Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 495 Shu Kingdom Armor and Soldiers

Looking towards the Shu army camp, Lu Zhengyao could only see an imposing aura, but could not clearly discern the situation within the camp.

The powerful aura emanating from the army formed a unique array, preventing outsiders from spying on them.

Perhaps because they were standing at a high altitude, Lu Zheng even felt that gazes were being cast upon them from the military camp.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask curiously, "How long has General Wang been stationed here with his troops?"

Chu Jiang said, "It has been more than ten years. The Shu troops stationed here before were not under his command."

After Wang Meng led his troops to a great victory in attacking Chu, he quickly shifted his strategic position and stationed his troops at the border of Jiangzhou, a strategic location through which the Yangtze River flows.

Fearing that Wang Meng would send troops to attack Chu again, the State of Chu deployed a large force to guard this place. Over the years, the Jiangzhou Navy has not dared to be negligent in the slightest.

In previous years, things were alright; there were occasional minor skirmishes between the two sides, but no war broke out.

However, this year the fate of the Chu state has been shaken, and Chu Jiangshen is very worried that Wang Meng will suddenly take advantage of the situation to launch an attack.

If the Shu army launches a surprise attack along the river, he, the River God, will be powerless to stop it.

Just then, a detachment of the Chu navy approached rapidly in small boats.

Chu Jiangshen raised his hand and took out a jade pendant, which immediately shone with golden light.

A pure aura of a Chu Kingdom deity was released to identify himself.

The captain of the guard confirmed that the person in front of him was Chu Jiangshen, and couldn't help but politely bow and greet him.

When Chu Jiangshen saw an acquaintance approaching, he asked, "The river has swelled dramatically; have you been able to determine the cause?"

The captain of the guard said, "The military strategists have deduced that a certain place in Shu Kingdom has suffered from floods, which is why the river has risen so high."

"However, whether this matter is related to the Shu army remains to be verified, and we must be cautious..."

The water level of this great river obviously couldn't have risen so suddenly for no reason; there must have been flooding in some places upstream, causing the river's abnormal water level.

Whether it was man-made or a natural disaster, the Chu navy has not yet figured it out.

Even if it is a natural disaster, they still have to be wary of the Shu army taking advantage of the favorable weather and terrain to launch a surprise attack on them.

Upon hearing this, Chu Jiangshen asked, "Has the Shu army made any unusual moves?"

The guard captain lowered his voice and said, "There's been no unusual activity yet. The army has already sent scouts out to scout along the river..."

"Since Jiang Shen has come here, the general wants to discuss some matters with you. Please go to the army camp, Jiang Shen."

Chu Jiangshen nodded and said, "That's exactly why I've come."

Chu Jiangshen then looked at Lu Zheng and the other two, cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I shall take my leave here. If you ever pass through Jiangzhou in the future, you must visit me!"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Definitely, farewell!"

Qingwan and Qingyi also politely bowed to Chujiang Shen to say goodbye.

Chu Jiangshen then followed the naval guards to the army's encampment.

The captain of the guard glanced at Lu Zheng and his two companions who had taken a detour and left, and couldn't help but feel a little curious.

He had previously thought that the three young men were followers of the God of Chujiang.

As a result, Chu Jiangshen bid farewell to the other party in such a polite manner.

The captain of the guard couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Lord Jiang, who are those three?"

Chu Jiang said in a low voice, "Lu Zheng, a Confucian scholar from Anguo."

The soldiers looked surprised and doubtful upon hearing this. How could a Confucian scholar from Anguo be worthy of such respect from the River God?

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Chu Jiangshen said unhurriedly, "It seems that some of you in the army are out of the loop. This boy is no ordinary person; even His Majesty..."

Chu Jiangshen chuckled and recounted some of Lu Zheng's deeds.

The soldiers were astonished, never expecting that a mere Confucian scholar from Anguo could cause so much trouble within the territory of Chu.

Chu Jiangshen said, "This boy dares to kill even a true god. If you encounter him in the future, you'd better be more restrained in your actions."

Upon hearing this, everyone murmured to themselves that they were stationed here and probably wouldn't have much interaction with Lu Zheng anymore.

The other person, a scholar from Anguo, was just traveling and passing through Jiangzhou; he would definitely return to Anguo later.

They guarded the border between Chu and Shu, yet had no connection to Anguo.

Unless the higher-ups make a mistake and transfer them to the eastern border with Anguo, there might be no chance of them making contact with the other side again.

The captain of the guard suddenly glanced in the direction Lu Zheng and the others had left and couldn't help but ask, "Are they going to the Shu Kingdom?"

Seeing that the captain of the guard's tone was off, Chu Jiang asked, "What's wrong?"

"Going into Sichuan from here is probably not a good idea..." The captain of the guard hesitated before speaking.

If they were able to spot Lu Zheng and his group before, how could the Shu army be blind?

He felt that Lu Zheng and his two companions had already been targeted by the Shu people, and if they entered the country like this, it would be strange if they weren't arrested and interrogated.

Most of the scouts that the Chu navy usually sends out to Shu never return.

Hearing the captain of the guard say this, Chu Jiangshen frowned. He had been so anxious that he had forgotten about such a thing.

He turned around to send a message to Lu Zheng and the other two, but found that they had already disappeared without a trace, and he could not even detect their presence.

Chu Jiang thought for a moment and said, "It's alright. Given his status, those people from Shu shouldn't do anything to him."

