Before Yuchi Feihu arrived, the imperial envoys from Liuzhou had already explained in detail Chen Qing's arrangements. Yuchi Feihu was a war fanatic and was naturally extremely excited about the mobilization of Liuzhou for the war, but others might not have thought so.
The recapture of Yunzhou was not smooth sailing. Those generals who managed to raise their ranks to over ten thousand had all experienced that difficult period, especially the brutal battle to recapture Yunzhou. At that time, there were tens of millions of zombies in Yunzhou City, including many high-level zombies. During that siege, more than forty counties lost nearly half of their Fighter Army!
The peace and tranquil life of the people of Yunzhou City today were bought with their blood and flesh. Of the captains who came to Yunzhou to make their way back then, only a dozen or so are still alive, and half of them were transferred to other places after Yunzhou was recaptured.
Now, only the four of them, old comrades-in-arms, remain in Yunzhou. They had finally enjoyed half a year of hard-won gains, but now they have to fight again so soon.
Judging from what Old Yang said, Lord Chen Qing must be planning something big this time. The scale of the war is probably much larger than the scale of the recapture of Yunzhou half a year ago, because in addition to Yunzhou, all seven prefectures in Jiangnan have sent warrior generals to Liuzhou.
The purpose of this visit is to arrange for those who will continue fighting, as well as those who no longer wish to fight and are willing to stay behind!
" Feihu," Di Yun spoke first, "Besides the conscription, the lord will also leave two in Yunzhou. One will be in charge of the Battle God Army in Yunzhou, equivalent to the former Yunzhou General, responsible for city defense, security, recruitment of new fighters in the countryside, bandit suppression, and so on. The other will leave the Battle God system, manage the waterways of Yunzhou, and be responsible for the safety and interests of merchant ships sailing out of Yunzhou, under the jurisdiction of the newly promoted Sea God."
"Um," Yuchi Feihu scratched his head, "I don't quite understand, it just means staying behind, right?"
"That's roughly the idea." Di Yun nodded. "So, Feihu, do you have any thoughts about staying? After all, you're the most popular candidate to be the general in Yunzhou right now."
"I don't really want to," Yuchi Feihu shook his head. He was naturally full of pride in Yunzhou's current achievements, and to say he was reluctant to give it up, he did have some reluctance in his heart.
After all, his family only led five hundred Fighter Army at the beginning, and they fought their way to this point. He deserves a lot of credit for the restoration of Yunzhou's former prosperity. Looking at the Yunzhou people who genuinely admire him every day, it would be a lie to say that he is not proud.
If Dad knew how good my grades were now, he'd be shocked!
But he didn't want to stay.
Being a regional commander was not what Yuchi Feihu was after. In the past year, he had come to understand the Battle God system very well; it was practically made for him. In his view, the Battle God was someone who had to fight constantly. Only by constantly fighting could one become stronger. Once one stopped, one would be no different from an ordinary person.
The period of his fastest improvement was during the month he recaptured Yunzhou. That month, which almost brought him to the brink of life and death, propelled him from Second Rank martial artist all the way to First Rank. He felt that he was only one step away from being as good as his eldest brother Yuchi Feihong, and his second brother Yuchi Peng!
He didn't want to be delayed by the position of General of Yunzhou!
As I grow stronger, my two older brothers also grow stronger. To surpass them, I must keep chasing after them!
"You don't want to stay?" Di Yun asked, squinting. The other two generals exchanged glances and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to Yuchi Feihu, a warmonger, the others were actually less inclined to enlist.
There are many reasons.
Firstly, the high frequency of battles throughout the year, coupled with the relative calm of the following six months, made it difficult for them and some of their soldiers to muster the energy to continue fighting. Not everyone becomes more courageous with each battle; many, having achieved some success, are willing to seek stability.
Many warriors have gotten married in the six months since the recapture of Yunzhou and have become more accustomed to their current peaceful lives. To be honest, they are not very enthusiastic about joining a high-intensity, large-scale battle.
You could say they indulged in pleasure and neglected their duties, but regardless, those who shed blood for Yunzhou truly deserve this.
Secondly, there are some psychological barriers. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that the official in Liuzhou is not using them to serve the court. Most of them were born into the Black Dragon Guard of the court, and they still have some obstacles and concerns about rebelling against the court.
Especially some scions of prominent families, such as the two generals sitting next to Di Yun now.
They were scions of powerful families. If they were to appear on the battlefield against the imperial court, and were to face their own family's soldiers, how would they cope?
Of course, this is a bit of a biased statement, since without the opportunity in Liuzhou, most of them would never have become First Rank martial artist in their entire lives, and might not even have reached the Third Rank!
In the past, only the direct descendants of top-tier aristocratic families had the opportunity to hold the position of a regional commander-in-chief; their fate was originally to always be that of a deputy.
But now, one position is the General of the Battle God, and the other is the River God of the Waterways. Neither of them offers the same level of authority and glory as the previously unknown deputy!
Fortunately, Huang Feihu was a warmonger; otherwise, if he had been willing to stay, they probably wouldn't have been able to compete for the position of general.
"In that case, I'll go back to Liuzhou with you," Di Yun said with a smile.
"Brother Di, you want to come along?" Yuchi Feihu was immediately excited, but then he paused for a moment. "But what about your wife?"
