Page 212

Before Weichi Feihu’s arrival, the imperial envoys from Lyuzhou had already detailed Lord Chen Qing’s arrangements. Weichi Feihu was a warmonger and naturally he was overjoyed by the prospect of mobilizing Lyuzhou for war, but the same could not be said for everyone else.

The recovery of Yunzhou was anything but smooth sailing.

Those generals who had managed to command tens of thousands had all lived through that tough period, especially the brutality of the battle for Yunzhou.

At that time, there were tens of millions of living corpses within Yunzhou City, including many high-level ones.

That campaign resulted in nearly half of the Warrior Army being lost across more than forty counties!

The current peace and the comfortable lives of the citizens of Yunzhou City came at the cost of their blood and flesh. Of the captains who had come to make a name in Yunzhou back then, only a dozen or so survived, and half of them had been reassigned elsewhere after the recovery of Yunzhou.

Now, just the four old comrades remained in Yunzhou. They barely had time to enjoy the fruits of their labor for half a year before they were called to war again.

According to Old Yang, this time Lord Chen Qing must have some significant moves planned.

The scale of the war would probably be much larger than the one half a year ago that recovered Yunzhou, because this time not just Yunzhou, but all seven provinces of Jiangnan were dispatching Warrior Generals to Lyuzhou.

This time, they came to arrange for those who would continue to participate in the war and for those who no longer wished to fight and preferred to stay behind!

"Feihu...." Di Yun took the lead in speaking, "Aside from the conscription this time, Lord Chen will also leave two in Yunzhou.

One will be in charge of the management of the War God Army, equivalent to the former Yunzhou General, responsible for city defense, public security, recruiting new warriors from the countryside, eliminating bandits, and other tasks.

The other will step out of the War God system and take charge of the waterways of Yunzhou, ensuring the safety and interests of the merchant ships heading out to sea, under the jurisdiction of the newly promoted Sea God. "

"Eh...." Weichi Feihu scratched his head: ’You mean it’s about staying behind, right?’

"That’s roughly the idea." Di Yun nodded, "What do you think, Feihu? After all, the call for you to be the General of Yunzhou is the loudest right now."

"I actually don’t want to..." Weichi Feihu shook his head. He was certainly full of pride for what Yunzhou had achieved, and to say he wasn’t reluctant... there was indeed a bit of reluctance in his heart.

After all, his family had started with only five hundred Warrior Army soldiers.

He had fought his way to this point, and he had contributed significantly to Yunzhou’s return to its former prosperity.

Watching the Yunzhou citizens who genuinely admired him every day, it was false to claim he didn’t feel proud.

Would his father be surprised if he knew of his current achievements?

But he didn’t want to stay.

Being the General of a place was not Weichi Feihu’s ambition.

In the year he had been there, he had come to understand the War God system quite well; it seemed tailor-made for him.

To him, the essence of a War God was to engage in constant war.

Only through endless battles could he grow stronger.

Once he stopped, he would be no different from an ordinary person.

The time he had advanced quickest was that month during the recovery of Yunzhou, a month verging on life and death that saw him rise from a Second Rank Martial Husband all the way to First Rank.

He felt... he was just one step behind his eldest brother, Weichi Feihong, and his second brother, Weichi Peng!

This step was not something he was willing to delay for the position of Yunzhou General!

He was growing stronger, as were his brothers; to surpass them, he had to keep chasing!

"You don’t want to stay?" Di Yun asked with narrowed eyes. The other two generals looked at each other and secretly sighed in relief.

Compared to the combative Weichi Feihu, the others weren’t too keen on being conscripted.

There were many reasons.

First, the frequent warfare of the past year, coupled with the past half-year of tranquility, had left them and some of their soldiers too weary to continue fighting. Not everyone became more courageous with battle; many who had achieved a certain level of success preferred to seek a stable life.

Many warriors in Yunzhou had found spouses in the half-year since its recovery and had grown accustomed to their current peaceful lives. The idea of joining a high-intensity, large-scale battle wasn’t very appealing, honestly speaking.

Some may call this indulgence or negligence, but regardless, those who had bled for Yunzhou also deserved this privilege.

Second, there were psychological barriers. The more astute were aware that the Lord of Lyuzhou was using them, not to show loyalty to the Imperial Court. Most of them were born into the Black Dragon Guard and had, to some degree, qualms about rebelling against the Court, including some concerns.

This was particularly true for the offspring of noble families, such as the two generals sitting beside Di Yun.

They were among those noble scions. If they appeared on the battlefield against the Court, what would happen if they had to face the soldiers from their own family clans? How would they cope then?

Of course, this seemed somewhat without principle, for without the opportunity presented by Lyuzhou, most of them might never have become First Rank Martial Husbands, or even Third Rank would’ve been difficult!

The position of a General in the past was something only the direct descendants of top-tier, noble families could hope for. Their destinies... were originally doomed to remain as deputies forever.

But now, one position was War God General, and the other was Waterway River God. Whichever it was, the authority and honor were beyond what they could have ever achieved as obscure deputies in the past!

Luckily, Weichi Feihu was a man inclined to war; otherwise, if he had been willing to stay, they probably wouldn’t have stood a chance for the position of General.

"Then, since that’s the case... I’ll return to Lyuzhou with you," Di Yun said, smiling.

"Brother Di wants to come along?" Weichi Feihu immediately became excited, but then he fell silent again, "But about sister-in-law...."

