Chapter 178 - 139: Fame Shakes the Northern Barbarians
Chapter 178: Chapter 139: Fame Shakes the Northern Barbarians
"About a million Spirit Stones, millions of various elixirs, and a countless number of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures." Xiao He rubbed his hands together, his face alight with excitement.
Lu Yuan nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. According to regulations, a general on campaign is granted one-tenth of any spoils he seizes as a reward upon returning to court.
’This was a huge haul.’
He smiled and said, "Leave two hundred thousand units of grain here. Send the rest back to the imperial court. None of this was plundered from the common folk, I trust?"
"No, no, it’s all the private property of a few of the tribal chiefs. For years, these Vassal Town generals have occupied this territory. With the civil war at court, no one has been able to pay them any mind, so they’ve all been desperately plundering the people. They even secretly traded with other imperial courts and have amassed quite a fortune," Xiao He said hastily.
Now, when faced with Lu Yuan, he didn’t dare tell the slightest lie.
"Good. Have arrangements for the three tribes been made?"
"As you commanded, we left one Ten Thousand Men Commander and ten thousand Elite Cavalry in each of the three tribes. We brought the rest of their forces with us," Xiao He said quietly.
Lu Yuan inconspicuously glanced to the side at Old Huang.
Lu Yuan hadn’t involved himself much with the tribes’ affairs, leaving Old Huang to handle them.
The man gave a slight nod in return.
Clearly, Xiao He was telling the truth.
"Alright. Go and do as I’ve instructed. And remember to come by tonight; we’ll discuss how to attack the Shengman."
"My Prince, you intend to attack the Shengman directly?" Xiao He was taken aback.
"Of course. Our troops are elite and our supplies are plentiful. Who else would we fight? Besides, I have other matters to attend to and must return as soon as possible. The sooner we resolve this, the sooner we can relax. Once the Shengman are crushed, I’ll leave you to manage things here." Xiao He was of the imperial family, and he had both personal strength and military capability.
Two days prior, Lu Yuan had received a message from the Xiao Clan, which very likely instructed him to observe Xiao He closely.
If he proved capable, he was to be put in command of thirty thousand troops to garrison Ancient River Pass.
The three nearby tribes would then be organized into Border Cavalry, and in time, a trusted official would be dispatched to take over.
At this point, Lu Yuan had arguably become the Xiao Clan’s most trusted man.
As long as he vetted and approved someone, it was almost a guarantee there would be no problems.
After shaking out his bear fur Great Cloak, he said to Xiao He, "Go on, get it done. Come back early, and we can have a drink tonight."
"As you command!"
After acknowledging the order, Xiao He withdrew.
With his departure, only Lu Yuan and Xiao Hua remained in the tent.
She looked up and asked, "Yuan, are you really going to move the troops out ahead of schedule?"
"Of course. This time, I intend to swallow the Shengman army whole. The north should be quieter next year, which will allow us to settle down and deal with matters at court.
"Once we consolidate the Vassal Towns, we’ll no longer have to fear threats from anyone else," Lu Yuan said quietly.
"I get the feeling you’re in a hurry," Xiao Hua said, puzzled.
"How can I not be in a hurry? I’ve heard that the number of Dayong’s Imperial Guard has been increasing every year. Now, they’ve even swapped the Unparalleled Marquis back into his post. They’ve never been short on supplies, and their Border Army Warriors can exchange heads for money.
"Can you imagine how rich they are?
"When you get to that point, you naturally start looking for a war.
"That was the reason they took the initiative to attack the Northern Barbarians last time.
"However, that campaign started strong but ended with a whimper because of obstruction from the court nobility.
"But I’ve heard that the Yong Emperor has been looking for a way to keep these nobles in check, and it seems he’s finally making some headway.
"When that time comes, who do you think he will attack?"
Lu Yuan’s question left Xiao Hua speechless.
She looked at him, her eyes clear and searching.
"The Northern Barbarians, of course. The Xirong are also poor, but they are strong fighters. Great Yu’s national power still surpasses Dayong’s, and both the Eastern Barbarians and the Southern Border have been stable for years. Only the Northern Barbarians are showing signs of decline.
"If they don’t attack us, who will they attack?" Lu Yuan couldn’t help but sigh as he said this.
Xiao Hua nodded.
She said no more.
But a flicker of worry crossed her eyes.
It was immediately replaced by resolve. ’No matter what, I will always support Lu Yuan.’
Having said his piece, Lu Yuan patted Xiao Hua on the head. "I’m going to cultivate for a bit. Don’t disturb me, alright?"
With that, he sat down cross-legged on the spot.
He opened his system panel. Thanks to the last few days of slaughter, many of his Cultivation Techniques had progressed.
He just hadn’t had a chance to achieve a breakthrough.
Now that he finally had a moment of peace, it was the perfect time.
「Meanwhile, in the Shengman camp beyond the pass」
Hunza sat in his tent, his face dark with anger as he listened to his subordinate’s report.
The hand gripping his wine bowl was trembling slightly.
"In just a few days, the Northern Barbarians’ court managed to suppress Mantuo and the other two tribes? Why am I only hearing about this now?! CRASH!" Hunza slammed the wine bowl onto the ground.
His face flushed an even deeper red. A Vice General at his side explained, "They sent out too many Scouts to run interference. Our own men couldn’t get close—they had to hide and run from the Northern Barbarian Scouts. Things only improved today. We hear the three tribes have gathered one hundred and fifty thousand Border Cavalry, plus nearly one hundred thousand of the court’s Elite Cavalry. Their supply lines are keeping up now, too. What’s our next move?"
Hunza scratched his scalp furiously. "You’re asking me what to do? Those three tribes alone have a combined population of nearly thirty million! If you add in the other tribes near Ancient River Pass, the Northern Barbarians could fight us all winter without breaking a sweat.
"Most importantly, our current forces can’t defeat them.
"We came here to extort grain. Given the situation, our only choice is to retreat.
"Tell the army to pull back immediately. Every day we linger is another day’s worth of rations consumed."