He remembered that half a year ago, when Di Yun brought his sister-in-law to Yunzhou, she cried until her eyes were red and scratched and hit Di Yun. Di Yun kept apologizing and said he would behave himself in the future. Now he was going to Liuzhou to participate in the war.
"Your sister-in-law is with me this time," Di Yun said with a smile. "She said if I dare to abandon her again, she'll remarry."
Yuchi Feihu was taken aback for a moment, then grinned and said, "My sister-in-law is a good woman."
"Yes," Di Yun nodded, "So we need to take advantage of our strength and earn as much as possible for that mother and daughter!"
He had heard that a fighter who reached level nine could become a god on their own. Once he became Battle God like Xu Hu, not only would his own lifespan be greatly increased, but his wife and children would also enjoy an even longer lifespan.
My wife is in poor health; if I had such a miraculous blessing, she could enjoy life a few more years.
Even if he dies in battle, given how much Chen Qing values soldiers, his family will be properly taken care of, and he should be able to enjoy a hundred years of Underworld Lifespan in the Underworld without much trouble.
With such guarantees in place, why not give it a try?
"And what about you two?" the imperial envoy surnamed Yang asked the other two.
Seeing that their two biggest competitors had voluntarily withdrawn, the two felt much more relaxed and said with a smile, "Since they've both decided to leave, we have no choice but to stay."
The sergeant surnamed Yang nodded. "In that case, whoever wants to manage the waterways and whoever wants to be the commander-in-chief, you two should discuss it."
"They're pretty much the same, aren't they?" the two asked, somewhat surprised.
"There's quite a difference," Sergeant Yang laughed. "The one in charge of the waterways is essentially a different god system. From now on, you'll be following Tian Heng of the Sea God. On weekdays, you'll not only be responsible for the livelihood of the people along the rivers and waterways within your jurisdiction, but also for the merchant ships going out from your area. You'll need to arrange better earnings for your water god soldiers. It's not an easy job. As for the General of the Battle God, you're not here to retire. You'll be responsible for training basic recruits, maintaining the fighting strength of the Fighter Army, and being ready to rush to the front lines when things get tense."
The two men paused slightly upon hearing this. One of them hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll take the position of Battle God. I'm not as quick-witted as him, and I probably can't handle the Water God position you mentioned. I'm better suited for training troops. As for rushing to the front lines when war is urgent, that's only right. I'm grateful to Lord Chen for valuing me and giving me this opportunity to serve as a general in my lifetime. In the future, no matter what the situation, as long as Lord Chen needs me, I will lead my troops to support you at the first opportunity!"
"Good!" Sergeant Yang nodded in satisfaction; this answer was exactly what he had expected.
Indeed, many former Black Dragon Guard were unwilling to confront the imperial court directly, but loyalty is the highest virtue of soldiers. Having joined this force and benefited from its advantages, why would they truly back down when it comes to a crucial moment?
After all, Jiangnan has been developed so well by Lord Chen Qing that they will not surrender easily to anyone who tries to take anything from them, not even the imperial court or their former family.
--
"Seriously, why are you going to join this fun? Didn't you say you weren't going to join the army?"
In a room that wasn't very spacious but not too cramped either, the teahouse owner, who had been talking with Yang Junshi and the others that afternoon, looked at the man surnamed Lu with a resentful expression, her eyes red, clearly having cried more than once.
"This summons from Liuzhou is no small matter. It seems our Lord Chen is planning something big. Some things can't be avoided after all. I have to go and see." The man surnamed Lu smiled slightly, "Thank you very much for your companionship this past year, mother and daughter. I will return."
"Liar!" The proprietress said, her eyes red-rimmed, "If you're going to get out, then get out! Don't spout nonsense about coming back!"
Back then, my husband said that after returning from that sea voyage, he would buy a big house for my mother and me, but that damned man never came back.
"Are you really leaving?" A girl who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old stood next to the proprietress, her face flushed and filled with fear.
The man surnamed Lu was taken aback, then said with a wry smile, "I'll go keep an eye on General Feihu for you, lest he find another woman."
"I won't marry General Feihu!" the little girl said. "Please don't go!"
The man surnamed Lu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then gently patted the girl's head. "There are some things I can't avoid."
"This is Yunzhou, which connects to the southwest. You and your daughter, don't be so foolish next time, running to the countryside like an idiot when trouble comes yourselves. Given the current situation in Jiangnan, if something happens here in Yunzhou, it means that Chen Qing can't protect Jiangnan. You and your daughter, don't hesitate, run to the South Mountain. I've been there once already, and the fog there isn't as thick as before. I estimate that it will be passable soon."
"The Incense Silver from Jiangnan might not be worth as much outside as it is here, but it's still made of silver. You and your daughter should hide some. This world is not peaceful, and you should be prepared to flee at any time."
He gave her a few more words of advice, still worried, before reluctantly picking up his packed clothes and heading outside.
The proprietress gritted her teeth and didn't say a word for a long time, but seeing that the other party was about to leave, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.
You're just leaving like that?
"Feel sorry."
"You heartless bastard, at least leave your real name! You're using Lu Dayong's name, are you trying to fool someone?"
The man paused at the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "My name is Lu Ming. If I have the chance, I will come back to pick you and your daughter up!"