"Is this the sacred statue of the wolf clan?"
"How extravagant! It must be made entirely of gold!"
A group of people exclaimed in admiration. In the middle of the hall stood a golden Howling Wolf.
"Good lad! You actually brought back such a big guy!" Cheng Zhijie patted his son's shoulder and said excitedly, having long forgotten about the broken leg.
Not long after entering the Jade Gate Pass of the Tang Dynasty, Qin Mu and his men heard news of the Tang's victory. He simply took out the captured golden wolf, placed it on the back of a triangular ox, and paraded it through the streets. Now that the court had won a great victory, no one dared to provoke the tiger. Upon returning to Shuofang, they found the imperial army still resting. This was also because the snow made it unsuitable for infantry to march.
Qin Mu and his group's return delighted Li Jing and his men, but after learning of the battle's outcome, everyone was shocked. They hadn't expected Qin Mu and his group to cause so much trouble. Along the way, at least 50,000 wolves had perished at their hands, and hundreds of thousands more were affected. They had raided the wolf clan's sacred ground and then engaged in a massive battle with 100,000 wolves.
If I weren't certain that what they said was without any flaws, I would have thought I was listening to a story. Six thousand people went out of the pass, and only four thousand died. Compared to their hundreds of thousands of troops, what they did was no less impressive.
"Great! Great! You did a fantastic job!" Li Jing exclaimed excitedly.
"You flatter me, Chief Steward. If you hadn't defeated the wolf clan head-on, we might not have made it back alive," Qin Mu said modestly.
"Your victory is more than just a simple triumph; the most important thing is the blow to the morale of the wolf clan. After this great battle, the border will enjoy at least ten years of peace," Li Jing said with a smile.
"Your roaming freely across the grasslands will make the wolf tribe wary of you, because there's no guarantee that more people and more groups won't venture out of the pass. I can guarantee that after next spring, the wolf tribes will never dare to get so close to the border again," Li Ji said with a smile.
"Excellent, excellent. The border will be much quieter now. You have all made a great contribution," Zhang Gongjin nodded and said.
"Hehe!" After being praised so highly by Li Ji and the others, Cheng Huaimo and the others could only laugh awkwardly. Such an opportunity to shine in front of a group of people they admired and respected was not something that happened often.
Because of Qin Mu and the others' return, Li Jing held a special celebration banquet and sent a messenger on urgent occasions to report their achievements.
"You've managed the Six Doors remarkably well!" Li Jing exclaimed. With his discerning eye, he could naturally see the strength of the men. The palpable killing intent they exuded was something that ordinary soldiers simply didn't possess.
The soldiers of the Six Doors suffered the fewest losses this time, especially the batch brought from Chang'an. Of the three hundred men, two hundred remained, fifty of whom were promoted to ninth-rank generals. The rest were not bad either, but none of them broke through this time, and it's basically impossible for them to do so in the future. The three hundred spiritual cultivator constables were the best preserved, with only more than thirty killed. This was mainly because they did most of their work taking care of the wounded, and during the charge, the heavily armored soldiers were at the front drawing fire.
"After a series of major battles, many people have made breakthroughs."
“I know their background. Some of them are even from the Twelve Guards. Although you put a lot of effort into training them, they are still government officials. It would be a waste to put so many experts in the Six Doors,” Li Jing said with a smile.
"What do you mean, Grand Steward?" Qin Mu asked warily.
"Hehe, don't be nervous. I won't compete with you for people. It's just that His Majesty wouldn't waste such talent," Li Jing said with a smile, waving his hand.
Qin Mu squinted and thought for a moment, then understood. The small Six Doors had gathered so many experts; Li Shimin would definitely demand them once he found out, since a top-tier expert was enough to command a ten-thousand-strong army. Although Qin Mu didn't want his hard work to be divided up, he also couldn't hinder others' futures.
"Thank you for the reminder, Grand Steward." Qin Mu bowed and thanked him. Li Jing's words actually had a lot in them. Telling him in advance was to prepare him mentally and avoid angering Li Shimin. Secondly, military officers are most afraid of getting too involved. These people were all trained by Qin Mu, and Li Shimin would definitely put them in different places.
"Hehe, I didn't remind you of anything," Li Jing said with a smile, shaking his head. He was the kind of person who preferred to mind his own business, so it was already quite a favor for him to offer a word of advice. As for what Qin Mu thought, that was his own business. After saying that, Li Jing left.
The celebration banquet was very lively. Qin Mu drank with everyone for a while before returning to the city. After being away for several months, what he missed most was his bed and the soft blankets.
Shuofang City was also very lively, not only because of the victory in the war, but also because of the harvest, the new homes, and the coal. This year, they would not have to go hungry or freeze. Life had hope, and naturally, they were even more supportive of the government and the imperial court.
"Ouch!" Qin Mu opened his eyes, and as soon as he sat up, he couldn't help but cover his forehead. He didn't know how much he had drunk last night, nor when he had fallen asleep. To recall, his mind was completely blank about the rest of the night, something that had never happened to him before.
"You're awake!" Princess Changning said as she saw Qin Mu get up.
"Why am I sleeping here?" Qin Mu looked around and asked curiously. He was actually in the pavilion in the courtyard, with Cheng Huaimo and the others sleeping haphazardly all around him, and two stoves burning, presumably to keep them warm.
"You were drinking all day yesterday and wouldn't let anyone take you inside, so we had no choice but to let you sleep here," Princess Changning explained.
"Hehe, luckily I didn't fall into the pool." Judging from his outburst yesterday, Qin Mu ignored Cheng Huaimo and the others, walked out of the pavilion, and said with an awkward smile.
"Hehe, someone was using the toilet there last night!" Xiangli Yanran came downstairs and said with a smile when she heard Qin Mu's words, her eyes full of teasing.
"Ahem! I want them to fill a pool of clear water." Qin Mu's face flushed red, and he coughed twice.
“And you, Brother Qin, what are you still singing loudly over there? Start dancing!” Xiangli Yanran said.
"Yanran, don't talk nonsense." Princess Changning blushed and hurriedly pulled Xiangli away.
"I'm telling the truth. I don't understand why you wouldn't let anyone help them back to their rooms to sleep, Sister Ruoxi."
"They're still talking nonsense. That's because they don't want to go back inside; they want to admire the moon."
"But~~~~~"
A conversation between two people drifted from afar. Qin Mu stood there stunned, a cold wind blowing, leaving him in a mess. He had no idea what shameful things he had done yesterday.
Qin Mu's lips twitched. He decided never to bring this up again; anyone who did would get angry. Looking at Cheng Huaimo and the others in the pavilion, Qin Mu understood that they should return to the capital with the main group. Moreover, their contributions this time were too great; they would definitely be given official positions, and there wouldn't be many more opportunities for them to get together in the future.
70
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com