Yanzhou, Dahuang Prefecture, border.
Yanzhou is located in the west of Kyushu. Beyond the border, there are endless mountains stretching as far as the eye can see.
The climate on the border is extremely strange and changeable. During the day, the weather is extremely hot, but at night, it is as if it has changed from midsummer to winter, with the temperature plummeting and the freezing cold being biting.
Therefore, the people living here basically have some level of cultivation, otherwise they would not be able to withstand the changeable climate here.
It is said that beyond the border, in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the environment and climate are many times worse than here. There are countless poisonous insects and beasts living in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, which are not suitable for human habitation at all.
That place belongs to the barbarians, and the reason why Daxia stationed troops on the border, and even had a commander like Ping Xihou who led the army in battle, was to frighten the barbarians.
Because the climate of Shiwanda Mountain is changeable and the environment is harsh, it is extremely difficult to survive there, so the barbarians would send people to harass the borders of Daxia from time to time and steal some food.
The lifelong goal of the barbarians is to break out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains and occupy Kyushu.
In the eyes of the barbarians, even the harsh climate on the border is thousands of times better than the environment in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The most important thing is that farming cannot be done in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. They can only survive by hunting poisonous insects and beasts.
.
It can be said that the quality of life of the barbarians is far inferior to that of the human race. They live a primitive life that can be said to be like eating hair and drinking blood. It is no wonder that they yearn for Kyushu so much.
Before the death of the old emperor, the barbarians did attack Daxia and even almost occupied Yanzhou. However, fortunately, the current man has the crown of all nine states. After he ascended the throne, he conquered all the wastelands and wiped out Liuhe. With his superb cultivation and cooperation with Jingtiansi,
The barbarians were driven back to the depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains again.
If the Hundred Thousand Mountains were not so dangerous, Emperor Xia might have led his troops deep into it and completely annihilated the barbarians.
But because of this, the barbarians have been honest for nearly twenty years. Until recently, Emperor Xia had been in seclusion and no news came, so they dared to reach out beyond the Hundred Thousand Mountains again to harass the border.
At this moment, in a military tent on the border, a man wearing armor, with a heroic appearance and sharp features was sitting here.
His momentum was calm, and there was no leakage of energy. He just sat there, giving people the feeling that a big mountain was holding him here, which made people feel unusually at ease.
This person was the Marquis of Pingxi, Cao Shuang, who was ordered by the current Emperor to guard the border and deter foreign barbarians.
At this moment, the Marquis of Pingxi was browsing the files, which recorded the recent trends of the barbarians.
Suddenly, the camp tent was raised, and a tall man wearing heavy armor walked in.
"Master Hou!"
The man came closer, knelt down on one knee, and saluted Ping Xihou who was sitting at the top. It can be seen that he respected Cao Shuang very much.
"What's the matter?" Ping Xihou's face has hard lines and his skin is bronze. It can be seen from his eyes that he is a person with an extremely tough character. Few things in the world can shake his mind.
The man in heavy armor was hesitant and didn't speak for a long time. This was the first time he had done this and he didn't know how to speak to Ping Xihou.
"Mother-in-law and mother-in-law are not your style, Xu Wei, tell me what happened." Pingxi Hou Cao Shuang said calmly.
Xu Wei, who was wearing heavy armor, took a deep breath. His face was rough and he said in a loud voice: "Master Marquis, there is news from heaven. Little Marquis... something happened to him."
Hearing this, Ping Xihou remained calm and said without raising his head: "What happened to Zhen'er? Did you offend someone in Tiandu or did you offend someone?"
"Little Marquis... he died." Xu Wei thought about it for a moment before saying.
For a rough guy like him to report such a thing, Xu Wei racked his brains and found it difficult to embarrass him.
Suddenly, Xu Wei's breathing became heavier and he felt a heavy pressure appear on his shoulders. The air seemed to freeze at this moment. Xu Wei could not breathe, and he was almost pressed directly to the ground.
A pressure like a mountain fell on Xu Wei's body. Even if he had the cultivation level of Gang Qi Realm, his face could not help but turn red, and the bones in his body could hear the sounds of being overwhelmed.
"Master Hou..." Xu Wei's face flushed, and it was extremely difficult to spit out these two words from his throat.
After hearing this, the terrifying pressure in the camp disappeared instantly, the air resumed flowing again, and Xu Wei suddenly felt his shoulders relax.
He felt as if he had returned from hell to the human world. In just a few breaths, his whole body was covered in cold sweat. At this moment, he was breathing heavily.
Cao Zhen is the legitimate son of Ping Xihou and the only heir. He will be the person who will succeed him in the title of lord in the future and continue the descendants of the Cao family.
At the same time, Ping Xihou also had high hopes for Cao Zhen, and Cao Zhen was indeed more ambitious. Whether it was martial arts practice or marching and fighting, he never let him down.
He has regarded Cao Zhen as his heir, and the reason why he sent Cao Zhen to Tiandu is to let Cao Zhen manage his connections in Tiandu before taking over his title.
He didn't want his son to be like him, sitting in this bitter cold place all day long, day after day, year after year.
But now, someone told him that the legitimate son he had high hopes for was dead?
Xu Wei was frightened. For so many years, he had rarely seen Ping Xihou lose his composure. Although Cao Shuang did not speak at this moment, Xu Wei could feel that Cao Zhen was like an active volcano and might erupt at any time.
No one could bear Cao Shuang's anger, and Xu Wei was the same. Just when Xu Wei was frightened, he suddenly heard Cao Shuang say: "What is going on, please tell me in detail."
At this moment, Ping Xihou's voice sounded the same as before, but there was still a faint tremor in it, which showed how uneasy his inner emotions were.
