Jiuxi

Chapter 271 269 [Shoot the tiger personally]

When Yongjia City and even other places in the south of the Yangtze River were cheering for Lei Ze's victory, the whole country in Yan State was in panic.

If we continue to go north, come to the distant and vast northern continent, and enter the territory of Jing Dynasty, the most powerful country in the world today, the defeat of that war will not cause much waves.

To the south of Huoshan Mountain and to the east of Yunhu Lake, stands a city that covers a vast area and is blocked by dangerous terrain on all sides. This is the capital of Jing Dynasty.

Although this place is not as profound as the thousand-year-old ancient city of Heluo, after decades of development, Dadu has become a veritable center of the northern continent.

On the natural hunting ground in the mountains of Beicheng, a tall man with slender limbs was dressed in a strong suit. He held up a three-stone bow in his left hand and took out a long arrow from the quiver on his waist with his right hand.

He has a handsome face, sharp features, and a pair of narrow eyes with a sharp light.

More than twenty feet ahead, a majestic white-fronted tiger with striking eyes lay in the grass. It also noticed the strong man and could not help but let out a low roar from time to time.

The man's lips curled up slightly, his right hand raised, and he drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

Standing next to him was a middle-aged man in his forties, who was the marshal of the southern courtyard of Jing Dynasty and Prince Qing Yugong of Changshan County. Following him were more than a dozen royal family members with strong figures and shining eyes. guard.

Qing Yugong stood with his hands behind his hands, a faint smile on his face.

Perhaps he felt the faint murderous aura ahead, or maybe he hadn't caught enough prey these days. The tiger raised its forelimbs and rushed forward for more than ten steps, then stopped suddenly and roared. He looked at the enemy in sight.

The strong man looked at the tiger and drew the bowstring bit by bit, breathing extremely calmly.

The tiger did this again and again, gradually approaching within twenty feet.

It shook its body restlessly. Perhaps the hunger in its belly made it make the most direct choice. It opened its mouth and let out a roar that shook the forest, and then rushed away like lightning!

"Shh!"

At this time, the strong man drew his bow like a full moon, and his arrows shot like shooting stars.

In an instant, the long arrow passed through a distance of more than ten feet, accurately shot into the tiger's right eye, and penetrated directly into the tiger's brain!

The tiger roared in pain. Although its body swayed, its forward momentum did not change. It roared with the wind and thunder, and leaped towards the strong man with its last strength and consciousness.

But Qing Yugong, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, took two steps forward to block the strong man. He struck the tiger's forelimb with one palm, then struck it on the tiger's head with a thunderous force.

Hunted by the mountain wind, the tiger flew back more than ten feet, screamed and curled up on the ground, and then stopped moving. I don't know whether it died from the injury of the long arrow, or because of Qing Yugong's palm.

The strong man threw his strong bow and quiver to the royal guard next to him and praised: "The prince is indeed the best master of our Da Jing Dynasty. It is easy to kill such beasts with bare hands."

Qing Yugong turned around and saluted: "Your Majesty's compliments are ridiculous, and I cannot bear it. If Your Majesty hadn't penetrated the tiger's head with the magic of shooting, it would have been difficult for my palm to be effective. It's just the icing on the cake."

"Hahaha, the prince is too humble."

The middle-aged man laughed loudly and had a heroic look on his face.

He is the current Emperor of Jing Dynasty, Ali Hehuandu, who was thirty-five years old and ascended the throne fourteen years ago.

There are several surnames in the Jinglian clan that are extremely noble and powerful. The first one is naturally the royal family Ali He, followed by the Qingyu clan and three other big families. Today's Marshal Sa Gai of Beiyuan belongs to one of them.

Ali Hehuandu was the second son of Ali Hewugu, the founding emperor of the Jing Dynasty. He had been extremely intelligent since he was a child. He followed several great scholars to study the culture of Qi. After he ascended the throne, he began to carry out continuous reforms.

