I am a soldier in the border army

Chapter 567: Draw the Boundary with a Knife! Yan Wang Seal!

The sudden withdrawal of the Zhen Liao Army caught many people by surprise, but it was also reasonable.

Unless they continue to fight, the Zhen Liao Army will most likely become an isolated force.

Many people were also secretly speculating that the Duke of Yan might not be able to sustain his injuries any longer.

Naturally, some people were ecstatic about this, while others secretly sighed with regret.

The good news is that from now on, there is one less major enemy in the world.

What makes people sigh is the loneliness of the hero, which adds another layer of sadness to the world and history.

"On second thought, since the Duke of Yan came out of nowhere, in just a few years, he has destroyed the barbarian king's court, drank from the vast sea, fought with the dragon clan, and expanded the territory for thousands of miles..."

'Each of these incidents, any one of them is enough to make one's name go down in history!'

"It's a pity that the time was not right for him. The biggest mistake he made in his life was being born in the wrong era..."

This is destiny.

He was destined to be like a bright meteor across the dark and corrupt Taikang Dynasty.

Even though its light can shine for eternity, it is so short-lived that it only shines for a moment.

Just when everyone thought that Han Shao's name would be drowned in the upcoming momentum.

Late October.

The Zhen Liao army suddenly turned around and appeared in front of the Huang Tian army of Jizhou that entered Zhuozhou.

Without any preparation, the two sides fought a decisive battle in Yangxiang, a small town in Zhuozhou.

In just less than a day, hundreds of thousands of Jizhou Huangtian troops were killed and scattered, and they fled in panic.

In this battle, Huang Tianlishi's reputation as an invincible man on the Ji River was destroyed.

When more than a hundred huge corpses fell on the battlefield, the gurgling blood gathered into a river, it was so terrifying.

What really shocked the world was that in this battle Han Shao attacked again, and despite Zhang Zong's obstruction, he took off the head of Jizhou Qu Shuai.

On the battlefield that day, the sky and the earth changed color, and the sun and the moon lost their light.

There was only a thin and desolate figure, holding the head of the bandit with a spear, standing in the void, as if he was separating the past and the present.

From now on, this will be the benchmark for future generations to discuss what constitutes a hero!
"Shao people are weak and have no talent. We cannot repay your majesty's kindness, nor can we bring peace to the people. We are ashamed of your majesty and the people!"

"Now, Shao uses this as a boundary, but if anyone crosses this line, Shao will send troops to attack them!"

After saying that, Han Shao put away his gun and replaced it with a knife, and slashed the air with the Yazi in his hand.

Directly cut out a large river tributary on the border between Zhuozhou and Jizhou.

The one who is horizontal is afraid of being stunned, and the one who is stunned is afraid of losing his life.

Han Shao showed an attitude of fighting to the death. Although Huang Tianjun did not respond, there was no major movement in either the Qingzhou or Jizhou direction in the next half month, which was enough to explain a lot of problems.

At this point, the war that had lasted for more than two months was barely brought to an end.

Judging from this battle, Huang Tiandao's losses were heavy.

Not only was the Qingzhou Huang Tian Army almost wiped out in one battle, the Jizhou Huang Tian Army also suffered heavy losses.

Two of the thirty-six leaders who were the foundation of Huang Tiandao were killed, and more than a dozen of the remaining seven realms of true immortals fell.

This is not the most critical.

The most crucial thing is that these consecutive disastrous defeats directly extinguished most of the glory of Huang Tiandao’s previous victory in the Jishui River.

The grand momentum that was about to sweep the world with that great victory was also thwarted.

It can be seen that in this battle Huang Tiandao not only lost face, but also lost completely.

However, on the other hand, it was not easy for the Zhen Liao Army to win either.

The losses of soldiers and generals were thrown aside.

What really hurt them was that Han Shao, the Duke of Yan and the key figure, was plotted against by Cheng Yuanyi, the commander of the Qingzhou Canal, in this battle, and his career was ruined.

