Joy of Life: Starting from Teacher Fan Xian

Chapter 81 Changes in the situation
The Northern Qi delegation returned to the Qi camp with an obviously depressed mood. They reported the basic situation of today's negotiations to the chief envoy, Marquis Changning.

The young Marquis of Changning always put on a smiling face towards the officials of Northern Qi, with a hint of mockery in his words.

The Northern Qi officials gave a cold look to the Empress Dowager's brother, and the conversation between the delegation ended unpleasantly.

The servant brought in a basin of warm water. Marquis Changning bent down to clean his hands, then wiped them with a towel. Then he sat back in his seat and stared at Master He beside him with a leisurely look.

"There's no point in fighting a young man."

He Daoren shook his head and looked at the fight in a very serious tone: "I only fight with opponents who are worthy of me."

Marquis Changning was finally surprised: "So, he caught your eye?"

"When I was in Northern Qi, I was amazed at the talent of Lang Tao, the eleven-year-old disciple of Master Kuhe. Now, I have seen a second one." Taoist He simply expressed his importance to his opponent.

Marquis Changning slowly closed his eyes, as if thinking, and then replied incredulously: "I remember that he was the new top scholar in Nanqing, a scholar."

He Daoren and the Marquis of Changning had always had the same opinion, but the fight just now changed everything. "The best things are always hidden. Even if he is really only a seventh-rank official, he will definitely be a great enemy of Northern Qi in the future."

Marquis Changning suddenly smiled with shame: "Very good, I finally know why he is not interested in Mr. Zhuang."

"People like this are indeed a hidden danger. Mr. He, please be more careful."

"This is just a competition." He Daoren said seriously, "If his strength is average, then I won't hurt him. On the contrary, if his strength exceeds my imagination, I will go all out, and casualties are inevitable."

Marquis Changning supported his chin with one hand and said thoughtfully: "I will go to watch, but first I have to make this competition interesting."

……

"Good boy, I didn't expect you to do such a good thing in Qiying."

In the Nanqing military camp.

Hearing about this, Qin Heng, who had been frowning for several days, relaxed his brows and said, "It didn't humiliate the reputation of my Qing country."

"I just don't want to get wet in the rain." Lin Ruo smiled faintly.

Qin Heng looked at the secret agents surrounding him, thought for a moment and said, "I underestimated you before. I thought you were just a scholar. Now it seems that there is a reason why you are favored by the Supervisory Council."

"But why do you want to spar with Mr. He?"

Everyone thinks this is a foolish act of self-destruction, and Qin Heng is no exception.

"As the chief negotiator, I have to do something when I come to the border camp. Your Majesty wants to see it, and many people in the capital want to see it."

Qin Heng said: "Isn't it your job to do a good job of negotiation?"

Lin Ruo said simply: "Not really."

The task of peace talks was more the responsibility of the officials of the Honglu Temple. Lin Ruo knew very well that Emperor Qing did not ask him to go to the border to reap the fruits of others' labor or to grab credit for himself.

This would only become a handle for the people in the court to express their dissatisfaction with him as the new top scholar.

He still had to do something, something that everyone could see.

……

The negotiations between Southern Qing and Northern Qi are still ongoing, but the situation presented is nothing more than the hunter leading the prey into the trap step by step.

Finally, on the fifth day of the negotiations, the Northern Qi officials surrendered in a compromise manner, taking Changning Hou's words as comforting support.

Northern Qi was the only great power in the world, so ceding some territory would not be a big deal.

The bank of Wudu River moved ten miles north, and Northern Qi could no longer take back this centuries-old fortress.

Nanqing also gave up the idea of ​​building military forces along the Wudu River and moved the defense barrier further north, deep into the vast grassland.

They had to guard against not only Northern Qi, but also the barbarians on the grasslands, who were the real enemies of Qing Kingdom in the past few decades.

The small town on the Wudu River was spared from many threats of war.

"Master He invited General Lin to meet him at the bank of the Wudu River, ten miles outside the camp."

Everyone in the Qing camp knew about the request for war.

The Qing army was preparing for battle and was ready for a fight.

In the afternoon, nearly a thousand riders rushed out of the Qing camp and headed for the Wudu River bank.

The Northern Qi army had been on high alert for a long time and was guarding the banks of the Wudu River.

After today's battle, this land will never belong to Northern Qi again.

The usually gentle Marquis Changning also put on armor, and I don't know what he was announcing.

The two sides stood facing each other on the river bank in a dark mass, as if they were going to dye the sky black, and a heavy feeling of tension filled the surroundings.

"What's the big deal? That you've troubled General Qin to come here." Marquis Changning rode out on his horse and came to the empty area between the two armies.

Qin Heng chuckled: "It's just to prevent someone with bad intentions from intervening in the fight."

