Chapter 5: Beheaded
Early morning court
“Your Majesty, I believe Long Lituoqi has rebelled against the emperor and should be executed. Please make a decision soon,” said Liu Cunbaidao, the Minister of War.
Other officials echoed him, one after the other, reporting Long Lituoqi’s usual crimes. They really didn’t expect Long Lituoqi to be so heinous, even robbing children of their candy.
“Your Majesty, although Long Lizhuqi rebelled against you, his achievements for the empire are not something that can be erased. It was with Long Lizhuqi’s assistance that the empire was able to attack the western countries to the west, reach the Chu-Huai region to the south, and conquer the Goguryeo and Xianbei kingdoms to the north.” One person stood out proudly, it was Li Jianye, who had been the one to send Biu Xin to withdraw his troops and lift the siege of Walland.
Hmph, if it weren’t for your great achievements last time, I would have spanked you right now.
“Your Majesty, during the interrogation, apart from knowing that he intended to rebel, we didn’t find out much else,“ said Mu Weiyang, the Minister of Justice.
Nonsense, if there is something bad, it is always the people of the Demon-Accepting Society who do it.
”For the crime of treason alone, it is a capital offence,“ said Li Daoyuan, the new Minister of Rites.
The ministers nodded together this time.
”Then let’s execute him in three days.”
“What else do you all have to say?“ I pretended to listen to what was being said behind the curtain.
”Your Majesty, our country has been at war for many years, the treasury is empty, and last year we lost the Varna Plains for a time, so there is also a shortage of food. I hope that Your Majesty can understand the situation of the people and temporarily cease the fighting.” This is the new Minister of Works, Liu Chengye, who is extremely talented.
“Now that Novo and Cissang are still in the hands of the Biaoxin Kingdom, they pose a major threat to our Varna Plains. Only after they are captured can we talk about a temporary truce. If there is a shortage of money and grain, taxes can be increased,” said Lin Yiquan.
“Your Majesty, the situation in the country is not that there are too few taxes, but that there are too many. Even ordinary people find it extremely difficult to survive. The slave owners are exploiting the slaves too severely, and there are constant slave rebellions. Although General Yun Muyang has been sent to suppress them, it has put a serious strain on the national treasury. If this continues, our empire will have no money or food, so how can we wage foreign wars again? In fact, slaves are very easy to please. As long as they can survive, they will not rebel. If they can rest and recuperate for a year or two, increase production, it will, on the one hand, enrich the treasury, and on the other hand, the slave uprising will be extinguished without suppression, thus eliminating the worries of my empire’s western expedition and southern expedition.“ Liu Chengye said.
This time, even Lin Yiquan nodded.
”So what do you all think is the best way to increase taxes?”
“Your Majesty, we can develop commerce and increase taxes from commercial activities,“ said one minister.
”And how do we prosper commerce?“
”Your Majesty, you can first reduce some of the commercial taxes and strive to promote commerce,“ said a minister from the Ministry of Works.
”You can also establish a few more commercial centers and send troops to protect merchants.“
”You can establish a few more ports, encourage the development of the shipping industry, and develop trans-oceanic trade,” said several ministers from the Ministry of Works excitedly.
“Your Majesty, this is absolutely not acceptable,“ Right Minister Feng Juye exclaimed.
”Oh, Feng, what do you think is wrong?“ I asked.
”The reduction of commercial taxes is fine, but commercial centers, ports, and overseas trade are absolutely not acceptable. Agriculture is the foundation of all industries, and the agriculture of my empire was just hit hard the year before last. There is still a shortage of food, and food and fodder are the priorities for foreign campaigns. As the saying goes, before the army moves, food and fodder go first. This shows the importance of food and fodder. But can commerce be used for war? Weapons can be looted if they are gone, and they cannot be destroyed if you want to. But the same cannot be said for food, which can be burned in a single fire. In my empire’s foreign campaigns, there has never been a shortage of weapons and armor. Every time, it was because of a shortage of food and supplies that the troops had to retreat. In this era of continental hegemony, how can continuous years of war be supported without a strong agricultural industry? Commercial centers, ports, and overseas trade cannot bear fruit overnight. Take Taram as an example. It took ten years before it became a commercial capital. Therefore, I beg you to use the limited resources in the country on agriculture and strive to significantly increase agricultural production.” Feng Jieye said.
