Liu Qi was just wondering when Shi A, who was standing by, came over and said, "Master, you are finally here."
The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "My son is able to serve the court, which is worthy of my teaching."
It turned out that this old man was Shi A's master. Shi A was an orphan who was raised by Wang Yue since childhood and taught martial arts. Although they were master and apprentice, they were as close as father and son.
Wang Yue was the greatest hero of the Three Kingdoms period. He was once a Tiger Guard and had a very high reputation in the capital.
Later, when He Jin came to power, he only promoted famous scholars. Wang Yue was marginalized and returned to Liaodong to retire in anger. Liu Qi asked Shi A to write a letter to invite him.
"So it's you, senior. I'm sorry for not coming to greet you. Please come in!" Liu Qi also came down the stairs to greet him, clasped his fists and said, "I've heard of your name for a long time. You rode into Helan alone and killed the leader of the bandits. I admire you."
Wang Yue sighed, "My skills are insignificant and not worth mentioning. I am already over 70 years old and I thought I would be buried in Yanshan. I am grateful for the invitation from the general. If this broken body can still do its best for the Han Dynasty, I am willing to serve."
Liu Qi praised: "The greatest heroes serve their country and their people! You have been chivalrous and righteous, and you have killed the barbarians. You deserve the title of 'hero'."
"For the country and the people..." Wang Yue's eyes flashed with brilliance. This sentence touched his heart. He bowed deeply to Liu Qi and said, "General, your words are truly true. I will keep them in mind!"
The three of them exchanged pleasantries, and Liu Qi invited Wang Yue to sit in the lobby. He ordered a banquet to welcome him and invited Xu Shu to join him.
During the dinner, they talked about the past events. Wang Yue killed enemies alone at the age of 18, and traveled around the world without encountering any rivals at the age of 30. Although he was keen on fame, he could never get what he wanted, and ended up becoming just a swordsmanship teacher.
In the late Han Dynasty, if one wanted to establish fame, be granted a title or be appointed as a general, it would be almost impossible without a strong family background and the ability to associate with famous people.
What's more, Wang Yue only knows swordsmanship. In the eyes of those superiors, he is just a wandering knight and is not worthy of being used.
In troubled times, counselors and brave generals are the most popular. In the Han Dynasty, when everyone knew how to wield a sword, sword skills were basically just a formality and could not be used on the battlefield.
When the two armies fought, they mainly used swords and guns, and their skills on horseback were the most important. Even if Wang Yue's swordsmanship was superb, it would be useless in fighting on the battlefield.
If they were only competing in fencing, perhaps Lu Bu would not be a match for Wang Yue, but when it comes to galloping among thousands of troops, the gap between the two is huge.
Therefore, people like Wang Yue can only be guards forever, while those who kill generals and enemies and make great achievements are all military generals.
Not long after, Xu Shu arrived. He was also a knight-errant in his early years and had great admiration for Wang Yue. When they met, he praised him again.
After sitting down again, Liu Qi said: "Senior, there is no need to underestimate yourself. I invited you to Xiangyang this time not only to teach you martial arts, but also to cultivate talents. Youxia can also serve the country."
Wang Yue was pleasantly surprised and asked hurriedly, "What are the general's plans?"
Xu Shu smiled and said, "General, you are going to form a national defense army to train rangers to complement our Yanfeng Camp. You are also calling on heroes from all over the world to establish a sect, uphold justice, and serve the country and the people. With your strength and prestige, you are more than qualified for this task."
Liu Qi had this idea because a group of heroes from Funiu Mountain joined Wei Yan, and he realized that these people were also a force that could not be ignored.
Although they have become bandits, many of them are sincere. It's just that they have no way to serve their country because of their background. If they can be utilized, it will surely be very effective.
In history, when Guan Yu flooded seven armies and shocked all of China, many heroes in this area responded, causing turmoil in the Central Plains. Cao Cao even thought of moving the capital.
Wang Yue was moved after hearing this and clasped his fists and said, "I'd like to hear more about it!"
