Warhammer Fantasy: I Have Total War System

The three military commissioners present were all dressed quite solemnly.

Wearing a phoenix-winged helmet and mountain-patterned armor embroidered with a qilin, with the imperial sword at his waist symbolizing "as if I were personally present, patrolling on behalf of Heaven," the gemstones on the hilt of the sword gleamed.

"You've arrived." Governor Yu raised his hand, gesturing for him to come forward.

Li Lin suddenly discovered something.

As long as the clothes are luxurious and grand enough, people won't notice the wearer's haggard appearance.

He only dealt with important matters for half a day, and they were all simple miscellaneous tasks.

The three military commissioners had to handle far more important military matters every day than he did.

"These two insist on coming with us to Wengchang." His voice was slightly low as he spoke, glancing at the bamboo slips handed to him by the clerk.

"If Wengchang goes there, he will almost certainly die. We old folks are here to atone for our crimes, but we don't intend to let the young people perish there as well."

He looked at Li Lin, whose forehead was covered with fish-scale-like wrinkles, and whose skin was as loose as that of an octogenarian. The weariness in his eyes even overshadowed his wisdom.

"These two are in your care; they should wake up in about two hours."

"General Xinqi is a seasoned veteran with extensive battlefield experience. She will command the vanguard and the central guard, while you will continue to lead the rear guard and the supply corps."

"As for Hou Rong of Tianmen—"

Governor Yu rubbed his forehead and gave a bitter smile.

"Let him do whatever he wants, just don't let him catch up with us. Tell him that his father is still waiting for him in Changyuan."

Li Lin clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, and also bowed to the other commanders present.

If we follow the historical records, he would definitely bring a pot of fine wine to see the generals off.

However, firstly, the conditions were not right, and secondly, alcohol was strictly prohibited in the Aurora Army.

When your enemies are a group of monsters and demons who can manipulate magic and distort reality, alcohol and impaired judgment will become their sharpest weapons.

"I have reviewed all the matters you handled, and you did a good job. I have already instructed people to carry them out as you requested."

"In military affairs, it's often a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. Sometimes, the more serious evil is harder to weigh, and once a decision is made, it must be carried out to the end. Never be afraid of making mistakes..."

Governor Yu gave Li Lin a few words of advice, which were few but heartfelt.

"I've learned my lesson, young man."

Seeing that Li Lin's attitude was upright, Governor Yu nodded with satisfaction, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and walked out without looking back.

"Though China has many mountains and rivers, it is a pity that we will never meet again."

Another military commissioner stepped forward and patted Li Lin heavily on the shoulder.

"Your father was in a similar situation back then, being appointed to a critical mission. Alas, the wheel of fate turns."

"We have already informed the world of your achievements in reclaiming Nanli. Do not disgrace your father, and do not fail the Dragon Emperor's trust."

"General Zhao also left some things for you outside the tent. Remember to keep an eye out when you go out."

Li Lin took a deep breath and bent over even more deeply.

"May I ask where General Zhao is?"

"He's not good at saying goodbye. He's already set off. If you're willing, you can go back to the Zhao family for him when you go to Yangguangfu in the future."

After speaking, the commanders, accompanied by their attendants, strode out.

Everyone who passed by patted Li Lin on the shoulder.

The generals were very strong; even though they deliberately held back, they still managed to knock Li Lin off balance.

He steadied himself like a sapling in a blizzard, until everyone had left the tent.

With a rapid clatter of hooves, they galloped toward their battlefield.

He then straightened up.

Looking back, only a thin figure remained outside the tent, standing in the night with the moonlight behind him.

The man's armor still bore the dark red bloodstains that had not yet dried; he was none other than Yunmosige, who had relayed orders to him and carried his sedan chair several times.

"Steward Li." He stepped forward, his voice steady, neither joyful nor sorrowful, as always.

He handed Li Lin an antique wooden box and a jade shield.

The wooden box was very light. When Li Lin opened it, he found an old-fashioned iron hammer that seemed completely out of place with the lightness of the box.

The hammerhead is dark black, with fine forging patterns on its surface and no decorations. Its only feature is probably that it is made of good materials, likely mixed with precious metals such as meteorite iron.

"This is what General Zhao left for you, and so is this letter." Yunmosige took out a silk scroll from his bosom.

The handwriting on the letter was neat and beautiful; to the uninitiated, it would have been the work of a well-read scholar, a stark contrast to General Zhao's charred and bloodied appearance.

The letter was very short.

The content roughly states that this iron hammer was a weapon that General Zhao used to practice with when he was unknown. It was nothing special and was just an ordinary iron tool that could be made in any ordinary workshop.

There was only one difference—this hammer was handed to him personally by Binlong.

At that time, he was still an unknown member of the family. He was not smart and failed the imperial examination for three years. He then turned to martial arts. His mother was from the third wife's family and could not get any training resources, so he could only rely on hard training.

At that time, he was practicing his routine at the martial arts training ground on the outskirts of Shangyang when Binlong happened to pass by. After watching him for a while, Binlong actually came out and gave him the hammer, and also gave him a few pointers.

Binlong's kindness will never be forgotten.

Holding this hammer, he rose from an unknown soldier to the powerful General Haotian.

He went from being General Haotian to a deserter fleeing the city after its fall.

"I have no face to see Binlong again," General Zhao wrote at the end of the letter. There was a momentary pause in the ink, and a few dirty ink stains were on the edge of the thin silk, as if the brush had been suspended in mid-air for a long time.

