The Young Swordsman of Dalu

In the imperial court, Zhou Muyao sat on the throne, coughing incessantly, while Crown Prince Zhou Shiyao sat to one side, watching the emperor with unease.

"Do you all know about the situation on the northeastern border?" Zhou Muyao asked.

"We've heard, Your Majesty!" the crowd exclaimed.

"What good plans do you ministers have?" Zhou Muyao looked down at the palace, where his ministers exchanged bewildered glances.

"Your Majesty! The garrison on the northeastern border has utterly neglected its duties. Yin Shuo should be brought back to the court and punished according to military law!"

"I second the proposal!"

"What does the Crown Prince think?" Zhou Muyao asked Zhou Shiyao.

Zhou Shiyao stood up and said, “Father! I believe that although Yin Shuo has failed in his duty, now is the time when we need capable people. After all, he has been guarding the northeastern border for many years and is more familiar with the situation there than we are. The army will need his help when it goes there. Let’s talk about punishing him later.”

“What the Crown Prince says makes sense. What do you think, my ministers?” Zhou Muyao asked.

“Your Majesty! The Crown Prince is absolutely right. The most urgent task now is to send a large army to the northeastern border to stop the various tribes of the Western Regions from moving south,” Yunze said.

"What good strategies does Prime Minister Yun have?" Zhou Muyao asked.

"Now Your Majesty must select a suitable person to lead the army to advance towards the northeastern border as soon as possible," Yunze said.

"Which of you, my esteemed minister, would like to lead the vanguard?" Zhou Muyao asked, looking at the military officers under the prince's command.

The ministers whispered among themselves in the hall, and the military officers did not rush to be the vanguard.

"Are you all afraid of the Western Regions?" Zhou Muyao said with great dissatisfaction.

“Your Majesty, the various tribes of the Western Regions have been harassing our northeastern border. The situation in the Northern Dynasty is not much better than ours. Their borders must also be harassed by the various tribes of the Western Regions. Why don’t we send envoys to the Northern Dynasty to persuade Murong Bo of the Northern Dynasty to cooperate with our Great Lu Kingdom to jointly resist the Western Regions?” said Hong He, the Vice Minister.

“Minister Hong is right. The harassment of our northeastern border by the Western Regions is no simple matter. I have gathered information from all sides and it is clear that the driving force behind all of this is the northern tribes of the Gobi Desert,” Yunze said.

“The northern desert has been silent for decades, but it can no longer hold back,” Zhou Muyao said.

"Father! We must come up with a foolproof plan," Zhou Shiyao said.

"I would love to have a good plan, but the current situation is really unfavorable for my Great Lu Kingdom!" Zhou Muyao said.

"News has come from Wenxian Pavilion that a man claiming to be the number one swordsman in the Northern Desert arrived in our Great Lu more than a month ago. He has injured many of our martial arts masters from south to north, and he is still staying at Wenxian Pavilion and refusing to leave," Yunze said.

"Is that so?" Zhou Muyao asked.

“Li Chaoyang said that it’s possible that the number one swordsman from the Northern Desert is not the only one who has come to our Great Lu Kingdom. There should be others as well, all of whom are from the Flying Sky Sword Sect of the Northern Desert,” Yunze said.

"Has Li Chaoyang come up with a solution?" Zhou Muyao asked.

“Your Majesty, he only sent a message,” Yunze said.

As soon as Zhou Muyao asked that question, he realized he had been too hasty. How could he, the ruler of a country, lose his composure in front of his ministers? Besides, he didn't want Li Chaoyang to interfere too much in politics, and Li Chaoyang was also very sensible in staying away from the court.

Zhou Muyao glanced around the hall and, not seeing Wen Tao, asked, "Why didn't Minister Wen attend the morning court session today?"

"Your Majesty, the Dowager Consort Wen is unwell, and Prince Wen is attending to her. She has not attended the morning court session," the official on duty reported.

