Murong Yao sat on the dragon throne with a solemn expression.
Lord Liu also had a solemn expression.
They all knew the relationship between Xiling City and the Southern Territory.
His Majesty issued an imperial decree requiring Xiling City to take sides. The fact that Liu Chun was rejected by Xiling City had long reached his ears.
The fifth master of Xiling City got married. In addition to the regent of Haoyue Kingdom, Fu Yi and his party also attended the wedding.
Moreover, Fu Yi invested in the North Star Port of Haoyue Kingdom, so there must be some friendship between the Regent and Fu Yi, but the Regent brought Princess Lin to Yong'an City.
It is hard not to suspect that they have reached some kind of deal to bring down the Yanyang Kingdom.
This regent is insidious, cunning and scheming. He must be hiding some conspiracy.
But the appearance of Miss Ye left them completely confused.
First, she came back to life, and second, she became the regent princess of Haoyue Kingdom. Her strangeness and subtle stance made people have to be on guard.
The ministers began to discuss among themselves, speculating about Pei Zhiyuan's purpose and trying to dissuade Murong Yao from trusting Haoyue Kingdom and Xiling City easily.
Seeing this, Shen Xu said, "I am favored by His Royal Highness the Regent. His Royal Highness has specially prepared some gifts for you, brother, to help you achieve victory in your expedition to the southern border."
She turned to look at Pei Zhiyuan, "Your Highness?"
Pei Zhiyuan nodded and said, "Yes, I have asked Shunning Escort Agency to deliver the things to the post station."
......
At the Imperial Archery Pavilion training ground in Yong'an City, dignitaries and nobles took their seats in the spectator seats.
Murong Yao was surrounded by guards and sat in the center.
A group of soldiers were seen carrying several boxes to the center of the martial arts field. Pei Zhiyuan sat down and his hawk-like sharp eyes scanned the Yulin Guards of Yanyang Kingdom.
Shen Xu sat calmly on the chair and introduced humbly: "In the past few years, Haoyue Country has developed its military and political affairs, and the King's Iron Cavalry has been almost invincible. In addition to relying on strict military laws, they also rely on these things.
Guard Li, please demonstrate this to His Majesty."
Li Shuang, the guard from Haoyue Country, walked down from the viewing area, opened the box, took out the compound instant-fire crossbow, and calmly loaded and aimed.
With a whoosh, it hit the bull's eye.
The officials present showed a nonchalant expression.
"We in Yanyang country have warriors with the most accurate archery skills. It's hard for something like this to help your brother." There was a hint of mockery in the minister's tone.
Chen Xu stood up and suggested, "Your Majesty, we have brought two weapons and a set of armor from the Haoyue Knights for individual combat. Let's use these to conduct a competition. This will prove to Your Majesty the feasibility of dividing up the North Sea Kingdom."
Pei Zhiyuan spread his hands and looked at Murong Yao nonchalantly, "Alright, how do you want to compete? I'll open your eyes today."
Murong Yao had no choice but to wait and see all the court officials nodding their heads. Then he ordered someone to select a brave warrior from the Imperial Guard and personally gave him a precious carved bow.
The first competition was archery, with the one who hit the most rings winning. The warrior lived up to expectations, hitting the bull's-eye on all three targets. Li Shuang, the Haoyue Kingdom's guard, also easily hit all three.
As the center of the target moved backward, the decline of the Yulin Guards became increasingly apparent. After a hundred steps, they gradually fell off the target. However, the crossbows of the Haoyue Kingdom were as stable as ever, and almost every shot hit the target.
The second round of archery competition used moving targets, and the results were the same. The crossbow, with its high hit rate, fast reload speed and long range, was almost invincible.
Even though he knew that these two weapons were far ahead of the weapons of Yanyang Kingdom, Murong Yao still asked to start the third round of competition.
Each of them put on protective gear and weapons and competed to see who was better.
Murong Yao selected five masters from the Imperial Palace and equipped them with the best equipment of Yanyang Kingdom.
Pei Zhiyuan only ordered Li Shuang not to shoot at vital parts, to keep his life and not cause trouble.
Li Shuang didn't even wear any protective gear, and he directly loaded the crossbow, not allowing the experts to get close. He immediately knocked down three people. The other two saw the three people who were hit by the crossbows holding their wounds and wailing, and immediately lost the courage to move forward, hiding behind the cover and not daring to come out.
Seeing Murong Yao and the other ministers' faces becoming increasingly grim, Shen Xu began to persuade them, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Regent sympathized with my brother's arduous march and thus gifted him two thousand of these crossbows as a humble token of his appreciation."
Lord Liu asked cautiously, "Since you have such strength, why do you still want to cooperate with us?"
"I have already said that I want Jiang Yu. After you conquer the southern border, remember to capture Jiang Yu alive and then discuss this matter with me. I have to accompany the princess to visit some relatives and friends today, so I will take my leave for now."
"Your Highness, regarding this weapon matter," Jiang Yulou hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Can we discuss it in detail?"
"These two weapons are not cheap. This batch of weapons is a personal gift from me to Brother Ye. After this joke on the martial arts field, I will reconsider whether it is worth cooperating with you."
Pei Zhiyuan smiled contemptuously, stood up, and gently took Shen Xu's hand, "Princess, didn't you say you wanted to go home and visit?"
"Your Highness, the fact that the arrows failed to hit the target also has something to do with the people. I think Your Majesty chose the people at random, which is why he underestimated the enemy."
Prime Minister Liu immediately followed Shen Xu's words and said, "As the host, Yanyang Country naturally cannot let the distinguished guest lose face."
"Underestimating the enemy in a training ground is only a loss of face, but underestimating the enemy on a battlefield can cost you your life."
"Your Highness, why don't you wait until you meet my brother before making a decision?" Shen Xu took his arm and leaned against it affectionately. She said coquettishly, "My brother will definitely live up to your expectations."
Pei Zhiyuan gently pinched the tip of Shen Xu's nose and said lovingly, "Okay, okay, my beloved concubine keeps telling me how brave and unparalleled my brother is every day. I'm about to get calluses on my ears."
After Pei Zhiyuan finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the exit of the Imperial Archery Pavilion, leaving the court officials at the scene arguing endlessly.
Murong Yao angrily slapped the armrest of his chair. The regent's tone was arrogant, showing no regard for him, the emperor. But after seeing the two sets of weapons, he didn't dare to act rashly against the regent from Haoyue Kingdom.
Jiang Yulou ordered the guards of the Imperial Guards' Armoury Battalion to dismantle it as soon as possible for research and to make some replicas. With a slightly excited expression, he said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! This Regent Princess is my son Ye Fan's biological sister. It seems we can connect with the Haoyue Kingdom.
I've heard that Haoyue Country's military reforms in recent years have been very effective, and their weapons are very advanced. If we can order a batch of advanced weapons from Haoyue Country, conquering the southern border will be just around the corner."
Jiang Yulou's words obviously benefited Murong Yao. A smile appeared on his originally gloomy face, and he praised the bravery of Generals Jiang and Ye.
Lord Liu stood aside with a unhappy look on his face. He was extremely wary of Pei Zhiyuan and was whispering with the other clan members about Pei Zhiyuan's intentions.
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