The common people cheered, celebrating Oliver Sheng, the Shengwu King, for conquering new territories and expanding the Great Wei’s domain, showcasing the nation’s might.
The merchants were ecstatic as the trade route to the Western Regions had been opened. This golden trade route meant that transporting goods to the Western Regions and bringing back exotic treasures would be akin to cartloads of gold.
Countless merchants began to rub their hands in anticipation, ready to seize the opportunity. In their eyes, they saw endless mountains of gold.
Many had already started preparing to head to River West City, planning to buy shops there and set up a transit station.
In the future, it would become a major commercial hub on the trade route to the Western Regions, a golden transit station where every shop would be a goldmine, with wealth flowing in.
“Hurry, Brother Lin, let’s go to River West City and prepare to bid on some shops,” Li Xunhuan said to Lin Tian.
“Brother Li, I have no money!” Lin Tian replied helplessly, wishing his father were a corrupt official with endless funds.
But alas, he wasn’t!
“Come on, I’ll lend you some first. Pay me back once you make money,” Li Xunhuan offered.
“Good brother, for life. From now on, I’ll follow your lead, east if you say east, west if you say west. Let’s go!” Lin Tian clapped excitedly.
His father held a modest position in the Capital City and wasn’t corrupt, which was quite frustrating.
After all, what was most abundant in Luo Capital?
Officials!
Over the past year, seeing his good buddy Li Xunhuan make a fortune, Lin Tian was envious.
“Let’s go, I’ve already prepared the carriage,” Li Xunhuan nodded.
Lin Tian swore that once he made money, he would go to Jiao Si Fang and book Fairy Liu Shishi for a month.
No, for a year!
Merchants with foresight like Li Xunhuan began heading to River West, aiming to secure shops in River West City and then venture into the Western Regions to seek business opportunities.
Meanwhile, the scholars at the Hanlin Academy, who had no background and hadn’t been assigned positions, jumped with excitement when they heard that His Majesty was sending them to Zhangye to govern and showcase their talents.
Sometimes, even after passing the imperial exams, without a background, one would be assigned to the Hanlin Academy to compile books and gain experience, which was quite frustrating. Seeking an opportunity to rise was extremely difficult.
Not aligning with any faction, not seeking a patron, and hoping to succeed on one’s own?
Dream on!
Even the position of a county magistrate was fiercely contested.
With so many scholars, competition was intense. Many positions were like one radish per hole.
Aristocratic families and academic cliques stood in the way, making it hard for scholars of ordinary backgrounds to advance, even if they passed the exams.
Except for the top three scholars who would be heavily utilized, the rest depended on their background, talent, and luck.
Otherwise, they could only wait, gain experience, and wait for opportunities.
Now that Zhangye had been conquered and became part of Great Wei’s territory, there was a need for a large number of administrative talents, presenting an opportunity.
The scholars assigned to Zhangye were overjoyed, finally getting a chance to showcase their talents and ambitions.
…
Oliver Sheng was temporarily overseeing the governance of Zhangye, busy with various affairs.
He pondered whether to summon Finn Chen to govern Zhangye.
Zhangye was a remote area, and applying Great Wei’s governance methods to Zhangye was challenging.
The people sent by the Empress were still on their way.
“General, General Hu and his men have reported unusual movements among the Hu Jie on the plateau, with signs of a large army gathering,” Wang Zhan reported as he entered.
“Unusual movements on the plateau?” Oliver Sheng stood up.
“Have Chi Tiansheng gather three thousand heavy cavalry and notify Felix Wu and Xiao Batian’s units to follow me to Qimen Town.”
What was meant to come would come. The Hu Jie, who had occupied Zhangye, would not remain unresponsive after being driven out.
This was the passage for the Hu Jie tribes to descend from the plateau. There was no way they would give it up.
When their army of three hundred thousand was annihilated and Zhangye was lost, the entire Hu Jie tribe erupted in fury, shouting to descend the mountains and annihilate the Wei army to reclaim Zhangye.
