It was already the afternoon of the second day when I returned. I went online to deal with the game matters.
Shua!
I appeared in the Royal Army camp and went to the blacksmith for the repair of my equipment and to the storage for the replenishment of my potions. I summoned the God Dragon Horse and led the Ancient God Tiger out of the camp. From afar, Han Yuan was busy training a bunch of Royal Army soldiers. Even farther were scouts ensuring the safety of the camp.
……
Right when I was thinking about something, I heard the sound of horse hooves. I turned around and saw Zhan Long's core captain, Tang Xin, leading a bunch of Furnace God Cavalry. She saw me from afar and dashed over while smiling. "Guild leader, are you training the Royal Army?"
"Yes!" Seeing the two hundred-some Furnace God Cavalry behind her, I asked, "Where are you all going?"
Tang Xin smiled. "Red Dragon Queen's injuries need a special herb, and it can be found in Charging Canyon. We accepted a SS-grade three-hundred-man quest to head there. We will be back soon; anyways, these Furnace God Horses are quite fast."
"Then be careful. Charging Canyon is Kate's territory. We fought him yesterday, so he will be more watchful. Don't fight them head on."
"Understood. We know what we are doing!"
"That's good; go then!"
"Goodbye, guild leader."
"Goodbye."
I smiled as I watched Tang Xin lead the Furnace God Cavalry away. Ever since I moved a portion of the Royal Army from Fan Shu City to Dragon City, Zhan Long members had started to change their focus from Fire God Mountain to the Hybrid Demon Territory. Still, that was good. Although Fire God Mountain monsters had generous resources, its drop rate was far lower compared to the Hybrid Demon Territory. After all, apart from the remaining eight Demon Lords, there were still many Deity Tier Bosses that could drop God Artifacts. This was a great training map!
……
I looked at my own level. As I was level 174, I was in no rush to train. I had not been to Fan Shu City in a long time, so I was clueless on what was going on over there. The Tian Ling Empire was still hunting me down; as such, I could not return. Lochlan would definitely be forced by his father. The fact that I was being hunted even while my Suiding Duke title remained intact meant that the squabbles in the Tian Ling Empire were far more intense than what I originally imagined.
Okay, time to head back to Fan Shu City!
Shua!
I directly teleported to Fan Shu City. This secondary city was becoming stricter and stricter; it did look like a primary city. When I appeared, a bunch of Cliff Dragon Cavalry knelt. "City Lord!"
I nodded but did not say anything. At this time, I raised my head and spotted many dragon nests within the city, which formed a contrast to the architecture of Tian Ling City. These dragon nests were a symbol of Fan Shu City, especially since everyone knew now that this was where the Cliff Dragons and Flame Hawks were being raised.
After heading out, I dashed toward Fire God Mountain. I had reached the foot of Fire God Mountain in five minutes.
From afar, a bunch of scouts could be seen galloping over. The one at the helm pulled out his sword. "Who are you to dare to come here? Stop!"
I slowly stopped but did not say anything. It was the other Lieutenant who finally recognized me. He panicked and said with joy, "It is the General; it is General Li Xiao Yao!"
Alas, the first Lieutenant only laughed derisively. "The Royal Army only has one general, and they’re called Xia Ye!"
I looked at him in shock. His name was Liu Jun. The Royal Army had one hundred Lieutenants, but I only knew ten of them. This was probably one of the ninety whom I had no recollection of.
"Nonsense! General Xia Ye said that the Suiding Duke will forever be the General of the Royal Army and that will never change!" the young Lieutenant said.
Liu Jun continued to laugh derisively. "Is that so? Tian Ling's city walls have notices about Li Xiao Yao's capture. Anyone who brings his head there will be promoted. Brothers, what are you waiting for?"
The two hundred Royal Army troops were stunned.
Wow. I had just left the Royal Army for a few days, yet some people had already abandoned me. Since that was the case, I had to teach him a lesson!
Keng!
I pulled Butterfly out and pointed it at Liu Jun. "I just left for a few days; what are you all trying to do? Take Liu Jun down and bring him to see Xia Ye. Those who don't follow me will be killed!"
The soldiers were stunned. They were all Liu Jun's direct subordinates, so they did not dare to do so.
My face turned fierce. "Is the Royal Army mine or this Lieutenant’s? Attack! Otherwise, all of you will be beheaded!"
