Warhammer Fantasy: I Have Total War System

The three officers from Lingnan had met Li Lin before when they were playing chess.

The entire argument revolved around whether Canaan, who originated from Lingnan and later belonged to the Weixilie Province, could be considered a Lingnan person, and they argued heatedly.

All three were dark-skinned, lean men with snake-patterned knives at their waists and wearing fur clothing such as tiger skins and rhinoceros horns.

Their behavior was fierce, and their accents gave off a sense of江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people from the underworld).

Li Lin didn't recognize the fourth person who came with him, Zhao Yunxiu from Lushun. He seemed to have seen him in the side tent, but that was all.

This 25- or 26-year-old Nangao officer, dressed in standard black iron lamellar armor, exuded the demeanor of a typical Nangao soldier in his posture and tone—calm, composed, and solid—significantly different from the spoiled second-generation Nangao elites of the rear guard.

"These lions are so majestic!" Peng Daliang couldn't help but take a couple of steps toward the two stone lions, then, not daring to get too close, asked the other two with a face full of envy, "Which one do you think is bigger, the white tiger we have in our village?"

"The war is still raging! What are you doing?" Yang Bugong pulled him back and gave Li Lin a sheepish smile and a cupped-hand salute.

"General, please don't mind him, this kid is a bit dim-witted."

"Happy! Who are you calling brainless?"

At this moment, Feng Yuan rode in from the right flank, having been shot in the left shoulder by an arrow, which was still bleeding.

He knelt down on one knee in front of Li Lin, his head bowed low.

"This subordinate made a mistake in the reconnaissance, failing to discover the enemy's hidden elite forces in time, almost endangering the entire army. I beg Commander Li to punish me!"

Li Lin felt he also bore some responsibility for the incident.

At that time, attention was scattered, and everyone was checking the data of the iron hail gunners, so they were unable to focus on battlefield command.

He helped Feng Yuan up: "The scene was chaotic at the time, with smoke and dust everywhere. Even with my detection magic tool, it took me quite a while to figure out the enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

"If we're talking about responsibility, I also share it. Since we've won the battle, let's consider it a lesson learned."

Feng Yuan raised his head, his face covered in soot, opened his mouth as if to say something, and finally nodded heavily, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, Steward!"

Li Lin nodded and turned to signal several of the Lushun command troops to return to the Allied forces.

On the way, a message suddenly appeared on the soldier's badges of the two stone lions in the troop column.

[Can consume 10 taels of Dragon Court Forging Gold to restore 80 HP to construct units]

Paying for replacements? That's incredible!

If it's instantaneous repair, then it's even more incredible, saving the trouble of searching for a life-giving technique.

Although the two lions didn't lose that much blood, Li Lin still clicked the prompt box with his mind to test the effect.

Lai Cai and Lai Fu seemed to have suddenly received some kind of order.

They turned around and immediately ran towards the compass cart that was slowly approaching from the distance.

When Xing Ganqi and the other Yu Yong guards saw the two monsters hopping and leaping towards them, they were all startled. However, having witnessed the two stone beasts' close relationship with Li Lin, they did not launch an attack.

The two stone khakimi sat down on their territory and remained motionless, their bodies constantly radiating lightning-like light.

So that's how they replenish manpower for stationary charging stations.

Li Lin sighed inwardly. He had thought he could exchange gold for unlimited health bars during battle, but he was clearly dreaming.

Back to the team.

He Xu and Wei Zheng immediately led the military medical team to greet them.

Among all the commanders, Jian Ping was in the worst condition.

This young officer, who was usually very calm and had the air of a strategist, was now as pale as snow. After dismounting, he was trembling and could not even stand steadily.

"Ouch! Xiaoping, where are you hurt?" He Xu helped him onto a stretcher and asked the military doctor to examine him first.

"I'm perfectly fine, I'm not injured, it's just... Doctor, please check on the others first."

Jian Ping's mind flashed back to the image of the Changwu chariot that had been overturned by barricades and was now tumbling in the air on the battlefield.

Several soldiers were thrown from the wagon and smashed to pieces in the midst of the battle.

A person who was perfectly fine one moment can become a pile of blood, broken bones, and internal organs in the blink of an eye.

Witnessing the bloody tragedy, Jian Ping felt his stomach churn and acid reflux as he thought about how he himself was also made of the same disgusting mass of flesh and blood.

"Ugh!" As soon as the medic left, he immediately began to vomit violently.

He thought that since he had grown up in a martial arts school, had fought to the death, and had wiped out several bandit gangs, he could handle the bloodshed of the battlefield.

