's guess, this Longdan Spear is unlikely to be the weapon of General Zilong, but should be a replica of later generations.

But even if it was a replica, Qin Huai was very satisfied.

Although the Liuhe Spear Technique that he practiced absorbed the advantages of many famous spear techniques such as Overlord Spear, Changshan Spear, and Zhuozhou Spear, in theory all kinds of spears can be easily mastered.

But people have their own preferences for weight. Qin Huai is tall, has long arms, and is very strong. A heavy and solid spear like the Longdan Spear is a good match for him.

What's more, the characteristics of gentian are a perfect match for him. No doubt about it, I'm very satisfied!

Qin Huai took out some silk cloth to wrap the spear head, then carried the spear out of the treasury.

After being registered and signing his name, Qin Huai said goodbye to the treasury guard and headed towards the residence in his memory.

A small courtyard somewhere in the Wei territory.

Qin Huai stepped into the room and seeing that there was no one around, he waved his hand and put the Longdan Spear into his personal space.

Looking at the fairly spacious courtyard and two old houses, Qin Huai pushed open the door and took out the volume of [Wujing Zongyao·Qiqi].

The so-called Qi and Qi, is the gathering of the blood and energy of warriors, the combination of natural phenomena, the integration of spiritual thoughts into all things, and the combination of the Qi and Qi of heaven and man.
There are numerous forms and no restrictions on methods. The difference lies only in one's mind.
If the body is strong, the aura will be strong, but to break through the heavens and the human beings, the most important thing is the mind.
Qin Huai came out of his skill visualization, seeming to have realized something.

Without any hesitation, he controlled his own blood and qi and began to circulate it as mentioned in [Wu Jing Zong Yao·Xiang Qi]. He also began to try to combine his spirit and body, wanting to see if he could summon the prototype of Qi first.

Even though Taoist Master Deshan said before that Qinhuai had the embryonic form of a powerful force, that was because Deshan mistook the spiritual power and might of the Tianwu inheritance, so it really doesn't count.

His mind was beating fast, his blood was roaring, and the white gas, blood mist, green wind, and blue rain gradually blended together to form a strange beast with a nine-tailed tiger body and four colors intertwined. Before Qin Huai could see its appearance clearly, the green and blue on the beast's body overwhelmed the red and white, and the beast shattered.

Nine-tailed tiger body? Tianwu?
But Tianwu is the Eight-Tailed Beast, and the beast mask just now looks more and more like his own face.
Qin Huai wanted to try again to see if he could summon the weather again, but after trying many times, his mind could not calm down and his blood energy was not enough.

It was getting dark and his stomach was rumbling like thunder, so Qin Huai got up and went out, planning to find something to eat and get some information.

Next to the Sansi Yamen, Luji Shop
Qin Huai lifted the mosquito-proof curtain, crouched down, and walked into the restaurant that was filled with the aroma of wine and meat.

It was summer at that time and Jiaozhi was located very far south. The diners were sitting in groups of three or four with their chests and shirts bare. Beads of sweat the size of beans and the turbid wine gradually became indistinguishable from each other.

Qin Huai didn't care. He picked a clean table and sat down, then asked the young man who was busy at the desk.

"Boss, what kind of meat do you have?"

"There are chickens, ducks, pigs, fish, and half of a calf that fell and died yesterday."

When Shopkeeper Lu saw someone calling him, he raised his flushed young face and answered loudly.

"First, a chicken, then five pounds of beef. If you have anything else to fill your stomach, bring it all up."

The property Qin Huai looted from the Scorpion Taoist last night was now useful, so he immediately ordered a lot of wine and food.

"Okay, sir, I'll be right there."

In a short while, the young man brought out a large bowl of braised meat, a whole chicken and a pot of rice.

"Sir, would you like some wine to moisten your throat?"

"No need, shopkeeper, go and get busy first."

Qin Huai picked up the bowl and chopsticks and began to eat with relish. The braised pork was salty and fragrant, and the whole chicken had a delicate texture, both of which went well with rice.

Before Qin Huai had time to appreciate Shopkeeper Lu's cooking skills of being picky and bullying the weak and afraid of the strong, he heard the drinkers behind him shouting and bragging.

"The Jiaozhou Prefecture has been quite deserted recently. Not only are there fewer guards at the city gates, but even the magicians and monkey performers who were causing trouble have disappeared. I don't know where they went."

A middle-aged man with a fierce look and a bush of black hair on his chest raised his head and seemed to be disappointed that there was no usual sight to see these days.

"Hiccup~, maybe he heard the Li tribe calling him and decided to try his luck."

A drunken hoodlum who was leaning against the window sill burped and replied in a daze,
"They have so many lives to lose. Don't try to cheat them out of money and end up losing their lives!"

Another drinker who was as thin as a stick squatted on a stool, speaking with some sarcasm in his voice.

"I heard that the Li people have invested a lot of money this time. Not only ordinary sorcerers and strange Taoist priests, but even the alien species from Borneo will come to join in the fun!"

"It's useless! As long as the old Taoist priest and the great wizard are still here, those evil people will never be able to take over Jiaozhou Prefecture in this lifetime!"

The skinny guy didn't care at all. He reached out to empty the bottle and found that there was no wine left. Then he shouted to the shopkeeper Lu who was busy at the side,
"Boss, another bottle!"

...

(End of this chapter)