I am a soldier in the border army

Chapter 652 Crossing the River! Crossing the River! Crossing the River!

Jishui.

This vast river, where the tragic song of the 100,000 imperial guards of the capital once played, still bears traces of that fierce battle after ten years of change.

Broken blades, shattered armor, scattered fragments of the crossbow, and... broken bones scattered in the grass.

The vanguard of black-armored cavalry stopped on the banks of the Ji River, gazing at the vast expanse of water before them, their expressions filled with emotion.

To be honest, before heading south, these northerners always thought that the Liao River, which divides Liaodong and Liaoxi, was the largest river in the world.

It wasn't until they later saw the Tongtian River flowing eastward into the sea that they suddenly realized how ignorant they had been.

That vast Milky Way truly deserves to be called a place too difficult for mortals to cross.

But the Ji River in front of them gave them a different feeling.

That is, although this river is wide, it appears exceptionally tranquil and peaceful compared to the Tongtian River in the neighboring Qingzhou.

As a result, both the Yan and Ji provinces on both sides of the strait benefited from his influence.

The vegetation is lush and full of life.

"What a treasure trove! It's so much better than our home..."

This is undoubtedly a pointless statement.

Youzhou is located on the frontier and is known for its harsh climate. Even though it has been vigorously reclaimed in recent years under the strong promotion of the emperor, and has gradually revealed some of the amazing potential of the black soil, potential is still just potential. Compared with the essence of the Central Plains in the south, it is still far behind.

"This place is so nice, I don't want to go back."

One of the soldiers scanned the banks of the Ji River back and forth, sighing with emotion.

Then he suddenly said.

"You're saying that if we conquer these places, they'll belong to us?"

Upon hearing this, the group of scattered riders who were resting on the spot were taken aback.

Even the squad leader, who was gulping down water from his water pouch, subconsciously stopped what he was doing.

To be honest, he hadn't really thought about these things.

He was a pure warrior.

When it comes to war, it's war; when it comes to battle, it's battle. I've never thought about these irrelevant things.

That's how it was when I followed the Great General. Later, when the Great General retired, the Sovereign inherited everything from the Zhenliao Army, and that's how it was for him too.

Soldiers are paid by the emperor, and it is only natural for them to be loyal to the emperor.

But at this moment, he suddenly became a little greedy.

Yes!

They conquered this superior blessed land, so why can't it belong to them?

According to the rules of the Zhenliao Army, soldiers who made military achievements could not only be promoted in rank, but also exchange their military achievements for wealth and land.

In other words, if this land truly belonged to their Zhenliao Army, then it would be almost no different from belonging to each and every one of them.

Thinking of this, the squad leader's gaze towards the land beneath his feet gradually turned fiery.

At this moment, his soldiers and officers seemed to be affected as well, and soon they began to discuss the issue.

"Nonsense! What we conquered belongs to us!"

"Anyone who disagrees can ask the Zhenliao Blade in my hand!"

At this moment, the ferocity of these northern warriors was on full display.

However, some people have raised questions.

"This place is nice, but it's not our hometown. We've come all this way, we can't just abandon our hometown, can we?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, clearly unconvinced.

People in those days were attached to their homeland and reluctant to move, but that was because there was no better place!
If there were better options, who would want to suffer in that harsh, cold place back home?
Wouldn't it be wonderful to bring my family over to enjoy this happiness together?

As everyone was laughing and joking, someone suddenly looked at the squad leader who was leading the group.

"Squad leader, what do you think?"

The squad leader, who had just put away his water pouch, was being watched by many eyes, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed the hilt of the Zhenliao sword hanging at his waist.

A moment later, he suddenly uttered a sentence as if by some strange twist of fate.

"If Yanzhou is so fertile and prosperous, what must Sili and Yuzhou be like?"

The entire land is centered around the divine capital, Haojing.

As it extends outwards, it becomes increasingly barren and desolate, while the further inwards it becomes, the more lush and vibrant it becomes.

The soldiers, who had just been in high spirits, paused upon hearing this.

never seen it.

I can't imagine it.

But the next moment, someone suddenly muttered something.

"Why don't we just have His Majesty take us to the capital? When His Majesty sits high in the Hall of Brightness, we can also rise to prominence along with him and settle down in the capital..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to the speaker, making the soldier feel extremely uncomfortable.

Just as he was feeling embarrassed and at a loss, thinking he had said something wrong, his comrades around him suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.

"Haha! You fucking are a genius!"

Even the squad leader looked on with emotion.

He still lacks vision and courage.

If the Ji family can sit on this throne, why can't our sovereign?
Just as everyone was about to continue their discussion on this outrageous topic, a series of massive warships, resembling mountain ranges, suddenly appeared on the vast Ji River in the distance.

