"Marquis of Xuanzang, Han Feng, enter the palace!"
Following the announcement of the decree outside the palace gate, outside the Huangji Palace, on the long steps.
A young figure with steady steps, slender and strong, walked forward step by step.
This figure is tall and heroic, like a spear soaring into the sky. Although it has a sharp-edged aura, it also has indomitable perseverance.
"Ta-ta...!"
When the young man stepped through the palace gate, the familiar young face appeared in front of everyone.
The entire palace was full of civil and military officials looking at him with different expressions!
The ranks of civil servants were led by Shangguan Qingfeng, Feng Muyun, Yuchiyan and others.
When I saw Han Feng, I felt more depressed, indifferent, and even a little bit regretful.
As for the military generals, they were led by Duguhong, the king of Zhennan, Xiong Tiangang, the soldier, and the three generals.
Seeing Han Feng's arrival, everyone's eyes were bright and their faces were full of surprise.
On one side of the Jinluan Hall, Dingxian King Zhu Hongyi stood beside the Crown Prince and King Xuanyou.
His face turned red with excitement, and he wanted to wave to Han Feng, but finally held back.
Even Feng Wuji and Situ Lingkong, who were sitting in the main hall like Emperor Wu, were paying attention at this moment.
Situ Lingkong's face remained expressionless and unpredictable.
But Feng Wuji did not hide it at all, and nodded at Han Feng.
From the coastal battlefield, Han Feng rushed all the way to the imperial capital, where he recharged his energy on the ship, freshened up and dressed in official uniform.
At this moment, his eyes swept across the hall, taking in the expressions of everyone in the hall.
Finally, he steadily arrived at the center of the hall, looking up to the heights along the white jade stairs and nine dragon reliefs in front of the hall.
On the dragon chair, which was dominating the Ninth Five-Year Plan, was the Emperor Wu who still had a calm expression and warm eyes.
"My lord, Han Feng, pay homage to Your Majesty!"
Han Feng knelt down on one knee and bowed with his hands in hand.
At this moment, Emperor Wu looked at this young minister whom he had not seen for a long time. A light shone in his eyes and a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Marquis Zhenguo, please be free!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Han Feng stood up to thank him, and the emperor and his ministers looked at each other, and for a moment, they were all in a trance.
Back then, there were only two monarchs and ministers in this hall.
His Majesty the Emperor Wu, who was aloof and in control of the world, reached an agreement with a young man who was just starting out.
Emperor Wu could protect Han Feng from being wiped out by noble forces, but Han Feng needed to use his talents to be loyal to the country.
Now, only a few years have passed, and Emperor Wu is still the same Emperor.
As for Han Feng, he was no longer the powerless Han Feng he used to be and needed Emperor Wu's protection.
"My dear, you are finally back safely, but you kept me waiting."
In the silent court, Emperor Wu chuckled, breaking the silence again.
"It is my fault to make His Majesty worried."
The monarch and his ministers exchanged a few words of greetings, and Emperor Wu said bluntly: "I wonder where Aiqing has been during this year. Why didn't you return to the imperial capital earlier?"
This matter has already been elaborated in detail in Yu Wenmo's memorial to Emperor Wu.
When Emperor Wu asked in public, he naturally wanted Han Feng to give an explanation to the ministers.
Han Feng understood, and solemnly told the lie about healing himself on an overseas island in front of everyone in the court.
Although it was a lie, no one doubted it.
On the contrary, if Han Feng truthfully tells the truth and tells the news about the Starry Sky Altar, the Wu Clan's divine generals, and even the Netherworld Clan, everyone will greatly doubt its authenticity.
After listening to Han Feng's story, Emperor Wu nodded slightly and said with concern: "Has Aiqing's injury recovered now? I will immediately order the palace to prepare healing elixirs for you."
When Han Feng heard this, he quickly raised his hands and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have already recovered."
"Well... I am very pleased that I love you for your loyalty to your country. You have endured many hardships and never changed your loyalty.
It is really a great blessing for the country to be able to return safely this time. I don’t know what kind of reward my beloved wants, but I will try my best to compensate you. "
This time, the team returning from the expedition to the ruins of the Martial God Clan received a large number of rewards.
Especially the gifts of cherished elixirs and classics have greatly increased the strength of many noble families.
Now, Han Feng has returned, and these many resources and treasures have been divided and consumed.
Emperor Wu didn't know what to reward for a while, so he simply let Han Feng make his own conditions.
Han Feng declined directly and said: "Your Majesty, it is the duty of a minister to serve the country.
What's more, I have already received a lot of benefits from the ruins of the Martial God Clan, and my cultivation has also improved. How dare I ask for any more rewards? "
After hearing this, Emperor Wu became even more pleased.
"My beloved doesn't want any reward. Your loyalty is commendable, but I can't help but express it.
In this case, it stands to reason that those who go to conquer the ruins must hand over 10% of their income from the ruins and enter the treasury. I will exempt you from this 10%. "
As soon as these words came out, there was a slight commotion in the palace.
However, after thinking about it, with Han Feng's strength, it might be very difficult to enter the sub-temple on the second floor of the ruins, and the treasures that can be obtained must be limited.
10% more, 10% less, the difference is not big.
Emperor Wu obviously thought so too. Not only did he exempt Han Feng from paying 10% of his tribute, but he also rewarded him with a batch of spiritual stones and elixirs of astonishing value.
