Martial Arts: I am in the Ming Cult and I am building a dynasty

Simply, most people just pretend not to see it.

Only Zhao Shirong and Huang Rong came to Yang Zhao with great concern. They first looked Yang Zhao up and down carefully, and only felt relieved when they saw that Yang Zhao was not injured.

Then, Zhao Shirong coughed lightly and pretended to be angry and asked, "What did you do last night?"

Hearing Zhao Shirong's voice, everyone looked towards Yang Zhao. The most dissatisfied among them were the two old men Xin Qiji and Xiao Qinyan.

Various inspections, confiscations, detentions, interrogations, and comforting the people, etc., took up the entire night and kept us busy.

Originally, this kind of thing should be done by a young general like Yang Zhao.

He has no martial ethics and no respect for the elderly or the young.

Being stared at by everyone, Yang Zhao felt a little embarrassed.

However, Yang Zhao soon had an idea and said, "I captured two high-ranking maids from Yanziwu last night and interrogated them all night long. I didn't sleep all night."

Zhao Shirong rolled his eyes speechlessly, and Huang Rong laughed secretly beside him.

On the other side, Xin Qiji and Xiao Qinyan, two old men, were already starting to get angry.

On the contrary, the younger generation such as Wang Jian, Zhang Yu, Gu Qianfan and others dared not say a word.

"Really? After interrogating the captives all night, the steward is really thoughtful."

"Yes, we old men should thank the steward for his dedication and hard work."

Xin Qiji and Xiao Qinyan soon spoke in a sarcastic tone.

Xin Qiji is okay. After all, he is a great master in the realm of heaven and man. Although he looks old and gaunt in his 60s, his physical functions are no worse than those of a -year-old guy.

Xiao Qinyan couldn't bear it anymore. Even though he had taken drugs to reach the innate level, his martial arts were still average. As he got older, he couldn't endure it anymore and his face was full of fatigue.

Seeing this scene, Yang Zhao felt a little strange.

Logically speaking, these two old guys should not be unaware of Azhu and Abi, who had been imprisoned in Yang Zhao's mansion a long time ago.

Huang Rong was very shrewd and quickly reminded him, "Then the chief steward has taken a lot of trouble. I wonder if the chief steward has found anything useful from the two captives brought by Sister Shi Rong?"

On the surface, Huang Rong was asking Yang Zhao.

In fact, Huang Rong's words and actions gave hints that everyone knew where Ah Zhu and Ah Bi came from.

Yang Zhao reacted quickly and said exaggeratedly, "I am so ashamed. I fainted just as the interrogation started last night because of the recurrence of internal injuries from the daytime battle. I am ashamed, ashamed!"

Shameless, so fucking shameless.

Xin Qiji, Xiao Qinyan, Wang Jian, Zhang Yu and others have completely lost track of how to complain.

But Yang Zhao was Zhao Shirong's husband, and everyone was helpless.

Fortunately, at this time, someone ran into the hall excitedly, and said with a happy face: "Your Highness, General Manager, Elder Xin, Elder Xiao, the preliminary statistics of yesterday's battle results have been completed. It was a great victory. This time it was a great victory."

"In yesterday's battle, we annihilated four enemy Grandmasters, dozens of generals, and more than 20,000 soldiers."

"We captured Murong Fu, the rebel who claimed to be the king of Yan, as well as an army of 20,000, a hundred warships, and countless weapons and armor."

"Besides that, there is no longer any resistance within the dozens of miles of Yanziwu. The warehouse has 8 stones of grain and grass, a thousand sets of iron armor, and more than ten thousand swords, spears, bows and halberds..."

The foundation that the Murong family has accumulated over the hundred years since entering the Song Dynasty is definitely not bad.

In addition to the elite troops brought to Zhenjiang by Murong Longcheng and Murong Bo, even Murong Fu, a left-behind child, had 60,000 troops and more than 100,000 civilians under his command.

The entire island is almost fully equipped with food, weapons, workshops, etc.

In a sense.

Over the past hundred years, Yanziwu has been completely transformed by the entire Murong family into a military stronghold.

If Murong Fu had not underestimated the enemy, the entire 50,000-strong army would have been lost in the Battle of Taihu Lake.

Even if Xin Qiji led his troops to attack with all his strength, it would not be possible to capture Yanziwu in a short time.

Chapter 104 Xin Qiji's Contradictions

Yanziwu is the largest island in Taihu Lake. Without considering large-scale arable land, it can accommodate hundreds of thousands of people.

This was also an important reason why the Murong clan was able to quickly raise an army of more than 100,000 after launching the uprising.

