area51novel Page 367
Page 367
"You little Taoist priest, are you grieving for my eldest sister again?"
Hong Xixiang said, "Ever since we met when I was fourteen, I felt that we were connected by a predestined relationship from a previous life."
"Unfortunately, your eldest sister has no feelings at all, and now she has been betrothed to Prince Li Chang'an of Tang!"
"Alas...love has always been a source of only regret..."
Xu Fengnian said resentfully, "Don't worry, my eldest sister will never marry Li Chang'an!"
After Xu Fengnian finished speaking, he sheathed the sword.
Huang Zhentu asked in surprise, "Young Master, aren't you going to practice anymore?"
Xu Fengnian was also aware of his situation in Beiliang, as many of the elders in Beiliang had already suggested replacing the heir apparent.
He was imprisoned for three years, and his prestige plummeted. His desire to quickly master martial arts was also to enhance his prestige in Beiliang.
Now it seems that the path of martial arts training is probably not feasible, and Xu Xiao and Chu Lushan are both second-rank minor grandmasters, and they are both invincible.
For him, the heir of Northern Liang, martial arts skills were only enough to protect himself; military merit was still essential.
He is the heir of Northern Liang, with thousands of troops under his command. He wants to take revenge on Li Chang'an. Why does he need to practice martial arts so hard and fight on his own?
To secure his position as the heir apparent of Beiliang and avoid being ousted by Chen Zhibao, he cannot afford to sit idly by and wait for his demise.
"Old Huang, I think I'm obsessed. I might never be able to surpass Li Chang'an in martial arts in my lifetime."
"Moreover, when martial arts cultivation reaches a certain level, one must also undergo trials and enlightenment. Now that the Great Yellow Court is already proficient, what remains is real-world training."
Then, he looked at the old swordsman in the bamboo forest, "Senior Swordsman!"
"If I lead troops on a western expedition, can you guarantee I won't be assassinated by the experts from Shazhou?"
Li Chungang accidentally killed his lover years ago, which greatly damaged his mental state, causing him to fall from the Earth Immortal realm to the Finger Profound realm.
He stayed in Wudang for more than half a year, and after tormenting Wudang Sword Maniac Wang Xiaoping several times, he recovered to the Celestial Phenomenon level.
"Kid, I become stronger when facing stronger opponents. If I really encounter a master from Shazhou, I might even be able to recover my Earth Immortal cultivation."
"With so many skilled men under your command, do you think your father can't protect you? How can someone who's always looking out for himself achieve anything great?"
Li Chungang spoke with confidence. Although Wang Xiaoping was weaker than him, she was a great inspiration to him, and perhaps one day she would regain her cultivation as a terrestrial immortal.
Hearing Li Chungang's words, Xu Fengnian became even more determined.
"Old Huang, let's go back to the Prince's Mansion!"
Fifteen days later, at the Northern Liang Prince's Palace.
In the main hall of the Prince's Mansion, Xu Fengnian sat in the first seat with a cold expression. Those present were either his supporters or Xu Xiao's loyal followers.
A dozen or so military generals and a dozen or so top-ranking martial arts masters sat at the head of the main hall, where the current Grand Pillar of State, Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Liang, was seated.
"Gentlemen, Li Chang'an has been entrenched behind the Northern Liang for more than two years. He not only stole the 100,000 refugee reserve army that the strategist had hidden in Qingcang, but also killed the envoy I sent to Shazhou!"
To conquer Shazhou, Xu Xiao naturally needed to find the most legitimate reason, but he couldn't openly reveal that Xu Fengnian was imprisoned.
"Over the years, His Majesty has repeatedly ordered me to eliminate Li Chang'an, but I have always been reluctant to take action because I remember that he has recovered his homeland and made contributions to the country."
"But now, he has become a major threat to Northern Liang, and we must not let him live any longer!"
"Back then, our Northern Liang army swept across the world and destroyed the six states of the Spring and Autumn Period. Each of those states was several times larger than Shazhou!"
Xu Xiao had made up his mind, and the generals in the hall all understood.
"Your Highness, we've been waiting for your order!"
“Shazhou is provoking us at every turn, even killing the prince’s envoy; they’re practically courting death!”
"Li Chang'an has eliminated several of our spies; the Fushuifang must take his life!"
"Your Highness, send troops! Flatten Shazhou! Capture Li Chang'an alive!"
"The soldiers of Shazhou can bully some small tribes, but they have no idea how powerful the number one army in the world is!"
……
Regardless of whether they supported Xu Fengnian or not, the generals of Beiliang were united in their hatred of Li Chang'an, who was planted behind Beiliang.
A hint of excitement flashed in Xu Xiao's eyes. He hadn't seen such a scene of fervent enthusiasm and eager requests for battle in many years.
If it weren't for wanting to give his son a chance to turn his life around, he himself would have wanted to go on this expedition.
"Yuan Zuozong!"
