Chapter 21: Lead the army north, cross the Yellow River three times

【The battle of Hulao Pass proved yourself.】

【Your father trusted you more and more, and even Wang Yang personally requested rewards for you three father and sons.】

【But unexpectedly, for the Lu Family Army's great victory, beheading thirty thousand enemies, Lu Jiaxuan, the supreme commander of the Lu Family Army, was only given the title of Martial Merit Physician and Defense Commissioner of Changzhou by the imperial court.】

【Lu Yu and Lu Chen were only granted the rank of partial generals in the army.】

【On the contrary, Wang Yang was promoted to Military Governor of the Divine Martial Rear Army, governing three provinces, and was appointed as Grand Marshal, second rank.】

【After Wang Yang learned of this, he submitted several memorials, saying earnestly that the Lu family had great merits and should not be treated this way, but they were rejected one by one by the imperial court.】

【Wang Yang found his father, full of helplessness; Lu Jiaxuan still had a thin foundation and no one in the court to support him, but he comforted him: "Jiaxuan, you have already won the Saint's heart; His Majesty mentioned you many times in the decree, and your promotion is just a matter of time. You must not be discouraged."】

【"The current His Majesty is diligent in governing and is a rare wise monarch, a restorer of the dynasty."】

【Wang Yang had the power of promotion, so he promoted Lu Chen and Lu Yu to the first rank, fifty-seventh level, and appointed them as deputy generals in the army. Otherwise, it would be difficult to calm the military morale; such a great military achievement only earned an unranked military position.】

【His father did not care.】

【Lu Yu whispered, "The Emperor is really stingy."】

【In the following year, the Lu Family Army entered a true period of rest. With the assistance of Wang Yang, their superior, many matters were handled quite smoothly.】

【This year you are twenty-two years old, the Lu Family Army has been training for two years, and the number of people has reached twenty thousand.】

【Although the Northern Wind occasionally harassed them, they were all small-scale battles, and every battle you participated in was a victory.】

【You have gained some reputation in the Northern army.】

【And Wang Yang's phrase, "having thousands of troops and horses in your belly," has become widely known.】

【The North has ushered in a long-lost peace.】

【You possess the talent of knowing people, and you can always find talents among refugees and soldiers, selecting shrewd and capable people.】

【Wang Yang saw that you were steady in handling affairs and orderly in your actions, never making mistakes in two years, and praised your ability highly.】

【Wang Yang was a civil official by origin and did not like military generals; seeing your elegant Daoist aura, he often discussed state affairs with you, and your speeches could always hit his pain points.】

【He liked you more and more.】

【In the third year, Wang Yang decided to marry his beloved daughter to you, which was undoubtedly an recognition of your talent and character.】

【Most of the voices in the Wang family were opposed; the Wang family was a multi-generational noble family, and his grandfather and great-grandfather were great scholars of the world, having served as Grand Tutors for two dynasties, and were clear-stream nobles in the court.】

【The Lu family was just a fallen Northern cold family, and the gap in status was huge.】

【Wang Yang ignored the family's obstruction and only replied, "This child is definitely not a thing in a pond."】

【However, at the end of this year, the Northern Wind army came to commit crimes again, and this matter was delayed.】

【The Northern Wind's forty-thousand-strong army came aggressively, intending to annihilate the Great Daqing.】

【This year, the Lu Family Army also expanded to thirty thousand people, and its strength greatly increased.】

【Hearing the news, so... you decided.】

1. Suggest leading the army north.

2. Defend the city.

3. Participate personally (1/3)

Yu Ke looked at the three options and pondered for a while.

Three years of development, having fought eight thousand against forty thousand at Hulao Pass, what is there to be afraid of.

And defending Hulao Pass, Tuoba Shuyi, who had suffered losses, would likely split his troops into two routes to head south.

Might as well lead the army north.

Yu Ke directly chose 1, suggesting leading the army north.