When Ugu was on the throne, the court hall of Jing Dynasty still retained the habits of the tribal period. The founding emperor was more like a tribal leader, and it was always a mess downstairs during court meetings.

This is not to say that Jing Chaoxungui disrespects him, but that habits developed over decades are difficult to change.

Chaos abounds in the army. After the Jing army broke through the city, they burned, killed and looted without committing any evil. From the time they broke through the Jinghe defense line 18 years ago to the attack on Heluo 14 years ago, there were clearly recorded massacres of the city in these four years. There are twenty-nine acts.

Fourteen years ago, Ali Hehuandu defeated his other brothers to inherit the throne. His first move was to temporarily stop the expansion of the Jing army. While secretly supporting the founding of the Yan state, he adopted a gentle policy towards the Zhao state in the west and devoted his energy to the state of Zhao in the west. Mainly placed inside.

Over the years, Emperor Jing solved most of the chaotic problems in the court and the army through various means of differentiation, wooing, suppression and inducement, allowing the Jinglian people to gradually complete the transformation from a tribal alliance to a dynasty system.

Without his reforms of more than ten years, if the Jing Dynasty followed the pace of expansion during Ugu's reign, it would inevitably fall apart because of its inability to maintain internal order.

After recuperating for many years, Emperor Jing finally showed his sharp claws, and his attack was as powerful as thunder, and he annexed the Zhao Kingdom in the west in less than a year.

Jing's army, under the command of Qing Yugong, had broken through Changshui, the last city of Zhao State, half a month ago. The royal family of Zhao State had been completely killed. From then on, the name of this country was completely wiped out from the world.

After Qing Yugong completed all subsequent arrangements, he returned to Dadu to face the Holy Emperor. Then Emperor Jing invited him to come to the royal hunting ground to relax.

The monarch and his ministers walked slowly. Qing Yugong took half a step back and said apologetically: "Our army suffered heavy losses in the battle at Leize Plain. I did not make proper arrangements, and the child Huaijin was too impulsive. Please ask your Majesty Commitment." At Emperor Jing's insistence, Jing Dynasty now followed the regulations of Southern Qi in many aspects. There were many Tongwen Guan in the capital city, including some great Confucians of the time, most of whom were literary masters invited by Emperor Jing from the northern people.

Judging from their speech and behavior, there is almost no difference between the current Jing Dynasty's senior officials and those of Southern Qi.

Emperor Jing looked indifferent and said leisurely: "A defeat is not something to be afraid of. What's more, this time the elites of Southern Qi came out together. Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun joined forces side by side. Even if you go to the battlefield in person, you must be cautious, not to mention those who lack experience. Young man. I know you feel guilty, but don't blame that girl Yongping."

Having said this, he turned to look at Qing Yugong and emphasized: "This battle was planned by Mou Lianghu and others. Yongping only participated in it and did not forcibly interfere with the decisions of several generals."

Yongping refers to Qingyu Huaijin, the princess of Yongping County.

Qing Yu bowed his head respectfully and said, "Your Majesty is merciful, and I would like to thank Huai Jin for his grace."

Emperor Jing waved his hand and said with a smile: "Speaking of which, Lu Chen from Southern Qi really shines in my eyes. I thought that Xiao Wangzhi was old and Li Tianrun was in poor health. These two people would never live to be hundreds of years old. The following generals can lead one Military difficulties are the overall situation. I thought that the Southern Qi frontier army would have no successors in the future, so I never imagined that Lu Chen would suddenly appear."

There was no contempt in Qing Yugong's eyes, and he mused: "Although this man is young, he does not stick to the rules when it comes to military operations. He is especially good at making dangerous arrangements. His style is different from that of Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun. Before Zhongwang led his troops south this time, , I specifically told him to guard against the other party finding an opportunity to launch a surprise attack during roundabout maneuvers."