Upon seeing this, the group of riders immediately became serious, no longer caring about such things. In an instant, they all mounted their horses and galloped back the way they had come.

……

Since the bloody battle at Xiangji Temple last year.

Li Jing's Southern Route Zhenliao Army and the Huangtian Army of Yan and Yu Provinces held a truce and stalemate in Yan Province for nearly half a year.

However, since the Zhenliao Army took the initiative to collect the corpses of the Huangtian Army that day, although the relationship between the two sides seemed to be irreconcilable and irreconcilable, it was not actually that tense.

This led to Han Shao suddenly raising the banner of "avenging the emperor" and resuming the war on that day, and the Huangtian Army's fighting spirit was not as strong as before.

After several major battles that shattered the fanatical core of the Huangtian Army in the two states, the seemingly massive Huangtian Army began to disintegrate at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Especially after seeing that the Zhenliao Army, after their victory, not only did not kill indiscriminately, but also treated the captured Huangtian soldiers with great kindness.

Many Huangtian soldiers even chose to lay down their weapons and surrender to the Zhenliao Army.

Besides the influence of the Six Doors, the real force behind this was the newly emerging Taiping Dao.

In particular, the Taiping Dao high-ranking members, with Zuo Ci at the core, were almost all key figures in the Huangtian Dao.

No one understands the Yellow Heaven Way better than them, nor does anyone understand the essence of its teachings.

Although the effort of the past six months has not yet influenced the decisions of the central command of the Yellow Heaven Army in the two states, it has already silently shaken the foundation of the Yellow Heaven Army in the two states.

Therefore, from the day Han Shao raised his army, the Zhenliao Army almost swept through the enemy lines.

In the battle three days ago, when Li Jing killed Huang Tianqu, the leader of the Huang Tianqu in Yanzhou, and Huang Tianqu in Jizhou was seriously wounded and fled in disarray with his remaining troops to Jizhou, the battle situation in Yanzhou had actually been settled.

However, after this victory, Li Jing did not take advantage of the momentum to pursue the Huangtian army in Jizhou and seize Jizhou along the way.

Instead, they unexpectedly turned their forces around and marched north to the Ji River!

In this way, the purpose of the Zhenliao Army becomes very clear.

They were actually brazenly choosing to strike straight at Huang Tiandao's heartland—Jizhou!
……

On the banks of the Ji River.

Unlike ten years ago when the 100,000 Imperial Guards of the capital sighed at the sight of the Ji River, the Zhenliao Army, including Li Jing, remained calm from beginning to end.

This is an absolute confidence stemming from having everything under control.

The source of this absolute confidence is quite simple: the enormous Mo family treasure ship that is currently sailing on the Ji River.

“The nature of a gentleman is not different; he is good at making use of things…” Li Jing repeated Han Shao’s ‘divine edict’ with a sigh.

Looking back, when he and his fellow soldiers were fighting for their lives amidst the swirling snow on the grasslands, how could he have imagined this day?

It is Your Majesty!
It was the emperor who led them to a desperate situation and turned a dead end into a great road to heaven, making them famous throughout the world!
It was the sovereign who led them through hardship and struggle to establish their empire in the ruins of Champion City!

It was the sovereign who led them in a bloody battle against the Wuhuan, and in the final battle, the Wuhuan were wiped out. From then on, the entire Youbei Grassland became the Zhenliao Army's backyard where they could run rampant.

It was the emperor who led them...

It's all because of Your Majesty!
At this moment, Li Jing's usually cautious and composed gaze was somewhat similar to that of Huang Tiandao's fanatical followers.

It was a kind of absolutely blind fanaticism.

It is a spirit of charging forward on horseback, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead.

And so, time passed by, minute by minute. As the enormous treasure ships that roamed the vast Ji River completely destroyed all the resistance and obstruction of the Huangtian Army on the opposite side, Li Jing suddenly opened his slightly narrowed eyes and brandished the Zhenliao Treasure Sword bestowed upon him by Han Shao.

"For the Emperor! Zhenliao Army! Cross the river! Cross the river! Cross the river!"

The same phrase, "Three shouts to cross the river," resonated throughout the world.

How could Li Jing's spirit today be compared to that of Gongye Jin, who was blocked on the north bank of the Ji River ten years ago?

Riding on the momentum of a series of great victories, their aura is as fierce as a tiger that can swallow up thousands of miles!

No one can withstand it!

……

The endless expanse of black-clad soldiers from Zhenliao crossed the Ji River.

The treasure ships crisscrossed the waves, moving ceaselessly.

After shielding themselves from all threats, the powerful being used his immense magical power to construct a rainbow bridge spanning both banks.

Such a spectacular scene would leave anyone who witnessed it speechless with awe.

