novelaction Chapter 544: The Army's Edge Towards the North
Chapter 544: The Army's Edge Towards the North
"The Great Xia army is coming! Run!"
As the vanguard advanced rapidly, the entire grassland descended into chaos.
Chen Futu and Qin Liangyu led their troops across Longguan Pass.
In the upcoming battles, Chen Futu will not personally command them, but will entrust Qin Liangyu with full authority.
"Very well, I will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty."
Qin Liangyu was well aware that it would be too much of an exaggeration for the current Holy Emperor to personally take to the battlefield, so it would be more appropriate for her to preside over the upcoming battles.
What Chen Futu didn't expect was that she left with the White-Spear Soldiers after the meeting. Subsequently, Li Xiuning, Cao Zhen and others also led their respective legions to set off. In the end, only Zhang Liang was left with a thousand Tiger Guards to take care of the supply line and command the Dragon City Legion to collect resources and prisoners of war.
In this battle, Zhang Liang, as the strategist, only needed to make overall plans, while Qin Liangyu hated the grasslands to the core, and she would not obediently sit down and take command.
Chen Futu smiled at Zhang Liang and said, "The Empress is very obsessed. I'm entrusting the overall situation to you now. It's a good thing to subdue the grassland tribes as much as possible. The development of Great Xia cannot be separated from its population."
Zhang Liang deeply agreed. The current Holy Emperor was not as bloodthirsty as before. If it were the Holy Emperor of the past, he probably wouldn't have left a single survivor.
After the various armies departed, Chen Futu, along with Dian Wei, Wen Ruyu, Sun Simiao, and others, slowly made their way towards the far north, and their pace was not fast.
Last time I came to the grasslands, I only wanted to plunder them. This time, my mindset is different; I even have a tourist mentality.
This is the sense of superiority brought about by the change in strength. When I first arrived in Dragon City, my strength was insufficient, and it was unrealistic to sweep across the grasslands. But now it is different. All the generals are Martial Venerables, and there are even Saint Path experts accompanying us. Calling it a war has a bit of a bullying feel to it.
"Wow, the environment here is really nice."
Yang Yuhuan came with Chen Futu this time to take care of her meals, and Chen Futu was very particular about this.
Wen Ruyu said, "Compared to the vastness and desolation of the Black Sand Sea, this place is much more vibrant."
"War is not something that can be fought overnight. Let's take our time and hunt some wild game. There's no rush."
Chen Futu stopped nearby and stroked Xiao Qing's head, making the little guy hum comfortably.
Xiao Qing has been staying with Chen Changsheng recently. As a Qilin cub, its strength has improved rapidly. Currently, its blood energy has reached the Martial King realm. Moreover, the system has slightly changed its appearance, making it look like a small, bluish-green mongrel at first glance.
Soon Dian Wei returned with several wild rabbits, and they started a fire to roast them on the spot. Chen Futu took out seasonings and beer from his system space, and was in a very good mood.
Xiaoqing ate quite a lot. Like Xiaobai, it was a little foodie. After it was full, it snuggled into Chen Futu's arms and fell fast asleep.
This vast land will be under the control of the Great Xia. Chen Futu is considering how to manage the grasslands. If they conquer the grasslands but do not establish a foothold, they may be occupied by foreign tribes after only one or two decades of peace. Therefore, the grasslands must be developed, or at the very least, they cannot be abandoned.
As they pondered, two horses approached from afar, a man and a woman dressed in grassland attire. They looked very young and appeared to be fleeing in a panic.
Seeing this, Dian Wei was about to step forward and kill them, but Chen Futu gestured for him to calm down. The two were not very strong. The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old and probably at the peak of martial arts. The boy was stronger and probably at the late stage of martial arts master. At such a young age, they were considered geniuses among the natives of this world.
"Qiang, where are we going?" the girl asked anxiously as she rode her blue-maned horse.
As the man rode his horse, he looked back and said, "Ah Zhen, the Great Xia has attacked. This is our chance. I can't let you fall into their hands. Let's find a place to rest first, and then we'll think of something."
As they were talking, the two saw Chen Futu and his group. Since Chen Futu and the others were dressed in ordinary clothes, they assumed they were merchants and hesitated for a moment before approaching.
"Wow, what a magnificent fellow! Which tribe is he from?"
The girl looked at Dian Wei in surprise, but Dian Wei snorted and ignored her.
Chen Futu smiled and said, "You two seem to be in a hurry. What are you going to do?"
The man stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Excuse me, we're from a tribe on the grasslands. My name is Mu Deqiang, and this is Ha Zhenzhen."
The names of these two people are quite interesting.
Yang Yuhuan asked strangely, "You two, did you elope?"
The two blushed upon hearing this, clearly having been correctly guessed.
Mu Deqiang said awkwardly, "We came out in a hurry and didn't bring any food, could you...?"
"can."
Chen Futu invited the two to sit down and talk.
Dian Wei had hunted a lot of wild game, and now he could use that to extract some information from the two of them.
The two thanked him profusely and started gnawing on the roasted meat, clearly having been starving for a long time.
Next, Mu Deqiang explained the situation. He was an orphan who had lived in the tribe since childhood, while Ha Zhenzhen was the chief's daughter. The two were childhood sweethearts. Now that the Great Xia had attacked, the tribe was in turmoil, and they could not go back. They had no choice but to run away.
Chen Futu sarcastically remarked, "A warrior of the grasslands has actually deserted?"
Ha Zhenzhen quickly shook her head, her eyes red-rimmed. "That's not how it is. The Great Xia came with great force. The tribes clashed over whether to surrender or not. Abu and Eji were killed. I want to keep my body useful so I can avenge them."
Mudeqiang clenched his fist and said, "That bastard Amuda, as a warrior of the tribe, actually betrayed the chief. I will never forgive him. If he hadn't died at the hands of the Great Xia, I would have cut off his head to offer as a sacrifice to the chief and the others."
"So it was an internal conflict..."
Chen Futu then asked the two men some more questions, such as their views on the relationship between the grasslands and the Central Plains.
Ha Zhenzhen said, “The grasslands are a free people, but I often hear Abu say that the Great Xia Holy Emperor is different from the Great Qian Emperor. He is a decent person. If the grasslands and the Central Plains are on good terms, cattle, sheep, horses and minerals can be exchanged for food. But the royal court does not agree to have dealings with the Central Plains. This is an unjust war.”
“Your father is right. The Great Xia did not start the war rashly. It was mainly because the royal court kept sending troops to harass the border. The Great Xia had no choice but to take action. I also heard that this time the Great Xia is led by the Holy Martial Empress, who is determined to sweep away the grasslands and destroy the eight tribes of the grasslands. What are your plans?”
Chen Futu's words shocked the two men, as they knew of Qin Liangyu's great name.
If it is true that Empress Shengwu personally led the expedition, the grasslands are likely doomed.
Clearly, the two fledglings had not planned for the future and were suddenly plunged into confusion and helplessness about what lay ahead.
Seeing Ha Zhenzhen's state, Mu Deqiang gently squeezed her hand, "Don't be afraid, I'm here for you, I won't abandon you."
“I believe you. Mother actually agreed to our marriage. I will follow you for the rest of my life.”
“Ah Zhen”.
"Aqiang."
The two held hands, gazing at each other without a care in the world, their faces filled with love for one another.
This scene left Chen Futu and the others dumbfounded.
That's too much, bro!