But he was wrong.

Besides the brutal fighting, what suffocated him most was everyone's indifference to life.

Yu Yong, soldier, officer, Li Lin...

They showed no reaction to the deaths of the enemy, or to the deaths of their own comrades and soldiers.

Even after the war, he could still laugh as if nothing had happened.

The sense of absurdity tore at Jian Ping's mind, and his spirit was just as tormented as his body.

"You need to change your habit of throwing up when you're nervous," Jian Ping patted his back and patted him to help him catch his breath. "Otherwise, when you get married, you'll throw up when you're nervous, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?"

He turned to Li Lin in the crowd, cupped his hands in greeting, and shouted, "Steward! I'll take Xiaoping to rest for a bit!"

"Are you injured?" Li Lin asked. "Is it serious? I have medicine."

"It's alright, I'll be fine after lying down for a while. Thank you for your concern, Manager!"

Li Lin nodded.

He Xu then had Jian Ping carried back to his carriage to rest.

After the two left, Li Lin noticed that everyone's attention was focused on his two stone lions, especially when they saw that there were six more on the compass truck he had driven over; their eyes widened in disbelief.

Li Lin suddenly felt a sense of crisis, like the saying "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

So he coughed twice to quickly divert everyone's attention.

"Wei Zheng, Feng Yuan, don't go. I have something to say to you alone later."

He then turned to Peng Daliang, Meng Yuan, Yang Bugong, and Zhao Yunxiu, and asked:

"Having toured your Central Guard Army, how come I couldn't find a single other Yin-type unit besides Wei Zheng's troops?"

"The harmony of Yin and Yang is the foundation of the Zhen Dan nation. How come you went out without any Yin-based troops?"

The three from Lingnan exchanged glances, said nothing, and just stood there awkwardly laughing.

Zhao Yunxiu's expression changed slightly, and a conflicted look appeared in his eyes.

"Hey, what's this? The commander-in-chief has returned victorious; why don't we go report our military achievements first?"

The more unwilling they were to talk about it, the more curious Li Lin became.

He kept a close eye on the four people, refusing to back down an inch.

The silence lasted for about five breaths.

Zhao Yunxiu sighed, stepped forward with his hands clasped, and glanced around at the back of the group.

"Steward Li must be busy with official duties in Nanli on weekdays and unaware of the details between Nangao and the prestigious Pomei family, right?"

Li Lin raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Does the absence of a Yin-type military force have anything to do with whether or not one knows the gossip of prestigious families?

Zhao Yunxiu nodded, as if he had made up his mind, and cupped his hands, saying, "Does the steward know this person, 'Young Master Wei'?"

Li Lin's expression changed slightly, and everyone could sense his gloomy and displeased attitude.

How could he not know this person?

During the post-war military council, it was almost a given that the biggest backer of those officers who wanted to harm him was this rear guard commander, "Young Master Wei"!

A glint of light flashed in Zhao Yunxiu's eyes: "I hope you will come and sit in my caravan, and I will tell you everything I know."

"Okay, let's go then." He turned around and told Wei Zheng and Feng Yuan to follow along.

The issue of substandard gunpowder is far too serious; he must investigate it thoroughly.

Suddenly, a short, rapid burst of gunfire rang out from behind the Allied forces.

The group only felt several objects flash by like lightning in the air, but when they turned around, they found nothing.

"What's going on?" Peng Daliang asked, bewildered.

Li Lin also wanted to know.

Gunshots rang out several more times. Li Lin originally wanted to return to the Sinan cart first and have Chen Guizhou and the others contact Xin Qi to ask, but he quickly realized that it was unnecessary.

On the system's large map.

The fleeing enemy troops, along with the numerous fake tank soldiers used as cover and lacking combat effectiveness, disappeared one after another.

Until the enemy's vanguard troops are completely annihilated.

The long-dormant side quest window suddenly popped up:

Side Quest 1: Defeat the Skyship Fleet led by General Haotian "Gusu" and Military Commissioner "Qin Fansi".

[Rewards: 2000 experience points for the entire army, 3000 distributable experience points, 3000 taels of gold, and 28 Ministerial Points]

The task, which originally had a dim border, is now flashing incessantly.

A chill swept over Li Lin from head to toe, followed by a surge of overwhelming anger.

Isn't the meaning obvious?

They were being watched.

They've been targeted by those real big shots, rebel leaders powerful enough to repel the Soaring Dragon Shadow Army!

"The one surnamed Wei!"

"You beast, worse than a pig or a dog!"