Therefore, when people talked about this war afterwards, as bystanders, they could not tell which side benefited more.

After much debate, the final conclusion was that both sides suffered losses.

……

In the central chariot of the Zhen Liao army retreating northward, Han Shao took off his armor and put on his usual black brocade clothes.

The sickly look lingering between his brows made him less sharp than before, and more depressed.

This way, his temperament matches his handsome face which doesn't seem to be suitable for a battlefield.

"Lord Yan, please do not blame His Majesty. His Majesty cannot bear to see you..."

Li Jin looked at Han Shao with some shame and sighed.

"When I came here, His Majesty said that there is a long time to come, and asked you not to fight for the short term, but to protect yourself first."

If before this, Li Jin was often dissatisfied with Han Shao's arrogance and disrespect for superiors.

Han Shao spat out a mouthful of hot blood by the Tongtian River, and the so-called 'arrogance and disrespect for superiors' became a sincere and innocent heart.

With this psychological basis, what does it matter if you have a bad mouth or a bad temper?
Doesn't this make it seem that this boy is straightforward and doesn't go around in circles?

"It's a pity that being too rigid can easily lead to breaking. It was precisely because of his overly upright character that he was schemed by the thief Huang Tian and suffered this disaster..."

Li Jin sighed inwardly.

Perhaps he finally understood Emperor Taikang's love for him, Han Shao's previous sour face in front of Li Jin has now softened a lot.

"Your Majesty's generosity and compassion, I understand, but I am unwilling to accept it..."

Han Shao clenched his hands, as if he was still thinking about Qingzhou which was within his reach.

Li Jin saw this and said helplessly.

"Duke Yan fought very well in this battle. Your Majesty is very satisfied. Let's take our time with the rest."

From a bigger picture perspective, after this battle, Huang Tiandao's originally imminent crazy expansion momentum came to an abrupt halt.

This undoubtedly bought Emperor Taikang a lot of time and room to maneuver.

From this point of view alone, Han Shao has made great contributions.

Having said that, Li Jin suddenly asked.

"Have you ever thought about asking His Majesty for a reward?"

The last time, Huang Tiandao’s rebellion spread across the eight states, causing the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron to break and Dayong’s fortune to plummet.

Han Shaobei attacked the Wuhuan royal court, drank from the vast sea, and tore out vast rivers and mountains from the mouths of the North Sea dragons. This barely made up for the loss of eight states.

And he was awarded the title of Duke of Yan for this achievement.

Although this great victory was not as dazzling as the previous expansion of territory, the huge strategic significance hidden behind it was almost the same as the last time.

Even with such great achievements in hand, Emperor Taikang actually felt a headache.

In terms of title, he is already a duke of a country.

You can't really break the ancestral system and directly crown him king, right?
In terms of official position, he was already the General of the Northern Expedition, the head of the Four Expeditions, Four Towns and Four Pings.

All higher positions reported to the capital, and there was no practice of granting them to local border generals in the past.

So after all, Han Shao is currently in an awkward situation where he cannot be restricted.

Seeing Li Jin say this, Han Shao looked at him with a smile, and then said.

"Or... just let me be crowned king."

Li Jin smiled awkwardly when he heard this.

"Your Majesty does have this intention, but... I'm afraid Beigong will not agree."

In order to circumvent the ancestral rule that only the Ji family could be king, Emperor Taikang created the incongruous title of Duke.

If he is really crowned king, there will definitely be a new round of disturbances in the capital of gods.

Han Shao couldn't tell whether Li Jin's words were true or false, but he didn't really take them to heart.

After all, he was just speaking casually.

In his opinion, the so-called title of king is just a nice-sounding and impressive thing, but it has little practical significance to him.

Instead, it will become the focus of world attention for a long time in the future.

This was inconsistent with his plan to stay in hiding for the next few years.

In fact, what he really wanted to say was "Why not give Princess Zhaoyang to me?", but after thinking about it for a while, he gave up.

