"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have been diligent and conscientious, not daring to neglect state affairs for a single day. This auspicious omen of purple qi coming from the east in Qingzhou must be due to Your Majesty. Your old servant offers congratulations to Your Majesty!"

Looking at Jingtai's expression, Cao Zhengxian knew what he was thinking, so he naturally had to echo him.

Jingtai's expression was calm, but there was a trace of joy that couldn't be concealed between his brows. It was obvious that he thought so too. Although the court was still in a state of turmoil.

But the northern border troubles had been temporarily resolved, leaving only the demon clans in the south and the demonic cultivators in Xuezhou. And he had already been planning for this for many years.

Moreover, the plan was in the south. Now that purple qi had descended, he would naturally believe that Heaven was congratulating him.

Although he hadn't helped with the northern affairs, and even deliberately hindered them, the barbarians had been driven back after all. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to consider it his achievement.

"I still have more things to do. The purple qi emanates from Qingzhou, and next time, the purple qi will spread throughout the capital!" Jingtai smiled faintly, feeling extremely refreshed.

Even the fatigue from several days of cultivation had been greatly alleviated.

"Your Majesty is right."

"I see that this purple qi appeared in Ping'an County. If I remember correctly, Marquis Wu'an comes from this place, right?"

As Chen Yuan's reputation grew, naturally some people would want to explore his past, and they knew that he came from a small county in Qingzhou.

He was considered one of the representatives of the poor and common people.

"Your Majesty's memory is correct. Marquis Wu'an grew up in this place. He lost both parents at a young age and was raised by his uncle, but he also passed away before.

Now Ping'an County is Chen Yuan's fief."

Cao Zhengxian told Jingtai about Chen Yuan's resume as if he knew it by heart, without any pause.

Jingtai frowned. Just now, he didn't know why, but a thought arose in his mind that the purple qi might not have been caused by him. But this kind of thing must not be said.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be saying that he doesn't have the appearance of a king?

"How is Chen Yuan now?"

Jingtai asked in a deep voice.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Chen Yuan has already left Qingzhou. Now, he should be in Tangshan Prefecture visiting his family."

"It seems that he doesn't have much confidence in the one-year agreement and should have given up. That's good. It is his honor that I bestow a marriage upon him.

Without me and the imperial court as his backing, what virtue or ability does he have to become the famous Marquis Wu'an?"

Jingtai snorted softly, but he wasn't angry.

The more it was like this, the more relieved he was.

This could only prove that Chen Yuan had yielded. Otherwise, if he were to immediately go to Shu Prefecture to investigate the cause of Lu Renjia's death, it would only prove that he really had no intention of getting married.

He wanted to break free and resist his imperial decree.

"Your old servant also thinks that Marquis Wu'an has already figured it out. After a year, he will probably obediently come back to get married and become Your Majesty's son-in-law."

Cao Zhengxian followed Jingtai's words.

Although he didn't like Chen Yuan and didn't want to see him reach a high position and become the emperor's son-in-law, Jingtai's will was difficult to disobey, so he could only pinch his nose and accept it.

No matter what, Chen Yuan was the number one peerless genius in the world. It would be a good thing if he could be used by the imperial court.

"If you had known this earlier, why bother in the first place?" Jingtai's lips curled into a faint sneer, and then he continued:

"The news passed down below may not be accurate. Go and send someone to confirm whether purple qi really descended on Ping'an County. If it does, investigate it carefully. If there are any treasures, bring them back to the imperial court.

Purple qi is the essence of heaven and earth, the aura of sages and kings. It cannot fall into the hands of the common people."

"Your old servant obeys the decree!"

"Go."

"Yes."

Tangshan Prefecture, Sky Survey Division.

When Jingtai learned that purple qi had descended on Ping'an County and was complacent about it, thinking that his efforts had been acknowledged by Heaven, even if he had done some cruel things, it was not an exaggeration.

Chen Yuan had already returned to Tangshan Prefecture.

As an important hub of Qingzhou, Shu Prefecture, and Xuezhou, and with Chen Yuan's control and management of Tangshan, the true potential of this place had been stimulated.

It had become a must-pass for many martial artists.

Coupled with the caravans from various places, Tangshan Prefecture City was very lively.

Looking around, it was all prosperity.

Chen Yuan was also very satisfied. After all, he was just a hands-off manager, delegating power to his subordinates. To have such achievements, what else could he demand?

"Thank you all for your hard work."

Chen Yuan put down the things in his hands and showed a approving smile to Han Yu, Liu Zheng, and others below.

