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Chapter 413: Generals Die in Hundreds of Battles, Warriors Never Return (ask for monthly ticket)
When Lu Youxian died, Yaoguang observed the celestial phenomena and saw that the Jumen star in the sky suddenly shone brightly and then began to shake. When Li Guanyi realized that something was wrong, the soldiers guarding outside Lu Youxian's mansion smelled blood.

Some people went to report to Li Guanyi, while the other group, consisting of two swordsmen and shieldmen, two gunmen, and an elite swordsman and crossbowman, walked into the courtyard. All they saw was the general with flying white hair standing solemnly and blood spurting out of him.

The news of Lu Youxian's martyrdom reached the Tiance Palace.

When Zhou Pinglu arrived, he saw the solemn general for the last time. When the young strategist, who was the best in strategizing, walked out, his face looked a little distraught, and he was unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

Pojun looked at Lu Youxian, and finally said:
"What a great Lu Youxian, what a great [clumsy] general."

"What a great man who was the best at defending the city. He never lost this title until his death."

Pojun looked at Zhou Pinglu and others whose hearts were touched by Lu Youxian, and knew that these surrendered generals of the State of Chen were touched by Lu Youxian's heroic choice. Pojun patted him on the shoulder and said:

"This world is so big, there are people like you who are willing to travel the world and seek peace for the Central Plains."

"There are also people like General Lu who would rather die for their country than not."

Po Jun paused and said, "That's good."

"In times of turmoil, heroes swarm in and heroes rise up, each with his own desires and paths. A man will never look back until his death. Only then can the world be considered wonderful. Even if it is just foolish loyalty in my eyes, it is also awe-inspiring."

"It's just a pity that such a good general is under the command of Chen Dingye."

Zhou Pinglu whispered, "General Lu Youxian is forty-nine years old this year. When he was young and joined the army, the Emperor Chen was only a few years old. He has seen the Chen Kingdom at its peak."

Po Jun said: "What a pity, what a pity."

Tian Ce Mansion found a coffin made of the best wood to collect Lu Youxian's body. Li Guanyi looked at the famous general who closed his eyes solemnly - he and Lu Youxian had known each other for a long time. At that time, Lu Youxian served as the supreme commander of Weicheng, near the capital of Chen State.

Li Guanyi's first official position, captain, was obtained after an argument between Mr. Xue Daoyong and Lu Youxian; and the first person who almost forced Li Guanyi and Qilin into a dead end was also this General Lu Youxian.

Li Guanyi had already returned to Guanyi City from Jiangzhou City, but Lu Youxian actually judged that there was something wrong with Li Guanyi and intercepted him in advance. If Lu Youxian was only a famous general of the sixth level at that time, and if there were only standing troops in Guanyi City at that time.

If it weren’t for the ancestor who sacrificed his life to cut off that ray of life.

Li Guanyi and Qilin may not be able to escape danger.

Li Guanyi did not expect that Lu Youxian would commit suicide for his country, but he felt that this was what the general would do. The world was in such a state of chaos now, and it was just a matter of heroes killing heroes.

"General, take a break. It will be a tough battle."

"In such a chaotic world, you can sleep peacefully."

Li Guan held the sword in both hands and placed it next to Lu Youxian's body.

He then personally held Lu Youxian's funeral. Citizens in the city all came to see the general off for the last time. Many men, women, old and young were crying. It was clearly an envoy in the middle of summer, but paper money was flying all over the city, like snow, covering the city.

Li Guanyi personally carried the coffin and buried this contemporary great general on a mountain outside the heroic city of Zhenxi.

The green mountains are hidden in the distance, and the clear water is evergreen.

Li Guanyi picked up a handful of soil and added it to Lu Youxian's grave, saying, "Let General Lu Youxian watch over the people of this city forever and let them live and work in peace and contentment."

Po Jun looked at Li Guanyi and said, "If Wen He were here, he would definitely ask with a smile, lord, you buried Lu Youxian in the place where he surrendered and died for his country, isn't it to let him watch over this place forever for generations?"

