Chapter 54: A Peerless General
Seeing General Huo's calm expression, Su Zhenzhen was extremely puzzled. "Are you aware of what Jiang Yichun did?"
General Huo really thought about it seriously. "I have been busy with military affairs all year round and only know that His Highness the Crown Prince has been practicing benevolent governance."
Indeed, all of Jiang Yichun's proposals were well-intentioned and well-directed, but he overlooked a fundamental thing: the actual situation.
Not everyone is on the same page as those in power.
Not everyone knows how to repay kindness.
Su Zhenzhen was bewildered. "Wait, don't you have any civil officials in your team?"
General Huo, General Hu, General Xu, and the Prefect of Xijun all commanded troops.
"Most of the civil officials are from aristocratic families. Your Majesty has lofty ambitions and wants to find a new way to save the world and bring peace to the people. It is precisely for this reason that we, your subjects, are willing to die ten thousand times over."
When he said this, General Huo's expression was one of resignation to his fate.
Su Zhenzhen inwardly scoffed. If this team had even one civil official or strategist, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Several generals, and most of the imperial army, were loyal to Jiang Yichun, yet he still managed to have them all wiped out.
Indeed, conquering a country is easier than maintaining it.
Hensheng solemnly declared, "I will learn from this lesson and put the policies that benefit the people into practice."
The one-eyed old man waved his hand, "It's too early to talk about these things now. Before we can defend the country, we have to conquer it first. Come with me first, and I'll take you to see your old comrades. Now that you're all here, you should at least say hello. They haven't seen their general in a long time."
Having said all that, Hensheng certainly wouldn't stubbornly turn back.
With the addition of a person and a monkey to the group, they continued their journey through the dense forest under the moonlight.
As we emerged from the woods, the sky was just beginning to lighten with shimmering golden light.
Su Zhenzhen finally understood what was meant by the supposed natural barrier of Huzhou.
As far as the eye could see, one mountain after another stretched out before you. There were no wide, flat roads, only narrow mountain paths that could only accommodate two or three people walking side by side. If you were riding a horse, you could probably only manage one ride at a time.
The barbarians are mostly cavalry, and they are hard to beat in the vast desert. Breaking through the border states is relatively easy, but the terrain of Huzhou is complicated. Even if they break through the front-line garrison, the road behind them is not easy to travel, and they are more likely to be ambushed.
The one-eyed old man pointed ahead, “The further north you go, the more mountain roads like this there are. Only the area where the troops are stationed at the front is relatively flat.”
Hensheng offered, "Sir, let me carry you on my back."
The one-eyed old man curled his lip and said, "I'm always the fastest runner on the battlefield."
However, he did not refuse Hate Life's good intentions.
If you're taking small steps, don't let it slow down the progress of young people.
Thus, Hensheng carried the one-eyed old man on his back, with Su Zhenzhen following behind. General Huo was put into a storage compartment, as leaving him outside would consume too much of his soul power.
I walked all day.
The monkey senior roamed around the mountains and brought back quite a few wild fruits.
Now that we have something to eat, and I must say, this fruit is quite sweet.
As darkness fell, they arrived at a village, where the one-eyed old man gestured for Hensheng to put him down.
The moonlight wasn't enough to illuminate the entire village, so Su Zhenzhen turned on her flashlight and instantly saw the whole village clearly.
Well, it's even more dilapidated than Shanxian County.
The roof was entirely thatched, and many sections had cracked, probably due to its age. The walls were made of wood, and they too had developed cracks.
The one-eyed old man cleared his throat, his deep voice carrying a particularly long and resonant tone through the mountains and fields.
"Hey—old folks, are you all asleep?"
Light gradually appeared inside the house, and some people went out wearing clothes.
"Uncle One-Eyed, you've arrived."
People came out of the house one after another; the youngest was almost forty, and the older ones had white beards and were leaning on canes.
There were also women and children.
"Uncle One-Eyed, what brings you here? How's the situation outside? And who are those young people with you?"
The one-eyed old man looked around to make sure everyone was there before clearing his throat.
"This is the late emperor's son," he introduced, pointing to Hensheng.
These veterans looked at each other. Having served on the frontier for so long, they had a rather vague concept of the emperor.
Someone tentatively asked, "Uncle, you brought him here to get us to serve you?"
Su Zhenzhen took the opportunity to release General Huo.
Despite the fact that he was missing half of his body, these veterans from the battlefield recognized their general at a glance.
"General."
Everyone knelt down, including the women and children.
They may never have met General Huo, but they knew that there was only one person who could make their men and fathers kneel down and call him "General."
That was Huo Zhenyue, the Northwest General.
"Get up, old buddies, get up." General Huo's expression was moved; he wanted to cry, but ghosts don't shed tears.
Only after they got up did the crowd realize that their general was floating. Indeed, many of those present had personally witnessed their general being pierced by a thousand arrows and chopped into mincemeat.
At this moment, the one-eyed old man introduced Su Zhenzhen's identity, "This is the underworld official, and she is the one who summoned General Huo's ghost."
Many people expressed their gratitude to Su Zhenzhen.
"Thank you, sir. Thank you for allowing us to see the general again in our lifetime."
The one-eyed old man then described the situation here: "When we came here back then, we met a lot of people who were fleeing for their lives, so we simply took them with us. Many people then got together and lived together."
A man nudged his son and said, "Polu, this is the great general your father told you about."
The twelve or thirteen-year-old boy stepped forward and gave a standard military salute, saying, "Greetings, General Huo."
General Huo nodded with satisfaction, "Good boy, good boy."
The one-eyed old man raised his chin smugly. "How about it, old friend? I've kept the torch for your Huo family army."
General Huo looked at the crowded people, his expression moved. "Since you survived the battlefield, why don't you live your own lives?"
The Central Plains are so vast; you can go to the capital or to the south. There's no need to spend your whole life holed up in the mountains.
The man who had just pushed his son out spoke for everyone, saying, "General, we are the Northwest Army, but more importantly, we are the Huo Family Army. The Northwest Army is loyal to the court. With the country destroyed and the emperor gone, we ordinary people naturally have to plan for our own future. The Huo Family Army's duty is to protect the Han people. In times of chaos, we fight for the people; in times of peace, we retreat to the countryside. Besides, the world is not at peace today."
The women chimed in, "Yes, General Huo, we've seen other officials, but who loves the people as much as you do?"
“My parents were eaten by barbarians. If it weren’t for you taking me back to the army camp and giving me money every month, I would probably be working as a slave in a rich man’s house by now. I don’t even know if I’d still be alive.”
"The world is in chaos everywhere, so it's better to hide in these mountains. We hope that one day another good general like you will appear, so that my son can join the army."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