"It is our honor to work for the Lord."

"Tangshan's achievements today are all due to the Lord's prestige."

"Many martial artists are actually coming for the Lord."

Du Ming and the other three immediately bowed and saluted.

They didn't show any sense of pride in their achievements. Instead, they appeared even more humble.

Tangshan was gradually becoming prosperous, but Chen Yuan, the real master of Tangshan, was also rising with the tide. The reason why they dared to expand their forces unscrupulously was all due to Chen Yuan's prestige.

The Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, the Sky Character Divine Envoy of the Sky Survey Division, shocked the world in the Battle of Liangzhou.

It could be said that as long as Chen Yuan maintained a strong pace of progress, the people below would never dare to have any disloyal intentions. In fact, they were sometimes terrified.

Because the gap between them and Chen Yuan had become a bit too large.

The strongest, Han Yu, had not yet formed his Golden Core and was still a long way off, while Chen Yuan had already become a True Person of the Fifth Realm. What if one day he disliked them for being too useless and unworthy of following him?

Even if he still accepted them, but took away most of the power under their control due to their strength, they would be reluctant.

It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

In Qingzhou, with the protection of Chen Yuan and Jiang He, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they could walk sideways. Not many people had the courage to provoke them.

And this was becoming more and more the case.

Chen Yuan was not in Tangshan, and Jiang He was in charge of Qingzhou City. Most of these powers fell into their hands.

Not to mention Transformation Yang True Persons, at least Golden Core Realm Grandmasters treated them as equals, and even implicitly approached them with a slightly inferior attitude.

They had already become accustomed to this.

In order not to lose this power, they could only develop Tangshan better to repay Chen Yuan, so that this power would remain with them forever.

When one person attains the Dao, even his dogs and chickens ascend to Heaven.

They longed to become dogs and chickens, and not fall behind.

Everyone in the world knew about Chen Yuan's prospects for development. As long as he didn't fall, the possibility of him becoming a Yang God True Monarch in the future was very high. Once he became a True Monarch-level expert.

In the imperial court, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could cover the sky with one hand, and his power would shake the court.

In the martial world, few would dare to offend a contemporary True Monarch.

They didn't ask for much, they just wanted to maintain their wealth and honor forever.

"Hehe, you few are all old subordinates of this Marquis. There's no need to be reserved in front of me. You have done well and deserve to be rewarded. Well, from today onwards, your salaries will be comparable to those of Grandmasters.

You must also improve your strength more. Do not be complacent for the petty gains in front of you. In the future, Tangshan will only get better and better, and you will also become stronger and stronger."

Give them some sweets, and naturally, you have to give them a warning.

Let them have something to think about.

They were not fools and would definitely understand the meaning.

"Thank you, Lord. Your subordinates will definitely not fail your expectations!"

"Thank you, Lord. This humble official will keep it in mind."

"Thank you, Lord." Han Yu cupped his fists and, seeing that Chen Yuan was in a good mood, continued,

"Reporting to the Lord, your subordinate has one more thing to report to the Lord for a decision."

"Speak."

"Some time ago, two rogue cultivator Grandmasters in the martial world wanted to join the Lord. This humble official couldn't make a decision. After asking the Madam, they were temporarily left in the prefectural city.

Does the Lord want to take some time to meet them?"

They could make decisions about Profound Connection martial artists, but they didn't dare to make decisions about Golden Core Realm Grandmasters. They were also afraid that the other party would usurp their authority. Therefore, he had always had some hidden worries.

Now that Chen Yuan had returned to Tangshan, he didn't know if Madam Xu had told him about this matter, but he had to show his attitude.

"I have some free time today. It wouldn't hurt to meet them."

Chen Yuan's return to Qingzhou meant that Tangshan's forces would be more or less publicly revealed. Now it was necessary to meet some of the Grandmasters who wanted to join them.

Since they came to join them, they knew that Chen Yuan was behind them.

"Your subordinate understands."

Han Yu stood up and walked out of the main hall.

Chen Yuan also turned his gaze to Du Ming and said in a deep voice,

"What is the situation in the Tangshan Mountains?"

"Reporting to the Lord, the Iron Cavalry has been replenished with the alien warhorses from Liangzhou, and now they have quite a bit of combat power. Generals from Liangzhou say that this Iron Cavalry is almost comparable to the Northern Liang Army."

The Northern Liang Army was the top-tier Iron Cavalry in the world. Being comparable to such elite soldiers was definitely worthwhile.