Almost everyone on this island is a servant of the Murong family.

The Murong clan still followed the same system as the Xianbei Dynasty on the island, where the fittest survived and there was almost no living space for the old and the young. As long as everyone was armed, they would be a qualified soldier.

Listening to the quartermaster's report.

Everyone in the conference hall couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, we took down Yanziwu.

Otherwise, once Murong Longcheng, Fang La and others have established a firm foothold along the Yangtze River, they will turn around and spruce up Yanziwu a bit, and it will become a super military base for the Yanni side, continuously producing weapons and a large number of soldiers.

"Have people pack up everything, including the people on the island, and take them all away!"

Xin Qiji had fought in many battles. After hearing the quartermaster's report, he made a decision quickly, with a ruthless look flashing in his eyes.

It can be heard that Xin Qiji is already preparing to destroy the entire Yanziwu.

Seeing this scene, Yang Zhao felt a sudden pain in his heart.

Such a ready-made military base, with a complete weapons manufacturing workshop inside, wouldn’t it be nice to keep it and use it yourself?

Yang Zhao knew what Xin Qiji was worried about.

It's just that the Murong clan is now extremely powerful. Once they completely control the Yangtze River, Yang Zhao and others will become isolated troops in the Jiangnan area. No matter how brave they are, it will be difficult for them to resist the Murong army.

Therefore, in Xin Qiji's view, even if all these good things were destroyed, they could not be left to the Murong family.

But Yang Zhao knew that the Murong family was not as powerful as Xin Qiji had imagined.

The most troublesome part of Murong's rebel group today is Fang La's army, which has the support of countless people in the southeast and possesses a very strong foundation and vitality.

However, Fang La was Yang Zhao's undercover agent.

Yang Zhao thought about it and felt that he should give it a try to see if he could save Yanziwu.

So soon, Yang Zhao opened his mouth and said, "Master Xin, are you worried about the small number of troops in Pingjiang and the inability to defend it?"

Yanziwu serves as a military base.

If it could be controlled by the imperial court, it would pose a great threat to the entire Jiangnan region and even the southeast region.

Yang Zhao believed that Xin Qiji would not fail to see this.

But just as Yang Zhao said, the Pingjiang army is small, with only three or four thousand men at most. It is already extremely difficult to protect Suzhou. If they send troops to garrison Yanziwu, there is a great possibility that they will be attacked from both sides.

Smart people don't need to say much; they can often guess each other's intentions just by looking at each other.

When Xin Qiji heard Yang Zhao's words, he guessed what Yang Zhao was thinking. He paused and said, "Why, Yang family boy, do you have a way to stay here?"

Yang Zhao smiled and said, "Master Xin, we have few soldiers, but the Southeast has many soldiers."

Xin Qiji's eyes lit up instantly, and he asked, "You mean to bring Tong Guan's army here?"

Yang Zhao nodded and said, "Tong Guan is a thief who flatters his superiors and bullies his subordinates. He has no military knowledge. If the court's 200,000 troops are in his hands, they will be trapped and killed in the southeast sooner or later. Once the military rations are used up, there is even a possibility that bandits will come one after another and force a rebellion in the southeast."

"Needless to say, if we can transfer half of the 200,000 troops, we can not only preserve the court's military power, but also strengthen our army, which will play an extremely important role in the entire Jiangnan war situation."

Xin Qiji was moved, but after a moment of excitement, he quickly fell silent.

Yang Zhao’s ideas are good and his strategic plans are excellent.

But without the imperial court's order, if the troops from the southeast were transferred to the south of the Yangtze River without authorization, even if a victory was won, the imperial court would probably not end well.

It is even possible that one might be convicted for doing so, which is not in line with the conduct of a minister.

Except for Wang Jian, Zhang Yu and other rough men, everyone else present was a shrewd man and could see Xin Qiji's worry at a glance.

Yang Zhao quickly gave Zhao Shirong a look.

Zhao Shirong gestured, stood up, and said, "Master Xin, just do as your husband says. If the emperor blames you for this matter, I will bear the responsibility."

Xin Qiji was moved and said, "Your Highness, this matter is of great importance..."

Zhao Shirong said righteously, "I know about Elder Xin's worries, but as the descendant of Taizu and the daughter of the royal family, I care even more about the people in Jiangnan and Southeast. With my own crime, I can protect the lives of thousands of people. This is my fortune."

Hearing Zhao Shirong's words, Xin Qiji, Xiao Qinyan, Wang Jian, Zhang Yu and others were all filled with admiration.

Whether Confucianism or military strategists, they are all loyal to the royal family.