First of all, he already has a wife, so he can't let a princess be his concubine, right?
He asked himself if he had the nerve to do that.

Secondly, Ji Yan is obviously a restless woman, and if she is really taken into her possession.

Not only was the entire backyard in chaos, but the system and plan that he had worked so hard to stabilize would also be broken and disrupted.

Sighing in his heart, Han Shao simply waved his hand.

"It's just a joke, Li Zhongchang, there's no need to be nervous." "As for the reward, your majesty treats me very well, and I'm not greedy. I'm already very satisfied with my current position."

"No matter how much reward there is, I still don't think it's very meaningful."

If someone else said this, Li Jin would definitely find it hypocritical and ridiculous.

But since it came from Han Shao's mouth, he couldn't help but believe it.

"Lord Yan is truly a loyal and good man."

He said this with some hesitation.

"But Lord Yan has made such a great contribution. If Your Majesty does not reward him, wouldn't it discourage others from striving for progress?"

The principle of Zigong redeeming slaves is universal.

You may be noble and upright in some things, but you block the way for others.

In response, Han Shao sneered.

"It seems that I have no choice but to accept it. In this case, let Your Majesty give me some money. It happens that I am tired of being poor, so it would be good to have more money."

Li Jin was a little amused when he heard this.

Speaking of which, Han Shao had previously taken possession of the century-long accumulation of the Wuhuan royal court.

In this battle, the wealth and splendor that the Huangtian Army of Qingzhou had seized from the noble families of Youzhou and Zhuozhou eventually became a wedding dress for Han Shao.

In this way, Han Shao should not be short of money no matter how you look at it.

However, the reason Han Shao gave was also very reasonable.

Li Jin had seen and been to Han Shao's old house, so it was appropriate to say that he was "tired of being poor".

So Li Jin took it too seriously.

He just felt that what Han Shao asked for was too little. How could a mere sum of money be enough to offset the tremendous merits of this battle?

Just when I was thinking about asking Han Shao to make some more requests, Han Shao waved his hand again.

"I'm not really interested in anything else."

"I should blame all of this on the soldiers under my command. They have followed me through thick and thin, so I should at least give them some reward."

Li Jin was stunned, then sighed after a moment.

"Duke Yan is benevolent and virtuous, unmatched in history."

Han Shao laughed and shook his head.

"How can it be so exaggerated? You people, when you raise your eyes, you can see the general situation of the world, and count all the outstanding people, but you never take a second look at the common people below..."

Han Shao had more to say, but from Li Jin's perspective, he didn't actually understand what he said.

But looking at the expression between Han Shao's brows, he still felt a bit complicated.

Just as I was carefully thinking about Han Shao's words, I heard Han Shao suddenly change the subject and move closer.

"When you came, Zhao... Ahem, did Princess Zhaoyang tell you anything? Or, did she bring any words to me?"

Seeing the rare hope in Han Shao's eyes, Li Jin couldn't help but feel a little relieved for Ji Yan.

"This person has her in his heart after all..."

But in response to Han Shao's question, Li Jin opened his mouth but didn't know how to respond.

Before leaving Shendu, he took some time to visit the princess's residence, but the response he got was "Don't worry, he won't die."

These words were really not pleasant to hear. Li Jin was afraid that Han Shao would get angry after hearing them, which would ruin the friendship between them. In the end, he would become the rat in the bellows, being bullied by both sides.

"There's none?"

Seeing Li Jin's silence, Han Shao was a little disappointed and asked.

"How is she doing lately? Is there anything..."

Han Shao wanted to ask Li Jin what Ji Yan had done recently, but he didn't know how much Li Jin knew about this 'Maitreya, Ming Wang' that woman was messing around with.

So I stopped asking halfway through.

However, Li Jin thought about it for a while after hearing it, and then said.

"It's strange to say, ever since His Majesty arranged a marriage for Lord Yan last year, after Princess Di made a scene, things have been very quiet..."

