Changsui.

Tianze Palace.

Emperor Yuan Xiu sat upright on the dragon throne, while civil and military officials stood solemnly.

Unlike usual court sessions, today a handsome young man stood beside the dragon throne; he was none other than Wei You, who often mingled with Yuan Xiu in the imperial study.

Many of the officials couldn't contain their curiosity and secretly sized up the handsome man.

After all, very few people could see Wei You in the Imperial Study.

The officials' thoughts were usually not so simple. When they saw the man closest to the emperor, they would involuntarily look at the old eunuch Lü Lu standing on one side of the steps, wondering if this man was the newly arrived eunuch, the emperor's new favorite.

Are they disciples or grand-disciples of Eunuch Lü, or are they here to steal his livelihood?

"My dear ministers, I believe most of you are already aware of the news from the south, but I will still have Secretary Wei You report it to you!"

Yuan Xiu nodded to Wei You, and Wei You then walked forward with graceful movements.

Upon hearing this, the officials glanced at Wei Youduo again.

Secretary and Physician!

Although he was only a seventh-rank official, he was a close advisor to the emperor, and could access the empire's most crucial information if the emperor so desired!

The officials each had their own thoughts, and Wen Tai and Mu Shanyue, who stood at the forefront of the civil officials, both looked displeased.

Wei You's voice is bright and pleasant to listen to.

He announced loudly, "News has come from the north that the Northern Expeditionary Army, led by General Wei Wang Ren, is advancing with unstoppable momentum and will soon capture the capital of Yedan! The whole nation eagerly awaits General Wang's victory in defeating Yedan and pacifying the north!"

"But before the good news from the north arrived, tremendous joy came from the south!"

"Our army has decisively defeated the Southern Zhou army at Lingshan!!"

Most of the officials in the court had received news of the mausoleum, but a small number were still unaware.

Those who knew looked proud, while those who didn't seemed somewhat bewildered.

Lingshan?

Isn't that part of our Great Jing territory?

How could the Southern Zhou army have appeared?

Wei You spoke rhythmically, deliberately pausing to give the officials time to process his words before continuing, "When Xiao Luofeng, the garrison commander of Qingdong City, was eliminating bandits in Lingshan, he discovered that the pirates were actually soldiers from the Southern Zhou army disguised as sea pirates. Seeing the strength of the Southern Zhou army, Xiao Luofeng worried that they had a grand conspiracy, so he sent someone to Qingdong City to deliver a message while he led a hundred garrison soldiers to keep an eye on the Southern Zhou army. However, the messenger was intercepted by the Southern Zhou army, and Xiao Luofeng was thus trapped in Lingshan!"

"This Southern Zhou army consists of the Seven Generals of Yangmen and two thousand soldiers from the Yang family, and is commanded by Yang Qingzhi, the son of the Grand Commander of Southern Zhou! It has now been investigated and found that their purpose is to pretend to be pirates and lie in ambush in Lingshan, waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the thirteen cities of Jingdong, in order to destroy the economy of our eastern cities of Jingdong!"

Wei You's narration was very skillful, with a varied and rhythmic tone. Those who knew about the matter beforehand were completely absorbed by Wei You's words.

Those who didn't know the name were stunned when they heard the names Yang Men Qi Jiang and Yang Qingzhi.

The most beloved son of the Grand Commander of Southern Zhou and his seven renowned retainers have all arrived...

What an important task this must be!!

The economy and tax revenue of Dajing are gradually shifting towards the eastern cities. If they succeed in doing so, Dajing will be severely weakened!

“Indeed!” Wei You interrupted the officials’ thoughts and continued, “Deep in dire straits, Commander Xiao, with pursuers ahead and no reinforcements behind, devised a series of ingenious plans, even going against the grain by launching a night attack on the Southern Zhou army, ultimately…”

"All seven generals of Yang Clan have perished! The Yang family army has suffered a thousand casualties! Yang Qingzhi has fled in disarray!"

"And our army suffered zero casualties!"

