flstandardbreds Chapter 115 World 267
Chapter 115 World 267
Li Yinyin led a small force against the Mumu tribe, who were practically fighting on their home turf. It was like throwing an egg against a rock.
Moreover, Li Yinyin and Banxian'er have special identities, and they entered the territory of Beixi Kingdom without permission. If their whereabouts are discovered, it could bring unnecessary trouble to the Ming Kingdom.
The reason they hadn't cleaned up the battlefield earlier was because they had only searched for survivors of Xu Jiajun's army.
The two men who had already woken up in Xu's army were a strategist and a junior officer. Compared to ordinary soldiers, they were much calmer. They clearly understood that the meaning of their survival was not to walk into a trap at this moment, but to avenge the Xu family army that had died unjustly.
Therefore, no matter how much they hate it or how reluctant they are to let go, they can only endure it.
The group waited until the Mumu tribe had retreated, leaving only blood-soaked soil on the ground, before collecting a handful and placing it in their pouches.
The strategist looked at Li Yinyin: "You are not from the Northern Kingdom, so why have you come here?"
"I only came here because I saw the blood-red aura soaring into the sky in the north and I couldn't find any divination results. I was curious," Li Yinyin said, gently stroking the black jade fortune-telling plate hanging at her waist. "I never expected to witness such a... man-made disaster."
"Man-made disaster, ha, hahaha, yes, that's right, it's man-made disaster."
The strategist couldn't help but laugh, but as he laughed, he hunched over and tears streamed down his face.
"You treat the king with utmost sincerity, yet the king treats you like an enemy. Very well, very well indeed!"
After the strategist finished laughing, he apologized to Li Yinyin and thanked them for saving him.
A few days later, looking at the seven survivors, Li Yinyin asked with some curiosity, "What are your plans now?"
"It is revenge, of course," the strategist said with a smile, as if he were talking about something pleasant. "I don't want to guess what the young lady's identity is or what her purpose is, but after all, the young lady saved me and the others. Although I am now penniless and my life no longer belongs to me, I can't let the young lady suffer a loss."
Li Yinyin sighed inwardly. It seemed that no one would agree to what she wanted to do. It was a pity that such good resources from the Xu family army could not be used for her own purposes.
Just as Li Yinyin was sighing, the strategist said again, "There is a secret room in the study of the general's mansion in the capital of Beixi Kingdom. The mechanism to open it is on the pillar on the right side of the top shelf of the third bookshelf, and the key is on the general's young master. The secret room contains all the general's experience in governing and training troops, as well as his research on military formations."
Li Yinyin's eyes lit up, but she quickly said, "What's the use of telling me this? Can I go to General Xu's study, or can I ask Young Master Xu to open the door for me?"
"Perhaps not now, but soon. After all, the entire Xu family army is gone, and the General's Mansion will probably cease to exist as well."
A strange emotion flashed in the strategist's eyes: "At most three months, the Northern Kingdom will be in chaos. If you are willing, young lady, you will be able to get the things soon."
"Are you so sure?" Li Yinyin looked at him and couldn't help but advise, "Revenge is important, but life is only once, and you should cherish it."
"Thank you for your advice, young lady," this time, it was not the strategist who spoke, but the surviving soldiers behind him. "The Xu family army can die on the battlefield, but they will never be deserters."
The next day, Li Yinyin and the others watched their departing figures, their hearts filled with complex emotions.
“Master,” Li Yinyin said to the half-immortal, “I see death energy in them.”
After remaining silent for several days, the fortune teller finally spoke: "Not bad, you've improved."
Li Yinyin forced a smile, but found that she couldn't manage a genuine laugh.
For some reason, Li Yinyin and the others had a smooth journey back to Ming, and the border defenses of Beixi Kingdom were not even as strict as when they came.
When Li Yinyin returned to the capital of the Ming Dynasty and met Li Chengming, she learned the reason.
News from the Northern Kingdom revealed that General Xu, the God of War, had colluded with the enemy and betrayed his country, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his Xu family soldiers and surrendering three border cities to the Mumu tribe. The entire Northern Kingdom was shaken; some questioned the verdict, while others condemned him. The emperor ordered the execution of over a hundred members of the Xu clan to atone for the wrongful deaths of his soldiers.
When Li Chengming recounted this matter to them, he couldn't help but shake his head: "The borders of Beixi Kingdom have been peaceful for decades, entirely thanks to the Xu family army protecting them with their lives. General Xu has been utterly loyal to Beixi Kingdom and has made great contributions. To say that he is a traitor..."
“Of course it’s not treason,” Li Yinyin said. “Judging from this situation, it’s clearly a deal between the emperor of the Northern Kingdom and the Mumu tribe. They’re using three border cities to kill the entire Xu family. What a deep hatred!”
Seeing her brother's doubts, Li Yinyin told Li Chengming about her experiences of returning home late for so many days.
“Brother,” Li Yinyin glanced in the direction of Beixi Kingdom, “if the strategist under General Xu is really as powerful as others say, then we should prepare provisions and get ready to send troops.”
It took Li Chengming a long time to find his voice: "You're right. Apart from sending troops, we should also rescue that young master Xu first. We already know the location, and the secret room can be opened sooner or later, but since the strategist said so, he wants us to preserve a bloodline of the Xu family."
Li Yinyin agreed with this: "The sooner the better. Brother, should we immediately summon Mr. and the others to the palace to discuss this?"
“Of course,” Li Chengming immediately sent someone to invite them. While waiting for them, the brother and sister discussed where to send troops and who should go first.
Once all the ministers had gathered, Li Yinyin recounted what she had witnessed. While the ministers were shocked, many also opposed sending troops to the Northern Kingdom.
"Xu's army has only seven men left. Even if there are strategists and junior officers among them, they don't have many soldiers under them. What kind of trouble can they cause? We should be very cautious about sending troops."
Those who agree with this statement naturally have suggestions to offer. Both sides expressed their opinions, and each had their own valid points.
Seeing that they were deadlocked, Li Chengming looked at Li Yinyin and asked, "What does the Marquis of Zhenguo think?"
Li Yinyin said, "Regardless of whether we fight or not in the end, we must mobilize the troops, and we must also prepare the provisions and supplies."
An opponent immediately shouted, "My lord! This..."
Li Yinyin raised her hand to stop the other person from speaking: "I know what you want to say, sir. It's nothing more than that we might not even fight in the end, and we'll still have to mobilize troops, waste supplies, and damage our national strength, right?"
Only after the dissenting officials nodded did she continue, "But should we give up such an easy opportunity just because of this? The benefits of preparing to send troops in advance are completely different from those of receiving news from other countries and then hastily deploying troops."
"This little bit of grain is nothing to our Ming Dynasty. We can just treat it as a military exercise."
"But if it succeeds, you will all be meritorious officials who have expanded the territory of our Ming Dynasty!"