Chapter 505

Pei Feng led troops to garrison Eastern Garden.

Several hundred thousand well-trained Black Phoenix Army took over Eastern Garden's defense, while the Five Elements Spirits, according to their nature, set up camp within Eastern Garden in the nine military cities arranged per the Nine Palaces; except for the central city garrisoned by the Black Phoenix Army, the other eight were completely filled by the Five Elements Spirits.

Besides that, the Five Elements Spirits also built within Eastern Garden, in the forests, in the waters, beneath the mountains, and deep in the earth veins, dwellings rich in ethnic characteristics.

Several dozen Fire Spirit Elders, with the help of the Earth Spirits clan, even dug through the earth veins at Eastern Garden's core, drawing forth a stream of magma and creating out of nothing a massive volcano.

Fire Spirits frolicked in the volcanic magma while controlling the earth fire, allowing Wu Tie's craftsmen to use this high-temperature earth fire, which stores vast primordial energy, to forge various rare alloys and cast powerful weaponry.

Sima Wuyou's latent power is extremely strong.

Mr. Li directly liaised with the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army; large amounts of baggage and materials continuously flowed to Eastern Garden via secret channels.

Huang Lang remained in Jade Prefecture, handling all administrative affairs there.

Huang Yu followed a portion of the Huang clan as they came with Pei Feng to Eastern Garden; these Huang clansmen, all possessing ample administrative experience, respectively served as staff officers, chief clerks, chief secretaries, and campaign commanders of the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army, and within two days had Eastern Garden running in orderly fashion.

There were the Eastern Garden's Grand Eunuch and old matrons who wanted to stir up trouble.

Pei Feng produced the Divine Emperor's Order; a barrage of military cane beatings made those Grand Eunuchs and old matrons wail to heaven and earth, and as imperial private slaves they were powerless to defy the authority of the Divine Emperor's Order, each becoming exceedingly obedient and honest.

Pei Feng directed Huang Yu and others to begin taking stock of Eastern Garden's holdings.

From the various furnishings and treasures in the palaces and halls, down to the most ordinary tea cups and rice bowls, as well as the rare flowers and exotic herbs within Eastern Garden, the carefully cultivated medicinal herbs, and even the rare birds and exotic beasts kept there, all property was re-registered and catalogued.

In this process, Pei Feng uncovered countless shortfalls; those Grand Eunuchs and old matrons even dared to sell off the imperial items used by past Divine Emperors of the Great Jin Divine State stored in Eastern Garden for money!

These accounts, Pei Feng handed over to Mr. Li.

Within Eastern Garden, a large number of eunuchs and matrons silently disappeared; thereafter, batch after batch of eunuchs and palace maids, after careful training, cautious and meticulous in handling affairs, and with cultivation not weak, were replenished into Eastern Garden.

All of this had nothing to do with Wu Tie.

Ma Xiangru and company were penniless; in just over a day they gathered one hundred twenty Heavenly Dao divine weapons and sent them to Eastern Garden.

The members of the 425 noble households from Jade Prefecture who participated in the rebellion were transported by Wu Tie aboard a dozen-odd giant transport ships to An'yang City, where they were handed over to the emissaries sent by Princess Jing Sheng.

As for those noble clansmen whose homes had been ransacked by Wu Tie, left completely stripped bare with not a single copper coin left, what fate awaited them Wu Tie could no longer be bothered to care.

In Eastern Garden he opened a secret chamber; after so long, he for the first time truly entered secluded cultivation with single-minded focus. The one hundred twenty Heavenly Dao divine weapons, each containing different Heavenly Dao principles, were shattered and devoured by his mutated bones, and Dao patterns continually appeared on the projection of the Fortune Jade Disc.

His magical power cultivation did not increase, nor did his Life Pool expand, but Wu Tie's grasp of the Heavenly Dao, his 'Dao cultivation realm', deepened frenetically.

Gradually, the Fortune Jade Disc became smooth as jade, clear as a mirror, its whole body emanating a brilliant luster that illuminated Wu Tie's Life Pool and divine soul, making them pure as the moon, and his body and mind utterly clear and bright.

