825 Commander-in-chief (1/2)
The 20,000 Dragon Army troops departed that very night, and they caught up with Shulitu's main force, who had already departed, the following morning. At this time, the cavalry of Heaven's Pass was still nowhere to be seen.
The soldiers of the Western Regions had plenty of fight in them and barely showed any signs of fatigue, which was very different from the previous image that the Norland army had.
Dugu Xian arrived even earlier, with no attendants except for the single bodyguard, Tie Linglong. He was wearing a Norland-style short coat and had an unkempt beard and terribly red eyes; he looked no different from a common refugee. So in the beginning, barely anybody noticed this one-armed general who was travel-worn and weary.
The large army kept marching on staunchly. After a quick wash and shave, Dugu Xian changed into a general's uniform and then stood beside the Dragon King, talking with the counselor and the others as they walked.
From this moment on, Dugu Xian began to attract the attention of others and rumors immediately started spreading. By dusk, when the army was setting camp, his name had already become known to a lot of officers and soldiers. Although, the soldiers were more used to calling him the ”one-armed man.”
”Did you see the way that the Dragon King talked to him? I've never seen the Dragon King act so politely to anybody before.”
”How many times have you seen the Dragon King?”
”I saw the Dragon King kill people.”
”It seems that His Highness knows this one-armed man. They were talking and laughing like old friends.”
”Um, I heard that he used to be a general of the Norland army, and that later, he joined the Dragon King's side and won a lot of battles.”
The battle at Xiaoyao Lake had shocked the entire Western Regions, but the common Norland soldiers knew little of it. On this occasion, however, it became the topic of many soldiers' conversations again. The part where the female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance had shown up like God's army gradually lost it luster, and one particular commander of that battle gained popularity rapidly.
Gu Shenwei wished that he had brought Dugu Xian here earlier, because just half a day was too short for the general to shoot to fame. Right now, the extent of the troops' discussion about Dugu Xian was merely this: they deemed him suitable to be the commander of the Dragon Army, but not the Commander-in-chief of the allied forces.
Some veterans of the Norland army did remember Dugu Xian, though, and there was even a captain among them. This captain thought the world of this old army comrade, but when Shulitu voiced his opinion about Dugu Xian becoming the Commander-in-chief, the captain shook his head in refusal repeatedly. ”An outsider? That's impossible. The officers will never follow his commands.”
This was the general situation right before the election for the Commander-in-chief that night. Shulitu was resigned to the situation. ”There's nothing we can do. The Dragon King has created some miraculous achievements before, but it'll take General Dugu a long time to gain enough recognition… Can we delay the election?”
Gu Shenwei shook his head. When they were facing imminent war, they couldn't afford to delay the election of Commander-in-chief by even one day.
At the second night-watch of that night, the 60,000 cavalrymen from Heaven's Pass arrived and also set camp. Old General Mo Chu went to the young king's camp, along with Azheba. The first thing he did was meet with Prince Duodun.
The total troop count of the allied forces was smaller than 180,000. Shulitu's troops numbered 90,000, and made up the majority of the force, but they were also the most varied in terms of composition — the Court Attendants Army and the subordinates of the former kings were all included.
The Dragon Army numbered 20,000, most of whom were from the Shule Kingdom and inexperienced in battle.
The Second Consort's army had 10,000 men. But they were known for the superior treatment they received, not their fighting capability.
Duodun's army totaled 60,000. Most of the troops were veterans and they were undefeated throughout the Shule Kingdom.
During the Commander-in-chief election taking place that night, the only ones who had a say were Shulitu, the Dragon King, the Second Consort and Duodun. Fang Wenshi, Dugu Xian, Liman, Mo Chu and more than thirty other senior generals were present as observers; they could express their opinions only when asked to.
Shulitu was the host, so he was the first one to talk. ”I recommend General Li Shun.”
A black-faced old general nodded at the crowd silently.
”General Li Shun assisted my grandfather through countless battles and won numerous victories. The previous Khan once gave him the title 'Grassland Hawk.' He's more than qualified to be the Commander-in-chief of our allied forces.”
No objections arose. Just as Shulitu had said, Li Shun was indeed a pre-eminent general.
The second speaker was the Second Consort, and she recommended Azheba. ”He's the most renowned archer in all of Norland, young and promising, and deeply loved by the troops. He's precisely the daring and valiant Commander-in-chief that we need.”
Azheba was merely a centurion, and technically, he wasn't even qualified to attend this meeting. But, the Second Consort had no outstanding generals in her army and her recommendation was more of a part of an overall strategy. Thus, so nobody raised objections either.
Both of the last two people politely asked the other to speak first, and at last Duodun accepted the other's gentle offer. ”Liman.”
With a grave look on his face, Liman nodded to the other generals.
After a pause, Duodun resumed his explanation of his nomination. ”I have lost count of the number of the wars that Liman has participated in. He has fought battles side by side with his father and King Rizhu from childhood. Some people might say that he has no previous experience of being a Commander-in-chief, but I don't think that that is going to be a problem. As the saying goes, 'eagles do not breed doves.' How incompetent could general Zhe Su's son possibly be? The Naihang Tribe's our ally, and if the old general were here, he would definitely support Liman too.”
The Norlanders heavily valued lineage. Duodun's words thus exerted a strong influence on those generals. Even Li Shun, whom Shulitu had recommended, nodded his approval. He was a clever man, and he knew that both he and Azheba were just foils for the other nominations.
The Dragon King was the last one to speak and everybody watched him attentively, wondering how he would introduce Dugu Xian, the one-armed outsider who had come out of the blue.
The General of the Right, Shang Liao had stayed behind in the Xiaowan Kingdom, and Dugu Xian was attending this meeting as the Commander-in-chief of the Dragon Army. However, he had spent his entire day accompanying the Dragon King, and he hadn't even had enough time to get to know all of his subordinate officers.
Gu Shenwei stood up, but didn't directly say Dugu Xian's name. ”Luoluo's a highly experienced general. If we want to fight him, we need a Commander-in-chief who has been through hundreds of wars.”
There was no doubt about this, and all the generals agreed on this point. However, none of them voiced the other criterion: no matter how many battles he had fought, the Commander-in-chief had to be recognized by the Norlanders first.
Duodun had made some preparation in advance, and he was ready to point out that neither side in the battle of Xiaoyao Lake had been a professional army, and that Dugu Xian's victory in that battle was worth nothing in the eyes of the Norlander.
Gu Shenwei resumed his explanation, saying, ”The new Commander-in-chief is to command several armies, so he must also be selfless.”