"She stays indoors all day and we haven't seen her in public for a long time."

Han Shao heard this and remained silent, feeling a little uneasy.

Ji Yan had been as quiet as a chicken for such a long time, which always made him feel uneasy. He always felt that the woman would make herself suffer from something big.

Especially after Li Jin pondered for a while, he suddenly said.

"Oh, right. At the beginning of the year, the princess went to the inner storehouse of His Majesty and asked for a lot of rare medicines. And I heard that the princess's mansion has been looking for a large number of precious medicines from outside during this period..."

"I guess he has reached a bottleneck in his practice and is preparing to break through."

Han Shao sneered in his heart when he heard this.

That woman is only at the sixth realm of cultivation on the surface, but in fact she has already reached the eighth realm of heaven.

But if a celestial being who has attained the Dao of Taiyi wants to attain enlightenment, what’s the use of having the precious medicine?
Just as he was complaining in his heart, Han Shao seemed to suddenly think of something the next moment. His face suddenly froze, and then his heart skipped a beat, and he said to himself.

"No way... how can it be so accurate?"

You know, Yu Xuanji, who has been nurtured by him for such a long time, has not made any movement so far.

After getting married, he worked even harder for Gongsun Xinyi and Jiang Wan.

But till now, let alone a few melons and dates, there has been no harvest at all.

"It should be... impossible..."

As Han Shao said this in his mind, his expression changed several times.

At this moment, he suddenly had the urge to go to the capital to find out what was going on, but in the end he forced himself to suppress it.

Firstly, he had rejected Ji Yan several times in the past, and it would be somewhat embarrassing for him to turn around and get close to her now.

Secondly, the situation in the capital was complicated, and if he just ran over there, he would definitely not be able to avoid other people's attention.

If something unexpected happens during this period, it will be a real headache.

Seeing Han Shao's restless look, Li Jin was very puzzled.

"Lord Yan is like this... but has the calamity energy revived?"

After saying that, he hesitated for a while and suddenly took out something.

Han Shao, whose mind had already drifted to the Divine Capital, was stunned when he saw this.

Looking at the small golden seal in Li Jin's hand, Han Shao hesitated.

"What's this, Li Zhongchang?"

Li Jin handed the golden seal to Han Shao and sighed deeply.

"I hope Lord Yan will remember what you said. His Majesty treats you very well. Please don't let His Majesty down!"

Han Shao understood what was going on when he heard this, so he took the golden seal.

The golden seal may look small, but it is actually very heavy in the hand, as if holding a piece of mountains and rivers.

Looking at it again, there was a dragon entwined on it, and it looked like a living thing when it moved around. Han Shao turned it over in his hand and looked at the seal again. What he saw was the [Seal of King Yongyan]!
Seal of King Yan!

Even though Han Shao already had a guess in his mind, when he saw the seal, he couldn't help but reveal a complicated expression.

"This is what His Majesty brought to our house before he left."

"It should be able to block the heavenly punishment, suppress and eliminate the calamity in you."

It’s not a should, it’s a must.

Divine punishment comes from the Way of Heaven, but the Imperial Seal and the Royal Seal are the result of the Way of Man.

Although the three elements of heaven, earth and man are one above, one in the middle and one below, in fact their essence is at the same level.

If Han Shao really suffered from heaven's punishment and was plagued by calamity, as long as he had this royal seal in his hand, even if he couldn't completely solve the problem of the calamity, he could at least ensure that the situation would not get worse.

As for why Li Jin only brought it out now, it must be because Han Shao's acting skills have truly passed his test.

While feeling somewhat amused, Han Shao inexplicably felt a sense of heaviness.

I wanted to quit the job and reject this cause and effect directly.

But in the end he accepted it.

"Your Majesty, I sincerely thank you for your kindness!"

He is a simple man. He will reward anyone who is good to him.

So this bow, without any acting involved, was truly sincere.

……

(End of this chapter)