"Send the imperial physician to her and tell him that I am very concerned about the Dowager Consort's condition, and instruct Wentao to take good care of her at home," Zhou Muyao said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The eunuch received the decree and left.

"The northeastern border is in grave danger. Which of my esteemed ministers is willing to lead troops there?" Zhou Muyao asked.

"Your subject is willing!" said General Wei Qiao.

"Good! General Wei, you truly deserve to be the vanguard of our Great Lu Kingdom. I hereby order you to lead the vanguard and reach the northeastern border first, to stop the various tribes of the Western Regions outside our borders and ensure that our border people can live and work in peace and contentment," Zhou Muyao said.

“I obey!” Wei Qiao said.

"Retreat!"

The ministers watched the emperor and the crown prince enter the hall before slowly walking out. Yunze and Wei Qiao walked together, and Yunze said, "General Wei, when you go to the northeastern border, you must be careful to guard against the northern tribes behind the Western Regions. They are coming with great force and they will not give up until they gain an advantage."

"Prime Minister Yun, I will definitely pay attention," Wei Qiao said.

"You're going on a long and arduous journey, full of dangers. Take care! You've had a tough time!" Yunze said.

"Men are born to fight for their country!" Wei Qiao said passionately.

"Prime Minister Yun, please wait!" a eunuch called out.

Yunze stopped in his tracks, Wei Qiao left, and the eunuch trotted up to Yunze.

"The Emperor Yun requests your presence! Please come with me to the inner palace."

Yunze followed the eunuch into the inner hall, where Zhou Muyao and his son were waiting. Yunze bowed to them.

"Prime Minister Yun, you may dispense with the formalities!" Zhou Muyao said.

"What brings Your Majesty here?" Yunze asked.

"I didn't ask you in the palace today, but has the Wenxian Pavilion begun its operations?" Zhou Muyao asked.

“Your Majesty! I was unaware! Li Chaoyang did not mention anything else in the letter,” Yunze said.

"I know you've been in contact with Li Chaoyang all along, are you trying to hide it from me?" Zhou Muyao asked, still unwilling to give up.

"Why doesn't Your Majesty write a letter to Li Chaoyang yourself and ask him for clarification?" Yunze suggested.

“Prime Minister Yun is foolish! You know my attitude towards Wenxian Pavilion all these years, I cannot write to him,” Zhou Muyao said.

"Being too proud is a recipe for suffering!" Yunze thought to himself.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Prime Minister?" Zhou Muyao said.

"I'll immediately send a message to Wenxian Pavilion when I get back, asking Li Chaoyang if he has any good ideas to help our Great Lu Kingdom resolve this crisis," Yunze said.

“Write in your own name, and don’t mention a single word about me,” Zhou Muyao said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yunze replied.

"Prime Minister Yun, thank you very much!" Zhou Shiyao said.

"Your Highness, you are too kind. This is my duty," Yunze said.

"Prime Minister Yun, you should go quickly!" Zhou Muyao said.

After Yunze left, Zhou Muyao coughed violently, making him feel dizzy and disoriented.

"Father! How are you feeling?" Zhou Shiyao patted his back worriedly.

"I have a very bad feeling. I feel that my days are numbered. I hope that this crisis on the northeastern border can be over soon, so that I can leave in peace. If the northern tribes attack my Great Lu Kingdom, my Great Lu Kingdom will be in danger of being destroyed. At that time, my Zhou clan will inevitably suffer severe retaliation, and my father and I will become sinners!" Zhou Muyao said sadly.

“Father! That day will never come. We must unite with the people of the Great Lu Kingdom, and we will surely overcome this difficulty,” Zhou Shiyao said.

At this time, Yin Shuo, the garrison commander on the northeastern border, hid in a secluded canyon with his remaining force of more than 500 men. He planned to wait until the middle of the night to lead these 500 men to launch a surprise attack on the Western Regions army. His northeastern garrison had been decimated by the armies of the various Western Regions, and Yin Shuo could not swallow this insult. He wanted revenge.