"To be able to receive your evaluation, I think that Lu Chen is indeed young and promising."

Emperor Jing smiled casually, not paying attention to Qing Yugong's last words, and said slowly: "In fact, the failure of the Battle of Leize Plain can also remind me and the civil servants and generals in the DPRK that Southern Qi is not as weak as we thought. In the past ten years or so, our country has been living well with the people, and Southern Qi has gradually recovered. Li Duan is much stronger than his father, and coupled with the generals of the Southern Qi border army who are good at leading troops, the battle between Jingqi and Jingqi may not be possible in the future. Easy as pie."

"What your Majesty said is true, but in my opinion, Southern Qi's continued counterattack is not a bad thing for our country."

"Oh?"

"Your Majesty, there are many internal conflicts in Southern Qi. The left and right prime ministers have opposing political views. There are great differences between the emperor and the Jiangnan nobles. At present, they can suppress the opposition in the DPRK and China with the victory of the frontier army. Once the frontier army loses, it will inevitably cause a backlash. Again Or, the longer Southern Qi stretches its front, the more loopholes it will have. On the contrary, if Southern Qi defends along the river and relies on the Jinghuai and Huaihe areas, it will be more difficult for our country to attack by force."

Qing Yugong naturally knew the situation in the south very well and analyzed it concisely.

Emperor Jing nodded slightly, suddenly stopped and looked at the vast and clear sky above his head, and said leisurely: "Why don't the prince look further?"

Qing Yugong bowed and said: "Your Majesty, please give me some advice."

Emperor Jing said: "The barriers of Southern Qi are nothing more than Jingzhou and Huaizhou. Jingzhou is more important because it guards the Hengjiang waterway. However, our dynasty does not necessarily have to attack Jingzhou in the future."

Qing Yugong's eyes narrowed slightly and he said slowly: "Your Majesty, you are referring to the seven Shazhou tribes in the upper reaches of the Hengjiang River?"

"This is the reason why I want to take the Zhao State first. I don't care about the Yan State for the time being. After pacifying the Zhao State, we can move south along the northwest mountains. As long as we continue to hold the seven tribes of Shazhou in our hands, we can then build warships." Go down the river.”

Emperor Jing turned to look at him, his eyes shining.

Qing Yu respectfully praised: "Your Majesty is wise."

Emperor Jing then asked: "I plan to hand over the task of conquering the seven tribes of Shazhou to Beiyuan Sakai. What does the prince think?"

Qing Yu respectfully bowed his head and said: "This matter should be sanctioned by His Majesty. I think it is very appropriate."

Emperor Jing smiled and continued to move forward: "Although the Zhao Kingdom has been destroyed, it will take some time to win over the people. I don't trust leaving this matter to others. The prince should continue to be in charge. I will let others take over in half a year at most." , then you can go south and take charge of the annexation of the Yan Kingdom. I have said a long time ago that Heluo City will be your Qingyu family's fief in the future, and I will not break my promise."

Qing Yugong saluted and said, "I thank your Majesty for your kindness!"

"Get down quickly."

Emperor Jing raised his hand to support him and said, "I will hold a banquet in the palace to celebrate your success in a few days, and then you can return to Zhao."

"The minister obeys the order!"

In the harsh mountain wind, Qing Yugong lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows, with no waves in his eyes.

After leaving the royal hunting ground, Qing Yugong rode forward on his horse surrounded by more than ten fierce guards. After walking for several miles, he suddenly waved to the side.

One of the guards came closer and asked, "Do you have any orders, Your Majesty?"

Qing Yugong raised his eyes and looked at the distant south, and said softly: "Immediately send someone to send a message to Zhongwang, asking him to be careful on guarding against the Southern Qi border army. The enemy's target may not be just Dongyang Road, but may also be directed at Heluo."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The guards responded respectfully, then immediately rode away from the team and disappeared into the streets.

(End of this chapter)