Chapter 82: Return
"It wasn’t quite like taking an enemy commander’s head from the middle of an army, but he’s a fierce general nonetheless," the Marquis of Jiuse said slowly.
Beside him, Zhou Ming nodded in agreement. "Indeed. When I was his age, I was nowhere near as good."
"Hah, never mind you. Even I couldn’t compare to him at that age. Your Zhou Family has truly found a treasure this time," the Marquis of Jiuse said, a hint of envy in his voice.
At this point, the battle’s outcome was already decided.
They had all thought they were doomed, but no one had expected Lu Yuan to perform so brilliantly. He had led a mere eight hundred men to defeat three thousand Northern Barbarians in a frontal assault.
A feat like this was incredibly rare.
Zhou Hongling gazed at the battlefield, her eyes glittering with admiration.
After this battle, Lu Yuan had truly come into his own.
If nothing else, his name was now known throughout Jiuse.
’Once his cultivation improves, he’ll be able to hold his own command.’
As they spoke, time passed, and the battle on the field finally came to a complete end.
In the chaos, more Northern Barbarian Warriors were trampled to death by their comrades than were slain in battle. A number of them also escaped.
Ownerless warhorses whinnied across the desolate fields.
Lu Yuan glanced at Zhou He. "Gather all the horses. We’re taking them with us when we leave."
With that said, he walked toward the Marquis of Jiuse and the others.
His armor was now battered and stained, with some of the Armor Leaves even having fallen off.
Reaching the Marquis of Jiuse, he bowed. "Marquis, the Northern Barbarians know our location. We must leave at once."
"Alright. We’ll follow your lead. Let’s go," the Marquis of Jiuse said with a smile, getting to his feet with the help of a few Personal Guards.
Zhou Hongling and the others immediately got up as well.
They began to pack their belongings.
The campfire was extinguished.
The warhorses were gathered, and an hour later, the group was on the move once more.
「In the days that followed.」
They encountered several more squads of Northern Barbarians, but Lu Yuan defeated them all.
As they drew closer to Dayong, the number of pursuers began to dwindle. However, everyone could see that the Marquis of Jiuse was growing more and more troubled.
Worry was etched on his brow.
After all, the entire right flank had been annihilated in this war.
He bore responsibility for that, no matter the circumstances.
More than ten days later, the group finally neared Icefield City.
The Marquis of Jiuse’s Personal Guards had already been sent ahead to gather intelligence.
The main party, meanwhile, stopped to rest and recuperate.
Lu Yuan was finally able to relax a little. They were now less than a hundred li from Icefield City; there was no way a large-scale Northern Barbarian army would pursue them this far.
The expedition had been arduous, but for Lu Yuan, the benefits were immense.
’Especially in how it has tempered me.’
By the campfire, the color had returned to Zhou Hongling’s face. As a Gang Qi Realm expert, she had managed to pull through despite the lack of medicine and medical attention.
The others were in similar shape.
"It’s all thanks to you this time. Once we’re back, if the Marquis weathers this storm, you’re sure to be given an important position," Zhou Hongling said softly, gently stoking the campfire.
There were only the two of them present; everyone else had tactfully made themselves scarce.
"After a disaster this big, can the Marquis really come out of it unscathed?" Lu Yuan asked, uncertain.
"It’s hard to say. The Marquis of Jiuse didn’t get to his position without powerful backers. The higher-ups are probably still making their moves. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to send his Personal Guards to scout for news. Brocade Robe Envoys would have already been dispatched past the border to find him."
Having grown up in a General’s Mansion, Zhou Hongling naturally knew more about such things.
"Let’s hope so." Lu Yuan nodded. ’If that’s the case, and the Marquis of Jiuse can maintain his command of the Northern Border, then with the rapport I’ve built with him these past few days, I shouldn’t have to worry about my future prospects.’
"I also owe my safe return to you this time. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have died on that battlefield. After we’re back in the city, rest for a few days. Then the family will send people to accompany you to Yunzhou to bring your mother here."
"Then you’ll finally have made a clean break from the Zhang Family," Zhou Hongling said, looking at Lu Yuan.
He nodded. "Yes, that’s what I was thinking too. Thank you, General."
"There’s no one else around. No need to be so formal," Zhou Hongling chuckled.
"CLIP-CLOP!"
Just then, the sound of hooves echoed from the distance, and a group of riders came into view, galloping toward them.
The one in the lead was none other than Zhou Ren, clad in black armor.
As soon as he drew near, he leaped from his horse and addressed the Marquis of Jiuse. "We welcome the Marquis’s return."
"No need for formalities. What’s the court’s official position? The news should have arrived by now, right?" the Marquis of Jiuse said slowly. Seeing Zhou Ren’s attitude, however, he felt a great weight lift from his heart. ’It seems I’m probably not in too much trouble.’
And indeed, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Ren replied, "The Marquis is wise. The imperial edict has already reached the Northern Border. In essence, it states that while the main fault for this defeat does not lie with the commander, you still bear some responsibility. Your salary will be forfeit for half a year as a warning."
"The Upper Emissary has already departed."
Hearing the definitive news, the Marquis of Jiuse finally breathed a sigh of relief. "So the Northern Barbarians and us... we’re heading for peace talks, then."
A sneer touched the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
"The Marquis’s foresight is uncanny. The peace talks officially began seven days ago," Zhou Ren replied quietly.
"Excellent. I’m done with it. Let’s head back first," the Marquis of Jiuse declared, rising to his feet. Surrounded by Zhou Ren and his men, he started toward Icefield City.
Along the way, Zhou Ren personally approached Lu Yuan to inquire about his well-being, showing his concern.
This gesture alone spoke volumes about how highly he regarded Lu Yuan.
This was a prime opportunity for Zhou Ren to curry favor with the Marquis of Jiuse, so for him to take the time to speak with Lu Yuan was a clear indicator of Lu Yuan’s standing in the Zhou Family Patriarch’s eyes.
After another day’s travel, the party finally returned to Icefield City. Gazing upon the border Sai City, Lu Yuan was filled with a thousand emotions.
’I’m finally back.’
The Marquis of Jiuse shouted to the troops behind him, "All wounded men, report to the camp! The Medical Officers are to treat you immediately! Every man will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver! The rest of you, follow me to the mansion to wash up, soak in a hot bath, and have a drink! Every man gets thirty taels of silver!"
Having risen from the lowest ranks himself, the Marquis was always most generous to the common Warriors.
Nearly a thousand men had broken through the encirclement, but after countless vicious battles on the long road back, fewer than three hundred remained alive.
"Thank you, Marquis!"
the men roared in unison.
They then followed the Marquis of Jiuse to the Zhou Mansion.
Upon entering, they found that hot water had already been prepared. Several massive bathing pools had been set up, hastily enclosed with wooden planks.
Medicinal herbs were even steeping in the water.
The travel-worn Warriors, caked in dust and grime, didn’t hesitate for a moment and jumped right in.
Lu Yuan had also arrived at the Zhou Mansion, but his treatment was naturally different from the other Warriors. In a private room, he lay back in a bathing tub, feeling the muscles all over his body finally, completely relax.
Then, he opened his system, ready to check his gains from the recent period.