Atu Mountain City, as the main force of the Qing army, was of course personally led by Qing Emperor Jiang Zhengdi.
At this time, the Atu Mountain City was majestic and domineering, just like the heavenly palace of ancient gods. It made people look up at the mountains and gave them a sense of boundless insignificance.
A word "Qing" with a dense Taoist rhyme is looming in the clouds and mist, changing unpredictably.
From the foot of the mountain to the foot of the mountain, there are camps arranged by the marching caves everywhere, distributed according to the four colors of red, blue, white and yellow flags.
At a glance, you can see how many soldiers and horses there are, which is daunting.
The great military strength of the Qing Empire can be seen from this.
The top of the Attu Mountains has penetrated deep into the void. Although it is not higher or more mysterious than the Void Dao Gu Mountain, it is not like an isolated mountain like the Dao Gu Mountain. Instead, it is a mountainous area stretching millions of miles across the middle of the Witch Territory.
The location of the Atu Mountains is very special. To the east is the Void Dao Gu Mountain, to the west is the Kun Snake Gobi, to the south is the Ancient Ming Forest, and to the north is the Wuyu River Laoshui.
The strategic location here is very important. For several years, it has been an important place that the Qing and Chu armies have repeatedly fought for.
At the same time, the Atu Mountains are also the most important east-west dividing line between the Qing and Chu states.
To the east is the Qing Kingdom and to the west is the Chu Kingdom. The vast world of Witchcraft is divided into two great kingdoms, the East and the West, which are constantly at war with each other.
At this time, the territory of the Qing Dynasty stretched from the Atu Mountains in the west, to Dongming in the east, to Nanming in the south, and to the Longshan Mountains in the north, stretching across 20 million miles. It was indeed a powerful country.
However, such a vast territory was mainly formed by annexing the previous Black Hao Tribe and Gui Hao Tribe as well as many small and medium-sized tribes.
The capital of the Qing Dynasty was originally located in Qingmantian City in the Jiuji World. In the first year of Tianming, after Jiang Zhengyi moved the capital to Shenhuo Tiancheng, he renamed Shenhuo Tiancheng Longjing.
At this time, the Qing Dynasty already had two capitals, the north and the south. In addition to Longjing in the north, there was also the Tianhui Divine City, the original Juncheng of the Guihu tribe, which was renamed Fengjing.
However, since Jiang Zheng raised his army, he rarely stayed in the northern and southern capitals. Instead, he had been leading his troops to attack Chu.
At the beginning, the Qing army's offensive was like a fire, and the Chu army suffered a series of defeats. They watched helplessly as the newly minted Qing Dynasty calmly annexed the eastern part of the Wu Territory.
However, Pankang quickly stabilized the battle situation and consolidated the defense line, and it was no longer possible for the Qing army to make a breakthrough.
In the past two years, it has become clear that the two countries have their own offenses and defenses, each has its own victories and defeats, and has been in a stage of strategic confrontation.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the difference in strength between the two countries is very small. I am afraid that if the confrontation continues for a long time, neither one can destroy the other.
But everyone also knows that variables may appear at any time. The balance of power between the two countries may be broken at any time and become a one-sided situation.
But no one knows when the big changes that will break the equilibrium will come.
In the royal tent of the Qing army, sitting high up was a masked man wearing a blue dragon robe and a Liuheyi hat. He was the only person in the world who was proclaimed emperor: Jiang Zhengdi.
Nowadays, the leaders of Chu, Qi and Liang all call themselves kings, the leader of Buddha Mother Guangming Kingdom calls himself King Peacock Ming, and the leader of Charming Tapir Kingdom in the far north calls himself Khan.
Only the leader of the Qing Dynasty, Jiang Zhengyi, claimed to be emperor!
At the same time, the Qing Dynasty was different from other countries such as the Chu Kingdom, which had changed its status quo. The system of the Qing Dynasty was relatively complete, the power of the monarch was highly concentrated, the power of the aristocracy was greatly weakened, and the Four Banners system was the core, making it unique.
