Black Fairy, the master is a female ghost

In a blink of an eye, fifteen days passed.

In Changfeng Town, people have returned to their homes and are busy cleaning and rebuilding.

Of the 100,000 soldiers brought by Wei Ying, 50,000 went to Qingtian Pass, and the other 50,000 stayed in Changfeng Town.

According to her request, the 50,000 soldiers left behind in Changfeng Town and the 50,000 soldiers in Qingtian Pass will be rotated every month.

As a result, Changfeng Town suddenly had an extra military camp and 50,000 more people. The army was stationed here, and in addition to training soldiers, they also had to reclaim wasteland and cultivate crops.

Changfeng Town is more lively than before.

After Lu Xunhuan helped Wei Ying in Changfeng Town for a few days, he followed her back to Zhongzhou City after everything was arranged.

After Wei Ying returned to Zhongzhou City, she met up with the Eighteenth Prince and the Sixteenth Princess. Without taking any time to rest, she took some soldiers with her, protected the princes and princesses, and returned to the capital.

Lu Xunhuan stayed in Zhongzhou City, helping everyone rebuild their homes, assisting the provincial government with internal and external affairs, and helping to build the tomb of the fallen soldiers, while also waiting for further appointments from Kyoto City.

After the war, the original Zhongzhou City garrison structure was completely destroyed.

Sima Cao was killed in battle, and the captains of the three camps on the left, center and right were all killed in battle.

Of the original 30,000 soldiers, only a hundred or so officers and men who had once served under Lu Xunhuan in the Left Camp were left.

The main force guarding Zhongzhou City now is the 30,000 soldiers left behind by Wei Ying.

These 30,000 soldiers, led by a captain, are also waiting for appointments and rewards from the Kyoto city.

Therefore, after the war, Lu Xunhuan had no position in the army or in the government, and was just like an idle person.

But although he was a leisurely person, he was busier than everyone else, because the prefect Cao Ruhai would always go to him to discuss things or ask him for help, whether there was something or not.

Qiao Zheng from the Immortal Friends Association would come to him for advice from time to time.

The leader of the Shenlong Pavilion often invited him to have secret talks.

There is also the proprietress Li Ziyan. The first store needs to be repaired and the second store needs to be renovated, so she asks his opinion on every little thing.

In Kyoto City, the eighteenth prince returned with his army and was naturally welcomed by His Majesty the King in person outside the city gate.

For a time, the event was unprecedentedly grand.

After a few days of bustling activity in Kyoto, it was time to bestow rewards.

At court today, His Majesty the King sat on the Golden Throne, and the Eighteenth Prince was allowed to stand beside his jade table, facing the ministers.

His Majesty the King asked, "Yu'er, how do you think I should reward you?"

The royal family of the last Zhou Dynasty was surnamed Xia, and the eighteenth prince was named Yu, also known as Xia Yu.

Prince Yu turned and saluted, then pulled out a list: "Father, these are all people who have made great contributions. I have already written down how to reward them."

His Majesty the King looked at the list and nodded: "Well, basically reasonable."

He looked at Wei Ying: "Wei Ying."

Wei Ying stepped out and saluted: "Wei Ying pays respects to Your Majesty."

His Majesty the King asked the eunuch to pass the list to Wei Ying: "Take a look, is there anything missing?"

Wei Ying took the list from the eunuch and read it from beginning to end, but did not see Lu Xunhuan's name.

She looked at the Eighteenth Prince and said, "Prince Yu has given a very detailed account. I have nothing to add."

His Majesty the King nodded and said, "Wei Ying will obey the order."

Wei Ying knelt down: "Long live His Majesty."

His Majesty the King said, "Wei Ying, for assisting the Eighteenth Prince and annihilating 600,000 enemies, has made great contributions. He is promoted to the first rank general, granted a mansion of 1,000 acres, and a reward of 10,000 taels of gold."

Wei Ying knelt down and said, "Thank you, Lord."

His Majesty the King gestured, "Stand up."

His Majesty the King spent about an hour awarding the rewards one by one according to the list.

Finally, he asked, "General Wei, how should the Sima of Zhongzhou City be arranged? You will decide."

Wei Ying stood up and was about to mention Lu Xunhuan when the Prime Minister stood up.

He saluted the king: "Your Majesty."

The king asked, "What suggestions does the Prime Minister have?"

The Prime Minister said, "The Eighteenth Prince has gone out to train and has become a pillar of the country. I envy him greatly. Now that the position of Sima of Zhongzhou is vacant, Your Majesty, can you allow my son to train for a year or two?"

