blogombal Page 20
Page 20
While martial prowess may not be the primary goal in life, it's indispensable. Besides, the Leaf Village offers so many excellent martial arts techniques—a privilege not everyone enjoys.
He assigned his four younger brothers to guard the formation formed by the four elements of Spring Birth, Summer Flourishing, Autumn Withering, and Winter Extinction, while Lu Wei actively suppressed his internal energy cultivation to enter the formation and attempt to break it.
It is indeed very difficult to break through without using the Soul-Sweeping Technique. Even if he knows the incantation and footwork of the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches.
The Spring Birth Position is the attack initiation point of the Earth Swamp Formation. Disciples in this position will bear most of the enemy's pressure, thus creating opportunities for their partners.
Xia Rongwei is a strong attacker who works in conjunction with Chun Shengwei, hiding behind Chun Shengwei and launching fierce counterattacks from time to time.
The Autumn Wither position is a support role. The meaning of Autumn Wither is weakness and taboo: it is the responsibility of the disciple in this position to disrupt the enemy's rhythm and prevent them from fully engaging in the Spring Birth and Summer Flourishing positions.
Winter Extinction is the most important of the four positions. It represents desolation, destruction and depletion. The key blow is often delivered from here!
This is the most basic principle of the Earth Swamp Formation. However, according to Zhou Wen, the sixth elder of the Farmer's Family, who lives in seclusion at the Tomb of the Six Sages in Daze Mountain, has a more powerful technique hidden in this formation. He will never use it except in times of crisis for the Farmer's Family.
It is said that more than 20 years ago, Bai Qi, a great general of the Qin state known as the "Butcher," died under the siege of the Six Elders.
Lu Wei couldn't imagine what level of power the complete Earth Swamp Formation would reach, but even with just this most basic four-person formation, he wouldn't be able to escape the encirclement and kill situation unless he secretly unleashed a portion of his suppressed internal energy.
If four ordinary disciples could join forces to kill an elite soldier, and if the peasant school had not only a large number of disciples but also outstanding qualities, it would definitely become the strongest school among the Hundred Schools of Thought.
However, the reality is now:
In the mainstream schools of thought, Confucianism and Mohism firmly suppressed the agricultural school.
Taoists and Yin-Yang practitioners look down on these peasants.
The role of a military strategist on the battlefield is equivalent to leading a group of disciplined 'farm' soldiers.
The Legalists were frequent guests of the monarchs of various countries.
The strategists need no further introduction.
Only the Miscellaneous School declined rapidly to the bottom after the death of Qin Chancellor Lü Buwei a few years ago. Otherwise, even the School of Names, which made a living by eloquence, had a social status far higher than the Six Schools of Agriculture.
The largest sect in terms of membership ranks last among the nine classes of martial arts...
The reason why the current leader of the knights, Tian Guang, would join forces with Qin Youxiang Changpingjun and participate in the risky Azure Dragon Plan is probably to change this situation.
Lu Wei was well aware of the future trends of the world and knew in advance that Tian Guang had achieved at least half of his goal:
After the destruction of the Mohist city, the strength of the Mohist school was greatly reduced. The Confucian school's Xiaoshengxianzhuang was trembling and could not be trusted by the emperor. The successors of the Legalist and Military schools would naturally kill each other. The strategists no longer had the prestige of "one anger that made the feudal lords tremble" they had during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and were reduced to bodyguards or assassins.
While these sects were declining, the Farmer Clan was quietly accumulating strength in a relatively stable situation, and was no longer a negligible bottom-tier player.
As for the other half that remains unfinished: such a farmhouse is shrouded in a web of spider silk, and if it cannot break free of its constraints, it will become the next mechanical city to be destroyed.
The consequences might even be more dire...
But the slogan "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" will eventually resound throughout the land. The Net of Intrigue is destined to fail, and the future leader of this group of ambitious individuals will be an even greater one...
After finishing his daily martial arts practice and having dinner, Lu Wei was about to retreat to his room to continue studying "Flying Snow" when his disciple informed him that someone from the Gonggong Hall headquarters wanted to see him.
Lu Ye had sent a caravan disciple to headquarters to report the news long ago, under Lu Wei's instructions, but there had been no response for a long time.