In countries such as the Chu State, the aristocrats of the Wu family were still the larger ones. They only used the form of a country to unify the large and small aristocrats within the territory, but the resources and power of the aristocrats did not have much impact.
If Jiang Zhengyi's purpose was simple, if he just wanted to unify the world, then the unification of the Qing Dynasty would definitely be a historical progress, and it would definitely be more progressive than the unification of aristocratic alliances like Chu and Qi.
However, it is a pity that Jiang Zhengyi only wanted to use the unity to extract the luck of the dynasty and sacrifice it to the monks in the world. His ultimate goal was the selfish interests of a very small number of people.
The large tent was filled with important officials and generals from the Qing court. Even the great sages and powerful men among them behaved well and did not dare to show off.
Most of the four banner masters and arrow masters of the Forbidden Army, the governors of the tribal soldiers, the governors, as well as the ministers of the political affairs platform and the chiefs of the nine prefectures also accompanied the commander.
Jiang Zhengdi suddenly stretched out his left hand with a blood-red ring and grabbed it in the direction of Northeast Long Pass, activating the ban that had been arranged long ago and casually captured a scene of video.
In the image, there are monstrous floods and the Qing army falling into massacre. What attracts the most attention is a mysterious man who also wears a mask.
The mysterious man came riding the waves, exuding a noble ghost aura, and said, "You pour river water into my Void Heavenly Ghost Palace, and you will die——"
Jiang Zheng, the leader of the Qing Dynasty, waved his hand, and the image appeared in front of everyone.
His voice was lazily laced with a hint of amusement, "Is this man really a ghost cultivator? He claims to be the master of the Void Heavenly Ghost Palace. Hey, does anyone know about the Void Heavenly Ghost Palace?"
Everyone shook their heads because they had never heard of the Void Heavenly Ghost Palace.
However, no one dares to say no.
The void is dangerous and vast, inaccessible and poorly understood.
Lord Qing raised his hand to obliterate the image, "The Commander-in-Chief ordered us to investigate this Void Heavenly Ghost Palace and see where the masked man came from."
"According to the order." A woman with shaman cultivation level said.
This Chief Inspector is also a concubine named Hai Lanying. She is very good at spying and investigating, and is very sensitive to information.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Starting from today, I will increase my spying on the Southern Territory and Yue'anshi headquarters. It was my fault that I didn't take them seriously before."
Her previous focus had been to fight against Panchu's insect spirit. Panchu's insect spirit was not only an assassin organization, but also a spy organization.
The Qing Dynasty's Si Cha Mansion was built just a few years ago, and at first it couldn't compete with the established Chongling.
However, Hai Lanying has intelligence talent. She built the Inspectorate from scratch, and in just a few years she was able to compete with the Insect Spirit Organization, which was feared in the Witchland.
It won't take long for Hailanying to be confident that he can come from behind, overwhelm the insect spirit, and gain a complete advantage in intelligence.
The Qing court is full of talents and powerful people, but there is really no one who is better at spying on intelligence than Hai Lanying.
Because of her talent in intelligence, she was named a secret concubine by Jiang Zhengyi and concurrently served as the Commander-in-Chief.
Jiang Zhengyi continued: "The defeat at Longguan, the puppet concubine's death in battle, and the capture of Concubine Mi are really unprecedented defeats for our Qing Dynasty. You all can tell us your opinions."
Suddenly, a minister stood up. It was Uncle Rui Zhongbo of the Qing Dynasty, Qinglu, the Minister of Imperial Affairs and Minister of Fu!
At this time, Qinglu was already at the late stage of Wuxian cultivation.
"Your Majesty." Qinglu said with a thoughtful look on his face, "I think that although this matter is a defeat for our Qing Dynasty, it may still be an opportunity for the overall situation."
"Six hundred thousand foundation-building soldiers, 30,000 golden elixir soldiers, including 20,000 Zhenglan Banner soldiers. Such a huge loss is indeed a pity. But compared to the Qing Dynasty's millions of troops, it is far from being said to be a loss of strength.