"It's a bit too hellish."

Li Guanyi: "Hell joke?"

"Maybe so."

He looked at the solemn tombstone. He had personally carved the inscription on it, which read: "Tomb of General Chen Lu Youxian". Li Guan said:
"But if he really knows about this, I want him to see that this border town that he built with all his efforts will no longer serve as a border fortress."

The generals were slightly startled, and looked at Li Guanyi standing up in front of the tomb, his hair slightly raised:

"Within ten years, this Xixixixiong City will become an inner city."

"People from all over the world come and go, and this city is prosperous. There will be no more fierce battles like today. I think if General Lu Youxian knew about this, he would like such a future."

Po Jun whispered to himself: "Let the original border fortress become an inner city."

He suddenly chuckled: "My Lord, sometimes you say things that are understated but really scary. I don't know if Lu Youxian will be happy, but if we want to achieve that, our current strength is still far from enough."

Li Guanyi looked at Po Jun and said, "The Wolf King died on the battlefield, Lu Youxian committed suicide after the city was breached, the Living Buddha passed away, and Xiao Wuliang lost his arm and lost his skills. We have come this far, defeated many enemies, and many friends have died."

"They also have their own dreams and goals."

Li Guanyi looked at his palms, which were covered in blood. He said, "We will defeat them and surpass them."

"In these troubled times, we have come to this point. I don't know how many people's dreams have been crushed, and how many people's longed-for future has been shattered."

He placed his hand on Lu Youxian's tombstone and said:

"We can't stop here, sir."

"The world's general trend is surging and majestic."

"My hands are stained with the blood of heroes. How can I stop until the end? How can I stop until the end? Sir, after conquering the world and defeating all the heroes, are you willing to continue walking with me?"

Po Jun looked at the divine general in front of him, bowed slightly, and said with a smile:

"Dare to disobey orders."

Li Guanyi collected and organized Lu Youxian's tiger talisman, waist badge, and many other items, and then sent people to deliver them to the State of Chen. He handed them over to Ye Chongdao and others, and told them clearly that they were the relics of General Lu Youxian and asked them to send them back to the State of Chen.

Ye Chongdao, Zhou Xianping and others all sighed when they saw that on the city wall, the Qilin Army defenders were majestic and their morale was high. Just looking at their morale and military spirit, they knew that they were the strongest army in the world. They knew that at this moment the Qilin Army had the vast Western Regions as a buffer. If they occupied this city, the reinforcements from the State of Chen would not be their match and could only retreat thirty miles to be on guard.

The troops of Tian Ce Mansion did not approach immediately. There was a buffer of dozens of miles between the two sides. They each gathered their civilians and did not engage in battle.

The general who secretly suggested that Lu Youxian kill the civilians for military rations and hold on tightly was still unwilling to surrender even after surrendering, because the Qilin Army wanted to repair Zhenxi Xiongcheng and temporarily settle the people outside the city, so he came up with a plan in his mind.

He secretly instigated many surrendered generals to burn all the tents where the people lived with kerosene at sunset, thus burning hundreds of thousands of people together, destroying the reputation of Qin Wuhou, and taking advantage of the chaos to seize horses and escape.

Fan Qing discovered it and with irrefutable evidence, he announced his crime in front of the people of Zhenxi Xiongguan and sentenced him to beheading according to his crime. The Qilin Army governed the area during this period, taking advantage of the chaos to bully the good people and the evil thugs as well as the villains in the army.

Those who have merit must be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes must be punished.

He punished people with laws and disciplined them, and was lenient in his administration, treating people from all over the country equally. Within dozens of days, the people in the city all praised his policies, and the majestic city of Zhenxi gradually regained its original prosperity.

When Ye Zhongdao and his men were about to evacuate the front line, they opened the things left by Lu Youxian. There was a suicide note to his wife and children, some small change, some swords and clothes. Ye Zhongdao sighed and sent his personal soldiers on horseback to deliver these things back.