At Xu Xiao's command, Yuan Zuozong, one of the six adopted sons, stepped forward.
"The child is here!"
Yuan Zuozong, from the Celestial Realm, is known as the number one warrior in the world, and his 10,000 Great Snow Dragon Cavalry are hailed as the number one cavalry in the world.
"Gather 10,000 Great Snow Dragon Riders and 50,000 Liangzhou Iron Cavalry, and accompany the Crown Prince on his expedition to Shazhou!"
Yuan Zuozong answered loudly, "Yes, sir!"
Xu Xiao continued, "Qi will rule the country!"
"I have already transferred six thousand Ironclad Cavalry here, and I order you to lead the Ironclad Cavalry and fifty thousand elite soldiers from Lingzhou to accompany Prince Zhi on the expedition to Shazhou!"
"Order!"
Qi Dangguo was the one who carried the great banner in the Northern Liang army, and he was also the most steady and loyal.
Xu Fengnian calmly watched the two generals step forward, knowing that Xu Xiao had already assigned him his strongest power.
Of the 350,000 troops, 140,000 were cavalry and 210,000 were infantry.
However, Liangzhou, Lingzhou, and Youzhou all require military garrisoning and defense against the southward advance of the Northern Barbarians.
The 116,000 men assigned to Xu Fengnian this time were only able to be mobilized after nearly a year of personal arrangement by Xu Xiao.
Moreover, the most powerful cavalry, the Great Snow Dragon Riders and the Ironclad Cavalry, as well as the finest wolfhounds and polar bears, have all been dispatched.
It can be said that none of the eight states during the Spring and Autumn Period could withstand such generals and troops.
Xu Fengnian knew that Xu Xiao had gone to great lengths to help him solidify his position as the heir apparent.
Although Li Chang'an's military strength has increased dramatically in recent years, including the garrison troops in various places, it is still only around 150,000 men.
The number of people who could fight the enemy with all their might was at most 70,000 to 80,000.
In the eyes of the generals of Beiliang, the Beiliang soldiers were a battle-hardened army, and the strongest achievement of Shazhou was only sweeping away some grassland tribes.
Such a record cannot be compared to the Northern Liang army's annihilation of six kingdoms and the killing of 500,000 enemies.
Subsequently, Xu Xiao gathered more than a dozen veteran generals to accompany Xu Fengnian on the expedition.
In addition to these troops, Xu Fengnian was accompanied on this expedition by more than a dozen first-rank masters.
Apart from Xu Yanbing staying behind to protect Xu Xiao, Li Chungang and Qi Lianhua went on the expedition with Xu Fengnian. It can be said that Xu Xiao did his best.
Xu Xiao's expression was solemn, and his tone was stern, completely unlike his previous playful interactions with Xu Fengnian.
"Xu Fengnian!"
Xu Fengnian also stood up and cupped his hands in greeting, showing no trace of his纨绔 (playboy/spoiled brat) air.
"The child is here!"
Xu Xiao declared resolutely, "This battle concerns the survival of Northern Liang. If we fail to capture Shazhou, I'll offer my head in return!"
This might be the most hurtful thing Xu Xiao has ever said to Xu Fengnian in all his years.
However, these were Xu Xiao's heartfelt words. Li Chang'an was a major threat to Beiliang and could stab Beiliang in the back at any time.
Moreover, the army that Xu Fengnian took with him could be described as the elite troops of Beiliang.
If they fail to win this battle, Northern Liang will be forced to adopt a defensive posture against Shazhou, putting them in a very passive position.
For Xu Fengnian, if he loses this battle, he will lose his position as the heir apparent.
"I will obey the Grand General's orders and will not return until Shazhou is destroyed!"
Chapter 221 Defending the Borders! A Great War Begins!
Tai'an City.
Upon receiving the intelligence, Zhao Chun finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Beiliang has finally sent out troops!"
His plan, devised with the imperial tutor Yuan Benxi, to drive away the wolf and devour the tiger, has now reached its final stage.
However, since two years ago, he has repeatedly urged Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Liang, to send troops to attack Li Chang'an, but Xu Xiao has not moved.
The arrogant and domineering King of Northern Liang could tolerate Li Chang'an growing powerful behind his back, which Emperor Zhao Chun found utterly perplexing.
Yuan Benxi speculated that Li Chang'an and Xu Xiao must have reached some kind of agreement, so the two were in a tacitly peaceful state.
Even Yuan Benxi couldn't figure out where Li Chang'an got the leverage to negotiate with Xu Xiao.
It wasn't until Xu Fengnian returned to Beiliang and Li Chang'an released the news that Xu Fengnian had been imprisoned for three years that the court finally realized what had happened.
Yuan Benxi also gasped in shock. Li Chang'an had managed to keep such a big secret, and the Fushuifang was completely helpless.
It's easy to imagine that Li Chang'an has now truly developed into a behemoth.
Although the territory is not large and the army only has a few hundred thousand troops, its strength should not be underestimated!