."
"The Yue Clan was lucky enough to win this battle, and it will definitely be more different from other martial cliques in the Southern Region. This is an opportunity."
"We, the Qing Dynasty, can definitely take advantage of this defeat at Longguan to lower our profile and deliberately negotiate a peace alliance with the military clans in the southern region. The Yue clan has won the battle, and with the steps we have taken, it will be easier to negotiate a peace as soon as possible."
"If the other party is willing to take advantage of the victory to negotiate peace, then the Qing Dynasty can no longer take care of the Southern Territory, but concentrate all its efforts on dealing with the Chu State. Wait until the Chu State is defeated, and then deal with the Southern Territory."
"Even if the Yue clan is unwilling to negotiate for peace, there will be other martial clans who are willing to negotiate for peace. This will divide the southern region's military clans, isolate the Yue clan, and even cause division within the Yue clan. After all, there are people within the Yue clan who are opposed to resistance.
clear…"
Qinglu talks eloquently and his analysis is clear and logical. It must be said that he can turn bad things into good things and take advantage of unfavorable situations, which is not unskillful.
The important ministers and generals present could not help but nod their heads when they heard this.
This Rui Zhongbo deserves to have the word "Rui" in his title. This man's eyes are vicious and can always hit the nail on the head, turning decay into magic.
Yes, the Yue Clan won the war, and it was indeed a big step to achieve good results. As long as the Qing Dynasty lowered its stance and operated well, it could divide the unity of the Southern Territory's warlords, and even negotiate a peace to neutralize the Southern Territory.
At the very least, the over-valve can be isolated.
The Qing Dynasty seemed to have lost the battle, but it actually increased the room for maneuver.
Even Jiang Zhengyi couldn't find any flaws in Qinglu's advice, "Yes, what Feng Bian (Qinglu's nickname) said is indeed feasible and deeply agrees with my heart, so let's do it."
Even if you lower your profile, what does that mean?
As long as there are interests, the mighty Qing Dynasty can temporarily negotiate peace with the Yue Clan, which is nothing at all. The big deal is that they will destroy the Yue Clan when the time comes.
As for face, it was subconsciously ignored by the Qing monarchs and ministers.
Chu Zongdao, the minister of the political affairs forum and the great sage, came out and said: "Your Majesty, shouldn't you take advantage of the peace talks to ask for or redeem Concubine Mi from the Yue clan?"
Jiang Zhengyi nodded, "Concubine Mi naturally wants to be redeemed. Concubine Mi is not only my concubine, but also a minister of the Qing Dynasty. If it were you, I would also want to redeem her!"
"What are resources? Compared with people, I will definitely choose people over resources."
He wore a mask, so others could not see his true face, but they could hear his voice without hesitation. Many ministers were moved when they heard this.
"The Emperor is truly the Lord of Destiny, the Supreme Saint King!" Qinglu began to flatter him, "With a King like the Emperor, what more can we ask for!"
Jiang Zhengdi said: "How dare I be the supreme sage? This is the only thing. The Qing Dynasty is not only mine, but also yours. When the world is unified in the future, all the ministers will be promoted to nobility, split the land and seal the territory, and enjoy it forever.
Rich!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Qinglu and other servants took the lead in expressing their stance again.
Jiang Zhengdi said: "The alliance between Qing, Liang and Qi has been confirmed. However, the two countries will not send troops in the short term. To destroy Chu, we mainly rely on the Qing."
"Pan Kang is a hero in the world, and he is by no means an easy person. He is quite capable and has the support of ancient witches. He is actually a powerful enemy of the Qing Dynasty. This man cannot be careless until he dies."
"Especially on the battlefield, the information is constantly changing. The commander must not underestimate the enemy and repeat the defeat of Mi Fei Long Pass."
"The families of the soldiers killed in Longguan will receive preferential compensation according to their military positions. Don't be afraid of spending money. Compared with military morale, resources are not expensive no matter how expensive they are. Tell the soldiers that they will not worry about resources when they are alive to fight, and their families will not worry about resources when they are dead!"