When the problem just occurred in Zhenxixixiong City, Lu Youxian was trapped in the inner city and cut off from the outside world. Someone asked Chen Dingye to kill Lu Youxian's family, but Chen Dingye just said:

"Lu Youxian, a good general of the country, has been stationed in the isolated city for dozens of days and failed to go to support. Even if he had to surrender to Li Guanyi, it was your fault and ours. You still want to kill the wife and children of such a good general. How cold-hearted you are!"

"Treat them well!"

Therefore, not only did he not punish Lu Youxian's family, but he also rewarded them several times, gave Lu Youxian's son an official position, and gave Lu Youxian's wife an imperial decree. He showed endless favor to Lu Youxian. Later, when Lu Youxian risked his life to deliver the message, all the ministers praised the general for his loyalty.

But on this day, Chen Dingye was suffering from the bitter summer and was enjoying the coolness alone under the palace with a wide eaves. There was a large tripod in the palace, which contained a large piece of ice, emitting white cold air. Even at this time of the year, when the dog days were almost approaching, one could still feel the coolness.

Chen Dingye closed his eyes and took a nap. Suddenly in his dream, he saw the fortune of Da Chen was like a dragon, as big as a city, majestic and solemn. But when he looked closely, he saw countless jackals and tigers in the city, with bared fangs and claws, trying to devour the dragon. The city collapsed on all sides, only in the west, there was a huge pillar supporting the sky, and the dragon of fortune was perched on this pillar, still somewhat dignified.

But suddenly, this last giant pillar supporting the sky shook and suddenly collapsed.

The entire golden dragon of luck fell heavily downwards. The jackals and tigers pounced on the golden dragon. The scales of the golden dragon of luck exuded a sense of dirt and no longer had its original majesty.

A feeling of weightlessness made Chen Dingye tremble, and he woke up suddenly with a start. He opened his eyes and saw a lot of ice piled up in the palace. The cold air made him unable to calm down. He felt hot all over, and sweat on his back soaked his clothes. He felt uneasy.

As he walked out, he saw an exquisite glass wind chime fell to the ground and shattered at the entrance of the palace. He was uneasy that day. That night, Ye Zhongdao's cavalry informed Chen Dingye about Lu Youxian's martyrdom.

A box was also sent.

Chen Dingye was still in a trance at the moment. Looking at the box, he didn't know why, the scene of Chen Fubi being killed and beheaded kept flashing before his eyes. He was afraid that if he opened the box again, the head of Lu Youxian would be inside.

He stretched out his hand, his palm trembling slightly, and opened the box.

There were only simple letters, tiger talismans, and some silver and money inside. Chen Dingye opened Lu Youxian's suicide note and saw that it was just a warning to his wife and son that if he died in battle, he would die for the country. It was the right thing for a general to die on the battlefield and be wrapped in his horse's hide.

His son has no heroic heart and his martial arts skills are mediocre. In such a chaotic world, he is not qualified for a high official position. He just needs to take good care of his wife and mother.

[In troubled times, martial arts can protect you, but they cannot be used to bully the weak]

[A real man has a body of seven feet tall, standing majestically between heaven and earth; his body can be humiliated, but his heart cannot be humiliated]

[Don't do evil, don't bully the weak, don't oppress the people, don't flatter the rich] [Keep this in mind and you can keep yourself safe]

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies saw the suspicious emperor looking at Lu Youxian's suicide note and was unable to come to his senses for a long time. The last record in history was "The emperor looked around and wept." This was one of the rare times that this harsh and murderous emperor lost control of his emotions.

This time, Chen Dingye did not force Lu Youxian's son to take office because of his suspicion. Instead, he gave him a sinecure without much benefits according to Lu Youxian's wishes.

This added to his reputation: "The emperor was mean and ungrateful, Lu Youxian died for the country, but he did not treat his son well."

Then he personally gave Lu Youxian's helmet to his wife.

When General Lu died, his family had no extra wealth, only more than ten acres of land. He was resolute and solemn, and did not embezzle the extra wealth. He lived on his salary and helped the poor. His wife, who was already 51 years old, accepted Lu Youxian's belongings with great respect.

