Chapter 126 - 107: Cultivation Technique Advancement and True Essence

Chapter 126: Chapter 107: Cultivation Technique Advancement and True Essence

Xiao Heng breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that the Imperial Guard had eliminated the Xirong Wolf Soldiers on the battlefield and were now hunting down those who had fled.

He returned to his command tent, where only he and the Marquis of Mucheng were present.

The latter was his Vice General for this western expedition.

Xiao Heng glanced at his subordinate, then said slowly, "Has the Seventh Prince sought you out?"

"He has not," the Marquis of Mucheng replied quickly.

Xiao Heng nodded. "He probably hasn’t found the time yet. His main purpose in coming here is to win supporters in the army. What do you think of Lu Yuan?"

"He’s brilliant. To have reached such a level of cultivation at only seventeen... his talent is astounding. And his use of Military Arrays is nothing short of incredible.

He stands head and shoulders above the rest in the Border Army. I truly want to recruit him into the Imperial Guard. Marshal Xiao, perhaps you could speak to the Seventh Prince about it?"

Xiao Heng shook his head. "This Seventh Prince is His Majesty’s favorite son. The fact that he was even allowed to follow the army to build his prestige shows just how much he’s doted on.

Although the Seventh Prince appears refined and gentle, his personality is extremely unyielding. He just slapped Lu Yuan down today, and you want to prop him back up.

Aren’t you just asking for trouble? Don’t bring this up again."

"Then what about Lu Yuan?" the Marquis of Mucheng asked softly.

He was also a Border Marquis, but he was good-natured and obedient, and had been transferred by Xiao Heng to be his Imperial Guard Vice General. One could say he had one foot in the door to becoming a City Marquis.

However, he still had a soft spot for the lower-ranking generals.

Especially for an outstanding young man like Lu Yuan, whose circumstances were so similar to his own.

"I’ll make the arrangements. With so many armies in Dayong, there’s bound to be a place for him. As a general of Dayong, I won’t just stand by and watch such a talent be crushed by political strife.

Now that the war has reached this point, the Xirong should be more cautious and won’t launch another major offensive.

However, smaller skirmishes are still unavoidable. Isn’t Lu Yuan a Captain right now? Tomorrow, I’ll write an order of appointment and formally make him the Wolf Rider Captain.

Pick some men from the remaining Border Army to bring his unit up to full strength.

In any case, under my command, as long as he earns merit, not even a Prince can do anything to him."

The Marquis of Mucheng nodded. "Your Grace is upright and impartial, truly a model for us all."

"Heh, enough with the flattery. I’m just trying my best to retain talent for Dayong." After speaking, Xiao Heng seemed somewhat somber.

The Marquis of Mucheng grinned but said nothing.

Xiao Heng waved his hand, dismissing him.

After the Marquis of Mucheng left, only the Duke Zhenyuan of Dayong remained in the large tent.

He gently stroked his silver-white beard, a sharp glint in his eyes.

’The Seventh Prince, Prince Polu, the Zhao Family of Lingzhou... this Seventh Prince has unknowingly gathered so many people. He can’t be underestimated.’

After thinking this, he picked up a nearby wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

He didn’t concern himself with these matters. The most important thing now was how to win this war.

The coming war of attrition, he feared, would be the real meat grinder.

Garrison Soldiers and the Border Army would become the main fighting force, clashing endlessly with the Xirong on this land.

After all, Dayong had not started this war. When it would end was not for Dayong to decide.

The Xirong were fierce and sometimes acted without considering the consequences.

Having suffered such a great loss this time, they would not let the matter rest.

「A quiet night passed.」

The next day, while Lu Yuan was drinking with Zhou He in his tent, the official order of appointment arrived. He was promoted from acting Captain to a full Captain.

Moreover, it was the position of Wolf Rider Captain, representing the elite of the Northern Border.

Seeing Xiao Heng’s seal on it, Lu Yuan silently put the appointment order away.

In the days that followed, their main task was to recuperate.

After all, many had been wounded in the last battle; almost no one had escaped unscathed.

At the same time, Lu Yuan received orders to select able-bodied soldiers from the remaining ten thousand men of the Border Army to replenish his own forces.

So, during these days, besides cultivating, he spent his time selecting suitable candidates.

By the time he had once again gathered three thousand men, more than ten days had passed.

On this day, inside Marshal Xiao’s command tent, all the Garrison Generals under his command were gathered. The Seventh Prince was among them, and everyone’s expression was quite solemn.

