Bab 9: A Hundred-Year-Old General Sets Out to Battle Carrying a Coffin
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A hundred-year-old general had set out with his coffin.
All the ministers in the hall were shocked and looked at Ji Ye in disbelief. They knew the old general's temper very well.
He was upright and could not tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes.
He was also known as the Human Slayer on the battlefield.
At his peak, Ji Ye led 10,000 of the Ji family's army and defeated the 100,000-strong cavalry camp of the great Han Dynasty, killing them in the Long Rock Valley.
It was also the battle in Long Rock Valley that made Ji Ye famous.
If he wasn't so old, he would have been the next Great Xia general.
In fact, the main reason why Ji Ye left the temple was that he didn't want to get involved in politics.
Now that Emperor Xia had personally invited him to go on an expedition, Ji Ye had no reason to refuse. He was the cast stone of Xia and had a deep friendship with the empire. He could not accept the destruction of Xia.
Ye Xuan's eyes landed on Ji Ye. "Gao Ying, give the old general a seat."
Ji Ye said. "Your Highness, there's no need. I'm here to ask for your permission to go on an expedition."
He paused for a moment and continued, "As long as I'm still alive, Great Xia will not be lost. If the Northern Barbarian army wants to attack the capital, they will have to step over my dead body."
Ye Xuan's expression changed. If Xia had a general like Ji Ye, how would the other countries dare to invade? "Old General Ji, how many soldiers do you have?"
Ji Ye replied, "Your Highness, the 50,000-strong Ji family army is still in the imperial capital. They can return with my order."
Ye Xuan nodded. "Alright, I agree to let you go to war. However, it will take time to prepare the supplies. Old General, you should gather the army first, then set off for the North immediately after the supplies are ready."
"Your Highness, there's no need to go through so much trouble." Ji Ye's expression was solemn. "I sold all my property before entering the palace. The gold and spirit stones I have are enough for the army this time."
Sold his property and cut off his means of retreat?
Ji Ye was the soul of the empire's army and a military hero. How could he be left homeless?
Ye Xuan turned his head and glanced at Qian Feng, Li Chuntian, and the others. "Old General, you are the pillar of the empire. How can I let you have no home to return to? Leave the matter of food supplies to me."
Li Chuntian, Qian Feng, Xiao Rui, Li Lingxiao, and the others had complicated expressions on their faces. Ji Ye's appearance completely changed the situation, and the development of the situation was completely different from what they had expected.
Everyone was shocked by Ji Ye's determination. He was willing to sacrifice everything for a great war. Some people thought that Ji Ye was hot-blooded and dared to sacrifice for the empire, while others thought he was stupid.
Li Chuntian said in a low voice, "Your Highness, the Northern Barbarian Empire has a strong army and strong horses. There are also many martial arts experts. How can Old General Ji's 50,000-strong Ji family army attack the Northern Barbarians? This is not appropriate."
Ye Xuan's gaze landed on Li Chuntian. "Grand Preceptor, are you doubting the Old General's strength? The Northern Barbarians entered Xia and attacked three counties. They killed 52 generals and countless soldiers. The people were in great misery."
"Grand Preceptor, now that Old General Ji is willing to fight for the country, you have once again boosted the morale of others and diminished your own prestige. I see that you are getting on in years and can retire and return home."
Li Chuntian was speechless.
"Your Highness, I'm worried that Old General Ji would be in danger."
"Then sorry for troubling you, Grand Preceptor," Ye Xuan said with a smile.
At this moment, Ling Fusheng led his men into the main hall and bowed. "Your Highness, I found a hundred spirit rings and countless treasures in Lord Qian's mansion."
Ye Xuan's expression changed slightly. He thought that the Qian family must have gained something, but he didn't expect him to be so greedy. His wealth could rival a country. "Lord Qian, I'll give you a chance to quibble."
When Qian Feng heard this, he knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness, I'm innocent. Please give me a chance."
