Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 308 Changing the Flag
General Lü's pent-up rage, which had been building up for more than half a month, erupted into a thunderous shout of "Get out!"

Lu Feng did not leave. He sat down opposite General Lu and said calmly, "There is no turning back now that we have come this far."

“If Father comes to his senses, I will untie you immediately.”

General Lü sneered repeatedly: "If I can't understand it, what do you plan to do? Clean up this old stubborn man like you clean up the military camp?"

Lü Feng raised an eyebrow: "To control the military camp, one must use ruthless methods. This is what my father taught me. I have surpassed my father; shouldn't he be pleased?"

General Lü: "..."

Indeed, he was both angry and secretly pleased.

One cannot become a general without ruthlessness and decisive action. With such an iron-fisted heart and thunderous methods, the Lü family truly has a worthy successor.

General Lü, being hypocritical, turned his head away with a sour face. Realizing something was amiss, he immediately turned back, glaring and shouting angrily, "You've gone to so much trouble to take control of the general's camp, how could you possibly hand it back to me? Do you think your father is stupid?"

"Get out! Get out of my way right now! Don't get in my way!"

Lu Feng chuckled and rubbed his hands together: "I just wanted to politely decline a few times to make Father feel a little better."

General Lü exhaled flames from his nostrils: "Hmph!"

Lu Feng waited expectantly, but his father's words were delayed, and he sighed with some regret. He turned to Lu Erlang and said, "Second brother, pack up and prepare five hundred elite soldiers, then head to Liaoxi City."

Lu Erlang clearly knew his "mission" all along, and without the slightest hesitation, he straightened his chest and accepted it.

General Lü's gaze was extremely complicated: "Second Brother, are you willing to marry into the Pei family?"

The tall and strong Lü Erlang revealed a shy smile that even his own father would find disgusting: "The women of the Pei family are all incredibly capable. Chief Steward Shi became General Pei's son-in-law, and Yang Huai also became Pei Yan's son-in-law. As long as a Pei family girl takes a liking to me, I'll be happy to accept her."

"Father, don't worry. The sons-in-law of the Pei family are highly valued in the Pei family army. I've also brought five hundred elite soldiers with me, and I'm sure they'll be appreciated by General Pei."

Lü Feng chimed in, "I've already married and had children. Otherwise, how could such a good thing have come to my second brother? I would have gone myself."

General Lü: "..."

General Lü's forehead veins throbbed repeatedly; he really wanted to curse.

What kind of world is this! There are actually people eager to marry into another family! In the past, this would have been a disgrace to their ancestors.

But looking at Lü Feng's regretful eyes, and then at Lü Erlang's overjoyed face... General Lü closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath. Then, he let out another suffocating sigh.

"Father," Lu Erlang's cheerful voice rang in my ears, "I'm going!"

roll roll roll!
General Lü turned his head to the side, and after his troublesome youngest son left, he turned back to look at his even more troublesome eldest son: "Lü Feng! Remember, this is the path you chose. Even if you end up at the end of your rope, don't regret it."

Lü Feng nodded solemnly: "Father, rest assured, I am not a three-year-old child. I know what I am doing."

"I believe General Pei will not let me have a day when I regret it."

General Lü remained silent.

After a long while, General Lü let out a long sigh, and the pent-up frustration in his heart quietly dissipated.

"Come here and untie me."

Lu Feng rubbed his hands together and put on a smile: "The morale of the army is not yet settled. Father, please bear with it and stay in the military tent for a while."

The extinguished anger surged up again.

General Lü looked at his dutiful eldest son expressionlessly: "How long do you plan to keep me tied up?" Lü Feng thought seriously for a moment: "Wait another half month! I need to rectify military discipline and train the troops like the Pei family army. Once we see some results, I will ask Father to leave the military tent."

"My second brother is going to Liaoxi City to see General Pei. I've sent my personal guards to take care of Father..."

The response from Lü Feng was a roar of barely suppressed anger: "Get out!"

The dutiful Lü Feng nimbly rolled out of the military tent. He gave his personal guards a wink, and several strong and muscular guards bowed and accepted the order, going into the tent to serve the general.

Lu Feng took a deep breath and grabbed a handful of his messy hair.

He was certainly far less composed than he appeared. Imprisoning his own father, seizing power, and massacring the army—each was an immense challenge.

Managing undisciplined soldiers and forging them into elite troops is extremely difficult.

The heavy responsibility weighed on his heart like a boulder.

This feeling is not pleasant.

He only had a few thousand soldiers, yet he felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down on him. I really don't know how General Pei, who commanded a large army and controlled hundreds of thousands of people under the jurisdiction of Youzhou, managed to survive.

"General!"

A bodyguard rushed over, looking anxious: "A fight has broken out over at the training ground."

Lu Feng raised an eyebrow and sneered, "I'll go see what's going on."

The soldiers in the barracks were full of energy, and it was common for them to be aggressive and fight. Noisy arguments and cursing, and group fights were not uncommon.

With swift and decisive action, Lü Feng captured General Lü, massacred the army camp, and those who vehemently opposed him were all sent to the underworld. However, it was impossible to kill everyone; there were inevitably some soldiers in the camp who were not convinced of the strict military discipline and would occasionally cause trouble.

Lu Feng stormed to the training ground, arrested the dozen or so soldiers who were causing trouble, and gave them a good beating, leaving their buttocks covered in blood.

The soldiers quickly quieted down.

Lu Feng went to Liaoxi for several months, learned many techniques, and returned. After disciplining the soldiers and establishing his authority, he immediately slaughtered pigs and sheep, ensuring they were well-fed and watered. He also paid them their full wages. With their bellies full and silver in hand, the soldiers trained without complaint and were willing to exert themselves.

After packing his belongings, Lü Erlang was troubled by the matter of mustering troops: "Brother, how should I muster the troops?"

Lu Feng glanced at him disdainfully: "Don't try to play tricks on me. I told you to pick the best soldiers, so just pick the best. Don't bring any cowards or wimps, lest you embarrass the Pei family army."

Having received confirmation, Lu Erlang was completely relieved and grinned, saying, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say, brother."

Even if you get a bargain, you still behave well.

He may seem reckless, but he's actually quite cunning.

That's good too. General Pei has many military officers under his command; without some cunning and shrewdness, how could he gain a foothold?

Lü Feng chuckled and kicked Lü Erlang. Lü Erlang didn't move, but grimaced from the kick. Lü Feng rolled his eyes, reached out and grabbed Lü Erlang by the collar: "Come on, I'll take you to see the military register and help you count the troops."

Several thick military registers were brought over, and Lü Feng circled each one with charcoal.

Lu Erlang peeked out and saw that they were all elite soldiers, which made him beam with joy.

The soldiers who were chosen were overjoyed and none of them were unhappy.

The Pei family army's victory over the Xiongnu barbarians solidified their reputation. What soldier wouldn't want to follow an unparalleled general and achieve great deeds?
Let's go! To Pei's army!

(End of this chapter)