His Majesty the King stroked his beard and said, "This..."

The Prime Minister quickly said to the Sixth Prince, "Prince, please say something."

The Sixth Prince stepped forward and said, "Whether it's a phoenix or a chicken, we'll know after we take it out for a try. Your Majesty, let Prime Minister Zhang's son go and train. Perhaps he can train another pillar for my Zhou Empire."

After listening to the Sixth Prince's words, His Majesty the King asked Prince Yu, "Yu'er, what do you think?"

The Eighteenth Prince said, "Father, now that the war has subsided, we can let Prime Minister Zhang's son try. If he doesn't work, we can just switch him back."

His Majesty the King turned his gaze towards Prime Minister Zhang and said, "Alright, let Zhang Buzhi give it a try."

Zhang Xiangguo hurriedly bowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty..."

He added, "Your Majesty, I have another suggestion."

His Majesty the King gestured, "You speak."

Prime Minister Zhang said, "Our Zhou Empire is surrounded by four major enemy states. If war breaks out on all sides... Your Majesty, we must find a way to escape this unfavorable situation."

His Majesty the King asked, "How do we escape? Should we send troops and destroy one country first?"

Zhang Xiangguo replied, "That's right. Only by destroying one country can our Zhou Empire have a safe rear base and further encroach on the other countries."

His Majesty the King asked, "Then, according to the Prime Minister, which country should be destroyed first?"

Zhang Xiangguo said, "We cannot fight an unprepared war. The five kingdoms have been isolated from each other for many years and know very little about each other. I suggest that we send talented and ambitious people from the public to infiltrate other kingdoms and investigate their conditions. Then, we can choose which kingdom to destroy first based on its strength."

His Majesty the King nodded. "You have a point. The five countries have been isolated from each other for many years. To be honest, I know very little about the other four countries. I am also curious about their development."

He asked Prime Minister Zhang, "Should we post a notice to recruit talented people from the public?"

Prime Minister Zhang bowed and said, "For the Southern Liang Kingdom, I have already chosen a candidate. As for other countries, it won't be too late to recruit them after we send people to the Southern Liang Kingdom."

His Majesty the King smiled and said, "The Prime Minister has thought so far for me. So, who does the Prime Minister recommend to go to the Southern Liang Kingdom?"

Prime Minister Zhang replied, "I have heard that there is a young man in Zhongzhou City who was once highly regarded by the Sixth Prince."

His Majesty the King thought for a moment and said, "You're not talking about that Lu Xunhuan, are you?"

Zhang Xiangguo replied, "That's right."

His Majesty the King looked at Wei Ying and said, "But General Wei once reported to me that Lu Xunhuan was only good at talking big and talking on paper, and he was frivolous and shallow. I even demoted him."

Zhang Xiangguo said, "Your Majesty, you need people like this to thrive in the Southern Liang Kingdom. He's a cultivator with some ability, and he's smart. He can come up with all sorts of training methods, so he's a bit smart. But the key is that he's thick-skinned and very good at getting away with free food and drink."

He saluted again and said, "Your Majesty, think about it. If he wasn't capable, how could he have those good-for-nothings in Zhongzhou City running around like that? How did someone who had never been a soldier suddenly become a captain?"

He concluded, "This is his ability. If we send him to infiltrate the Southern Liang Kingdom, he might one day become a big shot in the Southern Liang Kingdom. Then, he can cooperate with us from both inside and outside."

His Majesty the King asked, "What if he becomes a prominent figure in the Southern Liang Kingdom and is unwilling to serve the Zhou Empire?"

Zhang Xiangguo said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. His roots are in the Zhou Kingdom. He is a Zhou Kingdom man in life and a Zhou Kingdom ghost in death."

His Majesty the King asked the Sixth Prince, "Sixth Brother, what do you think?"

The Sixth Prince bowed and said, "The Prime Minister is right. Lu Xunhuan has that ability."

The king then asked Wei Ying, "General Wei, when you went to Zhongzhou to fight the enemy, did you meet Lu Xunhuan?"

Before Wei Ying could reply, the Eighteenth Prince interrupted, saying, "He was angry that his father had demoted him, so he quit his position as a captain and ran back to the sect to live a carefree life."

His Majesty the King pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, order Lu Xunhuan to secretly infiltrate the Southern Liang Kingdom, pretending to be a native of the country, and mingle in the country to investigate the national conditions, people's sentiments, military situation, and other aspects of the country. If he completes the task successfully, I will appoint him a high official."

Prime Minister Zhang bowed and said, "As you wish."