Chapter 1: Jin Yuan's Suspicion

  Liu Yi alternated riding two fast horses towards Jin Yuan. After a day, Liu Yi arrived at the border town of Tianshui in Jin Yuan, which was also an important barrier with Wujijun's defense. Liu Yi entered the city and went to the main hall of the city master's mansion to discuss matters, saying that he had good news and requesting to see the commander Wang Rongda who was stationed here.

  Wang Rongda heard the messenger's message and was overjoyed in his heart. Finally, someone had made a meritorious achievement. He tidied up his appearance and came out.

  Liu Yi was exhausted and couldn't bear it, so he sat down on a long bench at the end of the hall to wait. Suddenly, laughter came from behind the screen in front of the main seat: "I don't know which general has made military achievements? It's really a happy day."

  Liu Yi heard and immediately stood up respectfully, saying: "Reporting to General, is it Tong Wen Zheng, Commander-in-Chief Tong?" After finishing speaking, he raised his head and saw a white fat man wearing a military uniform who had just turned out from behind the screen, staring at him with a smile.

  Time stopped for two seconds, Wang Rongda hummed and said: "Hmph, Tong Wen Zheng can also be called a great general? Then wouldn't He Zhengshan want to be called a marshal?"

  "Hmm..." Lu Yi thought to himself that things had taken a turn for the worse. It turned out that this person was from He Zhengshan's faction, which was at odds with General Tong. Better not to provoke him for now, he thought, and changed his tone. "I'm used to being called '末将' (junior general), I haven't gotten used to changing my ways yet. Please forgive me, General. My name is Lu Yi, but I don't know what to call you?"

  "Hmm?" Wang Rongda looked at Liu Yi's softened expression and didn't make things difficult for him anymore. He walked to the main seat, sat down, and said: "I'm Wang Rongda, in charge of reporting frontline achievements and other matters. Speak up, what achievements? Did you kill a dozen or so Haotian soldiers?"

  "...Liu Yi clenched his fists and said, "Report to General Wang, General Tong Wen Zheng has defeated the Hu Tian army, killing countless enemies. He has already destroyed Wu Ji, occupied Baihe, Baishan, and Hexi three cities. However, defeating the enemy must come at a cost. Currently, General Tong lacks troops to guard the conquered territories. I humbly request that Your Majesty send reinforcements of 100,000 soldiers."

  King Rongda was originally disdainful, but as he listened, his expression changed to one of stunned amazement. When Liu Yi finished speaking, seeing General Wang's dazed expression, he hastily shouted again: "General Wang! This subordinate has finished reporting!"

  Wang Rongda returned to his senses, but still didn't dare believe it was a real person. He asked: "What? What did you just say? General didn't hear clearly, say it again!"

  Liu Yi repeated the military achievements of just now, and this time Wang Rongda heard clearly. He nodded and muttered to himself: No wonder General He wanted to get rid of Tong Wen Zheng, with less than 20,000 soldiers, he actually occupied the three cities of Haotian! It's not that his strength is too strong, or it's just against the sky! Hmm, I have to report to General He as soon as possible, and also report to the Emperor, send more troops to support, this is expanding the territory after all...

  "Hmm, not bad!" Wang Rongda stroked his chin and nodded, then asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

  "Ah, the proof is here." After finishing speaking, Liu Yi took out a oilcloth roll from his clothes and carefully handed it over - unexpectedly, just now Liu Yi was in a hurry and actually forgot that Tong Da Shuai had written a letter.

  Wang Rongda carefully unfolded the oilcloth, revealing the silk scroll inside - this was a treasure that only came out when reporting major military achievements. He took a look at the content and found the signature and seal of Tong Wen Zheng, all intact, it couldn't be fake.

  Wang Rongda waved his hand and said: "Ben will know about it, you go down to eat a meal and then rush to the front line, Tong Wen Zheng's place still needs manpower."

  "Yes!" Liu Yi bowed and retreated. He wasn't worried about Wang Rongda suppressing the documents, as occupying the three cities of Baishui was an indisputable fact. If he suffered losses due to concealing it, that would be a matter of confiscating property and exterminating his clan. Thus, Liu Yi left and hastily ate a meal, rested for a while, then rushed to the front lines.