"If you ever manage to reclaim Nanli and still have the strength, please take this hammer back to Shangyang, return it to Binlong, and apologize to the master on my behalf."

If you're busy, you don't need to worry about it; just find a warehouse to seal it up.

After reading it, Li Lin silently folded the silk scroll again and put it back in the box.

He held the wooden box tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"This shield was used when I was the head of the sect. Now I mostly use heavy weapons, so it rarely has a use."

Yunmosige then handed over the jade shield and tied it to the wooden box with the leather strap on the handle.

"Please have Steward Li hand this shield to Yu Yong, the man surnamed Xing, who is beside you."

Li Lin was slightly surprised.

Previously, during the post-war military council, he intentionally brought Xing Ganqi along, hoping that Xing would become familiar with the commanders and military officers.

I thought that kid was straightforward and not good at socializing, but I didn't expect that he actually managed to get close to me.

"He always looks at me like that... To be honest, it's very stressful." Yun Mosige rarely showed any discomfort, and said with a wry smile.

Perhaps moved by the scene, he abandoned his previous imposing and aloof demeanor and poured out his heart to Li Lin in rapid succession:

"You can tell he comes from a farming family, and so do I."

"I rose through the ranks from a peasant soldier to a supervisor of the palace. Later, I gained the appreciation of the commander, who provided me with medicine and food, and guidance from famous teachers. By sheer luck, I passed the military examination in the capital and became a Yunmosige."

"I haven't really suffered like other military officers, nor have I encountered any insurmountable obstacles. Today, I'm wearing this official robe, and half of it is due to luck."

He pointed to the shield and said sincerely, "That brave soldier reminds me of myself when I was young. I told him that it's better to rely on yourself than on others. I hope he can train diligently and become a true strongman worthy of the name Yunmosige in the future, instead of being like me who is unworthy of the name."

"I will certainly convey your message," Li Lin said solemnly, cupping his hands in greeting. "May I ask your name, General?"

"An insignificant nobody, not worth mentioning."

Yunmosige nodded, as if relieved of a heavy burden, turned around, mounted the Jade Dragon Horse, and flapped its wings to chase after the central army.

Li Lin, carrying the wooden box, instructed his attendants to carry the still unconscious Xin Qi and Hou Rong back to his camp, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Upon arriving at the camp entrance, they saw Chen Guizhou, the quartermaster they had met once before, leading dozens of civilian staff members who were already waiting outside the camp.

Chen Guizhou's men were well-equipped with supplies and their ranks were orderly and well-organized, clearly indicating that they were capable and self-sufficient staff members.

"We are civil officials and staff left behind by General Zhao, and we are at the command of Chief Steward Li." Chen Guizhou bowed respectfully, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

Li Lin had a good impression of this man, exchanged a few polite words with him, and then instructed his own civil servant to arrange accommodations for General Zhao's staff, specifically instructing them not to neglect them.

He then returned to the entrance of the Sinan Grand Cart, leaving Xing Ganqi and others to guard outside, while he himself led the unconscious Xinqi and Hou Rong into the inner palace of the Dragon Palace.

The inner palace of the Dragon Palace has four rooms: three large and one small. These are the treasure room (gold vault), armory, secretariat, and bedroom.

Needless to say, the treasure room and armory were empty, and he had also searched the secretariat several times, only to find it completely empty.

Li Lin had never set foot in the inner palace's sleeping quarters.

Not wanting to roughly bind the two, and not wanting them to run away as soon as they woke up, the best solution Li Lin could think of was to temporarily confine them to the inner palace of the Dragon Palace until he was sure they understood the situation.

He dragged the two of them onto the soft cushions and casually covered them with a blanket.

The wooden box containing the hammer was then carefully stored in the armory.

Li Lin gripped the jade shield with both hands and went to find Xing Ganqi.

Xing Ganqi stood guard by the bonfire in front of the compass cart, as he always did.

When Li Lin found him, branches from the deep forest were spreading over his shoulders, and glowing green buds swayed gently on his shoulders.

"No, this is not the way of Zhen Dan. Yin and Yang in harmony is the foundation."

He paused for a moment, then murmured, "I know what you're saying makes sense... Give me some more time to think about it."

Upon hearing footsteps behind him, Xing Ganqi immediately stopped talking, turned around, and bowed respectfully.

Li Lin didn't hear what he was saying and didn't care much.

He solemnly handed the jade shield to him and relayed Yunmosige's words to him word for word.

After saying that, he asked Xing Ganqi, "Do you think that general really rose to power through luck?"

Xing Ganqi gripped the jade shield tightly, pursed his lips, and his Adam's apple bobbed several times.

"How is this possible!" His voice was hoarse, filled with extreme excitement and a barely suppressed sob. "The seventy-two military officers were chosen from among hundreds of millions of martial artists in the entire Zhen Dan realm through sheer hard work and fighting their way up. How could they possibly rise to their positions by luck?"

"General Feng... General Feng... he's too modest..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

Li Lin patted him on the shoulder, said nothing, and then turned and left the campfire.

Leave him alone to be quiet.

They were teleported back to their sleeping quarters in the inner palace of the Dragon Palace, where the two unconscious men were still lying on the mats, unresponsive.

Xinqi frowned, as if she were having a nightmare, and was covered in cold sweat.

Hou Rong's mouth was slightly open, and he was muttering something like "good wine," his face was splayed out, and his sleeping posture was extremely simple and honest.

It seems he won't be waking up anytime soon.

Taking this opportunity, Li Lin wandered around the unfamiliar dormitory room.