Chapter 810 - Checkpoint
During lunch, I ate hot pot with Dong Cheng and Wan Er. After we came back, we discovered a pile of luggage indicating that Tang Qi had come back. That b*st*rd sure is energetic, coming back on the second day of the year.
That afternoon, I logged back online!
âShua!â
I appeared outside of the Royal Armyâs Generalâs Tent. Just in front of the garrison was the central camp. The central camp was made up of the cavalry and footsoldier units, while the left camp was made up of Long Xingâs Magic Flame Unit and the right camp was Xia Yeâs Star Rifle Unit. Fifty thousand troops were stationed at this garrison. The Generalâs Tent was the heart of the garrison, but it was very quiet and secluded. Han Yuan had prepared this tent for me, revealing that he thought of me as someone who preferred solitude.
When I walked out of the tent, one of the guards walked over to me and smiled, âGeneral, youâre awake now?â
Looks like when players log off, the NPCs think that weâre sleeping.
I nodded, âYup.â
The guard then candidly asked, âCommander, the other commanders usually have concubines living in their tents to accompany them. At the minimum thereâs one, but there can also be several. From what I hear, his highness Theodore has seven concubines in his tent, while the second prince has four. Even the Marquis Louis has one famously spoiled concubine. So why is it that my lordâs tent completely empty?â
I let out a bitter laugh, must I do as the Romans do here as well? But Iâm a man with a girlfriend. If Wan Er found out that I kept a concubine in my tent, it would be a miracle if she didnât kill me. Plus, even if I were to bring a girl back to my quarters, it would be Wan Er. And so I shook my head with a smile, âGuard, do not worry about these matters. Naturally, I have a girlfriend, but you do not need to know more.â
The guard stiffened. He clearly didnât know the concept of a girlfriend. Even so, he nodded his head and said, âYes sir!â
I summoned my Flying Scythe Horse and galloped straight towards the training grounds. I could hear waves of shouts rising above the camp as I got closer. All of the barbarians in the Blade and Shield camp were training their defense and advance tactics. In the distance, I could see that the cavalrymen were training their riding skills.
Han Yuan had his blade in hand and stood among the crowd of barbarians. He would slice at the shields at different angles, revealing any weak points in the formation. He was personally demonstrating these tactics. Even though he was a high-ranked general, he did not put on any airs and mixed right in with the soldiers. His strength was also increasing and he became more powerful as the days went by, making him one of the strongest experts in the Royal Army. Of course, that was excluding me, the commander. After all, I wasnât an NPC, and Han Yuan would never try to fight against me.
âThe general is here!â
Han Yuan put down his blade and immediately walked over to me with his spear to welcome me, âGeneral!â
I nodded in acknowledgement, âAre there any new developments?â
âI sent a recon team out this morning, but they havenât reported back yet.â
âGot it!â
âŚâŚ
A few minutes later, a line of soldiers rode back into the camp, creating a cloud of dust. One of them stepped forward and said, âCommander, General, weâve already scouted out the entire eastern shore of the War Godâs River, but we did not find any suspicious docks or ports. The only one we found was a port that was abandoned and had been burned down by the Dragonling Army about half a year ago. I believe that their stronghold must be on the western banks!â
Han Yuan furrowed his brow and said, âThe western shores of the War Godâs River is all Xia Yu Army territory. Their garrison spans over several hundred square miles and is a critical resource for the empire. Logically speaking⌠based on the power of the Xia Yu Army, thereâs no reason for them to tolerate the Dragonling Army on their territory⌠unless⌠his highness Prince Owen is like Yugo and has some backhanded deals with the Dragonling Army?â
I shook my head. âThatâs impossible. Owen is a prince and has a very special position. He has no reason to collude with bandits. Besides, itâs not like Owen has a shortage of women or money. He has no need for that. Letâs investigate further before making any conclusions!â
âYes sir!â
I continued supervising the training on the grounds. Every ten minutes, I earned +1 Achievement Points. Acting as the commander of the Royal Army was almost too easy. In addition, my experience almost came exclusively from completing quests. There was no need for me to personally go and farm monsters and BOSSes. Or, when I did kill BOSSes, they were top tier, like the Blood Giant Kehl. In that last battle in the Hybrid Demon Territory, the enemy sacrificed two king tier generals, so it was unlikely they would launch another invasion anytime soon.
Around an hour later, another recon team returned. They immediately knelt before me and reported back, âCommander, General, we surveyed the western shore and found something!â
I felt my heart leap and quickly replied, âTell me!â
He politely replied, âThere are three ports on the west banks of the War Godâs River, and all of them are being used by the military to receive and ship resource shipments. Each one was guarded by 5000 soldiers and were set up with Dragon Crystal Cannons for defense. None of the Dragonling Army ships would dare come close. However,... under the protection of the Xia Yu Army, there is a small fishermanâs village that built a port. The villagers buy and sell food, fodder, steel and other goods. I asked around and found that every week, the Dragonling Army would send men there to trade with the villagers for weapons and food. It does appear that this villageâs livelihood is almost entirely based on the business that the Dragonling Army brings. All of the fishermen have become businessmen, and their young men, blacksmiths. Thatâs right, the village is called âDanyan Villageâ. The village chief is the younger brother of the marquis and the cousin of General Louis. His name is Lucen!â
âLucen?â
Han Yuan knitted his brows, âWhy is it him?â
âWhoâs Lucen?â I asked.
