Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Chapter 130 Strategic Deployment!

"explain?"

Jia Tang's lips curled up, and he asked the question word by word, his tone forceful, as if he were chewing it over heavily!

Inside the magnificent and ornately decorated Qianqing Palace, civil and military officials held their breath, waiting for Jia Tang to answer Emperor Chongwu's questions. The Grand Secretaries had expected him to be nervous, fearful, or even angry, but they never expected him to simply repeat a sentence with a smile!

"His Majesty has asked me to explain, so perhaps he doesn't quite agree?"

Jia Tang smiled, his eyes narrowing, and said bluntly, "Given the recent actions of the foreign tribes in repeatedly breaking agreements and brazenly attacking the borders of our Great Zhao, and the ongoing war in Taiyuan, what explanation is there?"

Emperor Chongwu was not angered by this. He stood with his hands behind his back in front of the map and said leisurely, "Each generation has its own policies and missions."

"Measures that were beneficial in the past will change over time, and the Marquis of Weihu just killed him with one blow?"

'

Jia Tang shook his head, not quite agreeing with that statement.

"Benefit? At a time of great upheaval, when you have the ability to wipe out all other races, instead of using this upheaval as an opportunity for cultivation, you forge a treaty that binds your own people. I have read extensively from various historical documents and military treatises, and I have only seen this a few times."

"Your Majesty, you are mistaken. You shouldn't have tried to preserve your strength. This action of yours has allowed the tribes you previously defeated to recover."

Come on, it will turn on you!

The profound yet understated words echoed in the empty Qianqing Palace, instantly lowering the oppressive atmosphere to freezing point.

Emperor Chongwu's face was dimly lit by the flickering candlelight. He sighed softly, "Yes, perhaps I've softened my heart!"

"Soft-hearted? Perhaps."

Jia Tang then asked, "What are His Majesty's decrees regarding Taiyuan at this time?"

"We shall annihilate the invading barbarians with thunderous force and display the might of our Great Zhao Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty's words are exactly what I thought; his head should be cut off to appease the spirits of our fallen heroes!"

Emperor Chongwu nodded slightly and smiled, "It's quite a story that we, father and son, share the same view."

"Marquis Weihu, Commander-in-Chief of the Left Army of the Great Zhao Dynasty, are you willing to lead troops north?"

Jia Tang sighed, his face showing shame: "My heart is burning with fervor to march north and kill the enemy, but some time ago in Tongzhou I forcibly killed a third-rank bandit, which caused me some internal injuries. I am truly willing but unable to do so..."

"Oh? Many renowned generals throughout history have died from seemingly insignificant internal injuries. You must take good care of yourself!"

"Undetected internal injuries are fatal, but if they develop into minor ailments, they're merely like scabies. Your Majesty, please do not worry!"

Emperor Chongwu closed his eyes slightly and carefully examined Jia Tang, who met the Emperor Emeritus's gaze openly and without flinching.

After a long pause, there was a sound that seemed like a soft laugh, or perhaps a sigh.

Emperor Chongwu turned his gaze to Zhai Zhengge and asked, "Are you unwell?"

"none!"

"Are you willing to lead troops north?"

"Fight to the death for our country!"

"good!"

Emperor Chongwu glanced around, then vanished, leaving only one sentence echoing in the background: "Emperor, give the order."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Changwu took a deep breath, pointed to the map, and ordered: "Is appointed Zhai Zhenge, the Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army Commandery and Marquis of Kuantai, as commander-in-chief, overseeing the right flank and right outpost of the five armies of the Xianjing Grand Camp..."

"Is appointed Ji Wenqing, the Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Vanguard Military Governor's Office and Marquis of Jing'an, to command the Right Tiger Guard, Left and Right Martial Virtue Guards, Dragon Soaring Guard, and Leopard Spear Guard, and to be stationed at Juyong Pass!"

"life..

"

Jia Tang silently watched Emperor Changwu as he deployed his troops. For some reason, he noticed that the more generals, soldiers, or guards the emperor sent out, the paler his face became, and the more bloodshot his eyes became.