【Your father learned of your suggestion, his heart surging.】

【In twenty years, the Great Daqing had only defended the city, had the city broken, and fled in embarrassment, never having gone north to meet the enemy.】

【The news of the Northern Wind's invasion spread back to the south, and people were panicked again.】

【After all, twenty years of defeat had bent the spine of the Great Daqing, and the only major victory was at Hulao Pass.】

【The news of the Lu Family Army heading north began to spread throughout the world; many scholars in the south did not look favorably upon it, feeling that the Lu Family Army was an advance, seeking fame and fortune, without regard for the Great Daqing's country and society.】

【Memorials drifted into that prosperous and heavy capital like snowflakes; the war faction and the surrender faction argued with each other, and there was endless debate in the court.】

【Finally, in the same year, the imperial decree was passed down: some people would defend Hulao Pass, and some would follow the Lu Family Army north.】

【In the spring of the following year, the Lu Family Army led the army north.】

【Crossing the Yellow River, they encountered Tuoba Shuyi again.】

【After three years of tempering, you have fully proven your ability, and your father handed over the command to you, and you sat in the center.】

【The Lu Family Army was disciplined, and all the generals were promoted by you, and you knew their strengths and weaknesses like the back of your hand.】

【And your father was on the side to check for omissions.】

【Tuoba Shuyi learned that the true commander of the Lu Family Army was actually a young man in his twenties, and his heart was full of contempt.】

【When he heard that the exquisite planning of Hulao Pass also came from this twenty-year-old youth, he sneered even more, secretly saying: "There are no heroes in the world, actually letting a brat become famous."】

【Tuoba Shuyi could not help but sneer: "Lu Jiaxuan, that old fox, is mostly old and confused, and unwilling to hand over power to others, so he can only pass it to his son to pave the way for him."】

【The Northern Wind generals mostly echoed.】

【Tuoba Shuyi's contempt for the Lu family was even greater, and a flame of revenge burned in his heart.】

【The last defeat at Hulao Pass was not his true strength, just because of a moment of carelessness.】

【This time, he wanted to wash away the shame of Hulao Pass.】

【Tuoba Shuyi led one hundred thousand troops to meet the Lu Family Army you led.】

【The two armies faced each other.】

【You sat in the military tent, calm and composed, issuing orders in an orderly manner; every order was like a sharp arrow pointing directly at the key point, quickly spreading throughout the army, and none dared not to follow.】

【In the first confrontation, Tuoba Shuyi felt your extraordinary nature; although you were young, you used troops in an experienced way.】

【After several confrontations, Tuoba Shuyi tried to use schemes, deliberately revealing flaws to lure you deep.】

【However, you perceived the opportunity, used the plan against him, cleverly counterattacked, and finally won a small victory.】

【Within that month, you fought dozens of times.】

【Deploying troops and formations, using troops steadily, and not lacking decisiveness, made Tuoba Shuyi look at you with admiration. He moved your name forward on the roster several times, and his importance to you increased day by day.】

【In the battle of Chan County, you used the advantage of the terrain to behead ten thousand enemies at the cost of three thousand troops.】

【After this battle, Tuoba Shuyi was even more wary of you; using troops, you knew the timing, understood the terrain, and were good at human harmony.】

【Only three months, his view of you was worlds apart, and he called you "a famous commander of the world, a master of military strategy" many times in the military tent.】

【He knew that a lion fighting a rabbit also uses its full strength, so he gathered thirty thousand troops, intending to defeat you in one fell swoop on the frontal battlefield.】

【However, you did not choose to fight him head-on, nor did you choose to flee south.】

【You led the army across the Yellow River, pretending to go north, but actually secretly crossed the Chen Cang.】

【Tuoba Shuyi chased relentlessly, but did not expect you to cross the Yellow River again, splitting into three routes, making Tuoba Shuyi miss.】

【So, Tuoba Shuyi hurriedly split his troops to encircle, intending to capture you in one fell swoop.】

【Tuoba Shuyi was anxious; he did not expect you to cross the Yellow River again and disappear.】

【Taking advantage of Tuoba Shuyi splitting his troops, you descended like a god, beheading over twenty thousand enemies, shaking the whole army.】

【When he encircled again, you crossed the Yellow River and left.】

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 22 =====