xymnovel Chapter 136 Within a month, the entire family will be wiped out!
Chapter 136 Within a month, the entire family will be wiped out!
Chapter 136 Within a month, the entire family was wiped out!
The Left Pillar of State was a genuine first-rank military officer, and for military officials, there was no higher rank than the Left Pillar of State.
While Ling Luoshi was granted the title of Left Pillar of State, he was also granted the title of Earl and the rank of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, both of which were first-rank officials.
Such prominence is truly unparalleled throughout the country.
"Your humble servant, Ling Luoshi, kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace."
Everyone thought that Ling Luoshi was granted a title because of his martial arts skills, but in reality, in addition to his martial arts skills, Ling Luoshi also lost a daughter.
Ling Luoshi is now not only a military officer, but also a member of the imperial family.
This was a double marriage, completely binding them together with Zhu Houzhao.
But Ling Luoshi was still not satisfied. He kowtowed to Zhu Houzhao and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you bestow some other gifts upon me."
Looking at Ling Luoshi's appearance, Zhu Houzhao had already guessed what Ling Luoshi wanted.
"Oh, what does Marquis Wuqing want? State your name."
Ling Luoshi bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I request that you bestow upon the soldiers guarding Datong Prefecture ten thousand flintlock muskets and three hundred breech-loading cannons."
"With this powerful weapon, Datong Prefecture will be impregnable, and the number of soldiers killed or wounded each year will be greatly reduced."
Zhu Houzhao laughed heartily. These weapons were made to be sent to garrison soldiers in various places to protect the country.
Even if Ling Luoshi didn't say anything, he would still transport these weapons to the important towns along the border.
Now that Ling Luoshi has asked for it, Zhu Houzhao has no choice but to comply.
"Very well, I grant your permission."
"plum!"
Minister of Works Li Lian hurriedly replied, "Your subject is here."
"Remember, ten thousand flintlock muskets and three hundred breech-loading cannons should be prioritized for the soldiers defending Datong Prefecture."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li replied hastily.
Ling Luoshi's expression was somewhat moved; he clearly knew just how powerful these two new firearms were.
Zhu Houzhao agreed without batting an eye to send the two powerful weapons to Datong Prefecture, which he was stationed in, and did not even reduce the quantity.
At that moment, he deeply felt Zhu Houzhao's trust in him and understood just how precious that trust was.
"Your humble servant kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace!"
"On behalf of the 120,000 soldiers of Datong Prefecture, your humble servant kowtows to express our gratitude for Your Majesty's benevolence!"
"Your Majesty, I will guard the nation's borders. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will never lose an inch of our land!"
Zhu Houzhao nodded in satisfaction: "You have guarded the nine important border towns for me, and I will not treat you unfairly."
Then, Zhu Houzhao looked at the remaining three: Wang Shouren, Shen Ying, and Qi Jiguang.
"Wang Shouren, Shenying, and Qi Jiguang, hear my decree."
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
The three men bowed and knelt to receive the imperial decree.
"Wang Shouren was granted the title of Right Pillar of State, Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and a mansion in the capital."
"Shen Ying is hereby granted the title of Earl of Jingyang, with the additional title of Pillar of State, and is awarded a bullfighting robe and a thousand taels of silver."
"Qi Jingtong was promoted to Pillar of State, bestowed with a bullfighting robe, and rewarded with 1,000 taels of silver."
"Your Majesty, we kowtow in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace!"
The crowd clasped their hands and kowtowed to express their gratitude for Zhu Houzhao's reward.
Wang Shouren was granted the title of Right Pillar of State, which is the same first-rank martial rank as Left Pillar of State.
At the same time, Wang Shouren was also the Minister of War. He held both civil and military official positions, making him a unique figure in the world, possessing both literary and military talents.
Shen Ying and Qi Jiguang were awarded the title of Pillar of State, a first-rank martial rank, which is half a rank higher than their current positions.
Furthermore, considering that Shen Ying was already old and had fought for the Ming Dynasty for half his life, in order to recognize his contributions, Shen Ying was specially granted the title of Earl of Jingyang.
As for material rewards, they are really just so-so; the honor outweighs the substance.
Considering that Wang Shouren was still living with his father Wang Hua, he was specially granted a mansion in the capital.
After expressing his gratitude, Shenying hesitated for a moment and then spoke to Zhu Houzhao.
"Your Majesty, I also wish to request 10,000 flintlock muskets and 300 breech-loading cannons for Gan Ning's garrison."
Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly: "Alright, I grant your permission."
Shen Ying, deeply grateful, said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Then, Zhu Houzhao looked at the several secret service leaders beside him.
"Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Shen Lian, and Zhuge Zhengwo, the four of you also made great contributions last night, and I will reward you all as well."
The four men were deeply moved and immediately knelt down to express their gratitude: "Your Majesty, we thank you."
In this way, Zhu Houzhao bestowed titles and rewards upon those who had rendered meritorious service in the riots in the capital the previous night.
Merits and demerits should be clearly distinguished and rewarded accordingly.
After rewarding everyone, the next step was to handle the aftermath.
"Cao Zhengchun, have you found out who broke into the palace last night?"
Cao Zhengchun nodded: "Your Majesty, the Eastern Depot has already ascertained the identities of the martial arts practitioners who entered the palace last night."
"Besides the Wudang and Emei sects, there are also the Qingyi Tower, the Kunlun Sect, and the Ming Cult."
"These forces have the most people, the highest martial arts skills, and the most disrespect for the imperial court and its rules."
"Especially the Ming Cult, in addition to their leader, the Left and Right Protectors of Light, and the Four Great Protectors, also brought three thousand followers."
