Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 162 Of course we must obey the Northern King's orders

Lin Xiuming led 20,000 cavalrymen and arrived in Yancheng in less than a month. Unlike last time, their marching speed was obviously much faster this time.

Arriving at the south gate of Yancheng once again, Lin Xiuming was filled with mixed emotions. Last time, when they rushed to Yancheng, they were even prepared for defeat.

Upon entering the city, they discovered that the Northern King had already dealt with the barbarian army of 300,000, and the 70,000 soldiers he brought were merely porters.

Seeing the south gate of Yancheng open and the people coming and going on the road, a soldier next to Lin Xiuming said, "General, why does it feel like there's no war breaking out in Beijun?"

Upon hearing the soldier's words, Lin Xiuming fell silent.

The last time they came to Yancheng, the city gates were tightly closed, and it was difficult to see even a rat on the road, let alone a person.

Why does Yancheng seem so peaceful today? There's absolutely no serious atmosphere like during wartime.

Could it be that they're too late again, and the war has already ended?

Could it be that the 20,000 men he brought have become a corpse-moving team again?

Just then, a burly man dressed in black and red clothes and a man dressed in coarse blue clothes appeared at the city gate.

At this moment, the man dressed in black and red spoke up: "By order of the Northern King, I have been waiting for the General in Yancheng for quite some time."

Upon hearing the man's words, Lin Xiuming immediately dismounted and walked directly to Qin Yushan and Li Rui, whom he had seen in Yancheng before.

Qin Yushan often relayed messages for the Northern King, so Lin Xiuming became somewhat familiar with him and knew that Qin Yushan was a very important master by the Northern King's side.

Lin Xiuming then politely said, "Lord Li, Senior Qin, wasn't it said that the King of Beixian led an army of 200,000 south? Why does the entire Beijun seem so peaceful now? It doesn't look like there's any war going on at all?"

Li Rui said with a smile, "General Lin, the Northern Xian King is indeed leading an army of 200,000 south. However, the King has chosen Tianguang City as the battlefield this time, so Yan City appears to be calm and peaceful."

Lin Xiuming said, "So that's how it is. I thought the war was over."

"By the way, I have brought some grain and winter supplies on the orders of the imperial court. Here is the list of supplies; please check them."

"Once you have finished taking inventory of the supplies and there are no problems, I will lead my 20,000 cavalrymen directly to Tianguang City to assist the Prince in resisting the Northern Xian King's army."

Upon hearing Lin Xiuming's words, Li Rui glanced at Qin Yushan beside him, clearly waiting for Qin Yushan to speak.

Qin Yushan then said, "General Lin, His Highness has instructed me to tell you that the imperial army of 20,000 should remain in Yancheng. Yancheng is the second line of defense against the southward advance of the barbarians, and it is of paramount importance. It needs a leader who is courageous, capable, resourceful, and..."

Before Qin Yushan could finish speaking, Lin Xiuming immediately interrupted, saying, "Stop, stop, stop, Senior Qin, I understand what the Prince means. I will lead the 20,000 soldiers behind me to garrison at the place where we were stationed last time in Yancheng."

Seeing that Lin Xiuming was so sensible, Qin Yushan didn't say anything more. At this moment, Li Rui said with a smile, "General Lin, if you have any needs, you can send someone to me directly, and I will definitely find a way to meet them."

Lin Xiuming said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Li."

Without further ado, Lin Xiuming led his troops back to the camp where they had previously camped in Yancheng. Seeing the traces left behind after their previous encampment, Lin Xiuming was filled with emotion.

He knew that nothing would happen to him after he came to North County.

The imperial court would be better off sending him to fight against Da Wu.

Coming to Beijun, I couldn't earn any military merits and could only stay in the military camp every day.

At this moment, one of Lin Xiuming's confidants asked in a low voice, "General, are we really going to be stationed here? The court has given us military orders to assist the Northern King in resisting the southward invasion of the barbarians. If the court finds out that we have been staying in the rear in Yancheng and have not even seen any barbarian soldiers, I'm afraid many officials in the court will impeach you."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuming smiled and then said, "The court did indeed order us to assist the Northern King in resisting the barbarians, but the military order also stated that after we arrived in Beijun, we must obey the Northern King's orders. It was the Northern King who ordered us to guard Yancheng, so of course we must obey the Northern King's orders."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers behind Lin Xiuming thought about it and felt that it made some sense.

However, it was unbearable for them to stay in the military camp all the time. This time, the court sent 20,000 soldiers to Lin Xiuming, who happened to be the cavalry among the 70,000 soldiers from the previous operation.

The last time they came to North County, they stayed for so long and did nothing but stay in the military camp every day.

To avoid conflict with the Northern King, Lin Xiuming also prevented the soldiers from running around. These soldiers had never felt so bored during battles; it was as if they were imprisoned in the military camp.

They had just been imprisoned for so long last time, and had only recently returned to the capital when they were about to be locked up in the military camp again. To be honest, the soldiers found it hard to accept this. They would rather be sent to the battlefield to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions.

Although most people dislike war, not everyone is afraid of death. Who are the 20,000 men that Lin Xiuming led? They are the elite troops of the Great Xia!

They were all veterans of battle, many of whom even participated in the war that destroyed the Chen Kingdom. Keeping them locked up in military camps and not letting them do anything would only make them more irritable.

At this moment, one of Lin Xiuming's trusted confidants couldn't hold back any longer and said, "General, you're not planning to keep us stuck in the camp forever, are you?"

Lin Xiuming thought for a moment and felt that keeping these soldiers locked up indefinitely was not a good idea, so he said, "During our stay in Yancheng, you can enter Yancheng to relax after the training. However, I must remind you that if anyone commits a crime in Yancheng, I will not show any mercy and will hand you over to the Northern Prince's Mansion for processing."

Seeing that Lin Xiuming had agreed to let them enter Yancheng and relax, the soldiers immediately replied in loud voices, "Yes, General!"

Although I can't go to the front lines to fight and make contributions, being able to eat and drink in Yancheng is still better than staying in the military camp every day.

The soldiers were overjoyed, finally free from being confined to the barracks every day like before.

……

at the same time.

The Great Wu Dynasty established the Lizheng Hall.

A middle-aged man with gray hair, but who looked only in his thirties or forties, was standing in front of the officials, speaking to the Emperor. At this moment, only his voice could be heard in the entire hall, and his voice kept echoing throughout the hall.

"Your Majesty, twenty years of foreign wars have already caused countless people to be displaced, their families torn apart, and now public resentment is boiling over. If this continues, the Great Wu Dynasty is in danger of collapse!"

"In the past, the wars that Da Wu waged against foreign countries were only against some small countries. However, the Da Xia Dynasty is a thousand-year dynasty. Even though they have constant internal conflicts, Da Xia's military strength is still not far from that of Da Wu. Even if it is a sick tiger, as long as its teeth are still sharp, we should not provoke it."

"Your Majesty, I implore you to curb your belligerent intentions and promptly send envoys to Great Xia to sign a treaty and end the war!"

(End of this chapter)