Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 227 Immortality (Part 2)

A night of silence,
As dawn broke, Lü Shang emerged from his house. Having attained enlightenment overnight, he had grasped profound truths, leaving his mind constantly fulfilled. This manifested outwardly as a clear complexion, bright eyes, and a restrained, inner strength that transcended outward appearances.

"One thousand three hundred apertures,"

Lu Shang stood in front of the house, silently sensing the changes in his own essence, energy, and spirit. After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Upon first attaining the status of a martial arts immortal, one must perfect one thousand two hundred and ninety-six acupoints. Now, Lü Shang has measured and contemplated four more acupoints beyond the one thousand two hundred and ninety-six, thus his cultivation has naturally improved.

Although the path to enlightenment is still long and arduous compared to the 13,500 acupoints of an immortal body, Lü Shang knows that he is on the right path and that as long as he does not suffer a fatal calamity, he will eventually achieve enlightenment.

Just as Lü Shang was expelling the old and taking in the new, his subordinate Xiao Ji came to report, saying, "My lord, the horses have been fed, and the wounded soldiers have been given simple first aid. They can set off back to Qingshui at any time."

As he spoke, Xiao Ji glanced at Lü Shang and immediately sensed that Lü Shang seemed very different today compared to yesterday, but Xiao Ji couldn't quite put his finger on what the difference was.

Lü Shang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the Liangzhou cavalry lined up in the camp, and said, "Let's march."

"Leave!"

At the command, the horses' hooves moved in unison, crushing the morning dew. The Liangzhou cavalry were in perfect formation, their breathing almost synchronized. A solemn atmosphere prevailed in the Gongmen Fortress, with only the sound of hooves and the soft rustling of banners.

After leaving Gongmen Village and entering the mountain road, the morning mist was like gauze. The Liangzhou cavalry formation was like a long snake, with its head and tail connected, and it could not be seen to be scattered in the mist.

Just as Lü Shang led his troops back to Qingshui County, in the main hall of the Qingshui County government office, County Magistrate Zhao Yan had a solemn expression. The candlelight beside him flickered, casting an uncertain glow on the stacks of documents on his desk.

"How strange,"

Zhao Yan frowned as he looked at the military report that had just been delivered by galloping horse from Qinzhou Prefecture.

Seeing the magistrate's unusual expression, Zhou Tai, the county constable, stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Excellency, has something happened in Shanggui?"

Shanggui, also known as Shanggui County, was the seat of Qin Prefecture and the location of the Qin Prefecture General Administration Office.

Although the position of Governor-General of Qin Prefecture has been vacant since Prince Yang Jun of Qin was transferred to the position of Minister of the Southern Circuit last year, Shanggui remains the center of the thirteen prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Qin Prefecture: Qin, Wei, Min, Tao, Die, Wen, Wu, Cheng, Kang, Lan, Dang, and Fu.

Zhao Yan ran his fingers over the vermilion seal at the end of the military report and said softly, "This is a report of good news."

County Commandant Zhou Tai was taken aback and said, "Good news? What's the good news?"

Zhao Yan said, "The day before yesterday, Zhong Wu, the chieftain of the Zhongqiang tribe, led more than 10,000 people to invade the border from the mouth of Lintao Valley, plundering the fortresses and strongholds of Taozhou along the way. Liu Chong, the Sima of the Qinzhou General Administration, personally led his troops to ambush them at Shimen Peak."

"In this battle, Zhongwu was utterly defeated, with over three thousand heads taken, over five thousand Qiang soldiers captured, and over a thousand sets of armor and weapons seized."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai's eyes lit up, and he clenched his fist, saying, "Such a great victory! Commander Liu's military tactics were decisive. Three thousand were beheaded and five thousand were captured. With this victory, the rebellious Qiang are no longer a threat!"

After he finished speaking, Zhou Tai saw that Zhao Yan still had a furrowed brow and had lost his joy. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Such a great victory, yet Your Excellency shows no joy. Could it be that there is a hidden worry behind this good news?"

Zhao Yan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze sweeping across the brightening sky outside the window. He said in a deep voice, "I am truly happy, yet truly worried. I feel there's something fishy about this great victory."

Zhou Tai was taken aback and said, "Is something fishy going on?"

Zhao Yan said, "If Liu Chong truly possessed such military strategy, he wouldn't have allowed the Qiang and Hu tribes to wreak havoc on the region, much less have needed to request reinforcements from General He Lou of Liangzhou."

