met free Page 212
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"With Your Majesty's move, Chang'an will likely have to stay on the frontier for another ten to eight years."
The Crown Prince chuckled, “Not entirely. If he can’t hold on any longer, I can plead for him and let him return to the capital.”
Li Yunrui, of course, understood the key point: "In that case, his prestige would be greatly diminished."
The crown prince's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "No, that's not right. A long and arduous campaign with no results is a crime."
Li Chang'an led two hundred Shadow Guards, while Ye Zhong led his eldest son Ye Wan and one hundred personal guards, riding swiftly out of the capital.
After a day of forced march, they rested at the Taiyuan Road post station at night.
As soon as Li Chang'an dismounted, Ye Wan knelt down on one knee in front of him.
"This humble general, Ye Wan, thanks the Grand Commander for his guidance!"
Name: Ye Wan
Age: 22 years old
Realm: Lower Ninth Rank
Talents: Military Strategy (Rank 9), Command (Rank 8), Martial Arts (Rank 8)
Abilities: Military Strategy (Ninth Rank), Command (Seventh Rank), Management (Fifth Rank)
Emotion: 50
Ye Chong's eldest son, Ye Wan, started learning martial arts on horseback at the age of three and began studying battle formations. He was a renowned genius.
He distinguished himself in the Dingzhou army at the age of seventeen, and during a long raid, he single-handedly killed over a hundred Xihu people.
However, he was too young and impetuous. Ye Zhong had high expectations for him and was strict with him, intentionally suppressing his military achievements.
As a result, the young man was not convinced and directly broke away from the Dingzhou Army, the most powerful force of the Ye family, to serve the Nanzhao border army.
Over the course of four or five years, he not only broke through to the ninth rank in martial arts, but also rose to the rank of lieutenant general commanding ten thousand men based on his military achievements.
Li Chang'an married Ye Ling'er, and Emperor Qing's intention was to bind him to the Ye family.
The Ye family will certainly do everything in their power to help Li Chang'an on the battlefield, but if Li Chang'an ever harbors any ill intentions, the Ye family will be the first to turn against him.
Because both the Qin and Ye families are descendants of founding heroes of the Southern Qing Dynasty, they are absolutely loyal to the Southern Qing Dynasty.
Ye Wan, a young hero with a white horse and silver spear, was greatly admired by Li Chang'an.
Therefore, as early as when Emperor Qing proposed that he lead the western expedition, Li Chang'an had already asked Ye Wan for his services.
"Ye Wan, Nanzhao has already submitted and become a vassal state of Daqing."
"The Western Qin is powerful, and this is the time to make a name for yourself. Since I have summoned you here, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."
"Get up, we're family, no need to be so polite."
Ye Wan stood up and said respectfully, "Thank you, Grand Commander!"
Li Chang'an then said to Ye Zhong and Gong Dian, "General Ye, General Gong, let's come inside and discuss the current battle situation."
Name: Ye Zhong
Age: 52 years old
Realm: Upper Ninth Rank
Talents: Military Strategy (7th Rank), Command (8th Rank), Martial Arts (7th Rank)
Abilities: Military Strategy (7th Rank), Command (8th Rank), Social Skills (6th Rank)
Emotion: 40
Ye Wan's talent is indeed higher than Ye Zhong's, and he is also easier to control.
Ye Zhong had fought on the battlefield for decades and had also accompanied Emperor Qing in his campaigns. Everyone in the army called him Commander Ye.
The group rode at full speed and arrived in Dingzhou in seven or eight days.
Upon arriving at the first city in Dingzhou, Li Chang'an saw three hundred people standing neatly in front of the city gate.
Upon seeing this from afar, Ye Wan exclaimed in surprise, "Grand Commander, these martial artists are breathing deeply and their cultivation is at least at the seventh rank!"
"Only your Shadow Guard could manage to gather so many top-rank martial artists in such an orderly manner."
Li Chang'an said, "That's right, they are the new experts recruited by the Shadow Guard in the martial arts world."
Li Chang'an rode forward, and all of them knelt down on one knee.
"New recruits of the Shadow Guard pay their respects to our King, Grand Commander!"
These seventh and eighth-rank martial artists were all discovered by Li Chang'an during his travels in the martial arts world.
They might have been salt workers, miners, farmers, or hunters before; if it weren't for Li Chang'an, their martial arts talents would have been buried for life.
Without Li Chang'an, there would be no such top-ranking special forces unit in the world.
The seeds planted five or six years ago have finally grown into robust fruits, becoming a sharp blade in Li Chang'an's hands!
