Chapter 904: Young People at the Regional Inspector's Residence

There was a grand banquet at Chunxue Tower, one that would determine the future course of the Central Plains. Meanwhile, in Qingcang City, Luzhou, a much simpler meal was being held, yet it would equally shape the future dynamics between Liang and Mang.

Prefect Yang Guangdou couldn't help but smile as he gazed at the young faces crowded around the table. The old man felt a deep sense of happiness and genuine contentment.

They were Chen Xiliang, recently promoted to Luzhou Vice-Prefect; Kou Jianghuai, General of Luzhou; Xie Xichui, who had just arrived from beyond Liangzhou Pass to assume command of the forces in Linyiao and Fengxiang; Yu Luandao, leading ten thousand Youzhou cavalry to this location; Cao Wei, soon to depart for Mount Lantuo in the Western Regions; and of course, Xu Longxiang.

The old man looked at these vibrant young people as if five rising stars had suddenly emerged within his own family.

It was like seeing clusters of fresh green shoots suddenly appear in a snow-white winter landscape, a sight to behold and fill one with joy.

Cao Wei was short and unremarkable in appearance, yet he possessed an arrogant and ambitious spirit. Even while dining at the same table as his peers, his voice was the loudest, and his demeanor was the most assertive.

Chewing on a mutton flatbread, this squat fellow mumbled to Yang Guangdou, "Old Yang, just patiently wait to help me submit victory reports to Qingliang Mountain and the Protectorate General's office. Honestly, if you ask me, you can start writing now. Feel free to exaggerate the military achievements; I guarantee it won't be wrong!"

Chen Xiliang smiled faintly, saying, "We still have to follow the rules."

Cao Wei squinted at him. "Old Chen, you don't trust General Cao, do you?"

Chen Xiliang offered a helpless smile.

Yu Luandao sneered, "Don't forget Zhong Tan led ten thousand elite Southern Dynasty cavalry to Mount Lantuo. You only have ten thousand troops yourself, so victory is still uncertain. And you're already thinking about military achievements? Is that how you lead an army? Do you want me to write a secret letter to the Prince right now?!"

It seemed there was always someone to keep another in check. Cao Wei was usually flippant and familiar with everyone, but he simply couldn't get along with Yu Luandao, the eldest direct descendant of the Yu clan who had defected to the Central Plains. He rolled his eyes. "Stinky wench, I won't stoop to your level!"

The handsome Yu Luandao, with a dignified presence, pressed a hand to the renowned blade, Dalaun, at her waist and raised an eyebrow. "Shall we step outside for a bit of a spar?"

Cao Wei vaguely swallowed the last bit of flatbread, then suddenly let out a groan, clutching his stomach. "I'm stuffed! Today, I'm only at two or three-tenths of my usual strength. Fine, fine, Yu Luandao, I'll fight you with just two or three-tenths of my power! I'll still knock you flat!"

Yu Luandao scoffed, "Afraid of you?"

Xie Xichui shared a knowing smile.

Kou Jianghuai quietly chewed his mutton flatbread, taking an occasional sip of water, completely ignoring the sharp exchanges between Cao Wei and Yu Luandao.

The barefoot, black-clad Xu Longxiang grinned. "Why don't you two just fight me together?"

Yu Luandao and Cao Wei instantly exchanged a knowing look, then spoke in unison: "Only one hand allowed!" "Only one leg allowed!"

Xu Longxiang chuckled, "Alright."

Yu Luandao looked eager and spirited, while Cao Wei remained shifty and timid.

Yang Guangdou laughed exasperatedly. "You rascals! Stop messing around!"

The old man gave Chen Xiliang a look. The latter put down his mutton flatbread, adjusted his collar, and stated gravely, "The latest intelligence from the Fuishui House indicates that the true battle for Luzhou will take place in Beiman's Southern Dynasty. This strategy has been finalized. Ning Emei will lead six thousand Iron Buddha cavalry to Qingcang City to support the Dragon Elephant Army. At the same time, Liangzhou General Shi Fu and the White Feather Light Cavalry stationed around Qingyuan military outpost can enter the Luzhou battlefield at any time to help the Dragon Elephant Army tie down Huang Songpu's main Beiman army."

Cao Wei frowned and asked, "After the Battle of Dragon's Eye, weren't there only two thousand Iron Buddha cavalry left?"