She settled everyone in the general's mansion, paid them a few months' salary, and then dismissed the servants and attendants. Only three old servants were left, helpless and alone. If asked where they were going, they would answer.

The world had been in turmoil for a long time. I left my hometown when I was young. I once went back with the money I had saved, but I only saw ruins surrounding the well. When I asked the former residents here, they all said they didn't know.

My sister married hundreds of miles away and her hair is now completely white.

Although this world is big, there is nowhere to go, so it is better to stay here.

In Guanyi City——

The old shopkeeper closed Huichun Hall and walked through the streets of Guanyi City alone in a gray robe and came to the tavern where one could get a glass of wine for a penny. The fat shopkeeper in the tavern had lost a lot of weight in the past two years, but the portion of the wine and food had not changed.

The old shopkeeper took out a few large coins and laid them out, ordered some freshly cut vegetables, some peanuts, and a glass of wine, and drank by himself. When he mentioned his previous customers, he said he hadn't seen them much recently.

The tavern owner laughed: "In this chaotic world, human nature is as fickle as water."

"The old customers left, new customers came, and the new customers became old customers. I don't know where they went. That's it. Didn't your family have a little pharmacist named Li Guanyi before?"

"Hasn't it been three or four years since we last met?"

The old shopkeeper thought of that person and said, "Yes, at that time the young master was immature and some things happened. Now the young master finally understands some interpersonal relationships."

The fat shopkeeper sighed, "I didn't remember that guy very well, but he has the same name as the now famous Qin Wuhou. If I hadn't seen him, I would have doubted whether he was the most popular overlord in the world today."

The old shopkeeper laughed: "What kind of joke is this?"

"You've gotten better at telling jokes over the years."

"I haven't seen him for several years. I don't know where he has gone."

The fat shopkeeper laughed: "Maybe the next time we meet, it will be Qin Wuhou in person, with a huge army coming." The old shopkeeper laughed: "If he is really Qin Wuhou, then I will have a good drink."

The two laughed. There was a knock on the door outside. The fat shopkeeper no longer had a waiter. He just threw a towel over his shoulder and greeted, "Guest, here you are!"

But outside the door was a woman in her early fifties, wearing dark clothes and looking quiet. The fat shopkeeper had never seen this woman before, so he just smiled and greeted her, "Madam, are you here to buy wine and meat for your family?"

"What do you want?"

The woman said, "My husband often comes here to drink. He owes me some money for the wine. Today he wants me to pay him back."

The fat shopkeeper smelled something unusual and said, "Which brother is it? If you say you've encountered any difficulties, you don't have to pay back the money for the wine. Hahaha, just think of it as him showing support to me."

The older woman smiled and replied, "He just went out for something. He was forgetful when he was out alone. It's not that he was short of money, but he is stubborn and doesn't want to owe people anything. He feels uncomfortable if he keeps it in his heart."

The fat shopkeeper laughed and said, "That's right, who is that brother?"

The woman said a name, and the fat shopkeeper said, "Oh, that's the one. It's not much, just over 140 coins. Round off the decimal point. Just give me 140 coins, ma'am." The woman took out some money from her purse, poured it on the table, and settled the bill.

The fat shopkeeper smiled and handed her a large coin, saying:
"Leave this one for me as a keepsake."

"If you still remember this place, you can come here for a drink."

The woman looked at him and said, "You should go back."

"This cup is a treat from my humble husband to the shopkeeper."

The fat shopkeeper stopped talking. He held the big coin in his hand, his lips moved, and a trace of sadness appeared on his face. The woman smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you all for your tolerance of my humble husband."

"That person is dumb in words and straight in the head. Please bear with me if I say something wrong."

She bowed, walked away slowly, blended into the crowd, and gradually disappeared from sight. The old shopkeeper withdrew his gaze and said:

“…Which one?”

The fat shopkeeper said, "He's the broad-shouldered guy who's used to sitting in a corner and looking outside. He must be a soldier. He must have been hurt in this world. He doesn't like to talk and doesn't have many friends."

