"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Upon seeing Lin Yi, Jia Xu and Bai Zizai's eyes lit up, and they quickly dismounted and greeted him respectfully.
The soldiers behind him also knelt on the ground, kneeling on one knee as their highest form of courtesy, which they only wanted to offer to their lord.
"No need for formalities!"
Lin Yi laughed heartily, helped Bai Zizai and Jia Xu to their feet, and then pulled up a soldier as well, saying with a smile, "Brothers, you are all heroes of Xiliang, please rise quickly!"
"In this battle, you not only annihilated the kingdoms of Jushi and Shachi, but also wiped out 70,000 bandits in Xining. I am so proud of you!"
It must be admitted that in this battle they displayed the domineering spirit and fighting spirit of Xiliang.
For this reason alone, these soldiers have made a great contribution!
"My lord is mighty!!!"
Seeing their lord personally help a soldier up, the army cheered, each soldier as excited as a child, as if they themselves had been helped up.
"Hahaha, today I've prepared a victory celebration feast for you all, so you can eat your fill!"
"After you finish eating, get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day for Xiliang. All the people of Xiliang will be coming. From now on, no one in Xiliang will go hungry. I will also tell them about your achievements!"
"Because of your existence, Xiliang will not only not go hungry, but will also not be bullied!"
Oh oh oh oh!
A cheer immediately erupted from below. Why do men defend their country? It's so that their families can have enough to eat. Now, our lord has done it.
Moreover, we will All Under Heaven throughout the world—what an honor that would be!
Bai Zizai couldn't help but burst into tears, crying sadly, "Your Highness, you have no idea how many years your father has tricked me. Now we've finally fought this battle! This has been so difficult!"
Forehead!
Lin Yi's lips twitched; this tough nut was trying to curry favor.
He chuckled dryly, "Don't worry, Old Master Bai, you'll definitely be there for the next battle. But you better not be too weak to carry a sword."
"Hahaha, Your Highness, don't underestimate me Bai Zizai!"
Bai Zizai laughed heartily, patted his chest, and said excitedly, "This time I, Bai Zizai, only killed 70,000 people because I wasn't familiar with that crossbow formation. Next time, I'll definitely surround the enemy!"
"Ahem, old man, watch your mouth! Where do you put my Formation-Breaking Camp?" Gao Shun finally couldn't stand the old man's boasting and interrupted him.
Bai Zizai glared at Gao Shun and sneered, "You're so young, you should respect your elders, you know? The battles to come will be yours..."
"My God, seventy thousand people were killed?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruohai looked at the fanatical Xiliang army and immediately saw them as demons. He also saw the armor that gleamed with a dark red blood-red light under the firelight and couldn't help but swallow hard.
Damn it, what did they do?!
Even though he was a scholar, he could feel the terrifying killing intent emanating from them; these people had probably turned the Western Regions upside down.
"Huh! Why are there so many foreigners?"
At this moment, someone from the aristocratic family, with sharp eyes, noticed a group of foreigners next to the soldiers and couldn't help but whisper.
Foreigners?
Zhang Ruohai was slightly taken aback. Following his gaze, he indeed spotted a group of foreigners.
These people were about the same level as him, or even worse. They were all pale with fright, and some were even trembling. This made him chuckle. It seemed that these foreigners were not as good as him.
Seemingly noticing Zhang Ruohai and the others' gazes, Jia Xu smiled and introduced them, "My lord, these foreign friends are kings from the Western Regions. After hearing of your greatness, they decided to come and pay you a visit in person!"
"King?"
Zhang Ruohai's pupils contracted, and he stared in disbelief at the pale-faced, trembling foreigners. They were actually kings of the Western Regions?
Holy crap!
At this moment, he couldn't help but swear. These kings of the Western Regions were no ordinary people; they each commanded tens of thousands of troops, and now they were trembling in fear just like him.
This is outrageous! Has the Prince of Xiliang become so powerful that the Western Regions are so afraid of him?
The next moment, several kings from the Western Regions approached Lin Yi with respectful expressions.
"King Meng Chihu of the Mengshi Kingdom pays respects to His Majesty the Great Prince of Xiliang!"
"King Xue Qianren of the Icefield Kingdom wishes to forge the deepest friendship with the great Prince of Xiliang, and I have brought our most precious gift."
"King Tu Xiu of the Green Leaf Kingdom pays respects to Your Highness, King of Prince of Xiliang. Tu Xiu has always admired the strong, and I am willing to serve the great Prince of Xiliang with utmost loyalty. I humbly request Prince of Xiliang Highness's permission!"
"..."
Holy crap!
Tu Xiu's sudden move caught the other kings off guard; he actually admitted defeat outright, which was far too direct.
You're the strongest among us, you should at least put up a fight.
Forehead!
Seeing this, Zhang Ruohai felt his entire worldview had been shattered!
The Green Leaf Kingdom is even more powerful than the Jushi Kingdom, yet it has personally come to Xiliang to follow Lin Yi. This is simply unbelievable!
This is a privilege that even Great Ning didn't receive, yet it's now being enjoyed in Xiliang.
He exchanged glances with the people from the surrounding aristocratic families, and they couldn't help but feel fortunate, realizing that they had probably made the right choice!
Hahaha!
Lin Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter and helped Tu Xiu, the king of the Green Leaf Kingdom, to his feet.
This guy is quite clever; he chose to submit without hesitation, making him much smarter than the other kings. No wonder he's the strongest among the several kingdoms!
He laughed and said, " Tu Xiu, is it? I will build Four Directions City on the sites of Shachi and Jushi. Four Directions City will then become the commercial center of the Western Regions. I'll have to trouble you with that!"
"Your Highness, rest assured, I Tu Xiu, will absolutely do my utmost to assist you!" Tu Xiu's eyes lit up, and he readily agreed.
A grand city built on the foundation of two kingdoms—this is an enormous undertaking. The Prince of Xiliang is indeed getting involved in the affairs of the Western Regions; it's just unknown how many troops he will station there.
The other kings frowned; Tu Xiu had gained the upper hand.
At this moment, disregarding pride, they immediately approached and respectfully said, "Your Highness, Prince of Xiliang, we all have the utmost respect for Xiliang. Please feel free to give us your orders!"
"Haha, then I'll have to trouble you!"
Lin Yi smiled and nodded. He liked this energetic king, and more importantly, he was sensible.
He said to the guards beside him, "Take them downstairs to wash up first. They must be tired from the long journey. They can eat after they've washed up."
The guard nodded and led them directly to wash up.
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhang Ruohai gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, since you have matters to attend to, we will take our leave now!"
"What's the rush? Let's have dinner together before you leave!"
"These are all kings of the Western Regions. You'll need their help if you're going to use this trade route in the future," Lin Yi said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
That's a valid point. To succeed on this trade route in the Western Regions, it's essential to be on good terms with these kings. Since we're currently under the king's command, we can take advantage of their power.