“Lord Feng’s words are extremely reasonable,“ Lin Yiquan nodded as he listened. The people in the hall couldn’t help but argue.
”Okay,“ I shouted, ‘Liu Chengye.’
”Your servant is here.“
”Tomorrow you will prepare a plan to reduce business taxes and give it to me, and also prepare a plan to develop agriculture.“
”Your servant will obey.”
“As for Nuo Zai City and Xi Shang City, they must be captured, otherwise it will be difficult to keep the Varna Plains safe. If there is a shortage of food and fodder, immediately buy it from abroad. Don’t worry about money, I will find it.“ I said.
”Your Majesty, I have one more matter.“ Liu Cunbai, the Minister of War, said.
”What is it, Minister Liu, please speak quickly.“
”The current situation in the northeast is a bit worrying.”
I was taken aback: ”What is it that worries Minister Liu?”
“The northeast used to be full of gangs, and although it was chaotic, it posed no threat to the empire. But now there is a powerful gang in the northeast called the Iron Salt Gang, which secretly smuggles weapons and salt. The salt is fine, but the weapons are disturbing. What’s more, they not only export them to Xianbei and Goryeo, but also to Chu and Huai. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Majesty to send troops to eradicate the Iron Salt Gang.“
”What does General Lin think?”
“Now our army is fighting for control of Nuo’ai City and Xishang City, and the demons in the Demon Realm are stirring for some reason. The slave uprising is also worrying. We cannot afford to be distracted by another enemy.“
”Then…“
”Your Majesty, I am willing to recruit the Iron Salt Gang,“ Li Jianye said.
”Minister Li, what do you think the chances of success are?”
“Your Majesty, now is not the time for war, so naturally we must talk peace. Even if I fail in my mission, I will still be able to reach an agreement with them, so that they will supply all of our weapons. This way, we can have the best of both worlds.“
”Lord Li, this is a very good plan,“ said the right-hand minister Feng Jiyue.
”Very well, Lord Li, I will trouble you with this. If you have nothing else to do, then the court is adjourned.”
Back at Qianyang Palace, I ordered Cathy, Ning Xiang, and Qiu Xiang (two maids who had grown up with me) to correct the memorial for me, and then entered the inner room.
“Suizi, go back and tell Ru Shi that I will send someone to negotiate with the Tieyan Gang, and have her send someone to receive them.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, many people have infiltrated the capital, half of whom are from the Chengmo Society.”
“Who are the other half from, Lan Mieqing?”
“Not likely. Most likely they are people trained in secret by the Demon Inheritance. There are 200 of them in total, none of whom we know.“
”Where are they located?”
Suizi gave a detailed account.
“The people you know don’t need you to go. Tonight, you will lead the Night’s Assassin. Here are the waistplates of 20 imperial guards. Keep them on you and show them to any members of the City Guard who appear.“ I said, ‘I will tell them that there are imperial secret agents on duty tonight.’
”Yes, Your Majesty, I will get ready now.”
After seeing Sui Zi (she had a token that allowed her to enter and exit the palace freely) leave, I thought for a moment and ordered, “Summon the commanders of the nine gates, the commander of the East City Guard, and the head of military intelligence to the palace.”
…
“I do not know what your majesty commands.” Wu Zian, the commander of the nine gates, said.
“Lord Wu, have you noticed anything unusual? Long Lituoqi is about to be beheaded.”
“Your Majesty, I was about to inform you that there are many unfamiliar faces in the city at the moment, and among them are 200 people from the Demon Alliance. I have ordered people to keep a close watch on them.“
”Lord Wang, what does your intelligence say?“
”Your Majesty, the intelligence shows that the Demon Alliance is here precisely to rob the execution ground. In addition, the Demon Alliance has not only deployed 200 people, but at least 100 more. Coupled with the manpower it can influence from the martial world, there are at least 400 people.”
“Lord Wu, how can you be the commander of the Nine Gates?“
Wu Zian’s head was sweating profusely: ‘Your Majesty, I am not up to the task. I deserve to die.’
”All right, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. Tonight, you will join forces with the Eastern Commander and wipe out the enemy bandits. If you fail again, you can go home and farm!“ I said with magnanimity.
