The Prodigal Son

At dusk, Yan Li arrived in Changping County.

Wang Sengyuan, the garrison commander and prefect of Changping, came out of the city to greet them.

Wang Sengyuan is different from Zongzhao.

He wasn't born into a prestigious family; he rose through the ranks from the bottom.

Wang Sengyuan was known for his bravery and fearlessness in battle.

He also has a resounding name.

A perpetually defeated general!

When the Yan state launched a surprise attack on Dingzhou, the initial battle went very smoothly, and they almost occupied the entire Dingzhou. Wang Sengyuan also won several battles.

But as Da Ning realized what was happening, and with the arrival of reinforcements from Min Kingdom, the Dingzhou battlefield turned into a meat grinder.

From then on, Wang Sengyuan suffered repeated defeats, yet he fought on despite each defeat.

At that time, Wang Sengyuan was just a minor general commanding 3,000 troops. His troops were repeatedly scattered by the combined forces of Ning and Min, but he repeatedly rallied the remnants of his army to launch counterattacks against the enemy.

Although they lost every battle, they still inflicted considerable casualties on the enemy.

Moreover, they are extremely disgusting!

It's not hard to beat him, but you never know where he'll come from next to bite you.

Huang Dengxing, the commander-in-chief of the Min Army at the time, even gave Wang Sengyuan a nickname—"Plaster General"!

It means that Wang Sengyuan stuck to the enemy like a leech.

Although Wang Sengyuan did not have any particularly outstanding achievements, his fighting style was appreciated by Zong Bi.

After the war, because Wang Sengyuan suffered repeated defeats, the Yan Emperor originally intended to punish Wang Sengyuan.

However, Zong Bi strongly defended him and even requested credit for him.

Finally, with Zong Bi's strong support, Wang Sengyuan was promoted and became the garrison commander and prefect of Changping County two years ago.

Yan Li also had a certain appreciation for Wang Sengyuan.

As Zong Bi said, it is not difficult to suffer repeated defeats, but it is difficult to fight again despite repeated defeats!

Wang Sengyuan's troops were repeatedly decimated, yet he was able to repeatedly rally the remaining forces and launch counterattacks against the enemy, causing them endless trouble—a feat few could accomplish.

Wang Sengyuan's defeat was not due to his own lack of ability, but rather to the overall failure of the battle.

How much of a battle can you expect a junior general commanding 3,000 troops to turn around in a melee involving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers?

After the greetings, Wang Sengyuan invited, "This humble general has prepared a banquet at my residence to welcome Your Highness. Please, Your Highness and all of you, come to my residence."

"Um."

Yan Li nodded slightly, and instead of taking the carriage, he rode his own horse and entered the city with Wang Sengyuan.

During the journey, Yan Li took the initiative to ask, "What's the situation in Changping now?"

"Thanks to Your Highness, everything is well."

Wang Sengyuan looked at Yan Li gratefully, "This year, the soldiers in the army can all have enough to eat, and the back pay owed before has been paid in full! Upon learning that Your Highness was coming to Changping, many soldiers wanted to thank you in person..."

Speaking of this, Wang Sengyuan was filled with emotion.

Last year, when Yan Li was on his way to Daning, he passed through Changping. At that time, the generals in the army could not even guarantee two meals a day, let alone pay!

Moreover, all they ate was watery soup!

At that time, there was a lot of discontent among the soldiers, and he was worried that they might mutini and defect to the enemy. He was on tenterhooks every day.

After listening to Wang Sengyuan's words, Yan Li pondered for a moment and immediately ordered, "Then move the banquet to the camp! I will eat with the soldiers!"

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

Feng Shu quickly dissuaded him, lowering his voice to remind him, "If this matter reaches His Majesty's ears, it may be detrimental to His Highness."

"It's alright!"

Yan Li stopped Feng Shu, saying, "I am the Emperor's son, and I have come on behalf of my father to see the soldiers in the army!"

He knew what Feng Shu was worried about.

But now that he's come to Changping, if his father is going to be suspicious, he can't escape it.

