"My senior brother saw me, and that's why I'm afraid. Not afraid of death itself, but afraid of dying silently and meaninglessly. Lord Lu is currently eager for talent. My junior sister's swordsmanship is even superior to mine, and all of you fellow disciples, plus your disciples, are all highly skilled. You will surely be valued by the Lord."
"Alright, I promise your senior brother. I hope that Lord Lu won't disappoint us."
"Don't worry about that. By the way, besides my own people, you can recruit any skilled martial artists you know in the martial world. Don't worry about the money; I can handle that. As long as they are skilled, you'll want them."
Lu Wenzhao's task for Lu Xuan was to gather as many martial arts masters as possible. The martial arts techniques in "Brotherhood of Blades" were already very sophisticated. Whether it was Shen Lian, Run Ge, or even Pei Lun later on, they were all masters who could easily take down more than a dozen opponents. Especially Run Ge, who single-handedly killed thirteen Mongol cavalrymen at the end of the movie.
Therefore, it seems that martial arts masters in this world already possess considerable practical value. Lu Xuan himself is also a master, so naturally he wouldn't let these people slip by. Knowing that Lu Wenzhao comes from a prestigious martial arts family, he specifically sent him to recruit a group of martial arts masters.
After leaving the palace, Lu Xuan, carrying a pile of imperial edicts, met up with Lu Wenzhao.
"My lord, this is my junior sister, Ding Baiying. Her swordsmanship is even better than mine. These are my fellow disciples and my junior sister Ding's disciples."
"Greetings, General." A group of people bowed to Lu Xuan. This was not one of those chivalrous heroes in martial arts novels who disregarded the government. The man before them was the General of Liaodong, the highest-ranking military officer. He was definitely not someone a group of warriors could afford to offend.
"No need for formalities, Lu Wenzhao. Has the money been distributed?"
"Silver?" Lu Wenzhao was completely bewildered. They're giving him silver right after meeting him?
"Twenty taels each, pay me now." Although Lu Wenzhao was bewildered, he knew he couldn't contradict his superior in front of outsiders. He immediately waved his hand, summoning his subordinates to bring over a box of silver.
"I, Lu Xuan, follow the rules in everything I do. Lu Wenzhao is someone I trust, so I'll trust you all for now. I won't test your skills. We'll see how they are when we work together in the future. Working with me will certainly not be a waste of your time. Each of you will receive a settlement allowance of twenty taels. Those who have received the money will come with me to Liaodong. Those who don't want to go will also receive five taels of silver for travel expenses. I won't let you all make a wasted trip."
Lu Xuan's words immediately bridged the gap between him and these martial artists. Half of these martial artists, who had practiced since childhood, were orphans with no family ties. The other half were there for promotions and wealth. Having received their money, they were naturally obliged to do their bidding.
Including Ding Baiying, there were twelve people in total. They all accepted the silver, indicating their willingness to follow the General. By the way, twenty taels of silver was enough for a family of four to live on for a year. It was definitely a large sum of money.
“Since everyone has taken the money, they’re all mine now. Come with me on a errand. Lu Wenzhao, we’ll split up.” Lu Xuan said, handing an imperial edict to Lu Wenzhao.
"This is His Majesty's imperial edict. With this edict, all craftsmen in the capital, whether from official workshops or private enterprises, can be recruited if they take a liking to you. Remember, recruit as many craftsmen as possible from the Shenji Battalion who specialize in muskets, gunpowder, and cannons. Recruit as many other weapon craftsmen as possible as well. Settlement allowances will be given on the spot, but whether they stay or not is not up to them."
"Understood, Your Excellency." This was a plan that had been prepared long ago, so Lu Wenzhao naturally had no objections.
"Alright, get to work. The rest of you, come with me."
Lu Wenzhao went to recruit people, while Lu Xuan naturally went to raise money. After all, Zhu Changluo had promised to let him go to the Imperial Treasury and take one million taels of silver to fund the military expenses.
The inner palace naturally had guards, but since it was the emperor's private treasury, it was managed by eunuchs.
When Lu Xuan and his entourage arrived at the inner palace, the first thing they saw was a group of banners from the Eastern Depot.
Lu Xuan's lips curled slightly upward, but he didn't stop walking. He walked straight over.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
Lu Xuan did not answer, but instead raised the imperial edict in his hand.
The man with the banner opposite him changed his expression, but still did not move aside. Instead, he pointed behind Lu Xuan and shouted.
"I now suspect you are rebels. Arrest you all." More than thirty members of the Eastern Depot drew their swords and surrounded them.
Lu Xuan glanced around and said with a smile.
"You know who I am, right?"
"No matter who you are, anyone who dares to trespass into the inner treasury will be arrested."
"I am the General of Liaoyang appointed by His Majesty... Never mind, judging from your expressions, you don't care. What you care about is getting me thrown into the imperial prison and then torturing me severely."
Lu Xuan took a few steps back and came to Ding Baiying's side.
"Don't let me down?"
Ding Baiying glanced at Lu Xuan and drew her sword with her right hand. Behind her, nine of the eleven swordsmen drew their swords as well. The remaining two hesitated, not daring to attack the banners of the Eastern Depot.
Lu Xuan saw this and gently shook his head.
The Eastern Depot's eunuchs were quite formidable in combat. Their leader was also a skilled fighter, wielding a silver spear that allowed him to fight Ding Baiying to a standstill.
Upon seeing the silver spear, Lu Xuan finally remembered who this guy was.
Zhao Jingzhong, the man with the white horse and silver spear, jokingly referred to as Zhao Yun by later netizens, was likely Wei Zhongxian's adopted son. Could this be Wei Zhongxian targeting him?
However, judging from the timeline, although Wei Zhongxian had gained power at this point, he hadn't yet reached the point where he could monopolize power. How could he dare to disregard imperial authority and openly intercept and kill a general?
Among the thirty-odd banners, Ding Baiying fought Zhao Jingzhong alone. The remaining people each had to deal with three or four banners. However, their performance was somewhat beyond Lu Xuan's expectations.
Perhaps because they were from the same sect, their teamwork was far superior to that of the banners. There was a hint of a battle formation in their movements. This piqued Lu Xuan's interest. However, at that moment, two loud shouts came from behind.
Looking back, he saw Guo Zhen and another old eunuch rushing in, followed by a dense throng of soldiers.
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Chapter 126 Please, Father-in-law, bear the pain of parting with this...
I was delayed by queuing for vaccinations, so I'm very sorry for the late post. (Please subscribe)
The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty represented the pinnacle of their power. And these two people who have arrived represent the pinnacle of that pinnacle.
One was Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and concurrently the Commander of Dongchang. The other was Guo Zhen, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration. Perhaps because Guo Zhen had served on the battlefield and rendered great service, he was highly valued upon returning to the palace and was appointed to the position of Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration.
This position was the only one among the twelve eunuchs that could rival the Directorate of Ceremonial. This was because it was the only eunuch position that allowed him to command troops. He also concurrently managed royal property and supervised local armies, wielding extremely high authority. Only the emperor's closest confidants could hold this position.
At its peak, the eunuchs of the Imperial Horse Administration could control an army of over 40,000. Even now, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Horse Administration still commands over 6,000 directly subordinate imperial guards. In the capital, they remain a force to be reckoned with.
The arriving soldiers were from the Imperial Horse Administration. This inner palace was royal property, Guo Zhen's territory. Guo Zhen rushed to the inner palace and saw that Lu Xuan hadn't made a move, but was instead watching the show with ease. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.