Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 841 Please, don't kill me!

Li Tang naturally wants to quickly eliminate the impact of Xia Lin's incident. Everyone dislikes him but can't do anything about it. Moreover, blocking him inside the pass was a terrible thing in itself. Now that the scheme has been exposed, Changsun Wuji can only find another way. Apart from one or two hotheads who are still clinging to this matter, the others are not really that angry.

The biggest problem they face right now is the madness of the young and ambitious officials in the court. These young people are indeed more difficult to deal with than the old hands, but what can be done? After all, Chang'an is now learning from Xia Lin's model in its entirety, activating a large number of young officials. However, every policy is a double-edged sword, and it is normal for young people to be hot-tempered.

But their talk of leading troops west to attack Xia Lin is a bit... a bit too much. Why attack him of all people? It's so presumptuous...

Once Xia Lin's army left Yangguan, they truly set foot on the land of the Western Regions.

The scenery before us was completely different from that inside the pass; the world seemed to have been suddenly widened and flattened. As far as the eye could see, there was an endless expanse of uninhabited land. The air was so dry that it felt like it could suck the last bit of moisture from one's lungs. The wind whipped up sand and gravel that lashed against our faces, fine yet dense, reminding everyone of the harshness of this place.

"Damn it, this godforsaken place, you can piss and it'll be half-dried up before it even hits the ground." An old soldier licked his chapped lips and cursed under his breath, before being scolded by an officer and forced to catch up with the group.

Xia Lin, still on horseback, squinted to adjust to the excessively strong sunlight. He took out his water pouch, but instead of drinking first, he handed it to a young soldier next to him who seemed to be suffering from heatstroke: "Drink in small sips, don't rush."

The soldier was flattered and quickly took the water, carefully sipping it twice. The cool water slid down his throat, and he felt as if he had come back to life. Xia Lin dismounted, retrieved the water pouch, and sighed, "The temperature difference between day and night is still too great. It seems we need to find a way to plant more trees while the weather is still alright."

At this moment, the army beside them was marching along the proper Silk Road, the wheels of their vehicles making a monotonous rumbling sound as they rolled over gravel, and busy figures were everywhere. Scouts, like tireless hunting dogs, kept sending back more detailed information about the terrain and water sources ahead.

"Report! Commander, a small oasis has been discovered thirty miles ahead, with clear water, enough for the army to rest for half a day!"

"Okay." Xia Lin nodded. "Pass on the order to speed up the advance, and once we reach the oasis, we'll cook a meal and rest on the spot."

The order was given, and the weary soldiers felt a slight jolt of spirit. After all, an oasis in this sea of ​​death was undoubtedly a synonym for paradise.

However, just as the army was about to reach that hopeful green land, a sudden burst of rapid hoofbeats accompanied by a sharp whistle came from the flank!
"Enemy attack!!!"

Everyone tensed instantly. The marching formation shifted almost instantly, supply wagons were quickly pushed inward, and musketeers knelt down, using the terrain as cover. The clicking of bolts echoed throughout the room, their dark muzzles pointing in the direction of the galloping hooves. Swordsmen and shieldmen formed a tight defensive line on the outer perimeter, their sharp eyes scanning the billowing dust.

Xia Lin reined in his horse, his expression calm. He raised his hand to signal the Shenji Battalion's artillery not to fire for the time being; he wanted to see what kind of creature dared to so brazenly charge at him in the face.

As the dust settled, about two hundred riders came into view. They wore haphazard leather armor, had cloth headscarves, brandished scimitars, and emitted unintelligible shouts—typical bandit attire, yet their movements subtly displayed a degree of military discipline.

"They're from Helu!" A captain who had spent several years in the Western Regions immediately recognized them: "Judging from their saddles and bows, they're a vassal tribe of the Ashina clan!"

"Heh." Xia Lin chuckled lightly, "Zhuo Heng hasn't even made a move yet, but He Lu has already sent some rabble to test the waters. Fine, it'll give the new recruits a taste of blood."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the front lines: "All battalions, hold your ground! Divine Machine Battalion, fire a volley of fire from 300 paces ahead, break their horses' legs! Musketeer Battalion, fire freely, get close and fire! Let them taste what a metal storm is like!"

Once the order is given, the war machine immediately begins to operate efficiently.

"Shenji Battalion! Fire!"

Boom boom boom!
A dozen or so light infantry guns roared, their shells tracing low arcs as they landed precisely in the midst of the charging bandits. In an instant, men and horses fell, limbs and dirt flew everywhere, and screams were drowned out by the even louder explosions.

A round of artillery fire halted the advance.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of gunfire erupted!

Smoke filled the air, and bullets formed an impenetrable net of fire, like the scythe of death. The bandits at the front were riddled with bullets, men and horses alike, as if they had crashed into an invisible wall. The bandits behind them tried to flank, but faced with overwhelming firepower and range, any tactics seemed futile.

