Chapter 1686 "The Gate of the Ghost Realm"

"Is Uncle referring to my excessive tolerance towards them?"
Zhuang Junqi didn't expect Xiao Han to admit it directly, and asked, "May I know the King's thoughts?"
"Valuing talents."
"Those are talents from the State of Yu."
"Azhang used to be a general in the State of Chu."
Zhuang Juqi had a thought, "Is the King thinking of recruiting Jun Mo Xiao?"
"Is it not possible?"
Zhuang Juqi didn't have high hopes, "Jun Mo Xiao is the number one general of the State of Yu, and the most loyal to the King of Yu. He won't betray the King of Yu."
"Your family is loyal to Prince Yu because of the late emperor's will. However, the person your family is loyal to under the late emperor's command is not Prince Yu, but someone else," said Xiao Jin with a suggestive tone.
After pondering for a while, Zhuang Jian finally understood what Xiao Jin meant. "Your Majesty's words make sense. The late emperor ordered Lord Jun to protect his young son, King Yu. He never said that the Jun family should guard the Yu royal family for generations. Now that King Yu has passed away, the Jun family's mission has long been completed. If King Yu were a wise ruler, it would be another matter. But since he ascended to the throne, he has done nothing but foolish things, trying to collect wealth and even turning the Yu army into river pirates, plundering everywhere. A soldier is a soldier, and a thief is a thief. The once noble Jun family, the first family of the imperial army and respected by martial artists all over the world, has now fallen into becoming bandits. I have long heard of Jun family's dissatisfaction with King Yu."
"This king can see it." According to Xiao Jin's observation, although Jun Moxiao is self-confident, he still retains the pride of a military family. He speaks and acts decisively, has strict military discipline, and even the soldiers he brings have a sense of pride. Such a general, who is not defending his country, but turning into a bandit, plundering the people everywhere, deviates from the sense of duty of a military officer, how can he not have grievances?
Xiao Jin was also a general, and the act of Prince Yu was the greatest insult to a general.
The swords of soldiers should be aimed at enemy soldiers, not unarmed civilians.
"If Your Majesty can bring the Jun family under control, Yu will have a new powerful general," Zhuang Ju said, thinking of another concern. "But on the civil side, there is a great shortage."
To govern a country, a large number of civil officials are needed. The recaptured cities also need competent civil officials to go and govern them. To revive and prosper Yu, the power of civil officials must be borrowed.
However, there are too few civil officials brought by Xiao Jin from the imperial court, and now the situation can only be barely stabilized. As more and more cities are recovered and various new policies of the royal court are implemented, the manpower will become increasingly insufficient.
"I will slowly fill this gap," said Xiao Jin, who clearly had a plan in mind.
He had secretly trained a group of guards and soldiers, and naturally did not overlook important civil officials, especially after gaining memories from his past life, he paid even more attention to this aspect.
He dispatched many people to secretly protect officials who were dismissed in the struggle with the imperial court and those literati and officials from other kingdoms who were in dire straits or persecuted.
When Prince Yu's court was established, he personally wrote invitation letters to invite these talented individuals to come to Yu Kingdom. In addition, he issued a royal decree to attract talented people from all over the world to join his court.
This is also the reason why he wanted to win these battles quickly and beautifully, because it was a great opportunity to promote the national prestige of Yu Kingdom.
He will gain greater fame in the world if he can retake the three cities in less time, and those proud literary figures will be willing to come from all directions to assist him.
He needs wise ministers, and don't literary figures need a wise king?
That evening, the officials arranged by Wang Ting arrived to take over. The newly appointed magistrate of Guangjucheng, Xiao Huanxin, had appointed a man named Li Mo as the prefect of the city. Li Mo had been one of the strategists of the Prince of Yu's estate and was also Xiao Huanxin's confidant.
After taking over Guanju city, it is important to govern it well and turn it into a model city of Yugu, so Xiao Hin sent a trusted minister to enforce his new policies. The officials and soldiers of the city were all killed, and the old noble families of Jingguo had fled, so without external influence it was the best place to implement new policies.
On the second day, the army set off.
When they were halfway there, the troops divided into two groups. One group took a shortcut to the west of Veer City, while the other group followed the official road to the north of Veer City.
The majestic green mountains, towering peaks, and interlocking ranges, accompanied by the chirping of insects and birds, led Mi Zheng and his men to the turbulent river that lay in the mountain valley.
The river water flows down rapidly, with waves tumbling.
Mi Zheng looks at the turbulent river rushing down the waterfall.
"The water level is too fast here, let's go further downstream."
Mi Zheng leads two hundred and fifty selected soldiers to walk downstream.
These 250 soldiers, apart from the elite soldiers trained by Xiao Jin, also include dozens of guards who have all trained in water skills.
They walked for a while until there was no more road to follow, and when the water flow became gentler, Mi Zheng immediately had someone make a raft.
Riding down the river on a wooden raft for more than ten miles, you will come to a strategic pass known as the Weiyecheng Pass, also known as the Ghost Gate Pass.
The Weiyecheng Pass is located in a rugged terrain with many towering peaks and steep cliffs, and the city walls were built on these terrains. Without passing through the Ghost Gate Pass, one can only cross over the towering and steep peaks.
It would cost at least half of the men to cross the dangerous peak, and no army would be willing to pay such a high price for a small and ordinary city.
Mi Zheng piloted the raft to a marshy area near the shore, shouting, "Cut the raft and let it into the water!"
Xiahou Yi was the first to act, he cut the vine rope that secured the raft with a single blow, and laughed heartily saying, "I haven't been in the water for a while, I missed it."
Mi Zheng reminded everyone, "Although we have all learned water skills, the underwater world is dangerous and unknown, so we must be careful. Don't let yourselves die by hitting a rock in this river, instead of dying under the enemy's sword."
"Aizheng, don't worry, these soldiers are the best trained group." Xiahou Yi got a good deal and pulled these soldiers to practice water techniques for almost a year. Before coming to Yuguó, they had reached the level of being able to catch fish by hand underwater and could hold their breath for half an hour in the water.
Xiahou Yi has a higher martial position than Mi Zheng, and Mi Zheng did not dare to boast. He knew that Xiao Jin had sent Xiahou Yi over to protect him. "General Xiahou, let's go over the assassination plan again later."
The Ghost Gate is very dangerous, and there are only a dozen guards protecting it. However, a beacon tower has been built on top, they must sneak up silently and cannot allow the enemy to light the beacon fire.
After taking the Ghost Gate, they will sneak into the Weiye City and sandwich the Northern Gate with Xiao Heng from inside and outside.
Once the route was established, Mi Zheng took off his coat and revealed a black wetsuit underneath. He secured his long sword on his back and placed his dagger on his waist before declaring "let's go" and jumping into the water.
A youth is like a swordfish, falling into the water without a sound, and leaving no trace in the turbulent river.
Zhuang Wei followed Mi Zheng into the water, while Xiahou Yi waved his hand and all the soldiers jumped into the river.
In rivers, the water flows rapidly due to the narrow channel and numerous hidden rocks downstream. No one would dare to navigate this river except for the most reckless.