fifth form

Chapter 3217 The Collapse of the Mountain Mist
Revisiting the secret place of Shanglin Garden, everything there is completely different now.

The old, dilapidated buildings have been replaced by a new palace on the site of the collapsed old palace.

This palace was not an imperial palace, but rather a place for many young men who had passed through rigorous selection by the Ministry of War.

As long as they meet the new emperor's standards, whether they are soldiers or generals, they will be sent to Shanglin Garden for training. After being screened again by the Imperial Guards of Shanglin Garden, they will be sent to this secret place.

This selection process did not end after entering the secret realm; competition continued among the many participants.

Only those with exceptional abilities can reside in this palace. Whether it is military skills, tactics, or personal bravery, all the qualities required of a military commander are specifically assessed.

This selection system is similar to that of a sect, but the vast population base of a dynasty can accomplish in a short time what a sect takes decades to accumulate.

"The people here have changed four times already. Wei Qing was the first all-around champion!"

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou marveling at the palace where hundreds of people had gathered, the new emperor spoke with a hint of pride.

The soldiers he trained in Shanglin Garden were his personal guards. The new emperor put a lot of effort into training them, personally handling almost everything from mounts, armor, weapons, elixirs, to instruction in magic.

Each cohort consists of one hundred members, and the new emperor is very satisfied with their rapid development.

"Among these people, there are those skilled in martial arts who can lead troops into battle, those skilled in military strategy who can determine the team's tactics, and those skilled in military tactics who can cast spells in groups, allowing soldiers and generals to enjoy the power of magic!"

In an army of tens or hundreds of thousands, a hundred or so people may not seem like much, but these reserve officers can become nodes in the army, connecting the scattered soldiers.

If one person can lead a hundred people, then a hundred people can influence tens of thousands of people.

"They will go to the Southern Army, Northern Army, and Southwestern Army Corps to serve and instruct their soldiers," the new emperor said, pointing to the troops.

"After the Battle of Mayi, His Majesty dismantled the Southern and Northern armies and retrained them to avoid the previous disorganization. There will be no more divisions between different army groups in the future," Wei Qing said in a low voice.

"The Qin Dynasty unified currency, weights and measures, standardized writing, standardized cart tracks, and used laws as its teaching and officials as its teachers," the new emperor instructed. "What he could do, I can certainly do too. From now on, everything must be coordinated and consistent!"

"Your Majesty said so!"

"The late emperors were too lenient, which allowed some people to get cocky!"

The new emperor snorted coldly, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the past situation of each dynasty acting independently.

In the past, the emperor only governed the ministers such as the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. Many things were handled by these people. They were rewarded for doing well and punished for doing poorly. There was a lack of control over the middle part of the government.

The new emperor never fully controlled the power struggles in the court and could only focus his attention on the lower and middle levels.

He discovered various drawbacks during his contact with the company and worked hard to improve them.

Military and political reforms were part of his sweeping reforms.

In the past, he had to contend with the Empress Dowager for power, but now he faces almost no obstacles, and no one's will can stop him from making changes.

"Our Great Han must take the Great Qin as our goal, and even surpass it," the new emperor said. "The surrounding countries are wolves, so we must be tigers, until we tear these greedy wolves to shreds!"

“The problem with the Xiong Kingdom is that its nomadic peoples lack settlements. Even if scouts discover their tribes, by the time they return to inform us and we go there, they have already migrated far away,” Wei Qing said. “Only by luring them to keep attacking can we annihilate them within our borders!”

"You're wrong, Wei Qing, you're wrong. We're not just going to lure them in, we're going to fight them back fiercely and chase them down and kill them all the way!" The new emperor said, "What holy land or ancestral land? As long as they intercept us, we'll kill them all!"

Emperor Jing was defeated and killed by Zhu Jiuyin, and the Empress Dowager fell ill with Daojun. The new emperor's hatred for the Xiong Kingdom cannot be described by the word "great".

Wei Qing mentioned the pain points and difficulties of marching and fighting, while the new emperor spoke emotionally.

"Your Majesty is right. We will definitely invade the Xiong Kingdom's stronghold and wipe them out!"

After much deliberation, Wei Qing chose to agree and agree instead of arguing, which prompted the new emperor to nod repeatedly.

"That's more like it," the new emperor nodded. "Don't think the Xiong Kingdom people are any trouble. What they can do, we can do too once we find a solution!"

"Your Majesty said so!"

Wei Qing nodded in agreement, his slightly furrowed brows clearly indicating that he had no solution. It wasn't until the new emperor whispered a few words, mentioning that the bird demon Pilan was willing to assist the Ministry of War in investigating the nomadic settlements of the Xiong Kingdom, that Wei Qing's eyes widened and a hint of surprise appeared.

