readytorunbook Chapter 142 General Lu is above!
Chapter 142 General Lu is above!
"What is it, Master? Please tell me, I, Bai, am willing to serve you faithfully!"
"Do you dare to go to war with me?" Lu He asked in a daze.
"..." Bai Yu pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"You're not willing anymore?"
“No, what I actually wanted to say was…” Bai Yu gritted his teeth, “I used to be a member of the Elite Soldier Hall, a member of the Bai family…”
"Oh?" This is unexpected, a pleasant surprise.
"I... know a little bit, but I hadn't had time to study military strategy thoroughly back then... before..." Bai Yu was a little embarrassed: "When the Elite Army Hall was in turmoil, I was only eight years old. My master risked his life to protect me and my senior brother as we escaped... but only I managed to escape..." Bai Yu sighed: "My master died, and my senior brother was captured and taken back to protect me. I don't know if he's still alive."
It turns out that Bai Yu's master was one of the Five Heroes of the Bai Clan, but he had already passed away.
"You're already amazing, and your kung fu is so good." Lu He didn't know how to comfort him.
"Yes, I have not dared to slack off in the past ten years, nor have I forgotten my master's teachings, all because I hope that one day..."
"Then why don't you dare to acknowledge Bai Yi, Bai Zheng, and General Bai Jin?" Lu He asked, puzzled. The Elite Soldier Hall had already returned to the Bai family's hands, so why didn't Bai Yu go back?
"I...I deserted back then, I'm ashamed..." Bai Yu stammered, his face turning red.
Lu He patted his shoulder: "No one will blame you. Look at your Uncle Bai Yi, he endured hardship for so many years and still made it through."
Bai Yu nodded, and Lu He apologetically avoided his gaze. Only Li Cen and a few General Bai knew about Bai Li's matter, and it was a secret. She didn't know whether she should tell Bai Yu or not, so she could only keep it from him.
"Why don't you go back to the Elite Weapon Hall and take a look?" Lu He also hoped that he could resolve his inner conflict as soon as possible.
As for the matter of going to war, she would have to return to the palace to discuss it with Li Cen in person.
The eldest princess's mansion.
"You want to lead the troops yourself? No way!" Li Cen refused flatly. "You don't know martial arts, what if... something bad happens to you..."
"Your Highness, I know a little bit of light-body skills..." Lu He said timidly.
"Is that the point?" Li Cen was both annoyed and amused. "Swords have no eyes on the battlefield! What are you thinking!"
"So, what I'm thinking is that you assign Chao Huaiyuan and Gao Zhan to me..." Lu He said cautiously with a forced smile.
“Gao Zhan? I don’t really trust him… Let Liao Chen go…” Li Cen said thoughtfully.
"No! Liao Chen must stay in the capital to protect you!" Lu He was still worried that He Xiu and his gang would turn against her. If she didn't leave behind a master like Liao Chen, she was afraid that Li Cen would be in danger.
“But Gao Zhan is a member of the Gao family after all…” Li Cen’s suspicious nature makes it really difficult for her to trust someone.
"But there's Bai Yu here, I want him to come with me too..."
“Oh? That’s perfect. We can reinstate Bai Yu’s official rank…” Li Cen pondered for a moment, “How about this: appoint Chao Huaiyuan as General of the Cavalry, Bai Yu as General of Chariots and Cavalry, and you as the General of the Southern Expedition, with Gao Zhan as your deputy? Also, send Gao Kuang out, promote him by one rank, and make him the Left Wing Vanguard Commander…”
"This way, there will be vacancies in the Jinwu Guard positions, and the Gao family's military power will be transferred out of the capital. We can then place people from the Elite Army Hall to better control the situation within the capital." Lu He thought this move was brilliant.
"The sentries and the Thousand Machine Guards are all in the Imperial City. I intend to have Gao Zhan take all the Imperial Guards into battle." Li Cen's meaning was clear: this way, only He Xiu, a former Crown Prince's henchman, would remain inside the Imperial City, making him easier to monitor.
