Simultaneous Transmigration: The Re-merging of 99 Selves

Chapter 69 The Usefulness of Martial Arts Masters

Back then, Wang Chongyang raised the banner of rebellion and led his army in a bloody battle against the Jin army. His heart was set on gaining the support of the Southern Song court and recovering his lost territory.

However, the truth is that the Southern Song court was extremely wary of him and tried to hinder him at every turn.

Not only did they refuse to send reinforcements, but they also refused to provide supplies. What's worse, they even regarded the rebel army as bandits.

Ultimately, Wang Chongyang and his men were outnumbered and the rebel army was defeated.

Disheartened, he went into seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain and founded the Quanzhen School.

When they were at the foot of Mount Hua, Zhao Yu had mentioned to Wang Chongyang his intention to invite him to serve as a general in the imperial court.

But he took it as a promise Zhao Yu made casually to win him over, and didn't take it to heart at all.

Today, Zhao Yu brought it up again in front of Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qi, clearly serious.

"Of course it is true." Zhao Yu nodded seriously. "If I were to ascend the throne, most of the civil and military officials in the court would be Shi Miyuan's cronies and former subordinates, whom I cannot trust. Moreover, in terms of determination to resist the Jin and understanding of the Jin army, who in the entire Song Dynasty can compare to you, Master Wang?"

He bowed deeply to Wang Chongyang: "I, Zhao Yu, hereby promise that as long as the True Man is willing to come out of seclusion and take command, all arrangements for the army's northern expedition will be made by the True Man, and no one will obstruct us!"

Wang Chongyang stood there, looking at Zhao Yu's solemn expression, speechless for a long time.

When he launched a rebellion against the Jin dynasty, the Southern Song court regarded him as a raging flood and a ferocious beast, and was wary of him in every way.

Now Zhao Yu is about to hand over the entire Northern Expeditionary Army to him, entrusting him with full authority and without reservation.

Moreover, Zhao Yu did not ask him to help seize power; he only talked about the arrangements after the matter was accomplished. No one could find fault with his sincerity.

In an instant, Wang Chongyang was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

He couldn't help but wonder, if it had been a monarch like Zhao Yu sitting on the dragon throne back then, how could the homeland have been so difficult to reclaim?

"Ahem!"

Just as Wang Chongyang was about to speak amidst his excited state of mind, a few deliberate, fake coughs suddenly came from the side.

The group looked in the direction of the voice and saw Huang Yaoshi turned to face them, twirling the jade flute in his hand: "Um... Your Highness Zhao, about the matter of realizing your ambitions that you mentioned to me at Mount Hua last time..."

Given Huang Yaoshi's proud and aloof nature, he has always disdained seeking official positions, let alone asking others for anything.

But seeing that Wang Chongyang was about to agree to lead the expedition and take charge of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and Zhao Yu had not yet given him a single word of advice, he finally couldn't hold back any longer.

We're all on the same level, so who would admit to being inferior to others?

Moreover, Zhao Yu had mentioned this matter to him during the Mount Hua Sword Tournament that day.

When he ascends the throne, I will entrust him with the position of prime minister, asking him to come out of seclusion, rectify the court, and eliminate corrupt practices.

Huang Yaoshi was proud of his talent and knowledge, and was proficient in all kinds of schools of thought, but he was trapped in a corner of Peach Blossom Island and had nowhere to use his abilities.

Zhao Yu's invitation struck a chord with him.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu couldn't help but chuckle: "Brother Huang, don't be impatient. Compared to Master Wang, we made a prior agreement when we were at Mount Hua. Have you forgotten, Brother Huang? Or are you now changing your mind and unwilling to leave the mountain?"

"Of course not!" Huang Yaoshi blurted out.

He then composed himself and resumed his usual aloof demeanor: "But let me tell you beforehand, you compare yourself to Emperor Zhaolie, but I have no confidence that I can compare to Mr. Zhuge Liang. If your strategies don't suit your taste in the future, or if someone attacks you in the court, don't regret it."

