Chapter 368 Commanding the Southern Expedition

With the deployment of nearly three hundred warships from the main naval force, including ten newly armed gunships, along with the Shenji Camp and the Beiwei Army, the scale of Gao Yuan's expedition was exceptionally grand.

In fact, if Cao Xing didn't have an important mission elsewhere, Gao Yuan would have considered recalling his fleet as well; since Aceh enjoyed acting like pirates, he would simply blast them until they didn't dare set foot in the sea.

As for the mission, it was simple: he wanted Cao Xing to take advantage of the chaos to loot.

Currently, Lu Heng had already invaded the Korean Peninsula, throwing the entire region into turmoil. Unable to withstand the assault, Goguryeo had requested aid from Baekje and Silla.

Silla and Goguryeo were ancient enemies; they didn't care about the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' They wished for nothing more than Goguryeo's destruction and were even prepared to take advantage of the situation themselves.

Meanwhile, Baekje had already mobilized its troops to rescue Goguryeo. Gao Yuan's orders to Cao Xing were simple: keep a close eye on these three countries on the peninsula.

Whichever country left its home defenses empty, he was to go and loot them. Whether it was population, grain, gold, or silver—as long as it was valuable, Gao Yuan wanted it all.

He especially disliked Silla. In history, this was the country that took the opportunity to seize the entire Korean Peninsula, then shamelessly stole various things from China and claimed they were their own.

Since joining Gao Yuan's command, although Wen Pin had held high positions, his duties had always been defensive. The combat he encountered was limited to small-scale border skirmishes.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious of Liu Rengui and the others who fought across the north and south. Since hearing about the situation in Aceh, he had been guessing whether Liu Rengui, Gao Xianzhi, or Yue Fei would be appointed commander.

Unexpectedly, joy fell from the heavens as Gao Yuan actually appointed him. He couldn't wait a single day longer and rushed back to Panyu at full speed.

Seeing his travel-worn appearance, Gao Yuan laughed heartily and patted his shoulder.

"Zhongye, you've worked hard. Do you want to go take a rest?"

Only then did Wen Pin realize it was quite rude to visit Gao Yuan without bathing and changing his clothes. He hurriedly said with great trepidation,

"This humble general traveled day and night to visit Your Highness as soon as I reached Panyu. Please forgive me, Lord, for not having time to groom my appearance."

"Hahaha, alright, alright. We are both military men; there's no need for such formalities. Come!"

Gao Yuan waved his hand to show it didn't matter, then beckoned Wen Pin over to the map and drew a circle with his finger.

"This place is called the Malay Peninsula, and opposite it is Sumatra. These two places are like two doors closing off the path for our merchant fleets through the Strait of Malacca;"

"You should also know that forty percent of Da Qian's tax revenue now depends on maritime trade. Therefore, we must hold this door in our own hands. Do you understand?"

Wen Pin was a veteran of the battlefield and recognized the strategic importance of the Strait of Malacca at a glance. Seeing that he was to be entrusted with such a vital task, he beamed with joy and immediately thumped his chest in guarantee.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. Within a year, This humble general will pacify this region and open an unobstructed path for Da Qian's maritime trade."

Gao Yuan nodded with satisfaction.

"With Zhongye in command, I am at ease."

After saying this, Gao Yuan beckoned again, and a youth dressed in armor walked in. One look at his features revealed he was Gao Yuan's son.

Wen Pin quickly bowed to the youth.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Cheng'er, give your respects to General Wen."

Crown Prince Zhao Cheng dutifully gave Wen Pin a proper military salute.

"Greetings, General Wen."

Seeing no dissatisfaction on his son's face, Gao Yuan nodded contentedly before turning back to Wen Pin.

"Cheng'er is now thirteen years old, yet his limbs are idle and he cannot distinguish the five grains. He understands neither the hardships of the common people nor the difficulties of building an empire. Therefore, I want you to take him with you this time."

Wen Pin was overwhelmed and hurriedly bowed.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. This humble general will certainly take good care of the Crown Prince..."