Liu Qi said, "This matter is too complicated. Yuan Zhi will explain it in detail tomorrow. Today is a welcome for you. I want to appoint you as the General of the Patriotic Army. From now on, I will treat you equally with all the generals and reward you according to your merits. What do you think?"
The duties of the Jingguo Army were similar to those of the Jinyiwei and the Liushenmen. They not only assisted Xu Shu in spying on military intelligence, but also took into account the people in the green forest and controlled this force that was independent of the court.
During the Han Dynasty, people in the underworld were still scattered and fugitives, especially during the wars at the end of the Han Dynasty, when they moved from place to place after each fight, and the government was unable to control them at all.
Only by guiding them to form sects and using the strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians to check and restrain themselves, and having concerns and worries, will they naturally obey the orders of the court.
"Thank you, General!" Wang Yue couldn't hold back his tears and stood up and knelt on the ground.
Wang Yue had spent most of his life trying to get a government job but failed and was almost dying in depression. But who would have thought that he would meet a wise leader in his old age? How could he not be excited
"Senior, please stand up quickly!" Liu Qi hurriedly helped Wang Yue up and said with a smile: "Senior, you want to teach me swordsmanship. You and I also have a master-disciple relationship. From now on, you should not be so polite."
Wang Yue wiped his tears and nodded heavily: "Tomorrow, we will practice sword fighting!"
Liu Qi just took out the Qinggang Sword and said, "I have just got a precious sword. Please take a look at it, senior."
Wang Yue took the sword, his expression suddenly became a little stern, and he shook his arm lightly. Then he heard a crisp dragon roar, and the sword was unsheathed with a clang.
The hall suddenly lit up, and a cold light burst out. The Qingguang sword flew straight into the air, circling around the beam like a dragon, and flew straight to the table.
Wang Yue stood up, stretched out his hand to firmly grasp the hilt of the sword, made a beautiful sword flower, sheathed the sword, and the light disappeared instantly.
The whole action was done in one go, dazzling the eyes, and obviously intended to show off one's skills.
Wang Yue handed the Qinggang Sword to Liu Qi with both hands: "Good sword!"
Xu Shu's eyes flickered as he chuckled, "Although it's a good sword, it's a waste of talent if it's only used for martial arts training."
…
Xiahou Ba and his two companions returned to the inn happily and immediately called Zhang Wei over, saying, "Go home and get a gold brick for me."
Although it cost more than two million coins to buy furniture this time, one tael of gold is ten thousand coins, so one tael is enough.
The three men sat on a mountain of gold, wealthy and powerful, with their backs stiff.
Zhang Wei waved his hands and said, "This gold brick must not be shown to anyone, otherwise you will be killed."
Xiahou Ba said unhappily, "You don't dare to use the gold, so why not give it to us?"
Zhang Weiyan said, "This gold brick is the same as the one found in the Cai residence. The government is still conducting a strict search. I have finally gotten rid of the suspicion. If I take it out now, I will not be able to survive, and it will also implicate the three young masters."
“This…” Xiahou Ba was stunned. He thought that Zhang Wei was pretending to be down and out to avoid Liu Qi, but it turned out that he was related to the Cai family.
Xiahou Mao became anxious when he heard this and pulled Xiahou Ba's sleeve: "Why not return the furniture?"
"No!" Cao Tai said coldly, "How can we transport the gold without the furniture to cover it?"
Xiahou Meng said angrily: "But the Qinggang Sword is mine!"
Cao Tai said dissatisfiedly: "So what? It's just a temporary pledge here, not something you will never take back. Why are you so stingy?"
Xiahou Meng shouted, "The Qinggang Sword belongs to the Prime Minister!"
Xiahou Ba's expression changed slightly, but he immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother. We will transport the gold back to Xuchang and report it to the Prime Minister. He will surely forgive us and then send someone to redeem it."
Xiahou Mao hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, pointing at the two of them and said, "It's agreed, but if anything goes wrong with your idea, we will all bear the responsibility together."
The mission was about to be accomplished, Cao Tai also comforted him: "Don't worry! This is a perfect plan, I can guarantee it with my head."