170: Chapter 0170 The General's Great Kindness

On the Cang River, hundreds of ships sailed south.

General Wu Jinzhe and the other officers saw, in the distance, a few ship silhouettes swaying unsteadily.

Upon getting closer, thousands of the Zhenbei Army were struck dumb, their scalps tingling with shock!

They saw that those massive White Kings Army warships had been ruthlessly smashed to pieces by some overwhelming, irresistible force!?

The warships could not fully sink and were bobbing along the waves on the crimson river.

The air was thick with an inescapable scent of blood!

"General Wu, this... is this all the work of our General Lin?" Commander Bai Buhei asked, swallowing hard.

"Who else could it be?"

General Wu Jinzhe said solemnly: "Don't forget, even the Martial Arts Grandmaster Faceless Boy was no match for our General."

"The General's martial arts have long reached a level of perfection; he can take the head of an enemy general amidst thousands of troops. It is beyond our ability to fathom!"

Chen Chuan sighed in admiration: "Back when I was at the Sword Forest, I saw two sword masters sparring, and I thought they were heaven-sent."

"But compared to the scene the General has created... I fear those two sword masters combined wouldn't even equal him!"

Li Xu widened his eyes and said: "Brother Chuan, is that for real? Our General is that powerful?!"

"You brat! Is there any need to question the General's strength?!" General Wu Jinzhe kicked him playfully and scolded him with a smile.

Li Xu hurriedly explained, blushing: "That's not what I meant! I obviously know the General is heroic and invincible, but... but this is five thousand White Kings Army troops!"

"There must be many experts among them. For the General to wipe them all out alone—this is no longer just a matter of having high martial arts skills, is it!?"

The soldiers had complex expressions; they, of course, knew what Li Xu was marveling at.

Everyone was a soldier and knew well that the combat strength of a regular army could not be compared to that of mere wanderers.

Five thousand troops—even if they came up one by one to be slaughtered, who knows how long it would take to kill them all!

If they were the ones doing the killing, they'd probably get hand cramps after cutting down a few dozen!

Furthermore, the White Kings Army was not stupid. Facing an expert, they could use armor-piercing heavy crossbows, animal-catching nets, fire attacks, or even poison.

Lin Xiao had to leap between ships using light-body techniques, surely facing attacks from all sides, with plenty of opportunities to lay traps.

In such a situation, one needed not only terrifying, overwhelming power but also a body of bronze and iron, impervious to blades and poison!

And from beginning to end, one had to maintain focus every single second; one person's stamina had to match that of five thousand!!

Otherwise... it would be impossible to survive!!

"General Lin is truly a God of War descended from the heavens!!"

Commander Bai Buhei voiced what everyone was thinking, and everyone nodded in involuntary agreement!

"What a pity... we couldn't witness it with our own eyes. What kind of battle must it have been?"

General Wu Jinzhe sighed with emotion: "Even if we told the world, I fear no one would believe it."

Everyone nodded. Indeed, if not for seeing it with their own eyes, they would have thought it a fantasy!

Even the legendary General Mu Tiexin, who once shook the world by holding off tens of thousands of Barbarian Army troops with only a few thousand, was considered heaven-sent.

Lin Xiao... wiped out five thousand alone!

Even those storytellers in the taverns wouldn't dare to brag like that!

"Pass on my order: all ships are to slow down. Keep a constant watch on the water, and be wary of any remnants of the White Kings Army launching sneak attacks!"

General Wu Jinzhe still felt it better to be cautious, so he ordered the entire army to be wary.

After moving forward another two or three li, a small fishing boat appeared on the water.

Everyone's eyes narrowed, and they saw a man standing at the bow of the boat.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, his brows tightly locked, a look of profound sorrow on his face!

"General!?"

General Wu Jinzhe and the others shouted loudly. This was the soul of the Zhenbei Army, Lin Xiao, whom they had been worrying about!

