A day later, while Wei Jin was inspecting the camp, someone reported that General Li Guang was leading an army of 20,000 and would be arriving soon, currently less than ten miles from the camp.
Wei Jin was overjoyed and immediately led his officers out of the camp to greet him.
Li Guang's expedition to the southwestern border went smoothly without encountering much difficulty. Apart from the heat, the soldiers were in good condition, eating well, sleeping soundly at night, and free from mosquito bites.
Zhao Xian and Li Xue did not ride horses; they rode in a carriage. It was stuffy and hot inside the carriage during this season, but Zhao Xian solved the problem well.
Zhao Xian placed a large block of ice on the carriage, which was like installing an air conditioner, making it very cool.
To everyone else, it wasn't strange that Zhao Xian could produce ice on such a hot day. Zhao Xian was an extraordinary person who could create anything, so what was so strange about him making ice on a hot day?
Zhao Xian calculated the days and estimated that Wei Jin had already reached the southwestern border. There were too many mosquitoes there, so he sent people to deliver mosquito repellent to reduce the mosquito bites on the soldiers.
Given that Wang Bingling had fought with Li Xue before, if Wang Bingling knew that Li Xue had also come to the southwestern border, he would definitely worry about being recognized.
To lower the guard of this big fish, Li Xue plans to disguise herself as a man and deceive Wang Bingling. In this way, Wang Bingling will be able to carry out the sinister plan of the eldest prince, Li Hui, without any restraint.
Soon, Li Xue changed her appearance and became a young general with a pale face. Of course, the guards she brought were all dressed as men.
The 20,000-strong army arrived at the southwestern border, where the camp was located. Wei Jin led a large contingent of troops to greet them outside the camp.
Upon seeing Li Guang and Zhao Xian approaching, Wei Jin quickly dismounted and went to greet them.
"Greetings, Lord Shaoqing, and General Li."
"General Wei, there's no need for such formalities. You must be tired from your journey."
"Many thanks to Lord Shaoqing and General Li for the insect repellent medicine, which has reduced the suffering of the soldiers from mosquito bites and allowed them to finally get a good night's sleep."
Zhao Xian and Li Guang both laughed upon hearing this.
At this moment, Wei Jin glanced at the people around Zhao Xian and Li Guang, and said:
"Didn't the princess say that she was also coming to the southwestern border? Why haven't I seen the princess?"
“Before the princess set off, she was not in good health. She may have contracted typhoid fever some time ago and had not fully recovered. The climate in the southwestern border is so harsh that the princess's body may not be able to withstand it, so she did not come,” Zhao Xian said.
"Oh, is that so? The princess wanted to come to the southwestern frontier to find her brother, General Li Ru, but I'm afraid that wish will be difficult to fulfill."
I brought several veterans who went to this area ten years ago; they'll help me search."
"Thank you, General Wei. Please hand these veterans over to us later and let them help us find General Li Ru."
At this moment, Wei Jin suddenly remembered something, summoned Wang Bingling over, and said:
"Lord Shaoqing, General Li, let me introduce you. This is General Wang. I mentioned him to you when I visited Narcissus Village last time."
Back in the training grounds of the capital, he could throw several arrows at the bullseye a hundred meters away with his bare hands without using a powerful bow. No one else in the Great Northern Dynasty could match his skill.
Unfortunately, General Wang missed the martial arts examination; otherwise, I would definitely not have been the first place winner.
Wang Bingling did not feign modesty in response to Wei Jin's praise; he even seemed to nod. He looked at Zhao Xian and Li Guang, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said:
"Greetings, Lord Shaoqing, greetings, General Li. Please feel free to give any orders you may have in the future."
Zhao Xian and Li Guang carefully examined Li Bingling. Although there were still some differences from the portrait, they were certain that the Wang Bingling in front of them was the bandit leader Wang Ling from back then.
"General Wang, you are too kind. You are a rare talent in the Great Northern Dynasty and have a bright future."
After chatting for a while outside the camp, Li Guang gave the order to set up camp and settle down.
Under the scorching sun outside, Wei Jin invited everyone to go to the military camp first.
The tent was very stuffy and hot; after sitting for a short while, everyone was drenched in sweat.
Wei Jin said, "Two days ago, I went to Lishui City and met with Prefect Duan. He had already sent someone to the Southern Dian Kingdom to ask them to send an envoy to discuss with us the matter of our army entering the Southern Dian Kingdom. I estimate that the envoy from the Southern Dian Kingdom has already arrived by now."
“Then we shall enter the city immediately and discuss the matter of settling in with the envoys of the Southern Dian Kingdom. The sooner the better, otherwise things may change,” Li Guang said.
“Alright, let’s go into the city now.” After saying that, Wei Jin stood up and led Zhao Xian and Li Guang out of the camp.
Soon, the group arrived at the entrance of the government office. Several people who were waiting at the entrance came over and said:
"This humble official has been dispatched by the Prefect to wait at the gate for General Wei's esteemed arrival."
Wei Jin sized up the man; he should be an official from the Lishui government office.
"Has the envoy from the Southern Dian Kingdom arrived?"
"The envoys arrived yesterday. They had been waiting for news at the border, and when they learned that we had asked them to send envoys, they quickly came."
Upon hearing this, Wei Jin was stunned. It seemed that the situation in the Southern Dian Kingdom was very serious, otherwise they would not be in such a hurry.
"Then let's go meet the envoy from the Southern Dian Kingdom now and get the army stationed there as soon as possible." After Wei Jin finished speaking, the group followed the official into the government office.
In the council hall of the government office, more than ten envoys from the Southern Dian Kingdom arrived. Prefect Duan sat at the table, while they sat to the side, clearly somewhat uneasy.
Upon seeing Wei Jin and the others enter, everyone immediately stood up.
Prefect Duan came over, and Wei Jin began to introduce Zhao Xian, Li Guang, and others to him.
Although Prefect Duan was located in the southwestern frontier, he still knew some things about the imperial court and the Central Plains. He did not expect that two legendary figures from the Great Northern Dynasty would come to this small city of Lishui.
Prefect Duan bowed respectfully, and after exchanging pleasantries, he began to introduce the envoy from the Southern Dian Kingdom to everyone.
After the introductions were completed, everyone sat down again and began to formally discuss the matter of the army's entry into the Southern Dian Kingdom.
According to previous negotiations between the imperial court and the Southern Dian Kingdom, the army that will be stationed in the Southern Dian Kingdom this time is 30,000. The Southern Dian Kingdom is also a little worried that if too many people are stationed there, the Southern Dian Kingdom will not be able to cope with any changes.
With this army of 30,000, the Southern Dian Kingdom could deter troublesome smaller neighboring countries, preventing them from doing anything outrageous and thus protecting the safety of the salt mines.
Based on the current situation in the Southern Dian Kingdom, Wei Jin plans to divide his troops into five routes to enter several important salt mines in the Southern Dian Kingdom and stabilize the situation there first.
Li Guang's 20,000 troops remained stationed in place, ready to provide assistance should any unexpected situations arise.
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