That's strange.

Jia Tang secretly observed carefully, and just as he was about to release his divine sense, he sensed a faint divine sense power attached to the surrounding space inside the hall.

So the old man didn't leave after all.

"I hope that my lord will defeat the enemy and pacify the borders, achieving swift victory. All generals under my command must depart immediately without fail!"

"only!"

"The Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions issued a document."

'

Zhai Zhengge and Ji Wenqing led their subordinates and strode away, their eyes involuntarily glancing at Jia Tang as they passed by.

Jia Tang clearly saw the meaning in the look in his eyes. After giving a barely perceptible nod, he turned his attention back to Emperor Changwu.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, for Emperor Changwu also turned his gaze slightly, a strange meaning flashing in his eyes. After a pause, he said, "Xia Shouzhong, fetch the imperial decree!"

Everyone was taken aback. In the past, the appointment of reinforcements was only drafted and stamped with the emperor's seal after the officials had left.

Afterwards, the supervising officer was responsible for passing it on.

It is extremely rare for someone to request an imperial edict before the event has even ended.

However, the civil and military officials didn't pay much attention, remaining silent and concerned. The implied meaning of the conversation between Emperor Chongwu and Marquis Weihu was too obvious and deserved their deep reflection.

Before long, Xia Shouzhong brought over two golden imperial edicts and a jade seal. The appointments on them had already been written by the chief eunuch, and only the Emperor Changwu needed to affix his seal.

Emperor Changwu placed the tray of the imperial edict on the map, and under the scrutiny of the civil and military officials on both sides, he took out the imperial seal from the brocade dragon cloth bag and stamped it heavily on the imperial edict.

Upon seeing this, Jia Tang, who had been observing, narrowed his eyes. Just now, when Emperor Changwu stamped the imperial edict, he had clearly seen a barely perceptible glint of golden light flash at the bottom of the seal.

Emperor Changwu instantly looked haggard, and under Jia Tang's keen eyesight, one could see that some of his black hairs inside his hair bun had turned white in an instant!

At the same time, Jia Tang's expression suddenly changed, and he couldn't help but reveal a trace of his aura, which instantly attracted the attention of the three True Immortals in the palace.

This sudden change caused everyone to turn and look. A hint of doubt flashed in Grand Secretary He Xinyi's eyes as he asked, "Marquis Weihu?"

"It's nothing, I was just experiencing some internal pain!"

"Is it that serious? Are you sure you want to..."

Jia Tang nodded indifferently, not listening to what the other party said. He focused all his attention on the spatial ring on his hand, and the divine power in his Huang Ting surged forth, flowing through his body and through his fingers to suppress it!

After Emperor Changwu affixed two imperial edicts in succession, his body trembled slightly, and a clear look of pain appeared on his face.

A series of unusual events put the surrounding civil and military officials on high alert. Liang Pei cautiously asked, "Your Majesty?"

Are you...overworked?

"Pfft~"

Before Grand Secretary Liang could finish speaking, Emperor Changwu spat out a mouthful of blood, which landed on the map in front of him, covering the northern land with a thin layer of blood mist!

The officials were shocked and cried out, "Your Majesty?"

"His Majesty!"

"Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

Jia Tang frowned, looking at Emperor Changwu, who had just been helped up by Xia Shouzhong. His pale, defeated face didn't seem feigned; if so...

He shifted his gaze to the imperial edict and the seal, and suddenly remembered the dragon and tiger fortune on the imperial edict in the mansion, which stirred up a storm in his heart.

Lost in thought, the emperor returned to his bedchamber, and his civil and military officials also left the palace.

This closed-door meeting at the Dazhao Imperial Palace came to an end just as the Chongwu faction had left and Emperor Changwu was vomiting blood due to overwork, causing a ripple in the deep waters of the capital.