"Those who have meritorious service in battle can raise the flag, their military pay is doubled, and their family members are exempted from taxes."
The flag master, arrow master and other generals couldn't help but stand up together, bowed their hands and saluted: "The emperor is so considerate of the soldiers, why worry that the Qing Dynasty cannot dominate the world!"
"Remember!" Jiang Zhengyi's tone was sonorous, "The Three Kingdoms Alliance has been formed. From now on, we, the monarchs and ministers, should not talk about unifying the world, lest Liang and Qi misunderstand!"
"What I, the Qing Dynasty, want is to unify the Witch Realm and only destroy the Chu Kingdom! I have no ambitions for the Demon Realm, the Monster Realm, or the Divine Continent. Do you understand?"
All the important ministers smiled tacitly, "What the emperor said is absolutely true. I know it."
Qinglu, who had always been relied upon by Jiang Zhengyi in government affairs, was very loyal and diligent. He came out again and said:
"Your Majesty, now that our Qing Dynasty has completely surrendered the Eastern Wu tribes, our military resources are inexhaustible. The military system of the Four Banners is no longer enough to manage so many soldiers and horses."
"My servant is requesting us to set up four more flags, black, green, purple and blue, to form eight flags. This will be enough to control an increasing number of soldiers and horses."
"Sure!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhengyi agreed without even thinking.
What the slave Qinglu said was very good, and it spoke to his heart.
In the Nine Dynasties, he did not have many soldiers and horses, and the four-banner military system was enough to rule it. But now, the Qing Dynasty has accounted for half of the territory's population in the Witch Territory, and has recruited millions of soldiers and horses who are above the foundation level.
There are too many soldiers and horses, and the military system of the Four Banners is no longer enough to control them.
But Qinglu's Eight Banners system just fits the current form.
"By decree, the four flags were divided into two and were newly established as the Eight Banners. This Eight Banners system is our system of the Qing Dynasty." Jiang Zhengdi issued an order, and the Eight Banners system of the Qing Dynasty came into being.
Then, Jiang Zhengyi took the opportunity to appoint his confidant as the new banner and arrow master, and took more firm control of the military power.
After a long discussion between the monarchs and ministers of the Qing Dynasty, Jiang Zhengyi announced his resignation from the court, leaving only the imperial concubine Hai Lanying, who was ordered by the Superintendent's Office.
Only the monarch and his ministers are left, so of course it is a confidential matter.
The two of them didn't say anything at first, but entered the secret room together.
When the two came out again, Hai Lanying, the secret concubine who had cultivated the shaman-immortal level, was even more radiant, and her aura seemed to be more mellow, as if she had taken a magical elixir.
"My dear concubine, how is your comeback plan going?" Only then did Jiang Zhengyi get down to business.
"Your Majesty." The secret concubine Hai Lanying's charming eyes were as silky as silk, her voice was soft and charming, and her body was as soft as a bone and she was clinging to Jiang Zhengyi. Her expression seemed to be dripping with tears when she looked at Jiang Zhengyi.
"Let me tell you, Your Majesty, if there is no accident, Pankang will definitely be dead within three years."
"My concubine's comeback plan may have never been imagined by Pan Kang. However, my concubine cannot guarantee that the plan will be successful."
Jiang Zhengyi put his arm around the woman's waist, and while raising and lowering her hands with unfinished thoughts, he nodded and said: "That's natural. Plans are not as good as changes, just like the water of the Longjiang River. How can you know the success or failure of the plan until the last moment?"
"Even if the comeback plan fails and Pankang is alive and well, it means that his life should not have been cut off. I don't blame you. I didn't ask you to assassinate him. It was you who planned the assassination yourself."
The secret concubine is not the most favored, nor the most beautiful, but she is definitely one of the concubines he feels most at ease with.
"Your Majesty, there is something that I have always been doubtful about." The concubine raised a face that was naturally charming.
