Chapter 162 - 128 Holy Body_2
But after a few visits, he didn’t want to go there anymore.
Every time he saw that guy and his new lovely wife cooing over each other, their faces full of happiness, it was simply too nauseating.
Deeply affected, Lu Yuan could only go to the Little Phoenix Pavilion in the city to continue teaching himself, consoling his wounded soul. Thus, the fulfilling and leisurely days went by slowly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year.
A new year was just around the corner.
Perhaps wishing to offer a gift to the emperor before the holiday, the Pingnan Army, which had already been fighting in the Southern Border for three years, brought good news before the end of the year.
They claimed to have leveled Jinghai Country, breached its capital of Longbian City, and the ruler of Jinghai Country had burned himself to death in the Royal Palace when the city fell.
Even the Inborn Grandmaster of Jinghai Country had been beheaded in the midst of the Southern Expedition Army under the siege of the two Inborn Grandmasters of the Southern Expedition Army.
The capital city had been broken, and the Grandmaster had died.
Under these two blows, the resistance of Jinghai Country was completely shattered. The remaining prefectures and counties in the country soon surrendered under the deterrence of the army.
“Thus, Jinghai Country is destroyed. The emperor has ordered that Jinghai Country be changed into Jiuzhen Prefecture, with nine prefectures established on its former territory, directly governed by the imperial court.
Out of the one hundred thousand Southern Expedition Army, fifty thousand will remain to guard the Southern Border, with the Deputy Marshal of the
Southern Expedition Army, Marquis Wuping, Xie Ning, serving as the first Governor of Jiuzhen Prefecture, leading the army to stabilize the new territory.
The remaining fifty thousand army will be led by the Marshal of the Southern Expedition Army, Wuan Marquis Bai Mengyang, who will head to their home base after the holiday, preparing for the war to destroy Shu State in the coming spring.
With the arrival of Wuan Marquis, the end of the Pseudo-Shu Li Thief is near.”
In the yamen, on the last day before closing for the holiday, Cui Changqing told Lu Yuan the latest news from the imperial court, his face full of excitement.
Hearing the news, Lu Yuan was also quite astonished.
He knew why Prefect Cui was so excited.
It turned out that both Marquis Wuping, Xie Ning, and Wuan Marquis, Bai Mengyang, the two generals of the imperialist expedition to the south, were well-known Inborn Grandmasters in Jianghu.
Especially Wuan Marquis, Bai Mengyang, who was said to be among the strongest of the Inborn Grandmasters.
This time, with the Marquis leading the troops, the combination of the two Inborn Grandmasters and the local Governor, Dongting, would be another dream team for the Pingnan Army.
But it was clear to anyone with eyes that the newly established Xi Shu, whether in terms of national strength or the Inborn Emperor Li Xiong, were far inferior to Jinghai Country.
So based on the current strengths, by the end of next year, this Xi Shu State, which had only been established for a year, would have been extinguished.
With the destruction of Xi Shu, the last rebellion within Da Yue’s territory would be quelled.
Even by then, the war between Da Yue and Liang might come to a halt.
Thus, from the outbreak of the war in Jinghai Country in the 28th year of Longqing, to the end of the war next year, Da Yue would not only not lose any territory, but also annihilate Jinghai Country, opening up a new prefecture, with its territory increasing from eight to nine prefectures.
If we ignore the fact that six of these nine prefectures had been scorched earth, then, on the surface, Da Yue could even be considered to be at the pinnacle of martial arts success, and the dynasty revitalized.
Such a resurgence, of course, filled the hearts of every talent and aspirant loyal to Da Yue with joy.
“With Wuan Marquis leading the troops, the Shu thieves will soon perish.”
Lu Yuan saw the excitement in Cui Changqing’s face and echoed it. At the same time, he felt relieved in his heart, glad that he had resisted the temptation to rebel earlier.
Otherwise, the original Governor of the county would have been a nightmare. If the Marquis of Wuan had also come, it would have meant certain death.
The news of the imperial court’s conquest and destruction of Jinghai Country soon spread through the official publicity channels.
Needless to say.
From the gentry and powerful, down to the common people, everyone was thrilled.
In recent years, with Da Yue’s decline in power and frequent local unrest severely threatening public order and security, many people had already begun to feel uneasy.
Moreover, as war and turmoil raged, the heavy taxes weighed heavily on many people, leaving them breathless.
Now that one of the three major war zones of the imperial court had ended, the cessation of war would allow many people to take a breath of relief.
The imperial court could also mobilize more resources to gradually deal with the Xi Shu bandits and the war in the Northern Border, resolving these disasters.
With things moving in a positive direction, everyone felt a brighter future ahead, and thus, there was happiness.
But everything in the world is relative.
When some people are happy, naturally, others are not happy.
As the news of Jinghai Country’s destruction and the imminent northern shift of the Pingnan Army to fight against Xi Shu spread, so did the undercurrents in Dongting Prefecture.
Wandu Valley.
As the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect, there was a hidden, deep pool in the depths of the valley.
Even within the Five Poisons Sect, this place was listed as a forbidden area, inaccessible to all but the highest-ranking sect members, the sect leader, and the left and right protectors. Even the elders below them could not approach it.
Such a mysterious place naturally aroused the curiosity of countless sect members.
But no matter how curious they were, they dared not breach the sect’s rules and explore it.
This was due not only to the heaviest punishment within the sect, the Ten Thousand Poison Devouring Body, for defying the rules, but also to the fact that no one who had entered the deep pool had ever come out.
The importance placed on it within the sect, and the mysterious legends surrounding it, made this deep pool a taboo. No one wanted to mention it, and no one dared to mention it.
And today, this taboo in the minds of the Five Poisons Sect’s members welcomed three visitors..