Loan Wusheng

Chapter 241 The Western Barbarians Request Surrender
After receiving Zheng Jun's reply, Wu Liyang was unable to calm down for a long time.

Emperor Zheng Jun of the Han Dynasty only gave him two paths.

One is named Death, the other is named Roll.

A hint of anger even appeared on Wu Liyang's face.

the reason is simple.

That means Zheng Jun doesn't seem to take him seriously at all!

Killing is acceptable, but letting them go is also acceptable.

None of them pose any threat.

Thinking of this, Wu Liyang clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm, causing a slight pain.

That's incredibly disrespectful!

He was, after all, the martial arts champion personally appointed by the Divine Martial Emperor, the former commander of the Imperial Guards, and was ordered to garrison Suzhou. He once fought against the Great Chanyu of the Western Barbarians and was not at a disadvantage!
but……

"Ugh!"

Wu Liyang sighed heavily, feeling immense pressure, and could only go along with it.

The reason is simple: Zheng Jun's strength is too formidable. Along the way, he slew the Deer Demon King, destroyed the King of Qin, pacified the King of Jin and the King of Zhao, and also wiped out the High Priest of the Western Di and the Hu Yang Chanyu of the Western Di.

Looking back closely, it was during the time when many heroes vied for supremacy.

All the fallen Yuan Dan Martial Saints were actually related to him.

People believe that the Yongchang Emperor, who was initially believed to have perished, has now been resurrected and has not actually died.

Therefore, from this perspective, Emperor Zheng Jun of Han truly dominated his era. He reached the Yuan Dan Martial Saint realm in just ten years of cultivation, and was invincible throughout the world. He carved out a territory with his bare fists, became emperor, and established his rule. He was truly the one destined by heaven and the one everyone hoped for.

In truth, no matter how you look at it, Wu Liyang felt that his best outcome would be to join Emperor Zheng Jun of Han and serve him faithfully. He hoped that by seizing the opportunity presented by this great calamity that was about to overturn the heavens and earth, he could become a Dharma figure in the world.

After all, three Dharma images were born during the Zhou Dynasty's conquest of the Yu Dynasty a thousand years ago.

The first statue is the Great Zhou Divine Martial Emperor, the second is the Northern Demon Court Overturning the Sea Great Sage, and the third is the Eastern Sea Cave Subduing Dragon.

Logically speaking, now that the Great Zhou Dynasty is about to be overthrown, there should be a sliver of an opportunity for me to achieve the Dharma Aspect, and I should be pursuing this Dharma Aspect position even more.

but……

Wu Liyang sighed deeply.

"The Crown Prince has been incredibly kind to me. I owe everything I have today to His Highness. Now that His Highness is imprisoned in Jiaodong, if I were to betray him, I fear I would be ridiculed by the world."

Wu Liyang thought to himself that he could never give up his conscience.

It's clear to everyone that although Emperor Yongchang is the legitimate ruler of the land, he is actually just a small boat adrift in the storm. Can the seven Yuan Dan Martial Saints really succeed in targeting him?

I'm afraid not.

Even with their own involvement, there was nothing they could do; it only delayed their inevitable defeat.

An inevitable dead end.

no way.

Zheng Jun's subordinates, mostly Yuan Dan Martial Saints, were local bullies. There wasn't a single Yuan Dan Martial Saint like Shu Weiyuan or Wei Bohu who could stay under his command permanently, which made things very difficult.

If you apply yourself, the compensation will be excellent.

"That's all."

Wu Liyang sighed heavily and immediately raised his voice: "The two commanderies of Yanmen and Yugu shall surrender to the Han army from this day forward. The Han army shall enter and occupy the territory without resistance! You have fought against the Western Di for many years. Now the Han Emperor is pursuing the fleeing enemy and has the will to protect Su Xuan and destroy the Western Di. The 150,000 troops of Yanmen and Yugu shall all obey the Han Emperor and protect the peace of the Central Plains!"

Let's give these Yanmen and Yugu drums to Zheng Jun.

As for the army, he certainly can't take it with him.

After all, the journey from Suzhou to Jiaodong would inevitably pass through the territories of the three kings of Wei, Han, and Qi. It would be impossible to cross with an army of 150,000. Moreover, if he led his troops away, how could Zheng Jun possibly give up?

Therefore, Wu Liyang only planned to take a few of his trusted confidants, about five or six people, and secretly leave.

With such a small target, it wouldn't be a big deal even if they were discovered.

Yuan Dan Martial Saint, facing life and death difficulties, Wu Liyang was determined to go to Jiaodong. Even if the three kings of Wei, Han and Qi knew, they could do nothing about it.

Of course, the decision of life and death did not include Emperor Zheng Jun of Han.

This kid is a bit strange.

