246: Battle of the Fertile Fields

Lin Yue was the first to step into the main tent, taking his seat below She Jian, in the first chair on the right.

She Jian had already cleaned himself up a bit, but there were still dried bloodstains on his collar and cuffs.

She Jian scanned the room, then laughed loudly:

"Excellent, not a single one missing! Congratulations to all of you for surviving!"

"Not only that, but we also have some new faces here!"

"Lu Duoha, Aruhan, Simondo, Balomon, Wukesiluo, Qibili, you six have proven your loyalty with blood and scars.

On behalf of the Great Wall Legion, I welcome you to Great Qin!"

The six men struggled to their feet, each having sustained injuries of varying degrees. Tears welled in their eyes, their faces filled with emotion, unsure if they were recalling their departed kin or marveling at the bright future ahead.

Lin Yue and the others also stood up to welcome them.

These six Xiongnu people had earned their respect with their blood and their unwavering courage.

"Before the battle, I told everyone that after the great war, the bravest among you would be allowed to live in Great Qin."

"Now I will report your merits, but do you intend to enter Great Qin, or remain here?" She Jian asked.

The six men pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then unanimously gave an affirmative answer:

"We wish to remain here and pledge to defend Great Qin with our lives!"

There's no place like home, and that's the truth of it.

Even if Great Qin had a hundred good things, no one would want to leave the place they grew up in unless forced by circumstances. Moreover, as loyal dogs of Great Qin—no, loyal officials and good Generals—staying here, supported by the Great Qin Army, they would surely become even stronger!

"Good, then I will present your wishes to the Great General, but the final decision on whether you stay or go will still depend on the Great General's will," She Jian said.

"Thank you, General!" the six men responded in unison.

"This is what you deserve. Great Qin will not let a single enemy go, nor will it mistreat any friend," She Jian smiled.

"General, we wish to remain here, but some of our tribesmen might want to live in the prosperous Great Qin," Lu Duoha said, cupping his hands, a hint of inquiry in his tone.

"Submit the list later; the final decision will still be made by the Great General," She Jian said.

Great Qin still hoped to relocate a portion of the Xiongnu people into Great Qin territory; as long as the numbers were not too large, Great Qin would welcome it. This would effectively divide them, and with Great Qin relocating some people to the grasslands, a balance of power could be achieved, allowing for better control of the grasslands.

"Thank you, General!" the six men said simultaneously.

She Jian waved his hand, then said seriously:

"This victory is due to the efforts of all the cavalry who participated in the battle. Each person's merits will be recorded, verified, and approved by Supervisor Wang and his men. Go back and tell your subordinates to put away their petty thoughts, lest a good thing turn into a bad one."

"Understood!" the Generals responded.

This Supervisor Wang was always elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon, rarely seen by She Jian's Generals, let alone having any rapport with him. So, the Generals were all very cautious, fearing that their subordinates might harbor ill intentions, which would make it impossible to save them.

But Lin Yue was very confused. The battle had been so chaotic, who would remember to cut ears or heads as proof of kills? Moreover, in a pitch-black night battle, how many could remember what the enemy looked like? Even if someone falsely claimed a head, you wouldn't be able to recognize it!

"Don't be lucky! I tell you, there's no medicine for regret in this world!" She Jian stared at Lin Yue with his tiger-like eyes, threatening him.

Lin Yue shrunk his neck, guiltily turning his head away. He wondered how She Jian always knew what he was thinking; could he have some kind of mind-reading ability?

"While I don't have mind-reading abilities, I'm not so sure about Supervisor Wang," She Jian chuckled, a hint of eeriness in his voice.

Everyone was unnerved by his words, and Lin Yue was also startled!

Then, a person emerged from behind the main tent. The person was dressed in black Eunuch robes and greeted everyone with a smile.

"You are all heroes who have fought bloody battles and expanded the territory for Great Qin. At this moment, I truly did not want to dampen your spirits. However, I still have to say one thing: absolutely do not engage in any petty tricks, and if you do, make sure they don't fall into my hands," Wang Fu'an said with a smiling face, yet his words sent shivers down the Generals' spines.

All the Generals stood up to return the greeting. This was a Supervisor, and in Great Qin, a country with a flourishing legal system, this Wang Fu'an possessed the power to execute first and report later. Even if She Jian died, his death would be in vain. No one present wanted to offend him!

"Alright," She Jian interrupted everyone, then said seriously, "In this battle, Lin Yue, by imperial grace, recruited Xiongnu Soldiers, personally leading the charge into battle. When King Baiyang Bulu fled, he single-handedly charged into the formation to delay Bulu, allowing General Yang Xiong's cavalry to crush Bulu's elite cavalry. He deserves the highest merit!"

"Understood!" the Generals responded.

Lin Yue was stunned upon hearing this. He absolutely loved She Jian's mouth; this was simply nonsense, twisting black and white. No, it was avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial, using subtle writing to cover up his final mistake and elevate him to a height that didn't originally belong to him!

He felt embarrassed by the praise; what a good big brother! He hadn't followed the wrong person!

But Lin Yue still glanced at Wang Fu'an with some guilt. Lin Yue absolutely refused to believe that Wang Fu'an didn't know the full story; he just didn't know how he would react.

When Lin Yue's gaze fell on Wang Fu'an, he found that Wang Fu'an was also looking at him. Seeing him nod slightly with a smile, Lin Yue also breathed a sigh of relief.

Most of the other Generals were Lin Yue's people, so naturally, there was no objection. Moreover, She Jian's subordinates also knew that She Jian's participation in this battle was an usurpation of Lin Yue's authority. Since She Jian had said so, they all congratulated Lin Yue with joyful expressions.

"Alright, the matter is settled. You can all rest for a while," She Jian said.

"Understood!" the Generals responded.

When only She Jian and Wang Fu'an remained in the main tent, Wang Fu'an said:

"Congratulations, General!" Wang Fu'an said, cupping his hands and smiling.

"Between you and me, there's no need for such formality," She Jian smiled.

"After this battle, the Henan region will entirely belong to our glorious Great Qin.

The future battlefields will be on these vast grasslands, repelling the enemy beyond our borders, and from now on, Shang Commandery will have no external threats!"

"How can I not congratulate you, General?" Wang Fu'an said with a heartfelt smile.

Repelling the enemy beyond the national gate meant that from now on, the people of Shang Commandery could develop in peace. After the Great General built cities and erected the Great Wall here, in a few decades, this would be the eternal territory of Great Qin!

Such a feat of territorial expansion, even if Wang Fu'an was only a Supervisor, being able to participate in this great journey was enough for him to bring honor to his ancestors!

"Hehe, Old Wang, this credit still needs to be written by you," She Jian scratched his head and laughed.

"No problem," Wang Fu'an smiled, then picked up his brush, rolled up his sleeve, and asked, "What is this place called?"

"This place is called Woye!"

(A randomly made-up place name, don't mind it.)

Just then, Lin Yue heard a system prompt in his ear...