Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1323 One Side of the Story

Lan Yu said with a disdainful look: "Stop making excuses for yourself. The Emperor sent you to negotiate peace, but you've turned the negotiations into this mess. You're just making excuses for your mistakes and shirking responsibility."

Miao Changfeng lamented, "Your Majesty, all eight hundred of my guards have perished in battle, and Inspector Feng Li also died from being struck by more than ten arrows. I myself nearly fell into the hands of Fu'an..."

He took a breath: "Although my eight hundred guards were all killed, I still killed over a thousand pirates. In Fu'an City, Mu Chuan risked his life to set fire to the pirates' gunpowder depot so that I could escape, causing heavy losses to the pirates and also avenging my great shogunate."

"This is all your side of the story. How can you expect the Emperor to believe you?"

Lan Yu said in a sinister tone.

"Your Majesty, there will be follow-up battle reports. The facts are as they are. How could I dare to make things up?"

An Zhengdao sighed: "Your Majesty, things have come to this point, and there is no point in dwelling on it any longer. We still need to consider how to resist the pirates and protect Luoyang."

As the Crown Prince's tutor, An Zhengdao was genuinely worried about the safety of Crown Prince Zhao Jian and was determined to lift the siege of Luocheng.

Zhao Zheng ignored An Zhengdao's words and stared at Miao Changfeng, who was kneeling on the ground, his expression changing.

Ever since he embarked on the path of vying with Zhao Zhen for the throne, Miao Changfeng had been by his side, offering advice, manpower, and money, doing everything he could to help Zhao Zheng, all the way to the capital and to sit on the dragon throne he had always dreamed of.

The man before me, once a spirited and powerful figure in the martial arts world, a prime minister, is now a sorrowful old man, tears streaming down his face.

Zhao Zheng did not believe that Miao Changfeng was putting on an act. His loyalty had been tested by blood and fire, and there was nothing greater than the benefit of becoming the prime minister, which would make Miao Changfeng change his political direction.

Zhao Zheng felt a wave of dizziness and held his forehead with his hand.

"Miao Changfeng, you shall return to your residence. You shall not step out of the gate until the matter has been thoroughly investigated."

Miao Changfeng kowtowed repeatedly, as if pounding garlic.

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. Your Majesty is wise. I shall take my leave."

Miao Changfeng staggered out of Chengde Hall. On the steps outside the hall, a cool breeze blew through him, and he immediately felt a chill all over his body.

He was finally spared his life, and the emperor did not strip him of his position as prime minister.

With a deep sigh, he realized that there was still much more work to be done to retain his position as prime minister.

As long as the emperor does not doubt his loyalty, with his accumulated wealth over the years, keeping his position as prime minister should not be a problem.

After Miao Changfeng left, Zhao Zheng also waved his hand.

"I am tired. You may all leave."

An Zhengdao wanted to say something, but Lan Yu pulled him back, so he had to shut up, bow, and slowly leave the hall.

As soon as they stepped out of the main hall, eunuchs rushed out.

"Lord Shen, please wait. The Emperor summons you for an audience."

Minister of War Shen Yu was taken aback and looked at the other ministers with a puzzled expression.

They all looked confused.

The Emperor was still waiting, so Shen Yu didn't dare to waste any time and quickly ran towards Chengde Hall.

Zhao Zheng remained seated behind the dragon desk, lost in thought for a long time, before looking up and speaking to Shen Yu, who was standing bowing to the side.

"Send men to Fu'an Prefecture to thoroughly investigate the ins and outs of this peace negotiation. I need to know why these brain-dead pirates would do something so reckless."

"Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured, I will take care of it immediately."

"In addition, let General Luo Yunfei lead 30,000 troops to reinforce Luoxi Prefecture."

Shen Yu said worriedly, "Your Majesty, General Luo is guarding the capital..."

Zhao Zheng waved his hand: "Recalling General Qiu Jie back to the capital will prevent the Zhenxi Army from taking action for the time being. They are sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, hoping to be the fisherman. Let's secure Luoyang first before considering anything else."

"Yes, Your Majesty is wise."