  After Liu Yi left, Wang Rongda hurriedly called someone to bring a piece of silk cloth and copied the battle report onto it. He wrote several sentences of opinion on it. He summoned a messenger soldier, handed over the two volumes of reports to him, and instructed him with a few words before pacing out of the council hall again.

  The next morning, Emperor Yuan of Jin received the battle report and held the merit roll of Tong Wen Zheng. He couldn't help but be overjoyed and burst out laughing. Emperor Yuan of Jin was surnamed Wang and named Ding, 28 years old, 1.8 meters tall, born with a handsome and elegant appearance. He was well-versed in both literature and martial arts, but he particularly valued martial arts, so he specially recruited a group of people with high martial arts skills to stay in the palace and often practiced martial arts with them.

  After reading this battle report, he felt that his decision to launch a war against Hu Tian was correct. He shouted at the guards outside the door: "Pass on my order, the Grand Councilor, the Prime Minister, and General He will enter the palace immediately for discussion!"

  "Yes!" The guard responded and quietly left, it turned out he was also a practitioner's son.

  Half an hour later, Prime Minister Zhang Jinxi with a lean and happy face, General Wang Jiecheng with a robust and tiger-like eyes, and General He Zhengshan with a broad stride and shady eyes arrived one after another at the meeting hall of Emperor Wang Ding of Jin. In the nearly thirty square meters meeting hall, there were three windows open in front and back, seven tables and chairs were placed on the right side of the entrance, the main seat was in the middle; on the left was a large desk and bookshelves against the wall.

  Emperor Yuan of Jin sat in the middle and said to the three ministers who were standing with their hands clasped together: "Please sit down, there is no need for formalities."

  Zhang Jinxi and the other two heard a slight nod, and sat down on both sides. Wang Ding saw that everyone was seated, raised the battle report in his hand, and said with joy: "Haha, take a look at the battle report quickly, Tong Wen Zheng has made great contributions! The territory of this emperor has expanded again!"

  The prime minister, the grand councilor and the general passed it around for three people to read in turn.

  Prime Minister Zhang Jinxi finished reading, his smiling face unchanged, and he opened his mouth to say: "Congratulations to Your Majesty, congratulations to Your Majesty! The day when the Emperor will beg for mercy is just around the corner!"

  Grand Minister of War Wang Jiecheng was taken aback for a moment, then put on a smiling face and said: "Your Majesty is wise in using people! Tong Wen Zheng has made the first achievement."

  General He Zhengshan looked at the battle report, furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought: Tong WenZheng only had nearly 20,000 soldiers, while Huang Tian had Wu Ji as his rear guard, with at least over 50,000 soldiers; no matter how they fought, the war shouldn't have been one that Tong WenZheng could win; unless...

  Wang Dingjian looked at the war report with a deep frown, not showing any joy or congratulations. He said: "General He, I don't know what's wrong, why are you frowning? Shouldn't we be happy that Tong Wen Zheng has occupied the three major cities of Huatian?"

  He Zhengshan was startled by Wang Ding's inquiry and the tone of resentment in his voice, and hastily stood up to salute: "This subordinate was rude."

  "Never mind." Wang Ding turned to the military minister and said, "Wang Zhongtang, you tell me, if we send troops to support Tong Wen Zheng, how many would be suitable?"

  "Report to the Emperor, Tong Wen Zheng has torn open a large gap in the Heavenly Defense Line. The Heavenly Army will surely launch an all-out attack; if we want to occupy these three cities and Wujitown, I'm afraid we'll have to send 1.5 million troops and a capable general who is good at fighting." Wang Jiecheng thought for a moment and came up with a safe deployment plan.

  "Hmm." King Ding nodded and turned to the prime minister, "Prime Minister Zhang, tell me how much longer the national treasury can support this war, and what impact will the deployment of additional personnel have?"

  Zhang Jinxi sat up and nodded: "Your Majesty, previously there was an assessment plan for the supply of this war, which can support eight months of stalemate. If you want to intensify the war, it is estimated that only six months can be sustained."

