Grinding to Martial Emperor from the Border Army

Chapter 251: Chapter 171: A Glorious Return

Lu Yuan’s army had a distinct character, highlighted by its sheer speed.

On the first day, they broke through the pass. By the second, they were already marching straight for the cities of Yan Province. In a short amount of time, the battle banners of Great Qin flew over every county and prefectural city.

Per Lu Yuan’s orders, no one dared to plunder within the cities. Instead, they peacefully placated the common folk.

This time, Lu Yuan’s objective was not to simply plunder and leave.

He intended to tear away a huge chunk of Dayong’s northern territories.

As for the people of the Northern Lands, though most were Garrison Soldiers, they did not resist, seeing as their superiors had already surrendered.

Besides, Great Qin’s army didn’t mistreat the populace upon their arrival.

To the common folk, as long as they could fill their bellies, it made no difference who sat on the throne.

The ones who suffered the most, however, were the upper echelons. They were the ones truly affected by the change in regime. Consequently, some immediately sought to defect to Great Qin, while others fled overnight. Lu Yuan gave orders not to stop any who wished to leave.

On the third day, the entirety of Yan Province was absorbed into Great Qin’s territory.

On the fourth day, Lu Yuan’s subordinates, Mangu Tun and Mangu Hun, joined forces and attacked Jizhou. The Dayong army fled at the very sight of them.

Within five days, the territories of two provinces had fallen completely into Great Qin’s hands.

And on this day, Manliang also led his cavalry to the walls of Huangsha Fortress.

Xiao Heng gazed at the overwhelming, dark mass of the army, his expression grave. Both he and the Unparalleled Marquis were only in the Dharma Realm; they stood no chance against an Earth Immortal expert.

Moreover, the Unparalleled Marquis’s personal troops weren’t here, so they couldn’t form a Military Array.

Right now, the city only held thirty thousand Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Border Army soldiers. It was impossible to resist Manliang’s army; they were completely outmatched.

The Unparalleled Marquis glanced back at Xiao Heng. "King Bei You has rebelled," he said. "He has already occupied all of Youzhou and is now leading his army on a detour toward the Imperial City. Countless people have surrendered to him along the way.

Of the three provinces in the Northern Border, only Huangsha Fortress is still in our hands.

We can only defend in this battle, not attack. Relying on the Arrays, we should be able to hold out for a month. Hopefully, the court’s main Imperial Guard forces will arrive by then. When that happens, we’ll no longer need to fear these men of Great Qin."

The Unparalleled Marquis felt incredibly stifled. He was brimming with power but had no way to unleash it.

If his own Imperial Guard were here, he would have dared to charge out, unafraid even in the face of a peerless general of the Earth Immortal Realm. But as things stood, he couldn’t even consider it.

Xiao Heng glanced at him and said slowly, "A month shouldn’t be a problem. These Arrays have been consistently reinforced over the past few years. Even an Earth Immortal would find them difficult to breach."

WHOOSH!

The Unparalleled Marquis let out a sigh of relief. He had always been confident in Xiao Heng’s abilities. Then, he glanced at the Crown Prince, who remained sullen and silent.

’This man has completely lost heart.’

"KILL!"

However, just as they were speaking, a deafening battle cry suddenly erupted. A moment later, the Marquis of Mucheng came running over, shouting to Xiao Heng, "Your Grace, we have to retreat! The Helian Family threw open the west gate! The fifty thousand Border Army soldiers have turned on us!

Manliang has stormed the city with his men and is cutting a path straight toward us!"

His voice was laced with despair.

There were too many of them, they were everywhere! They had only a mere thirty thousand Imperial Guards, how could they possibly hold them off?

The Unparalleled Marquis glared at Xiao Heng and roared, "What in the hell is going on with the Northern Border? Weren’t you supposed to be supervising it? How did the entire region fall into Lu Yuan’s hands?"

Xiao Heng’s voice trembled. "Unparalleled Marquis, now is not the time for blame! If the imperial court hadn’t consistently neglected the Border Army, would things have ever come to this? The people’s hearts have turned; what could I have possibly done?

We have to break out now! If we’re too late, none of us will escape once Manliang arrives!"

They had all heard of Manliang. He was known throughout the land as a top-tier general, an Early-stage Earth Immortal with Innate Divine Power, and he was exceptionally ferocious.

He was not a man they could hope to match.

"Go!"

the Unparalleled Marquis bit out, his voice laced with bitterness.

Meanwhile, Xiao Heng and the Marquis of Mucheng grabbed the Crown Prince and began to fight their way out of the city.

The thirty thousand Imperial Guards were scattered, leaving them with only ten thousand or so men.

They didn’t dare to stop for even a moment.

Manliang, of course, had no intention of letting them go. The moment he entered the city, he led his army to hunt for Xiao Heng and the others.

However, by the time he picked up their trail, they had already gotten far away, leaving him with a look of helpless frustration.

’If I could have captured the Unparalleled Marquis, Xiao Heng, and the Crown Prince, it would have been a massive achievement.’

Just then, Helian Shang, Patriarch Helian, and the other clan elders came forward to greet him. Upon seeing Manliang, they immediately knelt. "Greetings, General!"

They were all visibly excited, yet also extremely deferential.

After all, this was an expert of the Earth Immortal Realm. In the past, they would not have even been qualified to be in his presence.

When Manliang saw them, the ferocious look on his face vanished, replaced by a wide grin. "No need for such courtesy," he said. "I’ve heard Prince Qin speak of you all. From now on, we are one family."

As he spoke, he even ordered his men to help the members of the Helian Family rise.

After all, Manliang had only recently surrendered to Great Qin, and he was keenly aware of Lu Yuan’s status in the imperial court.

’Since these people are acquainted with him, even if they aren’t friends, their relationship is certainly closer than mine.’

’Their cultivation might be weak, but I really don’t dare provoke them.’

’Because whether it was the Helian Family or the Zhou Family, once they surrendered to Great Qin, they were automatically labeled as belonging to Prince Qin. They were his people.’

’Of course, that included the Celestial King Stronghold as well.’

’The Prince Qin of today wielded true, unrivaled power in the court.’

If the loyalty of the Great Qin Beast Riders to Lu Yuan was largely due to the imperial court’s decree...