Chapter 72

  The next day, Mei came to Tang Yin's home.

  She looks more haggard than Tang Yin who is going to Pingyuan County.

  After taking his seat, Wu Mei Zheng said: "Tang Yin, after you arrive in Pingyuan County, be sure to be cautious and prudent in your actions. Don't seek to achieve merit, but rather avoid mistakes. Absolutely do not take the initiative to go into battle. The barbarian state is different from Ningguo, not only are they brave and skilled in battle, but also cunning and treacherous. The county guard of Pingyuan County is not lacking in leaders with great ambitions and exceptional talent, yet every time they take the initiative to attack the enemy, they suffer a great defeat. Moreover, several county guards have died in ambushes."

  "Ah!" Tang Yin listened attentively, nodding his head from time to time.

  "Be careful, Mo Fei's cavalry is especially formidable, they are unpredictable and have extremely strong combat power!"

  In Tang Yin's impression, Mo Guo's cavalry was also very powerful. He asked: "How does it compare to the cavalry of Mo Guo?"

  He raised an eyebrow and smiled wryly, saying: "The ferocity of the Mo Guo cavalry lies in their speed, while the ferocity of the Mo Fei cavalry lies in their combat strength. If they were to clash head-on, even if the Mo Guo cavalry had twice the number of troops, they would still be unable to defeat the Mo Fei cavalry."

  It's so fierce! Tang Yin's eyes showed a faint light, and he remained silent.

  She thought he was afraid, so Wu Mei comforted him: "You don't have to worry too much, just hold on for a while in Pingyuan County, and I'll come find you. With the princess herself mediating, Mo Guo seems to have given up on declaring war on our country, and Ning Guo probably won't last long either. I believe it won't take long before the war ends, and then I can come find you and figure out a way to help you return to the capital."

  In Wǔ Miè's eyes, Píng Yuán County had become a place of death. Táng Yín had wanted to stop her from worrying so much and was willing to stay in Píng Yuán County himself, but seeing the expectant look in Wǔ Miè's eyes, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

  Who knows what will happen in the future? First, let's not worry about whether the war will end soon or not. Just because Liang Xing is making trouble, it's not easy for Wu Mei to be transferred back to Yancheng.

  Unable to bear striking her good intentions, Tang Yin said with a smile: "You don't have to force yourself either. Maybe Pingyuan County isn't as terrifying as the legend says, maybe I'll get used to it quickly after I arrive."

  She glanced at Tang Yin with a helpless smile, thinking to herself: Naive! If Pingyuan County wasn't scary, why would it have changed county governors six or seven times in just ten short years?

  She didn't want him to bear too much burden in his heart, so she smiled and said: "Anyway, just remember my words, with your ability, defending the city is no problem." What she worried about most was Tang Yin's impulsive behavior. After a pause, she stood up and said: "I brought you a gift, come out and take a look."

  Tang Yan was taken aback and followed her out while laughing and asking: "What is it?"

  He followed Mei into the courtyard and immediately saw the war horse led by Mei's attendant.

  This horse is entirely black, tall and strong, almost a circle bigger than ordinary war horses. The brown hair is black and shiny, like brocade, and there is not a single miscellaneous hair on its body.

  What a fine horse! Tang Yin may not be able to recognize horses, but he can also see that this horse is by no means an ordinary warhorse.

  "It's a pure-blooded Wulong horse, originally from the State of Mo. I bought it from a merchant two years ago and haven't had the heart to ride it since. Now that you're going to Pingyuan County, I suppose you'll need it more than I do, so I'm giving it to you!"

  Tang Yin's face showed surprise, a good horse is hard to find, even with money it's not necessarily possible to buy one. This black dragon colt was obviously a precious horse, anyone could see that. To say Tang Yin didn't like it would be a lie, but such an expensive gift made him difficult to accept.

  He paused for a moment, shook his head and smiled: "I appreciate your kindness, but..."

  Without waiting for him to finish, Wu Mei shot him a resentful glance and walked up to the Wulong horse, gently stroking its brown fur as she whispered: "Do you still need to be polite with me?"

