The Northern Rong are moving very fast.
After the Northern Rong soldiers who went back to report the news relayed Xuan Yuanzhan's words, the Chanyu and generals of those tribes came to replace him.
They also knew that the Holy King of Eastern Chu did not want their lives; he would definitely use them to exchange for gold, silver, cattle, and horses with their tribe in the future.
They couldn't risk the lives of the entire tribe's soldiers for these things, so these people came to replace them.
Xuanyuan Zhan kept his word and imprisoned all the tribal chiefs and generals in Beifeng Prison, while releasing most of the Northern Rong soldiers.
Only after the Xiongnu chieftain and his general were imprisoned did the soldiers of Eastern Chu finally cheer and scream.
"We won! We won!"
"Great! We finally won!"
"We won! Your Highness is amazing!"
"Thanks to Your Highness, we were able to win this battle!"
"Your Highness is truly a blessing to our northern lands! Long live Your Highness!"
The soldiers who were just cheering suddenly knelt down after someone shouted something.
"Long live the Prince!"
"Long live the Prince!"
Soon, the sounds, layer upon layer, traveled far and wide.
When Mu Lingchen returned with the bandit army, he was greeted by a scene of cheers and celebration.
Hearing the soldiers shout that they had won the battle, Mu Lingchen was also very happy and immediately stepped forward to pat Xuan Yuanzhan on the shoulder: "I knew we would win."
When Xuanyuan Zhan saw Mu Lingchen return, he glanced at the bandit army behind him and asked with concern, "How are you all? Did it go smoothly? No casualties, right?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Lingchen immediately praised, "It went incredibly smoothly. You have no idea how skilled the brothers of Liuying Village are. They're more agile than monkeys in the deep mountains when they climb that cliff. And our brothers who were lying in ambush up there also attacked with great effort. Not only did our soldiers suffer no casualties, but we also wiped out all 100,000 Sky Dome soldiers in one fell swoop. You could say the enemy was completely annihilated, while we were unscathed!"
Xuanyuan Zhan was pleased to hear that they had not lost a single soldier, and immediately shouted, "Everyone, please be quiet, I have something to say!"
The soldiers, who had been cheering, fell silent instantly upon hearing Xuan Yuanzhan's words.
Once everyone quieted down, Xuan Yuanzhan spoke, "The greatest contributor to our resounding victory this time, so easily defeating the Northern Rong, is not myself, but Bai Ying, Liu Ying Village, and the bandit army you all speak of. It was Bai Ying who came up with this plan, and it was Bai Ying who led the brothers of Liu Ying Village in a feigned defection to Tian Qiong, leading all the bandits to complete this mission, annihilating Tian Qiong's 100,000-strong army, without losing a single soldier himself. Please give a round of applause to General Bai Ying, to the brothers of Liu Ying Village, and to all of our bandit army!"
After Xuanyuan Zhan finished speaking, he took the lead in clapping.
Soon, thunderous applause erupted from below.
At this moment, all the regular troops of Dongchu applauded excitedly for the bandit army. Every soldier was sincere and genuine.
From devising a plan to deal with the Northern Rong, to actively surrendering to the Northern Rong, and finally setting up such a large ambush to annihilate all 100,000 Sky Soldiers using the mountain passes, everything they did was something that even regular armies could not accomplish.
They were truly remarkable. Even though they came from bandit backgrounds, they possessed a patriotic heart, courage, resourcefulness, and boldness.
What they have done and the achievements they have made are enough to make them look at them with new respect!
The regular soldiers applauded the bandits sincerely, and Ling Lang looked at Bai Ying sincerely and said, "Congratulations, you have made a great contribution."
White Eagle laughed, "It was us who did a great job!"
Ling Lang laughed along with him.
Deputy General Liu, who had previously looked down on the bandit army, formally apologized to Zhang Debiao and his men this time: "I'm sorry, I was petty before. I hope you won't take it to heart."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Debiao generously brandished his double axes: "That's all in the past, we've long forgotten about it. We're all soldiers under the Prince, let's just get along peacefully from now on."
Deputy General Liu smiled, suddenly feeling a little envious of Zhang Debiao.
They were indeed the prince's soldiers. Even though the authorities hadn't officially recognized their status as bandits, as long as the prince was around, he wouldn't let them go unchecked.
But what about these reserve troops in Kyoto? What should they do?
Given the current complex situation in Kyoto, perhaps their only option is to follow the prince.
Of course, he was willing to follow the prince!
He didn't want to take sides casually before, after all, when the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Holy King were vying for the throne, taking sides randomly would mean dying without even knowing how.
However, after this invasion by the Northern Rong, he finally saw through the Holy King's character.
The Holy King remained calm in the face of danger, possessing both wisdom and courage, and cared deeply for the people. He had both great strategic talent and the demeanor of a great general. If he could become the emperor of Eastern Chu, it would be a great blessing for the people of Eastern Chu.
On the other hand, the Second Prince and the Third Prince still had the mind to frame the Prince when the country was in such a crisis. If it weren't for the Prince, Beifeng City, or even the entire northern region, might not have been able to be defended!
People of such character are hardly fit to be emperors. If they were to become emperors, only the people of Eastern Chu would suffer.
Therefore, even for the sake of the people of Dongchu, they should support the Holy King.
Ling Lang looked at Xuan Yuanzhan and said, "Your Highness, should I submit a memorial to report General Bai and the others for their merits?"
Ling Lang was thinking that now that the prince had been accused of treason because of General Bai and his bandit army, he could take this opportunity to submit a memorial to explain the situation to the prince and his men and to report on General Bai and his men's merits.
I hope that the Second Prince and the Third Prince can consider the bandits' merits and clear their name, and also exonerate the Prince from the charge of treason!
Xuan Yuanzhan narrowed his eyes coldly as he thought of Xuan Yuanyu and Xuan Yuanzhi: "Forget it. Since they insist on accusing me of treason, there's no point in explaining. The war in the north is over. I'll go back to the capital and resolve this myself."
Ling Lang also knew about the imprisonment of Xuan Yuanzhan's mother and princess. Although he was reluctant, he knew that Xuan Yuanzhan was in a hurry to return to the capital: "Leave the rest of the matters here to me. If Your Highness needs any help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Xuanyuan Zhan nodded: "Tomorrow, let's make some preparations tonight and return to the capital tomorrow."
"Very well." Ling Lang agreed. The battle had just ended, and there was still a need to clean up the battlefield and deal with the Northern Rong prisoners. There were still many things waiting for the prince to decide!
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