stjorthotic Chapter 82 Return
Chapter 82 Return
"Although he can't be considered a general who can take the head of an enemy general amidst a vast army, he can still be considered a fierce general," said Marquis Jiu Sai slowly.
Zhou Ming nodded in agreement: "Indeed, when I was young, I was far inferior to him."
"Hey, don't even mention you. Even I, at the same age, couldn't compare to him. Your Zhou family really struck gold this time," said Jiu Saihou with some envy.
By this point in the battle, the outcome was already decided.
They had thought they were doomed, but Lu Yuan performed so well, leading a mere 800-odd people to defeat 3,000 Northern Barbarians in a head-on confrontation.
Such a situation is extremely rare in the past.
Zhou Hongling stared at the battlefield, her eyes sparkling with a strange light.
After this battle, Lu Yuan has grown considerably.
Putting aside everything else, it is now quite famous throughout the nine regions.
Once one's cultivation level increases, one will be able to stand on one's own.
As they spoke, time passed, and the battle in the arena came to a complete end.
More Northern Barbarian warriors died from trampling and collisions than from being killed.
Some of them escaped.
A stray warhorse neighs in the wilderness.
Lu Yuan glanced at Zhou He beside him and said, "Gather all the horses together, and we'll leave with them."
After saying that, he walked towards the direction of Jiu Saihou and the others.
His armor was now mottled, and some of the armor plates had even fallen off.
When he arrived at the side of Marquis Jiu Sai, he bowed and said, "My lord, the northern barbarians already know our whereabouts. We must leave immediately."
"Alright, I'll listen to you. Let's leave." Marquis Jiu Sai stood up with a smile, supported by several guards.
Zhou Hongling and the others immediately stood up as well.
I started packing my things.
The campfire was extinguished.
The warhorses gathered together at this time, and an hour later, the caravan set off again.
In the days that followed.
They encountered several more Northern Barbarian teams, but Lu Yuan defeated them all.
As they drew closer to Dayong, the number of pursuers began to decrease, but everyone could see that the Marquis of Jiu Sai was becoming increasingly preoccupied.
There was even a hint of worry in his eyes.
After all, the entire right wing was wiped out in this battle.
Regardless, he bears responsibility.
After more than ten days, the group finally approached Icefield City.
The personal guards of the Marquis of Jiu Sai had already gone back to gather information.
The team then stopped to rest.
Lu Yuan was able to relax for once. They were now less than a hundred miles from Icefield City, and the large-scale Northern Barbarian army would not be able to catch up.
Although this expedition was arduous, it brought great benefits to Lu Yuan.
Especially the tempering of oneself.
Beside the campfire, Zhou Hongling looked much better. After all, she was a Qi Refining Realm expert. Although she lacked medical care and medicine, she managed to pull through.
The others were similar.
"Thanks to you this time, if the Marquis is safe and sound when we get back, he will definitely be given an important position," Zhou Hongling said softly, poking at the campfire.
At this point, there were only two people present; everyone else tactfully went elsewhere.
"With such a big incident, how can the Marquis be unharmed?" Lu Yuan asked uncertainly.
"It's hard to say. Marquis Jiu Sai is in his current position, and he must have had powerful backers. The upper echelons are probably still vying for power. Otherwise, Marquis Jiu Sai wouldn't need to send his personal guards back to investigate. He would probably have sent an Embroidered Uniform Guard to search for him long ago."
Zhou Hongling, after all, grew up in a military family and knew more about it.
"I hope so." Lu Yuan nodded. If that were the case, and the Marquis of Jiu Sai could still be stationed in the Northern Frontier, then based on the relationship he had maintained over the past few days, he shouldn't have to worry about his future promotion.
"I owe my safe return this time to you. Otherwise, I would probably have died on this battlefield. After you return to the city, rest for a few days. Then, the family will send someone to accompany you to Yunzhou to bring your mother over."
"By then, we'll have completely severed ties with the Zhang family." Zhou Hongling said, glancing at Lu Yuan.
The latter nodded: "Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Thank you, General."
"There are no outsiders here, why be so polite?" Zhou Hongling said with a light laugh.
"Da da!"
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, followed by the sight of a troop galloping towards them.
The leader was none other than Zhou Ren, who was dressed in black armor.
As soon as he approached the group, he jumped off his horse and said to Marquis Jiu Sai, "Welcome back, Your Excellency."
"No need for formalities. What does the court mean now? The news should have come back by now," said Marquis Jiu Sai slowly, though he was relieved. Judging from Zhou Ren's attitude, he was probably out of danger.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Ren immediately said, "Your Excellency is wise. The imperial decree has reached the northern frontier. It roughly means that although the fault of your defeat does not lie with the commander, you are still responsible. You will be fined half a year's salary as a warning to others."
The official has already left.
Upon hearing the confirmation, Marquis Jiu Sai finally breathed a sigh of relief: "So, the Northern Barbarians are going to negotiate peace with us?"
A mocking smile played on his lips as he spoke.
"Your Excellency's foresight is truly remarkable; peace talks officially began seven days ago," Zhou Ren replied softly.
"Alright, never mind, let's go back first." After Jiu Saihou responded, he stood up and, surrounded by Zhou Ren and the others, headed towards Icefield City.
On the way, Zhou Ren personally came to Lu Yuan's side to inquire about his situation, showing his concern.
This alone demonstrates the importance the former attaches to it.
It should be noted that this is Zhou Ren's chance to prove himself in front of Marquis Jiu Sai. The fact that he came to see Lu Yuan is enough to show his importance in the eyes of this Zhou family patriarch.
After another day of travel, the group finally returned to Icefield City. Looking at this border fortress, Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions.
I'm finally back.
Marquis Jiu Sai shouted to the troops behind him, "All the wounded, go to the camp and order the medics to treat them immediately. Each person will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver. The rest of you, come with me to the manor to wash up, take a bath, and drink wine. Each person will be rewarded with thirty taels of silver."
Hong Cheng rose from the bottom, so he was most generous to the soldiers at the bottom.
Nearly a thousand people broke through the encirclement together and made their way back. After many fierce battles, less than three hundred of them survived.
"Thank you, Your Excellency!"
The crowd shouted.
Then he followed Marquis Jiu Sai to the Zhou residence.
Upon entering, they discovered that the mansion had already prepared hot water and set up several large bathing pools, which were temporarily enclosed with wooden planks.
Some medicinal herbs were also soaking in the water.
The soldiers, weary from their journey, disregarded everything else and jumped right in.
Lu Yuan also arrived at the Zhou residence at this time, but his treatment was naturally different from that of the other warriors. In a private room, he lay in a bathtub, and his muscles finally relaxed completely.
Then, I opened the system to check what I had gained during this period.