After crossing the river, the Zhenliao Army, which moved almost without pause, continued its unstoppable advance as expected.

In just ten days, they conquered five prefectures and more than thirty counties.

The terrifying combat power displayed here has made the Imperial Guards of the Capital, which had regained their reputation a few months ago, pale in comparison once again.

But at this moment, no one cares about these things anymore.

May 23.

For more than half a year, Huang Tianjun of Jizhou, who had been entangled with Zhao Mu and Jiang Hu on the eastern front, hastily retreated from the north bank of the Tongtian River.

June 9th.

The two sides clashed head-on at Leyang County.

Without any superfluous words, the two vast, turbulent waters, one black and one yellow, began their most primal and brutal clash on the land of Jizhou.

There's no turning back!

The Zhenliao Army was like this.

This was especially true of Huang Tianjun of Jizhou.

Because Guangzong City is right behind us!
He is a great and wise teacher!

If they retreat in this battle, Huangtiandao, which has now swept across most of the eighteen states, will surely lose all its prestige and may even be unable to recover.

Because the so-called struggle for the world, in a sense, is actually a struggle for the hearts and minds of the people!
The vast majority of people in this world are blind and prone to following the crowd.

They only recognize strength and weakness!

Therefore, they cannot retreat in this battle, and they cannot even afford to lose!

Without a doubt, with this foundation, this battle will be extremely fierce.

The battle began at 1-3 PM on the ninth day of the month and continued until dawn the next day, with the sounds of fighting and roaring never ceasing.

The fervor and bravery of those Yellow Heaven soldiers were enough to inspire awe in any courageous and fierce general in the world, and even inspire a sense of respect.

On the Zhenliao Army side, what is truly worth mentioning are the new recruits and new troops who were newly incorporated into the army after the southward march.

These new recruits included Yuan Feng's former Youzhou army, as well as some remnants of the Zhuozhou army.

Besides these, there were also the former Huangtian Army soldiers who had surrendered.

Li Jing originally intended to use them as cannon fodder to weaken the Huangtian Army of Jizhou and reduce casualties among the Zhenliao soldiers.

To his surprise, these 'cannon fodder' showed unexpected tenacity in this battle.

In particular, the Youzhou Iron Cavalry, which Yuan Feng had once spent countless resources to support, demonstrated formidable combat power in this battle, even to some extent comparable to some of the weaker garrisons in Zhenliao.

This made Li Jing somewhat reluctant to part with it.

So after a slight hesitation, he ordered them to temporarily withdraw from the battlefield that had become a blood grinder.

Not long after, a group of armored soldiers covered in blood ignored the obstruction and stormed angrily toward Li Jing.

"Commander Li! The men can still charge! Why are you telling us to retreat!"

Li Jing glanced at them indifferently and waved his hand to stop the soldiers of the central army from scolding them.

"Do you have any objections to my decision?"

The former generals of Youzhou froze for a moment, then immediately fell silent.

Seeing their outwardly compliant but inwardly resentful expressions, Li Jing shook his head before speaking.

"The lives of our sons matter too!"

"Now that the overall situation is about to be settled, sending our own men to risk their lives to charge forward will only increase casualties!"

"Is this your way of being a general?"

After a reprimand, Li Jing suddenly softened his tone.

“You have already proven yourselves, so there’s no need to add anything unnecessary.”

"From now on, cherish your life more and don't do anything foolish that could lead to your death!"

Upon hearing Li Jing's words, the former generals of Youzhou Army were all shaken.

Despite being covered in blood, they weren't embarrassed by Li Jing's words that revealed their true feelings; instead, their eyes instantly welled up with tears at his words, "our own men."

Does this mean they have been completely accepted?
"Li Shuai—"

At this moment, Li Jing had no time to care about them; he was only saying a few words because they had made significant contributions in this battle.

He waved his hand and said.

"Alright, all of you, go and rest."

"Considering this is your first offense, I will spare you this time for forcibly entering the central camp. But if it happens again, you will be severely punished!"

Upon hearing this, the former generals of Youzhou quickly clasped their hands and bowed to thank Li Jing for his leniency.

At this moment, Li Jing spoke again.

"By the way, go back and tell the troops."

"Although you are a newly formed army, you are also called Zhenliao!"

"In that case, I will treat everyone equally. All your merits will be recorded and documented. I will not wrong you in the slightest. Don't think too much about it in the future."

The former Youzhou soldiers were overjoyed and bowed again in salute.

"Thank you, Li Shuai!"

Li Jing frowned.

"This is a favor bestowed by His Majesty, why should I thank you, General?"

The group of former Youzhou soldiers were stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.

"I am willing to die for my lord!"

……

(End of this chapter)