Deep within the underground palace, Emperor Chongwu, Chen Ke, withdrew his divine consciousness from the Qianqing Palace. Thinking about Jia Tang's reaction, a bad premonition arose in his heart.

This kid must know something.

"Just now, Jia Tang's aura leaked for a moment. Did you notice what level of strength he possessed?"

Master Chen Yuan, the Dragon-Slaying Immortal, shook his head: "Never."

The expression on Chen Tan's face was uncertain, but he said coldly, "My divine sense landed on Jia Tang, and I felt like I was sinking deeper into the mire. This fiend has become a great scourge!"

The Blood Dragon Master, hidden in the darkness, continued, "Given Jia Tang's strength in bringing Ze'e to the brink of death with just two divine attacks, it's normal that we can't discern his true power."

Chen Ke nodded slightly, then suddenly laughed and said, "I don't know where this kid gets the confidence to challenge me to an arm-wrestling match."

Chen Yuan sneered upon hearing this, and said fiercely, "So what if he's strong? If one mid-stage cultivator isn't enough, we'll have two. If two aren't enough, we'll..."

Four!

"My cousin Chen Yu is about to break through, and the Four Symbols True Man is about to complete his breakthrough. If we use a combined attack to surround and kill him, he won't be able to escape even if he grows wings!"

"Besides, we have His Majesty here; I can't think of a way for them to survive."

Everyone nodded in agreement. How many third-tier officials were there in the eight prefectures and twelve families of the Immortal Capital?

A hint of a smile flashed in Emperor Chongwu's eyes as he asked, "How is the Northwest?"

"The attack on Taiyuan by the Tartars forced the soldiers of the founding lineage to retreat from Shaanxi."

"What about that third-tier cultivator who was secretly lured by the Blood Wolf?"

"The fire element should belong to Jia Kang, who is currently waiting for Jia Tang outside the palace gate."

"Judging from this, the incident at the headquarters of the Wenxiang Sect in Lianghuai was likely orchestrated by Chen He, and the Wenxiu who appeared later must be the old geezer from the Li family..."

Emperor Chongwu muttered to himself, "Jia He is inseparable from Jia Tang, and Niu, Hou, and Ma are stationed in the capital." He continued, "Guard the remaining four areas in the northwest well, and order people to hurry up and accelerate the ripening!"

"only!"

"Has that old fox Xu Fangxing been found yet?"

"The most recent disappearance was in Dengzhou, Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province."

"Find him and execute him!"

"only!"

"As for everything else, speed things up. I've reached that point!"

"only!"

Study in Ruihu Courtyard, Ningguo Mansion.

The slowly burning incense, meant to calm the mind, could not soothe the unease in the hearts of those present. After Jia Tang, Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, and Hou Xiaokang, who had just been in the Qianqing Palace, recounted what had happened to the newly gathered crowd, everyone fell into deep thought.

Is there such a possibility?

Just now, when Emperor Changwu stamped the imperial edict, the tiger token in the stone ring in the spatial ring suddenly emitted a dense black light, even though it was separated by two layers, and seemed eager to fly out.

"Anyone appointed by the imperial court is listed on the Dragon List, thus being unknowingly protected or favored by the dynasty's fortune. However, those who are not on the Dragon List and are merely dispatching civil and military officials will suffer a backlash?"

"Because I feel that Emperor Changwu was clearly putting on a show for us this time!"

Upon hearing this, the group of people's expressions flickered uncertainly, and they all began to speculate.

Niu Lian said, "In other words, Emperor Changwu Chen Du was just a figurehead put forward by Chen Ke. The latter not only controlled the cultivators, but also concealed the matter of the backlash of fortune."

"They are father and son, why is this happening?"

Jia Tang said quietly, "What if Chen Ke doesn't have complete control of the Dragon Ranking yet, and there's a risk it could be taken away?"

"It should be understood that the fate of a dynasty is intertwined with the fate of countless generations. How could Chen Ke be sure that Chen Du would not be tempted by the emperor for eternity? Hence, he acted in this manner."