  Wang Ding nodded again and asked He Zhengshan, who was still frowning in thought: "General He, do you have any opinions on this?"

  He Zhengshan put the battle report on the table, clasped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I have one thing that is not clear: Tong Wen was sent by me to the Huantian border with only 18,900 troops. The Wujitun in Huantian is known as the Copper Wall and Iron Fortress, conservatively estimated to have at least 50,000 troops. I don't know how they were able to destroy Wujitun? The description of the victory process in the battle report is vague and some places are unbelievable. What's more, it says that among the thousands of troops, they came and went freely, repelled the Huantian army of 10,000 people, and abandoned the main commander Wu Yue... I suspect there is a trick!

  Zhang Jinxin's smile slightly stiffened; Wang Jiacheng's eyes widened in anger; Wang Ding laughed and said, "This matter should be true. I've heard those masters say that when the Ren and Du meridians are opened, one's strength and speed will increase unimaginably, and it will be easy to shatter stones and break through gold. The Emperor is not far from that realm either! Haha..."

  Zhang Jinxin, Wang Jiacheng and He Zhengshan stood up simultaneously and shouted in congratulations: "Congratulations to Your Majesty! Great progress in your divine skills!"

  "Hehe, sit down." Wang Dingxi smiled and continued, "I don't know what you all think about sending troops and dispatching generals?" The three of them sat down calmly upon hearing this.

  Wang Jiecheng sat down and nodded his hands, saying: "General He knows the root of Tong Wen's knowledge, and even if Tong Wen has any tricks, he can respond with ease." - It seems that he also had doubts about Tong Wen's achievements in this battle.

  Zhang Jinxi heard this and frowned rarely, then remained silent.

  Since the Prime Minister did not raise any objections, he said to He Zhengshan: "In that case, General He, since troops are valued for their speed, you can set out early tomorrow morning. The deployment of soldiers and food supply issues will be handled by Premier Zhang and Wang Zhongtang."

  "Yes!" The three men stood up simultaneously and bowed their way out.

  Wang Ding stroked his short beard and sank into thought for a moment, then calmly said to the empty hall: "Wei Ming, you say that Tong Wen Zheng has such a high-ranking assistant, where did he come from?"

  A figure flashed by, and Wang Ding stood calmly in front of him, a tall and handsome young man with his hands behind his back. The young man was Wei Ming, from a mysterious sect: Shenwu Gate.

  Wei Ming smiled softly and said, "What kind of expert is that? He's just slightly skilled in martial arts."

  "Wouldn't it be easy for Emperor Heaven to send a strong expert to destroy Tong Wenjing?"

  "That's not necessarily true. A master generally won't get overly involved in these petty squabbles, because constantly stepping on ants doesn't accomplish much."

  "Uh..." Wang Ding was choked and couldn't speak.

  "When can I break through Ren Du Er Mai?" Wang Ding calmed down and asked a practical question.

  Wei Ming rolled his eyes and said, "A person has a vast universe within themselves, diligent practice is the only way to achieve greatness. Your bones and tendons are exceptionally good, it's just that worldly affairs have been holding you back."

  Wang Ding let out a soft sigh and said, "I also want to put it down, but this throne is too important, this power is too tempting. If you were sitting in my position, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to put it down either."

  "In that case, I didn't say anything." Wei Ming turned his back and floated out a sentence, "Do you want me to go and wipe them out?"

  "No need, at that level, I can destroy them. Moreover, I quite enjoy such schemes, they are all in my grasp. Hehe..." King Ding said with a confident and sinister tone.

  Wei Ming swayed his body as he walked and touched his forehead, saying: "I'm telling you, Wang Ding, you..."

  "Alright, alright. I know, practice makes perfect." Wang Ding cut off Wei Ming's nagging and muttered to himself: You're the only one who can't win, everyone else has been beaten by me...

  "You..." Wei Ming opened his mouth, about to reveal the truth, but hesitated and stopped. Anyway, Wang Ding had a good physique, with more practice he would have a decent level of skill, enough for self-defense.

  "Suit yourself." Tan said lightly and disappeared without a trace.