A few soldiers walked over with their halberds and pulled Liu Jun off his horse. Another Lieutenant helped as he cupped his fists. "General, Liu Jun failed to recognize you; please forgive him!"
I smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not the commander now; this depends on what Xia Ye will do."
"Yes!"
……
We walked into the tent at the center and Xia Ye knelt on one knee. "General, you are finally here!"
I smiled, asking, "Has the Royal Army been doing well recently?"
Xia Ye replied, "I followed your orders, so we’ve been training continuously. We’ve also been crafting Dragon Crystal Cannons."
I nodded. "Xia Ye, this Lieutenant is your direct subordinate, right?"
"Yes, why?" Xia Ye was shocked.
I answered, "He wanted to take me down and send me to Tian Ling City in exchange for a rank."
"This…"
Xia Ye was so furious that he kicked Liu Jun's chest. "You b*st*rd! Do you know that without the Suiding Duke, there wouldn't be the Royal Army? Who do you think led us to all those victories? Men, drag Liu Jun out and behead him!"
Liu Jun's expression was one of shock. "General Xia Ye, I am loyal to you, yet you actually want to have me killed?"
Xia Ye snorted coldly. "The Royal Army is only loyal to one person, and that's General Li whom you want to take down. Liu Jun, you're one of the earliest few whom General Li Xiao Yao led from Tian Ling City. You actually want to betray him, that is preposterous!"
A Lieutenant cupped his fists. "General Li, General Xia Ye, don't… Liu Jun has fought hundreds of battles for the Royal Army. If we behead him, it will affect the soldiers’ morale!"
I frowned. "Forget it. Xia Ye, just give him a scolding. Let him live and just demote him. Liu Jun, do you have anything to say?"
Liu Jun knelt., "General… I thank you for showing mercy!"
……
After which, Liu Jun was dragged down. He was beaten one hundred times, but since he was a Divine Tier Boss, one hundred paddle strikes were not much.
A few minutes later, five individuals walked in. They were Majors. All of them showed surprised looks when they saw me. "General, you're back!"
I nodded, saying, "I have let all of you wait."
Xia Ye smiled. "General, please take a seat!"
I walked forward with Butterfly and stood in the commander spot. The sand board was in front of me and it stretched outward with Fan Shu City at the center. Many small red flags were on the ground, which represented the Royal Army bases. I said, "Xia Ye, tell me about the Royal Army's situation?"
Xia Ye nodded. "After the General left, His Majesty ordered the Guards General to select twenty thousand new troops to join the Royal Army, so we now have sixty thousand men. All the new troops are being trained. As for the Dragon Crystal Cannons and Flame Dragon Cannons, we have crafted a large number of them. We also have twelve camps near Fire God Mountain that are thirty miles apart from one another."
I praised him. "Good! Very good!"
Xia Ye was indeed a good general.
Ling Luo held her bow and asked, "General, what about the other branch of the Royal Army in Dragon City?"
I smiled. "Not bad. Two thousand more Saint Hall Cavalrymen came back from Bright Light Hall; apart from that, Ba Huang City’s Queen Angela gave us thirty thousand. As such, we now have fifty thousand troops, just that we don't have Dragon Crystal Cannons and Flame Dragon Cannons."
Xia Ye was surprised. "So that means that we have one hundred ten thousand troops again. Great… That's fantastic!"
Ling Luo smiled. "General hasn't been back for a long time, so why don’t you stay here for a few days?"
I shook my head. "I am branded as a traitor, so I am worried that people may leak things."
Xia Ye stated, "Don't worry. Who will betray the General?"
"Okay, then. Bring me to Fire God Mountain so we can check the mines."
"Yes!"
……
Three hours passed. After I headed down the mountain, Ling Luo and Xia Ye prepared a feast. There was a juicy pig that had been barbecued, just that there was no wine to complement it. The rule of the Royal Army was that no one should drink in the camp.
Late into the night, horse hooves could be heard amid the strangely silent surroundings.
Not long after, a soldier passed a message: "General Xia Ye, an official from Tian Ling City came to see you; he showed his badge."
"Oh, bring him in!"
"Yes!"
Soon, a person with his face covered entered. When he got off his ride, he smiled. "General Li Xiao Yao is really here!"
"Who are you?" I stood up.
He removed his veil and it was Guards General Situ Xin. He smiled. "General is in trouble and actually dares to enjoy the food here?"