  "Wan Mei..." Tang Yin rarely called her by name, due to the difference in their status and position, every time he did it felt awkward, but this time, it came out so naturally.

  He is neither a fool nor a wooden head, and he can naturally feel her intentions towards him, but he cannot sort out his own thoughts.

  "You can't die!" Mei's body trembled slightly as she suddenly turned around, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her pale face in his chest. She whispered softly, "At least before I find you, you must survive for me!"

  Her tone was still arrogant as usual, but at this moment it made Tang Yin feel embarrassed.

  If he hadn't met Yin Rou, he believed he would have liked Wu Mei very much, but now, he was somewhat uncertain.

  He couldn't and wouldn't deceive her.

  Tang Yin stood silently, feeling the clothes on his chest gradually becoming wet and hot, which were Diao Chan's tears.

  "What's its name?" He didn't know how to comfort her and could only change the subject.

  "Like a shadow." Wu Mei lowered her head, took several deep breaths in a row, and replied with a barely calm tone, while wiping away the tears at the corner of her eyes without leaving any trace.

  Her appearance was delicate and radiant, but in reality she was a strong-willed and resolute woman. She didn't want to show her weak side in front of Tang Yin, nor did she want him to see her tears.

  "What a good name." Tang Yin sighed softly. Feeling her strong disguise, he suddenly felt heartache and involuntarily raised his arms to hug Mei's waist, but his hands stopped in mid-air and ultimately did not fall.

  Tang Yin left and went to Pingyuan County to take up the post of county governor.

  He was accompanied by Qiu Zhen, Gu Yue, Le Tian, Li Wei, Liu Zhongsheng, Chen Fang, Ai Jia and hundreds of his personal soldiers.

  There were many people seeing him off, almost all the soldiers of the Second Legion came, and as far as the eye could see, a vast crowd of people.

  It was only Mo Mei who didn't come to see him off, which made Tang Yin's heart feel somewhat disappointed. Moreover, he didn't have the chance to bid farewell to Yin Rou, and this also left him with regret.

  Yin Rou was taken into the palace after arriving in Yan City, and Tang Yin had not been able to see her. Although he now held the title of General of the Northern Garrison, the imperial palace was not a place he could enter or leave at will.

  "General Tang is going all the way!"

  It was unclear who shouted first, but then the soldiers of the Second Legion followed in unison: "General Tang, may your journey be smooth and pleasant!"

  With the shouting, many people have already shed tears.

  Tang Yin sat on his horse, looking up at the sky and laughing loudly. He waved his hand casually towards the crowd and said, "Why are you all crying? This isn't a farewell for life or death! We'll meet again someday if fate allows it!" After finishing speaking, he turned his horse around and galloped away with a flourish of his whip.

  Qiu Zhen and others saw this, and they all rode their horses to follow him.

  Watching their backs, the people of the Second Legion stood still for a long time without dispersing.

  Pingyuan County is located in the far northeastern part of Fengguo, thousands of miles away from Yancheng, and can be said to be extremely remote.

  Having left Yancheng for a long time, Tang Yin slowed down his horse's pace and looked back at the outline of Yancheng in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  Qiu Zhenxing walked up to his side and said with a profound meaning: "One day we will be back."

  Tang Yin glanced at him, shrugged his shoulders and smiled ambiguously.

  They traveled in a group, eating wind and sleeping dew, with no unnecessary delays on the road. After twenty days, they arrived at Tian Guan.

  The geographical location of Tianguan is similar to that of Tongguan, with a treacherous terrain and well-fortified defenses, making it an easily defended but hard-to-attack stronghold. However, since it is located inland within the country, it does not hold great strategic value, and there are usually not many garrison troops stationed inside during peacetime.

  Passing through Tian Guan and heading north is the border of Tian Yuan Prefecture.

  Entering Tianyuan County, the weather gradually cooled down. Even in broad daylight, the autumn wind blowing in front of us was still chilling to the bone. At this time, everyone's clothes had also become much thicker.

  Tianyuan County is divided into three counties: Sanshui County, Chifeng County and Pingyuan County where Tang Yin and others are going.

