Chapter 767 - Long Xing and Xia Ye (1/2)
Chapter 767 - Long Xing and Xia Ye
In the center of the Royal Army Camp. Not long after, two Generals clothed respectively in red armor and black armor walked into the tent. They were two commanders of the Flame Dragon Army and the Xia Yu Army. They were both ranked as Lieutenant Commanders. The Flame Dragon Army’s Commander was called ‘Long Xing’ and looked to be around thirty five years old. There was a groomed goatee on his chin. He was tall and sturdy, but didn’t look to be very strong. The other commander, who was in charge of the Xia Yu Army, was called ‘Xia Ye’, and was a young general around twenty five years old. He was around my age, and actually managed to climb his way up to this rank.
The difference was that I, the Royal Army General, was still only ranked militarily as a Lieutenant General. Long Xing and Xia Ye used to also be Lieutenant Generals, and would’ve been the same rank as me. However, these two were also the Crown Prince and the Second Prince’s men. Clearly they were here to suppress me for whenever I showed “abnormal” behavior.
Long Xing entered the strategy tent with his sword at his hip. He stood before the sand table and smiled, “I, Long Xing, pay my respects to the General. Your reputation precedes you!”
Xia Ye was also grinning widely. He placed a dagger on the table and smiled, “I, Xia Ye, am also willing to follow the General’s orders, whether it’s through a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, I will go to any lengths!”
I wryly smiled. I didn’t bother to scold them on their overly flippant attitude. Instead I said, “Xiao Lie, bring some wine. Let’s celebrate the arrival of the Generals Long Xing and Xia Ye!”
Xiao Lie said, “General, the Royal Army has a new rule that forbids drinking within the tents.”
I thus replied, “It’s fine, that’s a rule meant for times of war. The great battle has yet to arrive, what’s the problem with some men who want to drink?”
“Yes, I will go and get it now!”
……
Long Xing picked up his sheathe and placed it on the table as he sat down. He looked at me with arrogance, “I heard that the General was the one who lead the ‘ruffian corps’ Royal Army to battle in Dragon City. You guys actually managed to kill two thousand of the legendary Hybrid Demons?”
I sat down as well and said, “That is correct.”
Long Xing smiled, “While I was in the Flame Dragon Army, I lead a division of over ten thousand people. However, we’ve been fighting constantly on the southern lines, facing off the attacks from Port City. And so, we’ve never had a chance to meet some real Hybrid Demons. They must not be as strong as the rumors say so. After all, the Royal Army was about to kill two thousand of them.”
I smiled and calmly said, “Holding off an advance from the Hybrid Demons is number one priority for the Royal Army. Now that General Long Xing has come to lead his troops in my Royal Army, then I’m sure you’ll get the chance to see just how strong those demons are.”
Long Xing visibly shuddered. He never would have expected me to counter his sentence. After all, he was of noble birth, how could he understand all of the different arguments and excuses. He smiled, “Then I look forward to it.”
On the side, General Xia Ye looked at me and said, “I heard that General has recruited a bunch of Barbarians living in the Magic Bamboo Forest. I originally heard that the Royal Army was only made up of princelings who lived extravagant life styles. I never would have expected it to take in a bunch of disdainful Barbarians. My lord is truly a capable man.”
I looked at him with a straight face, “Everyone with a life is equal. There is no need to separate based on wealth or race. The Barbarians are also humans. They just don’t live in the same city as us. Besides, the Royal Army is no longer a princeling army. When I entered, I had kicked all of the useless ones out. Right now, the Royal Army is a troop of experienced fighters who are willing to die at any moment for the country. However, they are not, nor will they ever be, someone else’ tools.”
Xia Ye stiffened. Suspicion rose up in his eyes, “General Li, just what do you think a soldier's mission is in Tian Ling City?”
I thought for a moment, “To obey, in heart and mind.”
Xia Ye smiled, “Obeying is a vocation, that I know, but what does it mean, in heart and mind?”
I stood up and leaned against the sand table with a smile, “For what reason did we join the army? Some people joined so that they could become rich. Some joined so that they could become a noblemen. However, it is my firm belief that the most important issue to a military man is to understand his worth. We aren’t some private army for some noblemen, we are the empire’s army. We fight for our homes and for our people!”
“Good!”
A peculiar expression lit up in Xia Ye’s eyes. He stood up and smiled, “That is truly a quote to go down in history, fight for our homes and our people!”
As he said that, Xia Ye backed up a step and knelt on one knee, “I general Xia Ye, pay my respects to the General. I entrust my life to you, as well as the five thousand lives of my brothers!”
I celebrated internally. This Xia Ye was very young, and at first it appeared that he kept people at an arm’s length. However, I could tell that hot blood ran through his veins. Most of the armies in Tian Ling City were private and kept by noblemen. Each and every one of them are harboring some ulterior motive. Even as the day draws near when the Hybrid Demons are attacking, they still cannot set aside their differences. I’m afraid that many other young Generals like Xia Ye have become jaded by the situation. Now that he had come upon a rock that couldn’t be cracked even if it were boiled, he must be beside himself with excitement.
Long Xing smiled on the side. I could see a sliver of mischief and banter in his eyes, “General Xia Ye must have already forgotten our original intent?”
Xia Ye smiled back, “General Long Xing is overthinking it. I, Xia Ye, came to the Royal Army only to protect my home. There was no other intent. Rather, General Long Xing, are you still considering the secret order given by the crown prince?”
A disturbed look entered Long Xing’s expression. Clearly there was something on his mind that he couldn’t say. He smiled and said, “Nevermind. I will remain in the Royal Army and see for myself whether or not the General is truly as he says he is, and fighting for the people!”
I nodded. Right at that moment, Xiao Lie arrived with two jars of wine. He had also brought with him Han Yuan and the other generals. Everyone sat around the table and began to converse freely with the wine and food. This wine wasn’t some expensive treasure, so drinking it didn’t add any stats. Rather, it was very strong and spirited. I could feel my head spin in the game just from drinking it.
In the end, all of the generals in the Royal Army were drunk. I had also admonished myself and made sure this was the only and final time that this would happen. From now on, I would never touch the spirits in the game again.
I glanced at that clock. It was already late in the evening. We had pretty much settled all of the matters in the Royal Army. The next item on the agenda was integrating the ten thousand new troops into our army. I strongly believed that human nature could change. As time goes on, Long Xing and Xia Ye would definitely see themselves as men of the Royal Army.