"Unfortunately, Pilan is a little crazy and not very reliable. It will take her a long time to investigate the Xiong Kingdom!"

The new emperor sighed, finding it a great pity that the only bird demon cooperating with the Han Dynasty was Pilan.

“Kong Ning has already left the Xieluoschuan Holy Land, and perhaps he can assist the imperial court in the future,” Zhang Xuezhou whispered a reminder.

The new emperor's eyes widened slightly as he whispered, "Has Kong Ning come to Chang'an?"

"I met her about two weeks ago and offered to get her a 'festival' (a traditional Chinese gift for women). She's currently staying in Maoling and shouldn't have left yet!"

"That's wonderful!" The new emperor exclaimed excitedly.

You only realize how important something is once you have it.

With Zhang Xuezhou added to the mix, the new emperor felt completely different.

Kong Ning's individual combat ability may be limited, but his strategic value far exceeds expectations.

Let alone assisting the Han Dynasty, the new emperor would be content as long as the other party did not assist the Xiong Kingdom.

“One ‘festival’ is no problem. I’ll have Shen Chong fully cooperate with this matter,” the new emperor said. “But you need to keep an eye on Kong Ning when you have time, in case she might turn against you!”

"She can't turn against us!"

Zhang Xuezhou whispered about the Peacock King, and how the Western Religion had repeatedly coveted Kong Ning, leaving Kong Ning with few places to stay.

Kong Ning would not have betrayed his cause if there was no possibility of changing his fate.

Kong Ning was like those school leaders who submitted to the King of Huainan; he had no chance of establishing his own independent faction. After enjoying a life of patronage, he lacked the courage to set up his own school.

As long as Kong Ning settles down in Chang'an and doesn't live in constant fear, it will be difficult for the other party to leave in the future.

"I'll provide you with money, so make sure she eats well, dresses well, and sleeps well," the new emperor exclaimed. "Once she gets used to life in Chang'an, she shouldn't be able to leave here!"

"Your Majesty said so!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded in a low voice.

Rong Tianding could obtain a 'certificate' for residing in Yanglingyi, but obtaining a 'certificate' for Chang'an was extremely difficult; this matter still needed Zhang Xuezhou to handle.

Zhang Xuezhou was quite satisfied with the progress of the matter, having conveniently resolved Kong Ning's "festival" issue while visiting the secret location of Shanglin Garden.

He and the new emperor chatted casually, and at one point they even climbed the mountain to revisit the remaining temple.

It wasn't until nearly noon that the two heard Wei Qing calling out loudly from the foot of the mountain.

"Is Zhongqing able to use the Sword Drawing Technique again?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"It seems that the high-grade Qi and Blood Creation Pill I used last night wasn't a waste of time!"

Upon seeing Wei Qing nod quickly, the new emperor couldn't help but feel pleased.

When faced with someone like Wei Qing, who was injured but stubborn to the core, the new emperor had nowhere to reason with him.

The opponent's physical condition made it difficult for him to repeat the Sword Drawing Technique, and only now did he have the ability to demonstrate it again.

"Young Master Wei, hurry up and go!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, signaling Wei Shao'er to quickly practice with Wei Qing, so that they could also watch Wei Qing's swordsmanship.

"Am I getting beaten up again?"

Wei Shao'er pointed at Zhang Xuezhou, then at Wei Qing, and then at herself, her mouth agape in a state of utter disbelief.

She came to collect the heads and repay a favor, not to fight her own brother.

"Second sister, my sword strike has the force of a collapsing mountain, please be careful!"

Wei Shao'er was about to say something when Wei Qing shouted, forcing her to pull out the two short swords from her calves.

Just as Wei Shao'er was about to prepare his parrying stance and gave a signal, Wei Qing, standing two zhang away, pressed down with his sword in his right hand, and the reflection of the mountain instantly entered Wei Shao'er's eyes.

Although his own "Solely Self Realm" was relatively weak, Wei Shao'er never imagined that he would be intimidated and suppressed after entering this realm.

She brandished her short swords with both hands, as if stirring up a thousand piles of snow.

However, under the immense pressure of the collapsing mountain, such protective measures proved utterly meaningless.

The cold, sharp edge stung her body, and a fatal crisis surfaced in Wei Shao'er's heart. She suddenly leaped, feeling as if there was no way to avoid it, and no matter how she jumped, she would be within the range of the collapsing mountain.

As she silently cursed Zhang Xuezhou, a piercing sound of metal clashing rang into her ears.

Then came the gust of wind that stung his body. Only then did Wei Shao'er realize that his previous actions of swinging his sword and jumping away seemed to have never happened at all.

She remained standing in the same spot, her twin swords still held in a defensive posture.

But in front of her, the new emperor's longsword had already been drawn and clashed with Wei Qing's sword, while Zhang Xuezhou stood aside, clutching his fists and looking pained.