Chapter 385 Decisive Battle

On April 24, the Lion Army launched the final round of conscription in Youzhou, regardless of gender or age.

Soon, Yun Chen began to see women, old people, students... and child soldiers in the team.

Faced with the list of new recruits, she didn't even know how to compile it.

They were all ordinary people with no combat experience. Many women had rarely stepped out of their boudoirs in their entire lives. They seemed quite cramped in the huge queue.

"General Yun, do you have a hand guard? This knife is very slippery to hold." A female soldier asked loudly and gestured.

Yun Chen walked over, wrapped a piece of cloth around the handle, and tore off a piece of fine satin to hang on it as a knife decoration.

The female soldier blushed in embarrassment, "Thank you, General, but you don't have to look so good."

Yun Chen was stunned for a moment before he realized that the female soldiers thought the sword color was for decoration.

She was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain the true purpose of this knife color.

She turned and saw the new female soldiers around her looking at her curiously. She thought that if she taught them more, maybe these girls could live longer, so she said:

"The blade pattern is essential. When you kill an enemy, the blood will flow back along the blade and over the pattern, making it less likely to slip."

After she finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

She didn't dare to look at the girls' expressions, so she could only lower her head and hurried away. However, she bumped into a child soldier who looked up and asked Rong Yi:

"General Rong, how old are you?"

"Twenty-seven."

"How impressive! He became a general at the age of 27."

"What's the big deal? Our boss became a general at the age of 22."

"Then when I'm twenty-two, I want to be a general too!"

But, can I live to be 22? Is there still a chance?

Rong Yi looked at the child in front of him who was just as tall as the sword, and turned his head away reluctantly.

Such scenes are everywhere.

Yun Chen felt extremely depressed and uncomfortable, and suddenly a crazy and absurd idea popped up in his mind:

Since we don't know which country the Black Scale Cavalry belong to, why not just kill every monarch in the world! Including Nanli Jun! Perhaps the world will be at peace...

She was shocked by the idea and felt that she was really childish and ridiculous.

The world is so vast, and people’s desire for power is endless.

So what if we kill a few monarchs? As long as the throne exists, wars and fighting will never stop.

So, why not destroy the throne?

Her mind was full of all kinds of messy thoughts. Yun Chen shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her mind. She felt that she was too nervous.

…

…

On April 25th, a simple ceremony of praying and reporting to the heavens was held in a courtyard of a private residence in Guangyuan City, Youzhou. Nanli Jun hastily ascended the throne and issued an edict:

Huo Leiting was posthumously awarded the title of General Jinzhong Wulie, and Yun Zhongjun was posthumously awarded the title of General Wu'an Minglie.

All the soldiers who died in the battle were promoted three levels, and Dan Kou was even posthumously awarded the title of loyal and brave female general who protected the country.

Then, Emperor Nan Lijun wrote in his own handwriting:

Huo Gannian was promoted to the Duke of Zhenguo and was given the title of General of Tiance for the Shiwei expedition.

Jin Yunchen was made a baron and given the title of Huwei Fuyuan Huqi General;

Jin Duan Jie, the Northern Expedition General, Jin Rongyi, the Flying Cavalry Lieutenant General, Jin Luo Dongdong, the Liuxing Major General, Jin Fulin, the Jieyi Major General...

Veteran soldiers were promoted two levels, and new soldiers were promoted one level.

All those who are promoted will be rewarded with gold and silver according to their rank.

Almost everyone was promoted.

Veterans who had been through many battles, such as Huo Gannian and Yun Chen, all understood the significance of this pre-war title and Nan Lijun's hasty ascension to the throne.

The light imperial edict and the shining gold and silver greatly inspired everyone's courage and confidence, and also like a death warrant, encouraged everyone to fight and sacrifice.

…

…

On April 26, the Lion Flag of the Flower-Feathered Lion flew northward, and the Tiger Flag of the Red-Eyed Tiger Head flew eastward.

Huo Gannian and Yun Chen divided their troops into two groups, leading 40,000 soldiers and 40,000 militiamen, and rushed to the battlefield of the decisive battle with the sound of trumpets resounding through the sky.