No Yuan Dan Martial Saint who faced him could escape unscathed.

With Wu Liyang's military order issued, many prominent families in Yanmen and Yugu counties breathed a sigh of relief.

If Wusu Prefecture did not surrender, they all secretly planned to contact the Han envoy and offer the prefecture as a sign of surrender.

We're surrounded, is there any need to resist?

After giving the order, Wu Liyang glanced back at Yanmen County and immediately felt a sense of boundless freedom.

"This northern frontier is too eerie. Let's go, to the Central Plains!"

……

"Your Majesty, Prince Li Hun of Liang has already admitted defeat. Look at this letter..."

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Empress Cai Anjun held a letter in her hand and whispered it to Zheng Jun. Zheng Jun, however, did not show much surprise upon hearing it.

It seems that admitting defeat is the normal course of action.

"This Li Hun is still thinking of taking advantage of the chaos; he's probably never given up."

Zheng Jun sneered, gazing at the map of the territory hanging not far away, and said contemptuously, "Doesn't Zhao Wei want to become a Dharma Minister? I'll give him this opportunity. Let him mobilize the soldiers of Longzhou, stop at Liangzhou, and force Li Hun to go and recapture Qizhou and fight against the Western Regions!"

"If Li Hun does not comply, then attack him!"

Zheng Jun no longer took this force, which only had one Yuan Dan Martial Saint, seriously, and even ordered Longzhou to attack it.

Although Zhao Wei had already handed over the power to appoint officials in the various counties and prefectures of Longzhou to the central government, he himself was also granted permission by Zheng Jun to designate two small counties as the "Qing Kingdom" and govern autonomously within it.

But both he and Zheng Jun were well aware that the power to appoint officials in the various counties and prefectures of Longzhou was a mere scrap of paper. Zhao Wei had managed Longzhou for so many years, and had replaced many officials during the chaos of the world.

Even if the officials are appointed by the central government of the Han Dynasty, so what? If the local authorities don't cooperate, they are just puppets. This Prince Qing is still a local tyrant.

Longzhou was only nominally part of the Han Dynasty's territory.

Now that Li Hun of Liangzhou has some ulterior motives, Zheng Jun simply sent Zhao Wei over to fight him like dogs.

They forced Li Hun to attack Qizhou. If they could capture the already lost Qizhou, they could then move to another location.

Li Hun served as the Grand Protector of the Western Regions and the Governor of Qizhou. He was stationed in Qizhou, and the Li family moved there and became local strongmen.

Zhao Wei, on the other hand, went to Liangzhou to take charge and give them a tactical change of location.

As for Longzhou?

Naturally, he took it all himself.

As far as Zheng Jun was concerned, he was willing to suppress the enemy temporarily and did not want to resort to violence.

After all, in those strategic passes and major cities, if a Yuan Dan Martial Saint is determined to defend them to the death, wouldn't it take several years to fight?

For Zheng Jun, the most important thing at this moment is no longer to dominate the world, but to reach the peak of the Yuan Dan realm as soon as possible at all costs, so as to pre-receive the Dharma form of the 'Lord of the World'.

Furthermore, if someone were to offer Zheng Jun a miraculous elixir that would allow him to reach the peak of the Yuan Dan realm, Zheng Jun would immediately relinquish his throne as Emperor of the Han Dynasty and then retreat to a secluded corner to cultivate until he reaches the peak of the Yuan Dan realm.

This throne is only being lent to them temporarily.

Once you've pre-emptively acquired the Dharma form of the 'Lord of the World,' conquering the world won't be a piece of cake, will it?
So, who cares what they're doing?

All I need to do is cultivate myself.

Being an emperor now simply makes it easier to collect the resources one desires.

Upon hearing this, the female official listened carefully and immediately went to summon the eunuch to draft an imperial edict.

As for Wu Liyang's sensible departure from Suzhou, Zheng Jun was aware of it. He had already appointed Xu Shimao as the military commander of Suzhou, the Grand General of the Suzhou Road Army, with 300,000 troops stationed in Suzhou.

After dealing with the minor matter, Cai Anjun blinked and immediately coiled around Zheng Jun like a python, saying softly, "Your Majesty has been cultivating recently, and has almost exhausted the resources in the treasury. Now that you have no more cultivation resources, Your Majesty..."

Cai Anjun remembered the message her brother had conveyed and wanted to give birth to a royal heir as soon as possible.

So, for more than a month after Zheng Jun's triumphant return, she clung to him almost every night, making love to him, hoping to give birth to the eldest son of the emperor so that her maternal clan would have someone to support them.

Unfortunately, my stomach is not cooperating.

However, Cai An-yun was not too disappointed.

It is perfectly normal that the higher one's martial arts cultivation level, the more difficult it is to have offspring.

