115: Du Brothers

“Phew!”

Lin Yue woke up to the sounds of Soldiers training outside.

Last night’s study of The Art of War had drained him mentally. After returning from reality to the game, he couldn’t resist sleeping for a while, but unexpectedly, he overslept.

It seems he can only cultivate gradually. A Heaven-grade military text is indeed extraordinary.

He got up, stretched his limbs, and walked out of the barracks, finding that all twenty thousand Soldiers had already begun their regular, orderly training.

These twenty thousand troops were entirely composed of new and veteran cavalry from the Great Wall Legion, with each group making up half. She Jian had exerted considerable effort to acquire them.

All of Great Qin’s cavalry were drawn from elite infantry, and even half of the new cavalry before him were much stronger than ordinary cavalry from Liaodong Commandery.

These cavalry currently only had positions up to the Centurion level and below. She Jian had not assigned the rest, presumably leaving vacancies for Lin Yue’s people.

However, two individuals were exceptions. She Jian mentioned that these two were quite valorous and that he had gone to great lengths to acquire them, urging Lin Yue to pay special attention to them.

These two were brothers, temporarily overseeing these twenty thousand troops. Their specific positions would be arranged by Lin Yue after the Army reached Shang Commandery.

“This humble general Du Tong (Du Song) pays respects to Lieutenant Lin!”

Seeing Lin Yue approach, the two cupped their hands in salute.

Lin Yue understood from the scene that these two must be the individuals She Jian had mentioned.

【name: Du Tong

Martial Power: 84

Intelligence: 75

Command: 73

Politics: 66

Charm: 69】

【name: Du Song

Martial Power: 83

Intelligence: 72

Command: 74

Politics: 68

Charm: 68】

Lin Yue took a quick look and thought to himself, She Jian is truly impressive to have gotten him these two fierce generals!

Du Tong was the General-in-Chief of Yansui during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, with a lifetime tally of eighteen hundred severed heads! He was praised in the History of Ming as “His bravery was admired at the time!”

He was repeatedly dismissed from office for minor reasons and then reinstated multiple times due to urgent border matters, serving as General-in-Chief six times throughout his life.

As the younger brother, Du Song first served in Shaanxi, where he fought over a hundred battles against the Huns, emerging victorious every time, earning him the title “Grand Tutor Du” from the nomadic tribes beyond the Great Wall.

However, he later died on the battlefield in the Battle of Sarhu due to his reckless advance.

The Du clan of Yulin produced three generations of General-in-Chiefs. As the first generation, these two rose to prominence through their bravery and military achievements. However, due to their personalities, their relationships with civil officials were very poor, leading to multiple dismissals.

One could only say that they were pure Military Generals, not good commanders.

But this was exactly what Lin Yue needed at this stage!

Two Third-rate Military Generals—Lin Yue was already very satisfied. After all, he hadn’t expended any effort; it was like getting two fierce generals for free!

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both!” Lin Yue returned the salute, then smiled, “It’s a bit of a waste of your talents to be here with me.”

“Lieutenant Lin, what are you saying? We’ve long heard of your prestige, and seeing you today, we are certainly not disappointed,” the taller Du Tong said with a smile.

“Your reputations precede you as well. General She Jian repeatedly emphasized that you are both fierce generals and that I should treat you with courtesy,” Lin Yue said, smiling.

Du Tong and Du Song both smiled silently upon hearing Lin Yue’s words.

Everyone likes flattery. What Du Tong said was merely polite talk. His own reputation, let alone in Liaodong Commandery, wasn't widely known even outside of Heya City, let alone in Shang Commandery, thousands of miles away.

“May I ask where you both served previously?” Lin Yue inquired. Knowing this would help him arrange their positions appropriately. He wouldn’t want to assign them too low a rank and have them leave; that would be quite a problem.

“My brother and I both previously served in General Wang Li’s Guard Battalion.

I was a Military Marquis in the Guard Battalion, and Du Song was a Squad Leader,” Du Tong replied.

“Then you two should first train the Soldiers. I will arrange specific positions after the Army arrives,” Lin Yue said with a smile.