On the northern battlefield, Huo Gannian pretended to be defeated and ordered Bu Yan to escort the imperial carriage to Xiangxiao Cliff. At the same time, he ordered Duan Jie and Rong Yi to lead the main force and fight while retreating, luring the main force of the enemy to cross the Luozi River and pursue them.

On the other hand, he contacted the 10,000 Northwestern Border Defense Forces that came to support him and ordered them to launch a surprise attack on the Luojiang Royal Court.

On the eastern battlefield, Yun Chen ordered Fu Lin to lead the main force to fight the Black Scale Cavalry head-on, while she led the cavalry army to sneak into Mount Baitou.

Yun Chen climbed up the mountainside again and came to the lantern temple.

Looking at the dark mass of troops at the foot of the mountain, the old man smiled and said:

"Little girl, are you here again?"

Yun Chen nodded, "Senior, I want to light the biggest lamp in the world, please allow me to do so!"

The old man laughed loudly, "Why not? This Baekdu Mountain is not mine. It's a natural place, so anyone can come here."

Having obtained permission, Yun Chen immediately ordered people to escort the old man down the mountain.

The old man didn't appreciate the kindness. He just smiled and waved his hand. He floated across the snow and disappeared into the distance. Only his voice echoed in the air as he walked away:

"Girl, I haven't asked you yet, what's the name of the new sword?"

Yun Chen drew his sword and pointed it at the top of the snowy mountain, saying solemnly:

"The sword's name is 'Taiping'!"

As Yun Chen finished speaking, a raging fire broke out on Mount Paektu.

The flames shot up into the sky like torches, melting the snow into water, which soon merged into a rolling river, flowing into the Luozi River along the Netherworld River that had been dry for decades.

Yun Chen rode her horse in the increasingly turbulent river of ice and snow, and the scorching fire reflected on her resolute face.

At this time, a loud "boom" was heard not far away, and huge blocks of snow fell from the mountain peak, splashing high water.

The weather in April is already warm, and with this fire, it is enough to produce a flood that devours everything.

Soon, the river level began to rise, and the freezing snow water gathered into turbulent waves and began to flow madly down the river.

Yun Chen and his soldiers immediately left their horses behind, jumped onto the Huo Gang's iron and wooden assault boats, and charged towards the enemy's main force that was crossing the Luozi River.

According to the original plan, she led the cavalry to attack along the river, and left another 3,000 cavalrymen with war horses to follow on the shore.

When she was engaged in battle with the enemy, the war horses came to support her, and the soldiers abandoned their boats and went ashore, where they could inflict heavy damage on the enemy.

But Yun Chen never expected that after she jumped onto the boat, the Cloud-Swallowing Beast completely ignored the fact that the flood had risen to the horse's calves, how dangerous it was, and how the cavalry behind would try to catch up with it. It actually rode away at the front of the herd, galloping wildly along the river, neighing constantly, and refusing to leave.

Seeing that the water flow was getting faster and faster and had already reached the middle of the horse's legs, Yun Chen shouted anxiously:

"Be good! Go back to shore! I'll be waiting for you out front!"

The Cloud-Swallowing Beast was obviously in a stubborn mood again. It completely ignored Yun Chen's instructions and continued to chase.

A soldier suggested, "General! Try calling its name! It might not even know you're giving it an order. Horses' names are given by their owners. If you call its name, it will listen!"

But Yunchen had never given the Cloud-Swallowing Beast a name, and the situation was so urgent that she couldn't think of a name!

She was so anxious that she almost wanted to jump up and down, and the fast current and rocking boat only made her even more angry.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on the "Taiping" sword at her waist, and a new name emerged from the bottom of her heart.

She shouted at the Cloud-Swallowing Beast with all her might:

"'No harm' - you call yourself 'No harm' - good boy - go back -"

The Cloud-Swallowing Beast slowly stopped, raised its front hooves in the rapids, and hooved into the air, as if it had finally received Yun Chen's recognition and was happy to have its own name.

May the mountains and rivers be safe.

May there be peace in the world.