Jiang Zhengyi's voice was very lazy, "Are you wondering why I didn't kill Jiang Yao?"
The secret concubine nodded and her expression became solemn, "Your Majesty, Jiang Yao carried out reforms in the Western Regions and became the Holy Son of the Tianping God Sect. He also inherited the Jiang Sect. This person has great potential and will be a disaster in the future."
"The emperor cannot have brotherly feelings for him, why not kill him?"
"It's still not difficult to kill him now."
Jiang Zhengcong's hand touched Mi Fei's waist, "Forget it, I'll tell you why you don't kill him. It's very simple, the old man doesn't allow me to kill him. I promised the old man and I can't break my promise."
"Your Majesty?" Mi Fei understood immediately.
Jiang Zhengyi nodded, "That's right. Besides, Jiang Yao's life is taken by someone else. Even if I don't take action, this brother will not be able to escape."
"Ten thousand steps back, so what if he becomes a hero in the Western Region? If I really want to kill him, he will be doomed."
"Of course, if you want to kill Jiang Yao, that's your business and has nothing to do with me."
The secret concubine understood.
She feels stupid.
She should take the initiative to get rid of the ginger medicine instead of speaking out.
As long as you don't say it out loud, it's only your own business and has nothing to do with the emperor.
Jiang Zhengyi stood up, looked at the white clouds outside, and said in a faint tone:
"Only God knows what will happen in the future. Even I don't know who the final winner will be. The secrets of heaven are unpredictable and ever-changing. Even an immortal cannot resist the way of heaven."
The secret concubine couldn't help but be awe-inspiring, "The emperor is astonishing to the world. He has a destiny, and his tactics are unpredictable. If even the emperor cannot win in the end, then no one is qualified to win."
Jiang Zhengyi turned around, his eyes sparkling behind the mask, "I have a back-up, but Pankang doesn't? Doesn't Yu Kan have a back-up? Doesn't Haihuan have a back-up? Even Jiang Yao has a back-up. Who can underestimate the world's heroes?
"
"I proclaimed myself emperor first, not because I was arrogant, but because I wanted to seize my luck and status."
Mi Fei frowned, "Why not kill Yu Kuan?"
Jiang Zhengyi shook his head, "Yu Yan is as difficult to kill as Pan Kang. If you want to try, you need to plan another comeback plan."
"But I would like to remind you that the way of assassination is just a partial approach and a double-edged sword. You have to do it yourself."
The secret concubine said: "For the sake of the emperor, I am willing to do it!"
Although she is loyal to Jiang Zhengyi, she actually knows very little about Jiang Zhengyi. But this does not prevent her from being willing to work silently for Jiang Zhengyi's great cause.
If Jiang Zhengyi was the vast night sky, she would be willing to be the stars in the night sky.
…
Jiang Yao on the spaceship suddenly sneezed and couldn't help but said to himself: "Who is thinking of me?"
Jiang Cai next to her glanced at Jiang Yao and didn't know why he said that.
After leaving Longguan, Yue Anshi generously allocated three valuable long-distance spaceships, and also sent a thousand Wuzong troops to control the spaceships and escort them.
The reason why large-scale long-distance spaceships are used is mainly to carry war horses.
War horses are monsters and cannot be placed in the ring. There are too many, so large spaceships can only be used.
Jiang Yao not only took away the resources sent by Pankang, but also shared many of the Qing army's horses and armor.
It’s gotten bigger!
The large-scale long-distance spacecraft was very fast and arrived at Fanshan Mountain in more than ten days. The spacecraft was preparing to pass through Fanshan Mountain and fly to Qiunan in the Western Region according to a safe route.
But soon, Jiang Yao's face darkened.
In the air ahead, a large group of men in black suddenly appeared, each with a powerful aura.
"Leave the spaceship, leave the ring, leave the woman, and get out!"
As a cold and ferocious voice came through the air, a strong martial saint blocked the way of the fleet.
Whoosh whoosh!
In the black light, hundreds of men in black surrounded the fleet!