The Bad Guys: Playing the Fake Li Xingyun at the Beginning

"If you have something to say, please stand up and report it. If not, please leave the court!" The Yellow Gate Minister stood in front of the red steps and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, the curfew has been in effect recently and there has been a lot of chaos in the city. The Luoyang government is to blame for this and I hope Your Majesty will punish them." A minister from the Censorate stepped forward to give advice.

"Your Majesty, it is the coldest time of the year and the Spring Festival is approaching. There are already many people on the market, and the court has added special examinations. We are really too busy to handle it and are short of staff." Luoyang prefect Zhang Xuanli stepped forward to argue.

"I understand. We didn't have enough manpower and asked the Jinwu Guards for help. It's not their fault."

"Your Majesty, scholars from all over the country have gathered in Luoyang. I implore Your Majesty to personally supervise the examination to show the court's attention to these scholars." Minister of Rites Feng Dao stepped forward and made a memorial.

Su Ming thought for a moment and said calmly, "During the Spring Festival, this special examination can barely be considered as the Spring Examination. I will set the test questions during the palace examination. What do you think, my dear minister?"

"On behalf of all the scholars in the world, I would like to thank Your Majesty."

Then, he continued, "I sent people to find the Longquan treasure. It's the end of the year and it's the imperial examination. You have worked hard. I decided to triple your monthly salary at the end of the year as a reward, just as a Spring Festival gift."

"Except for those on duty at the government offices, the holidays will be extended, and they will have half a month off after their shifts."

That is to say, the people on duty in the government office during the New Year can have a half-month holiday after the New Year. This is not much better than later generations, where there is no holiday on New Year's Eve, and life is worse than in ancient times.

For a moment, almost all the ministers were smiling, and the fatigue of working non-stop for the past month was much less. "We thank your Majesty for your grace."

Even Li Cunli, who had dark circles under his eyes from working overtime, moved to Bengbu with a genuine smile on his face. God had mercy on him as he was busy with both the civil and military examinations these days.

Even though he had the martial arts foundation of the middle level, he still couldn't hold on. Now that he heard there was a holiday, he was really happy.

Others are happy because of the salary increase, which has tripled, meaning they can have a good new year.

……

After the court session, Su Ming returned to Qianqiu Palace to review memorials. Li Cunli was unable to spare time this month, so there were many more memorials to review.

"Your brother is still training in the Imperial Army camp?"

The empress smiled brightly, her expression was very playful, "Well, I heard from him that there are several powerful generals in the imperial guards, and he doesn't want to lose."

"Shi Jingtang and his men are indeed a group of formidable enemies. No matter how powerful your brother is, he is just one person. When it comes to leading troops, these younger generations are no worse than him. If we are not careful, we may really lose." Su Ming said jokingly after reviewing a memorial.

"Isn't it all your fault? You put them all in the Imperial Guards, and now the entire Imperial Guards camp is about to explode. Those generals are unwilling to submit to each other and always want to compete with each other!"

Chapter 271 Facial Restoration

Su Ming smiled and explained, "Since ancient times, there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Especially in the military camp, the strong are respected. As long as the general can lead the soldiers to victory, he is the strong man in the army."

"The competition among the imperial guards is about the soldiers' coordination, the tacit understanding of the battle formations, and the command and dispatch of the generals. The troops of a thousand, five thousand, or even tens of thousands of people fight in battles."

"The imperial court's imperial guards are only tens of thousands, and among them, there are only more than 10,000 elite troops from Qi and Jin. For the convenience of training, I will disperse them to prevent them from linking up with each other."

"The fastest way to train soldiers is to use the old to guide the new. Of course, no matter how well trained the soldiers are, they still need to go through actual combat. However, this is also a matter for the future."

"Didn't I remember that you took the Shen Ce Army out when you went to Hedong?" the empress asked puzzledly.

Su Ming sighed and said earnestly, "The Shen Ce Army is a cavalry, and there are not many of them. Most of them are light cavalry. One day in the future, we will have to fight against the grasslands. We can't rely on the Shen Ce Army alone."

"The imperial court doesn't have horse farms. All high-quality war horses come from the grasslands. They won't let us grow too powerful. Besides, there will always be tough battles to fight in the future to unify the world. It's impossible to rely solely on cavalry to capture cities and territories."

"The imperial court must have its own army. It's not that the soldiers of Qi and Jin can't be used, but the iron must be hardened before it can be forged. If we keep relying on them, they will become arrogant and fierce. If something goes wrong, it will embarrass the imperial court."

"A single flower does not make spring. Rather than letting that happen, it is better to prepare early and build the court's own army. I would rather spend more time and longer."

