Chapter 29: Beijiang Camp

The cold wind howls.

The wilderness is vast and boundless.

Xiao Moting leads an army of thirty thousand, having already returned to the Beijiang Camp.

Fengsha Pass is the base camp of the Beijiang Army, bordering several countries such as Yuezhi and Daye; the Old General Han has led his entire family to garrison here for decades.

The matter of the "Goddess" has already leaked out; for the sake of safety, Xiao Moting did not even hold a victory banquet after winning the battle, and led the army back to Fengsha Pass overnight.

On the snowy plains, the continuous rows of tents stretch to the horizon.

A spirited female general clad in armor leads her troops and strides forward to meet them.

"This subordinate, Han Guiying, respectfully welcomes the Fourth Prince back in triumph after defeating the Barbarians' army of one hundred thousand."

"My troops were trapped by the wind and snow and failed to provide timely reinforcements; I deserve death, I hope the Prince will forgive my crime!"

After speaking, she flicks her cloak and is about to kneel on one knee.

Xiao Moting immediately jumps off his horse to stop the female general from kneeling.

"Senior Sister, please rise quickly!"

"The Barbarians have already been defeated, and our army suffered very few casualties; there is no cause for concern."

Han Guiying finally lets out a sigh of relief and nods.

"The Barbarian army has plagued the border for years, and the common people have long been unable to endure the suffering; I never expected that you, leading only ten thousand troops, could actually break the enemy's army of one hundred thousand and even behead Wudabu; it is truly remarkable."

"The report of victory reached the Beijiang Army last night, and everyone was ecstatic, celebrating throughout the night."

Xiao Moting hesitates for a moment, "Actually, it is not my merit alone..."

Before he can finish speaking, a soldier suddenly runs over quickly.

"General Han, the Old General is in unbearable pain; please go over and take a look."

Han Guiying's expression changes.

Xiao Moting only then realizes that the Old General Han has not come, and immediately asks urgently.

"Senior Sister, what happened to the Old General Han?"

Han Guiying speaks in a deep voice.

"A few days ago, a team of Daye scouts came to Fengsha Pass to gather intelligence; my father discovered them and led troops to confront them."

"But I never expected that Daye would send a unit of Iron Pagodas, which rammed into my father and injured him, also killing many soldiers."

"It was only thanks to his personal guards fighting to the death to save him that they were able to bring my father back to the camp."

Xiao Moting frowns deeply, "Iron Pagodas? What is this?"

"This is a Heavy Armored Infantry regiment recently trained by Daye; on the battlefield, they are impervious to swords and spears, charging and crashing about; the Daliang soldiers are no match for them and countless have been rammed to death or injured."

After Han Guiying finishes speaking, she turns and runs toward the tent.

Xiao Moting immediately follows.

He arrives at the Chief Commander's tent, and as soon as he lifts the curtain, a thick medicinal smell rushes toward him.

An old man lies on the couch; he is burly, but at this moment he looks weak, lying on the bed unconscious, his left thigh wrapped in white cloth, the cloth stained with blood.

Han Guiying stands by the couch, anxiously questioning the Military Doctor.

"How is my father's condition?"

The Military Doctor looks troubled, "General Han, the Old General's thigh bone was shattered by the impact; I fear he will be disabled for life, unable to ride a horse, let alone lead an army into battle; please forgive this humble official for his incompetence, I am truly powerless..."

"How can this be?" Han Guiying's eyes instantly turn red, "My father has traversed the battlefield for decades; if he is disabled for life and cannot go into battle to kill the enemy, he will certainly not be able to accept it once he wakes up."

"It is this humble official's incompetence; we must have the Imperial Court's Black Jade Broken Bone Ointment to allow the Old General Han's leg to recover to its original state."

Xiao Moting immediately says, "I will write to the Emperor at once and ask him to bestow the medicine."

"It is useless." Han Guiying says with tears in her eyes, "I have already sent five petitions, delivered by fast horses to Shengjing, but the Emperor said that this medicine is precious and has already been bestowed to De Guifei's attendant for healing, and there is none left."

Suddenly, the Old General Han lets out a painful low moan, and blood seeps through the bandages on his leg again.

Han Guiying hurriedly calls the Military Doctor, "Quickly, get the hemostatic powder."

The Military Doctor immediately takes out a medicine bottle and sprinkles the hemostatic powder on it, but the blood still cannot be stopped.

"The Old General Han's injuries are severe, and he is in a high fever and unconscious; if this drags on any longer, I fear... I fear his life will not be saved."

Several military doctors are at their wits' end.

A Deputy General nearby grips his Long Sword handle with hatred.

"A eunuch in the inner court, who merely twisted his leg while riding a horse, can get Black Jade Broken Bone Ointment to treat his injury."

"The Old General Han has guarded the pass for decades and has illustrious military achievements, yet he is not even worth as much as a eunuch."

Xiao Moting's brows are locked tight.

He was exiled to the Beijiang at the age of six and was personally raised by the Old General Han; to him, the Old General is like a teacher and a father.

Senior Sister has taken good care of him since he was young and followed the Old General Han to guard the pass and kill the enemy; on the second day of her new marriage, her husband died on the battlefield; they can truly be called a family of loyalty and heroism.

He defeated one hundred thousand Barbarians and has illustrious military achievements; he should be able to trade for a portion of Black Jade Broken Bone Ointment.

Xiao Moting walks out of the tent, preparing to send an urgent report back to Shengjing to trade his military achievements for the medicine.

Just as he exits the tent door, he sees a group of people arriving in front of the camp.

"Prince of Zhenbei, receive the decree!"

Xiao Moting recognizes the other party as Eunuch An from the palace and immediately leads his soldiers forward.

The soldiers follow behind him, their excitement overflowing.

"The rewards from the palace have come down so quickly?"

"We defeated one hundred thousand Barbarians and also captured quite a lot of spoils; the rewards this time will certainly not be small."

"That's great, I've been in the army for two years and haven't been home; I didn't even go back to see my wife give birth; I only received a letter from home yesterday saying that the family is so poor they can't even put food on the table; with this reward money, my family will finally be able to eat their fill."

Xiao Moting steps forward and kneels to receive the decree.

Eunuch An unfurled the imperial decree.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Second Prince Xiao Rui is heroic and resolute, having led his troops to crush one hundred thousand barbarian soldiers. He is specially granted ten thousand taels of gold and one thousand bolts of silk to honor his merit."

"The Prince of Northern Suppression Xiao Moting, burdened with the heavy responsibility of guarding the pass, disobeyed a Military Order and nearly delayed the opportunity for battle. Fortunately, the Second Prince turned the tide, allowing for this great victory."

"The Prince of Northern Suppression is ordered to reflect behind closed doors to await further observation, and the officers who led the disobedience must be severely punished to uphold military law!"

"Should there be any further errors, they will be punished without leniency. Respect this."

As the voice fell, the soldiers of the Beijiang Army kneeling on the ground were all stunned.

Xiao Moting's expression was also cold.

That there were no rewards from the palace was within his expectations.

Yet the victory that the Beijiang Army had risked their lives to win had actually become the merit of Xiao Rui!

What was even more outrageous was that his troops had bathed in blood on the battlefield and finally managed to defeat the barbarian army, only to be punished in the end for "disobeying a Military Order"!