"In the past, I didn't order any food, I could drink three pots of wine just by watching people coming and going outside."

"After finishing his drink, he didn't say anything, just got up, recorded the bill and left."

"I haven't seen him for a long time. I forgot about it and wrote it off as a dead account. It's a rare occasion that he still remembers it and wants to settle it."

The old shopkeeper said: "You have a book in your mind, right?"

The two men said nothing more and just drank quietly.

The two men clinked their wine bowls, and it was the sound of old friends leaving.

The woman, whose hair was mostly white, finished doing everything her husband had asked her to do in the letter. Finally, she walked to the old tree, watched people coming and going, and suddenly choked up. She had read this suicide note over and over again many times.

These are things that Lu Youxian himself failed to do, and some things that he was honest about.

"Sister, I'm leaving first. I'll have to trouble you to do these things for me in the end."

"Lu Youxian kowtowed first."

"By the way, on the Qiqiao Festival when you were fourteen, I shot down your kite, and I have to apologize to you."

“I was young then.”

"I always like to tease you, but I don't know the etiquette. I have remembered this for more than 30 years."

The woman, whose youth was long gone, endured for a long time, but finally she couldn't bear it anymore. She put her hand over her lips and burst into tears on the side of the road.

...............

After Li Guanyi buried Lu Youxian, the majestic city of Zhenxi gradually returned to normal. Summer was at its peak, and every autumn, the water levels of the world's water systems would surge. That was the opportunity for Li Guanyi's troops to rush down the waterway.

Kou Yulie, the Angry Scaled Dragon King who had arrived in the Western Regions early with Yuan Zhi and Yan Daiqing, who had been repeatedly defeated in many battlefields, could finally play a role. During this period, he used the precious materials in the Western Regions to build ships.

He also purchased ships from various chambers of commerce, and, with all the might of the Western Regions, began to prepare for the autumn siege.

On the battlefield in the desert of the Western Regions, the naval commander, who had been repeatedly frustrated and could hardly raise his head, was ready to complete this most critical strategy. He had also sent messages through Changfeng Tower and Jiangnan.

When the time comes, the upstream and downstream of the waterways will take action at the same time to tear the situation in the world apart.

And there is only one last step left for this crucial strategic step.

southwest.

Li Guanyi had already sent a reply letter back to the King of the Southwest, but after that a two-month-long siege began. In other words, the communication had been delayed for two full months. At this point, any delay would lead to changes.

The generals and counselors of the Anxi Protectorate had different opinions on how to communicate with the southwest. For example, the generals who were born as Khans of the Western Regions, such as Qibi Li and Hao Yuanxia, ​​felt that if they went to negotiate an alliance without dignity and military force, wouldn't they be looked down upon?

"Please wait for a few days, my lord. We will train our soldiers and lead 10,000 elite soldiers to the southwest. We will go there in the name of Qin Wuhou and Tian Khan. This will make it more official and avoid being looked down upon."

But some people refuted: "We have just defeated Dachen and captured the territory. Chen Guolu first committed suicide and died for his country, and his name spread far and wide. Now he leads an army to capture cities and territories, and threatens the southwestern territory."

"The King of the Southwest is afraid of us, but he will definitely doubt whether we intend to force our way in. Wouldn't that make him rebellious and turn a good thing into something unmanageable?"

The generals and counselors were arguing here, each with his own opinions. At this time, a guest who had arrived in the Western Regions early but was unable to enter the front line to meet Li Guanyi due to the war arrived.

Wen He personally brought the guest to the majestic city of Zhenxi.

The man had white hair and mastered the eighth-level martial arts, which could be considered top-notch in the martial arts world. He wore a black robe with dark patterns and held a sealed scroll in his hand, which had the mark of a red dragon's pattern on it.

It was exactly the generous elder Ji Yanzhong who, several months ago, followed Ji Zichang's secret order and rushed from Zhongzhou to the Western Regions.

What you carry.

It was the imperial edict from the Red Emperor's lineage that conferred an additional title on Li Guanyi!
(End of this chapter)