"Very good."

Chen Yuan was very satisfied.

It was definitely not an exaggeration to train a strong army in more than a year.

Wei Jin, the vanguard, would need many years to cultivate and restore the vitality of the Northern Liang Army, because the resources consumed were too great. Chen Yuan only had an army of ten thousand Iron Cavalry, so naturally, resources would be poured into them like crazy.

Perhaps they were not as good in combat power, but as long as they experienced a few major battles and developed a bloody aura, it would be about the same.

"Now that this army has been trained, there's no need to keep hiding it. Find a way for them to see more blood. Also... expand it by another ten thousand."

Ten thousand cavalry was only enough to face an ordinary Celestial Core Grandmaster. This was far from enough.

Chen Yuan didn't have much time left. One was that he was growing too fast, and the second was Jingtai's one-year agreement. He estimated that the time to show his cards would be about a year later.

He had to have some strength under his command.

Du Ming hesitated for a moment:

"Lord, Tangshan has more than enough to supply ten thousand Iron Cavalry, but if there are twenty thousand, we'll have to draw resources from Han's side."

He was in charge of military affairs, while Han Yu was in charge of the Jianghu forces. Now that they had expanded to Shu Prefecture and Xuezhou, the resources consumed were not much less than his. It would be inappropriate to draw resources from that side to support the cavalry.

"Just do as I say. You don't have to worry about resources. Here, I'll give you a real assurance. Within a year, I must have at least fifty thousand usable troops.

There will be no shortage of resources for you. The rest is up to you to recruit and train."

Chen Yuan's expression straightened, and he said in a deep voice.

He had the many years of foundation of the Mount Qi tribe, and he was very well-off. It was more than enough to raise another ten thousand Iron Cavalry. The resources had already been given to Madam Xu, and she was in charge of this matter.

As for the shortfall of the other thirty thousand Iron Cavalry...

He was only a Profound Connection cultivator before, but he dared to venture alone into the infamous Tangshan. Now that his Primordial Spirit was complete and he could fight Refining Spirit experts, and he was in charge of the affairs of the three prefectures.

It was even easier to obtain resources.

The South had not had any major events for many years. The Jianghu forces were several times larger than those in the North, and the wealth of resources was even more incomparable. He was mainly investigating the Boundless Sect, so wasn't it up to him to decide who to take from?

There was only one year to prepare. Chen Yuan was not planning to boil the frog in warm water. He would talk about the future later. Now he was just plundering resources in the South!

Strive to have more powerful strength before the fallout!

Qingzhou, Shu Prefecture, Xuezhou. Excluding Nanzhou, which was shaped into an iron bucket by the King of the South, Nangong Lie, he regarded these three prefectures as nourishment!

To win the world, you have to be more ruthless than others.

"Fifty thousand elite Iron Cavalry!"

The wine cup in Du Ming's hand almost didn't hold steady, and his heart couldn't help but tremble slightly.

This was not fifty thousand civilians, but fifty thousand fully armored Iron Cavalry!

Once the battle formation was formed, even a Transformation Yang True Person could be killed.

However, it was completely impossible to support fifty thousand elite Iron Cavalry in just one Tangshan Prefecture. It couldn't even be considered warmongering, it could only be considered crazy.

Liu Zheng frowned. He knew that Chen Yuan was raising private soldiers, and he also knew that he had disloyal intentions. But facing a benefactor who had pulled him out of the mud and given him power, he could only obey and be loyal.

But fifty thousand was really impossible.

He sighed and knelt down in front of Chen Yuan:

"Lord, your subordinate believes that fifty thousand Iron Cavalry is really inappropriate. I hope the Lord will show mercy for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of people in Tangshan and restrain yourself."

Liu Zheng knelt on the ground and lowered his head.

He knew the character of his benefactor, who had always been tough and iron-blooded. Perhaps with these words, the power he had obtained would vanish, and even his family would be implicated.

But for the sake of the people of Tangshan, he had to say it.

"Liu Zheng, you are presumptuous. Quickly apologize."

Du Ming's face changed, and he quickly reprimanded him, not even daring to look at Chen Yuan above.

But Chen Yuan was not angry. Just as these subordinates understood him, he also understood these subordinates. Liu Zheng was known for his daring and direct advice. This was what he valued.

He would not be without the capacity to tolerate others. He just put down his wine cup and said:

"Zheng, raise your head."

"Lord!"

Liu Zheng's face was a little resolute and ashamed, not daring to look directly at the benefactor above.