”Thank you, Your Majesty. I vow to complete the mission.“
”George.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.“ George Sand stepped forward.
”This is the first time you’ve led troops on a mission, so don’t let me down.“
”Your Majesty, don’t worry, I will complete the mission, live up to your expectations, and not let myself down.“
”Alright, you three may leave. Wang Cheng, go back and give them a detailed account of where the enemy is.“
”Yes, Your Majesty, we take our leave.”
It was another moonless night. The 6,000 soldiers of the City Guard and the 1,000 soldiers of the Governor’s Office quietly set out and surrounded the residence of the Demon Suppression Association. Soon, the sound of shouting and fighting could be heard, rockets soared into the sky, and fire magic was cast in all directions. The houses under siege immediately caught fire, and 7,000 soldiers and horses charged into the houses and began the massacre.
Ten minutes earlier, 300 “nights” had split into two groups and infiltrated two courtyards. They removed the nails from the doors, and 150 people from each group surrounded the 20 houses. Just as the screams of battle rose outside, 100 people, each holding a crossbow in each hand, rushed into the houses and a flurry of shooting. After they finished shooting, they threw away the crossbows and the domineering iron needles came out in a row. The 200 elites trained by the Demon-bearing Sect were just awakened from their dreams and most of them were killed or injured. Those who escaped the hands of death in the house could not escape the snipers ambushed on the roof. The riot stopped after ten minutes and all the enemies were dealt with. “Night” immediately retreated.
Three days later, Long Ludi was beheaded at Caishikou, and the Divine Sword Villa was destroyed by the army. A storm broke out in the underworld, and the army began to hunt down and kill people in the underworld because they were all related to Long Ludi. Everyone in the underworld was on edge, fearing that the authorities would suspect them and bring unwarranted disaster.
The Yuri siblings have already returned to the Forest of the Setting Sun. They said that their mission was complete, and I ordered them to stay as the emperor. But these two ignored me. I was about to get angry, but unfortunately, I lost my mind when Yuri sister gave me a glance from her big eyes, and I let them go confusedly.
One day, when I had nothing better to do, I took Cathy, ten members of the Jin group, and Sun Yong and snuck out of the palace and went for a stroll in the streets. We went to Taoranju for a meal, but unfortunately no one recognized me without my disguise. I couldn’t help but make a move when I saw the pretty waitress. She probably didn’t care because I was only thirteen, but Cathy got angry and gave me a hard kick, which made my face twitch.
“Young master, what’s wrong?“ Sun Yong looked at me strangely. If he wasn’t so confident in what he had learned, he would have really thought someone had snuck up on me.
”Nothing, a mosquito just bit my foot.“
”Hmph,“ Cathy snorted.
”Let go!” With a loud slap, the whole upstairs floor fell silent.
“Why are you behaving like this, young lady? I consider it a blessing to have fallen for you. If you just agree to marry me, you won’t have to serve dishes here anymore.” A greasy young man said, and then walked up to the waitress and pulled at her. The male head waiter looked shocked and wanted to come forward to stop him, but was stopped by the man’s companion. He couldn’t use his martial arts skills, so he could only worry.
“Who is that guy?“ I asked Sun Yong. This kid has a lot of nerve, he even dares to touch my people.
”I don’t know either,” Sun Yong said with a bitter smile.
Just then, a man sitting next to him couldn’t hold back any longer and stood up abruptly, but was pulled back down by another man: ”Brother Wen, you know who his son is, he is the son of the mighty Marquis. You can’t fight him.”
“So what if he’s the son of the mighty marshal? If everyone keeps their heads down, what future does the empire have? My father stood up even though he knew he would die. Is his son supposed to be a coward?“ The man became more and more angry as he spoke, and stood up again.
”Stop,” he shouted, shaking the building. ”How can you do such a heinous thing in broad daylight? Aren’t you afraid of disgracing your father?”
With a swish, the young man opened his fan, released the maid, and looked curiously at the young man in front of him: “Kid, your master doesn’t buy this.”
“Aren’t you afraid of the Nine Gates Marshal?”
“You know who I am. Wei Wu is my father, Lu Fang. How dare the Nine Gates Marshal touch me? He wouldn’t dare if he had three guts!”
The man surnamed Wen shook his head: “I didn’t realize that the mighty general had such a son. Release the person immediately, or don’t blame me for being rude.”
