207: Defeat at Xuzhou

Chapter 205: Defeat in Xu Province

A few days later.

Looking at the two Jade Slips sent over by Zhao Su Ling, Zheng Yi's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise.

"What are these items..."

"Reporting to Your Majesty,"

Zhao Su Ling said, "These items are the Alchemy and Talisman-making methods collected by my Revered Master over decades of traveling through Great Yu, the overseas Cultivation World, and several other countries."

"To thank Your Majesty for bestowing the five stalks of Purple Ginseng, Revered Master specifically sent them as a gift to Your Majesty."

"Junior Sister Yuheng has also received the complete contents of the Chaoyang Zixia Skill bestowed by Revered Master."

Zheng Yi said pleasantly surprised, "The Old Celestial Master... is truly too polite!"

"That's right, Your Majesty, there is one more matter."

Zhao Su Ling said, "This Daoist's Junior Brother has already entered the mortal world to temper himself. Revered Master wants him to investigate the matter of why Spirit Medicines have suddenly appeared in the capital region, and hopes the Jinyi Guard and Shadow Guard can provide some convenience to avoid causing conflicts."

"Your Junior Brother? What is his name? Why send him... Could he be that True Disciple of the Old Celestial Master whom you have never met?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhao Su Ling said, "That Disciple of this old Daoist is named 'Zhao Suzhen'. She has been meditating in seclusion with Revered Master since the age of eight, which is now sixteen years."

"Regarding her cultivation, this Daoist is not very clear. I previously heard her mention that she has already stepped into the Late Stage of the Qi Refinement Phase."

"As for which layer it is, this Daoist does not know."

"The Late Stage of the Qi Refinement Phase..."

Zheng Yi's eyes flashed as he said, "Celestial Revered Master Zhao, what is your Junior Brother's character like?"

"Junior Brother Suzhen has been meditating in seclusion on the mountain since childhood, with a pure and kind nature, and does not understand much about the affairs of the Jianghu. That is why Revered Master allowed Junior Brother Suzhen to go down the mountain for tempering."

Zhao Su Ling said, "Junior Brother Suzhen excels the most in thunder techniques, and her strength is unquestionable. Even this old man is no match for her."

"Now that the world is in chaos, this old Daoist fears that Junior Brother Suzhen might cause trouble or meet with an accident, which is why I secretly came to Your Majesty, hoping Your Majesty can look after her a bit."

"Thunder techniques?"

Zheng Yi said, "This matter is simple. I will give you a Shangwu Division jade token, just like yours, to hand over to Junior Brother Suzhen."

"With this token, Junior Brother Suzhen can freely mobilize the Imperial Army, Jinyi Guard, and Shadow Guard, and can also freely inspect those protected Spiritual Plants."

"This old Daoist obeys the decree!"

Zhao Su Ling said respectfully, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, Zhao Suzhen is Senior Brother Yuheng... logically speaking, Your Majesty should address Zhao Suzhen as Senior Brother."

Zheng Yi was slightly stunned, then laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha, Zhao Su Ling, you really... Fine, I know."

"Hahaha..."

Zhao Su Ling said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, this old Daoist was wrong."

"We are fellow Disciples, and furthermore monarch and subject, this old Daoist was presumptuous..."

"It's fine, it's fine. Between you and me as monarch and subject, where did all these mundane courtesies come from?"

Zheng Yi laughed again and said, "In the Cultivation World, those who achieve mastery first are Revered Masters. It is only right for me to call her Senior Brother!"

Zhao Su Ling hurriedly said, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. If there is nothing else, this old Daoist will take leave first."

"Alright!"

Zheng Yi said, "I will have Chen Liancang fetch the token to give to you. Wait outside the hall first."

"This old Daoist obeys the decree!"

Zhao Su Ling turned and left, while Zheng Yi summoned Chen Liancang.

"Old Chen, what do you think of this Zhao Suzhen?"

Chen Liancang hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, this old servant has never met Zhao Suzhen, so I truly cannot evaluate her."

"Forget it, after all, she is a person from the Taiyi Sect; she shouldn't be an enemy."

Zheng Yi said, "Go to the Shangwu Division to get a jade token and give it to Zhao Su Ling. I will go study these two Jade Slips first."

"This old servant obeys the decree!"

Chen Liancang left, and Zheng Yi came to the quiet room, carefully examining the Jade Slip titled Detailed Explanation of Elementary Alchemy.

Holding his breath and concentrating, settling his mind and calming his intent, lines of text slowly appeared within the Jade Slip.

"Medicinal Pills are the seizing of the heaven and earth's creation and the essence of spiritual objects, fusing them into one through various methods with monarch and minister assisting, thereby condensing into Medicinal Pills possessing different heaven and earth energies..."

