289: Yang Family Guards

"General, in this battle, the White Horse Camp suffered 1,140 killed and 1,231 wounded; the White Horse Righteous Cavalry suffered 5,154 killed and 6,014 wounded; the other two guards each suffered fewer than 200 killed. Our Army's total reduction in force is 13,877," Li Mu reported in a low voice.

Lin Yue nodded. A reduction of less than 14,000, including those killed and those wounded and sent to the rear, was generally acceptable. He then instructed, "Properly bury the fallen Brothers, and send more men to safely transport the wounded Brothers to the rear."

"Understood! This humble general will ensure every wounded Brother is safely brought to the rear!" Li Mu replied.

After the Army meticulously cleared the battlefield, it returned to its original position in batches, as if nothing had happened.

This battle was insignificant in the two races' game of chess, not even making a ripple. Soon, the Great Wall Legion resumed its normal operations.

Lin Yue also took out his communication token again, constantly following the orders on it, strictly obeying commands. This was something he still needed to learn.

However, after the battle with Wuluoli, he realized he was still short of people around him. If he had had assistance earlier, Wuluoli would definitely not have escaped!

In short, he still lacked some high-end combat power around him.

Zhao Yun commanded his White Horse Camp, a total of 30,000 personal guards, but when encountering high-end combat power, he only had Yang Dengshan and Zhao Ponu, two Third-rate Military Generals, by his side. Moreover, they each commanded 10,000 troops and could not always be with him.

He was not like other Military Generals of the Great Wall Legion, who possessed the strength of a First-rate or Second-Rate Military General. Currently, he still needed the protection of others.

As his personal guard, Wu De was currently only at the initial stage of a Mid-Level Military General. He was sufficient for running errands and taking the blame on normal days, but on the battlefield, his strength was inferior to Lin Yue's and he could not provide any assistance. Therefore, he had to select several capable personal guards.

And the recent battle had given him a flash of insight, and he had some ideas in his mind!

"Yang Yanping, Yang Yanzhao, Yang Yansi, what positions do you three currently hold?" Lin Yue asked.

At that time, the Yang Family's Seven Wolves and Eight Tigers were under General Yang Ye's command. Because it was a newly established camp, these eight individuals were all assigned to mid-level officer positions within the camp, and Lin Yue had not interfered much.

However, the Army had been cooperating for several months now, and General Yang Ye was now in charge of a camp of 30,000 troops, which he handled with ease. Lin Yue transferring a few people would not be a big problem and would not affect the operation of General Yang Ye's Army.

General Yang Ye's eyes lit up when he heard this. He gently nudged the three, who then came to their senses. The eldest, Yang Yanping, stepped forward first, cupped his hands, and replied, "This humble general, Yang Yanping, is currently a Military Marquis; my sixth brother, Yang Yanzhao, is currently a Squad Leader under This humble general; and my seventh brother, Yang Yansi, due to his young age, Father feared he would cause trouble, so he is only a Centurion."

"Only a Squad Leader and a Centurion?" Lin Yue asked in surprise. It should be known that all three were Third-rate Military Generals, which in other Armies would be more than enough to serve as a camp commandant.

Like General Yang Ye, the only current shortcoming of these individuals was their shallow experience. However, for these three to serve as a commandant in charge of 10,000 men, no one could find fault. This showed General Yang Ye's strictness, even to the point of deliberately suppressing his children.

"Yes, General. Father said that young men who achieve success early are prone to arrogance, so he made us start from the lower and middle ranks. How far we can go depends entirely on our military achievements," the eldest, Yang Yanping, replied in a deep voice.

Lin Yue looked at General Yang Ye with a hint of doubt, not understanding why, despite their sufficient strength, they still went to such lengths.

"This humble general believes that while my sons' martial arts are sufficient, an excellent general relies not only on martial arts but also on strategy, thoroughness, and decisive judgment and execution. My sons do not yet possess these abilities.

And if This humble general were to place his sons in high positions, it would likely harm them, and at the same time, it would be a disaster for the Soldiers under them.

This is not home, Brothers entrust their lives to This humble general, and This humble general must be responsible for them, not let them become a whetstone for my sons," General Yang Ye explained when he saw the situation.

"Excellent, no wonder Jiye, you have such good sons. I feel at ease entrusting the Army to you," Lin Yue praised, because anyone can talk, but few can truly put it into action.

After all, they were his own flesh and blood, and most people couldn't bring themselves to be so ruthless.

He also greatly admired General Yang Ye's clear distinction between public and private matters.

"How about this, Yanping, you'll have to bear with it for a bit. I'm short a few personal guards, so you and your two younger Brothers can temporarily serve as my personal guards," Lin Yue suggested with a smile.

The three of them looked delighted upon hearing this, but still glanced at General Yang Ye. After receiving their father's approval, they excitedly replied, "Understood!"

"Hmm, work hard," Lin Yue said with a smile.

The eldest, Yang Yanping, was steady and, after training, could fully serve as a regional defender. Yang Yansi, the Seventh Son, had immense potential; if he could receive Zi Long's guidance on a daily basis, then becoming a Second-Rate Military General in the future would be no problem, and even a First-rate Military General was not impossible!

And there was no need to even mention Yang Yanzhao, the Sixth Son; he was a Military General who had proven himself in history. Lin Yue would not even need to cultivate him much; he would naturally become a great general just by following the established path!

With these three serving as his personal guards, he could also feel more at ease.

As for Wu De, whose head was still buzzing, Lin Yue felt a little guilty, so he said to him, "Wu De, you go under Ma Baoguo's command and serve as a Military Marquis to gain some experience."

Serving as a Military Marquis in the personal guard White Horse Camp, in charge of 3,000 men, and then being deployed as a commandant in charge of 10,000 men in a few years, could be said to be a natural progression. For Wu De, who had a weak foundation in martial arts and was currently only a Mid-Level Military General, this was an excellent arrangement.

"Understood!" Wu De replied.

For him, there wasn't much difference between these two positions, because in less than a year, he had grown from a new recruit to a Military Marquis, which had already far exceeded his expectations!

For Wu De, being deployed as a mid-level general was merely a matter of sooner or later.

After all, most personal guards eventually became generals, unless they were family retainers or sworn bodyguards; otherwise, they rarely remained personal guards indefinitely.

Moreover, under Ma Baoguo, he would not encounter any backstabbing situations, so this was a very good outcome for him.

"Hmm, return to camp," Lin Yue said with a smile, with the eldest, the sixth, and the seventh sons, these three Third-rate Military Generals, following closely behind him.

Lin Yue quickly rode a few steps to the side and said to Zhao Yun with a smile, "Zi Long, if you have time, teach them spear techniques."

"The three of them are all good seedlings, especially Yang Yanzhao and Yang Yansi. Their potential is immense, and Zi Long will definitely teach them with all his might," Zhao Yun replied.

"Good," Lin Yue said with a smile. Most of their spear techniques were taught by the eldest, Yang Yanping. Now, with Zi Long teaching them, it was like having an accelerator. He just wondered what their limits would be.