328 Dispelling Erstwhile Resentmen (1/2)
The sound of orderly marching resounded. The echoes of their vigorous rhythm shook the earth. The clouds of dust soared into the sky. These factors could only signify the arrival of elite troops. A mushroom-like cloud of dust would've arisen due to all the confusion if it were an ordinary force. It was only because of the orderly march of properly organized troops that there was no confusion and the dust rose in the air the way it did.
That majestic sound of the army's march gave rise to a subtle yet earth-shattering feeling. The sound of this army's march was so formidable that it seemed as if no force in the world could stop it from advancing forward.
”Jun Wu Yi is genuinely worthy of the Jun Family's name. He's running a very tight force. One has no choice but to admire his work after looking at it,” Dongfang Wen Qing was standing on top of a tree. He looked far into the distance and sighed.
”That youngster is quite remarkable.” Dongfang Wen Jian and Dongfang Wen Dao stood beside him. They couldn't restrain their sighs either.
One could see several cavalry-units ahead of Jun Wu Yi if they'd look into the distance. These units surged ahead like a powerful current. Even the horses seemed to raise and set their hooves in unison. No matter what side one would look at this formation from… whether it was at the front, or the back or the sides… everything progressed in a straight and uniform line. Their adjustment to uniformity looked similar to a knife's cut.
However, this was just a product of firm discipline; nothing more. However, the face of each soldier in that army was filled with pride. This is what an army is characterized by. An army unit that lacked a spirit of internal cooperation would never have faces as proud as the ones in this.
Even the Young Master Jun jumped at the sight of such a grand and organized army.
One must know that only the troops under Jun Wu Yi's direct control had been properly disciplined at the time of Jun Mo Xie's departure from the main force. However, private troops from various families had also joined the ranks of this army. These private troops had been assigned as 'guards' for the many Young Masters who had enlisted in the army. However, these private troops weren't disciplined like the rest of the soldiers. In fact, they were like untamed horses. So, it was a wonder that they had been disciplined and brought in-line within a month's time.
[It seems that Third Uncle has great skills in supervising troops.]
The Young Master Jun wasn't familiar with the military affairs in the least. But, he knew that this wasn't very simple. So, the Young Master Jun was aware that he would've had a lot of trouble on his hands if his place had been exchanged with his uncle's.
Jun Mo Xie led the 250 of his men to make a welcome party. However, he was greeted by a cold face. Jun Mo Xie was a wild and untamable beast. But, he smiled at this cold face because it belonged to his Third Uncle — Jun Wu Yi.
Jun Wu Yi looked at his nephew with a solemn expression on the surface. However, his heart didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. [Has any Vanguard unit ever acted in this manner? Letting out your men wasn't very different from letting out sheep in the forest. They basically disappeared without a trace. And, no news of your advancements was relayed to us at the back. I've never heard of a Vanguard unit to operate in this manner before. In fact, this is unprecedented…]
The Young Master Jun had actually done a good job in clearing the path ahead. The army hadn't faced any inconvenience or latent problems. The Young Master Jun's approach may have been improper and insensible, but he had completed his task nonetheless. Therefore, the army hadn't faced even the slightest of problems. Jun Wu Yi was extremely satisfied with this point. Even the upper echelons of the command were quite satisfied with this since they were informed of his efforts; well… at least no one tried to nit-pick the problems.
The only problem was that he hadn't stayed in contact with the main army.
However, what about those who didn't know of his efforts? They had readily believed that the Jun Family's brat had no sense of responsibility. And, they had credited Commander Jun for the fact that they hadn't encountered any trouble throughout their journey. Even the Old Master Jun — who had stayed back in the Tian Xiang City — had somehow come to receive some of this credit.
However, the problem that seemed more serious was the fact that the count of people who were unaware of the Young Master Jun's efforts was massive in number. To quote an example… if the army had only a hundred men… ninety-nine of them would say that it was the Third Master Jun's or the Old Master Jun's handiwork.
Therefore, this naturally gave rise to the issue of convincing the majority of the population. The Young Master Jun's actions had seemed undisciplined on the face of it. So, how could the military's order be maintained unless some punishment was meted out to him?
Therefore, Commander Jun was left with no choice but to rain down a tongue-lashing on Jun Mo Xie. The Young Master played his part well — he raised his eyebrows in shame, and looked down. He acted like a 'yes-man' in a bewildered manner. The Young Master pretended that his Third Uncle was praising his efforts. In any case, Jun Mo Xie didn't listen to his uncle lecture properly, and had nearly fallen asleep by the time it ended.
The Third Master Jun was busy venting his anger on his nephew when he sensed the hint the latter's droopy eyes were giving off. So, Commander Jun had no choice but to hastily explain the camp's arrangements to the troops in a brief sentence. He then quickly ordered the troops to retire.
”Humph! Commander Jun has great authority and murderous aura! Your authority has increased many folds since I saw you ten years ago. You sent your nephew to lead the vanguard; and then, you actually gave him a tongue-lashing even though he completed the task very satisfactorily. But, I didn't hear a single word of encouragement from your mouth. That's truly a ruthless method of self-discipline. You're genuinely an iron-blooded man!” a mockery-riddled eccentric voice echoed from somewhere.
A cold light flashed in Jun Wu Yi's eyes as his sword-like eyebrows shot up, ”Who is it? Come out!”
”We're coming out, we're coming out; don't tell me that the Commander is afraid?” there was a 'brushing' sound as three people came out of their tents.
”Elder Brother Dongfang?” Jun Wu Yi exclaimed in pleasant surprise before he looked further, ”Second Brother Dongfang… and Third Brother! It's really you!” Jun Wu Yi's eyes filled with an immensely guilty look immediately-after that pleasant surprise. His countenance also became extremely dispirited.
”Humph! Of course it's us! You're rushing towards Tian Fa so quickly, Jun Wu Yi. Do you wish to die? Are you tired of your life?” the words that came out of Dongfang Wen Qing's mouth sounded harsh and taunting, but his expression wasn't very grave. A person would have no problems in discerning a sliver of care in that speech if they used their perception ability.