As for why Emperor Shenwu was able to father so many children... Cai Anjun did not know the reason.

Cai Anjun was unaware, but Zheng Jun was well aware.

Emperor Shenwu naturally resorted to unconventional methods.

Emperor Shenwu was nominally having a son, but in reality, he was removing 'impurities'.

Before Emperor Shenwu attained enlightenment, he practiced too many techniques, which contained too many impurities.

Therefore, these other unusual true essences or natures were expelled and then passed on to the various offspring.

Zheng Jun could have done the same thing.

If Zheng Jun were to ascend to the Dharma Form, the Broken Jade True Essence of the Tai Xu Ning Yu Chapter would become useless impurities. Zheng Jun could then release the 'Broken Jade Nature' condensed from this Broken Jade True Essence and give birth to offspring.

Although this offspring inherited Zheng Jun's 'impurities,' he is a cultivation genius that is one in ten thousand.

If nothing goes wrong in the future, with the resources of the royal family, achieving the Yuan Dan realm shouldn't be a big problem.

Most of the kings in the world today are like this.

This is why only the son of the Divine Martial Emperor was able to achieve the Yuan Dan realm, while among the other princes, only the Prince of Yue was a non-direct descendant Yuan Dan prince.

Zheng Jun could do that, but he wouldn't.

Because he hasn't reached the 'Dharma Form' yet.

Wouldn't doing this be tantamount to abandoning one's own cultivation?

Before the Dharma imagery, let things take their natural course.

If it's there, it's there; if it's not, then so be it.

Zheng Jun didn't really care.

"Your Majesty~"

Cai Anjun's soft, sweet voice came from beside Zheng Jun's ear. Zheng Jun looked up and stared at it, and his interest was piqued again. He immediately waved his hand.

The female officials of all ranks in Fengzao Palace naturally understood and took their leave.

Afterwards, the palace was filled with enchanting beauty.

……

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

The following day, Zheng Jun convened a morning court session in the main hall.

All the civil and military officials bowed and kowtowed to Zheng Jun.

It's somewhat laughable, but it's already the second year of the Wude era, and this is the first time Zheng Jun has properly attended a grand court session, apart from the few days after his ascension to the throne.

However, none of the officials felt that anything was wrong.

After all, since the Former Wei Dynasty, the emperors rarely attended grand court sessions, and all matters were discussed with the Six Ministries, thus fully entering the 'Jiajing era'.

After all, the emperor was a practitioner, and so were the ministers.

Attending court every day really interferes with one's spiritual practice!
Therefore, it is quite normal for the emperor not to attend court in this world. As long as he doesn't follow the example of Wanli Emperor, who neglected his duties and didn't even care about the replacement of officials, there will be no problem.

Zheng Jun came here today on a whim, intending to launch the first imperial examination system for selecting officials in the Han Dynasty.

For the first imperial examination, attention to detail is still important, which is why Zheng Jun came to hold the first meeting.

Above the main hall, the golden and resplendent pillars were bathed in the morning light, and civil and military officials stood solemnly on both sides.

Zheng Jun sat high on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping calmly over the assembled officials as he listened to their comments about the details of the imperial examinations, comments from those whose names he could not recall.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the imperial examinations should be divided into two categories: civil and military. The civil category should focus on classics and policy essays, while the military category should emphasize horsemanship, archery, and military strategy. Only in this way can true talent and learning be selected," an official in a purple robe said, bowing.

Another official stepped forward immediately: "I second that proposal, but the military examination should include practical combat drills to prevent those who only know theory from passing off as experts."

"Regarding the humanities, I believe that if there is no..."

The court officials were supplementing the details of the imperial examination. Zheng Jun had never participated in the examination, so he naturally did not know the details and simply listened.

Just then, Zheng Jun suddenly sensed an aura approaching from outside the hall. He nodded slightly, and a short while later, he heard a series of hurried footsteps.

A Dragon Guard soldier, holding an urgent report, rushed into the main hall, knelt on one knee, and shouted, "Report! Your Majesty, there is urgent military intelligence that can be delivered over 800 li!"

The hall fell silent, and all eyes were fixed on the soldier.

Zheng Jun raised an eyebrow and said, "Bring it here."

The eunuch standing by quickly took the urgent report and respectfully handed it to Zheng Jun.

Zheng Jun unfolded it and took a look. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he chuckled: "Interesting."

The ministers looked at each other, wondering what could have caused His Majesty to react in this way.

As the Grand Secretary, Lu Chengbi stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what military situation is this?"

Zheng Jun casually tossed the urgent report to Lu Chengbi and said indifferently, "Xutuo, the new Chanyu of the Western Barbarians, has sent a letter of surrender, expressing his willingness to lead his people to submit to our Great Han."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.