Among the royal family, there is a kind and responsible person like Zhao Shirong. Even though she is just a woman, she makes Xin Qiji and others feel endless regret.

If Her Royal Highness Princess can wait for the imperial treasure, the world will be at peace and the Song Dynasty will be saved.

Seeing that the atmosphere had been pushed to this point, Yang Zhao immediately winked at Xiao Qinyan, Wang Jian and others.

Xiao Qinyan gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness is generous, kind, brave and responsible. I, the old minister Xiao Qinyan, am willing to serve you as your vanguard. I will resign from my post and assist Jiangnan from now on."

Being loyal to the imperial court and being loyal to Jiangnan are two completely different meanings.

Zhao Shirong was granted the title of Princess of the Five Lakes, and the land of Zhenze was made a fiefdom, which was equivalent to a small imperial court located in the south of the Yangtze River.

Xiao Qinyan's intention was clearly to support Zhao Shirong and turn the entire Jiangnan area into a country within a country and establish a small court of his own.

After Xiao Qinyan took the lead.

Wang Jian, Zhang Yu, Gu Qianfan and others also knelt on one knee to express their loyalty.

Watching these scenes, Xin Qiji's expression changed constantly.

Everyone has shown it so clearly. If Xin Qiji still can't see the ambitions of Zhao Shirong, Yang Zhao and others, then he has lived in vain.

For Xin Qiji, it is true that he admires Zhao Shirong's courage and achievements.

Similarly, even though Xin Qiji resigned from his official position and lived in seclusion for more than ten years, his loyalty to the court was unquestionable.

Zhao Shirong's ambition was obviously to rebel, usurp the throne, and change the government.

Although Zhao Shirong is also a direct descendant of Taizu and a member of the royal family, this kind of thing is really...

It would be a lie to say that I am not moved.

If Zhao Shirong's style of doing things and benevolence could make him the head of the court and carry out reforms on the world, it would surely bring new life to the Song Dynasty.

This is also what Xin Qiji wanted to see.

It's very contradictory.

Chapter 105: Conquering Xin Qiji

"The trouble of the Song Dynasty lies in the people who control the government. They are called the Six Traitors, and all the people of the Song Dynasty hate them to the core."

"Cai Jing caused chaos in the front, Liang Shicheng plotted in the back, Li Yan made enemies in the northwest, Zhu Jie made enemies in the southeast, Wang Fu and Tong Guan also made enemies with Liao and Jin, creating border conflicts."

"The imperial court is in chaos, the people are living in misery, the martial world is in turmoil, rebellion is endless, there are tigers and wolves outside, and dragons and pythons inside."

"If we cannot punish the six thieves at home, resist their rebellion abroad, and quell the unrest, the Song Dynasty will be destroyed within ten years."

Just when Xin Qiji was feeling conflicted and unable to make a decision.

Yang Zhao's words were like a sword unsheathed in the sound of Canglang, sonorous, powerful and sharp.

It pierces the confusion in everyone's eyes and the hope in everyone's hearts.

There is no other reason, because what Yang Zhao said was true and could not be hidden from anyone in the world.

Xin Qiji looked pale and said, "It's not that bad, it's not that bad!"

Yang Zhao sneered and said, "Master Xin, do you know that the treacherous prime minister Cai Jing and others in the court have already begun to plan and promote the alliance with Jin to destroy Liao?"

"The Liao Kingdom is an old wolf, the Jin Kingdom is a young tiger, and the Mongols are floating outside like a vicious dragon."

"At this time, the officials of the court, those experienced and patriotic people, are still thinking about driving the tiger to devour the wolf. Elder Xin, you have fought against the Jin Kingdom before. Do you think this is ridiculous?"

There was a smile on Yang Zhao's face, but it was a smile of sneer, mockery, and sarcasm.

A sick, disabled and frail man, facing these jackals, tigers, leopards, dragons, pythons and vicious snakes, did not think about healing his own wounds or repairing his nails and sharpening his sword, but instead had some bizarre ideas and wanted to come up with all kinds of dangerous schemes such as driving the tiger to devour the wolf.

It's fucking outrageous. He's not afraid that after the tiger devours the wolf, it will turn around and eat him too.

Xin Qiji is a person who can see the situation clearly.

After hearing Yang Zhao's words, his face immediately turned extremely pale and his fingers and palms began to tremble.

Yang Zhao continued mercilessly, "Master Xin, you have seen the current emperor's character before. He is extravagant and foolish, keeps close to villains and stays away from wise officials. He has small plans but no big plans. He is also intolerant and cannot tolerate any words of dissent."