Xiao Heng pointed to a place on the map. "Moya Mountain," he said. "A force of several thousand Wolf Soldiers is entrenched there. They have repeatedly plundered our villages Beyond the Passes. Yesterday, they abducted nearly five thousand civilians. The troops we recently transferred from other regions have launched several encirclement campaigns, but they’ve all been repelled.

If this continues, the lands Beyond the Passes will become their personal fiefdom."

"Can we evacuate all the civilians back inside the Passes?" the Marquis of Mucheng asked softly.

"No. Moving millions of civilians back inside the Passes is completely unrealistic. More importantly, after decades of development and settlement, the lands Beyond the Passes are finally starting to show some progress. If we move everyone back,

then the efforts of the past several decades will have been for nothing," Xiao Heng rejected the idea outright.

"Can we dispatch the Imperial Guard?" the Seventh Prince suggested.

"The Xirong’s true elites have yet to make a move. If we use the Imperial Guard again, we’ll be at a disadvantage. It would be easy for the Xirong to exploit the opening, so we can’t use them for now," Xiao Heng said flatly.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Notify Lu Yuan. Have him lead his men out and eliminate this force of Wolf Soldiers."

Hearing this, the Marquis of Mucheng looked at Xiao Heng in astonishment. "Marshal Xiao, these are Wolf Soldiers. Although they can’t compare to our Imperial Guard, they are much stronger than the average Border Army unit.

And their numbers are similar to Lu Yuan’s, perhaps even greater. The last two attacks, with forces of over ten thousand men, both failed. Sending him with only three thousand... I’m afraid he won’t be able to succeed."

The Seventh Prince pursed his lips and said nothing. He didn’t know what Xiao Heng was thinking, and he wasn’t well-versed in military strategy and deployment. The best choice at this moment was to keep his mouth shut.

He was just a little surprised. Why had Xiao Heng chosen Lu Yuan?

’The man I’ve already cast aside.’

However, he didn’t dwell on it for long. After all, while Lu Yuan’s performance a few days ago had indeed been impressive, he was ultimately just a minor figure.

There was no need to waste too much thought on him.

Just then, Xiao Heng said coolly, "It’s precisely because it’s a difficult fight that I’m sending him. If it were an easy one, would it even be his turn? Go make the arrangements."

At that moment, the Marquis of Mucheng understood. He immediately said, "As you command!"

He then had an orderly at his side go and issue the order.

Yes, for a common-born general, promotion meant risking your life. You had to fight the desperate battles others couldn’t and chew the tough bones others wouldn’t. Only then was there a sliver of hope to make a name for yourself.

If victory were assured, a task like this would never have fallen to Lu Yuan.

The Marquis of Mucheng himself had come up the same way. However, he had been very fortunate to have started following Xiao Heng early on.

That was how he had safely made it to his current position, but he had also experienced countless life-or-death situations.

It was no exaggeration to say that every one of Dayong’s Border Marquis was the hero of their own spectacular rags-to-riches story.

Zhao Yu stood beside the Seventh Prince, a gloating expression on his face. He refused to believe Lu Yuan would survive this time.

After the order was issued and everyone had left,

the Seventh Prince returned to his own camp. Sipping tea, he mulled over the day’s events. He didn’t particularly care about Lu Yuan; rather, he was pondering Xiao Heng’s attitude. What did he really mean by sending Lu Yuan into battle?

’Is he giving Lu Yuan a chance to prove himself? No, based on the disparity in strength, this is clearly a death sentence. Is he trying to curry favor with me?’ The Seventh Prince turned it over and over in his mind but couldn’t make sense of it.

So, he stopped overthinking it and glanced at Zhao Yu. "I hear your older brother is about to break through to the next level beyond the Innate Realm. When we return, if he has come out of seclusion, invite him out for a drink."

Zhao Yu’s older brother, Zhao Mu, was born under auspicious signs. A prodigy since childhood, he had repeatedly earned merits in the army, reaching the Innate Realm at the age of twenty-five. Now, he was about to achieve a level beyond the Innate Realm.

With the full backing of the Zhao Family, Zhao Mu was on track to be promoted to the rank of Marquis.

This was also why the Seventh Prince valued the Zhao Family.

"Your Highness, as soon as my brother comes out of seclusion, I will tell him immediately," Zhao Yu said hurriedly.

The Seventh Prince nodded and said no more.

Taking the hint, Zhao Yu tactfully withdrew.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Yuan had already received his orders and begun to assemble his troops, preparing to depart.