Astral Apostle - Chapter 529
529 Discussion; Deployment (1)
While Zhou Jing was traveling, the news of the outlaws’ victory and the defeat at the front line was finally sent to the capital.
After learning that the Heavenly King Stronghold had suffered a huge defeat and was almost completely wiped out, a huge commotion broke out in the capital. The entire court was shocked.
On this day, the court officials discussed intensely and attacked Lu Longchuan for being incompetent in leading the troops.
“Lu Longchuan’s talent is mediocre and extremely useless. He actually lost so easily. Bandits are indeed bandits. He’s really useless!”
“If I had known earlier, I would have taken over this person’s military power and sent a general of the Imperial Court to lead the troops. It would have been over in one battle!”
The court officials were agitated and criticized wantonly. Their tone was furious, and all of them were so excited that they wished they could go to battle personally.
Although they had never led troops and had never seen the battlefield, it did not stop them from feeling that they were experts. They thought themselves high and mighty, cursing Lu Longchuan for being incompetent in leading troops. This fully reflected what it meant by “talk is cheap”.
In their expectations, the ideal outcome was that both sides would suffer heavy losses. Not only would they successfully eliminate the bandits, but they could also weaken Lu Longchuan’s troops. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Once the two sides did not continue to be in a stalemate as they wished and the situation lost control, they would be exasperated.
Lu Longchuan had been defeated too thoroughly and ruined the Imperial Court’s plan. The Imperial Court had originally wanted to sit back and reap the benefits, but now, not only had their plans failed, but they had also lost some supplies, allowing their enemy to further strengthen themselves.
Thinking of this, the court officials were dissatisfied with Lu Longchuan while feeling uneasy about the situation.
Privy Ambassador Pang Hong did not speak. He looked coldly at the officials who had revealed their ugliness and could not help but gloat.
He had always supported sending troops early, but these courtiers did not pay attention to him. They felt that the situation was still under control, and they wanted to curry favor with the Emperor’s preference to save military expenses, so they always refuted him and felt that they could continue to watch from the sidelines and take advantage.
A war was one where myriad changes could take place at any time. The current situation was turning for the worse. Just as he had predicted back then, the outcome of being greedy was completely messing everything up.
Pang Hong looked down on this group of scholars from the bottom of his heart. However, the Emperor had supported the other party back then, so he did not dare to show his mockery. He only lowered his head in silence.
On the dragon throne, the Emperor listened to the comments of the officials. How could he not know that this group of people was pushing the blame? His expression was extremely ugly.
Qin Song coughed and stepped out,
“Since the battle has been lost, Lu Longchuan naturally can’t escape the blame. It’s just that we don’t know if he’s dead or alive now, so it’s useless to say anything. The Heavenly King Stronghold is just a bandit group we recruited. Even if they’re defeated, it won’t hurt the Imperial Court. We should prioritize our problems. What we should discuss now is how to deal with this Chen Feng.”
The Emperor’s expression softened a little as he nodded and said, “Minister Qin is right. Chen Feng has brought disaster to the country and the people. Does anyone have a plan to deal with him?”
The ministers immediately shut up and lowered their heads. They looked down at their “little brother” as if they had all become silent wooden sculptures.
“The court is full of martial and scholarly figures, but none has a good plan?”
The Emperor’s tone was dissatisfied.
He then looked at Pang Hong and said in a deep voice, “Minister Pang, you’re a military advisor. Do you have any brilliant ideas?”
Hearing the Emperor personally call his name, Pang Hong spoke out the script he had long prepared,
“Your Majesty, the bandits are nurturing themselves through battle and have seized the remnants of the Heavenly King Stronghold. Their power is growing stronger and stronger. If they are allowed to digest what they have obtained, they will be even harder to deal with in the future. In my opinion, we should immediately mobilize the elites of the border army and draw troops from the various state capitals to advance from several directions to suppress the bandits…
Now that the bandits have just experienced a huge battle and have yet to fully recover, we should take this opportunity to attack with lightning attacks and not give the bandits a chance to catch their breath.”
When the Emperor heard this, he frowned and fell silent.
