Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2689 Prince Jin Enters Camp, Conflict Among White Guards

The King of Jin's cake! No, the King of Jin's words!
Like oil being poured over a raging fire, it instantly ignited the ambitions of these young noblemen.

They came here for military merit and the future of the King of Jin. Now that the huge bait of "King of Kushan" has been thrown down, they are even more excited, as if being ennobled and appointed as a general, and having a fiefdom of thousands of miles is just around the corner!
When it really comes to that, they can go home triumphantly and hand over their titles to their fathers, brothers, or other relatives.

So what if I'm not the eldest son of the legitimate wife?
When the time comes, I can tell them that they don't need to inherit my father's title, because I will surpass him!

"Swear to follow His Highness to the death!"

"I will die for His Highness! And earn a title of nobility!"

"Defeat the Kushans, and enjoy the good life with His Highness!"

Excited voices rang out in the post station, drawing the attention of passersby, but the Prince of Jin simply smiled reservedly, enjoying this loyalty and fervor.

After several days of travel, this group of young people finally arrived at the Imperial Guard camp outside Nanjing, covered in dust.

Prince Li An of Jin, whether for public or private reasons, brought his friends to pay a visit to Bai Qi, the commander of the southern expedition and also his father-in-law, as soon as possible.

Bai Qi, who began to distinguish himself in the Battle of Yongliang, later became the commander-in-chief of the campaign against the Japanese pirates and the southern campaign. In the Southeast Asian battlefield, although he was not the nominal commander-in-chief, he was the de facto commander-in-chief.

Bai Qi is now considered to have the most outstanding military achievements among the generals of the Jin Dynasty.

In stark contrast to the exhilarating enthusiasm of the Prince of Jin and his entourage, the atmosphere inside General Bai Qi's tent was as cold and solemn as an ice cellar.

This renowned general of the Great Jin Dynasty was standing in front of a huge sand table, on which the Yangtze River waterway was precisely marked, extending to the coastal ports of Jiaozhou and Qiongzhou, as well as the shipping routes pointing to the distant southern coast of the Kushan Empire.

Thanks to the former powerful nations in Southeast Asia, although they were not good in other aspects, their naval power was still usable. In addition, the rise of the Southern Chu further stimulated the development of maritime power in Southeast Asia.

Therefore, there were already quite a few existing ports along the coast of Qiongzhou at this time. In addition, these ports had not been abandoned in the two years since the princes took up their fiefs; on the contrary, they had been expanded and improved to some extent.

After all, for Southeast Asia, if it is to connect with the south, sea routes are indeed more convenient than land routes until road construction in various parts of the south is completed.

These ports are key to the upcoming battle.

Only by making good use of these ports can they guarantee their logistical needs in the early stages.

As for the later stages, they would naturally have to rely on the enemy for sustenance. The plains of the Kushan Empire were rich in countless provisions.

If they could manage their occupied territories well while fighting, just like they did with the occupied territories in Southeast Asia, they could continuously requisition grain from the occupied territories.

Moreover, the Southern Imperial Guards and the troops in the Yizhou Camp today both participated in the Southeast Asian wars. These troops have adapted to the tropical climate.

However, it is still crucial to prepare ample medicinal herbs for this battle.

After the Southeast Asian battlefield, Bai Qi understood more deeply that in this battle, the environment was more important than the enemy forces for them to be cautious about.

Inside the tent, Bai Qi stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his face as cold and hard as iron, his eyes so sharp they seemed to pierce through a map and reach the unknown battlefield.

Dressed in a black casual suit without any superfluous decorations, he exuded a suffocating aura of power.

"Report! His Highness Prince Jin and his entourage have arrived outside the gate!" A guard entered and reported.

Bai Qi didn't even raise his head, but coldly uttered a single word: "Send it."

A moment later, Prince Li An of Jin strode in with his group of still-excited followers. Facing this renowned, cold-blooded general, Prince Li An slightly toned down his arrogance, cupping his fists in a salute: "General! Prince Li An of Jin, by order of my father, has led his troops to await your command!"

Bai Qi then slowly turned around, his gaze like a cold blade, sweeping over the Prince of Jin and the group of young, spirited nobles behind him.

That gaze was devoid of any emotion, only scrutiny, as if examining weapons rather than living people.

Those whose gaze swept over them all felt a chill run down their spines, and their excitement instantly cooled down.

"Hmm." Bai Qi responded lightly, his voice completely calm. "Your Highness has come a long way and must be careful. Now that you've joined the army, you must abide by the rules of the army."

His gaze fell on the sons of nobles: "You, regardless of your background, once you join my ranks, you are all ordinary soldiers. Military orders are absolute; those who disobey will be executed."

The word "behead" was like an ice pick piercing everyone's ears, causing the young people who had just been dreaming of becoming nobles and high-ranking officials to involuntarily shrink back.

Bai Qi first gave these young men a hard time, after all, they were sons of noble families. If he didn't intimidate them first, and they didn't think clearly on the battlefield, the soldiers below would be the ones who would suffer.

When that time comes, should Bai Qi punish them according to military law?

If it is not handled according to military law, it will affect the entire army.

But if they were to be dealt with according to military law, Bai Qi, the person behind them, would also have a headache!

Therefore, it would be better to intimidate these little guys from the start!

After that, Bai Qi's gaze turned to the Prince of Jin, and a hint of gentleness appeared in his eyes!
He had many sons, but unfortunately, he only had one daughter.

Unfortunately, His Majesty assigned him to the Prince of Jin!

Unable to disobey the emperor's command, they were forced to remain bound to the Prince of Jin's warship.

At first, Bai Qi tried his best to maintain his relationship with Wei Qing.

Unfortunately, Wei Qing didn't appreciate it at all.

In fact, Bai Qi even sought out Li Jing, the then Minister of War, to mediate the dispute.

However, Li Jing completely ignored him and didn't even see him.

From then on, his relationship with Wei Qing deteriorated further.

Fortunately, the two of them were always separated by vast distances and rarely saw each other for a year.

In fact, both Li Jing and Wei Qing were far more politically astute than Bai Qi.

The reason the higher-ups arranged this marriage was to balance the power between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin.

At this point, Wei Qing naturally wanted to take the opportunity to sever ties with Bai Qi.

As for Li Jing, he not only saw this point, but he also understood that if the top military leaders, or even the commanders of the military regions, were all getting along well with each other, what would the emperor think?
How could Li Jing possibly meet him at that time?

If you were to reconcile them, you would not only be harming yourself, but all three of them.