Han Yuan replied, âGeneral, you may not have heard about it. Lucen is around thirty years old, but he was once a famous general. At the young age of 21, he had already climbed his way to becoming a general. He was historyâs youngest high general. However, as time went on, the differences in his thinking with Prince Theodore became apparent, and he lost his position as a military officer, forced to retire. From then on, he disappeared. I never would have imagined that heâd become a chief of a village!â
I asked, âLucen, is he very strong?â
Xiao Lie replied, âHeâs smart and talented in the martial arts, and is one of the most superior officers of the empire. His character, however, is cruel and shortsighted. During his short tenure, he managed to offend a great number of people. Furthermore, heâs extremely greedy. Even though he knew that the Dragonling Army was buying weapons and selling loot that they had stolen from the villagers, heâd rather take the money than care about the villagers. In his heart, honor and kindness hold no weight.â
Han Yuan then went to ask the scout, âHow many villagers are there in Danyan Village?â
âAround a thousand!â
âSo itâs like thatâŚâ Han Yuan furrowed his brow, âGeneral, if Iâm correct, I believe that these thousand men are veterans from Lucenâs old army. They should all be brave and strong warriorsâŚ. If we want to pluck off Danyan Village, then we have to face these men. My lord, you must consider this carefully. Lucen may be many times more powerful than what we imagine him to be!â
I nodded, âEven if he is, we still must fight him! Start picking out the troops, we need ten thousand elite soldiers and they have to be able to move fast. Weâll get to Danyan Village at the fastest possible speed and destroy that stronghold! I donât care who Lucen is, but if he dares to help the Dragonling Army, then weâll eliminate him!â
âYes sir!â
âŚâŚ
Not long after, ten thousand cavalrymen set out from the garrison. This time, they were all equipped with light leather armor. While their defense was much lower than when theyâre dressed in heavy armor, they could move much faster. This also reduced the stress on our mounts. Each man was equipped with bows, lances, and swords so that they could fight in long range battles and close combat.
All of the men brought three days worth of rations with them before galloping off. Under my command, we passed through the Broken Blade Canyon, over the Bridge of Fate, and into the Blood Demon Forest. I could see some [Zhan Long] players training in the distance and even recognized quite a few of them. They happily waved to me, âGuildmaster, are you off to fight another war?!â
I smiled back, âYup, keep on working hard! Youâll only get girls that way!â
âBut of course we have to grind levels. Nevermind about getting girls, Iâm too poor for thatâŚ.â
I was speechless.
âŚâŚ
Not long after, the ten thousand soldiers of the Royal Army passed by the Xia Yu Army camp. A checkpoint was set up along the road with a group of Xia Yu Army guards holding it. They walked up to us and a lieutenant addressed us directly, âWho are you, report your position and name!â
Han Yuan immediately stepped forward, âThe Commander of the Royal Army, the General of the South Li Xiao Yao is leading troops to complete a mission. Can you please let us through!â
âRoyal Army?â
The lieutenant smirked, âWell well, so it was the Royal Army that performed so well at the Sea of No Return. What, have you decided to sink your claws into the Xia Yu Army territory as well? You Royal Army folk are truly incredible, you donât even respect the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. You want to pass through our checkpoint? I have to apologize! Why donât you go to the right and pass through the desert!â
Han Yuan angrily rammed his spear against the ground, âYou want to die? You actually dare to act so arrogant before us!â
I quickly chided him, âHan Yuan, donât be rash!â
Han Yuan was a strong general, but he was a hot-blooded man. Nobody else but me could keep him back. I managed to stop him in his place with that one order. Xiao Lie couldnât help but joke, âOld Han, you airhead, you were stopped by a single word from the commander!â
Han Yuan spun around and said, âI only follow the commanderâŚ.â
Xiao Lie raised his blade and walked over, âSir Flag Bearer, I am a general of the Royal Army, Xiao Lie. Could you please let us through? We have a critical mission to attend to and we must pass through!â
Logically speaking, a lieutenant is much lower than a general, but this lieutenant was too arrogant and haughty said, âWhat you going to do to me if I donât?â
Xiao Lie was a prudent man and immediately charged forward, âThen Iâll cut you down!â
âŚâŚ
Right then, a Xia Yu Army soldier charged forward. He was a player. I could see the insignia of his unit on his shoulder. He raised his spear and shouted, âXu Yu, do not be impudent! Let them through!â
The lieutenant called Xu Yu turned around. When he saw the man, his tone immediately changed, âBut supervisor, this is Xia Yu Army territory, how can we let the Royal Army soldiers do what they want here?â
The player smiled, âDonât worry, Iâm friends with Li Xiao Yao, do not disobey him!â
âYes sir!â
I led my horse forward and smiled, âDrunken Spear, looks like youâve become accustomed to the Xia Yu ArmyâŚâ
Drunken Spear smiled wryly, âMotherf*cker, I set up an entire camp here, but weâre just being used like guards. Nothing as impressive as youâŚ.â
I laughed, âAlright already, Iâm here for a military quest. When I come back, Iâll properly thank you!â
âGood luck!â
âAs if I need itâŚâ
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