A loud bang shook the entire Qingxia Valley, but Zhao Yan, who stood in front of Luo Wushan, was unharmed and even looked relaxed, as if Luo Wushan's attack had no effect on his state of mind.
Luo Wushan hit more than one person.
It was a sword.
A massive sword of energy formed from pure sword energy.
Upon seeing the sword and sensing its overwhelming aura, Luo Wushan knew that the person had arrived.
In this world today, only that person can wield such a sword.
"Old codger, we didn't get enough fun in Houcang last time. Are you here to fight me to the death today?"
The sword energy gradually turned into particles, and as it rose, it gradually disappeared, as if it had flowed into the air.
Cangwu, with his white hair and beard, slowly descended and stood in front of Zhao Yan. He looked at Luo Wushan with a serious expression and said, "If you have trouble walking, don't come out and cause trouble."
Luo Wushan said, "Even without these legs, I can still beat you without any problem."
Cangwu said, "Old tortoise, the part of you that should be crippled the most isn't your legs, it's your mouth."
Luo Wushan fell silent, staring at Cangwu with a gloomy expression.
Cangwu held no sword, but countless sword-like energy emanated from his body, hovering with his breath.
When Cangwu's breathing was steady, the qi swords remained suspended. When his breathing became rapid, the qi swords would float up and down, as if they had become a part of Cangwu's body and were connected to his life.
"Senior, thank you for your trouble." Zhao Yan bowed slightly to Cangwu's back.
"It's all thanks to Yang Taozhi keeping me entertained that I came; otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered."
Cangwu turned his head and said to Zhao Yan, "Tell that girl that she will fight me again after this battle."
"I will definitely bring it."
Hearing the conversation between Cangwu and Zhao Yan, the Jin army understood that Zhao Yan's confidence came not only from himself, but also from Cangwu.
He knew Cangwu would come.
At that moment, Lian Zhongyi's voice rang out from the city wall: "Come back!"
At the same time, a deep howl rang out from the rear of the Jin army.
With a command from Du Yucheng, the second siege of the city began.
The call to return was directed at Zhao Yan and his wife, and had nothing to do with Cangwu. In fact, the Jin soldiers rushing towards the pass completely ignored Cangwu, as if they couldn't even see him.
Even Cangwu and Luowushan were surrounded by several feet of empty space, with everyone keeping their distance, as if getting any closer would result in being swept up by the storm of power and torn to shreds.
Zhao Yan and his wife shook off Luo Ying and the other three, leaped onto the city wall, and began their defense.
The Jin army surged towards Qingxia Valley like a torrent.
...
Tianze Palace.
After the court assembly, the officials dispersed, leaving only Yan Zheng, Tie Ge, Li Dai, and others, led by Zhao Zhan and Xu Shouli, in the hall.
Yan Zheng was highly regarded by the Zhao brothers, Zhao Cheng and Zhao Zhan, and now holds the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court.
Li Dai had been serving as Vice Minister of War for three years, and all the officials knew that Tie Ge's position as Minister of War would be his sooner or later.
There was only one unresolved issue at today's court meeting: how the imperial court should respond to the situation in Qingxia Valley.
Tie Ge advocated sending the garrison and the Imperial Guards of Changsui City to reinforce Qingxia Valley, while Zhao Zhan believed that the troops in Changsui City should not be moved. Xu Shouli and Yan Zheng remained silent on the matter, and the discussion stalled. Zhao Zhan suppressed his anger and adjourned the court. After the officials had left, he launched into a tirade against Tie Ge.
"Tie Ge! By transferring the garrison and the Imperial Guards from Changsui, Changsui City has become a ghost town. What are your intentions?!"
Tie Ge, utterly unafraid of Zhao Zhan, pointed outside the hall and said, "Back when the Great Jing unified the north, Qingxia Valley was located in the heart of the Great Jing, so its importance was not apparent. Now that the Jin army has breached the western defense line of Zhao Han, Qingxia Valley is the most crucial pass. If Qingxia Valley falls, what use will Changsui City have, no matter how many troops it has?"
Zhao Zhan waited for Tie Ge to finish speaking, and said, "Don't you trust my third brother? Don't you trust Mr. Lian?"
"Minister, please don't say such things. I don't mean to belittle General Qinglong and Mr. Lian, but they are, after all, human, not gods. Everyone here knows how many troops are stationed in Qingxia Valley. I believe that as long as General Qinglong is still standing, not a single enemy will be allowed in. But what if he falls? We cannot place the fate of the empire entirely on General Qinglong's shoulders."
"You dare curse my third brother? You deserve to die!"
Zhao Zhan angrily retorted, "Tiege, you were once Yuan Xiu's confidant, and when Wen Tai was in power, you were also close to the Left Prime Minister's residence. Are you perhaps planning to play some kind of trick?"
Upon hearing this, Tie Ge also became furious and said sternly, "Zhao Zhan! Apart from you, who here hasn't served as an official in the Jing Dynasty? Your father was the Prime Minister of the Great Jing, and your elder brother was the Prince Consort of the Great Jing! According to you, none of the former officials of the Jing Dynasty were truly loyal to the Zhao Han court?"
"Clever words and a flattering expression!"
"I've served in the Ministry of War for half my life, and I have a clear conscience!"
"Alright, you two..." Seeing that things were not going well, Li Dai quickly came over to persuade them. Apart from Zhao Zhan, he was the youngest among them.
He looked at Xu Shouli, then at Yan Zheng, and seeing that neither of them expressed their opinion, he could only say, "I am but a humble person with little influence, I wonder if I may say a few words?"
Xu Shouli then spoke up, saying, "Lord Li is the Vice Minister of War, and your opinion is very valuable."
Li Dai then cleared his throat and said in a gentle tone, "Given the speed of the Yiwen Flying Team, the battle report from Qingxia Valley should have already reached His Majesty's hands. Once His Majesty learns of it, he will surely rush north to reinforce Qingxia Valley..."
Zhao Zhan immediately sneered at Tie Ge, "Did you hear that? Vice Minister Li understands things much better than you, Minister."
"Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, I haven't finished speaking..."
Li Dai was somewhat embarrassed, and continued, "It is true that Your Majesty will go to reinforce Qingxia Valley, but the situation in Qingxia Valley is urgent. Your Majesty is pursuing speed and cannot bring too many troops. Moreover, you need to leave troops in Zhou to do the cleanup work. Therefore, I believe that the court should send troops to reinforce Qingxia Valley at this time and hold out until Your Majesty brings troops to help. The Jin army will surely retreat."
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