High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

Both men had their own advantages. After Empress He was made empress, He Jin's status rose accordingly. He was promoted to Tiger General, Prefect of Yingchuan, and Attendant-in-Ordinary, participating in court affairs and becoming very active in the political arena.

Huangfu Song was well-versed in military strategy and possessed both literary and military talents. He rose from county magistrate to Grand Master of the Palace and served as governor of several regions. During his tenure as governor of Yanmen, he worked with the Zhang brothers and thus sought to win them over.

"General He is utterly loyal!"

"General Huangfu is a skilled and experienced general!"

"..."

Emperor Ling of Han listened to the heated discussion among his ministers and was unable to make a decision for the time being. He glanced at the ministers and suddenly noticed that Tang Ke was burying his head and dozing off. He couldn't help but shout, "Tang Ke, what is your opinion on the selection of the Grand General?"

Tang Ke was startled, and his sleepiness vanished instantly. He said, "General He has his merits, and General Huangfu has his merits. After much thought, I believe no one knows me better than Your Majesty. Your Majesty's wisdom surpasses ours tenfold. You may take your own life."

These words were meaningless. Emperor Ling glared at him and scolded, "Boy, I called you to the inner court to offer suggestions, not to spout platitudes. If you really can't come up with any useful suggestions, you might as well get out of here."

Tang Ke braced himself and said, "Your Majesty, if that's how you put it, then I recommend Attendant-in-Ordinary He Jin."

This was his true thought, but he didn't want Emperor Ling of Han to classify him as part of He Jin's faction.

"That's right, recommend whomever you want, don't beat around the bush." ​​Emperor Ling's mood softened slightly: "Tell me your reasons!"

"Your Majesty's suggestion is that since General Huangfu is skilled in battle, let him go to the front line to arrest Taiping Dao. General He is loyal and devoted, so let him be the Grand General and guard Luoyang. The two can each fulfill their respective duties."

"Pfft!" Yang Ci was drinking tea when he couldn't help but spit it out. "According to the Commander of the Imperial Guards, it seems that the General is stationed in the rear. Hmm? That's quite an idea."

"I told you, stop talking nonsense." Emperor Ling of Han glared at him: "Let's settle things like this for now. You all need to finish up the matter of the investiture as soon as possible, and then start mobilizing the troops in the capital to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."

These words practically sealed Feng Xu's fate! Emperor Ling of Han finally decided to kill this favored eunuch when the Taiping Dao threatened the very foundation of the court.

Tang Ke suddenly thought of someone.

It's time to get rid of Qu Mu. With the Yellow Turban Rebellion breaking out, a myriad of problems are about to arise. We can't leave this source of trouble alive.

West of the city, a teahouse.

Qu Mu picked up his teacup and took a sip. Suddenly, he felt his strength rapidly draining away, like sand flowing out of an hourglass.

Tang Ke thrust his spear at him, but suddenly saw that his eyes were like a whirlpool, captivating and mesmerizing.

This is Qu Mu's trump card, the pupil technique. Before he mastered his swordsmanship, he didn't know how many masters he had killed with this move, defeating the strong with the weak. He hadn't used it for a long time since he mastered his swordsmanship.

Tang Ke felt completely captivated by the strange gaze, as if he were in a desert. He was startled, wondering what kind of wondrous soul-capturing technique this was, perhaps an enhanced version of modern hypnosis?

At this moment, he had to stay clear-headed. He shouted and brandished his gun wildly.

The sound shook heaven and earth, shattering all illusions; the spear technique was domineering and unrestrained, obliterating everything before it.

Tang Ke then realized that he was still standing outside the teahouse, and his formidable enemy, wearing a straw hat, was still standing there leisurely, facing him.

He was secretly startled. In just a short moment, the soul-capturing technique that Qu Mu had suddenly used was truly terrifying.

With his martial arts skills and composure, even a modern person who understands the principles of modern hypnosis would be shaken. If he hadn't woken up in time, he would have been trapped in some kind of illusion. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

In fact, if Qu Mu hadn't been poisoned and could only exert 70-80% of his strength, Tang Ke would probably have been affected by the spell and fallen into a coma at the first glance, and would have been killed by his sword.

He finally understood why he was always unable to move due to Qu Mu's murderous aura whenever he saw him; it was simply an aura created by hypnosis combined with his own sword intent.

After shuddering a few times to quickly relax his tense and immobile body, he regained his freedom of movement. However, the opponent's powerful force, capable of overturning rivers and seas and like that of gods and demons, seemed to gather again when he faced Qu Mu's eyes.

As an assassin, Qu Mu had long since severed all emotions and abandoned love, transcending life and death. He no longer had any fear of death. He just thought to himself with a touch of self-mockery: "I never thought that after killing people above my rank all my life, I would die at the hands of someone of lower rank than me."

With his spear in hand, Tang Ke's momentum grew stronger, but he was temporarily intimidated by the strange light in Qu Mu's eyes and dared not attack for a moment.

Qu Mu dared not move rashly. His poison was taking effect faster and faster, and making a move at this time would only hasten the onset of the poison. Moreover, as soon as he moved, his opponent would see through his disguise. So he pretended to be relaxed and stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly not taking Tang Ke's spearhead seriously at all.

Tang Ke's mind raced. He had a lot of experience in controlling the momentum during a martial arts match. After all, he had watched so many martial arts movies, so it wasn't difficult for him to pretend to be indifferent to everything.

Qu Mu's poisoning worsened, yet despite his best efforts, he couldn't find a single flaw in his opponent's defenses. At this point, the poison had begun to numb his senses, making it impossible for him to keep track of his opponent's breathing rhythm and heart rate.

He was hallucinating. Tang Ke was right in front of him, yet he seemed to be nothing but an empty void. It was as if even if he swung his sword down, he would only hit a void.

What happens if you miss?

Is this person in front of me also a sixth-rank expert whose strength is not much different from mine?

Seeing that he was hesitant to make a move, Tang Ke's fear and apprehension gradually disappeared, and he became even more excited. A burning fighting spirit ignited in his eyes, as if a raging fire had been set off.

Shouts arose from all sides as the imperial guards surged in from all directions, their hooves thundering like lightning.

Qu Mu pointed his sword into the distance, a hint of despair beginning to appear in his eyes, yet an invisible aura still lingered, the power of the Soul-Seizing Technique had not completely vanished.

The Imperial Guards did not rush forward. Even a blind man could see that the Imperial Guard had gained the upper hand in the standoff between the two.

Neither of them made a move, but everyone sensed that if they did, it would immediately determine life or death. Their mere presence, even before they attacked, was enough to make onlookers' hearts race and sweat pour down their backs.

Who knows how amazing this move will be?

In a flash, the two attacked simultaneously, and with a scream, the outcome was decided.

Qu Mu's body flew heavily seven or eight zhang away and fell to the ground.