Li Laosi and the Marquis rode out of the city gate. Seeing this, the guards behind them did not want to give up and wanted to chase after them.
The Marquis stopped them, saying, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy; let them live a few more days!"
The group pulled on the horse reins and stood still.
As the barbarians disappeared into the grassland like stray dogs, everyone fell silent.
The border has been retaken!
Tianwu is complete, and the land is unified!
After more than a decade of campaigning in the north, we have finally achieved victory today!
I don't know who was the first to start crying.
Perhaps he was thinking of his dead brothers, perhaps he was thinking of his parents and relatives far away, or perhaps he was thinking of the hatred that had lingered for more than a decade!
The crying gradually grew louder, and everyone was in tears.
Even Li Laosi's eyes welled up with tears. Who doesn't know the joy of having a wife, kids, and a warm bed?
Who wouldn't want to serve their parents and fulfill their filial duties?
But the nation, the nation!
A country must exist before a family can exist!
For the sake of millions of people living in peace and for the sake of the land that was ravaged by war to no longer suffer from bullying, they fought for more than a decade, sacrificing their lives and shedding their blood!
From the warmth of spring and the blooming of flowers until the heavy snowfall.
From the armor being so hot it burned your hands, to being so cold you couldn't take it off.
From a naive and ignorant boy to a man with a full beard!
The Northern Expedition—just two simple words!
But for all the soldiers of the Northern Expedition, it was their flesh and blood that forged a monument and a belief!
The Marquis took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, and then raised the battle sword in his hand high!
"The Northern Expeditionary Army is mighty! The Heavenly Martial Army is mighty!"
Everyone drew their knives with a clatter, raised them above their heads, and shouted desperately.
The Northern Expeditionary Army is mighty!
The Heavenly Warriors are mighty!
Logically speaking, Tianwu should have been superior to Beizheng before Beizheng.
But at that moment, no one cared about this, nor did they think anything was wrong.
Without the Northern Expeditionary Army, Tianwu's land remained shattered.
Without the Northern Expeditionary Army, Tianwu might not even have been able to hold onto Jiangnan!
The enormous sound waves pierced the sky and traveled far.
There wasn't a single Tianwu citizen left on the entire border, but countless dead souls echoed the sentiment!
This moment has been waited for far too long...
By evening, the Northern Expeditionary Army had moved its main camp to the border, quickly guarding various passes and arranging patrols.
The logistics battalion was also busy cooking and lighting fires, with bonfires everywhere.
Still brimming with excitement, the soldiers gathered in twos and threes, discussing what they would do when they got home.
Some were getting married, some were opening shops, and some were building new houses!
Jiang Cheng had an empty room temporarily cleaned; the inner room would serve as the Marquis's residence, while the outer room could be used for meetings.
He dragged his injured leg and led his personal guards in busy work, soon becoming drenched in sweat.
Li Laosi and Mu Xu came in from outside. Seeing this, Li Laosi said, "Brother Jiang, didn't I tell you to rest? What are you busy with? Be careful that your wound doesn't rot and fester!"
Jiang Cheng waved his hand dismissively and laughed, "How can I stay idle when I'm this busy! Besides, it's just a cut on my leg, not like I've cut off my leg!"
"Besides, I risked this leg to save you, not because I want you to treat me like a child! Go ahead and do what you need to do, I'll take care of things here right away."
Having no other choice, Li Laosi took out a bottle of wound medicine and handed it to him.
"These are some wound medicines my daughter gave me. Remember to put them on, and you'll be fine by tomorrow."
Jiang Cheng didn't refuse anymore, and accepted it with a big smile, replying, "The medicine that the princess has come up with is a rare and good thing! It's just that you, you little stingy person, don't take it out easily! I'll have to keep it safe!"
"Hey, it's for you to use, not for you to put away!" Li Laosi pretended to snatch it, which made Jiang Cheng quickly stuff it into his arms.
Everyone laughed heartily at the sight.
With the border recaptured, victory in the northern expedition was a foregone conclusion, and everyone relaxed.
Even the generals would joke around and exchange a few words.
Jiang Cheng wiped away his sweat, looked at the smiling Mu Xu, and praised, "When did Guard Mu arrive? I heard you displayed your might, descending from the sky and almost splitting the old Khan in two? That was truly amazing!"
Mu Xu bowed and smiled, "I jumped down from the tree and struck him unexpectedly. It's a pity he dodged it, otherwise, I might have been able to capture the old Khan."
"Haha, that's not bad. I've been in the Northern Expeditionary Army for so many years and I've never even seen the Khan's face. You're already going to chop him up alive. You're a force to be reckoned with, a force to be reckoned with indeed!"
Jiang Cheng patted Mu Xu on the shoulder and sighed again, "It's a pity that we don't have much military rations left, and we can't find a single grain of rice or flour. Otherwise, it would have been so nice to make you a bowl of noodles to celebrate our victory!"
"Thank you, General Jiang. It's not too late to eat when we get home," Mu Xu replied.
The Marquis heard the commotion inside the house and came out as well.
Jiang Cheng immediately signaled to his guards, "Go ahead and get busy, and bring in the boiled water from outside while you're at it."
The guards responded and quickly brought in hot water.
Jiang Cheng took out some tea leaves, brewed them, and said with a smile, "We're really going home now, but we've finished all the tea leaves."
Everyone sat down, each holding a cup, and slowly drank.
Although Mu Xu had been in the north for several days, he had been operating in secret.
Now that he was surrounded by close friends and family, he asked a question.
"My lord, the princess is concerned about the arrow that struck you. I wonder if your wound has healed completely?"
Hearing about his beautiful and intelligent adopted daughter, the Marquis smiled and nodded, "Much better. Although she can't exert herself too much, she's fine now."
Mu Xu pressed further, "Then we can return to Jiangnan soon?"
Li Laosi and Jiang Cheng also looked at the Marquis with hope in their eyes.
Who doesn't want to go home!
Especially when such a wish is fulfilled and great achievements are made, one must return home in glory!
But the Marquis shook his head, "It's not ready yet, we have to wait a little longer. The barbarians have gathered several thousand reinforcements deep in the grasslands and are heading towards the border."
"We must find a way to annihilate them all, and even the old Khan and the fifth prince must be left behind, otherwise even if we withdraw, the border will still be engulfed in constant warfare."
"If we are defeated, Jiangbei will once again fall under the iron hooves of the barbarians. We must eliminate them completely and not give them a chance to counterattack."
"If we successfully capture the old Khan and his son, and annihilate all the reinforcements, it will take at least twenty years for the grasslands to recover and for them to fight each other again to elect a new Khan. Tianwu will only enjoy twenty years of peace!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Li Laosi clapped his hands and cheered, "The Marquis is right, we must kill them all!"
Jiang Cheng pressed further, "The barbarians are now outside the border. How does Your Excellency plan to annihilate their reinforcements and kill the old Khan and his son?"
After saying that, he added, "The army's rations are running low. Should we first urge the Jiangnan region to provide more supplies, and then discuss the matter further?"
Li Laosi immediately objected, "No way! Those people in the imperial court are unreliable. Even if they readily provide the military rations, it will take at least half a month to transport them here. Time waits for no one!"
The Marquis nodded, "We still need to act quickly! Track down and monitor the whereabouts of the old Khan and his son, use them to lure out reinforcements, and then wait for them to tire themselves out before annihilating them in one battle."
“Leave this task to me, Lord Marquis,” Mu Xu volunteered. “Tracking is my specialty; I’ll guarantee the mission will be accomplished.”
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