Wu Tie has already studied all the Heavenly Dao principles of this world.

Heavenly Dao patterns continually were fully supplemented, continually imprinted on the Fortune Jade Disc, and continually merged into Wu Tie's divine soul.

Wu Tie's divine soul became blazing and dazzling, like a humanoid sun hovering above his Life Pool.

This is pure comprehension, understanding, analysis, and mastery of the Heavenly Earth Great Dao.

Unrelated to magical power cultivation, unrelated to physical cultivation.

Thus, when Wu Tie entered seclusion, the secret chamber was utterly quiet, with not the slightest fluctuation of heavenly-earth primordial energy.

In this strange quiet, Wu Tie's strength leapt forward; a sense of perfect, complete fullness emanated from his divine soul, filling his whole body, causing Wu Tie to inexplicably feel joy, his whole body radiating dazzling light.

Thanks to the generosity of Princess Jing Sheng and Ma Xiangru et al., Wu Tie received a tremendous benefit, drawing him ever closer to the Womb Storage Realm.

As long as he comprehends and absorbs all the Heavenly Dao principles of this world, Wu Tie will immediately break through the Life Pool realm, condense a supreme Divine Fetus, thereby entering the Womb Storage Realm, and his strength will undergo an earth-shaking change in an instant, at least a hundredfold increase.

Especially, Wu Tie's foundation is exceedingly strong; the Primordial Scripture brings him endless benefits.

Once the Divine Fetus is condensed, Wu Tie faintly feels that his cultivation level will absolutely not be an ordinary early Womb Storage Realm; it may directly reach the profound depths of the Womb Storage Realm.

As Wu Tie progressed rapidly, the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army also gradually began to take shape.

Old Tie held Jade Prefecture, selecting from the captured noble private armies nearly ten thousand Womb Storage Realm commanders and millions of peak Life Pool elites, individually controlling their life and death via secret arts, and together with nine Four Spirit Warships sent them to Eastern Garden.

These private army elites were incorporated into the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army, blended with the original Black Phoenix Army, becoming its core backbone; meanwhile, the army composed of the Five Elements Spirits, outwardly nominally the private troops of Eastern Garden Commander Huo Xiong, is an auxiliary corps of the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army.

After all, the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army occupies an important position with special status; it can only be a force mainly of human cultivators.

After all, the Five Elements Spirits are a foreign race; they cannot become the Great Jin Divine State's Forbidden Army, only able to appear as an auxiliary corps.

The scale of the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army rapidly expanded; after Pei Feng sent the completed roster to the Capital Military Directorate, the Great Jin court immediately erupted in a fierce dispute.

Sima Xian demanded that the Capital Military Directorate fully meet the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army's armament and supply requirements according to Pei Feng's roster.

With over five million officially enlisted Eastern Garden Forbidden Army troops and more than ten times that number in the Five Elements Spirits auxiliary corps, Sima Xian loudly demanded that the Capital Military Directorate allocate a budget for the huge Eastern Garden Forbidden Army according to standard military benefits.

The Capital Military Directorate had no money.

Sima Zhi, in the court, publicly appealed to the Great Jin Household Hall, which controls the nation's purse, for money; to the Works Hall, which controls military equipment, for warships, armor, crossbows, swords, and all military materiel; and to the Agriculture Hall for grain, fodder, various war beasts as mounts, and special flying mounts, etc.

The Household Hall, Works Hall, and Agriculture Hall are all institutions controlled by the Right Minister Gongyang Sanlü.

For years the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army has been a useless husk; the annual savings in supplies and armaments were a big chunk of fat, feeding the old and young officials of the Household, Works, and Agriculture Halls, making them plump and delightfully tender.

The Eastern Garden Forbidden Army was reconstituted, and suddenly swelled to such a massive scale.

Although over five million human troops in the regular establishment is already enough, the Five Elements Spirits foreign race, numbering ten times the regular troops, now also demand to enjoy the same benefits as the regular troops?