"Have the Imperial City Deputy Envoy and the Supervisor who returned earlier already left the capital?" Lu He wanted to know if the Gao family was still holding back.
"They've already left. Gao Yi has probably given up on fighting us, but one should always be wary. I still don't quite trust the Gao family..."
Lu He understood Li Cen's thoughts perfectly well. In the past, Gao Jia and the Crown Prince had tried to harm her in many ways. It was indeed unlikely that they could reconcile their differences and trust each other so easily.
Lu He's reason for believing Gao Zhan was simple: he wanted Li Guangqi to live well. With a weakness and someone to care about, his heart softened. At least in the previous choices, Gao Zhan chose Li Guangqi's chance to live rather than the Gao family's wealth and glory.
The next day.
He summoned the emperor and issued an imperial edict.
Lu He and his men, fully equipped and ready to go, led an army of 200,000 men and 5,000 Imperial Guards, totaling 200,500 men, from the capital to Yucheng.
Just thirty miles outside the capital, Lu He announced that they would be stationed there.
"General Lu, why is this?" Gao Zhan and Chao Huaiyuan were puzzled. The front line was in dire need of time, and not a single second could be wasted. It would take ten days to travel from the capital to Yucheng by fast horse, and now they were being stationed there, which was causing further delays...
“I’ve looked at the map. It’s about three days to camp here, then two days to travel, and we can reach Yucheng.” Lu He had a plan in mind.
"Arriving in Yucheng in two days? How is that possible? Do you even know anything about military strategy? You really don't know how to appoint a woman as a general!" Gao Kuang couldn't help but complain. He looked down on Lu He from the bottom of his heart. Not to mention that he was dissatisfied that Lu He didn't have the martial prowess of General Bai Jin, she had never taken any military exams. She was just good at some charlatan tricks. What good was that?
"Second brother! Watch your words!" Gao Zhan immediately reprimanded Gao Kuang for continuing to offend Lu He.
"It's alright, I won't argue with a fool!" Lu He was too lazy to argue with him right now, she had her own way of making him convinced in a while.
"Previously, the front line reported that King Hu had 100,000 elite vanguard soldiers, who were invincible. Our army simply couldn't break through their defenses. So I think we might need a more ruthless army!" Lu He explained to Gao Zhan and Huai Yuan, "Give me 10,000 smart and quick-witted soldiers. Oh, I only need those with good brains. Poor physical fitness doesn't matter. Being thin and young doesn't matter either. As long as they're smart, pick them out within an hour!"
"What?" Gao Kuang stamped his foot. "You want to transfer some weak soldiers? What's the use of a smart soldier if he's good-natured? He needs to be strong, healthy, and obedient to orders!"
"If you don't shut up, you'll be dragged out and beaten with military rods!" Lu He really hated this self-righteous guy interrupting her.
Gao Zhan, being very sensible, walked over and kicked Gao Kuang out of the tent.
"Then give me a hundred smart young people to be scouts. They don't need any special skills, just young, clever and quick-witted kids. Children learn quickly and have strong learning abilities."
Chao Huaiyuan suddenly interjected, "The military report we received is from three days ago. We don't know if Yucheng has already fallen... or even what the situation is in Yancheng. We might run into the King of Hu in Yancheng..."
Yes, that makes sense. Lu He thought for a moment, and it was very likely that the first encounter would not be a defense but an attack, so naturally, they had to be fully prepared.
"Here's what you'll do: select another five hundred elite soldiers for me, and they have to be smart!" Lu He kept emphasizing that they had to be smart, leaving these old men completely confused, wondering what she was up to.
"Once you've selected all the people I need within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, bring them to the post station below to find me. I'll go to the post station ten miles away to prepare." After Lu He finished speaking, she leaped onto her horse. She was going to find an open space where she could train these children. She only had three days, and she hoped to train them all.