"My intention is not to immediately expand to fifty thousand, but to proceed step by step. Don't you understand me? Would I do something that I'm not sure about?"

"But"

"The specific resources have already been given to Madam. It's more than enough to expand ten thousand Iron Cavalry. Don't forget what my status is now. I am the General Manager of the martial affairs of the three prefectures.

In the South, I have the highest official position, and my power is the greatest. Do you think... with my ability, I can't come up with the resources to support the army?"

Chen Yuan asked in a solemn voice.

Liu Zheng's face froze, and he thought of Tangshan, which had been bloodbathed in the past. He understood Chen Yuan's meaning and calculated in his heart that he seemed to have this ability.

He said in a low voice:

"Your subordinate understands."

"You two and Han Yu are all my old team members, and you are loyal to me. Now I will tell you a few words. I am hated by Jingtai, and there will be a confrontation sooner or later.

What I am doing now is planning ahead. It is impossible for him to want me to die, so I will die. You know my character. Generally, the people who want me to die, I have to wipe out their entire family.

What kind of bullsh*t emperor? The Sima old thief usurped the throne and became emperor back then, taking the Xiang family's Jiangshan. He can, and I can't?"

"At the earliest, in one year, at the latest, in two years, I will definitely rebel. Jingtai has been secretly planning to weaken the vassal states for many years. King of the North Liang was a lesson from the past. Now the imperial court is in turmoil, and unrest is breaking out everywhere.

It's not that I want to cause chaos for my own personal gain. I just want to return peace to the world as soon as possible.

Are kings, marquises, generals, and ministers born with noble blood? If I succeed, you will enjoy endless wealth and honor, and the legacy will last for ten thousand years. But I will not force you to do this kind of thing that will exterminate your nine generations. If you want to leave now, I will never stop you. When we meet again in the future, we may still be able to raise a glass and drink together."

Chen Yuan's tone was very indifferent, but his eyes were fixed on the two people below. If there was the slightest change, he would send them away first today.

With his cultivation strength, any subtle perception of these two people could not escape his eyes.

The Sky Survey Division was silent, and Chen Yuan's words were still echoing in the hall.

He was going to rebel!

They had all thought about it before. They could judge from various aspects that Chen Yuan had disloyal intentions, and their hearts had completely surrendered. But now, to hear him nakedly express his attitude, they were still shocked.

They were stunned in place and didn't dare to move at all.

A direct showdown!

Du Ming reacted the fastest. After hearing Chen Yuan's words, he just froze for a moment, and then knelt on the ground:

"The Lord has the world in his heart and will definitely succeed in the future. We will destroy the old dog Jingtai. Your subordinate has no talent, only a loyal heart to serve the Lord.

Follow the Lord to gamble for a huge fortune!"

He was already on the boat. Now that he knew Chen Yuan's true purpose, it was not difficult for him to imagine that if he hesitated even slightly today, he would definitely die on the spot.

Perhaps the Lord would spare their families because of their contributions and hard work, but who would want to die if they could live?

Who wouldn't want to achieve the merit of following the dragon?

His master was wise and divine, with unparalleled literary and military talent. His reputation was second to none in the world, and his talent was rare in the ages. He really had the qualifications to compete.

He, Du Ming, was willing to risk his life to gamble!

If he won, he could choose any courtesan in the capital. If he lost, he would just have his entire family exterminated.

He didn't want to choose, and he had no choice!

After Du Ming finished speaking, Liu Zheng's frozen mind also moved. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"Your subordinate has already surrendered to the Lord and dares not have the slightest bit of disloyalty. From today onwards, all family members will be sent to the Sky Survey Division for the Madam to take care of.

And your subordinate will listen to the Lord's orders in everything. In Da Jin, your subordinate was hidden and frustrated. It was the Lord who employed me. I only have one life to dedicate to the Lord!"

"Your subordinates are also willing to send their family members to the Sky Survey Division for the Madam to teach their unruly children. Please, Lord, take note of this!"

Seeing this, Du Ming did not dare to hesitate and immediately bowed.

While Chen Yuan was observing, Han Yu, who had gone out to send someone to notify them, walked in and saw Du Ming and Liu Zheng kneeling on the ground. The atmosphere in the hall was also very solemn.

Thinking that something was not done right, he immediately bowed and saluted:

"Lord, did Brother Du and Brother Liu make any mistakes?"

"Old Han."

"Your subordinate is here."

"I want to rebel, what do you think?"

(End of this chapter)