"And according to the investigation, the Ming Cult was also involved in the Southern Prince's conspiracy—"
A fierce glint flashed in Zhu Houzhao's eyes: "The Ming Cult? It's time to settle accounts with them."
"Zhu Wushi, Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Shen Lian, Zhuge Zhengwo, heed my command!"
"I don't care what methods you use, you must eliminate all of the above forces within a month."
"Especially the Ming Cult; I will make all Ming Cult members disappear from this world!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After the court assembly ended, the officials in the capital who had not yet been affected were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
After the turmoil in the capital subsided, the troops that had come to the capital prepared to depart.
Ling Luoshi was the first to set off. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, he didn't even visit his daughter, Ling Xiaodao, at the palace before leaving the capital.
After the court session ended, he led his personal guards out of the capital and headed to Datong Prefecture.
After preparing sufficient logistical supplies, Shen Ying led his 100,000 Xiliang troops on the road back to Ganning.
Qi Jiguang also led his troops away from the capital and headed to Tianjin.
The 100,000 soldiers from the Ji-Lu garrison that he brought with him will return by sea aboard those massive warships.
Subsequently, the regional lords set off one after another to return to their respective fiefdoms.
Before leaving, they had the privilege of witnessing the execution of officials involved in the conspiracy of the Prince of the South at the execution ground in Caishikou.
The princes, their faces ashen and filled with fear and unease, fled the capital as if their lives depended on it.
Meanwhile, Zhu Wushi and others immediately went to carry out Zhu Houzhao's orders.
On August 26th, the area at the foot of Wudang Mountain was filled with agents of the Eastern Depot.
Cao Zhengchun personally led a team of tens of thousands of Dongchang agents, eyeing the Wudang Sect with covetous intent!
Five hundred rifled cannons were poised to fire, their dark muzzles pointed directly at the Wudang Sect.
The Wudang sect was thrown into a panic. The sect leader, Daoist Chongxu, along with Yu Lianzhou, Song Yuanqiao, and others, led the Wudang people to prepare to meet the enemy.
But before they could even get into position, thunder suddenly roared and cannon fire filled the air.
Amidst the deafening roar of cannons, the Wudang Sect was razed to the ground!
Even the remnants of Wudang who managed to survive were all slaughtered in the ensuing sweep by tens of thousands of agents from the Eastern Depot!
On August 26th, the Wudang clan was wiped out!
On August 28th, Yu Huatian, the supervisor of the Western Depot, led 10,000 Western Depot agents to surround Mount Emei.
Hundreds of rifled cannons were aimed at the Emei Sect, waiting for Yu Huatian's order to blast them into nothingness.
The Emei Sect's leader, Abbess Miejue, and her disciple Zhou Zhiruo have both died, leaving only Ding Minjun to hold the Emei Sect in vain.
Surrounded by tens of thousands of agents from the Western Depot, Ding Minjun was completely panicked.
"fire!"
At Yu Huatian's command, hundreds of breech-loading cannons roared to life.
One cannonball after another was hurled at the Emei Sect.
"Boom boom boom!"
With a series of earth-shattering explosions, countless shells detonated within the Emei Sect.
The powerful cannonballs destroyed everything in the Emei Sect.
Neither the disciples of the Emei Sect nor the buildings of the Emei Sect were spared.
After hundreds of volleys, Yu Huatian led the agents of the Western Depot to search the mountain, leaving no corner of Mount Emei unexplored.
Anyone found alive must be executed without exception!
On August 28th, the Emei clan was wiped out!
On September 3, Shen Lian led the Imperial Guards to climb Mount Kunlun.
Just like the East and West factories, Shen Lian first set off explosives, then conducted a search.
After several salvos from hundreds of cannons, Kunlun Sect was reduced to ruins.
Shen Lian led the Imperial Guards up the mountain to search meticulously, determined not to let a single member of the Kunlun Sect escape.
On September 3rd, the Kunlun Sect was wiped out!
On September 6th, Zhu Wushi arrived at Wanmei Manor.
Instead of using artillery, he led three top secret agents, Tian Di Huang, and thousands of imperial secret agents to slaughter everyone in Wanmei Manor.
On this day, all the plum blossoms in Wanmei Manor were stained with blood, blooming into blood-red plum blossoms.
Amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Zhu Wushi arrived before Sun Xiuqing, Ximen Chuixue's wife.
Sun Xiuqing stroked her lower abdomen, her eyes showing no fear, only a hint of sadness.
"He's dead, isn't he?"
Zhu Wushi ignored her words. He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, and the next moment he struck with lightning speed.
Absorption Technique!
In the blink of an eye, Zhu Wushi arrived in front of Sun Xiuqing and then swiftly placed his hand on Sun Xiuqing's head.
A continuous stream of internal energy flowed from Sun Xiuqing's body into Zhu Wushi's body.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Sun Xiuqing let out a painful wail, but his martial arts were too weak to withstand Zhu Wushi's energy-absorbing technique.
Under Zhu Wushi's absorption, Sun Xiuqing couldn't commit suicide even if she wanted to.
After all, not everyone's martial arts skills are as powerful as those of Ximen Chuixue, Ye Gucheng, and the Sweeper Monk.
Even after being hit by the energy-absorbing technique, they still had the strength to fight back and chose to self-destruct.
Most ordinary people, like Sun Xiuqing, could only watch helplessly as Zhu Wushi drained their power.
In the end, it turned into a frail human skeleton.
"Bang!"
Zhu Wushi squeezed Sun Xiuqing's head so hard with his right hand that it was crushed.
Sun Xiuqing died, and her unborn child also died.
Then a fire burned Wanmei Manor to the ground, as if it had never existed.
On September 6th, the entire Wanmei Manor was wiped out.
On September 10th, Zhuge Zhengwo led his men to Bright Summit.