In this regard, Han Feng's expression was a little strange.
He wanted to ask, "Your Majesty, are you really sure that you don't want my tribute?"
Perhaps if Emperor Wu knew that Han Feng had truly harvested the ruins of the Martial God Clan, he would have turned green, grabbed Han Feng by the collar, and might not have regretted it on the spot.
However, this made it more convenient for Han Feng.
Before coming here, he was still thinking about what kind of treasure to hand over so as not to arouse suspicion from others, but now he no longer has to think about it.
Well, Your Majesty is very generous.
"Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty!" Han Feng thanked him sincerely again.
Soon, Han Feng, who appeared as the protagonist, ended all his "drama" and returned to the camp of military commanders.
Emperor Wu looked at the civil and military officials of the court, pondered for a moment, and finally spoke.
"Today all the civil and military officials are here, and the Zhenguo Marquis has returned. Now the situation in the South China Sea is serious, and the Kraken clan has made a comeback.
I have decided to determine the senior commander who will go to the coastal battlefield today, as well as the reinforcement lineup, and select a day to go to the South China Sea! "
Hearing Emperor Wu raise this issue, everyone present became energetic.
I knew in my heart that the highlight of today was coming.
This time, all parties have already decided on the troops to assist the South China Sea.
In addition to the elite defenders drawn by the empire from various provinces.
In terms of top combat power, they are still strong men from major martial arts academies and aristocratic families in the empire.
The biggest controversy now lies in the senior commander of this battle.
Originally, the most heated discussion in the imperial court was the ownership of the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces.
The current commander-in-chief, Zhang Dingnan, is in a life-or-death situation and is unable to serve, but the military will naturally not let this important position fall by the wayside.
However, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Works fought hard for it, causing a lot of troubles.
In the end, it was the old commander Duguhong who came out of seclusion and asked to take command of the expedition. Only then did the whole court fall into silence and all parties ceased their activities.
There is no way, in terms of qualifications and strength, Duguhong is the one to take the lead.
Now that they have failed to obtain the position of commander-in-chief, the nobles in the court, headed by the Shangguan, Feng, and Yuchi families, are targeting other mid-level and high-level general positions.
Among them, what they value most is the position of "deputy commander-in-chief" on the coastal battlefield.
This position is second only to Duguhong and has great power.
Moreover, if any accident occurs to Duguhong, the deputy commander-in-chief can act as commander-in-chief.
At this moment, Emperor Wu said: "The position of deputy commander-in-chief for this expedition has not yet been decided. You may wish to brainstorm and recommend talents."
As soon as these words came out, before the generals of the military department could speak, officials from the other five departments besides the military department came out one after another and spoke enthusiastically.
Among them, the most recommended ones are none other than four people.
"Shangguan Hongtian, the ancestor of the Shangguan family, Feng Xiao, the ancestor of the Feng family, Yuchi Xin, the ancestor of the Yuchi family, and "Yuan Tiannu", the first guest minister of the empire, are four very senior Japanese-level experts."
Although in terms of camp, they belong to the civil service group, all of them have also led troops in coastal battlefields.
When he was young, he participated in countless battles and achieved great success. His position as deputy commander-in-chief was not out of the ordinary.
In contrast, in the military department, although there are many experienced people on the battlefield who are as good as the four, they are unable to match them in terms of cultivation.
This has led to this position being quite controversial and has remained unresolved.
Now that old things are being brought up again, the civil service camp is on full fire from the beginning, and it seems that the position of deputy commander-in-chief is already in the bag.
In the end, it just depends on who of the four candidates on our side will be canonized.
Faced with this situation, the military seemed a little aggrieved.
Now besides Duguhong, in the military department, only Gu Huntian, the dean of Ares Academy, has also reached the peak of the Japanese level.
But the opponent is from the academy camp and is not affiliated with the court, so he cannot compete for the leadership position.
As for others, if they want to compete with the four peak Japanese powerhouses, they are far inferior in strength.
As soon as he came up, he was constantly criticized and suppressed by the civilian camp on the grounds of lack of strength.
It seems that the balance of victory is about to tip to the civilian camp.
At this time, Duguhong, who was at the top of the general camp, glanced at Han Feng, who had just returned to the court, and quietly sent a message.
"Boy, when do you plan to marry Nianxue?"
"Well……"
Han Feng was stunned, wondering why the old commander suddenly asked this question at this time.
But he still sent a message and replied: "When the war is over, I will come to propose marriage."
Duguhong lowered his eyes slightly, but he said in a playful tone: "The threshold of my Zhennan Palace is not low. I'm afraid you, a little marquis, won't be able to cross it that easily."
Han Feng was startled and didn't understand what Duguhong meant.
But Duguhong then said: "Do you want to be promoted quickly and be on an equal footing with me, so that you can avoid being criticized in the future for trying to outdo me and eat your wife's soft rice?"
"Well……"
Han Feng was a little confused by Duguhong's words, and Han Feng nodded subconsciously.
"think about it."
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Duguhong came out directly.
"Your Majesty, I would like to recommend someone to serve as deputy commander-in-chief!"
As soon as Duguhong spoke, the noisy hall fell silent for an instant, and the Emperor Wu's eyes flashed.
"Oh...who does the old commander want to recommend?"
"Marquis of Zhenguo, Han Feng!"
(PS: Two updates today.)