Everyone thought so too; if it were them, they might also hold back a secret, which is only human nature.

"Alright, now that we've broken through the method of stealing luck, our strength has greatly increased. I was originally planning to let you rest for a while, but there's no time now."

"Um?"

Hou Xiaoli was somewhat surprised and asked, "Kill who?"

Upon hearing this, Jia He replied, "A secret letter just arrived from Tongzhou, left by Xu Fangxing, concerning Chen Long, Jia Hu, and the Bloodstained Land in the Northwest."

The newly added Northwest Blood Territory was a place Chen Hao and Li Yunqiong deliberately visited after killing the Wuwei Sect cultivators, in the former territory of the Xu family in Huai'an.

Leave a message on each side, indicating contact information and any new conditions.

After all, everyone already knew some things about Chen Long and Jia Hu, and their values ​​were not equal.

As Jia Tang had anticipated, Xu Fangxing was unaware of the specifics, nor did he possess Li's method of observing qi; it was merely his own sense of awareness and speculation.

Both the Dragon List and the Tiger Token were obtained by the Chen and Jia families in the secret realm of the Immortal Capital before the founding of the nation. At that time, the two sides were of similar strength, and neither could possess them alone. Each side could only take one of them.

The secret realm also contains an inscription that says, "The dragon bestows the title of Heavenly Official, and the tiger appoints the Ghost General; the dragon and tiger unite to bring eternal prosperity."

The rest of what Xu Fangxing said was what Jia Tang already knew, such as the early Jia family being besieged and killed in their later years.

Jia He continued, "Xu Fangxing said that there are seven blood-soaked lands in the northwest, each with three thousand-blood flowers, and a thousand blood equals a thousand people!"

"The Chijianling we discovered earlier, and the Xuedi discovered in Yanchuan and Huayin, Shaanxi a few days ago, both belong to the Northwest system."

"There are now four remaining: one hundred li east of Linjiang Pass in Jiezhou, Shaanxi; four hundred li north of Shouyang Pass in Gongchang Prefecture; Pingshan Pass in Hanzhong Prefecture; and Jinya Pass in Fengxiang Prefecture!"

Jia Tang narrowed his eyes slightly and ordered, "To prevent further unforeseen circumstances, send one third-rank official to each location. On the surface, they will be Niu Lian, Hou Xiaoli, Chen He, and Ma Qiu, while Jia He and Jia Kang will provide covert support!"

"Slay every enemy cultivator we encounter!"

"Destroy all the blood-soaked sites and expose them to the public!"

"Pull off all the lids!"

"only!"

"In addition, you should occasionally leave some traces to see if you can lure out some people, whether in the Northwest or Xianjing."

"only!"

Jia Tang stood before the map, looking at the borders of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and the blessed lands of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. His eyes narrowed slightly, especially when he saw Quzhou. The Kong family had shrunk back, which was rather troublesome.

Otherwise, just guarding against them would require a considerable number of third-tier units.

"How's the Southern Deer and Pine Alliance going? Has the Kong family made a move?"

"The Deer Alliance has retreated to Jiangxi, and the Pine and Cypress Pavilion has taken up a defensive position, forming a triangular formation to guard against the cultivators of the Literary and Martial Arts Association. There is currently no news of the Kong family cultivators."

"What about the spoils?"

"The cultivation methods, Yuan weapons, and Yuan stones from the acquired strongholds will all arrive in Tongzhou."

"Then send a message to the Li family: without getting involved themselves, they should stir up trouble in the area around Quzhou..."

As they were talking, Jia Tang sensed the rising energy of Jia Ping and Jia An in the underground chamber and laughed, "Just when you're about to fall asleep, here comes the pillow! Let Jia Ping and Jia An go south, cooperate with the Li family, and incite the Lu-Song Alliance to surround and kill all members of the Kong clan, regardless of whether they are direct or collateral relatives, thereby luring the Kong family to undergo a major transformation and forcing a true immortal to descend upon the battlefield!"

"only!"

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