"Our army... achieved a complete victory!!"

"Da Jing wins decisively!!!"

hiss--

After hearing Wei You's report, all the civil and military officials gasped in shock.

Everyone knelt down in unison and bowed down to the dragon throne.

"Great Jing is mighty!!"

"Long live the Emperor!!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!"

With civil and military officials shouting "Long live the Emperor!" Yuan Xiu looked quite satisfied. He flicked his long sleeves, stood up generously, and walked down the steps, saying as he went, "I am not as good as you military generals in military campaigns, nor as good as you civil officials in practical affairs and writing, but I am good at math!"

Yuan Xiu held up his fingers and gestured, "This side is one hundred, and this side is two thousand!"

"One hundred took down two thousand, and not a single one died!"

"Tell me, what is this?"

"Isn't this a miracle?!"

Chen Changyun, his plump figure the first to step forward, shouted, "This is Heaven's favor upon His Majesty! This is His Majesty's holy might!! This is the unparalleled military might of our Great Jing!!!"

Du Yuhe also stepped forward and said, "The Battle of Lingshan is a feat unparalleled throughout history. Once the Northern Expedition is successful, Your Majesty's military achievements will be worthy of being called one of the greatest emperors of all time!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!!" the civil and military officials shouted in unison.

"Hahaha, you fatso, you bootlicker!!" Yuan Xiu pointed at Chen Changyun and Du Yuhe and laughed loudly, "You two are commendable for your loyalty, a reward of one hundred taels of gold!"

The two were overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Now that the Northern Expedition is in dire straits, I have decided to donate this reward to the Northern Expeditionary Army!"

"Thank you... Your Majesty!"

Unable to contain his excitement, Yuan Xiu sat down on the steps, interlaced his fingers, and looked at the assembled officials, saying, "Tell me, how should Xiao Luofeng be rewarded?"

"He deserves a generous reward!"

"A generous reward is warranted!"

"This man has brought glory to the Great Jing Kingdom; no reward is too much!"

The officials echoed the sentiments, but none offered any specific rewards; they all glanced at the high-ranking officials at the front of the procession.

At this moment, Mu Shanyue stepped forward and said, "I have heard a lot about Xiao Luofeng. Although he comes from a merchant family, he joined the border army before he was twenty years old. When he served as a centurion under the Champion King, he created a case of winning with fewer troops through a surprise attack."

"This man is a talented general. I suggest he be promoted three ranks to the rank of general!"

Yuan Xiu nodded, but did not reply immediately.

Wen Tai, who had remained silent, knew that the emperor was waiting for his opinion, so he stepped forward and said, "Xiao Luofeng is currently only a city garrison commander. Even if he is promoted three ranks, he will only be a minor general, which is not enough to demonstrate the emperor's great favor."

Yuan Xiu asked, "Then what does the Left Chancellor suggest?"

"Xiao Luofeng has served in the army for over ten years, possessing seniority, military merit, and ability. I believe he should be appointed as the Dragon General!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and looked at Wen Tai in surprise.

General Longxiang!

From the third rank!

How many levels did they skip?

Soaring into the sky!

If Wen Tai's proposed outcome were smaller than this, everyone would think that Wen Tai was trying to win over Xiao Luofeng. However, the greater the strength of the proposed promotion, the more people felt that Wen Tai was genuinely recommending talented people for the country.

At this moment, Xu Shouli also stepped forward and said, "With the Northern Expedition imminent, the Great Jing Dynasty needs military might at this time. Now is the time to vigorously promote military generals!"

He Yin also said, "Promoting someone beyond their rank demonstrates the Emperor's boundless grace and highlights the great victory of the Lingshan Campaign!"

"General Longxiang, General Longxiang... Excellent, excellent!"

Yuan Xiu suddenly stood up, looking triumphant, as if he himself had won a battle and been rewarded beyond his rank.

"Your ministers are right. This monumental achievement deserves a great reward!"

"General Longxiang, none other than Xiao Luofeng deserves this title!!!"