The Western Di had just suffered a major defeat, Hu Yang Chanyu was killed, and ancestral spirits ravaged the grasslands. Now, a new Chanyu has emerged and offered to surrender.

Lu Chengbi quickly finished reading the urgent report and pondered, "Your Majesty, there may be something fishy about this matter. Xutuo Chanyu was previously the Rizhu King of the Western Di. His sudden surrender may be the result of a power shift within the Western Di, or it may be a delaying tactic."

Zheng Jun leaned back on the dragon throne, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest, a half-smile on his face: "The Western Di are now severely weakened, their ancestral spirits are rampant, and their tribes are scattered. If nothing unexpected happens, it must be the Kunmi of Wusun who has made his move... This Sun Chasing King of the Western Di is no match for the Kunmi of Wusun?"

This news was unexpected by everyone.

After all, under normal circumstances, Wusun was a small country and should not be a match for a large country.

But now that this so-called 'Xutuo Chanyu' has suddenly surrendered and wants to become the dog of the Han Dynasty, it is clear that the Western Di have suffered heavy losses and are still no match for the Kunmi of Wusun.

This piqued Zheng Jun's interest.

At this moment, Chen Jingzhong stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I believe it is acceptable to accept their surrender, but they should be made to come to court in person to show their sincerity. If they dare to come, it will show that they truly intend to submit; if they do not dare, then it must be a feigned surrender.”

Zhou Tong flattered him from the side: "This is a great event. In the past four thousand years, only during the reign of the Xia Ancestor did the Western Di surrender to the court. Your Majesty's literary and martial virtues have attracted the Western Di to surrender. Your virtue surpasses that of the Wei Emperor and your achievements exceed those of the Yu Emperor. Even if the Zhou Divine Warrior were alive, he would be far inferior to Your Majesty!"

The courtiers looked puzzled upon hearing this.

Zhou Tong's behavior perfectly matches the image of a 'treacherous minister' in everyone's eyes.

I heard that not long ago, this Marquis of Chixia even recognized Zhou Pu, who was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Heishan County in the second batch of noble titles, as his brother-in-law. This is even more despicable.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun nodded and said, "What Minister Chen said is absolutely right. Convey my decree, ordering Xu Tuo Chanyu to personally go to the capital to pay homage, bringing with him the letter of surrender and tribute from the Western Di royal court. I want to see whether this new Chanyu has truly surrendered or is merely feigning it."

Lu Chengbi added, "Your Majesty, we also need to send troops to monitor the movements of the Western Barbarians, in order to prevent them from taking the opportunity to regroup and make a comeback."

Zheng Jun waved his hand: "Granted. Order Wei Quan to lead the Cangdao Army to garrison south of Suzhou and closely monitor the movements on the grasslands. As for the imperial examinations..."

He glanced at the assembled officials and said, “As we just discussed, the Ministry of Rites will take the lead, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War will jointly draft the detailed rules, which will be submitted to me in three days.”

"Your Majesty, we obey!" the ministers replied in unison.

After the court session ended, Zheng Jun sat alone in the imperial study, playing with a jade seal in his hand, lost in thought.

The surrender of the Western Di came suddenly, but he was not worried that there was a trap involved.

In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy is in vain.

Now, he is more concerned with how to break through to the peak of the Yuan Dan realm as soon as possible and preemptively obtain the 'Lord of the World' Dharma Aspect.

"With the surrender of the Western Barbarians, all the secret treasures of their royal court have been obtained. This should be enough to support my cultivation to the late stage of the Yuan Dan realm. As for the peak, I'm afraid that will be difficult."

Zheng Jun pondered in his heart while glancing at the Dragon Abyss Blade not far away.

The Dragon Abyss Blade still has room for improvement, but it requires the slaying of many dragons.

The Dragon Clan of Jiangzhou was Zheng Jun's target.

The Jiangzhou Dragon Clan is also a large clan, and its Dragon Palace should contain many miraculous elixirs.

"The vassal king of Jiangzhou is the King of Yue. Now the King of Yue has joined forces with the other kings to jointly attack Emperor Yongchang. There are no human Yuan Dan in Jiangzhou."

Zheng Jun thought to himself, "If I were to deal with the royal treasure and break through to the late stage of the Yuan Dan realm, I could impersonate someone else, storm into Jiangzhou, annihilate the Jiangzhou Dragon Clan, and kill those three old dragons."

"On the one hand, it can enhance the Dragon Abyss Blade, and on the other hand, it can also help me advance to the peak of the Yuan Dan realm with the help of the Dragon Palace treasures and the demon cores of these three old dragons!"

Thinking about this, Zheng Jun felt that his plan was perfect.

The only problem is...

Can I defeat these three dragon kings of the dragon race?

(End of this chapter)