Chapter 482

Peaceful Yang, Imperial City, Nine Heavens Palace.

After the vast, ancient Great Jin Divine State mobilized, its efficiency remained very high.

Everything that happens in Great Marsh Prefecture, no matter how big or small, can be transmitted in the shortest time to all civil and military officials at court, as well as the exalted Great Jin Divine Emperor Sima Xian.

Early in the morning, Sima Xian flew into a rage again in the main hall.

Holding a gold-inlaid, jade-embedded green glazed scepter, he fiercely struck the dragon throne before him, Sima Xian stepped onto the throne with one foot, spittle flying as he roared: "What's going on? What's going on? Who gave Zhao Xiu the gall? Who? I ordered him to bring the Zhao family's private troops to block the Great Wu army, yet he actually left Great Marsh Prefecture and ran to Feng Prefecture!"

The scepter smashed the dragon throne, sending sparks flying; Sima Xian's eyes began to bloodshot, like those of a starving wolf that has smelled blood and flesh.

"Who gave him the guts to desert the battlefield?"

Left Minister Linghu Qingqing narrowed his eyes and glanced at the civil and military officials in the hall.

A military department general wearing golden armor and a jade seal at his waist stepped out of the ranks, bowed to Sima Xian, and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that General Zhao Xiu's actions are not desertion on the battlefield, but rather a wise move in line with the current frontline situation."

Sima Xian stopped his hand, tilted his head to look at the general: "Jiang Huqiang, do you know what you're saying?"

The current head of the Great Jin Jiang clan, the deputy master of the Great Jin Divine Might Hall, Jiang Huqiang, smiled faintly and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I certainly know what I am saying."

Jiang Huqiang's glance swept past Linghu Qingqing, and he said in a deep voice: "General Zhao Xiu has already completed the main task; the Great Wu Crown Prince Wu Duzun is severely wounded, the Great Wu princes are beginning to vie for power, and we only need to continue to exploit the situation; breaking the Great Wu army is not difficult."

Jiang Huqiang straightened his back, with a hint of disrespect, his gaze deep as he looked at Sima Xian: "Therefore, Your Majesty, General Zhao Xiu has rendered great service; any minor oversight on his part is insignificant."

Sima Xian's face darkened, he said nothing, merely staring at Jiang Huqiang.

"As for General Zhao Xiu, after completing his primary objective and leading the Zhao family's private troops to retreat to Feng Prefecture, this is also on record in our military department."

Jiang Huqiang spoke at length: "General Zhao Xiu can, in Feng Prefecture, locally conscript troops, train them into an army, await the opportunity, and build up strength for deployment."

Sima Xian said coldly: "Awaiting the opportunity—what opportunity?"

Jiang Huqiang smiled slightly: "Awaiting the weakening of the Great Wu army's spirit, awaiting internal changes in Great Wu..."

Sima Xian heavily struck the dragon throne with his scepter, and said in a deep voice: "Hmph, it turns out Zhao Xiu didn't desert the battlefield; it was actually a brilliant, divine martial move. I truly hadn't realized Zhao Xiu was such a talent."

A flicker of ferocious light flashed in his eyes; Sima Xian sat back on the throne, casually shoved his glazed scepter into the hand of a nearby palace maid, and, in full view of the court, smeared his hand all over her lovely person in a dragging, messy way.

He smoothly placed his finger under his nose to sniff, a flash of extremely lewd smile crossed his lips, then Sima Xian resumed a solemn demeanor, casually flipped through the stack of military documents on the dragon throne, and said in a measured tone: "If so, then the southwestern affairs shall be entrusted to you ministers; have the troops gathered from all regions already been assembled?"

Linghu Qingqing gave a light cough, and Jiang Huqiang walked back into the ranks.

Linghu Qingqing stepped out of the ranks, bowed slightly to Sima Xian, and said: "Your Majesty, the Suppress Demons Hall and the Expel Demons Hall must not be lightly moved in their underground demon defenses; the Divine Martial Army must not be lightly moved in its holding of the three-nation battlefield; the only mobile main force is the Divine Might Army."

"However, the various divisions of the Divine Might Army, while expanding our Great Jin's territory beyond the borders, are currently engaged in fierce combat with the indigenous peoples of the barbaric lands and various demons; the situation is stalemated, making it difficult to draw sufficient troops."

"Therefore, over the past few days, we have only been able to conscript soldiers from the various states and prefectures, and draft private troops from the various states and families to form units. However, these newly formed troops have low morale; please, Your Majesty, widely bestow grace to boost the troops' spirit."

Linghu Qingqing's words sounded noble and righteous.

Sima Xian stared blankly at Linghu Qingqing: "Widely bestow grace? How to widely bestow grace? Eh? Money? Grain? Or what?"

Linghu Qingqing narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, this is a national war; a little money and grain would be of little use. I have a plan: 'spend a thousand gold to buy a horse's bone.' All Your Majesty needs to do is bestow the titles of three dukes, twelve marquises, and one hundred and eight earls in advance upon the commanders of the newly formed units; surely the soldiers will rejoice and their morale will soar."