"I never keep secret what I want to intervene in." Marquis Changning explained his position and looked at the young man who was younger than him. "Envoy Lin, let's make a bet."

"That's not necessary." Lin Ruo refused.

Marquis Changning shook his head: "You have the right to refuse, but I don't think you have any reason to refuse."

"If General Envoy Lin wins this competition, I am willing to lead the delegation to Nanqing in two months to apologize. How about that? That's enough to give General Envoy Lin face, right?"

The current Northern Qi is still the nominal ruler of the world. If the Queen Mother's brother goes to Nanqing in person to confess his crime, the impact it will bring will be much greater than twelve years later.

There is some recklessness in Marquis Changning's words.

Qin Heng was very tempted by this punishment, but he still had some rationality in his heart and advised: "Don't agree to him, it will be difficult for you to defeat He Daoren."

Marquis Changning frowned, lamenting that even the people of Qing did not trust their envoy, and said with amusement: "General Qin, since I dare to say this, it means that I believe that Envoy Lin has the strength to fight against Taoist He. If the situation is one-sided, I will not do such a thing to take advantage of others' misfortune."

"Tell me your requirements." Lin Ruo looked over and said.

Marquis Changning smiled happily and said, "Please be frank, Mr. Lin. I will not make any excessive demands. I only have one idea."

"If He Daoren wins this battle, the compensation will be paid, but the Northern Qi envoys will be exempted from going to Beijing to apologize."

It turns out that it is to maintain the royal reputation.

Lin Ruo said without even thinking: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

Qin Heng's face twitched: "If you lose, the anger of His Majesty will not be something that Dean Chen can bear for you alone."

"The anger of the civil and military officials in the court will make it impossible for you to gain a foothold in Qing Kingdom."

Marquis Changning's demands may seem modest, but they are ruining the future of this talented scholar from the Kingdom of Qing.

Lin Ruo suddenly complained: "General Qin, why don't you think about the benefits of winning? You only think about the bad things."

Let Northern Qi bow its head like a subject...

Qin Heng was stunned: "The benefits of winning? Too unrealistic."

"Then just watch."

Lin Ruo turned over and got off the horse, his feet stepping on the grass.

The main figures on both sides wisely rode their horses back to leave enough space for the fight.

It was a rare opportunity for many of the accompanying soldiers to be spectators.

The thirty-year-old He Daoren wore a black shirt today, which made him look like a swordsman. However, the swordsman had a vicissitudes of life between his eyebrows, and the high forehead line made him look more mature, which was far from the unrestrained style of a swordsman. "It's better to hold something in your hands." He Daoren reminded the young man in front of him.

"Okay." Lin Ruo stretched out his hand, and a long knife fell into his hand, the work of Wang Qinian.

When Lin Ruo fights with others, he doesn't like to use sword or knife, he prefers to use his fists.

But facing a ninth-grade master like He Daoren, Lin Ruo thought he should still give him some face.

After all, it is too embarrassing to win with bare hands.

"This competition shouldn't be mixed with anything, but I can't help it."

The sun was shining down inch by inch. Taoist He held the hilt of the sword at his waist with his right hand, and without saying anything more, he suddenly unsheathed the long sword with a sharp cold light.

The next moment, the whole person rushed out.

"When Taoist He dealt with me, he didn't even draw his sword." Zhao Can was puzzled, wondering what the difference was between him and Lin Ruo that was worthy of this ninth-grade master's full effort.

"Maybe the opponent is worthy of his seriousness." Qin Heng had to believe it even if he didn't want to. He still had a glimmer of hope for Lin Ruo.

The sword was coming straight at him, and any normal person would have thought of dodging it, but Lin Ruo frowned slightly, held the sword across his chest, and blocked the tip of the sword.

The sound of swords clashing was heard, and Lin Ruo's whole body was oppressed and he retreated slowly, with the heels of his boots leaving marks in the grass.

The situation was one-sided from the beginning.

He Daoren's sword was accurate and fierce, with the momentum of finishing the fight with one strike. Lin Ruo slightly tilted his body, and the long sword passed by him, breaking the attack full of true energy.

Although he didn't take it head-on, he dodged it easily.

He Daoren did not use his full strength in this sword attack, but he still used about 70% of his strength.

A hint of surprise appeared on his face, and He Daoren's attacks followed one after another.

Lin Ruo mobilized his internal energy, and his true energy gradually rose. The sword light raised a strong wind and blocked the oncoming sword shadow.

Then, he attacked He Dao Ren fiercely with slashes and cuts, with flashes of swords and shadows of knives appearing one after another.

Lin Ruo had never learned any martial arts moves. The only unique skill he had was to inject infinite and powerful true energy into his body, which he continuously released onto his opponent through the use of his sword.

So although the number of knife strikes seemed chaotic, each one forced He Daoren to retreat. The latter endured it with great effort and did not even see a chance to counterattack.