When Chu Jiangshen and his group arrived at the Chu army camp, Lu Zheng and his two companions also set foot on the territory of Shu. Lu Zheng was still pondering whether to follow the river to trace the source of the flood when a group of armored soldiers suddenly appeared and surrounded them.

They were soldiers from the Shu Kingdom, each clad in heavy armor, wielding gleaming weapons, and wearing menacing face shields, exuding an imposing aura.

Upon seeing the armored soldiers surrounding them, Lu Zheng and his two companions remained calm.

Just now, Lu Zheng had a vague feeling that someone was following him in the dark.

Actually, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to shake off these people with Qingwan, but doing so would only make them look like they had something wrong with him.

Seeing that these people had followed him for quite some time, Lu Zheng simply entered the territory of the Shu Kingdom.

The two sides should meet directly; there's no need to waste everyone's time and energy.

A tall, burly armored warrior approached the three, his bright, deep eyes fixed on Lu Zheng through his mask.

The armored soldier spoke in a loud voice, demanding, "Who are you? Why have you come to my Great Shu?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng took out his travel permit, and Qing Wan, who was next to him, also took out her travel permit.

The armored soldier took the official document and glanced at it. "An Guo people?"

Lu Zheng explained, "We're here for study tours."

"Study abroad?" The armored soldier chuckled. "You're taking a little girl with you on this study abroad trip? Where's her travel permit?"

The armored soldier looked at the thin and small Qingyi.

Qingyi tilted her head back and looked at the armored soldier with a deep gaze.

The soldier felt inexplicably uncomfortable and said, "Little one, you can't enter without a travel permit! Moreover, your travel permit doesn't have the official seal of our Great Shu government, which means you're illegally entering the country. Come with us!"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "I've heard that the Shu Kingdom has laws that grant certain privileges to cultivators. Even if outsiders don't have a pass, they can get one. We're heading to the nearest pass in Shu, so it doesn't count as illegal entry."

Upon hearing this, the soldier raised an eyebrow. "The people we're talking about who cultivate the Tao are Taoists. Aren't you a Confucian or Taoist scholar?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "We scholars read the books of sages and virtuous men, and we naturally study the Daoist classics as well. How can we not be considered practitioners of the Dao?"

Lu Zheng raised his hand, and a purple lightning bead suddenly appeared on his palm, containing a trace of terrifying lightning power.

Lu Zheng said unhurriedly, "If you feel that reading books is not enough, surely this Taoist thunder magic is just as good?"

When the Shu soldiers saw the thunder in Lu Zheng's hand, they all looked surprised and had strange expressions.

You, a scholar from Anguo, are not studying properly and instead tinkering with Taoist purple lightning. Isn't that a bit of a waste of your time?

Seeing this, the tall, armored soldier could no longer say that Lu Zheng was not a cultivator.

After all, ordinary Taoists cannot learn such purple lightning.

If he denies Lu Zheng's opinion, who knows how many people will criticize him for it.

The armored soldier then looked at Qingwan and the other two women.

Lu Zheng said, "According to the laws of Shu, as my companions, they are entitled to special treatment even if they do not know such authentic Taoist magic."

The burly armored soldier looked at the man beside him and asked, "There's another one?"

The soldier who was asked the question replied uncertainly, "I think... there are some, right?"

These soldiers and warriors, how could they possibly study thick volumes of law in their daily lives? Who would know so much about it?

Moreover, the military has its own rules and regulations, which are the rules they need to keep in mind.

The burly armored soldier hesitated for a moment, then spoke again: "Your identities are still very suspicious. I suspect you are spies sent by the Chu Kingdom. Come with us!"

He didn't want to argue about the law with Lu Zheng anymore, so he simply labeled the three of them as suspects to avoid further unnecessary words.

Lu Zhengdao: "The reason? Interrogating people on trumped-up charges..."

The armored soldier said impatiently, "You've all teamed up with the divine soldiers of Chu, surely it's not for no reason?"

Someone in the Shu army just spotted Lu Zheng and his group, which is why they sent soldiers to check the situation.

Lu Zhengdao: "What we presented were legitimate documents from Anguo. Just because we exchanged a few words with the Chu people in broad daylight, does that make us suspect we are spies?"

"Is there a problem?" the armored soldier asked calmly.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "If I were a spy for the State of Chu, wouldn't you also become a spy for the State of Chu by speaking to me now?"

Upon hearing this, the soldier paused, sensing that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"what……"

Someone nearby couldn't help but laugh out loud, but quickly stopped.

The burly armored soldier glanced sideways, then kicked out with a light kick, which still sent the person who had spoken staggering.

The soldier cursed angrily, "Laugh? What the hell are you laughing at!"

The soldier who had been kicked quickly said, "Boss, I think this guy might really be from Anguo. Those Chu people don't have that kind of smooth talk!"

The soldier thought to himself that he didn't care where these three people were from. His mission was to take them back for a thorough investigation, and he wouldn't let them go so easily; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to deliver on his promise.

If it weren't for the fact that Lu Zheng and the other two were quite polite and seemed rather knowledgeable, he would have wanted to lead his troops and use force to arrest them directly.

The armored soldier then turned to Lu Zheng, "So, you're unwilling to cooperate?"

Seeing that these soldiers had come with a mission, Lu Zheng realized it was best not to cause any conflict, so he said, "Please lead the way."

(End of this chapter)