Chapter 215: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Xuzhou, Huayun County, military camp.

After Xu Ruian finished writing the memorial, he blew gently to let the ink dry as quickly as possible.

In the entire military tent, there were only him and Xu Mujun who was sitting on the main seat.

At this moment, Xu Mujun was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, resting, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

There was a strong wind outside the tent, the tent was shaking constantly, and even the candlelight inside the tent was swaying.

The black shadow swayed, almost like a ghost.

"Ryan, are you done?"

Xu Mujun's voice rang out, sounding extremely clear in the empty tent.

Xu Ruian said respectfully: "General, it has been finished."

"The list of merit requests of 132 members of my Xu family, as well as the list of compensation for those killed in action, have all been recorded."

"After you finish writing it, send it back to the capital on a chosen day."

"General..."

Xu Ruian hesitated for a moment and said, "Do we need to send back the other memorial as well?"

"Oh?"

Xu Mujun slowly opened his eyes and said indifferently: "Do you have any other opinions?"

"General..."

Xu Ruian took a deep breath and said, "My Xu clan has followed the general in many battles and indeed made many contributions, but the court has already given us rewards."

"Moreover, the final battle with the rebels has lasted for nearly two years. During these two years, my Xu family has not achieved any success. Why did you ask the court for credit so many times, General?"

"What's more, over the years, all the Xu clan members who served in the army have at least a hundred acres of fertile land and countless gold and silver, and the number of officers is also the largest in the entire army."

"General, what you have done this time has caused dissatisfaction in the court."

"Moreover, some of the dandies in the clan have taken advantage of your reputation to do evil things in their hometown and even in the capital... Many people have already complained and secretly cursed you. Why are you doing this?"

Looking at the most outstanding person in the clan in front of him, Xu Mujun sighed and said, "Rui An, you don't understand."

"General..."

"What I did was just to reassure the court and your majesty."

"But, but General, your reputation..."

"What about my reputation?"

Xu Mujun shook his head and said, "As long as it's for Dayu, what does my personal honor and disgrace matter?"

"The final battle with the rebels..."

"The time has not yet come."

Xu Mujun said: "Now our imperial army has gradually cleared the rebels in the northern part of Xuzhou and squeezed the rebel territory to the southeast."

"In the north, the army led by me is blocking them. In the west, the army led by General Meng Guang and General Miao Xiu is blocking them. In the south, the elite troops of the Yunzhou Army in Guanshan and the new army led by Cui Xiawu are blocking them. The rebel territories are all connected."

Behind Xu Mujun, the huge map of Dayu was constantly alternating between light and dark under the light.

On it, there are densely packed with a large number of different flags representing the imperial court and the rebels.

With Xuzhou as the dividing line, the northern part was filled with imperial flags, like the Great Wall separating Dayu from north to south.

In the west, there are a large number of mountain rivers.

Many mountain and river checkpoints were also guarded by the imperial army, blocking the rebels' intention to advance westward.

Shuzhou in the southwest, Yunzhou and Yuezhou in the south were also territories of the imperial court.

In other words, the entire rebel army is now surrounded by the imperial army in Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jiangzhou and half of Qingzhou.

"General, what about the imperial court..."

"I have been declining for more than two years. I believe the court can't wait any longer. It's time to report some of their military achievements to them."

Xu Mujun said in a deep voice: "My achievements are too great now. There are too many people in the court who are jealous of me. Many officials have secretly collected evidence of my crimes and impeached me."

"Even members of the tribe have been wooed by many people with ulterior motives..."

"damn it!"

Xu Ruian gritted his teeth and said, "We soldiers are fighting in the front, but these idle people in the court are not only not thinking about working together to suppress the rebels, but are also hindering us everywhere!"

"Are all the dignitaries in the court blind?"

Xu Mujun glanced at him and said, "That's why I will take the initiative to deliver the 'evidence' to them. Only in this way will the court and your majesty be relieved."

"I hope Your Majesty can understand my painstaking efforts."

"General!"

Suddenly there was a shout outside the tent.

"Come in!"

A messenger gasped and half-knelt on the ground and said, "General! The palace wants a letter!"

"The palace wants a letter?"