The battle began quickly and ended even faster. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, almost all of the two hundred-plus attacking cavalry were wiped out. Only a dozen or so riders, seeing the situation was dire, had already turned and fled when the artillery barrage began, leaving behind a scene of devastation and wailing wounded soldiers.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

The recruits looked at the scene before them, their faces pale, but more than that, they felt excitement and an indescribable shock. For the first time, they had so directly experienced how fragile individual bravery was in the face of organized firepower.

"Clean up the battlefield, finish off the wounded, and collect usable supplies. The wounded..." Xia Lin paused, "...give them a quick death."

His orders were ruthless and efficient. Especially in the Western Regions where supplies were scarce, prisoners brought not only slow travel and reduced supplies, but could also bring a series of problems, such as plague.

The battlefield was quickly cleared. Soldiers found a parchment letter written in Turkic script on the body of what appeared to be a bandit leader. The army interpreter immediately stepped forward to decipher it.

"General, the letter was written by Ashina Helu to the chieftain of this vassal tribe, ordering them to harass all the Wei troops heading towards Shanshan, delaying our march, and promising to reward them with pastures and slaves after the mission is accomplished."

Xia Lin took the sheepskin letter, glanced at it without looking at it, and casually handed it to the clerk next to him: "Keep it on file. This is irrefutable evidence that He Lu colluded with foreign enemies to attack the royal army."

He looked up toward Shanshan City, his eyes cold.

“He Lu is eager to become the King of the Western Regions.” Xia Lin said to the generals who had gathered around him, “It seems that Zhuo Heng is under a lot of pressure. He Lu even dared to send people to intercept and kill the main force.”

"General, should we change our route and march straight to Helu's stronghold?" an impatient general asked.

“No.” Xia Lin shook his head and said, “He Lu is just a minor ailment; Liu Min of Northern Han is the real threat. We should stick to our original plan and go to Shanshan to meet up with Zhuo Heng first. Only after we have secured our base can we free up our resources to deal with internal strife.”

He paused, a smile playing on his lips: "As for He Lu... let him run wild for a few more days. Once we get to Shanshan, we can shut the door and beat him to a pulp."

Just then, another fast horse galloped in from behind. The rider almost tumbled off the horse, his voice trembling with tears and urgency.

"General! Urgent dispatch from Fuliang! General Guo... General Guo... he... passed away nine days ago at 9:45 PM! His Majesty has also received the news and is returning to the capital from the southwest. Do you wish to go back?"

The news struck Xia Lin like a bolt from the blue.

His body swayed almost imperceptibly, the color drained from his face instantly, his knuckles turned white from clenching his fists so tightly that all the surrounding noise seemed to fade away at that moment, leaving only a buzzing sound in his mind.

The old man who recruited him into the army, who guided him when he was most confused, who was both a teacher and a father to him... is gone.

But in the end, he never returned.

Xia Lin closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the scorching air tinged with blood, and when he opened them again, his eyes were a bottomless pool of cold water.

"Understood." His voice, however, remained completely calm: "All troops, listen to my command!"

All the generals and soldiers instinctively straightened their backs.

"Speed ​​up! Target: Shanshan!" Xia Lin's voice suddenly rose, filled with unwavering determination: "We must take over the Western Regions as quickly as possible! We must deliver a resounding victory to comfort General Guo's spirit in heaven!"

"We must win! We must win! We must win!"

The roar of the three armies shook the surrounding fields, and even the sandstorms of the Gobi Desert seemed to be weakened by this soaring killing intent.

Xia Lin took the lead and charged out. Behind him was a rolling torrent of iron.

He knew that from this moment on, he could no longer hesitate or show the slightest weakness. The chaos in the Western Regions and the passing of his old friends were forcing him to move forward faster, more ruthlessly, and more resolutely.

However, some partings are truly unpredictable. Emperor Jingtai could go back, but he couldn't, because the die was cast. If he took even a step back, Guo Degang's spirit in heaven would strike him dead with lightning.

But as he rode on horseback, he couldn't help but recall the past, the day he first met Guo's father, his angry outburst in the main hall, his rustling as he ate noodles at the shipyard, and his various childlike expressions.

Humans are not plants or trees, and Xia Lin did have to maintain his composure in front of his soldiers, but as night fell, he was overcome with grief.

I wanted to cry but didn't. It's just that old friends and family are passing away one after another. Whether they are relatives and friends or enemies, they are ultimately just companions on the journey of life. Some people leave the stage with a bang, like Gao Shilian, while others leave quietly, like Guo's father.

The stories of the past eventually come to an end with the closing of each chapter of life.

While setting up camp, Xia Lin had a rare moment of solitude. He sat by a small lake in the oasis, took out the harmonica that Feng Lingyue had given him before her departure to cheer him up, and gently put it to his lips to begin playing "Farewell".

"Outside the pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass reaches the sky..."

(End of this chapter)