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, it was precisely because of the internal conflicts among the major military governors that the lower-level soldiers became fearless and frequently mutinied. These soldiers had stayed in the local area for a long time and more or less developed various bad habits.

Even in the Song Dynasty, these bad habits were still passed down. Soldiers were rewarded with silver before they set out, before they went into battle, and after they launched an attack.

This is certainly largely due to the fact that the upper-level generals drink the blood of their soldiers, and the lower-level soldiers have to do so in order to survive. As a result, it is difficult to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army.

If the imperial court wants to rule the world and accomplish the great unification, it must have a reliable and trustworthy army. Growing stronger by absorbing the power of local military governors will only create all kinds of hidden dangers.

"No wonder you are preparing for the military examination. It turns out that it is to build the court's army." The empress suddenly realized and came to her senses.

Su Ming nodded, "Yes, your brother has known about this for a long time, so the number and ranking of the imperial army generals are very important now. This is related to the military exploits and results of the future unified army."

Although Li Wentong looks young, that is all because of his profound skills and witchcraft. In fact, he is older than Li Siyuan.

He is considered a senior in front of all the generals. If he loses in the martial arts performance, where will his face be?

Even if others don't know his true identity, he just can't get over it in his heart.

"In short, the imperial examination is related to the overall situation for hundreds of years to come, so we can't be careless about it."

"Well, don't worry, I'm watching."

……

At night, in the practice room.

After eating that half dragon essence, Su Ming's skills have increased by hundreds of years, and he himself doesn't know how strong he is now.

More importantly, the Dragon Essence contained powerful life essence, which constantly repaired the damage in his body, the damage he had suffered over the past decade.

Since he was a few years old, Jing Xin Mo had been constantly operating on his body, changing many parts of his body, from bones, flesh, to tendons and veins.

Although it looks intact on the outside, this kind of change is extremely depleting of a person's vital energy. Even though Yuan Tiangang spent a huge price, it still caused inevitable damage to his body.

However, it was the Mirror Heart Demon who did it. If it was the defeated corpse of the ancestor general, he might not even have a scar. Perhaps this was a flaw that Yuan Tiangang left intentionally.

However, this flaw became a joke in the face of such powerful strength.

It is just as the saying goes, when truth is false, falsehood is true.

And the Dragon Essence is the most precious treasure in the world, and there was only half of it, which prevented Su Ming from being assimilated by the Dragon Essence and being unable to absorb it for a while. Didn’t you see that Emperor Shitian ate the Dragon Essence and was beaten out?

The power contained in half a dragon essence is not that strong. Su Ming himself has a foundation of sixty years of skill, so it is naturally easier for him to absorb and refine it.

Several months have passed since the battle for the Longquan treasure. Su Ming has been refining the power of dragon essence every night, but he has not absorbed it completely until now.

The large amount of vitality released not only improved his skills, but also subtly changed Su Ming's life essence, making him a long-lived species.

Many people only live to be over a hundred years old at most, but Su Ming can vaguely feel that he still has a long life ahead of him. A dragon essence can make a person immortal.

Half a pill, at least it would allow him to live for a few thousand years.

After finishing his practice, Su Ming suddenly removed his makeup. He touched his face and found that the scars on his face, which looked like cracks in porcelain, had healed without him noticing.

Su Ming was stunned for a moment as his fingertips brushed across the smooth face. He took out the bronze mirror and looked at himself. The person in the mirror was extremely handsome, with regular features, and there was an invisible aura between his brows.

this is me?

When he saw the person in the mirror, he suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment. He finally didn't need to wear makeup anymore and could show his true face to others.

At this moment, the last trace of haze lingering in his heart also dissipated.

Leaving the training room and returning to the bedroom, the palace maid had already prepared a bathtub. Su Ming sank into the hot water, letting the water soak his skin without worrying about disfigurement.

The next day, the empress saw him again in Qianqiu Palace. As soon as they met, she found something wrong.

"Why are you different today?"

Su Ming smiled and asked, "What's the difference?"

The empress looked at him carefully and shook her head again, "I can't really put it into words, but I just feel different, as if his face and temperament have changed."

Su Ming stepped forward, took her into his arms, and said softly, "No matter how much I change, I am still me. Nothing is different."

The empress lay quietly in his arms, enjoying the rare tenderness.

After a while, she raised her head, looked at Su Ming and said, "By the way, the Bad Man sent a message saying that Li Siyuan has arrived in Taiyuan."

"Oh? He's here?" Su Ming's smile deepened. "It seems that the good show in Hedong is about to begin. The court doesn't have much time left. We must prepare as soon as possible."

