The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 522 Two Years
Qi Jiguang climbed the steps, bowed respectfully outside the shed, and spoke in a deep voice.

"This humble servant is Qi Jiguang, the Vice Commander of Dengzhou Guard."

"I have come to report back."

A lazy response came from ahead.

"Come in, I don't have so many rules here."

Qi Jiguang then stood up and quietly glanced around.

Inside the shed, a large number of people had appeared at some point.

Standing on the right at the head of the table was An Ziyang, whom he had already met before. He was smiling obsequiously and fanning himself with his folding fan, which he used as a weapon, towards the person in the main seat.

Two people stood beside him.

One of them was a woman with sharp eyes and a cold demeanor. She was resting with her eyes closed, but even though she didn't make any movements, Qi Jiguang felt a sharp pain in his eyes, as if a sharp sword was pressed against his eyelids.

The other was an ordinary-looking young man with a kind expression, ordinary clothes, and an ordinary build; even the sword at his waist was a standard-issue longsword. But Qi Jiguang could tell from his movements that this was a master swordsman.

Moreover... Qi Jiguang inexplicably felt that just being glanced at by him was like being stripped naked and searched, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

So he had no choice but to turn his gaze to the left.

There are also three people on the left.

He recognized the man on the left. He had come to Qilu last year to rectify military discipline and massacred several garrisons. In particular, Xu Siyuan, the commander of Pingshan Garrison, was punished so badly that he cried for his parents and almost committed suicide to atone for his sins.

Wang Hai, Commander of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Unlike when he came to kill last year, he was not cold and stern. Instead, he looked nervous, rubbing his hands and pursing his lips, not daring to look at Li Miao.

Instead, a cute-looking girl next to him put her hands on her hips and said to Li Miao.

“Commander, I’m almost twenty years old. What’s wrong with marrying Brother Hai? We can’t find you anyway. The old commander personally arranged our marriage. If you’re angry, go and vent your anger on him.”

Beside him, a young man with a black ruler slung over his waist also shouted.

"Yes, yes, Uncle Li, why didn't you come back for the wedding? The wedding was so much fun, we had so much fun, but you were nowhere to be seen. I waited for you for so long, and I even left you a lot of snacks, why didn't you come back?!"

Li Miao rubbed his temples and first spoke to the young man in an annoyed tone.

"I'll take you to eat something nice when we get back to Beijing, Xiao Gao, stop fooling around."

"Oh!"

The young man covered his mouth, stared wide-eyed, and remained silent.

Li Miao then turned to look at Wang Hai and the girl, suddenly clicked his tongue, and waved his hand.

"Forget it, you've been together for a while now. Since the old man has spoken, there's nothing I can say... At most, I'll just have to give Hai'er a few more beatings later."

Wang Hai looked distressed.

"Commander, I—"

"Shut up! You ate my cabbage, shouldn't you get a few beatings for that?"

Li Miao curled her lip.

What else could Wang Hai do but nod and bow?

"Should, should..."

Li Miao shook his head, then suddenly seemed to remember something, looked around, and asked.

"Where's Xiaoyizi? Why didn't she come?"

An Ziyang answered with a smile.

“She mastered the Sumeru cultivation a year ago, and now she is also showing some promise in Jiezi. She is currently sparring with His Majesty in Shuntian and is unable to spare any time. She said she is waiting for you in the capital.”

"Oh."

Li Miao nodded.

"That's... pretty fast, okay."

At this point, he finally looked up and smiled at Qi Jiguang.

"I've taken care of some family matters. Lord Qi, have you been waiting long?"

Qi Jiguang quickly shook his head.

"No no."

What a joke! Even if his backside was on fire, he wouldn't dare show it now.

Putting aside official positions, everyone in the shed now, whether it's their deeds, martial arts skills, or reputation, is enough to make more than 70% of the people in Da Shuo tremble with fear!

An Ziyang, known as "A Thousand Poisons and Ten Thousand Curses"; Wang Hai, known as "Destroyer of Life and Death"; Li Xiaosi, known as "The Saintess of Gu Poison"; and Cao Hanyan, known as "The Laughing Judge".

