Chapter Eleven: First Sword Of the World Token
The Nanquan Commanderies were a special existence in the Chu Dynasty. These families had stunning wealth like the Guanzhong rich of the Qin Dynasty. They possessed large numbers of cultivators and their own private armies. They also had many realm seven cultivators.
All nobility could have cultivators and retainers, but not a dynasty, a significantly large army was a kind of threat. The reason that the Nanquan Commanderies could possess their own private army was because they had made great contributions to the Chu Dynasty in the past. Many of them had been the previous emperor’s friends and generals.
So they received the previous emperor’s grace and got the five commanderies as their lands, the families of Nanquan were still called “bandits” and “savage” Because back then, these families had been thieves and bandits.
Back then, these people had joined the previous emperor with their private armies, and made contributions for the country. Because of their special relationship with the previous emperor, these families had many special rights, and their conduct was much more rough than the elegant Chu capital nobility.
Before the Deer Mountain Conference, Consort Zhao Xiang had already been part of the government for many years. She had not treated the Nanquan families with very much kindness. While she had not canceled their private armies because of their number, she had made some arrangements such as setting up forts outside the five commanderies, limiting the number of horses that were sold to the five commanderies, and stipulating the highest level of seal weapons they could possess.
But what caused the bad blood between Nanquan and Consort Zhao Xiang was the “Zhou Case”.
Among the three major families of Nanquan, the Zhou Family had the eldest son Zhou Ruo. He had secretly interfered with the promotion of the low ranking officials of many of Chu’s eastern commanderies, causing a trend of selling positions for money and Zhou Ruo doing as he pleased there. In the end, when he was discovered, the Nanquan Commanderies made many concessions, wanting to keep him alive, but Consort Zhao Xiang did not give them any pharmacist, and executed Zhou Ruo based on the law. Some of the officials who had wanted to accommodate were also dealt with.
After that, if the people from Nanquan committed any crimes, they were dealt with even more harshly. This time, in the Chu and Qin war, many resources had been forcibly pulled out of the Nanquan Commanderies. Some of the important disciples from the Chu cultivation places were sent to the border armies, and many were sent to dangerous places.
This move was vicious. In order to protect these important members, the Nanquan Commanderies had to send some powerful cultivators to follow. Now, with the border and the capital both in chaos, communication was not very easy. They did not know if these important members and cultivators were alive or not.
At this time, while they did not know Consort Zhao Xiang’s next plans, from the movements of the army in the last few days, the remains of the main armies in Yangshan Commandery were looking like they were retreating in the direction of the Nanquan Commanderies.
Nanquan naturally hated Consort Zhao Xiang very much, but this was a matter of the country. If they obstructed her with their private armies and caused the retreating Chu armies to be hemmed in, then no one knew how much anger from the Chu people the five families of Nanquan would gather even if they did not care how they were written about in the history books. So while some families cursed, this meeting lasted for over two hours but still had not reached a decision.
As time passed, the people who had been speaking the most intensely stopped, and their gazes gradually gathered on the three people in the middle.
The three in the middle had the most dark and dangerous presences. They were the people in charge of the three most powerful families of Nanquan. Especially the middle-aged man in purple robes who had not spoken all this time. He had a thin face, and his head was slightly lowered. The white tinged hair gave off sharp blade-like lights. This was the patriarch of the Zhou Family, Zhou Ruo’s father Zhou Shenyun.
When he finally looked up slightly, the entire meeting hall quieted.
“I do not care what you think.” Zhou Shenyun did not look at anyone, and said to himself, “For the Zhou Family, all Chu people can pass, but she cannot.”
Everyone’s body shook slightly.
He then said, “Before the Chu capital was taken, she was the empress dowager of the previous emperor. But now the country is defeated, is she still the empress dowager? She is not even Chu.”
No one objected. Most people were just waiting for his opinion. At this time, no one objected. This meant a resolution.
One of the people below said fawningly, “If so, let’s spread this, everyone else can pass, she cannot. Or force her to commit suicide?”
“I have wanted her to die a long time ago. While many people said she governed well, that is the fruit the previous emperor gave her. I want to see, if I tell her to suicide in exchange for the lives of the Chu soldiers, how she will answer,” Zhou Shenyun suddenly laughed coldly.
The laughter echoed in the dark meeting room, and no one spoke.
Most people’s hate of Consort Zhao was not as direct and strong as his. In their view, such a strong method would pull people into the abyss.
At this time, quick footsteps sounded outside the door. One person knocked many times according to the rules, and then pushed open the door to enter. The meeting room was the property of the Zhou Family, and the person coming in was a steward of their family.
When this person pushed open the door, Zhou Shenyun frowned. Because of familiarity, he immediately sensed the oddness of this person.
“What is it?”
His cold voice sounded again.
Many important people of the other families were here, and he did not want any unpleasant or rude things to occur.
“Ba Mountain Sword Field.”
This steward took a deep breath and bowed to the people present, his voice trembling.
Zhou Shenyun and the others felt stunned. When they looked at the steward, the steward had stood up and reached out a hand.
“The Ba Mountain Sword Field sent the First Sword Of The World Token.” His voice trembled even more.
There was a sword shaped token on his hand that was half a foot long and brimmed with sharp sword energy.
Sharp inhales sounded.
“The First Sword Of The World Token? Even if Ba Mountain Sword Field still has people left, can they still be considered the first world?”
Many seconds later, a furious voice sounded.
But then, there was a longer silence. No one agreed or objected. The air was very heavy. Even the person who had spoken turned pale.
The token had been the token of the first sword of the Ba Mountain Sword Field, Wang Jingmeng. Seeing the token was like seeing him. Back then, the Ba Mountain Sword Field had been the top of the world. When the token appeared, almost no one dared to refuse. It had been many years, the Ba Mountain Sword Field no longer existed… But after many years, this First Sword Of The World Token appeared again.
What did this mean?
Zhou Shenyun’s breathing grew difficult. He stiffly lifted his head to look at the steward and said, “What did the bearer say?”
