I transmigrated to ancient times and became a king with a title equal to mine.

It was lunchtime when Fu Yao rushed into Ma Gui's bedroom and dragged Lord Ma out of the yamen.

In the earthen forest east of Lishui City, Fu Yao put down Lord Ma.

Ma Gui straightened his clothes and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Fu Yao greatly admired Ma Gui's composure and calmness, and said with a faint smile, "Listen: The disappearance of the Southern King is a litmus test. Perhaps some people or organizations will take this opportunity to jump out. You must pay close attention and guard against bad people taking advantage of the situation. Especially the Ruxu Tiger Camp, you must make plans early. If you wait until something happens before taking action, it will be too late."

Ma Gui was startled and opened his mouth to ask, but was stopped.

Fu Yao handed him the blood-written letter and said, "The Prince of the South has gone to southern Henan. You should act according to the blood-written letter, but you must keep it a secret. I suggest that the fewer people who know about it, the better."

"Also, tell Seventh Brother to go back immediately, without delay!"

After saying that, it took off into the air.

Ma Gui looked up and watched the veiled woman fly away like Chang'e flying to the moon. Startled, he immediately knelt down and whispered, "Your humble servant respectfully sees Your Majesty off!"

He didn't know who this woman was, but he guessed that she must be the woman closest to the Southern King.

"Could it be the legendary Consort Ning?"

Therefore, he called the veiled woman "Your Majesty".

Ma Gui rushed to the residence of the Prince of Lingjiang and recounted what had happened to the prince.

After listening, Long Yingshan pondered and said, "My aunt Ning is indeed a martial artist with very high cultivation. According to your speech, the only person who could say that about me, besides my mother, is my aunt Ning, who has been missing for more than ten years."

Upon learning that his ninth brother was safe, Lung Ying-shan was relieved and immediately got up and quietly left.

The departure of the King of Lingjiang will be kept secret for a few days. Without the King of Nan, the King of Lingjiang has indeed intimidated some people.

In a small village on the south bank of the Yellow River, Xiao Banggui and Song Zhonglin spent a day discussing and finally reached an agreement.

Two days later, Xiao Banggui sent the physician Hong Linshan again.

"General Song, His Majesty the Regent respects all talents and is eager for virtuous men. He is very pleased to learn that you have the heart to serve the Great Xia Dynasty. He brings an imperial edict: For now, General, we can only appoint Song Zhonglin as a third-rank official, the military governor of Huanghuai."

"His Majesty's demands are very simple, only two: First, the Long family must vacate the south bank of the Yellow River for fifty li; second, the Huanghuai region must pay one million catties of grain to the court every year."

Song Zhonglin frowned, and finally said with a wry smile, "Could you reduce the amount a bit? The people have just finished eating."

Hong Linshan pondered for a moment and said, "Nine hundred thousand catties, not less. Otherwise, I won't be able to answer the call."

Song Zhonglin nodded and smiled, "I hope Lord Hong will take good care of me in the future!"

"Of course, since we are brothers serving in the same court, we should support each other!"

Having said that, he ordered his men to bring over two large boxes.

"Brother Song, this is something His Highness gave you personally. Please check it."

When Song Zhonglin opened the box, he was overjoyed and tears streamed down his face.

Facing the direction of Kyoto, he knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject Song Zhonglin dares to accept the reward from my lord, and will certainly devote himself to the country and its people, even unto death!"

Hong Linshan felt completely relieved and laughed as he pulled Song Zhonglin up.

After exchanging pleasantries, Song Zhonglin said, "The key is speed. The troop rotation will take place tomorrow morning, and the Long family army will retreat 100 li to the south."

"readily!"

Hong Linshan returned to the north bank in high spirits to report to the Imperial Uncle.

In the central command tent on the north bank, Xiao Banggui asked, "Any news from the direction of Jincheng?"

Hong Linshan said, "Last night, Lord Long Guo Biaolong sent an urgent message, and four routes from the Jin Dong Commandery entered the western Henan region."