These fruits are just the tip of the iceberg of Li Chang'an's vast power!
Li Chang'an said to these people, "My Shadow Guards are usually my personal guards, but on the battlefield they become elite troops!"
"Now that the border is in dire need of attention, it is the time for you to make your mark!"
"Rise, all of you! Follow me and reclaim Yangguan!"
Three hundred men stood up in unison and shouted in unison, "We swear to follow the Grand Commander to the death!"
Ye Zhong, Gong Dian, and Ye Wan were all terrified, not to mention the two hundred men Li Chang'an had brought from the capital.
Currently, Li Chang'an has 500 Shadow Guards around him, more than 300 of whom are of the seventh rank, more than 100 of whom are of the eighth rank, and more than 20 of whom are of the upper eighth rank.
This is comparable to His Majesty's Tiger Guard and Inner Court Guards, but even the Tiger Guard and Inner Court Guards combined number no more than three hundred.
Prince Yong, Li Chang'an, is truly a man of great hidden depths!
Three days later, Li Chang'an and his party arrived at the Dingzhou army camp.
There are 50,000 Dingzhou soldiers here, and another 50,000 troops dispatched by Emperor Qing will take another month to arrive.
In the central command tent, Li Chang'an looked at the dozen or so border army officers and asked his first question since taking office.
"With 50,000 troops at present, can we retake Yangguan?"
Chapter 148 The Six Meridian Divine Sword Breaks Through the City Gate! Lost Territory Recovered in Ten Days! (33)
The 50,000 border troops from Dingzhou, along with another 50,000 border troops transferred in succession, together formed the Western Expeditionary Army under Li Chang'an's command.
The generals of these 50,000 Dingzhou border troops all had intricate connections with the Ye family.
Ye Zhong, Gong Dian, and Ye Quan all rose through the ranks of the Dingzhou Army, so these 50,000 Dingzhou soldiers all followed Ye Zhong's lead.
Ye Zhong, with a businesslike expression, stepped forward and said to the generals, "Grand Commander, please speak frankly and without any reservations."
Li Chang'an glanced at Ye Zhong. This guy was practically his father-in-law, but he had never called him "father-in-law."
When you're at work, you should address people by their job titles, not by calling them "father-in-law."
He would never call him that in private. Even if he called him ancestor, he would never be completely of one mind with Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an knew in his heart that one day he would replace all the generals of the Western Expeditionary Army under his command with his own people.
With Marshal Ye's approval, the generals began to answer Li Chang'an's questions.
"Grand Commander, Yangguan Pass is built among high mountains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are 50,000 troops of Western Qin in the pass."
"The convicts of Western Qin are fearless and extremely brutal. Let's wait until all 100,000 troops of the Western Expeditionary Army are in place before making any decisions!"
"Grand Commander, it's not that we're afraid of death, it's just that the pass is too dangerous!"
"If Grandmaster Kuhe hadn't killed Grand Commander Shi Fei, who was guarding Yangguan, this pass would never have been lost."
Li Chang'an turned to Ye Zhong and asked, "General Ye, what do you think?"
Ye Zhong replied, "Although the enemy's convict army is brutal, their military discipline and combat capabilities are far inferior to those of the main force of Western Qin."
"Now that I have arrived, even at the cost of ten or twenty thousand casualties, we will surely be able to retake Yangguan."
"If Your Highness wishes to minimize casualties and for the long term, it is best to wait until the Western Expeditionary Army has arrived before engaging in battle."
Li Chang'an had discussed the matter with Ye Zhong, Gong Dian, and Ye Wan many times along the way.
The task His Majesty has given us to eliminate the Western Qin Kingdom is far too arduous, so it is now essential to minimize casualties.
At this moment, Ye Wan stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Commander's plan is too conservative!"
Ye Zhong glared at Ye Wan. This eldest son was showing off his sharp edge, and Li Chang'an was obviously supporting this son to counterbalance him.
The problem is that Ye Wan is the most outstanding rising star in the Ye family, and Ye Zhong also hopes that his son will achieve great things.
Seeing Marshal Ye and his son arguing, the generals knew better than to say anything.
"I have observed Your Highness's Shadow Guards these past few days. These five hundred top-rank martial artists are disciplined and have a chilling killing intent."
"I really don't know how Your Highness trained them!"
Li Chang'an nodded and said, "You have a good eye. In the end, these people all come from poor backgrounds and have a strong drive in their bones."
Ye Wan continued, "With Your Highness's extraordinary force, and given another 30,000 troops, we can take Yangguan in a single day!"