Military Marquis and Squad Leader are good; not too high. Giving them a Commandant and a Military Marquis wouldn't be unfair to them. Otherwise, since they aren't as skilled as Pan Feng and Xing Daorong, making them Commandants might dishearten Pan Feng and the other two.

“Yes, sir!” they both responded simultaneously.

“Lieutenant Lin, someone is looking for you at the gate,” Yu Hao said, jogging over.

“Who is it? Did he give his name?” Lin Yue was a bit puzzled; he didn't know anyone in Shang Commandery.

“It’s a young general in white robes and riding a white horse. He said his name is Zhao Zilong,” Yu Hao replied after thinking for a moment.

Zhao Zilong!

He didn’t expect him to arrive so quickly!

“Excuse me, gentlemen, an old friend has come to find me. I must take my leave,” Lin Yue cupped his hands to the two and quickly jogged away.

Zhao Yun’s arrival was perfectly timed! He was just wondering how to train the White Horse Righteous Cavalry, and Zi Long appeared—it was truly like getting a pillow when you’re sleepy!

He really had to love Zhao Yun!

Standing in place, the slightly dark-skinned Du Song said to Du Tong, “Big Brother, this Lieutenant Lin looks so young. Could he be a Zhao Kuo who only knows how to talk about strategy on paper?”

“What’s wrong with being young? You shouldn’t always be so unconvinced. General Zhao Tuo is also very young. Didn’t you hear General She Jian say yesterday that he has already been transferred to a Titled General in the Garrison Army?” Du Tong said.

“General Zhao Tuo is highly skilled in martial arts and accomplished such a magnificent feat; I am completely convinced. But Lieutenant Lin doesn’t seem to have very high martial arts skills,” Du Song scratched his head and explained.

“You should change that temperament of yours. I heard that Lieutenant Lin was granted a baronet title for his military achievements. He’s not someone you can criticize behind his back,” Du Tong said with a frown.

“I know, Big Brother. I’m just afraid he’ll try to boss us around when he doesn’t know anything. As long as he doesn’t give too many misguided orders, with our strength, a small band of Huns is nothing to us,” Du Song said with a laugh.

“Focus your mind on the right things. Our father passed away early, and I, as your elder brother, have been guarding the border for many years, inevitably neglecting your upbringing. I didn’t expect you to develop such an arrogant personality,” Du Tong sighed.

He understood that his younger brother wasn’t bad at heart, just a bit conceited. But he himself was a straightforward person who spoke his mind, and he had suffered some minor setbacks over the years.

He hadn’t expected his brother to be even more blunt. Fortunately, both of them were in the Great Wall Legion. If they were in a local garrison, they might have remained mere Soldiers for their entire lives.

“I know, Big Brother. I will diligently practice my martial arts and bring glory to our Du family name!” Du Song nodded, as he most feared Du Tong lecturing him.

“That’s good then.” Seeing his brother’s words, Du Tong no longer dwelled on it.

He looked at Lin Yue’s retreating back, his mind constantly pondering. The Lieutenant Lin was very different from the usual men in the military, yet he gave off a strangely approachable feeling, making it difficult for him to fathom what kind of person this Lieutenant Lin Yue truly was.

If Lin Yue were still there, he would surely burst out laughing.

Talking about strategy on paper? He only learned military strategy last night!

Before, in combat, apart from following orders, everything he did was based on Pan Feng’s advice.

Moreover, Zhao Kuo was able to hold out for over forty days under the siege of the God of Slaughter, Bai Qi, which wasn’t as disgraceful as people often say.

It’s like a beginner’s quest to fight the final boss; unless you’re one of the few geniuses, how many could succeed?

At least Lin Yue couldn’t. He struggled even to train twenty thousand White Horse Righteous Cavalry. If it were an Army of four hundred thousand, he probably couldn’t even manage their food, clothing, housing, and transportation, let alone lead them in battle.

If he had Zhao Kuo’s strength now, he would wake up laughing in his dreams!

Lin Yue ran all the way to the entrance of the Encampment, and from a distance, he saw Zhao Zilong, clad in white robes, standing there leading his horse!

“Zi Long!” Lin Yue couldn’t help but shout.