He then sent three more groups of disciples to the main hall, but still received no news.
They were still wondering what had happened over there when, unexpectedly, an envoy was suddenly sent.
"Lead the way!" Lu Wei thought for a moment, took the fine iron sword, and followed the disciple out of the courtyard and into the house next door.
This is Xu Sheng's residence. The people from headquarters came here to see him, and their intentions could be many times over.
"You're Lu Wei?"
Two middle-aged men, each with a three-star pearl grass hanging from their waists, coldly held their swords and stared at him with sharp eyes.
"Indeed, may I ask what brings you two here..."
"Since that's the case, then accept the order!"
The middle-aged man spoke curtly, then took out a bronze plaque engraved with the characters 'Gonggong' and held it up in front of Lu Wei's face:
"Lu Wei, a second-star disciple of Luqiu Pavilion under the Gonggong Hall, receives the order!"
"Yes!" Lu Wei's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the small square plaque facing away from him.
The highest decree of the agricultural school is the Shennong Decree, and below the Shennong Decree are the respective decrees of each hall.
Just as the Shennong Decree can only be issued by the leader of the heroes, the Hall Decree can only be issued by the hall masters!
When I sent my disciples, I instructed them to visit Xu Qiu to report on Xu Sheng's situation. How could they have given me a formal order to go to the hall?
A sudden doubt arose, but Lu Wei still clasped his hands together, slightly bent over, and prepared to receive the order.
"Therefore, Lu Wei, a disciple of the Two-Star Pearl Grass, is promoted to the position of Three-Star Pearl Grass Manager and shall immediately return to Jicheng to oversee the affairs of Luqiu Pavilion."
"We must arrive at Dazeshan next September to participate in the autumn harvest festival!"
Chapter 28 The War Begins Again
They came and went in a hurry. After giving Lu Wei the hall order, the two disciples sent by the Gonggong Hall headquarters refused all attempts to keep him and left Shouchun that very night with Xu Sheng.
The headquarters' response was more favorable to them than expected.
Lu Wei originally thought that after Xu Qiu took Xu Sheng away, the best outcome would be that he could temporarily continue to control the caravan, and that other members of the Xu family would take over Lu Qiu Pavilion after returning to Ji City.
At that time, he will use the merits and prestige he has gained in this caravan to confront his opponents head-on, gradually consolidate his power, and thoroughly solidify his position in the farming community.
This is the main reason why Lu Wei specifically chose members of the Xu family as the disciples he sent to headquarters to deliver the message.
To his utter surprise, Master Zhou presented him with a wonderful gift!
By handing over the Luqiu Pavilion to him, he was essentially handing over the entire peasant disciples of Jicheng to his jurisdiction!
Logically speaking, a mere local manager of a three-star pearl grass would be far from sufficient in terms of rank; at least a high-ranking member of a five-star pearl grass would be worthy of the level corresponding to the power of Luqiu Pavilion.
For example, Xu Qiu, he had previously worn a five-star beaded grass pendant.
Xu Sheng is a four-star.
However, considering that he had only been in the farm for a year, being promoted to two stars was already a pleasant surprise, and being promoted to three stars by the hall master this time caught him completely off guard.
Lu Wei was almost ecstatic about this; the slight flaw of being slightly out of sync with the grade was not worth complaining about any further.
As for the two instructions in the decree: to return to Ji immediately and to attend next year's autumn harvest conference, neither can be considered an urgent matter.
He originally planned to take half of the caravan back to Yan after the New Year, while the other half would stay in Shouchun to sell goods.
This coincides with the headquarters' orders, and the word 'immediately' being slightly delayed is not a big deal.
As long as he can return to Jicheng before the autumn harvest conference next year to stabilize the situation and then head to Dazeshan on schedule, the blame for dereliction of duty will not fall on his head.
The autumn harvest gathering is also known as the farmers' meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to bring together the senior members of the farming family to exchange experiences and avoid estrangement.
It is held only once every three years, so you can imagine how important it is.
Zhou He's ability to attend this conference suggests he likely has other plans for himself...