Xu Mujun frowned and said, "The palace is managed by Zhong Chun, guarded by veteran soldiers, and there is also Your Majesty. What can go wrong?"

"Did something happen to Zhong'er? Hurry and bring the letter over!"

"promise!"

After receiving the letter, Xu Mujun quickly opened it and his eyes changed slightly.

The content was very simple and he finished reading it at a glance.

The letter was from Zhong Chun, and the content was very simple.

Three days ago, Your Majesty personally visited the Xu residence and bestowed the courtesy name "Yongxin" on Xu Jingzhong, the grandson of Xu Mujun.

Xu Jingzhong and Xu Yongxin.

Seeing these two words, Xu Mujun was overwhelmed with emotions for a moment, and his mind also recalled the several times the emperor summoned him before his departure.

"Yongxin, Yongxin... Your Majesty, will you always trust me..."

"It seems that I have been judging others by my own standards!"

The content of this letter is simple and its meaning is also simple.

That is... Zheng Yi always believes in Xu Mujun and lets Xu Mujun act boldly.

"General?"

Xu Ruian whispered, "What happened in the mansion?"

"nothing!"

Xu Mujun put away the envelope and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry about the affairs of the court anymore, just focus on destroying the rebels!"

Xu Ruian asked carefully: "General, we spent two years to drive the rebels to these four states."

"And the checkpoints, waterways, and cities outside these four states are all guarded by government troops. The next step..."

"The next step, of course, is to wipe out the rebels!"

Xu Mujun slapped the map with his palm and said coldly: "In the past two years, I have obtained a lot of intelligence through spies."

"Among the many rebels in the south, the four most prominent ones are Chen Wang Zheng Zongkai, the Tuoba family, the Tianlong Temple, and the White Lotus Sect. As long as these four rebels are eliminated, the entire Dayu rebels will collapse."

"The first battle..."

Xu Mujun slid across the map with one hand and soon landed on a city.

Guangqing City!
This is a big city in the southern part of Qingzhou, bordering Xuzhou.

At the same time, it is also the headquarters of the White Lotus Sect, guarded by millions of White Lotus believers.

Although the four major rebel groups united, they were secretly wary of each other and stationed in different cities to support each other in order to jointly resist Xu Mu's army.

"White Lotus Sect?"

Xu Ruian's eyes suddenly lit up. It seemed that the general was getting ready to take action?

"General!" At this time, a voice asking for a meeting came from outside the tent again.

"Come in!"

The tent was opened and a dusty middle-aged man stepped in.

It turned out to be...Xie Jiuque!

"General!"

Xie Jiuque cupped his hands and said, "I have completed the investigation and am here to report."

Two years ago, in a battle at Yuanhe Mountain, Xu Mujun killed the monk Wang Feiyu, trampled Yuanhe Mountain on his horse, and killed more than 30,000 disciples on Yuanhe Mountain.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of stubborn rebels were killed by the imperial army.

At that time, Xie Jiuque was also hiding in the forest, and he unexpectedly ran into Wang Zifeng who was fleeing in panic.

Under the sneak attack, Wang Zifeng, a cultivator in the early stage of Qi training, had no time to react and was killed by Xie Jiuque on the spot.

Afterwards, Xie Jiuque appeared with Wang Zifeng's body and explained his identity and ID to Xu Mujun.

Not only that, he was even more impressed by Xu Mujun's ability to kill cultivators single-handedly, especially those at the realm above the innate level. He bowed down and was willing to acknowledge Xu Mujun as his master in the hope of reaching a realm above the innate level.

After asking for the price and considering for a few minutes, he accepted Xie Jiuque.

However, they were not distinguished between master and servant, but Xie Jiuque was given the status of a retainer and also a personal soldier of Xu Mujun!

From then on, Xie Jiuque became the leader of Xu Mujun's personal army.

In addition to guarding Xu Mu's army, his biggest role is to go out and scout the enemy situation.

With Xie Jiuque's strength as a powerful innate realm warrior, he could naturally pass through unhindered as long as he didn't encounter any cultivators among the rebels.

Even though there are innate warriors among the rebels, Xie Jiuque is not afraid.

Xu Mujun asked: "What information do you have?"