Seeing this, Pang Hong paused for a moment before continuing,
“From the Commander-in-Chiefs of the three armies, I would like to nominate one person. He’s the descendant of the Duke of Yi, Ma Cheng. His name is Ma Zhen. He’s currently the defense envoy of Pu Prefecture, the guardian envoy of Yi and Lu Prefectures. He’s been well-read in the military since he was young, and he’s proficient in archery and horsemanship. He’s outstanding in strategy and commands the troops well. He’s a talent.”
The Emperor’s eyes lit up, “Since he’s the descendant of one of the founding generals, he must have extraordinary abilities!”
The ministers immediately whispered to each other.
This Ma Cheng was the founding general of Great Xia, and he was also famous for his martial prowess. His courage and tactics were also top-notch. The Ma family had always been on Great Xia’s list of experienced generals and nobles.
Pang Hong cupped his hands and struck while the iron was hot. He continued, “I’ll nominate another two of them to assist the commander. One of them is called Huang Ping, a descendant of the Marquis of Jiyang. He’s under the command of the Qi State’s army and is extremely strict in governing the army. His martial arts are extraordinary. The other is called Yuwen Yan, a descendant of the Marquis of Virtue. He’s under the command of the Hongwu Army and is good at strange strategies. These two are both famous generals of the dynasty, so they’re naturally not someone Lu Longchuan can compare to.”
The Emperor stroked his beard and nodded. He was quite gratified to hear that there were talents in the dynasty.
However, he immediately realized that he had yet to agree to send troops. Why was he talking about the candidate for the commander?
“I haven’t decided on sending troops yet. Let’s discuss it again…”
The expenses of sending the Heavenly King Stronghold to suppress the bandits were still within acceptable range, so the Emperor did not object. However, if the Imperial Court personally sent troops to suppress them, the military expenditure would be an astronomical figure. He could not help but hesitate.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Pang Hong knelt down and said emotionally,
“Chen Feng is ambitious and disrespectful of the law. One day, he will definitely endanger the country and can’t be allowed to do as he pleases. Today, Lu Longchuan was defeated, and only the Imperial Court can send troops to attack and get rid of this harm once and for all! Otherwise, the banditry will spread throughout the various worlds and capture the hearts of the people. It will shake the foundation of the country, and the world will be in chaos!”
Hearing this, a minister immediately jumped out and reprimanded,
“How dare you! You’re actually exaggerating in front of the Emperor?! His Majesty has his way of ruling the country. Chen Feng is just a temporary problem. How can he endanger the country? Could it be that you’re implying that His Majesty is not popular with the people? What’s your motive?”
The Emperor frowned and reprimanded the minister who spoke out, before consoling Pang Hong,
“Minister Pang, rise. I know that you’re loyal to the country.”
Only then did Pang Hong thank him and stand up, but he still bowed deeply.
The Emperor pondered for a while, but he still endured the pain and nodded, “Minister Pang has a point. This Chen Feng is a huge problem for the Imperial Court and can’t be left alone. It’s time to send troops to suppress him. I’ll allow this.”
“Your Majesty is wise!”
Pang Hong hurriedly bowed and heaved a sigh of relief.
If he did not fight, there would be no military contributions. After such a long time, the Emperor finally relented and was willing to send troops. It was finally his turn to reap the benefits.
But he could not help but curse inwardly… Why did the Emperor only know to send troops now? He should have done so earlier and fought together with the Heavenly King Stronghold. Their chances of winning would be higher.
Only when his teammates were destroyed did he know to attack. This was the result of being short-sighted due to greed!
The entire court was filled with useless people in his eyes!
Of course, Pang Hong knew that he was not a loyal minister who was worried about the country and the people, but at least he knew in his heart that although he was fishing for money, he still had to win the war.
Therefore, Pang Hong spoke again with a serious expression,
“That Chen Feng’s bravery is astonishing. If the Imperial Court wants to defeat him, they still need someone to support them.”
“Who?”
“Of course it’s the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit Daoist.”
Pang Hong replied honestly.
He had seen so many of Chen Feng’s battle reports, but he still could not think of a way to break past his defense. He was not confident that he could deal with this unreasonable number one expert in the world with just a general.
