Chapter 382 The Fated Showdown Between Father and Son

Yan Feng was defeated, but he wasn't entirely without merit; at the very least, he had eliminated over ten thousand alien cavalrymen, a result that pleased Lu Heng greatly.

He also strongly agreed with the saying: 'Those who are not of our race must have a different heart.' He had only resorted to using the strength of the Xianbei and Khitan because he truly had no other choice. Now that over half of these two alien Cavalry forces had been wiped out, it could be said that a hidden threat had been resolved for him.

However, by nightfall, the chieftains of the Xianbei and Khitan were somewhat displeased and sought out Lu Heng one after another to demand compensation.

"Crown Prince, the warriors of our tribes have bled and sacrificed for your hegemony while you reap the benefits from behind. This doesn't seem quite right, does it?"

"Exactly! If the Crown Prince does not provide compensation, then my warriors and I will return to the grasslands tomorrow!"

Lu Heng looked at these alien chieftains jumping up and down before him, a cold sneer forming in his heart. Now that he had a large number of captives in his hands, he truly looked down on these ragtag groups.

In the past, he would have certainly smashed his cup as a signal for his men to rush in and mince these people, who reeked of sheep, into meat paste.

However, reason told him that now was not the time, so he smiled and pointed to the seats beside him.

"Chieftains, please do not be anxious. I know that everyone has put in a great deal of effort in this battle, so I have already thought of how to compensate you all."

Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this. In truth, given their usual circumstances, thousands or even tens of thousands would freeze to death every winter, so a few less people mattered little. They had come today specifically to demand compensation.

Lu Heng had already planned to chop these aliens into pieces and bury them in the ground as fertilizer once the war was over, so he had no psychological burden whatsoever as he began to draw grand promises for them.

"Counting today's battle and all future ones, for every man killed in action, I will provide one hundred dan of grain as compensation. For those heavily wounded, eighty dan; and for the lightly wounded, thirty dan. What do you all think?"

These tribal chieftains were actually quite satisfied, but seeing Lu Heng so agreeable, they thought about asking for more.

"Crown Prince, you also know that raising a warrior costs us a great deal of heart and soul. To lose them like this is truly heartbreaking..."

"I wonder what you all desire? Feel free to speak; I will certainly do my best to satisfy you."

Lustful expressions immediately appeared on several faces as they said with a smile,

"Women. We need women—supple Han women."

A flash of murderous intent crossed Lu Heng's eyes. He had already decided that he would personally mince these men into mincemeat. Yet, a smile remained on his face.

"Very well. Once I fight my way into Ji County, I will send five hundred beauties to each of your tribes."

The men were overjoyed. After thanking Lu Heng, they departed. Only then did Zhang Su approach with a reluctant expression.

"Crown Prince..."

Lu Heng naturally knew what Zhang Su wanted to say and waved his hand.

"No matter how many promises are made, they must have their lives to collect them..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Zhang Su already understood Lu Heng's meaning, and the resentment in his heart finally dissipated.

"The Crown Prince is still the same Crown Prince; he has not lost his original heart for the sake of power."

Yan Feng had been defeated with a loss of nearly fifty thousand troops. When this news reached Ji County, it immediately caused a massive upheaval. Lu Kuan was so furious that he broke into curses during the morning court session.

"Yan Feng is incompetent! Yan Feng is incompetent!"

Qin Hui immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This Prince of Liaodong..."

Lu Kuan directly interrupted Qin Hui, raging,

"What Prince of Liaodong? That is a rebellious son who has raised troops in revolt! From now on, call him a rebel!"

"Yes, yes, yes. He is a rebel, a rebel..."

Qin Hui bowed repeatedly, the word 'rebel' constantly on his lips. Seeing Lu Kuan's anger subside slightly, he continued,

"That rebel has been leading troops in battle for a long time. In our Great Yan, no one except Your Majesty can surpass him in ability and experience. Furthermore, with the assistance of Zhang Su and Lou Jin, he is even harder to resist."

Lu Kuan's eyes widened.

"What do you mean? Are you suggesting I surrender to him?"

Qin Hui shook his head repeatedly.

"Not at all, not at all. My meaning is that Your Majesty's use of troops is divine, making you the number one general of our Great Yan. Therefore, I believe Your Majesty should mobilize the elites and lead a personal expedition."