"Those who refine Medicinal Pills, aside from Spiritual Plants, can also add different spiritual objects according to different medicinal properties, including but not limited to Spirit Medicines, Yao Beast inner cores, and even minerals..."

"When refining medicine, one must enter secluded meditation, must not be disturbed by anyone, and must uninterruptedly use Spiritual Qi to nourish the medicine..."

Spanning thousands of words, it was entirely about Alchemy.

Including explanations, detailed explanations of ordinary Spirit Medicines, Alchemy utensils, Alchemy timing, Alchemy techniques, and spiritual fire selection.

Even at the end of the Jade Slip, prescriptions for four different Medicinal Pills were attached.

Yellow Dragon Pill can enhance a Cultivator's cultivation.

Qi Recovery Pill can quickly restore a Cultivator's magical power.

Rejuvenation Pill can quickly restore a Cultivator's internal injuries.

And... Bigu Pill!

These four types of Medicinal Pills almost included all the Medicinal Pills used by Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Phase.

The refining raw Materials, refining techniques, refining timing, and so on were all within the annotations.

Examining them carefully and continuously simulating the refining processes of these Medicinal Pills in his mind, Zheng Yi couldn't help but become intoxicated by it.

Ten days later!

Zheng Yi was once again awakened by the commotion outside the grand hall. Stepping outside to take a look, Liu Chengen was respectfully waiting outside.

"What is the matter?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Consort Chan is about to give birth."

"Oh? Yuechan?"

Zheng Yi immediately said, "Prepare the carriage for the Mingyue Palace!"

The sedan chair quickly headed towards Mingyue Palace. Seeing Liu Chengen's hesitant expression, Zheng Yi directly asked, "Chengen, what difficult matter is there?"

Liu Chengen hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, the imperial court's army in Xu Province... has been defeated."

"Hmm?"

Zheng Yi's pupils shrank sharply. The imperial court's army was defeated? How could that be!

Not to mention Xu Mujun, a Martial Artist who had broken through the Innate Realm and stepped into the Spirit Communion Realm, even those more than 200,000 New Army troops were not to be trifled with.

What kind of person in this world could defeat those 200,000 New Army troops equipped with muskets and cannons?

"How could the imperial court's army be defeated? How could Xu Mujun be defeated?"

Liu Chengen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, General Xu did not fail; rather, General Meng Guang's navy was defeated!"

"Meng Guang?"

Zheng Yi let out a sigh of relief and asked in surprise, "Meng Guang's navy is also equipped with over a thousand cannons, how could they be defeated?"

"What on earth is the situation? Speak quickly."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Liu Chengen hurriedly said, "In February of the 11th year of zhengyong, General Meng Guang led 100,000 naval troops to set off by water from Jing Province, sailing into Yunmeng Marsh to search for the traces of the Tuoba Family."

"Everything went smoothly in the beginning, but who would have thought that a thick fog would suddenly rise over Yunmeng Marsh, obscuring the navy's line of sight."

"At this moment, huge waves suddenly surged within Yunmeng Marsh. Amidst the roaring seawater, General Meng Guang's navy had its formation scattered."

"And right then, the rebels seized this opportunity to kill their way out..."

"Say no more, I know."

Zheng Yi waved his hand to stop Liu Chengen's words. He had already guessed roughly what happened regarding this matter.

It must have been the Tuoba Family inside Yunmeng Marsh who made a move.

Using Cultivator methods to whip up huge waves within Yunmeng Marsh and shatter the navy's formation.

With the other rebels then seizing the momentum to attack, Meng Guang's navy was simply no match for the Yunmeng Lake Tuoba Family!

Such a defeat was also within reason.

"Your Majesty~"

While Zheng Yi was thinking, Liu Chengen lowered his voice again and said, "General Meng Guang has submitted a memorial of self-blame. Look..."

"What are the casualties of the navy?"

"According to preliminary statistics, casualties exceed 30,000, and over 6,000 people are missing..."

"The casualty rate is nearing half!"

Zheng Yi felt a pang of heartache. The Northern Ocean Navy was his trump card army, and he had planned to rely on the navy to deal with Yu Country's Fuyou House and search for the overseas Cultivation World in the future.

Who would have thought that nearly half of them would be lost in Yunmeng Marsh!

It seems... an army composed of ordinary people, under special circumstances, can hardly pose a threat to Cultivators.

Unless...

A thought suddenly popped into Zheng Yi's mind: what if a large number of Cultivators were equipped within the navy?

Liu Chengen's voice continued: "Your Majesty, although General Meng Guang suffered a disastrous defeat in Yunmeng Marsh, he quickly rallied the defeated troops, occupied an island within Yunmeng Marsh, and is in a standoff with the rebels."

"At the same time, he has dispatched a large number of scouts to map out Yunmeng Marsh, ensuring the safety of the left flank of the Xu Province army."

"It seems this Meng Guang is still somewhat useful."