Gao Yuan raised his hand to interrupt Wen Pin.

"I want you to properly toughen him up, not to act as a nanny and take him on a superficial observation tour. How about this: let him go to the Vanguard Camp and serve as a Corporal."

"Your Highness, this... the Crown Prince is of precious status. If something happens..."

"Precious status, my foot! Back then, didn't I also fight my way through the battlefield? If he is so incompetent, then he has no right to inherit the work of myself and Her Majesty."

Crown Prince Zhao Cheng also spoke to Wen Pin.

"General, do not worry. I have studied martial arts since childhood under my Father and Uncle Xia. Besides, my Father is right; if I die on the battlefield, it means the Mandate of Heaven is not with me. Even if I were to ascend the throne in the future, I would not be favored by the heavens."

Wen Pin suddenly felt that the future of Da Qian was brilliant. With such a Crown Prince, how could the future not be bright?

He nodded heavily.

"Rest assured, Your Highness."

"Gao Yuan, I'll have it out with you!"

That evening, within the sleeping quarters, a delicate and soft cry of anger echoed throughout the palace.

Upon hearing that Gao Yuan wanted Crown Prince Zhao Cheng to go to the battlefield, Zhao Xiyao was truly driven mad. She disregarded her image as the Empress and lunged forward, tugging on Gao Yuan's ear.

"Don't you know that swords and spears have no eyes? What if Cheng'er is harmed? What will happen to Da Qian?"

Gao Yuan, who usually doted on his wife, rarely did not give in. Instead, he patiently pulled the woman off him, held her in his arms while gently stroking her back, and spoke earnestly.

"Cheng'er has been taught by famous masters since childhood and has long finished what can be learned from books. Now is the time he needs to go out and gain experience;"

"Keeping him under our wings forever will only raise him to be a gentle sheep. Do you think a gentle sheep can lead Da Qian well?"

The woman was almost driven to tears. She leaned into Gao Yuan's chest, sobbing, her beautiful eyebrows drooping into a classic 'eight-twenty' shape.

"If you want to train him, you could let him serve as a County Magistrate to govern a local area. There's no need for him to go into the military!"

"Experience in local governance is necessary, but experience in military campaigns is needed even more. If he has no military merit, do you think he will be able to suppress those arrogant soldiers and fierce generals in the future?"

Gao Yuan could guarantee that most of his subordinates were loyal to him and could also be loyal to Crown Prince Zhao Cheng, but could his son command these people based on loyalty alone? Not necessarily.

Cleaning up these small countries in Southeast Asia was a golden opportunity, as their combat strength was generally weak.

Furthermore, Gao Yuan hadn't made the decision lightly. He had first used the system to check his son's attributes, prepared the best armor for Crown Prince Zhao Cheng, and arranged for nearly a hundred Baier Soldiers to be by his side.

Under Gao Yuan's persistence and repeated guarantees, and after Xiyao personally asked Crown Prince Zhao Cheng about his wishes, she reluctantly agreed to let Crown Prince Zhao Cheng go on this Aceh campaign.

However, in the end, Crown Prince Zhao Cheng's position was not that of a Corporal; after Wen Pin's assessment, he was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Vanguard Brigade.

Gao Yuan initially wanted to object, but then he thought that his son was, after all, an A-rank all-around general; assisting a C+ rank general was actually a bit of a waste of talent.

When the arrogant soldiers and fierce generals heard that Wen Pin had appointed a young general as the Deputy Brigade Commander, they were understandably displeased. Not only did they frequently provoke him with words, but they also banded together to isolate Crown Prince Zhao Cheng.

Wen Pin was initially worried that Crown Prince Zhao Cheng would come to him with a nose full of snot and eyes full of tears to complain, which would have made things difficult for him. To his surprise, the Crown Prince didn't say a word and directly fought the leaders of the group.

Seeing the strongest fighter among them beaten black and blue, the others didn't dare say much more, even if they still had complaints.