Chen Xiliang smiled. "Eight hundred White Horse Righteousness cavalry have just joined the Iron Buddha cavalry, and nearly three thousand cavalry have been transferred from two passes within Liangzhou."

Cao Wei slapped his thigh, casting a sidelong glance at Yu Luandao, and feigned a mournful tone. "Damn it, so the Iron Buddha cavalry are the true darlings of that Xu Fengnian fellow after all!"

Yu Luandao, who had once followed the young Prince on a northern raid from Jizhou to outside Gulu Pass, retorted angrily, "Cao Wei! Watch your mouth!"

Chen Xiliang turned to Kou Jianghuai and Xie Xichui and continued, "To ensure the complete annihilation of Zhong Tan's cavalry, in addition to Cao Wei's ten thousand cavalry as the main force, we will likely need another cavalry unit to provide outer perimeter support."

Kou Jianghuai stated directly, "I don't deal with such small fry."

Xie Xichui calmly replied, "I'll go then. The troops from Fengxiang and Linyiao are familiar with the Western Regions' terrain anyway."

Yu Luandao narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Then I'll directly penetrate the heartland of the Southern Dynasty's Gusei Province and head straight for the Western Capital Temple?"

Before Chen Xiliang's gaze could even reach him, Xu Longxiang had already answered, "The Dragon Elephant Army will engage Huang Songpu's main forces on the front lines at the Luzhou border. We will fight and retreat, and it will definitely be after three to four major battles before Huang Songpu even sees the walls of Qingcang City."

Kou Jianghuai nodded. "Three battles are the minimum. If the thirty thousand Dragon Elephant Army can hold out for four battles, I can ensure that former Southern Courtyard Grand King won't return alive, making him suffer the same fate as Yang Yuanzan at Gulu Pass! If there are five battles…"

At this point, Kou Jianghuai paused, then cast a challenging look at Yu Luandao. "Then I'll have to compete with you to see who severs more heads of Southern Dynasty officials."

Chen Xiliang said cautiously, "Although Beiman's premier elite 'Horse Corrals' suffered heavy casualties and were almost wiped out in the Battle of Dragon's Eye Plain, Huang Songpu was, after all, the Southern Courtyard Grand King for nearly twenty years and surely has some hidden reserves. Zhong Tan, moreover, carries the great hopes of the Zhong family. Therefore, no battle in Luzhou, regardless of its location, can be taken lightly. For this reason, I specifically requested the Protectorate General's office to transfer at least six hundred White Horse Scouts from the Liangzhou border army."

Chen Xiliang suddenly intensified his tone, his gaze sharp. "Gentlemen, though I, Chen Xiliang, am not skilled in military affairs, I am profoundly clear on one point: on the Luzhou battlefield, where one wrong move can affect everything, killing a few tens of thousands more Beiman barbarians will not atone for a mistake! Let me be frank: if anyone delays the overall strategy for Luzhou for the sake of immediate military merits, then as long as I, Chen Xiliang, live another day in this life, I will pursue them relentlessly! Cao Wei! Yu Luandao! Kou Jianghuai! Xie Xichui!"

Cao Wei sighed, reluctantly lowering the leg he had propped on the stool. "Alright, alright, Old Chen, you've got me scared!"

Yu Luandao said solemnly, "I understand the gravity of the situation. My Youzhou ten thousand cavalry will only target the Western Capital City as our primary objective and will try to bypass military outposts like Junzi Hall and Wazhu. Regardless of whether their forces are depleted, we will disregard them."

Xie Xichui nodded.

Kou Jianghuai still maintained his stoic demeanor, but unable to withstand Chen Xiliang's unwavering gaze, he eventually nodded along with Xie Xichui.

Xu Longxiang scratched his head. "Xiliang, is there nothing for me to do?"

Chen Xiliang raised his arm, clenched his fist, and brought it down forcefully. "General, your only task is to wholeheartedly block Huang Songpu's main forces!"

Xu Longxiang laughed sheepishly, "That's certainly no problem at all."

Cao Wei slapped his forehead. This simple-minded young prince – who knew how he ended up with such a cunning, old fox of a brother?

Xie Xichui couldn't help but chuckle, then fell into a slight daze.

Back in Guangling Dao, although he had personally fought many incredible victorious battles, he still felt unsettled. It was like knowing that even if you won ninety-nine battles, losing just one meant losing everything.