"The Measuring Ruler" Gao Anyu, "The Sword that Confers Marquis" Mei Qinghe.

And the "Little Yi" they mentioned earlier, presumably Zheng Yi, who has suppressed the martial arts world for the past two years, beheaded several Celestials, swept from the capital all the way to Miao territory, and forced the Sword King Pavilion to close its gates again with her sword. She is said to be Li Miao's cousin...

Any one of them, placed anywhere, would be someone who could stop an eighty-year-old from weeping at night, make a cripple escape, and make a mute beg for mercy.

Now, however, he looks like a prodigal son who has finally met his parents. Even Mei Qinghe, who has a cold and stern face, can be seen to have a hint of a smile in her eyes upon closer inspection.

As the person who personally trained the Qi Family Army, Qi Jiguang could see that the filial piety on the faces of these infamous and ruthless men was completely genuine, even more sincere than Wu Mingxiao's feelings for him.

Their loyalty to Li Miao transcended official rank and personal gain; they would gladly sacrifice their lives for him.

Qi Jiguang's expression became even more respectful.

Li Miao didn't care at all. He stood up, walked behind Qi Jiguang, and looked outside with his hands behind his back.

"General Qi, come and see."

"The battle is almost over."

Qi Jiguang turned around, walked to Li Miao's side, followed his gaze, and nodded.

"That's what my lord said."

During this time, the soldiers of Dengzhou Guard had pushed the battle line to the edge of the cliff, sheathing their long swords and using only their shields to push the Japanese off the cliff. Some soldiers even chased down along the side of the cliff, attempting to wipe them out completely.

It seems that within an hour, there will be no more living Japanese on the territory of Da Shuo.

Li Miao scoffed.

"General Qi, you have rendered meritorious service in resisting the Japanese pirates, but I would like to ask you, why are the Japanese pirates in Da Shuo so difficult to eradicate? If you were in charge, how would you eliminate the Japanese pirate threat?"

Qi Jiguang was taken aback, then overjoyed.

He knew Li Miao's position in the court... This was asking him for advice! Two years of fighting to the death had been less effective than a single sentence he could say to Li Miao now!

So he quickly organized his thoughts and said in a deep voice.

"Troop training."

"Too long," Li Miao replied. "That's something to do later. What else?"

"shipbuilding."

"We can't produce enough for the time being, and the court has too many things to do right now, so we don't have that much money."

Li Miao said with a smile.

"As for mobilizing troops, recruiting martial arts masters, and gathering warriors, there's no need to go into that. The martial arts world is not peaceful now and needs to be kept in check."

"I thought General Qi would come up with some brilliant strategy, but it's basically just the same old stuff, isn't it?"

Qi Jiguang's face darkened.

He wanted to refute it, but he didn't dare to.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; strategies must be based on strength. Without soldiers, ships, or money, how could they resist the Japanese pirates?

Li Miao suddenly laughed.

"So, if I were to hand over all the garrisons along the coast to you, and the imperial court neither provides personnel nor funds, but there are no Japanese pirates to bother you, how long would it take you to gather a force capable of keeping the Japanese pirates at bay?"

Qi Jiguang was taken aback for a moment, then answered decisively.

"Two years!"

Li Miao nodded.

"Okay, then two years."

Qi Jiguang was puzzled and asked.

"My lord, you just said that the imperial court is not providing manpower or funds... but how can we prevent the Japanese pirates from causing trouble?"

"Now that the imperial court can't provide ships and men, how can we guarantee that the Japanese pirates will stay quiet for two years?"

Li Miao smiled as he looked at the Japanese pirates who had jumped off the cliff edge, twirling his fingers as he spoke calmly.

"It's very simple, no money or manpower required."

"I'll go to Japan, kill their emperor and a few daimyo, and burn down their capital, chop up their general, and burn down their shrines. That should keep them quiet for two years."

"If Kou can go, so can I, can't I?"

(End of this chapter)