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately stood up to object.

"No! Absolutely not! Your Majesty's person is of ten thousand gold value; how can you move lightly? Qin Hui's incitement of Your Majesty to lead a personal expedition is a crime of malicious intent!"

"Indeed! Your Majesty must not move lightly. If anything were to happen, what would become of our Great Yan?"

For a time, the entire court was filled with voices of opposition. Qin Hui, who had proposed the idea, was directly branded as a man of ulterior motives.

Unexpectedly, although Lu Kuan ultimately did not agree to the personal expedition, he did not punish Qin Hui either. This was only because Qin Hui's words had struck a chord in his heart.

"'Divine use of troops, the number one general of Great Yan'... This Qin Hui certainly knows how to speak."

Lu Kuan did not lead the personal expedition, which left Qin Hui slightly disappointed, but his efforts were not in vain.

The next day, Lu Kuan issued an imperial decree to abandon Chu State, Si State, Hai State, and other regions. He also drafted twenty thousand elites from Shandong and other areas, gathering a force of fifty thousand to march north and resist Lu Heng.

This news naturally reached Gao Yuan's desk quickly. Gao Yuan immediately ordered Liu Rengui to act freely, to clear out the Yan Army south of the Huai River as quickly as possible, and then coordinate with Yue Fei to devour Northern Liang's troops.

Soon, Cao Xing led the Inland River Navy to break into the Huai River, cutting off the retreat of the Yan Army in Hao State and other areas. Then, Liu Rengui's army pressed forward, preparing to launch the final decisive battle.

With no way out, more than ten thousand remnants of the Yan Army in Hao State and other areas were forced to open their gates and surrender.

Liu Rengui took the opportunity to sweep through, occupying Si State, Hai State, and other regions in one go. Combined with Yue Fei's main force stationed in E State, they formed a pincer movement against Gao Bing, who was defending Guang State, Huang State, and other areas.

To adapt to the needs of the war, Gao Yuan also ordered Zhang patrol to take over as the Commander and chief clerk of the Jiangdong Legion, while simultaneously forming the Huai-Si Legion with Liu Rengui as the Commander.

At the same time, he ordered the recall of Crown Prince Zhao Cheng, who was happily suppressing bandits on Sumatra, placing him under Liu Rengui's command. Once he earned more military merits, he would be tasked with forming the Shandong Army Corps.

A son would eventually have to take over. He didn't want to follow Li Yuan's example of 'raising poisonous insects' by pitting his heirs against each other, so it was necessary to let him build a foundation now.

The bandits on Sumatra had already been mostly cleared out, and the remaining ones couldn't cause any major trouble. Consequently, Crown Prince Zhao Cheng had been idle for so long he felt like he was growing mold.

Ever since he heard through battle reports that the Northern Expedition had begun in Jiangnan, he had been unable to sit still. Thus, upon receiving the transfer order, he wished he could grow wings and fly to Jiangnan immediately.

After returning to Malacca City to hand over his duties to Wen Pin, Crown Prince Zhao Cheng immediately led a hundred Personal Guards and rushed toward Jiangnan on horseback.

As for why he didn't take a ship, it was because Gao Yuan was somewhat worried. The safety of current ships was still not guaranteed; if something were to happen, he would truly have nowhere to cry.

While Gao Yuan was waiting for his son's return in Panyu City, a system prompt suddenly arrived.

"ss-rank life segment overlords little notebook Exclusive Event: 'Fatherly Love is Like a Mountain' triggered;

Cultivating a qualified successor is a mandatory task for a monarch. The Host should do his utmost for this;

Event Objective: Assist Crown Prince Zhao Cheng in achieving victory;

Event Reward: Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the scale of battles commanded by Crown Prince Zhao Cheng, the number of enemies killed or captured, and the number and scale of cities occupied, a corresponding number of Mysterious Keys will be rewarded;

Event Penalty: If the rating is lower than B-rank, a certain number of Mysterious Keys currently owned or to be obtained by the Host will be deducted."

Seeing the event that had suddenly popped up, Gao Yuan almost stood up straight from his seat. He cursed the system countless times in his heart, but in the end, he could only helplessly accept this reality.

"You little brat, don't let your old man down!"