Therefore, Pang Hong naturally recommended Perfected Master Windwalker, who had performed astonishingly in this battle. He felt that only by bringing this “weapon” could he restrain Chen Feng and prevent his opponent from using the “leader beheading” technique.
As soon as he finished speaking, the court officials looked at each other.
The Emperor’s expression darkened as well.
Seeing this, Qin Song quickly put on a worried expression as if he was sympathizing with a monarch. He helplessly spoke out,
“Lu Longchuan was defeated, and the entire army fled. The whereabouts of the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit are also unknown. It’s too early to say this now. However, the Spiritual Master is powerful, and the heavens will bless him. He should be able to avert danger.”
When the Emperor heard this, he could not help but sigh with worry.
Before setting off, Perfected Master Windwalker had promised him that no matter what the battle was, he had the ability to retreat unscathed.
However, when the front line really lost, the Emperor could not help but be on tenterhooks. He was afraid that this Alchemy Grandmaster would not be able to return. He subconsciously rejected letting Perfected Master Windwalker take such a risk again, wishing that he could keep him in the capital forever as a sparrow in a cage.
He actually wished that Perfected One was a woman, just so he could just take her into his harem and everything would be resolved.
At this moment, Ning Zhongjun suddenly stepped out with a frown,
“Your Majesty, I feel that this matter is fishy.”
The Emperor was stunned. “What do you mean?”
Ning Zhongjun’s tone sounded puzzled as he threw out a question, “Chen Feng was someone transformed from an evil flood dragon into a human. The Divine Firmament Wind Spirit had always used immortal methods to fight him head-on, causing the two armies to be in a stalemate. Why did he suddenly lose?”
The ministers frowned and whispered to each other.
They had long heard of the scene of Perfected Master Windwalker fighting Chen Feng from the battle report, so they were naturally shocked.
In fact, they felt that one of the factors that allowed the two sides to be in a stalemate for a long time was his immortal methods. It could prevent the Heavenly King Stronghold from being quickly conquered by the enemy.
However, he did not expect Lu Longchuan to suddenly lose. For some reason, Perfected Master Windwalker suddenly disappeared.
Because the battle report had yet to be sent back, everyone in the royal court did not know the details and had doubts.
At this moment, someone from the clean officials faction said coldly, “This matter has to be investigated strictly. If the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit Daoist neglects the war and causes the front line to lose, he will have to bear the responsibility of losing the war.”
The Emperor frowned and berated,
“Nonsense. The Perfected One has repeatedly fought off Chen Feng. I feel that he has done nothing wrong. How has it become a crime?”
Seeing that the Emperor was clearly backing him up, the people immediately stopped badmouthing him behind his back.
When Ning Zhongjun heard this, he immediately echoed,
“Although the Divine Firmament Wind Spirit did not manage to suppress this evil flood dragon and break through this calamity, he has also made a lot of contributions. He should indeed be rewarded.”
Only then did the Emperor’s expression improve.
In the end, they avoided this topic for the time being. The ministers discussed the matter of the Imperial Court sending troops for a while before leaving the court.
Ning Zhongjun followed the minister out of the hall as he calculated in his heart.
Although he did not see the battle report, he was basically certain that something had happened to Ling Fengzi, causing Lu Longchuan to suddenly lose. It was most likely that the person whom he bribed had successfully poisoned him.
If he directly poisoned Ling Fengzi to death, it would naturally be the best. Even if it did not work, Ling Fengzi might be defeated in the hands of the Dragon King Stronghold and be killed by him.
At the very least, he had even sent a group of death warriors as backup. He did not know if they had attacked yet as well.
In Ning Zhongjun’s opinion, the chances of Ling Fengzi returning to the capital alive were already very low, so he did not mind supporting Ling Fengzi in the court to hide his actions of sabotage.
italics “Heh, Ling Fengzi is definitely not a lucky person at all. My biggest enemy has been eliminated.”
The corners of Ning Zhongjun’s mouth curled up slightly as he felt happy.
However, he was not happy for long.
In just half a month, Perfected Master Windwalker returned to the capital unscathed, immediately startling the court.
As for Lu Longchuan, he brought his remaining brothers and trekked back to the capital.