Lin Xiao looked back at them and raised a hand to greet them.

"General Lin has been found!!"

"General Lin has been found!!—"

The Zhenbei Army soldiers shouted to one another, all cheering, and the Cang River was suddenly filled with laughter and joy!

General Lin was still alive!

He had wiped out five thousand White Kings Army troops alone and was still standing!!

Such a miracle of war—looking throughout the history of the Central Plains dynasties, there could never be a second instance!

Everyone in the Zhenbei Army felt immensely proud, feeling they had witnessed a historic feat!

General Wu Jinzhe and the others could not care about anything else; as soon as they approached the fishing boat, they all jumped onto it.

"General Lin! You have worked hard!"

"We subordinates arrived late, leaving you to face the enemy alone. We are incompetent!"

"The General's divine martial arts are unmatched; this subordinate admires you to the point of prostration!"

The group had always respected Lin Xiao, but now, it was from the bottom of their hearts, treating him as a god!

With such a God of War leading the Zhenbei Army, the recovery of the Six Prefectures of the Northern Territory was just around the corner!

But after their excitement subsided, they noticed that Lin Xiao did not seem very happy?

Lin Xiao looked sorrowful, his eyes downcast, his expression revealing a deep sense of frustration...

Seeing this, they looked at each other, full of confusion.

Could it be that some important enemy figure had escaped?

Or was there some huge loss they did not know about?

"General, what is wrong?"

General Wu Jinzhe asked with concern.

Lin Xiao sighed deeply...

"They drowned. Over two thousand White Kings Army troops just... drowned in the cold waters of the Cang River."

Lin Xiao absolutely hated this damn low temperature!

If it were any other season, these people could have struggled in the water for a while longer!

Those who drown or freeze to death do not count towards the head count!!

Instead of the 5000+ cultivation points he should have gotten, it only added up to 3114!

The Black Blade was even more miserable; because many people were killed by the Great Mercy Hand, it only accumulated to (2316 / 5000)!

The prestige was not much either, mainly relying on one Heaven Grade achievement, bringing it to 1550!

Those damn Yanyu Pavilion assassins had decent cultivation but no fame, so killing them did not add to his prestige!

The Zhenbei Army soldiers, naturally, did not know Lin Xiao's thoughts.

These words, falling upon their ears, carried an entirely different meaning—

Our General... is so benevolent!!

The marksman Li Xu's eyes turned red: "General, please don't be sad. That is always how it is on the battlefield; it is not your fault!"

General Wu Jinzhe sighed: "Indeed, once there is peace in the world, there won't be so many people dying in vain."

Commander Bai Buhei cupped his hands and said: "The General possesses both thunderous means and a Bodhisattva's heart. This subordinate admires you!!"

"General, this is all the evil doing of that traitor Prince Bai; it is not your fault! Please grieve in moderation!!"

Chen Chuan shouted, knelt on one knee, and pleaded.

Many Zhenbei Army soldiers behind them gradually learned what had happened.

For a time, on ship after ship, the soldiers knelt down one after another, showing expressions of worry and admiration.

"Please grieve in moderation, General!!"

"Please grieve in moder..."

Waves of voices imploring Lin Xiao not to blame himself filled the air, carrying the soldiers' burning sincerity.

Lin Xiao watched this scene awkwardly, turned his head away, and not knowing how to explain, had to feign deep emotion.

This mess... it was a bit embarrassing!

However, a misunderstanding is a misunderstanding; he could not talk about the system, so he had to go with the flow.

"Rest assured, for the sake of those who died today, I, the General, will lead the Zhenbei Army all the more to rescue the countless people of the Northern Territory!"

Lin Xiao waved his hand, "Pass on my order: full speed south. Before dark today, I want to take the prefecture capital, Yangquan!!"

The soldiers were overjoyed. He was truly their border God of War! He had regained his spirit so quickly!

"As you command!!"