He remembered. When Di Yun had brought his sister-in-law to Yunzhou half a year ago, her eyes were red from crying. She had hit and clawed at Di Yun, who had kept apologizing, promising that he would be more settled down in the future. Now that he was heading to Lyuzhou to join the battle again...

"This time your sister-in-law is coming with me...." Di Yun said with a smile. "She told me, if I dare to leave her behind again, she’ll remarry."

Weichi Feihu was startled for a moment before grinning and saying, "Your sister-in-law is a good woman."

"Mm..." Di Yun nodded, "So while I can still fight, I need to earn more for both mother and daughter!"

He had heard that when a Warrior advances to the ninth level, they could become a deity in their own right.

Once they achieve the same status as Weichi Peng and become a War God, not only would his own lifespan greatly increase, but it would also extend to his wife and children, offering them longer lives as well.

If such a miraculous blessing could allow his wife, who was in poor health, to enjoy a few more years on earth, then it would be worth it.

Even if he were to die in battle, given how highly Lord Chen regarded military personnel, his family would be well taken care of, and having a hundred years of peace in the underworld shouldn’t be too great an issue.

With such assurances in place, why not take a chance?

"So... what about you two?" the imperial envoy with the surname Yang asked the other two.

Seeing the two biggest rivals bow out willingly, the pair relaxed a lot and said with a smile, "If the two of them have decided to leave, we can only stay."

The Army soldier named Yang nodded, "In that case, decide among yourselves who wants to manage the waterways and who wants to be the Commander."

"Are they not pretty much the same?" the two men wondered, somewhat surprised.

"They differ quite a bit..." Soldier Yang said with a smile, "The one in charge of the waterways basically switches deity allegiances and will follow the Western Sea God, Tian Heng. You’re responsible not only for the rivers, waterways, and civilian life within your jurisdiction but also for guarding the merchant ships that depart from your area. You’ll need to arrange profitable tasks for your soldiers of the Sea God, which is no small feat. As for the War God Commander, well, this isn’t a position where you just sit back and get old; you are tasked with training the rank-and-file soldiers to maintain the Warrior Army’s combat capability, and be ready to rush to the front lines whenever tension arises. "

The two exchanged astonished looks, then, after a moment of hesitation, one said, "I’ll take the War God position.

My mind’s not as sharp as his; I probably can’t handle the duties of the Sea God you just mentioned.

I’m more cut out for training soldiers. Plus, being ready to rush to the warfront when needed is my duty.

I’m grateful to Lord Chen for favoring me with this opportunity, allowing me to command a troop in my lifetime.

No matter the circumstance, if Lord Chen needs me, I’ll lead my troops and support him at the first call. "

"Good!" Soldier Yang nodded in satisfaction. This response was within his expectations.

Indeed, many former Black Dragon Guards were reluctant to confront the Imperial Court directly, but a soldier’s value lies in loyalty and righteousness. Having pledged themselves here and reaped the benefits, when it came down to it, who would truly shrink back?

After all, Jiangnan had been made so flourishing by Lord Chen Qing, and any force, including the Imperial Court—even their former families—that wanted to take their possessions wouldn’t find them conceding without a fight.

-----------------------------

"Really, what are you doing getting involved in this commotion? Weren’t you the one who said you wouldn’t join the army?"

In a room that was neither very spacious nor too cramped, the tea house owner’s wife who had spoken with Soldier Yang and the others in the afternoon looked at the man surnamed Lu with hurt in her eyes, her reddened rims indicating that she had cried more than once.

"This conscription in Lyuzhou is no small matter; I’m afraid our Lord Chen is planning something big.

Some things are simply unavoidable, I have to go see for myself," said the man with the surname Lu, smiling faintly, "I’m really grateful for the companionship you and your daughter have given me this past year. I will be back."

"Liar!" The owner’s wife’s eyes reddened. "If you want to leave, then leave, but don’t spin tales about coming back!"

Her own man had also said that once he returned from his voyage, he would buy a big mansion for her and her mother, but that damned fool... never came back...

"Are... Are you really leaving?" Next to the owner’s wife, a young girl looking around fourteen or fifteen years old, blushed as she asked, clearly afraid.

The man surnamed Lu was taken aback, then smiled wryly, "I’m going to keep an eye on General Feihu, so he doesn’t end up with another woman."

"I won’t marry General Feihu!" the young girl said, "Can you not leave, please?"

At her words, the man named Lu paused, then tenderly patted the girl’s head, "Some things, I just can’t avoid."

"This is Yunzhou City, bordering the Southwest. You and your mother... Next time don’t be so naive as to run into the countryside when things happen.

With the situation as it is in Jiangnan, if trouble still befalls Yunzhou, it would mean that Lord Chen can’t protect Jiangnan.

Don’t hesitate, flee to the Southwest Mountain Region.

I’ve been there before; the fog is not as dense as it used to be, and I suspect it won’t be long before the way is clear. "

"Incense Silver from Jiangnan won’t fetch the same price elsewhere, but it is still made of silver after all. You and your mother should hide as much of it as you can. The world is not at peace, and you should always be ready to flee at a moment’s notice."

He gave several more words of worried advice before reluctantly picking up his neatly packed clothes and heading outside.

The owner’s wife bit her lip, hesitant to respond. Seeing that he was about to leave, she finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

"You’re... just going to leave like this?"

"I’m sorry..."

"You heartless man, at least leave a real name, huh? Do you think the name ’Lu Dayong’ is going to fool anyone?"

The man at the doorway hesitated, then after a while, he left behind a sentence, "My name is Lumings. If there’s another chance, I’ll come back for you and your daughter!"