The Hu Jie tribe’s ancestor, Adokan, upon learning that his grandson was killed in Zhangye, ended his seclusion immediately, gathering the tribal army for an expedition.
Adokan, dressed in black, stood on a high platform, looking at the Hu Jie warriors.
“Tribesmen, our army of three hundred thousand in Zhangye, along with many of our people, were slaughtered by the Wei. What should we do?” Adokan shouted.
“Revenge! Revenge!”
The Hu Jie warriors roared.
“Attack Great Wei, avenge this blood debt.”
“Yes, attack Great Wei!”
“I hear Great Wei is wealthy. Since they dare to attack us, we must retaliate, attack Great Wei, and seize their wealth.”
The Hu Jie leaders incited the ordinary warriors’ war fervor.
The gathered Hu Jie warriors, filled with battle spirit, clamored to annihilate the Wei and attack Great Wei.
“You are all warriors of our tribe. I am proud of your bravery. Raise the army, attack Great Wei,” Adokan commanded.
The Hu Jie tribe’s war machine quickly began to move.
Soon, an army of three hundred thousand was assembled.
The vanguard of fifty thousand set off first, descending the plateau to reclaim Zhangye.
The atmosphere of war began to spread towards Qimen Town and Gemu Town.
Early in the morning, Qimen Town, guarded by Wesley Hu and Harrison Zhou, faced an attack from the Hu Jie army descending from the plateau.
Over ten thousand vanguard troops attacked Qimen Town.
“Kill!!”
The Hu Jie army charged, roaring as they rushed towards Qimen Town.
Qimen Town was just a town, without tall walls for defense. Wesley Hu led an army of ten thousand to form a battle line.
Seeing the charging Hu Jie army, Wesley Hu raised his arm and shouted:
“Archers, ready, fire!!”
Instantly, a thousand arrows were released.
With the sound of whooshing, a dense rain of arrows, darkening the sky, shot towards the charging Hu Jie army.
“Defend!”
The Hu Jie general shouted, and the charging Hu Jie soldiers quickly raised their wooden shields.
However, even with wooden shields, many Hu Jie soldiers were shot and fell on the path of the charge.
After one round of shooting, Wesley Hu immediately issued a military order.
“Form the formation!!”
The ten thousand soldiers quickly formed the Mandarin Duck Formation!
The charging Hu Jie army collided with the Mandarin Duck Formation and was instantly slaughtered.
The armored Wei soldiers, equipped with spears, faced the Hu Jie soldiers in beast and leather armor, overwhelming them in both equipment and strength.
Soon, the ten thousand Hu Jie soldiers suffered seven to eight thousand casualties. Seeing the unfavorable situation, the Hu Jie general quickly ordered a retreat.
The Hu Jie army’s first probe left over eight thousand corpses on the battlefield.
Harrison Zhou, who had been observing the battle, did not intervene.
Wesley Hu could handle the ten thousand Hu Jie soldiers.
After repelling the first wave of the Hu Jie army, Wesley Hu knew this was just the beginning. Soon, they would face the terrifyingly large Hu Jie army.
Collecting the bodies of the fallen soldiers and carrying away the wounded.
Harrison Zhou came to Wesley Hu’s side, both looking at the towering mountains ahead, where the plateau was the Hu Jie’s territory.
“The Hu Jie army is coming. I can feel the oppressive atmosphere, the prelude to a storm,” Harrison Zhou said.
“No matter, the general should be arriving soon. I’ve also sent word to General Qin to lead his army to join us,” Wesley Hu replied.
“By then, we’ll have an army of eighty thousand. With the general leading us, no matter how many enemies come from the plateau, we will fear nothing.”
Wesley Hu was full of confidence.
Since following Oliver Sheng, he had fought countless battles without a single defeat.
Harrison Zhou nodded in agreement. With General Oliver Sheng here, no matter how many Hu Jie came, they would fear nothing.
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