Shen Yu bowed and agreed, then took a few steps back, turned and left the main hall.

Compared to Zhao Zheng's three founding generals, Luo Yunfei's ability ranked first, followed by Jing Zhaoheng, and then Qiu Jie.

At present, Zhao Zheng has no one else available. The older generation of generals can still be used, but the new generation has not yet risen.

However, Miao Changfeng's narration made Zhao Zheng notice a detail again: the mention of Mu Chuan by Miao Changfeng.

The first time was when Mu Chuan was training his troops. He only brought 500 cavalrymen and bravely broke into the prefectures and counties occupied by pirates. He fought his way through and defeated thousands of enemies, achieving a brilliant victory.

This second time, Zhao Zheng was amazed again. Fu'an Prefecture was a prefecture city that had been occupied by pirates for a long time, and it was also the main base for the pirates' invasion of Taisho.

Tens of thousands of pirate troops gathered there.

Then, it was this Mu Chuan again, who led Miao Changfeng's eight hundred personal guards and wreaked havoc in the heart of the pirates. Although they all died in battle, they still managed to safely escort Miao Changfeng out.

Who exactly is this Mu Chuan?

If under his command, the Imperial Guard of the Taisho era would definitely be elevated to a higher level, not only resisting invasions by powerful enemies, but perhaps even being able to contend with the Zhenxi Army.

Zhao Zheng propped his chin up with his hand, staring blankly at a pillar in the main hall, lost in thought.

Lin Feng blew up three pirate warships at the confluence of the Yongding River, Fengze River, and Ling River.

I set foot on the west bank of the Ling River with a satisfied heart.

He cannot leave now; having come all this way, he must take some funds back from Taisho Kyoto.

Therefore, Lin Feng planned to return to Taisho Kyoto and try to get a portion of Zhu Qisheng's treasure, which would then be transported back to Jingnan Prefecture by Hongsheng Escort Agency.

He was originally after Zhu Qisheng's treasure; sabotaging the peace talks between Taisho and the pirates was just a side effect.

Taking advantage of the intense conflict between Taisho and the pirates, he increased his investment and vigorously developed the six prefectures and states in the southern border region.

The southern frontier was a true land of plenty, a prosperous place where agriculture developed, followed by handicrafts, commerce, and so on.

That place will become the largest logistical supply base for the Zhenxi Army.

By then, the Zhenxi Army will be well-trained and well-fed, and sweeping across the world will no longer be a dream.

As Lin Feng strode along, he pondered how to develop agriculture and the economy in the southern border region.

He traveled westward, and as he approached the area near Jingdong Prefecture, villages and towns gradually appeared in the fields, and people began to live in them.

In the sunset, wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

Fortunately, Zhao Zhengli protected Luoxi Prefecture; otherwise, no people would have survived there.

As it grew late, Lin Feng felt hungry.

He was still wearing the clothes of a pirate sailor, and he was carrying a straight knife with the broken sword wrapped up and tucked into his lower back.

Then, he had no money left.

I can't even buy some food.

Having no other choice, Lin Feng resorted to his old method, picking up a few small stones and noticing rabbits occasionally appearing on the wild slope.

At this moment, Lin Feng was almost certain to hit a running rabbit with a pebble; he could hit it even with his eyes closed.

When he set fire to the pirate warships, the tinder he had casually tucked into his clothes was still there, which he could use to start a fire to roast rabbits.

There was a small river ahead. Lin Feng picked up a rabbit and used a straight knife to prepare the rabbit meat.

Then gather more firewood and make a grill.

In less than half an hour, the whole rabbit was roasting over the fire.

The river water was clear and cold, but Lin Feng didn't want to drink raw water. He was looking around for something to boil some water with.

But in the wilderness, apart from weeds, shrubs, occasional small trees, and scattered rocks, there was nothing else usable.

Lin Feng was troubled. He hadn't felt anything at first, but seeing the water made him realize how thirsty he was, and the sound of the gurgling water in his ears made it even more unbearable.

I'm thinking about whether to get a rock and smash it to make a stone pot.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps in the distance.