Cho Banggui seemed to be deep in thought, and after a moment said, "Send a message by carrier pigeon, in my spoken language, asking them not to disturb the people and not to trample the crops. The people of Great Xia do not fight against other people of Great Xia. I hope their appearance will deter the Long family army."

Hong Linshan shared the sentiment and bowed, saying, "I deeply admire Your Excellency's patriotism and love for the country! I will immediately convey your earnest teachings to the soldiers stationed on the south bank."

Sure enough, at dawn the next day, the 80,000-strong imperial army crossed the river and marched to their designated positions with strict discipline and without committing any offenses.

On a lookout tower a hundred miles away, Yu Hongtao held a lookout device and gazed into the distance.

At this moment, he had to admit that the Prince of the South was a genius of all time, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and possessed extraordinary wisdom.

The strict discipline of the Long Family Army, in particular, deeply shocked him, a veteran commander who had led the army for over thirty years.

Fifty thousand troops were lying in ambush along the way, yet Hong Linshan, a veteran general, did not notice them. This shows that the Long family army was well-trained and had a strong ability to enforce discipline.

At the handover ceremony between the two armies, Song Zhonglin and others exchanged pleasantries with Hong Linshan and then invited the Imperial Uncle to inspect and guide the Long Family Army.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Banggui nodded in agreement, saying, "There's no time like the present. I'll visit your base right now and see the red-coated cannons with my own eyes."

Hong Linshan also wanted to go, but Xiao Banggui said, "You should take care of your own business first. There will be plenty of time later."

To make things easier, Chopin abandoned the carriage, mounted a horse, and rode alongside Song Zhonglin.

"It's been many years since I've fought on the battlefield, and my bones are starting to rust."

Song Zhonglin said with a smile, "The Emperor's brother-in-law still has the charm he had back then."

"Based on your words, I must give it my all."

"Giddy up!" As the old imperial brother-in-law cracked his whip, a thunderous cannon roar suddenly sounded behind him.

The sudden accident startled the emperor's brother-in-law and all the horses in his entourage.

The white horse reared up and neighed wildly, throwing the emperor's brother-in-law into the air.

Song Zhonglin leaped off his horse and grabbed Xiao Banggui in a tight embrace.

Cho Bangui struggled to get off the ground, glaring at his opponent and shouting, "You son of a bitch, you're cheating?"

Song Zhonglin took a few steps back and said, "This humble official has a duty to defend the territory; how could I betray His Highness the Prince of the South?"

"He is dead. All the land under heaven belongs to the king. What land do you live in?"

“Your Excellency, this is incorrect,” Song Zhonglin said, neither humble nor arrogant. “The land belongs to His Majesty, not to your nephew Long Yingkun.”

“Kun’er is the regent. The king has handed over the throne to him. Do you not accept this?” Xiao Banggui asked sternly.

“This humble servant has no right to disobey. However, Song Zhonglin is only loyal to His Majesty and the Prince of the South. Anyone else who tries to encroach on the territory under my jurisdiction will not only be opposed by Song Zhonglin, but you can ask the thousands of households in this region whether they agree to it.”

Xiao Banggui was intimidated by Song Zhonglin's imposing and awe-inspiring presence.

Song Zhonglin suddenly roared, "Imperial Guards, escort the Imperial Brother-in-law to headquarters!"

"The Golden Guard?" Xiao Banggui was taken aback.

"How come you have His Majesty's personal guards here?"

Song Zhonglin replied, "It was sent by His Majesty to Prince Nan."

"Is Long Bin here?"

"You'll know when you go to Mount Song."

After seeing Xiao Banggui off, Song Zhonglin laughed loudly and said, "I not only took over the imperial army of 80,000, but also captured Xiao Banggui, a first-rank official."

"Reporting to Your Excellency, all 80,000 troops have surrendered."

"Where are Hong Linshan and the others?" Song Zhonglin asked.