"General, I have sneaked into Prince Chen's mansion to investigate and found that there are a large number of soldiers guarding it, but I have also found traces of monks."

"Oh? Monk..."

Xu Mujun said calmly: "There are indeed cultivators in Prince Chen's mansion."

"Have you found out who it is?"

"King Chen himself, or the independent cultivators recruited by King Chen?"

"I speculate that it is most likely King Chen himself!"

Xie Jiuque said, "Prince Chen lives in seclusion and rarely goes out. I have been investigating for half a year and have only met him three times."

"The rest of the time, it's Wang Zhen, the chief clerk in Prince Chen's mansion, who'll carry out the work."

"Prince Chen... a monk?"

Xu Mujun murmured, "The most urgent task is to find out the specific situation and identity of this King Chen."

"It seems that it is imperative to wipe out the White Lotus Sect."

"Only by attacking him and forcing him to rescue him can we lure King Chen into action. Then, we will be able to learn about King Chen's intelligence."

"Jiuque, when was the last time you saw King Chen?"

"Three days ago!"

"Three days ago... about the same time."

Xu Mujun murmured, "Please ask General Tang Zhengkou to come and discuss matters."

"promise!"

Soon, Tang Zhengkou brought his men to the military tent.

After some discussion, the imperial army began to move.

A part of the people, mainly Tang Zhengkou, continued to garrison in Huayun County.

The other part, led by Xu Mujun, quietly headed towards the outside of Guangqing City.

Several messengers also rushed out of Huayun County and galloped to other places on horseback.

At the same time, more than ten carrier pigeons took off from the military camp and flew far away in the southwest direction.

……

Beijing.

Bai Yujing.

Listening to the discussions and speculations of several cabinet ministers below the stage, Zheng Yi's mind moved and he quickly remembered something.

This kind of inconsistent or deliberate tactic of asking for an official position, land, gold, silver, or a beautiful woman seems to have been seen somewhere before.

Wang Jian?

Guo Ziyi?
Xu Mujun is... polluting himself!

Zheng Yi immediately made a decision: "My dear ministers, I have already made a judgment on General Xu's matter. Your top priority is to ensure the normal operation of the frontline military and the smooth flow of food and military pay."

"What Wang Aiqing said makes sense. Changing generals before a battle is a taboo in the military. General Xu is still the best candidate for the front line and cannot be replaced."

Wang Anshi said respectfully: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"In the past two years, farming in the six northern states has long been restored, and this year the capital region and the surrounding twelve counties have had a bumper harvest of grain, which is enough to support the front-line operations."

"We, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, will certainly do our utmost to support the battle on the front line."

"it is good!"

Zheng Yi said: "Let's stop discussing this today. I have other things to deal with."

"I'll take my leave!"

After Lu Xiangqing, Wang Anshi and others retreated, Zheng Yi led his men to Xu Mujun's mansion and met Zhong Chun.

And Xu Mujun’s eldest grandson, Xu Jingzhong.

"This slave has met Your Majesty!"

Zhong Chun held the baby and knelt down to salute.

"Get up."

Zheng Yi said: "You are now the daughter-in-law of Xu Mujun. I will grant you the title of Madam. You don't have to call yourself a slave in the future."

"I am a member of the Shadow Guard. I will be a member of the Shadow Guard all my life and I am loyal to Your Majesty!"

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Has the child been named?"

"Yes, Xu Jingzhong, it was General Xu himself who started it."

"Do you have a courtesy name?"

"Father's name?"

Zhong Chun asked curiously, "Father's name?"

"Your Majesty, the child is only a year old, and it will take another ten years for him to be given a courtesy name..."

"I see that this boy is very talented and I would like to give him a courtesy name. Is that okay?"

Zhong Chun hurriedly said: "Zhong'er is so lucky to receive this calligraphy from Your Majesty."

Zheng Yi said: "General Xu is now on a campaign outside, and there are villains in the court who are slandering him. In order to win my trust, General Xu has no choice but to tarnish his reputation to protect himself."

"But how could I be the kind of person who can't tell loyalty from treachery?"

"Today, I will give your child the courtesy name 'Yongxin'!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhong Chun said respectfully: "I will write a letter to the eunuch right now to tell him what His Majesty wants!"

(End of this chapter)