Chapter 198: Chapter 162 Of course, we must obey the command of the North Prince 1

Translator: 549690339

Lin Xiuming, leading twenty thousand cavalry, had reached Yan County in less than a month; unlike the last time, the speed of their march was evidently much faster.

Once again at the southern gate of Yan County, Lin Xiuming’s heart was filled with a myriad of emotions; the last time they had rushed to Yan County, they had even prepared for defeat.

But upon entering the city, they realized that the North Prince had already dealt with the Barbarian Tribe’s massive army of three hundred thousand, and the seventy thousand soldiers he had brought were merely porters.

Looking at the opening of the southern gate of Yan County and the common folk bustling to and fro on the road, a soldier beside Lin Xiuming said, “General, why do I feel like North City doesn’t seem to have experienced a war at all?”

Hearing the soldier’s remark, Lin Xiuming fell silent.

When they had come to Yan County the last time, the city gates were closed tight, and on the road, it was hard to see even a mouse, let alone people. How could Yan County look so calm today? There was no serious atmosphere of war.

Could it be that they had arrived late again and the war had already ended? Could his twenty thousand men have become a corpse removal squad?

Just then, a stout man dressed in black and red clothes and a man in coarse blue clothes appeared at the city gate.

At this moment, the man in black and red spoke, “By the North Prince’s command, this subordinate has been waiting for the General in Yan County for some time.”

Upon hearing the man’s words, Lin Xiuming immediately dismounted and approached Qin Yushan and Li Rui, whom he had met during his last visit to Yan County.

Qin Yushan often conveyed messages for the North Prince, so Lin Xiuming was somewhat familiar with him and knew that Qin Yushan was a very important Grandmaster at the side of the North Prince.

Lin Xiuming then politely said, “Lord Li, Grandmaster Qin, wasn’t it said that the North Fre King was leading an army of two hundred thousand south? Why does it seem like all of North City is tranquil, not at all like there had been any conflict?”

Li Rui, wearing a full-faced smile, said, “General Lin, the North Fre King did indeed intend to lead an army of two hundred thousand southward, but the Prince chose to set the battlefield at Tianguang City, which is why Yan County appears serene.”

Lin Xiuming said, “So that’s the case, I thought the war had ended already.”

“By the way, I am here under the imperial court’s orders with some provisions and supplies for the cold; this is the supply list for you to check.”

“Once you’ve verified the supplies and there are no issues, I’ll then lead the twenty thousand cavalry behind me straight to Tianguang City to assist the Prince in resisting the North Fre King’s army.”

Hearing Lin Xiuming’s words, Li Rui glanced at Qin Yushan beside him, clearly waiting for Qin Yushan to speak.

Qin Yushan then said, “General Lin, the Prince instructed me to tell you that the imperial court’s twenty thousand troops should stay in Yan County, which is the second line of defense against the Barbarian Tribe’s incursion southward; its importance is paramount. One needs courage, strength, strategy, and…” Before Qin Yushan could finish, Lin Xiuming quickly interjected, “Stop, stop, stop, Grandmaster Qin, I understand the Prince’s wish. Later, I’ll lead the twenty thousand soldiers behind me to the same campsite we used during our last stay in Yan County.”

Seeing how understanding Lin Xiuming was, Qin Yushan did not say much more; at this point, Li Rui, with a smiling face, said, “General Lin, if there’s anything you need, you can send someone to find me directly, and I will certainly do my best to fulfill your needs.”

Lin Xiuming said, “Then I’ll have to trouble Lord Li.”

Afterward, not indulging in further small talk, Lin Xiuming once again led his troops to the campsite they had used during their previous visit to Yan County Seeing the traces they had left from their prior encampment, Lin Xiuming was awash with emotions.

He just knew that after coming to North City, there would be nothing for him to do.

The imperial court might as well have sent him to fight against Great Wu.

In North City, he couldn’t earn any military merit, only able to stay in the barracks every day.

At this moment, one of Lin Xiuming’s confidants asked in a low voice, “General, are we really going to be stationed here? The imperial court did issue military orders for us to assist the North Prince in repelling the southward invasion of the Barbarian Tribe. If the imperial court learns that we’ve been staying behind in Yan County all this time, without even seeing a Barbarian Tribe soldier, I’m afraid a number of officials will impeach you.”

Hearing this, Lin Xiuming smiled and then said, “It’s true that the imperial court ordered us to assist the North Prince in repelling the Barbarian Tribe, but the military orders also stated that after arriving in North City, we must obey the North Prince’s command. Since the North Prince has ordered us to stay in Yan County, of course, we should follow his orders.”

Hearing this, the soldiers behind Lin Xiuming thought about it and felt there was some sense to it.

However, being stuck in the barracks all the time was intolerable for them. The twenty thousand soldiers assigned by the imperial court to Lin Xiuming this time happened to be the cavalry from that previous group of seventy thousand. They had stayed in North City for so long last time, doing nothing but staying in the barracks every day.

To avoid conflict with the North Prince and refrain from letting them wander around, the soldiers had never felt such tedium, even during battle. They felt as though they were imprisoned in the barracks.

Having been confined for so long last time, they had only returned to the Capital City for a short while, and now they were to be locked up in the barracks again. Truthfully, this was something the soldiers found hard to accept internally; they would rather take to the battlefield and earn their glory by killing enemies.

Although most people do not like war, not everyone is afraid of death, the twenty thousand men Lin Xiuming brought with him are who? They are the elites of Great Xia!

They are veterans of battlefields, many of whom even took part in the war that annihilated Chen Nation. To confine such people to the barracks, doing nothing, would only make them more irritable.

At this time, one of Lin Xiuming’s confidants could not bear it any longer and said, “General, you’re not planning to have us stay in the barracks again, are you?”

Lin Xiuming thought for a moment and felt that confining the soldiers all the time didn’t seem like a good idea, so he said, “During your stay in Yan County, after drills are completed, you may enter Yan County to relax. However, I must remind you, if anyone causes trouble in Yan County, I will not show mercy and will hand you directly over to the North Prince Mansion for punishment.”

Seeing Lin Xiuming allowing them to relax in Yan County, the soldiers immediately responded with an elevated voice, “Yes, General!”

Although they couldn’t go to the front lines to kill enemies and earn merit, being able to enter Yan County for food and drink was still better than being confined to the barracks every day.

The soldiers were very happy, finally not having to be shut in the barracks every day like last time.

Meanwhile.

In the Great Wu Dynasty, at the Li Zheng Palace.

A middle-aged man with graying hair, but who looked only to be in his thirties or forties, was standing in front of all the officials, addressing the Martial Emperor. At this moment, his was the only voice in the entire hall, echoing ceaselessly.

“Your Majesty, twenty years of foreign wars have already caused countless people to be displaced from their homes, families torn apart. Now there is widespread public outrage among the common folk. If this continues, Great Wu is in danger of collapsing!”

“In the past, Great Wu’s foreign wars were only against some minor nations, but the Great Xia Dynasty is a thousand-year-old empire. Even though they are rife with internal strife, the military strength of Great Xia is still not far off from that of Great Wu. Even if it is a sick tiger, as long as its teeth remain sharp, we should not provoke it.”

“I humbly request Your Majesty to rein in the warlike tendencies and send envoys to Great Xia as soon as possible. Sign a treaty with Great Xia to end the war!”