On the way from the military camp to Yunzhou City, the carriage moved slowly.
Inside the city, Chen Xing had not yet come to his senses. Bai Ju, sitting beside him, noticed Chen Xing’s dazed state and spoke up:
“Lord Chen, we have already left the military camp and are about to return to Yunzhou City.”
Chen Xing came back to his senses and said in a daze:
“Ah! What about the Seventh Prince? Weren’t we just at the military camp?”
Bai Ju smiled and said, “Lord Chen, I think you are still stunned by the Seventh Prince’s bold ideas. That’s why you’ve been out of sorts for a while.”
Chen Xing scratched his head and shook himself awake, saying:
“Yes, I didn’t expect the Seventh Prince, being a member of the royal family, to have such audacious ideas!”
Bai Ju smiled knowingly and said, “It seems you haven’t completely lost your senses. You still remember what the Prince said.”
Chen Xing shook his head helplessly and said, “Of course I remember. However, the Prince’s words were so astonishing that they’re hard to accept all at once.”
Chen Xing continued, “The Prince’s intention is to use the grain yield of 2,500 pounds per acre to exchange for silver, thus paying taxes to the court. Then, a large amount of grain will be planted in Yunzhou to supply the Yunzhou army as their backup for fighting on the plains.”
Bai Ju, puzzled, said, “But where did the Prince get such grain? An output of 2,500 pounds per acre is almost seven or eight times the current yield. If this were to be promoted nationwide, it would be unimaginable!”
Chen Xing sighed and said, “Our Prince has created too many miracles. Destroying a thousand Tartar vanguards with five hundred men, leading eight hundred men to slay three enemy leaders, annihilating twenty thousand bandits with five thousand men—each of these feats is extraordinary. It’s likely that this grain yield is also genuine.”
Chen Xing then sighed, “Now, Yunzhou has almost become a place abandoned by the court. Following the Seventh Prince might bring a brighter future.”
Chen Xing and Bai Ju looked at each other, and Bai Ju saw the resolve in Chen Xing’s eyes.
Having been brought up with loyalist ideals, Chen Xing’s decision indicates the shock and hope Ye Chen has brought to them.
Even at night in the military camp, many soldiers were still training alone. The impact of the Xuan armor was tremendous. First, the novelty hadn’t worn off, and second, they needed time to adapt to the forty-pound armor.
Ye Chen took a casual stroll and saw that every soldier in the camp was spirited and full of fighting spirit, as if the Wang Family Village could be conquered the next day.
Li Xiaoyang followed behind and said with a smile:
“Your Highness, since we have completed the plan, I will take some people back to Li Family Village and develop Yunzhou Mountain from there.”
Ye Chen nodded, “Thank you for your hard work, Xiaoyang.”
Hearing Ye Chen call her Xiaoyang, Li Xiaoyang thought she had misheard and confirmed it repeatedly before realizing that Ye Chen had indeed not used her full name.
Li Xiaoyang’s face turned red, and she seemed dazed. She quickly left, saying, “It’s no trouble, no trouble at all.”
Li Xiaoyang’s sudden odd behavior puzzled Ye Chen, who shook his head and said, “I wonder what’s wrong with her.”
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. The 5,000 Xuan-armored soldiers of the Yunzhou army had fully adapted to the armor. Now, moving in the armor was as swift as before.
On the drill ground, Ye Chen raised his golden saber high, wearing the Brightness Armor, and looked ahead with unwavering determination.
“Clang!”
Suddenly, Ye Chen drew his sword, and the golden saber’s light dazzled everyone’s eyes.
“Brothers, now Yunzhou Mountain has only the Wang Family Village left. Today, instead of a sneak attack, we will storm Wang Family Village directly and flatten them with the most brutal method.”
“I want to see how Wang Family Village will resist our 5,000 elite Xuan-armored troops!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
In an instant, the Yunzhou army’s morale soared. It was as if a fierce beast had descended upon the drill ground, igniting the fiery passion of the soldiers.
Soon after, a 5,000-strong army marched toward Wangjia Village at the foot of Yunzhou Mountain.
The mountain guard sent by Wangjia Village saw this and immediately ran back in a panic to report:
“Boss, Boss, something terrible has happened! The Yunzhou army is attacking!”
Wangjia Village’s current chief was Wang Luo, the son of the former chief. Wang Luo was tall and thin, with a haggard face.
In the main hall, musicians who had been captured played music, and two alluring women surrounded Wang Luo. Hearing the Yunzhou army’s approach, Wang Luo immediately lost his composure and said in a panic:
“What should we do? What should we do? Where is the Second Chief? Quickly, bring the Second Chief here!”
“There’s no need for such panic, Boss. Wangjia Village has always trained its troops to military standards. No matter how elite the Yunzhou army is, they can’t be much better than us.”
“Moreover, Wangjia Village is like an impregnable fortress. It won’t be easily breached like Black Wind Village or Black Water Village.”
At this moment, a middle-aged man with a quick pace entered the hall. He was the Second Chief of Wangjia Village.
The Second Chief had always been behind the scenes advising Wang Luo, and Wang Family Village’s development was inseparable from his contributions.
Wang Luo, hearing this, felt reassured and said with a smile, “That’s good. Continue with the music and dance!”
Just then, a bandit burst in, panicking as he reported:
“Boss, Second Chief, something terrible has happened! The Yunzhou army has already breached the village gates and is advancing toward the main hall!”
The bandit then added in fear:
“There’s one person among them who is like a devil. He kills anyone he encounters, and our brothers can’t stop him at all!”
Wang Luo frowned and said:
“Impossible! Our village gates are reinforced. Even siege engines would take time to break through.”
The bandit, nearly in tears, said:
“Yes, I don’t know what’s happening. That person kicked open our gates with a few blows, as if he had divine strength!”
“Boss, Second Chief, we should go out and take control of the situation!”
Wang Luo and the Second Chief exchanged glances and nodded. Wang Luo said, “Alright, gather our men and stop the Yunzhou army. I’ll be there right away!”
“Understood!”
Before the bandit could leave, a sudden cry of battle rose from outside.
“Kill!”
In the next moment, countless bandits fled into the main hall, their eyes filled with terror as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Behind the fleeing bandits was a heroic youth in golden armor, wielding a sharp long blade. His eyes were filled with a murderous aura that seemed as solid as steel.
The Second Chief frowned and said to Wang Luo:
“Boss, go ahead. If you can hold them off, our men will definitely be able to push them back.”
Wang Luo, overwhelmed by the situation, grabbed a large blade and charged forward, shouting:
“Brothers, follow me. Kill those bastards, and the Yunzhou army will surely retreat!”
As Wang Luo charged forward, the Second Chief discreetly retreated.
When the Yunzhou army clashed with Wangjia Village again, amidst the clashing metal sounds, the Second Chief suddenly turned the armrests of his chair.
The seat cushion opened, revealing a hidden passage. The Second Chief turned and smiled, shaking his head before leaving through the passage.
Comment