Later, Xu Wei told Ping Xihou the information he had obtained in great detail.
At the end, he said: "Master Hou, this time it was Huang Xiu and Jingtiansi who were at fault for guarding. We have helped Daxia guard the border for so many years without any reward. On the contrary, the young Marquis went to Tiandu and failed."
If he died there, the imperial court and Jingtiansi must give us an explanation!"
Ping Xihou did not respond, but said: "Where is Cao Ying?"
Cao Ying is the personal guard of the Great Perfection of Vajra Realm next to Cao Zhen. He is an orphan adopted by Ping Xihou. Because of his good performance and outstanding abilities, he was given the surname "Cao" and named Cao Ying, which means,
The shadow of Cao Zhen’s life.
Xu Wei knelt down on one knee, lowered his head and said: "Cao Ying is still alive. At that time, his young master gave him another task, so he could not wait by his side. If he was there, Xiao Hou
I’m sure I won’t die either.”
"Master Hou, Cao Ying has no choice but to die in this matter. He has already sent word that he can die, but before he dies, he must kill someone."
"Who to kill?" There was no emotion or anger in Ping Xihou's voice, and he returned to his usual tone again.
"A Jingtian Sidu inspector named Gu Chen had some conflicts with the young Marquis in Tiandu. It was in order to deal with this person that the Young Marquis asked Cao Ying to leave temporarily." Immediately, Xu Wei said 15-10.
Describe the feud between Gu Chen and Cao Zhen and Ping Xihou.
After Xu Wei finished speaking, the camp fell into a long silence. After a while, Ping Xihou said faintly: "There is something fishy about Zhen'er's death. Tell Cao Ying that he does not need to die and let him stay in Tiandu.
Let me investigate the matter thoroughly, and by then, it won’t be too late for him to die to apologize.”
He knew Cao Zhen's life-saving methods. Even if four Vajra Realm Demon Sect warriors were besieging him, Cao Zhen would still have a chance to escape.
Xu Wei hesitated for a moment and said, "Do we need to let Cao Ying kill Gu Chen's whole family?"
When Ping Xihou heard this, he was silent for a while and then said: "No need for the time being, let him investigate the matter for me first."
"yes!"
Xu Wei clasped his fists and then slowly retreated. Ping Xihou was once again left alone in the tent.
"My son, no matter who it is, I will not let it go as long as it has the slightest connection with your death. Don't be anxious and walk slowly on the way to hell. My father will send them to accompany you."
…
Tiandu, early morning.
In the main hall of the palace, the civil and military officials were divided into two rows. Prince Ji Yuan wore a bright yellow rolling dragon robe and was located in the Jinluan Hall, overlooking the officials.
"This time, Jingtiansi people have made great contributions in the battle of Xun'an County. All of you present are the pillars of our Daxia. How do you think we should reward you for your merits?"
A civil servant took a step forward and said: "Your Highness, the imperial court gives Jingtiansi enough resources every year. It is their duty to monitor the world. I think there is no need to reward, just a few words of verbal reward."
"I second the proposal."
"I second the proposal."
All the civil servants came out one after another to express their approval. Civil servants and military generals in the court have never been easy to deal with. Nowadays, Daxia has a tendency to emphasize military force over literature, so the civil servants do not want the prince to reward everyone in Jingtiansi.
What's more, this matter is now spread throughout Tiandu and even the world, especially the second-level inspector Gu Chen of Jingtiansi. It has become a story that he chased souls with his sword and killed ten thousand people with his sword.
The story has been told over and over again by the storytellers at Tiandu Restaurant.
In fact, even other state capitals heard about this incident, and the rumor was extremely evil.
Such a reputation has surpassed that of the court ministers. In their opinion, this is already the best reward.
At this time, Liang Guogong stood up and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, I believe that a reward should be given, and a big reward should be given, especially for Gu Chen, who has made meritorious services in this battle. Reward for meritorious deeds and punish for faults. This has always been the case."
This is Daxia’s code of conduct. Your Highness must not hurt the hearts of the officers and soldiers of Jingtian Division because of this."
"Your Highness should know that if this person's heart is cold, it will be difficult to restore it."
Hearing this, Prince Ji Yuan nodded. Duke Liang's words were as he thought. Moreover, Gu Chen and the others had indeed saved the entire Xun'an County, so it was unjustifiable not to reward them.
Once this happens, who will be willing to work for Daxia in the future?
At this time, a first-rank minister came out and said: "Although Chen Yu and the others have made merit this time, they have also made mistakes. Chen Yu did not protect everyone in the martial arts hall, and the casualties were not small. Even the legitimate son of Ping Xihou died in Xun.
Anjun, what will Marquis Pingxi who is far away on the border think? I think we should stabilize Marquis Pingxi's heart first."
When Duke Liang heard this, he frowned slightly.
The prince also felt that it was difficult. Pingxihou was very important to Daxia and could not make mistakes. Cao Zhen, the legitimate son of Pingxihou, died. This was indeed a problem.
"Uncle Emperor, what do you think?" In desperation, the prince had no choice but to look at Prince Huai.
Prince Huai was wearing a python robe, with a handsome face, elegant temperament, and a gentle voice. He said slowly: "Ping Xihou, I will handle it. Please rest assured, Your Highness."
"That's very good. I'll trouble you, uncle." After hearing that Prince Huai personally handled the matter, a smile suddenly appeared on the prince's handsome face, and the pressure on his body relaxed.
Immediately, King Huai said again: "As for Jingtian Si, I think that we really deserve a reward, especially since Gu Chen played a crucial role in this battle."
"How does the emperor think the reward should be given?" the prince asked humbly.
"Just give him the title of Viscount." Prince Huai said calmly.
This chapter has been completed!