Linghu Qingqing smiled: "Cooperating with our scheme, we will stir internal strife in Great Wu to weaken its strength—one's loss is the other's gain; our Great Jin will surely win."

Sima Xian tilted his head to look at Linghu Qingqing, remaining silent for a long moment.

They haven't even fought a battle, nor earned any merit, yet you want them to produce three dukes, twelve marquises, and one hundred and eight earls' titles? Do you think these titles are as common as cabbage?

Anyone with half a brain knows that those who receive these titles will certainly be Linghu Qingqing's cronies, the spoiled scions of the top military clans.

Previously, Linghu Qingqing and his ilk still wanted to maintain some semblance of propriety—like Sima Yu, who would appropriate military achievements, seize the credit of truly competent officers, and secure a title for himself.

But this time, Linghu Qingqing is completely shameless; even before the army has mobilized, he's directly demanding titles!

Sima Xian narrowed his eyes: "The Heavenly Decree is indeed a fine thing; Linghu Qingqing hasn't yet undergone the heavenly tribulation, nor truly become a deity, but holding the Heavenly Decree, he already regards himself as a god and begins to call the wind and summon the rain in court."

Sima Xian faintly recalled that, many years ago, Linghu Qingqing's father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather... seemed to have done the same.

Sima Xian unconsciously reached out his hand and lightly kneaded the nearby palace maid's body.

Under the gaze of all civil and military officials, a few senior civil ministers beside Gongyang Sanlü looked at Sima Xian with disgust—back then, how did they let this scoundrel take the place of the late Crown Prince Sima Sheng and make him the Great Jin Divine Emperor?

Sima Xian laughed: "This is proper, utterly proper; I approve it. Hmm, I also ask the Left and Right Ministers to discuss and ensure they select sufficiently fertile lands to enfeoff the generals, and make sure the troops see the court's sincere devotion."

Lightly patting the delicate body of the nearby palace maid, Sima Xian, lost in thought, used his left hand to flip open a military memorial before him.

"Hmm, this Huo Xiong—I have a vague impression… it seems he received the Heavenly Decree-bestowed Nine Turns Mystic Skill on the three-nation battlefield? And this time, too, he cooperated with Zhao Xiu, using the Sealing Aperture Cone to gravely wound Wu Duzun?"

"Hmm, I recall that at the time the ministers agreed upon the conditions… this Huo Xiong seems eligible to be made a duke, right?"

Sima Xian chuckled, looking at Linghu Qingqing: "However, for the merit of gravely wounding Wu Duzun, granting a first-rank duke would be excessive, a third-rank duke too petty; how about a second-rank duke instead?"

Sima Xian smiled lightly and carefree, as this was originally the bounty set by Sima Qingqing and others earlier.

After all, assassinating someone like Wu Duzun is an extremely difficult task; nobody thought it could be easily resolved.

Yet that Huo Xiong, as if aided by the gods, saw Wu Duzun that scoundrel charge into battle alone, and almost without resistance be gravely wounded by Huo Xiong's Sealing Aperture Cone; this achievement came out of nowhere, so we can only say Huo Xiong was lucky.

He's just lucky—what else can you say?

Sima Xian chuckled: "The Nine Turns Mystic Skill is an extraordinary ancient art, truly extraordinary; I recall that, apparently, no one in the current dynasty cultivates it… This Huo Xiong seems to have some ability, and moreover extraordinary fortune—hmm, eighty thousand li east of AnYang lies an ownerless Jade Prefecture; why not grant it to him?"

Sima Xian gazed eagerly at the assembled civil and military officials.

Linghu Qingqing raised his brows, pondered for a moment, then remained silent.

That Jade Prefecture is the most abundantly wealthy area surrounding AnYang City; its territory is vast, with many green mountains and clear waters, its earth veins deep and mighty, nourished by the essences of sun and moon and the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, Jade Prefecture produces supreme jade ore, excellent for forging artifacts and inscribing talismans; moreover, it contains thousand-year jade essence and ten-thousand-year jade paste, which are supreme divine materials, essential ingredients for refining Dao Pills.

Jade Prefecture is so wealthy that various parties contend for it, leaving it ownerless and directly administered by the Imperial Clan's Internal Affairs Hall.

Sima Xian's willingness to give Jade Prefecture to Huo Xiong perhaps merely stems from his appreciation of the Nine Turns Mystic Skill; it's no big deal. Compared to the benefits Linghu Qingqing gained—three dukes, twelve marquises, and one hundred and eight earls—Sima Xian bestowing his own possessions on a minor officer is utterly trivial.

Thus Linghu Qingqing smiled silently, gave a slight nod, and accepted Sima Xian's appointment.

Light footsteps sounded, and dozens of officials clad in scarlet robes, with black jade belts around their waists, faces full of indignation and resentment, like fighting cocks, vigorous and high-spirited, as if ready at any moment to clash heads and spill blood, stepped forward from the ranks.

Linghu Qingqing was stunned, Gongyang Sanlü was stunned, and the entire court of civil and military officials was stunned.