“I guess you’ve practiced martial arts for a few years, come and play a couple of rounds with your young master.” After saying this, he waved his fan and rushed up. The man surnamed Wen used the Kunlun sword method, which was obviously not the real thing, and had many flaws. It was no match for the Lv family’s inherited martial arts, and he was knocked to the ground in less than a moment.
I was eager to try, “Let’s go help.”
Sun Yong shook his head, “Young master, no need. Look.” He gestured for me to look out the window, “Those are the people from the Smoky Rain Sword Pavilion. They won’t be able to watch, and they’ll intervene.”
I turned my head and looked. What a beautiful young girl. The man next to her naturally didn’t even look at her.
Stepping on the man surnamed Wen with one foot, Lu Fang said, “Kid, what’s your name? If you tell me, I won’t hold it against you, and I’ll even let this girl go.” Lu Fang was a little curious that there was actually someone in the city who dared to oppose him.
After some consideration, the man surnamed Wen said in a deep voice: “Wen Dingqian.”
Lu Fang quickly searched his mind, and there was no minister in the army or the court with the surname Wen. He immediately calmed down and sneered, “What did your father teach you? Don’t you even know that the man who knows the times is a hero? You even dared to touch the young master.”
“You’re right, my father has never known what it means to be a hero who knows the times, and he would never teach me,” said Wen Dingqian proudly.
He gave a contemptuous snort and said, “Which stray dog is your father?”
Wen Dingqian made a strong effort to sit up, but was pushed down again by Lv Fang’s foot. Looking at Lv Fang, Wen Dingqian’s eyes were about to burst into flames. He shouted at Lv Fang angrily, “Wen Dingqian, the city defender of Jiading Ancient City, was my late father.”
The originally noisy Taoran Residence immediately fell silent, and everyone looked at him.
Lü Fang was shocked and hurriedly pulled his foot back and helped Wen Dingjian up: “Brother Wen, it was my fault. Please be magnanimous and regard what I just said as nonsense.” Lu Fang knew that if his father knew about this, he would be able to break his legs. He couldn’t help but panic, and he didn’t dare to stay for long. He took his men and left in a flurry.
As soon as Lu Fang left, the people upstairs immediately surrounded Wen Dingqian and said words of admiration. Wen Dingqian couldn’t help but feel like crying. He knew that just by himself, the people in the building would never be so enthusiastic towards him.
As I watched the people from the Smoky Rain Sword Pavilion leave, I hurriedly called out to everyone to follow, but unfortunately, these two people were as slippery as fish, and they disappeared into the crowd. Shaking my head, I had no choice but to return to the palace.
“Announce the entry of Wen Dingqian, son of the defender of Jiading City.”
“Wen Dingqian, your father defended Jiading City and bought our empire two precious months. Few people can match his achievements. I wonder what you think you can propose to the emperor.“ The mighty general said to Wen Dingqian.
”Your servant has only one request: to go to the battlefield and serve the country.” Wen Dingqian did not recognize me as the child upstairs.
I pretended to repeat what my mother had said behind the curtain, and said indolently, “Right now, only the Western Azure Dragon Army is fighting, but the Northern Red Dragon Army is also having minor skirmishes with the Xianbei, and there are even bigger disputes with the demons, with casualties almost every day. Where do you want to go?”
“Your servant wishes to go to the Frozen Soil City.”
“Do you know that the Frozen Soil City is an extremely dangerous place, and if you are not careful, you could risk your life?”
“A hero is revealed in times of danger.“
”Fine, since you want to go, I won’t stop you. Come in.”
The palace maid entered with three trays.
“Here is a sword, named Kunwu, and this book, Kunwu Swordplay, which is the companion to the Kunwu sword. This piece of clothing has been enchanted by seven sixth-level mages. Your father died for the country after doing great deeds, but you have not yet done anything to deserve promotion. So I will give you three treasures, and when you have military achievements, I will promote you.“
”Your servant thanks Your Majesty for your gifts.” Wen Dingqian was overjoyed.
“Here are also three pills of immortality, which will be of some help to you in your martial arts practice. You may take them and take them while you practice.”
…
One day later, Wen Dingqian, as a centurion, was in front of the Frozen Soil City.