  Wang Ding stared blankly at the spot where Wei Ming disappeared, and softly sighed: "When can I reach such a level..." The sunlight outside began to shine into the room, making it bright and clear. But would the darkness inside the house disappear just like that?

  He Zhengshan returned to his residence and immediately summoned his staff, hiding in a secret room to discuss reinforcement matters. He Zhengshan's staff consisted of two people: one was named Lu Fei, who wore a feather fan and had a refined appearance; the other was named Qiu Sheng, who looked robust and determined, seemingly representing both literary and martial arts.

  He Zhengshan spoke out about Tong Wen's military achievements, and then gritted his teeth and said: "I must trample him to death!" After hearing this, Lu Fei's eyes flashed slightly, and Qiu Sheng's eyes widened in shock.

  Lu Fei calmed down and smiled: "General, why worry? Tong Wen Zheng has absolutely no chance of turning the tables."

  He Zhengshan's anger turned to joy as soon as he heard it, and he hastily asked: "I don't know what Lu Fei has to teach me?"

  Lu Fei chuckled and said, "General, it seems you're getting anxious. Tong Wen Zheng only has less than 7,000 troops. If we clash with the Hua Tian army a few more times, they'll definitely be exhausted. What a great opportunity!"

  "This...this isn't good, is it?" He Zhengshan didn't want to make it too obvious for the time being.

  Lu Fei urged again: "General, think about it. If Tong Wen Zheng is really that powerful, and less than 20,000 soldiers can defeat the more than 50,000 strong Wu Yue army with a good reputation, and destroy Wujitown, then his nearly 7,000 soldiers against the undefended Haotian city would be an easy victory. He attacks the city in front, while we only need to defend the city behind..."

  "Oh, great! Great plan!" He Zhengshan slapped his thigh in approval. "If he agrees, then Emperor Huangtian will send troops to destroy him; if he dares to disobey orders, then it's perfect for punishing his crime! Wonderful! It's really wonderful!"

  "Mr. Lu, your kindness, Zhengshan will never forget!" After finishing speaking, he stood up and bowed to Lufei, who hurriedly supported him. He Zhengshan raised his head and continued: "If it weren't for you, sir, Zhengshan wouldn't know how long he would be suppressed by Tong WenZheng; but now, it is the day when Tong WenZheng will never turn over again. Haha..." After finishing speaking, he looked up at the sky and laughed loudly.

  Lu Fei and Qiu Sheng exchanged a glance, then Lu Fei said to He Zhengshan: "Gold will always shine through, General. Your rise to power is a certainty. I'm just taking advantage of the momentum to get ahead, so I can benefit from your success and get some food on the table. Otherwise, I'd have starved to death on the streets long ago..." After finishing speaking, he let out a sigh, seemingly not optimistic about his own prospects. Back when Lu Fei and Qiu Sheng were down on their luck on the streets, He Zhengshan had taken pity on them, offering them some food, and after chatting with them, they had become acquainted due to mutual admiration.

  He Zhengshan saw Lu Fei bring up a heart-wrenching matter, and the atmosphere turned gloomy - although he asked many times, but Lu Fei still didn't say what it was - He busily patted his chest and said magnanimously: "The gentleman's affairs are Zhengshan's affairs, as long as the gentleman has a request, Zhengshan will definitely go all out!"

  Lu Fei secretly rejoiced in his heart, and with a nonchalant expression on his face, he said: "General should still prioritize state affairs. Ah yes, General, Tong Wen Zheng has an expert by his side, Qiu Sheng is not bad either, why don't you let Qiu Sheng find an opportunity to probe him, best if...". Lu Fei made a slashing motion with his palm across his neck.

  He Zhengshan felt that he had not helped Lu Fei, and his heart was filled with guilt. He lowered his head, but when he heard Qiu Sheng make a move, he couldn't help but feel joyful on his face, saying: "With Qiu Sheng taking action, Zhengshan has no worries!"

  Qiu Sheng nodded his hands and said: "Zheng Shan heard that there is such a master, just itching to try."

  "Hehe~" He Zhengshan stopped arguing and said, "Alright then, let's set off early tomorrow morning!"