Instead of doing that, it's better to be more open and honest!

Moreover, he was able to become the crown prince with the support of Zong Bi.

In the eyes of the court officials, Zong Bi had long been branded as part of the Crown Prince's faction.

In order to dispel his father's suspicions, would he have to get rid of Zongbi?

Feng Shu wanted to persuade him again, but Yan Li gently shook her head at him.

"this……"

Wang Sengyuan looked at Yan Li with a troubled expression. "Your Highness, Lord Feng is right! Besides, there are so many soldiers in the army, and only a few tables of food and drink..."

"Distribute the feast to the soldiers!"

Yan Li waved his hand dismissively, "I'll eat the soldiers' food!"

"This won't do!"

Wang Sengyuan shook his head repeatedly and frantically gave Feng Shu meaningful glances.

However, Feng Shu looked helpless.

He could tell that Yanli's mind was made up.

"Alright, enough talk, get someone to make the arrangements!"

Yan Li stopped Wang Sengyuan, "What delicacies haven't I tasted? Today I want to try the soldiers' rations!"

Helpless, Wang Sengyuan had no choice but to call his deputy aside and order, "Quickly have someone turn the dishes from those banquets into large pot dishes, chop the chicken, duck, fish, and meat into small pieces, and add plenty of vegetables..."

The lieutenant's expression changed. "This...is this alright?"

"Why not?"

Wang Sengyuan glared at him. "With so many people in the army, how else would we distribute this food? Besides, His Highness is always frugal and ordered us in advance not to prepare a grand banquet. This is the food we're serving His Highness!"

Since things have come to this, let's go all the way!

Upon hearing Wang Sengyuan's words, the deputy general's eyes lit up, and he immediately cast an admiring glance at him, "This subordinate will personally oversee the matter!"

"Um!"

Wang Sengyuan nodded slightly. "By the way, dilute those dozens of jars of fine wine we're preparing to send to His Highness with plenty of water and send them to the camp as well!"

"good!"

The lieutenant immediately accepted the order and left.

After giving his instructions, Wang Sengyuan returned to Yan Li's side and honestly said, "This humble general originally bought dozens of jars of Ningguo's finest wine, intending to present them to Your Highness. However, after hearing Your Highness's words, this humble general took it upon himself to order his men to dilute the wine and send it to the army. I beg Your Highness's punishment!"

Yan Li was slightly taken aback, then laughed heartily, looking at Wang Sengyuan with admiration: "Well done! Not only will I not punish you, I will also reward you!"

As he spoke, Yan Li ordered someone to bring over his other prized horse.

"A fine horse is given to a good general; this horse is yours to reward!"

Yan Li generously gifted his prized horse, worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

Wang Sengyuan repeatedly refused.

"This is a gift from me!"

Yan Li smiled, "If you refuse the reward, I will punish you!"

Wang Sengyuan hesitated for a moment, then said with tears of gratitude, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

After a brief incident, Wang Sengyuan brought Yan Li directly into the army.

Changping currently has 30,000 soldiers, 10,000 of whom are in the city, while the remaining 20,000 are stationed in the Black Wind Valley military camp, 15 li outside the city, relying on the strategic terrain of Black Wind Valley for defense.

In addition, they are also responsible for inspecting incoming and outgoing goods.

The two-country market in Qingshan County is less than two miles away from Black Wind Valley.

When Yan Li arrived at the camp, he was warmly welcomed by the soldiers.

When Wang Sengyuan publicly informed everyone that Yan Li had moved the welcoming banquet he had arranged for him to the camp and distributed the dishes to the soldiers, the soldiers in the camp respected Yan Li even more.

Seeing the way the soldiers in the camp looked at Yan Li, Feng Shu couldn't help but feel secretly worried.

Yan Li was different from the other princes; he had experience leading troops.

Now he has come to Changping County to "win over the people's hearts." If this gets back to His Majesty's ears, I wonder what His Majesty will think.

Hopefully, His Majesty will not suspect him because of this!

The Great Yan is currently in a very good position; let's hope that internal strife doesn't break out at this critical juncture...