Gongyang Sanlü remained silent, while the officials of the Household, Works, and Agriculture Halls all went mad, jumping out to tear at each other with Sima Zhi.

Sima Zhi……lacked strength; facing these red-eyed officials, he was quickly defeated.

Sima Xian personally went into battle, slamming the dragon throne and loudly roaring, emphasizing the importance and necessity of the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army……

Besides the officials of the Household, Works, and Agriculture Halls, many more civil officials jumped out, citing classics to accuse Sima Xian of such behavior being wasteful militarism, the act of a dim-witted ruler.

They solemnly told Sima Xian that the Great Jin now has the four major main forces—Demon-Subduing, Demon-Expelling, Divine Martial, and Divine Might—stationed, sufficient to guard the court and repel foreign enemies; Sima Xian need only enjoy himself leisurely in the capital.

In the view of these civil officials, the Great Jin's troops are strong and horses sturdy; there is absolutely no need to create another Eastern Garden Forbidden Army.

Over these years, although the Southern, Northern, and Western Garden Forbidden Armies have been completely eliminated, and the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army has become a cripple, yet the total troop strength of the Great Jin Divine State has not decreased; the added forces have all been filled into the four main war corps.

Especially the Divine Might Corps, responsible for expanding territory, has in the past several thousand years frenetically expanded its forces nearly tenfold.

"Your Majesty, the Great Jin's army is not too few but too many, already placing enormous pressure on the state finances." The head of the Household Hall, Gongyang Sanlü's favored disciple, Hua Yongning, who came from a humble background, holding a jade tablet, shouted loudly at Sima Xian: "Creating another Eastern Garden Forbidden Army, and one of such massive scale…… arming them is not difficult."

Hua Yongning sternly shouted: "But if the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army is a standing force of such massive size, the annual cultivation resources, annual equipment wear and tear, annual expenditure…… according to the treatment of the imperial forbidden army, the cost of provisions for one forbidden soldier is ten times that of an ordinary soldier of the same rank, and the annual supply of cultivation resources is also ten times that of an ordinary soldier……"

"Lord Huo Xiong of Jade Prefecture, what a grand gesture—he expanded the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army from a mere million to fifty-five times that!"

Hua Yongning stared straight at Sima Xian, stomping his feet in fury: "We can't afford it, we can't afford it; I am incapable, the Household Hall cannot produce this sum of money, cannot produce these resources."

Sima Xian stared fixedly at Hua Yongning: "If you can't come up with this sum of money, you, the Household Palace Master, are just eating for free?"

Sima Xian grabbed the purple-gold paperweight on the imperial desk, looking as if he might at any moment throw it and smash Hua Yongning's skull.

The entire court of civil and military officials had no doubt that Sima Xian would do such a thing.

Actually, Sima Xian has been in power for over five thousand years; he has repeatedly committed the foolish act of beating officials in court, and the whole court of civil and military officials all say that, counting the foolish rulers throughout Jin history, Sima Xian is the worst!

Hua Yongning's face turned green with anger at Sima Xian's words, and he shouted: "Your Majesty, since you consider me incapable, then this subject, the Household Palace Master…… would rather……"

Hua Yongning couldn't get the words out, and Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü both coughed once; the two, one on the left and one on the right, stepped out of the ranks together and gave Hua Yongning a deep look.

Gongyang Sanlü's eyes were full of blame.

Hua Yongning lowered his head, took a deep breath, and calmed his anger. He realized he had been rash; if he had spoken those words just now, Sima Xian would surely have gone along with it, permitting him to resign his post as Household Palace Master and letting him go home to retire.

Linghu Qingqing merely gave Hua Yongning a lukewarm glance.

Actually, Linghu Qingqing rather wishes Hua Yongning would get lost; this guy is really too capable, and under his management the Household Palace is leak-proof. Linghu Qingqing has often wanted to interfere in Household Palace administration and control part of the finances, but Hua Yongning has always resolved it cleanly, leaving no room for interference.