Zheng Yi muttered, "With nearly half the army's casualties, any other unit would have already mutinied and collapsed. Since Meng Guang was able to rally the defeated troops and occupy an island in Yunmeng Marsh, it can be considered mending the fold after the sheep are lost."

"Pass down the order: Meng Guang will continue to serve as the naval commander-in-chief, holding fast to the northern part of Yunmeng Marsh, striving to suppress the Tuoba Family rebels within Yunmeng Marsh, and not letting a single soldier or horse of the Tuoba Family out of Yunmeng Marsh!"

"this servant obeys the decree!"

"And..."

Zheng Yi thought for a moment and said, "How is the Xu Province army doing?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, currently both our imperial court's army and the rebels are mobilizing troops and generals. A major battle has not yet occurred, but skirmishes between small units happen every day."

Liu Chengen said, "Overall, because our army has the assistance of the New Army, we hold the upper hand."

"Also, Your Majesty, several cabinet ministers wish to see you. Do you think..."

"Not for now."

Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "I still have important matters to attend to. I will summon the cabinet ministers after that."

"this servant obeys the decree!"

As they spoke, the sedan chair had already arrived at Mingyue Palace.

The Empress and other imperial concubines were also waiting here.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty!"

Several concubines bowed in salute, and Zheng Yi asked, "Rise, how is Consort Chan?"

"Your Majesty."

Lu Liner stood up and said, "The child has already been born. Younger Sister Consort Chan is also very well, both mother and child are safe."

"Congratulations to Your Majesty, joyous congratulations to Your Majesty, Younger Sister Consort Chan has given birth to another imperial prince for Your Majesty!"

"Really?"

Zheng Yi also feigned pleasant surprise, although he had known long ago that the child born to Consort Chan would definitely be an imperial prince.

"Wet nurse, quickly bring the child over for Your Majesty to see."

The plump wet nurse walked over holding the child, and Zheng Yi took the baby in his arms to look.

With a round head and round face, very bright eyes, and tender white skin, it was extremely cute.

"Not bad, not bad. People of Mingyue Palace, reward!"

"Many thanks, Your Majesty!"

Teasing the child for a moment, Zheng Yi handed him back to the wet nurse.

"I will go check on Consort Chan. You all go back and rest first."

"Understood!"

Walking into the bedchamber, Yuechan's eyes lit up when she saw Zheng Yi.

"Your Majesty, you're here~"

"Changer, you've worked hard."

Zheng Yi said, "You have also given birth to an imperial prince for me, and I like him very much."

"I wonder if you have any wish? As long as it's not too outrageous, I can grant it to you."

"Really, Your Majesty!"

Yuechan's eyes brightened abruptly as she said, "This concubine hasn't been home for several years. Can you let me go home to see my father and mother?"

Zheng Yi hesitated and said, "This matter... is somewhat difficult to handle."

"Now the south is in rebellion, and rebels and refugees are everywhere. It is inappropriate to go out at this time."

"After I pacify the southern rebellion, how about personally traveling with you to Nanyue County?"

In Nanyue County, Cultivators existed, and he had long wanted to go visit.

If led by Yuechan, who was a local, it would undoubtedly be much more convenient.

Yuechan said happily, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"That's right, Your Majesty, have you thought of a name for our child?"

"It has already been thought of."

Zheng Yi said, "I have prepared two characters and was just thinking of discussing them with you."

"You originate from Nanyue County, and Nanyue County is an inseparable part of our Great Yu, so I want to name our child using the two characters 'Nanyue'."

"Nan, or Yue, which one does Beloved Consort want?"

"'Nan' refers to direction, generally meaning the south."

"'Yue' is the name of a state; three thousand Yue armor can swallow Wu!"

"Moreover, the character 'Yue' is also interchangeable with 'Yue' (moon), complementing Beloved Consort's name perfectly."

"I wonder which one Beloved Consort likes?"

Yuechan tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "This concubine is named Yuechan, and our Nanyue Tribe honors the moon. How about naming him Yue? What does Your Majesty think?"

"Very well."

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "Then our child shall be called Zheng Chengyue."

"Zheng Chengyue, Zheng Chengyue, Yue'er."

Yuechan said pleasantly surprised, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing the name!"

Just at this moment, a young eunuch hurried in, knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, this servant has an urgent matter to report."

Shadow Guard?

Zheng Yi asked, "What is it?"

"Consort Cui ordered this servant to come and report that the Cultivator in the dungeon only has the last layer of ice left, and liberation is imminent."

"Oh? Xuanjizi?"

Yuechan said, "Your Majesty has important matters to handle, go quickly, this concubine is fine here."

"Alright."

Zheng Yi stroked Yuechan's beautiful hair and said, "Beloved Consort, rest first. I will come to see you after I finish my business."

"This concubine respectfully sends off Your Majesty!"