"I have long been aware of Brother Huang's talent." Zhao Yu waved his hand, his tone very confident. "Since I have extended this invitation, it means I trust Brother Huang and I will not go back on my word."

Upon hearing this, Huang Yaoshi felt no more resentment. He bowed to Zhao Yu and said nothing more.

it is more than words.

"Hey, hey, wait! What about me? What about me?"

Seeing this, Hong Qi quickly stepped forward, rubbing his hands together and laughing, "Young Zhao, with Master Wang in command and Old Evil Huang in charge of the court, what kind of official position are you planning to give this old beggar like me?"

Zhao Yu couldn't help but laugh at his impatient look.

He countered, "Let me ask you, Brother Hong, if I were to invite you to serve as an official in the court, would you be willing to do so? The court is filled with official documents, numerous rules, and daily intrigue; could you endure it?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Qi shook his head vigorously, waving his hands repeatedly: "No, no! This old beggar can't stand all the intricacies of officialdom, and he can't stand all the formalities and formalities every day. It's too restrictive. I'd rather go out and fight than sit in the yamen all day."

"I knew Brother Hong would say that," Zhao Yu said with a smile, as if he had expected it. "Therefore, I will not invite Brother Hong to serve in the imperial court. I only hope that Brother Hong will continue to be the leader of the Beggars' Sect, leading the Beggars' Sect disciples and martial arts heroes to contribute to my Northern Expeditionary Army. What do you say?"

"This is good! This is good!" Hong Qi nodded repeatedly. "Our Beggars' Sect has plenty of heroes who dare to fight the Jin soldiers to the death. Over the years, our Beggars' Sect has also harassed the Jin soldiers on the border and killed traitors. This is something we are best at."

"Rest assured, as long as you go to fight the Jin, my Beggars' Sect's hundreds of thousands of disciples will not hesitate in the slightest!"

Even before the Jingkang Incident, the Beggars' Sect had a leader like Qiao Feng who led his disciples to fight against the Liao Kingdom and protect the people.

Not to mention now.

Now that they have the support of the imperial court and can rightfully wage war against the Jin army, how could they not be excited?

This was the first time since the Beggars' Sect was founded that it had been able to work together with the imperial court to fight against the enemy.

It is truly a rare sight.

But Zhao Yu shook his head: "Brother Hong, don't be too happy yet. The effort I'm talking about isn't the kind you've been thinking of. Random soldiers can't amount to much. What I want is for your Beggars' Sect to leverage the greatest advantage of martial arts masters and do things that ordinary armies can't."

Hong Qi was taken aback, the excitement on his face gradually fading. He scratched his head: "Biggest advantage? What's that? Old beggar, I don't understand."

Zhao Yu didn't elaborate, but he already had a plan in mind.

In the original story, leaving a group of martial arts practitioners in Xiangyang to defend the city, like Guo Jing did, was truly a waste of their talents.

These swift and agile heroes are clearly meant to leverage the advantages of special operations.

Whether it was due to a lack of understanding or the Song Dynasty's consistent policy of emphasizing civil affairs over military matters, since the Northern Song Dynasty, although there were many virtuous and patriotic people in the martial arts world who were willing to serve their country, they could never gain the recognition of the court.

But for Zhao Yu, none of this was a problem.

Perhaps in terms of military strength, the Southern Song Dynasty was no match for the Jin Dynasty, but in terms of martial arts masters, Zhao Yu, who had all the top masters in the world under his command, was not afraid of the Jin Dynasty at all.

However, now is not the time to tell them to make their own arrangements, as the time and place do not allow it.

Zhao Yu looked down at the inn: "Let's discuss this matter in detail later. My men have run into some trouble, and I need to take care of it. As for when we'll meet again, let's meet in the palace after the grand court session tomorrow."

Goodbye.

Leaving behind the last two words, Zhao Yu's figure flickered and he floated into the courtyard.