Chapter 333

Although Ling Yin had assured that the Dawang would be fine, the Dawang being kidnapped was a major matter; after they dealt with the Xiongnu and came out, Wei Ke and Zhao Chuan had already led troops to encircle Dragon Head County.

If something had happened earlier on Sea Tranquil Street, the populace would have panicked, but only limited to that street.

But now, the entire city is in panic.

Dragon Head County allows entry but not exit, and the reason won't be told to the populace; as the sun sets westward, those entering the city are terrified.

"It's almost dark; what reason is there for not letting us go home?"

"Looks like they're searching for escaped criminals?"

"That could mean a long wait; maybe we won't be able to leave today……"

"What are we to do? The old man doesn't have money to stay at an inn……"

After the Dawang came out and walked onto Main Street, what he saw was a sea of people. He first realized that the desolate Dragon Head County actually had so many people.

The incident on Sea Tranquil Street had been quelled, replaced by a group of people pointing and whispering at the city gate.

"Isn't there some ceremony at the dock tomorrow? The King of the Northern Border is coming; could it be because of this?!"

"Exactly, I have a relative who came especially to see; today he's staying at my place, fortunately we're staying inside and don't need to go out……"

"We haven't seen this in years; look at the armor those soldiers wear—could they be from Dark Prefecture City? Our local militia isn't nearly this imposing."

Someone who had just returned from outside the city hurried over to gossip, saying, "Let me tell you, outside the city are rows of fully armored soldiers, asking us where we live and what we're doing in the city; the whole county is surrounded—something major has definitely happened!"

"Could it be that the King of the Northern Border is coming?"

"Let's investigate first?"

The king, upon hearing, immediately pushed his way into the conversation: "Impossible! He just showed up—how could he possibly pull off such a grand display and not let people leave? Impossible!" He was determined to defend his reputation.

The old man beside him was unhappy: "Whose brat are you? How could the king not be able to put on such a grand show?"

Aside from the king, who else could pull this off in the northern territories? Rebel, much? The old man remained the old man—once he slapped that accusation on you, nobody dared to talk back.

The king: ……

The king's hope to clear his name came to nothing; he honestly left the city.

Wei Ke, who was personally inspecting the main city gate with his men, saw the king walk out completely unharmed and let out a sigh of relief.

More than an hour earlier, Wei Shen came running back to the camp covered in blood, and the first thing he said was that the king had been kidnapped—shocking beyond words.

At the gate, the king gave him a frantic wink: "Can we wrap up? Pull back?"

Wei Ke gave him a meaningful pat on the shoulder, then ordered the Xiongnu prisoners Lingyin and Changli, who were being held in the rear, to go out first.

He kept glancing at Changli several times—this guy… before the king's mishap he was still at the dock; when did he enter the city?

Regardless of his confusion, the king went out and saw that Wei Ke and his men had really gone all out—outside the city wall, soldiers were posted at intervals, effectively encircling Longtou County!

Wei Ke understood his meaning: "No way—this wall of Longtou County can't stop even someone with a bit of skill." His foolish younger brother had said there was a master coming.

And Zhao Chuan?

He's leading troops to search for people outside the city.

Have they all withdrawn? …What's the casualty situation among the civilians?

Two seriously injured, a dozen or so lightly injured, and no deaths so far.

The king sighed with an old‑man's air: "Alas! I've lost, I've lost! Give the seriously injured a military‑use pill, and give each wounded person five taels of silver to settle their shock."

The king sighed, until he saw Lian Xi bound hand and foot, then said: "…not without gain—this time the Xiongnu are wholly to blame, and plenty of people will foot the bill." He bared his teeth.

He pointed at Lian Xi and instructed his subordinates: "Keep a close watch on the Xiongnu prince! If the Chanyu is deeply attached to his son, they might spend silver to ransom him."

The king's only consolation was having captured Lian Xi; returning to the camp and reaching the gate, he was stopped and scolded by his lame cousin.

The king didn't talk back the whole time; fortunately, Wei Ke gave a hint and sent everyone away.

After Wei Shen finally shut up, the king nervously asked: "Cousin, are you lame?"

Wei Shen was still angry that he had gone out without weapons, relying on his status, and even brought few guards, which almost caused him to overturn on his own turf.

You know, they fought from east to west, unifying the northern borders, and the king had never suffered such a loss.

Wei Shen snapped: "Lame—my leg is broken!"

The king grabbed him to comfort him: "Cousin, don't worry—I'll get you a good pill and you'll be fine soon! If not, once the northern border medical bureau is built, there will be skilled physicians stationed there; your leg can still be saved, really! Don't give up! Even if you really end up lame and can't marry… I'll buy you a wife, so you can rest easy!"

Wei Shen began to circulate his qi, while Wei Ke tried not to laugh.

Two lively troublemakers.

"Go on in—Mr. Xie was there too, and everyone was worried."

The king greeted Xie Yuan with lively enthusiasm, and Xie Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he thought, "That's more like it," and said, "This guy isn't that easy to deal with."

The king was especially moved by Mr. Xie's concern, and said he would invite him and his students aboard the main warship tomorrow for a firsthand experience.

Ke Tu, as the king's employee, gave a timely popularization: "This is the northern border navy's camp; besides the prince's oral order, no non‑military personnel may approach at any time. The warship, as a military facility involving secrecy, is even more off‑limits to outsiders, let alone boarding. For tomorrow's open day, please have Mr. Xie, the libationer, and the students make it clear that no one may casually tamper with any equipment on the warship, to avoid accidents."

Xie Yuan readily agreed; the warship indeed inspires awe, looking immensely majestic from the shore, but aside from its size, he hadn't noticed anything special.

Who would have thought the next day he would take back his words.

The king was serious about the open day; he truly opened the camp gates to let civilians come watch the navy drill.

Although the main force had just been transferred from Youzhou, they were no different—usually they were well practiced.

After watching the morning drill, he guided everyone to tour the camp: first the drill grounds, then the quarters, and after that the mess hall.

Upon entering the mess hall, a menu was posted for the midday meal. Since few people could read, it was a picture showing one person's ration: three large steamed buns plus a bowl of stew, explicitly marking that the meat‑containing stew is non‑vegetarian.

Everyone saw that the food was really not bad! The townsfolk whispered among themselves, and many were envious.

In short, serving the king with one's life, whether food or lodging, far exceeds the average living standard in Youzhou. So what does this show? It shows that being a soldier under the king is a good way forward.

The king's little thoughts are hardly concealed; he constantly displays his policy of favoring the military.

The king complained to Wei Shen: "…I really have no choice; in these troubled times, with an army everyone can finally sleep soundly!"

After yesterday, Wei Shen didn't really believe his nonsense.

"Forget about others, you still have times you can't sleep? You could even sleep in a bandit's den."

Great King: …

"They all said they'd buy you a ……" Wei Shen lowered his crutch and clenched his fist, then the Great King fell silent.

Xie Yuan looked at the orderly interior of the camp, and he regarded the Great King with new respect, also feeling it was only natural. An army governed like this would have the strength to sweep the plains, which is reasonable.

His perspective on things is certainly different from that of the crowds who came just to watch the excitement; from the details one can see the discipline of the You Prefecture army, which is very strict.

For example, the arrangement of blankets in the camp suits his fastidious eye; from small details one sees the big picture, and indeed the Great King's subordinates have masters of troop management.

After circling the camp, the final stop brought everyone to the berths of six warships, where Ke Tu personally gave everyone a briefing on the You Prefecture's naval combat capabilities.

If the common folk lack experience, it's fine, but the knowledgeable Xie Yuan and his several disciples were completely bewildered the whole time.