But after arriving in Beiliang, in Qingcang City, he found peace of mind among these strangers, who had become his comrades-in-arms – even with the perpetually arrogant Kou Jianghuai – despite facing enemies with vastly superior numbers.

Just then, a handsome young man, dusty from travel and clad in light armor, strode into the room and sharply clasped his hands in a salute. "White Horse Scout Li Hanlin, leading twelve hundred cavalry, has arrived in Qingcang City and is ready for orders!"

A visibly stunned Chen Xiliang rose and asked, "Lieutenant Li, why are so many of your scouts here? What about beyond Liangzhou Pass?"

Li Hanlin replied stonily, "It's a military order from the Protectorate General's office. As your subordinate, I simply follow orders."

Then, this last remaining White Horse Lieutenant of the Beiliang border army winked at everyone inside, a brilliant smile on his face, and lowered his voice slightly. "There aren't many Beiman 'Horse Corrals' left to kill beyond Liangzhou Pass. However, that old guy Huang Songpu still has seven or eight hundred private 'corrals' under him, which are decent enough."

Kou Jianghuai looked up and asked, "So you're Li Hanlin? The son of Commissioner Li Gongde?"

Cao Wei immediately settled into a 'grab a stool and watch the show' mode, as if fearing the world wasn't chaotic enough. Tsk, tsk. Kou Jianghuai usually looked like he wanted to punch anyone he met, as if they owed him millions of taels of silver. Meeting someone like Li Hanlin, who had both a notable background and military achievements, clearly set the stage for a fierce confrontation!

Li Hanlin paused, then chuckled. "Yes, I am Li Hanlin. And you're General Kou Jianghuai, right? When you were fiercely battling the Liyang imperial army, I had correspondence with Brother Nian… I mean, with the Prince. The Prince mentioned in his letters that if the day ever came when you and Xie Xichui could serve the Beiliang border army together, he would be ecstatic. I never thought that day would truly arrive! I, Li Hanlin, am a rough man; I won't mince words. If we all make it back alive from the battlefield, when we get to Lingzhou, I'll treat you, Kou Jianghuai, to a full year of 'flower wine'! And not just you – Cao Shorty, Yu Luandao, Xie Xichui, none of you will escape!"

Cao Wei, whose nickname had just been called out, indignantly exclaimed, "Where would you, Li Hanlin, get so much silver?! Lingzhou is a money pit! A decent courtesan there costs at least two or three hundred taels of silver!"

Li Hanlin roared with laughter. "What's there to be afraid of? I'll borrow it from my father. If I really can't pay him back, I'll just give the old man a bunch of grandchildren!"

Kou Jianghuai's lips curled into a smile. This once infamous White Horse Lieutenant now seemed far more agreeable than Xie Xichui or Yu Luandao.

Xie Xichui gave a wry smile. "Lieutenant Li, drinking is fine, but if we drink 'flower wine,' I'm afraid a year of it would mean kneeling on a washboard for a year!"

Chen Xiliang, known throughout Beiliang for his seriousness, smiled wryly. "I'm a bit better off than Xie Xichui; I'm not yet married, so I'm not afraid of 'flower wine.' But if I drink, I'll only have Green Ant wine. As for courtesans…"

Chen Xiliang, "seriously," added, "I still care a great deal!"

Kou Jianghuai couldn't help but glance at the young Luzhou Vice-Prefect, who had truly impressed him, and cursed inwardly: "Damn it, he's certainly a scholar from Jiangnan Dao!"

Yang Guangdou had not interrupted the young men's conversation.

The old man occasionally picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth, his eyes full of smiles.

After clapping his hands, the old man suddenly stood up, his hands clasped behind his back, and walked straight to the door. After stepping over the threshold, he turned to face the young men and slowly said, "Perhaps only in Beiliang, and only here in my prefect's residence, Yang Guangdou's residence, would a farewell banquet for generals consist of just a basket of mutton flatbreads. My apologies."

Having said this, the old man turned and walked away.

Cao Wei quickly tugged on Chen Xiliang's sleeve and chuckled, "Old Chen, Old Chen, did you see that? Was Old Man Yang crying?"

The old man, who hadn't gone far, quickened his pace and angrily cursed, "Nonsense! The sandstorms are fierce in Beiliang!"