LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 15 - Busy, Talk Later
What’s there to be so haughty about just because she got lucky with the identity of a princess?
Luckily, Lu Ping didn’t care.
Whether or not he had the help of the Yan Marquis, Lu Ping was confident of victory.
Understanding the situation in the Yan region was just a way to know his enemy better and speed up the suppression of the rebellion.
After all, this time, Lu Ping had brought a total of 150,000 troops!
How many rebels were there in total?
Fifty thousand.
Even adding the 20,000 powerful Di barbarians outside the city, that’s still only 70,000.
With double the number of troops, Lu Ping held an undeniable advantage.
But the problem was that Lu Ping’s mind was not on the Yan region.
Because while he was appointed as the commander, the Emperor still sent Luo Yingci to accompany Luo Jinxuan to Lingzhou for “recuperation.”
Given Luo Yingci’s straightforward nature, if she discovered that Luo Jinxuan was pregnant, the secret would definitely be exposed.
If Li Wenfu took advantage of this, things would get even more complicated.
So the rebellion had to be dealt with swiftly and decisively!
Since Lu Ping needed to communicate with Luo Jinxuan through the simulation panel and keep tabs on the current events, he went to great lengths to protect his privacy.
Otherwise, what would the soldiers under his command think if they saw him muttering to himself all day?
Thus, before setting out, Lu Ping ordered craftsmen to work day and night to build a large and luxurious sedan chair.
But a military campaign was different from a leisurely outing.
If it were a leisurely trip, Lu Ping’s high status as Grand Preceptor justified the extravagance, but now he was going to war, to suppress a rebellion. A moving palace was far too extravagant, wasn’t it?
[Because you haven’t appeared for a long time, there’s a lot of talk within the army, and morale has slightly diminished.]
Lu Ping sat up from the soft bed inside the sedan chair and muttered, “Is morale made of mud? It’s so easily diminished?”
“Summon Lu Heng!”
Lu Ping extended his hand out of the sedan and spoke to the accompanying adjutant.
Lu Heng was a lieutenant whom Lu Ping had personally selected from the ranks before setting out.
He was also the third son of Duke Yuanji, but due to his status as a concubine-born son, despite his outstanding abilities and skill in leading troops, he could only remain as an attachment to his elder brother.
It could be said that Duke Yuanji’s eldest son owed his official position to the battles Lu Heng had fought for him.
Not long after, a middle-aged man with a loyal yet dignified appearance approached with his head held high and stopped before the sedan, cupping his fists, “Lu Heng greets the Marshal!”
“Come in and talk.”
Lu Ping gestured for Lu Heng to sit down and started making small talk, “They say people with the same surname are distant relatives. Who knows, General Lu and I might have been family a few hundred years ago.”
If it were anyone else, just getting a glance from the Grand Preceptor would be considered a blessing from their ancestors, let alone engaging in casual conversation.
But Lu Heng remained unmoved, even slightly displeased, “What are your orders, Marshal? Please speak directly.”
What a blockhead!
Lu Ping instantly lost interest in small talk, “I’ll ask you, is there anyone in the army dissatisfied with me today?”
Lu Heng looked at Lu Ping, pondered for a moment, then replied, “I don’t know about others, but I have many questions myself.”
“Oh?”
Lu Heng knelt on one knee, respectfully yet righteously, “The situation in the Yan region is unclear, yet the Marshal hasn’t sent anyone to gather intelligence, nor has he laid out any plans for suppressing the rebellion. How can the generals not be worried?”
“The rebellion must be swiftly dealt with, so I ordered the troops to travel light and move quickly. But the Marshal brought along such a burden, turning a ten-day journey into a half-month march without even reaching Yan territory. I don’t understand.”
Following Lu Heng’s gaze to his moving palace, Lu Ping nodded in approval.
“Good point. Then let’s get rid of this burden.”
With that, Lu Ping stepped out of the sedan, “Relay my order: the entire army is to advance at full speed and reach the Yan region by tomorrow night!”
