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Chapter 76: Above the Martial Saint
"Are you OK?"

After waiting for a while, Chen Sanshi went forward and helped Fatty Wang up.

"Did you hear everything?"

Wang Zhi's eyes were dull: "Yes, it was me who killed my fellow apprentice and the soldiers..."

"Then why didn't you lose your head?"

Chen Sanshi asked.

If a major mistake in command resulted in the annihilation of an elite battalion, the commander would definitely be sentenced to death.

"..."

Wang Zhi was silent for a long time before he said in a hoarse voice, "I had no choice at the time. Do you understand?"

He knelt on the ground again and collapsed.

“The fifty-seventh year of Longqing.

"With the instigation of Prime Minister Yan Liang and others, the court recalled the commander-in-chief to the capital on trumped-up charges and put him in prison.

"same year.

"The Southern Xu Kingdom is invading in force.

“Eight battalions were sent to defend and counterattack.

“My real name is Tang Ruoshan, and I was the commander of the Xuanwu Camp at the time.

“But it wasn’t my fault for commanding that battle.

“At that time, the Southern Xu Kingdom had already occupied many strategic fortresses including Lingchuan Prefecture.

“If we don’t find a way to quickly take over Lingchuan Prefecture, once the Southern Xu Kingdom gains a foothold, the South will be doomed.

“But Lingchuan Prefecture is strategically located and is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

“If we want to capture it, the best way is to first take down Kangning Mansion on the east side and then tear open a gap.

“But this hole is not so easy to tear open.

“The best way is to wait until the rest of the imperial army arrives to support us, and then launch a fierce attack with several times the force.

“But they’re not moving!”

Wang Zhi became excited: "The emperor's army has already assembled, but they didn't march towards Kangning Prefecture. Why do you think that is?"

"Waiting for you to die."

Chen Sanshi gave the answer.

"That's right!"

Wang Zhi said angrily: "The court wants to take this opportunity to weaken the strength of the Eight Camps. It would be best if a few more generals died so that it would be easier for them to send someone to take over in the future!

"General Sun who is imprisoned in the Imperial Prison is the hostage used to threaten us!
"If we don't obey and insist on delaying until the Beijing army has to come, it will further prove that the Eighth Battalion is disloyal. What will happen to Master? The Eighth Battalion will definitely be liquidated slowly in the future.

“On the contrary, if the Eighth Battalion stood up to show their loyalty at this time and were willing to serve as the vanguard for the Beijing Army, proving that we are still under the control of the court, then Master and the others might still have a chance to survive.

“I see this very clearly.

"And it's not enough to just use flesh and blood to help the Beijing army attack the city, we need to add another person!"

Chen Sanshi frowned slightly: "Third Young Master?"

Wang Zhi did not answer directly, but his tone became lowered:

"Do you know when the Eight Great Camps were established?
"Seventy-two years ago, from the first year of Longqing, the first year of the current emperor's accession to the throne!
“Master has known the emperor since he was a child and is the emperor’s most trusted confidant. Otherwise, how could he be given the power to recruit soldiers independently?

"Even when the people called the Eight Great Battalions 'Sun's Army', the emperor would tolerate it.

"Why do you think that in the fifty-seventh year of the Longqing reign, people could no longer tolerate it?
“Because the Sun family has produced a genius.

"Master has five children in total.

“The eldest and the second brother died in battle very early. Even if they were alive, their talents were mediocre and they would not go very far in the martial arts.

“But the third brother, Sun Buhui, is a genius.

“Within less than four years of martial arts training, he had fought hundreds of battles and won every one of them, and his prestige in the army was extremely high.

"In the past, the emperor would have allowed the Cao family to have a 'Sun family army' because he knew that this situation would end sooner or later.

“When Master retires or dies of old age, the imperial court will gain an elite army for free. It’s the best of both worlds. How could anyone not be happy?
“But the appearance of Sun Buhui changed everything.

“Junior Brother Buhui is incredibly talented and ambitious, and even threatened to take over the Eighth Battalion in the future.

“This… has touched the emperor’s reverse scale.

"The Great Sheng court has a Governor-General Sun, who is a pillar of the country and a model of harmony between the ruler and his subjects.

"But if the Sun family sends out a second commander-in-chief, the nature of the matter will change." By then, the Eight Battalions will truly become the 'Sun Family Army', and the Sun family will no longer be just frontier officials, but will be equivalent to vassal kings of a different surname.

"How could the imperial court allow such a thing to happen?

"But all the generals in the eight camps support him very much.

"How could the Emperor allow this to happen?

"So, they used the imperial court's major case to throw Commander Sun into the imperial prison."

It turned out to be the case.

From Chen Sanshi's perspective, there are only two solutions in this situation.

First, after the death of General Sun, the Sun family was stripped of their military power or at least imprisoned.

Second, Sun Buhui died.

Wang Zhi's voice came to my ears again.

"But after all, I watched my junior brother grow up, how could I bear to see him die?

“I thought of many ways and even considered rebellion.

“But Master is imprisoned in the Imperial Prison. If a fight breaks out, Master will be the first to die.

“And the Eight Great Battalions, without a second Martial Saint at the time, would have had no chance of winning.

“In the end, I could only take Junior Brother Bu Hui with me to attack the city, ready to die with him, using one battalion of brothers to exchange for the retreat of the eight battalions.

"But... I'm not dead, I'm not dead!

“I don’t know how I can survive.

Wang Zhi’s eyes were bloodshot and his face was filled with pain: “I was the first one to climb the city wall. I didn’t retreat a single step and fought until I lost consciousness, but I didn’t die!
"When I woke up, I was in bed, and the Southern Xu Kingdom had been defeated.

"At that time, Buqi and Sun Li, who were still a few years old, stood by my bed and asked me where their third brother was...

“The master is back too.

"He said that the relationship between master and disciple has ended and told me to fend for myself."

Chen Sanshi asked, "Because of the death of the commander's third son?"

"Do not."

Wang Zhi trembled all over: "The old man didn't blame me for this.

“It’s said that he was incompetent and couldn’t protect his own son, and it’s also my fault that Junior Brother was young and frivolous, and he should bear the corresponding price.

"The reason why I was driven away was because at that time, only Junior Brother's death was needed. It shouldn't have led to the annihilation of the Xuanwu Camp. I was too reckless and unworthy of being a general..."

"and after?"

Chen Sanshi asked, "Is that it?"

"No, it doesn't count!"

Wang Zhi raised his head and said, “Not long after, Master avenged us!

"He returned to the capital alone, stabbed the Minister of War who was reluctant to send troops to the capital, and then left the capital openly."

Murder in the palace?
Isn't it almost equivalent to doing it in front of the emperor?

Then why didn't you do it before?

Chen Sanshi was puzzled.

Could it be that after the incident, Master Sun had another breakthrough in martial arts?
"Rumors from the outside world."

Wang Zhi explained: "Master has broken through to a realm above the Martial Saint."

Above the Martial Saint...

Immortal way?
Chen Sanshi felt far away.

At present, even the realm above refining the internal organs is still vague to him, and he only knows that it is called Hua Jin.

Moreover, even after things have become like this, General Sun still doesn't rebel. Can the emperor still tolerate him?
unless……

Neither of them can kill the other!
Chen Sanshi thought again of the fact that the emperor had practiced Taoism for many years.

Overall, there was a big conflict between the Eight Major Battalions and the royal family.

But, we still have to go to the Governor's Mansion.

Because given the nature of the imperial court, if his martial arts really reach a certain level, who knows how they will find ways to control him.

In comparison, the Governor's Mansion is still the best place to go.

(End of this chapter)