"It's rare to see the general praise someone," Xu Da said with a smile. "And it's a young man at that."
"You don't know the whole story. I had already come into contact with this young man many times while in the Imperial Capital. Since he was on exceptionally good terms with Mu Yang, I paid him considerable attention as well. When the Former Emperor was still alive, he had already wanted to recruit him. Although he refused openly, he secretly did quite a few things for the imperial family."
"The Yan Clan was originally related by blood to the Cui Clan, but he sensed the Cui Clan's crisis and repeatedly helped the Lineage escape danger, snatching chestnuts from the fire. In the end, he even fell out with the Song Clan and distanced himself from the Cui Clan. If not for him, the Yan Clan would have long since been dragged into the vast sea by the Cui Clan. Survival would already have been difficult, let alone the enormous benefits the Yan Clan has gained now. At present, the Yan Clan has two dukes from one family, as well as a great general—and all of them enjoy His Majesty's deep trust."
"That's right. I've also heard people mention him many times. Though young, he has already displayed the bearing of a commander. When he served as Vanguard General, he severed the Peacock army's central troops' supplies and weapons in a single move, and killed their great general. As far as I know, this Yan Xiangma was commanding troops for the first time. Yet to win the wholehearted obedience of his soldiers and have them willingly die for him on his very first campaign—that sort of commander is a rare sight."
"We received word that all six thousand soldiers who