The Great Jin has an imperial-affiliated Forbidden Demon Hall that covertly investigates the world, and a military Strategy Hall that monitors foreign states; but in the court, within the authority of the Right Minister Gongyang Sanlü, there is the Censorate Hall with many censors overseeing civil and military officials, ready to impeach at the slightest hint.

The Forbidden Demon Hall is Sima Xian's personal domain.

The Strategy Hall is Linghu Qingqing's turf.

And the Censorate Hall is undoubtedly Gongyang Sanlü's personal enforcer squad, one of his key tools for stirring up trouble in court.

Linghu Qingqing glanced quickly at Gongyang Sanlü.

Gongyang Sanlü shook his head slightly; he really hadn't arranged anyone to do anything in today's court.

So Gongyang Sanlü's expression turned ugly; this group of censors from the Censorate Hall were his hounds—his own hounds hadn't greeted him, their master, before suddenly lunging to bite, which felt awful.

"Your Majesty, we have important matters to report," said a middle-aged man who looked dignified, with a slightly dark complexion, full of righteous vigor, upright and proper, possessing an aura of unyielding might and incorruptible wealth, leading many colleagues to kneel on the ground.

Gongyang Sanlü narrowed his eyes.

Vice Hall Master of the Censorate Hall, Ma Xiangru, who came from a humble background.

Without a doubt, Ma Xiangru is Gongyang Sanlü's confidant; otherwise he could not have taken the position of Vice Hall Master of the Censorate Hall.

But Ma Xiangru didn't tell him—was he going to appear today?

"Speak!" Sima Xian's interest sparked; he glanced at Gongyang Sanlü and let out an unhidden "hehe" laugh a few times.

Gongyang Sanlü's face grew even darker; he simply shoved his hands into his sleeves, striking a pose of a feeble, trembling old man warmed by a winter stove, harmless to man or beast.

"I impeach Commander Huo Xiong of the Da Ze Zhou Army; his weak fighting allowed the Great Wu enemy forces to invade Da Ze Zhou, nearly turning it into a desert wasteland... Such a general who loses authority and humiliates the state, I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to execute him!"

Ma Xiangru and the censors of the Censorate Hall shouted in unison: "We beg Your Majesty's decree to execute the guilty minister Huo Xiong as a warning to others!"

Sima Xian was stunned.

Linghu Qingqing's expression turned somewhat grim; he glared fiercely at Gongyang Sanlü.

Regardless, Huo Xiong is a military commander; although he is not Linghu Qingqing's man, you censors of the Censorate Hall come out shouting for battle and slaughter—Gongyang Sanlü, aren't you being too lax in controlling your lackeys?

Gongyang Sanlü took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

He didn't care whether Huo Xiong lived or died.

He was merely curious which faction Huo Xiong had offended this time—how even Ma Xiangru got dragged in.

He knew Ma Xiangru quite well; this guy never acts unless he sees a sure gain—he's not easily bought.

When the censors affiliated with An Yang City suddenly moved against "Huo Xiong," the main force of the Great Wu Divine State's anti-Jin army had already been pouring in continuously.

At the end of a straight road not far from the Eastern Palace traveling palace, spatial gates opened one after another; splendid light curtains illuminated the mountains and forests in all directions, and huge Great Wu warships, generally one-third longer than Great Jin warships of the same class, emerged in single file.

Great Jin was still conscripting troops nationwide, hastily forming units to counter the Great Wu invasion.

Meanwhile, the Great Wu Divine State had, years ago, secretly begun building its anti-Jin army; all supplies were ready, auxiliary troops and laborers fully in place—once the overlord gave the order, the massive corps streamed through the spatial gates, rushing to Great Jin at top speed.

Wu Duyao sat on a colossal flagship shaped like a dragon, over two thousand zhang long, with a grim face, gazing toward the distance where black light and seven-colored divine light vied.

That was the traveling palace of the former crown prince of Great Jin; the Great Wu Great Black Heaven King Wu Kuang was furiously attacking with the Black Heaven Cauldron without cease.

The former crown prince of Great Jin...

Wu Duyao drooled with desire.

But Wu Kuang... he didn't dare provoke him, nor could he; Wu Kuang's status in Great Wu is second only to the emperor, above all others—if Wu Duyao weren't out of his mind, he wouldn't dare offend this powerful royal uncle who holds real authority!

"All forces, charge!" Wu Duyao roared angrily: "No rest, no sleep, charge, charge..."

A middle-aged man in black clothes wearing a silk cap cautiously said beside him: "Your Highness, our vanguard earlier suffered losses and casualties in the frontline Great Jin Da Ze Zhou city..."

Wu Duyao pondered a moment, then snorted coldly: "Just a mere city—if the vanguard is incompetent, who is the commander of the vanguard corps? Chop him down, let his deputy take over... This Da Ze Zhou city—uh, I will personally lead the army to breach the city and slaughter him..."

"My army's spearhead points wherever it goes—who dares not surrender shall be utterly slaughtered!" Wu Duyao rose, his towering frame over two zhang tall exuding extraordinary heroism.

The black-clothed middle-aged man smiled cautiously.

But a flicker of pride flashed in his eyes, which Wu Duyao failed to notice.