The next day, he instructed Shan Yu Muye to spread the news throughout the caravan that he had obtained the Hall Order and would be in charge of Luqiu Pavilion.
The caravan members became much more obedient instantly, and the morale of the lower classes was completely stabilized.
After establishing a name, things become twice as effective with half the effort.
Xiang Dong somehow learned of this news and invited him to a banquet at the largest restaurant in Shouchun City under the pretext of "celebrating a friend's visit".
The table is laden with delicious food, and the view beneath it is a feast for the eyes. Hosts and guests arrive in high spirits and leave thoroughly satisfied.
Having confirmed Lu Wei's promising future in the farm and the continuous flow of horse trade ahead, the Xiang family's attitude became increasingly friendly.
------
Having witnessed the heavy snowfall in Yan, the minor skirmishes in Chu seemed rather uninteresting.
Lu Wei spent the New Year with Shan Yu Mu Ye and the other three. It was a very ordinary year, with nothing particularly memorable.
Lu Yu and Lu Ye were playfully bickering.
Lu Mu showed everyone the fireworks he made himself.
Lu Shan, usually a quiet and reserved person, awkwardly showed off a sword dance during the New Year, fueled by alcohol. He blushed and said he was just dancing for fun, while the other four just laughed.
Lu Yu and Lu Ye secretly planted some "eyes" within the caravan, and Lu Wei did not overlook the information that Lu Shan had spent money a month in advance to learn sword dance from a dancer.
Unlike the ordinary New Year for the five Lu brothers, the new year in the Seven Kingdoms was exceptionally lively:
War broke out again on the national border. The first country to be attacked was South Korea, but the country that suffered the most was Zhao.
Once the New Year was over, King Zheng of Qin could no longer suppress his hunger for Han Fei, the prince of Han, and resolutely sent troops to press on the Han army's borders.
South Korea was forced to cede territory and become a vassal state, but it still could not persuade the Qin state, which was eager for talented people, to withdraw its troops.
Ultimately, Han Fei, the ninth prince, had no choice but to enter Qin as an envoy.
In order to protect his country, he strongly advised the King of Qin to attack Zhao first and postpone the attack on Han.
At this time, Ying Zheng, who respected Han Fei greatly, listened to this advice. The Qin and Zhao sides had been in a standoff on the banks of the Zhang River for two years, with countless minor skirmishes along the way. This time, it was time to get serious.
Qin general Huan He suddenly launched a flanking attack on Zhao general Hu Zhe from the lower reaches of the Zhang River, defeating him decisively and beheading 100,000!
With the Qin army approaching Yi'an, King Zhao Qian had no choice but to appoint the renowned frontier general Li Mu!
As the last bastion of Zhao, Li Mu proved that he could crush the wolf pack externally and also crush the Qin state internally.
In a single battle, the Qin army attacking Zhao was completely annihilated. Just a few days ago, the arrogant Qin general Huan He fled in panic with a few personal guards.
Another Qin general, Fan Yuqi, fearing punishment upon returning to Qin, fled north to the state of Yan...
Although the Zhao state won this battle, it also lost 100,000 troops under Hu Zhe, severely weakening its strength.
The Qin army captured some cities and established them as Yunzhong Commandery, but Li Mu's enjoyment of them became the Qin army's biggest nightmare in the following years.
Until Guo Kai, the fifth of the four great generals of the Warring States period, made his move, Li Mu, who was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wu'an, had never suffered a defeat.
The aforementioned battles caused Lu Wei, who had already returned to Jicheng, to take a longer route on his way back and even become separated from the main force.
He originally set off with half of the caravan, including Lu Yu, Lu Ye, and the fifty orphans they had adopted.
Lu Shan and Lu Mu stayed in Shouchun. They would return to Yan with the other half of the caravan in a few months.
Shortly after the first caravan set off, they learned of the war that had broken out along the Zhang River, and they were forced to abandon their original route.
This would mean it would take at least another month to return to Yan. Lu Wei worried that a prolonged delay would hinder his control over the situation in Ji City, so he decided to leave alone on horseback ahead of him.
Upon returning, he immediately went to Luqiu Pavilion, showed his hall order to the disciples in the hall, and officially obtained the command of Luqiu Pavilion.