Lu Heng, still inside the sedan, was taken aback.
‘Was the Marshal really this receptive to advice?’
One would expect that once a person gained status and power, they wouldn’t easily admit their mistakes.
Yet Lu Ping not only admitted it but also immediately corrected it.
[After you revealed your strategy for suppressing the rebellion, the generals realized that you had been secluding yourself for half a month to carefully plan. They all felt ashamed, and the army’s cohesion increased.]
“That’s more like it!”
This was the correct course of action.
At this moment, Lu Heng took the initiative to stop Lu Ping again.
“I studied the Marshal’s strategy in detail and found one point confusing. May I ask for clarification?”
Lu Ping nodded, “Go ahead.”
Lu Heng asked, “The Marshal wants me to divide the troops into two groups to surround the rebels and drive them to Lishi Valley, but not to kill them?”
“Correct. The Emperor has always promoted benevolent governance. Those rebels are still soldiers of the Great Jing, so there’s no need to wipe them out. Just surround them and persuade them to surrender.”
Lu Heng frowned even more, “The Marshal is benevolent, but why drive them to Lishi Valley? What if the rebels escape to another place?”
“That’s why I told you to divide the troops into two groups to encircle them. If two groups aren’t enough, then three groups. As long as you can surround the rebels, they’ll definitely flee to Lishi Valley.”
Lu Ping spoke confidently.
But Lu Heng still looked puzzled.
Lu Ping was troubled; all of this had been simulated and deduced in advance. He couldn’t possibly explain that to Lu Heng, could he?
Even if he told the truth, would Lu Heng understand?
“Just do as I say. I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences!”
Lu Ping was forced to use his authority.
Lu Heng had no choice but to leave, shaking his head.
…
At the Yan Marquis’s residence.
The council hall was once again in chaos.
“Didn’t the Emperor already send reinforcements? Why haven’t they arrived yet?”
“Relying on others is unreliable. We might as well open the city gates and fight the rebels ourselves!”
Every time war broke out, civil and military officials would inevitably stand on opposing sides.
Yan Marquis Luo Jinlan, her head aching from the noise, silenced the crowd and then quietly walked out, muttering to herself, “Could it be that I refused his friend request, so he’s deliberately not sending reinforcements?”
“If he’s that petty, it’s a good thing I didn’t befriend him!”
Luo Jinlan felt a wave of nausea in her stomach, nearly making her vomit.
“Yan Marquis! Yan Marquis, the reinforcements have arrived!”
An excited voice came from outside the courtyard.
Luo Jinlan was overjoyed, “Really? Where are the reinforcements? How many have come?”
“Reporting to Yan Marquis, Grand Preceptor Lu himself has led 150,000 reinforcements and has already surrounded the rebels ten miles outside the city!”
The messenger, panting heavily, continued, “Grand Preceptor Lu sent a message asking Yan Marquis to cooperate with him from within the city to drive away the rebels!”
“Drive away?”
Luo Jinlan rubbed her head, “Hasn’t he already surrounded them?”
“I don’t know. The Grand Preceptor only asked Yan Marquis to follow orders!”
“Hmph!”
Luo Jinlan pouted.
How dare Lu Ping order her around?
She was a princess and the Yan Marquis!
Even if Lu Ping held the position of Grand Preceptor, he was still an outsider!
Luo Jinlan opened the panel, found Lu Ping’s friend request, and accepted it.
Then she bombarded him with questions.
[“Are you out of your mind?”]
[“You’ve already surrounded the rebels, so why not just kill them all? Instead, you want me to help drive them away. Are you playing fetch with a dog?”]
…
Lu Ping couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Luo Jinlan’s message, especially the part about [“playing fetch with a dog.”]
After all, this was supposed to be a dynasty simulation game. Couldn’t she be a bit more subtle and refined in her speech? Using such plain language—how does that enhance the game experience?
[“I’m busy. Talk later!”]