Transmigration begins with archery training

Beijing.

royal palace.

Zhongjue Hall.

The regent prince Cao Huan and the cabinet officials have been eating and drinking here for the past few months and have never left for even a moment.

The war in the west is of paramount importance; any mishap could be disastrous.

The Great Sheng Dynasty faced...

It could be a three-pronged attack, leading to collapse!

Several months have passed since the request for the white-robed official was made in Liangzhou.

The last time news came from Jiaozhou was when the White Robe led the entire army across the river to Yunduan Prefecture to provide reinforcements, and was then forced to leave the city for a decisive battle.

During the process, the two sides exchanged blows several times, but no victor emerged.

Immediately following was a head-on clash between an army of 170,000 and an army of 350,000.

They hadn't rested for several days, waiting for news here at all times.

"Report——"

"Urgent report from Jiaozhou—"

Finally, the long-awaited sound rang out.

"How about it?!"

Cao Huan suddenly stood up from his seat: "What was the result?"

Everyone cast tense and expectant glances their way.

"Your Highness!"

The soldiers presented the battle report with both hands: "Commander Chen engaged in a direct battle with the Western Qi army outside Yunduan Prefecture. After several battles, both sides suffered losses. Now the fighting has ceased, and our army has retreated back to Yunduan Prefecture to hold its ground."

"Both sides suffered losses?"

Ming Qingfeng and others, including Cao Huan, read the battle reports one by one.

The atmosphere grew even heavier.

"Chen Sanshi didn't win either?!"

This is the first time.

Even with the white-robed general taking the lead, immediate success was not achieved.

"To remain undefeated is already an extraordinary achievement."

Cao Zhi said, "170,000 against 350,000, fighting head-on on a plain, with the enemy having 'Military Immortals' and martial artists above the Martial Saint level, and still remaining undefeated under these circumstances, who else could do that?"

Even Ming Qingfeng, the Minister of War, had to admit this fact.

But the problem right now is...

What's next?

"If this drags on, our supplies won't last much longer."

The Minister of Revenue, holding a stack of books, said, “In the past three years, many prefectures in the west have suffered from poor harvests. Most of the grain has been transported from other places. The journey is long and arduous, and often ten bushels of grain will only have one bushel left by the time it reaches the front line. The loss of grain is as high as ninety percent!”

"Or... shall we make peace?"

Minister of Personnel Yin Mingchun cautiously suggested, "If all else fails, how about ceding the area west of Mangshan to them?"

"absurd!"

Upon hearing this, the regent prince Cao Huan suddenly flew into a rage: "Has our Great Sheng Dynasty ever set a precedent for ceding territory and paying tribute?!"

"Your Highness, calm down!"

The Minister of Revenue hurriedly said, "This old minister is only considering the national treasury. If Chen Sanshi cannot win within the time limit, the food supply will definitely run out!"

"After the food supplies ran out."

"Even the remaining 150,000 troops will collapse..."

"By then, it probably won't be so easy to negotiate peace."

"Your Highness."

Minister of War Ming Qingfeng said, "I believe that this matter is of great importance. It would be best to report the situation to His Majesty. Whether to continue fighting or to negotiate and cede territory is a decision that only His Majesty can make."

"Lord Ming."

Cao Huan rubbed his forehead and said, "You will accompany me to the Wanshou Palace."

Escorted by guards, the two arrived at the Wanshou Palace, but were stopped at the gate.

"Eunuch Huang?"

Ming Qingfeng asked, puzzled, "We have important matters to discuss with His Majesty. Please inform him, Eunuch."

"His Majesty is meeting with distinguished guests."

The eunuch's arm, as strong as steel, blocked the doorway: "Your Highness and Lord Ming, please wait here."

……

Wanshou Palace.

Inside the pavilion by the lake in the backyard.

"Thank you fellow Taoist for the hospitality."

A middle-aged cultivator absentmindedly sipped his tea, finally finding an opportunity to speak: "When will you be able to give me an explanation, fellow cultivator?"

"Ah."

The Longqing Emperor put down his teacup and said unhurriedly, "Are you sure it's not just a coincidence of having the same name, but the same person?"

“I can confirm it.”

Li He said confidently, "Both of them are martial arts practitioners, and the commander of your troops, Chen Sanshi, happens to be a disciple of the garrison commander Sun Xiangzong. How could he be wrong?"

"Fellow Daoist, no, I shall address you as Your Majesty the Emperor."

"Your Majesty's subjects have killed several law enforcement officers of my Deacon Hall in Daze Market, including a junior member of my Li family with a superior spiritual root!"

"Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"Fellow Daoist Li He, why don't you speak?"

Throughout the entire process, the Longqing Emperor remained as calm as still water: "What kind of explanation do you want?"

"It's very simple."

Li He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty only needs to hand the person over to me so that I can take him back to Daze Market and execute him in public. This will serve to deter all the bandits and maintain the prestige of my Li family."

The Longqing Emperor said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Li He, are you perhaps unaware that there was a great battle ahead, and I recently dispatched Chen Sanshi to lead the troops?"

"so what?!"

Li He emphasized, "The junior he killed claimed to be mediocre, but in reality, he had a superior-grade rare spiritual root. In the past hundred years, my Li family has only had one such person. Do you think we can just let him go like this?"

"The life and death of my subjects are not for outsiders to decide. I will make a note of this matter for now and make further plans after the war is over."

The Longqing Emperor's tone was calm, but his voice began to reveal a powerful imperial aura: "If Fellow Daoist Li He has nothing else to attend to, please return on your own."

"You mean, we're just going to let it go like this?"

Li He abruptly stood up, angrily saying, "If you refuse to hand over the person, then I'll have no choice but to go and get it myself!"

Just as he was about to take off, a sword suddenly appeared in front of him. The Dragon Abyss Sword had been drawn from its sheath without him noticing and hovered three inches in front of him, aimed directly at his face, its sharpness fully revealed.

"Cao Kai!"

Li He was furious: "What are you trying to do?!"

The Longqing Emperor, dressed in a Taoist robe, ignored him and drifted away in the bleak autumn wind, quickly disappearing from sight.

Lakeside.

Only the eunuchs of the Western Depot remained, practicing incense and religious rituals.

"Master Li."

Huang Hong, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stepped forward and explained, "The Battle of Jiaozhou concerns the ancestral veins of Mangshan and cannot be taken lightly. This is also the intention of the Upper Sect, Shengyun Sect. If there is anything, we can discuss it after the battle is over."

"how?"

Li He narrowed his eyes: "With so many people in your Great Sheng Dynasty, you can only rely on Chen Sanshi to fight a war? You crippled man, if you don't get out of the way, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Master Li."

Faced with the insults, Huang Hong was not angry. He simply bowed slightly and reminded them in a polite tone, "This is not Daze Market. His Majesty has already given the Li family enough face by treating them with courtesy. If Master Li continues to be unforgiving, don't blame us for being ruthless. As for Chen Sanshi's matter, regardless of the outcome of the battle, His Majesty will handle it after it ends."

"Well, what an arrogant mortal emperor!"