"The Hedong War will cause internal friction, and Li Siyuan will surrender to the imperial court. The same will happen to Qi State. By then, most of the Central Plains will be in the hands of the imperial court."

"If the Khitans knew about this, they would not sit idly by. This will be the real test for the future."

Chapter 272 The Future War

"Back then, before Li Cunxu defeated Liang and proclaimed himself emperor, he also faced an invasion by the Khitan. Moreover, the Khitan annexed the Eastern Dan Kingdom, and became stronger and more difficult to deal with than before."

For a moment, both of them were silent. The Khitan was undoubtedly a very difficult opponent. Li Cunxu had personally led 5,000 cavalry to defeat the Khitan, scaring them so much that they dared not move south.

This is also the reason why Li Cunxu was called the "God of War" during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, because he was really good at fighting. Neither the Khitan in the north nor the vassal states in the Central Plains were his match.

As for the southern countries, they are just small Karami and not worth mentioning.

The current situation seems very good, but in fact it is a castle in the air. Once the court suffers a major defeat, its rising momentum will be immediately cut in half.

Then, Su Ming continued, "In addition to Qi and Jin, Shu is also preparing to submit a surrender letter to the court and join the Tang Dynasty. This is the information sent back by the Bad People a few days ago. Currently, there are less than a handful of people who know this news."

Suddenly, the empress's eyes lit up, "What do you mean?"

Su Ming understood her idea and nodded, "I plan to have you spread the news at the same time, submit a letter of surrender to the court on the same day, and create a situation where the whole country will surrender."

"Moreover, ever since we started trading with Khitan, I have secretly asked Zhang Zifan to purchase war horses. Yelu Abaoji must have thought that the court was going to go to war with the State of Jin, so he sold a lot of high-quality war horses."

"Unfortunately, the war horses that flowed into the Central Plains were all castrated and could not be bred. The Khitans were really cautious in this regard."

The empress looked at him and said with a smile, "Okay, I will cooperate with you and put on a big show, but after this news gets out, I'm afraid the whole world will be shocked. The princes in the south will probably not even be able to sleep."

Su Ming showed a trace of helplessness, "There is nothing we can do about it. The court has spread its wings too wide, and the imperial guards have not yet formed combat effectiveness. They cannot afford the cost of fighting on two fronts."

"Only in this way can we deter those who harbor evil intentions in the Central Plains, so as to prevent the South from provoking the imperial court. I don't want to be distracted while fighting the Khitan."

At that time, Li Cunxu was facing attacks from both Liang State and Khitan at the same time. If he had not found an opportunity and decided the outcome of the battle in one battle, Hedong might have been destroyed.

But the Khitans now can no longer be dismissed by just 5,000 elite cavalry. With the craftsmen and population of the Eastern Dan Kingdom, the Khitans' strength has been significantly improved.

Apart from anything else, just increasing the armor rate by 10% is enough to give him a headache. Armored cavalry and unarmored cavalry are two completely different concepts, not to mention that grassland warriors are born cavalry.

At this point, Su Ming shook his head again, "Forget it, let's not consider this matter for now. Even if the Khitans go south, it will take at least half a year. It's still too early now."

"For this Imperial Army Competition, I plan to change the format. We will not need to practice martial arts, but will directly engage in actual combat. There are still some scattered separatist forces around Heluo that have not surrendered. I plan to send the Imperial Army to sweep these places and completely unite the Central Plains."

"There is also Bianzhou, which is the old territory of Liang State. I plan to send the Shen Ce Army to take a trip to deter the scoundrels in the heart of the old Liang State."

Doing all this is to make the final preparations for the unification of the Central Plains. Su Ming does not plan to leave those small vassal states in the north for the time being, lest they surrender to the Khitan if the negotiations fail.

In these days, many people surrendered to the Khitan, especially the military leaders at the border. They didn't care about the overall situation. If the imperial court pushed them too hard, they would surrender to the Khitan in order to preserve their wealth and glory.

They have no sense of national justice, nor do they care about the overall situation. They will do anything to maintain their wealth and status.

The loss of prestige of the Central Plains court and the decline in the cohesion of the Han people can easily lead to such a situation.

This has to bring up the Song Dynasty. Can you believe that during the Southern Song Dynasty, the people under the rule of the Jin people actually lived better than the people under the rule of the Song Dynasty?

In order to maintain a peaceful life, Wanyan Gou really tried every means possible.

After Su Ming finished speaking, the empress asked another crucial question, "However, if the Khitan really goes south, what are you going to do with Yelu Zhiwu?"

"When you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; when you marry a dog, you follow the dog. When two countries are at war, it is not worth getting involved with a weak woman. This is our men's business and will not involve him."