  The county castle of Tianyuan County is called Shunzhou, which can be considered the largest and most prosperous city in the entire Tianyuan County. The area is even larger than the capital city of Yancheng, but the bustling degree cannot be compared. The population inside the city is far less than that of Yancheng, but the exotic atmosphere here is more intense, and the folk customs are more open. On the streets, you can often see women dressed in luxurious and elegant attire.

  The county head of Tianyuan County is named Yu He. Although he was Tang Yin's superior, his attitude towards Tang Yin was extremely polite and courteous. He personally went out of the city to welcome him and led Tang Yin and his entourage into Shunzhou.

  No matter what, Tang Yin was under the title of General of the Northern Garrison, and in terms of position, he was his subordinate, but in terms of official rank, he was not much different from him. Moreover, he was personally appointed by Feng Wang, so Yu He did not dare to be slighted in any way.

  Yu He is nearly fifty years old, with a stout build and big ears, his face gleaming with oil, it can be seen that his daily life is extremely good.

  "General Tang, I've long admired your great name, haha——" After meeting, Yu He warmly exchanged pleasantries.

  He had a smile all over his face, and in his heart he was secretly surprised. Tang Yin was much younger than he had imagined, looking like he was only in his early twenties. Being appointed as the General of the Northern Garrison at such a young age was something that Yu He found hard to comprehend.

  "Lord Yu, it's been a long time!"

  Tang Yin responded lightly and casually.

  Yu He invited Tang Yin and others to enter the county governor's mansion, after the guests and hosts took their seats, he smiled all over his face and cordially invited Tang Yin: "General Tang has been on a long and arduous journey, I think you should stay in Shunzhou for a few more days and take it easy!"

  Tang Yin smiled calmly and didn't say much more, instead asking: "Governor Yu, I don't know if there has been any military action in Pingyuan County recently?"

  As soon as he asked this question, Yu He felt a headache. It was rare for Pingyuan County to have no battles all year round. He rubbed his white and fat hands and smiled: "Recently it's been okay, just two days ago, the border village was attacked by a small group of barbarian soldiers, more than a dozen villagers were killed, but there has been no large-scale attack."

  He spoke of it lightly, as if the death of over a dozen people was nothing to him, or something he had long since grown accustomed to.

  "Can we annihilate the enemy soldiers?" Tang Yin frowned secretly and asked in a dubious tone.

  "Hmm... " Yu He showed a bewildered expression and dryly laughed: "I'm really not too clear about this, I don't know much about the affairs of Pingyuan County!"

  Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhen, Gu Yue, Le Tian and others standing behind Tang Yin looked at each other in dismay, shaking their heads and smiling wryly.

  Pingyuan County was frequently attacked, and Yu He, as the governor of the county, did not even bother to find out about the situation in Pingyuan County. What else could he want to know?

  With such a county governor, Pingyuan County can be peaceful, that's what's strange!

  Without looking at his achievements, Tang Yin dared to determine that this person was incompetent just by looking at Yu He's words and deeds.

  He has always lacked patience with people like him.

  He stood up and said with a smile: "Mr. Yu, I still have to continue on my journey later, so I won't disturb you at your mansion anymore!"

  "Is General Tang leaving?"

  Yu He Xiang was wide-eyed as if seeing a monster, the county of Pingyuan is not as comfortable and peaceful as Shunzhou, I don't understand why Tang Yin is in such a hurry to rush on his journey, he's going for a job, not rushing to be reborn.

  "Arrive early, rest easy. Farewell, Master Yu!" With that said, Tang Yin didn't even give him a glance, tossed his head at Qiu Zhen and the others, and strode out in large steps.

  "General Tang, I've already prepared a banquet for you..." Yu He called out repeatedly as he gazed at his back.

  Tang Yin didn't even turn his head back, he just casually waved his hand, which was considered a response.

  "Hmph!" After Tang Yin and his men left, Yu He let out a cold hum of laughter and muttered: "What a little brat who doesn't understand the rules! Let's see how long you can keep being so arrogant!"