Ye Xuan also didn't expect the Minister of Revenue, Qian Feng, would be so greedy. If he raided the residences of other people, wouldn't he gain more? For example, Grand Preceptor Li Chuntian.
Grand Tutor Li Lingxiao.
"Lord Qian, you've been caught red-handed, and you're telling me that you've been wrongly accused. Do you think that I'm stupid?"
"Commander Ling, throw Qian Feng into the prison."
Qian Feng knew that he was in deep trouble and quickly turned to Li Chuntian, "Teacher, save me. Teacher, save me."
Li Chuntian said in all seriousness, "To think that I've always trusted you and recommended you to His Majesty to be the Minister of Revenue. I didn't expect you to embezzle from your own watch. You've let down His Majesty's trust, let down the people, and let down your master."
"Commander Ling, quickly take him away!"
Qian Feng was completely dumbfounded. In the past, he embezzled the military's pay, and most of it was sent to the Grand Preceptor's residence. Now, Li Chuntian actually treated him like this. Since he was unkind, then he shall not blame him for being disloyal. "Your Highness, I want to impeach."
"Your Highness, I want to impeach."
Struggling madly, Qian Feng broke free from the two soldiers' restraints and rushed toward Ye Xuan.
Upon seeing this, Li Chuntian had a bad feeling. He knew that Qian Feng was desperate and would definitely rat him out. In a moment of desperation, his figure flashed, and he slapped Qian Feng's forehead, causing blood to splatter all over the Golden Palace.
Qian Feng died.
The officials turned pale with fright and looked at Li Chuntian in shock. They did not expect him to kill someone in the Golden Palace.
"Your Highness, Qian Feng was up to no good, so I killed him!"
"The Grand Preceptor is right." Ye Xuan thought to himself, what a sly old fox. "Now that Lord Qian is dead, we can leave the matter of gathering food to the Grand Preceptor."
"Old General Ji will send troops to the north in ten days. I believe that Grand Preceptor will be able to prepare the provisions and supplies."
Li Chuntian's face turned extremely ugly as if he had just eaten sh*t, "I understand."
"Then I'll have to trouble Grand Preceptor." Ye Xuan nodded, and his eyes fell on Ji Ye. "Old General, we're not going to the Northern Territory to defeat the Northern Barbarian Army. We're going to kill our way into the Northern Barbarian Empire. I have never thought of just forcing them back. I want the Northern Barbarians to pay a painful price. Only then will they understand that foreign races are forbidden from entering Great Xia."
"I also want to tell you one more thing. If the enemy can go forward, so can I."
"Old General, you're confident?"
Ji Ye said. "Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll definitely recover the lost land and kill my way into the Northern Barbarian's imperial capital."
What a line. Within the borders of Great Xia, foreign races are forbidden.
However, Great Xia was in danger from all sides, with many countries eyeing it covetously, and generals everywhere had their own troops. The problems of Great Xia were deep-rooted, and Ye Xuan couldn't reverse the situation with a few bold words.
"That's it for the deployment of the army to the Northern Barbarians. My father is not well, so I will be in charge of the country for the time being. If you need anything, you can come to the Eastern Palace."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Xuan stood up and walked out of the Golden Palace...
Outside the hall, he turned to look at Ling Fusheng. "Invite Xiao Rui to the Eastern Palace in a while."
After saying that, he stood up and left.
In the hall, the officials finally heaved a sigh of relief. It was only now that they realized they had underestimated Ye Xuan. The crown prince's methods were not something they could bear.
He had thought that the crown prince's administration would be in chaos, and the empire would fall into the hands of the Grand Tutor and the Grand Preceptor. He had never expected that Ye Xuan's manipulation would make the Grand Preceptor helpless and only follow orders.
Li Chuntian looked at Ye Xuan's back as he left. He angrily waved his sleeves and walked out of the Golden Palace. The officials behind him hurriedly chased after him. The Grand Preceptor's anger would cause the capital to tremble.
-- Hadiah diterima