If Hua Yongning resigns and gets lost, Linghu Qingqing would have an opportunity to exploit.

But now Great Jin and Great Wu are fully at war; domestic finances must not be allowed to fall into chaos, so the Household Palace still needs Hua Yongning to hold the fort.

Sima Xian, meanwhile, looked at Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü with an unpleasant expression.

Linghu Qingqing controls seventy percent of Great Jin's generals.

Gongyang Sanlü, seventy percent of Great Jin's civil officials come from his door.

The two joining forces, their actual power already surpasses Sima Xian.

Usually, the two are very much in tune and exercise restraint, never speaking at the same time in court, precisely to avoid provoking Sima Xian and avoiding the impression of "powerful ministers joining forces to sideline the emperor."

This time, the two appeared together, and Sima Xian's face twitched repeatedly, twitching badly.

"Both of you, senior officials……hehehe." Sima Xian smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes, every crease on his face revealing a sense of falseness: "Is there any important court business that requires the two of you senior officials to handle personally?"

Gongyang Sanlü said calmly: "The Director of the Ritual Palace Music Bureau lacks virtue and ability, his character is corrupt; I impeach him…… I request, confiscate the residence of the Music Bureau Director, exile his entire household to the frontiers, banish him to Great Marsh Prefecture, and place him at the disposal of the army."

Sima Xian stared blankly; the Ritual Palace is Gongyang Sanlü's turf, and all the officials above and below in the Ritual Palace are his disciples.

You want to discipline the Music Bureau Director?

"Okay!" Sima Xian laughed and slapped the imperial desk: "Just exile a single Music Bureau Director? Or should we thoroughly clean up the entire Music Bureau?"

In court, among the ranks where the Ritual Palace officials stood, dozens of officials belonging to the Music Bureau went weak in the knees and simultaneously knelt on the ground.

Gongyang Sanlü lightly shook his head and gave Sima Xian a mild admonition: "Your Majesty, when one bears the demeanor of a ruler, state punishments are not to be used so haphazardly."

After a cold snort, Gongyang Sanlü retreated back into the ranks.

Sima Xian's eyes rolled about, "The demeanor of a ruler?" "State punishments must not be used haphazardly?"

Hehe, hehehe, Sima Xian glanced at Linghu Qingqing, then at Gongyang Sanlü; he knew full well that these two old fellows definitely had some shady deal, and heaven only knows how the Music Bureau Director offended them.

However, having nothing to do with him Sima Xian, the Music Bureau Director is not his son.

"Senior official, what about you?" Sima Xian looked at Linghu Qingqing with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I subject believe that the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army should be valued; therefore, what Your Majesty just said, I subject feel, can fully meet all the needs of the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army." Linghu Qingqing said calmly: "As for military supplies and expenses, I have heard that in recent years the court has had quite a few unlawful merchants who hoard goods to inflate prices, evade taxes, and even engage in forced buying and selling, monopolizing a region."

"These corrupt merchants, while harmful to the state, have amassed wealth comparable to mountains and seas…… I dare to request, using wartime military law, to requisition the property of these corrupt merchants for military use. Thus, all expenses of the Eastern Garden Forbidden Army, and even the urgent military supplies and equipment needed by the frontline armies, will be fully provided."

Linghu Qingqing said coldly: "The war with Great Wu will inevitably be protracted; casualties among the troops will likely number in the hundreds of millions? When this battle ends, the state army will probably have a huge shortage; a mere Eastern Garden Forbidden Army…… hehe, I request, reopen the Three Gardens Forbidden Army and the Imperial City Twelve Guards Forbidden Army, to defend Anyang and make up for the army's losses."

Meanwhile, Gongyang Sanlü, who had already retreated to the ranks, suddenly lifted his head and gave Linghu Qingqing an astonished look.

Sima Xian's face was all smiles as he repeatedly nodded: "Okay, okay, okay! Well, confiscating the corrupt merchants is a good thing…… but the taxes they omitted must be made up to me."