Zhou Tai was taken aback, subconsciously glancing at the military report on the table. After a moment's thought, he said, "Your Excellency's words are reasonable. I've heard before that Commander Liu's abilities are mediocre; he only obtained the position of Commander in the General's Office because of his illustrious lineage as a member of the Liu family of Pengcheng." "In the past, when the Qiang and Hu tribes harassed our borders, he repeatedly mishandled their responses. Now, however, he has achieved a great victory through an ambush. This reversal is indeed somewhat unsettling."

Zhao Yan shook his head and said, "If His Highness the Prince of Qin were still in Qin Prefecture, that would be wonderful. With His Highness the Prince of Qin in charge of Qin Prefecture, we wouldn't have to worry about the Qiang and Hu tribes causing trouble."

The previous governor of Qin Prefecture was Yang Jun, the third son of the emperor and the current Minister of the Southern Circuit. He was a kind and compassionate man who revered Buddhism and Taoism and was very generous in his actions, which earned him great respect from the people of Qin Prefecture.

Just as the two men were holding the military report, each lost in their own thoughts, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall. A county soldier rushed in, bowed, and said, "Your Excellency, Prefect Lü of Liangzhou has led his troops back to the county."

Zhao Yan suddenly raised his head, the somber mood between his brows slightly dissipating. He put down the military report on the table, immediately stood up, and said, "Quickly, come with me to greet them."

Zhou Tai followed closely behind. As soon as the two stepped out of the county government gate, they heard the clear sound of horses' hooves coming from the streets and alleys in the distance.

Turning past the screen wall, the first thing that catches the eye is a black banner. The character '吕' on the banner gleams faintly in the morning light, and Liangzhou cavalry follow one after another.

Lü Shang reined in his horse and stood at the front of the procession, his gaze sweeping over the county officials who were waiting to greet him.

"Your Excellency has worked hard!"

County Magistrate Zhao Yan stepped forward, cupped his hands and bowed, and Zhou Tai and the county officials on both sides also bowed in unison.

After dismounting, Lü Shang raised his hand in a gesture of support and said, "Magistrate Zhao, there's no need for such formalities. The Qiang bandits at Gongmen Village have been pacified. You can later mobilize the county soldiers to garrison Gongmen Village again."

Zhao Yan straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the Liangzhou cavalry standing in formation behind Lü Shang. Seeing their perfectly aligned ranks, he quickly replied, "This subordinate will immediately give the order to select elite county soldiers to garrison Gongmen Village, ensuring that the Qiang bandits will not be given another opportunity."

After saying this, Zhao Yan seemed to remember something, took out the military report from Qin Prefecture from his sleeve, and handed it to Lü Shang with both hands, saying, "Your Excellency has just returned and probably doesn't know yet, but the day before yesterday, Liu Chong, the Sima of the Qin Prefecture General Administration, defeated the Zhong Qiang at Shimen Peak, killing and capturing more than 8,000. This is the good news from the prefectural city."

"Oh? Good news?"

Lü Shang took the military report, his eyes flashing like lightning, and read it over again.

"I never expected that Qin Prefecture would have such a great general,"

After reviewing the document, Lü Shang nodded and said, "With such a great victory, the Qiang and Hu tribes are no longer a threat."

The main force behind this Qiang rebellion was the Zhong Qiang and the Dangchang Qiang, which together numbered 30,000, making them the most powerful of the Qiang tribes.

To quell the Qiang rebellion in Longyou, we must first quell the Zhong Qiang and the Dangchang Qiang.

Now that Zhong Qiang has been severely damaged by the Qinzhou army, only Dangchang Qiang remains, unable to hold on alone. Although other Qiang tribes are responding to them from afar, they are unlikely to pose a significant threat.

General Lü Shang returned the report to Zhao Yan, his gaze slightly darkening. He said, "Zhong Qiang's setback is a good thing for Longyou, but Zhong Qiang's defeat may lead to a counterattack."

"I intend to personally lead the Liangzhou cavalry on a night raid, taking advantage of their weakened state to cut off another force and extinguish any thought of counterattack."

Zhao Yan paused slightly and said in a low voice, "My lord, please reconsider. The Liangzhou cavalry have just returned from Gongmen Village. The soldiers have been traveling all the way and have not had a moment's rest. If we launch another night raid, I'm afraid they will not be able to keep up."

Zhou Tai chimed in, saying, "My lord, Zhong Qiang has just suffered a defeat and may not dare to make any rash moves in the short term. Why don't you rest in the county for a day and wait for the soldiers to recover their strength before making any plans?"

(End of this chapter)