"Master He seems to be struggling every time he takes the knife." Zhao Can was shocked.

"This is the suppression of true Qi, but the suppression of true Qi usually increases with the realm..." Qin Heng's expression contained hesitation and surprise, but more of it was surprise that could not be concealed.

During the confrontation, He Daoren, who was at a disadvantage, also realized that he had to slow down his offensive. He forcibly reversed his body, put away his sword and used it as a shield, narrowly avoiding the attack.

I give it my all every time, but never feel tired.

Taoist He felt depressed, so he held the sword with both hands again and slashed it down without any tricks. The inner energy contained in it exploded, and he shouted out the mighty power of a ninth-rank master.

The hissing sound was piercing, as if the air was cut off and the flow was blocked. Countless strong winds were blowing, and all the flowers and plants in the surrounding area had their leaves tilted.

Since we can't fight for a long time, then we'll decide the outcome with one move.

Lin Ruo's expression changed, and he drew his sword to block the attack. The true qi of the two ninth-grade masters intersected with the swords and faced each other head-on.

Taoist He groaned and tried to push the sword down, but neither of them gave in.

Although Marquis Changning acknowledged Lin Ruo's strength for the sake of his reputation, he did not expect that he could fight He Daoren to a draw.

At this moment, his calm mind could no longer be at peace. He clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves and listened to Lin Ruo's words, neither light nor heavy:

"Master He, Lin said that your sword is really not good."

This is not a provocation, but more like a comment from the winner to the loser.

He Daoren's heart trembled, and he felt a burning sensation passing from the sword to his hand, which made him gradually want to throw away the sword.

But it was just a thought, because before he could give up, his wrist shook, and the sword that had been with him for many years was knocked out of his hand by a powerful force.

The knife overturned his sword...

Taoist He had a blank expression on his face as he saw a punch hit his chest without any warning.

A mouthful of blood gushed out of his throat and sprayed onto the flowers and plants.

At that moment, the Qing army was in an uproar, while the Qi army looked ashen.

"The first battle after being promoted to the ninth rank was a failure." Marquis Changning had never thought of the outcome of defeat and said this in a very dissatisfied tone.

"Sir, you were the one who insisted on adding this bet." He Daoren replied expressionlessly.

Marquis Changning's defense was broken. He snorted coldly, then rode away with his cavalry.

"you win."

"We are all ninth rank, it's normal for me to win against you."

Taoist He was curious about how the young man hid his cultivation level, but he couldn't ask.

Lin Ruo slipped a note over and said, "If I remember correctly, you belong to the Queen Mother."

"After this, the Queen Mother will probably ignore me..." Taoist He said depressedly. It was originally a contest of martial arts, but it turned into a political defeat.

"Then you owe me a favor."

"Humanity..." He Daoren only glanced at the contents of the note and then fell silent.

……

After the peace talks ended, the diplomatic delegation to the border set out on their journey back to Beijing with satisfaction.

General Qin Xiao led the Qing army to withdraw to Cangzhou City, and the Northern Expedition that lasted for nearly half a year came to an end.

A month later, the delegation brought back the good news of Northern Qi's surrender to Kyoto. The emperor in the deep palace was overjoyed and announced a general amnesty.

The weak woman in the Ministry of Justice prison was also acquitted.

At the same time in Northern Qi, the former princes and nobles in Shangjing City joined forces with old ministers to launch a palace coup, attempting to dethrone the defeated Northern Qi royal family.

However, due to the timely action of the ninth-rank master He Daoren and the Jinyiwei led by the new minister of Northern Qi Shen Zhong, this palace coup encountered great obstacles.

Finally, Ku He, the most famous master of the Northern Qi Dynasty, stepped forward and finally calmed down the unrest and stabilized the situation of the Zhan family in Northern Qi Dynasty.

Another month later, the Northern Qi Queen Mother's younger brother, Marquis Changning, went to Nanqing as an envoy to confess his crime as agreed.

In the streets and alleys, the people of Kyoto talked about how much honor the battle between the chief envoy Lin Ruo and the ninth-rank master He Daoren of Northern Qi had brought to the Kingdom of Qing.

This young man, who was able to shake the Kingdom of Qing with his literary talent and intimidate Northern Qi with his military skill, created a huge sensation in Kyoto for a while.

His position in the court was also going smoothly.

Just when people thought that this new top scholar would become a famous official in the history of Qing Kingdom.

Who would have thought that in just the third year, because of a case that shocked the Kingdom of Qing, this young man who petitioned for the people was suddenly stripped of his official position.

Amid the indignation of countless people, His Majesty the Emperor changed the year to the Qingli calendar.

Eight years passed in a flash, and the child in Danzhou also embarked on the journey to Beijing.

……

(End of this chapter)