Ten years of dormancy: Starting as a martial arts master at the pinnacle

Nangong Qiushui, as the vanguard, captured three cities in succession.

The other generals followed suit and also recaptured the remaining cities.

This is the end.

The problem that had plagued the Great Zhou for many years has finally been completely solved by them.

The Zhennan Army was at the height of its power for a time.

Normally, news of such a great victory would be relayed back to Kyoto through both secret and public channels.

The secret channels were fine; by utilizing the characteristics of the arrow eagle, news could reach the palace in half a day to a day.

Those who are prominent figures in Kyoto will all know this.

However, this doesn't work through public channels; it takes at least ten days to half a month for the news to reach Kyoto.

It took another ten days to half a month for Kyoto to reply.

It's normal for it to take more than a month for a round trip.

Now, only three days later, the whole of Zhou knows about it.

Furthermore, the newspapers sensationalized the story.

The people of the Great Zhou went completely mad and began to revel unrestrainedly.

"Thanks to our ancestors, the ten cities north of the Yangtze River have been recovered."

"I'll burn paper money for my dad right now and tell him the good news."

"The regent has suddenly appeared, and it feels like our moment to finally stand tall has arrived."

"Long live the Regent!!"

"We must have a good drink today, waiter, bring us a pound of strong liquor."

"Another plate of pig's ears, please. Mix it with lots of oil and little vegetables."

Scenes like this happen in almost every part of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After being sent to the Xiaoyao Marquis's residence, Jiang Xiaobai deeply realized the power of newspapers.

"Regent Li Changqing is a genius of our time!"

With just one newspaper, he controlled public opinion throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.

He made the most of his strengths as a scholar.

Articles published in newspapers are bound to set the direction.

But at the same time, he also put these literati in shackles.

If a scholar deliberately opposes the Great Zhou, they can not only refuse to publish the other party's articles, but also write articles to refute them, or even scold them.

Even if this scholar who rebelled against the Great Zhou possessed extraordinary abilities, he would have no advantage whatsoever when faced with a one-sided attack from his opponent. On the contrary, he would be utterly defeated and routed.

Inside the palace.

Upon receiving the news, Li Zheng was so excited that his face turned bright red.

If the opponent's supreme expert does not appear, there will naturally be no difficulty in them successfully reclaiming the ten cities.

The problem is that a Supreme Realm expert has appeared on the other side.

Moreover, the one who appeared was none other than the veteran Abbot Kongkong of Lingyin Temple. Relying on the Nine-Bone Relic Pagoda in his hand, this Abbot Kongkong was among the most powerful warriors in the Supreme Realm.

Li Changqing defeated Master Kongkong and successfully recovered the lost territory.

This is a completely different matter.

"He deserves a reward!"

After living an ordinary life for so many years, Li Zheng never expected that he would experience such a major reversal in his life as he approached his later years.

First, there are two major unresolved issues within the royal family.

They had always wanted to cultivate a supreme expert from the royal family, but no matter how they tried, they were always one step behind.

A powerhouse of this caliber cannot be created simply by piling on resources.

As the strongest nation in the surrounding world, the Great Zhou Dynasty has cultivated countless experts at the half-step Supreme Realm.

The fact that they have never been able to cultivate a true supreme being already speaks volumes.

Who could have imagined that the King of Qin's unintentional action would actually help their royal family cultivate a supreme ruler?

Despite the unexpected turn of events, someone noticed Li Changqing's extraordinary abilities and switched him with someone else beforehand.

As a result, the regent spent the ten years from age 5 to 15 living in exile.

But the child not only didn't go astray, but also achieved greatness.

This immediately made up for the biggest weakness of the Great Zhou royal family.

It should be noted that the royal families of other surrounding countries all have experts at the Supreme Realm.

The supreme ruler of the Great Jin Dynasty directly became the emperor.

The supreme ruler of the Star Empire is the Star Emperor.

The supreme ruler of the State of Qi, though not their emperor, was nonetheless the ancestor of the State of Qi.

The patriarch of the Qi state possessed a status comparable to that of an emperor emeritus, allowing him to remotely control the court.

Only their Great Zhou, although His Majesty the Emperor himself can unleash the combat power of the Supreme Peak.

But that's just combat power, not true supreme power.

Aside from this unresolved issue, the only remaining problem is that they are missing one of the three national treasures.

It was also during his reign that he retrieved the national treasure sword.

With the three national treasures gathered together, their power is even greater than before.

Even His Majesty the Emperor's sphere of activity has been greatly expanded as a result.

Now they have even recovered lost territory!

The next step was to expand territory and become a force to be reckoned with throughout the world.

Li Zheng felt that his life was getting more and more energetic.

If we just keep doing this for another three to five years...

No need for much, three to five years will suffice.

Li Zheng is likely to be remembered for all time.

Emperor Li Zheng, the greatest emperor of the Zhou Dynasty.

This name sounds different; it feels particularly pleasant.

"Nangong Qiushui is hereby appointed as a third-rank general."

Everyone believed that Nangong Qiushui would be richly rewarded, possibly even granted a noble title and a general's mansion.

Capturing several cities in succession is a great achievement, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee a large reward. It depends on the timing and the contribution made.

Nangong Qiushui's contributions need no further explanation, and the timing was absolutely perfect.

After all, the cities he led his army to conquer were lost territories of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the wish of countless literati.

Now, the wish has come true.

The long-standing problem that everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty had been worrying about was finally resolved.

Even if it's just to set an example, Nangong Qiushui should be rewarded handsomely, at least with the title of viscount.

If we go for a higher rank, bestowing upon him the title of Earl wouldn't be out of the question.

Why was he only promoted in rank, with no mention of being granted a noble title?

The people in the court looked at each other in bewilderment.

An official under the Qin King's command wanted to speak out and uphold justice.

Unexpectedly, the King of Qin secretly stopped them.

Others don't know what's going on with Nangong Qiushui?

How could His Majesty Emperor Li Zheng, and Prince Qin Li Yuanhao who had discovered the clues, not understand?

At least the Regent's Palace has a Princess in charge; if it were also granted a Earl's Palace or a General's Palace...

Isn't that just like being given an empty house?

At that time, Li Changqing will have to check in regularly.

Otherwise, his identity as Nangong Qiushui would be completely ruined.

The father and son thought about it and realized that this definitely wouldn't work.

They simply treated Nangong Qiushui as Li Changqing's trusted subordinate, leaving everything to the Regent to arrange.

After his rank is raised, he will have more say in the army and will be able to lead and command more troops.

Aside from that, there's nothing they can do to help.

Although Nangong Qiushui's reward was a little low, it did not diminish the jubilation throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Whether it was the regent Li Changqing or the recovery of lost territory.

These are all things they should celebrate.

And that's what they themselves did.

As for Li Changqing at this time, he also encountered trouble.

"General Nangong, someone from the Xiaoyao Marquis's residence has come to see you."

"Who?"

"Xie Feixue".

……