Chapter 108

  After chasing the barbarian soldiers for twenty miles, Tang Yin didn't dare to continue pursuing them. The territory of the barbarian state was too vast, and their own side was also unfamiliar with the terrain of the barbarian state. If they continued to advance deeper, they might get trapped in the enemy's encirclement, which would be troublesome.

  At this time, he stopped his footsteps and ordered the whole army to stop pursuing and return on the original road.

  Upon hearing this order, all of Feng Jun's troops couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, secretly rejoicing that they could finally return to their own country.

  It was clear that even after the victory, our soldiers still had fear of the barbarian army and the barbarian state's territory. Tang Yin stood firm, turned around, leaned on his knife, and looked around at his own generals, saying loudly: "Tens of thousands of barbarian soldiers were killed by us, less than 20,000 people, and they fled in defeat, do you still think the barbarian army is scary? The vast territory of the barbarian state, our tens of thousands of people entered it, within 20 miles, as if entering a deserted land, do you still think the barbarian state's territory is scary? From now on, we will not only stop the barbarian army from entering our Great Wind State's territory but also frequently invade their barbarian state's territory, plundering their money and resources, supplementing our military expenses, and making our Great Wind State's prestige stronger!"

  Tang Yin's words made the Wind Troops' morale soar, their spirits lifted, and their fear of the barbarian army greatly reduced. The crowd was boiling with excitement, holding up their weapons and shouting in unison: "Big Wind! Big Wind! Big Wind——"

  "Gather up the leftover supplies from the barbarian troops, switch the rear guard with the vanguard and retreat back to the border fortress!"

  Under Tang Yin's command, Feng Jun returned to Fengdi by the original route.

  "When the country is in trouble, I will go to war, wrapped in horse hide, and show off my heroic spirit! The great wind! The great wind! The great wind!" On the road, the Wind Army sang military songs with smiles on their faces, returning triumphantly.

  The battle of Biancheng was crucial for Tang Yin and the entire Pingyuan County. With this battle, Tang Yin thoroughly proved his strength and established an unshakeable position in Pingyuan County, establishing a prestige that previous county governors could not match, and earning the respect and admiration of the broad masses of people within the county.

  As for Pingyuan County, this battle broke the myth that the barbarian army was invincible, while severely damaging the morale of the barbarian state, it also greatly boosted their own confidence.

  The barbarian army was defeated, leaving behind countless supplies and equipment. The Wind Army picked up the spoils all the way back to the border city, filling over a dozen carts. When they returned to the border city, they found even more supplies left behind by the barbarian army. The vast military camp had been abandoned, with almost nothing taken away. Everything was left for the Wind Army, including countless weapons, armor, and grain. Additionally, there were over a hundred Pabu horses that had not been taken away in time.

  Tang Yin gave the order, and all the captured materials were packed up and loaded onto carts, along with Pa Bu Ma, to be transported back to Heng City for storage. Next, they began to count the barbarian prisoners of war and the corpses on both sides. In the battle at Bian Cheng, more than 3,000 Wind Army soldiers had fallen, while nearly 30,000 barbarian soldiers had been killed, with over 4,000 more being captured alive by the Wind Army before they could escape.

  The weak overcame the strong and at a very small cost inflicted enormous losses on the barbarian troops, which was unprecedented in Pingyuan County.

  Feng Jun's sweeping of the battlefield will be put aside for now, as Tang Yin leads the backbone of the army into Biancheng.

  It wasn't until then that the crowd dispersed, and when they looked again, each of them was like someone who had been drenched in water, with their clothes soaked through with sweat, including Tang Yin.

  Everyone looked at each other, first stunned, then burst out laughing together. Tang Yin also laughed out loud, he shook his clothes and felt cool and refreshing.

  "After this battle, I reckon the barbarian troops won't dare to trespass on our Great Wind Border for a while!" Upper Official Yuan Biao said with a pleased smile.

  "That's right!" Xiao Muqing continued, "However, we can't be careless, but instead should seize the time to recruit soldiers, train, and consolidate our city defense. I estimate that when the barbarian army attacks again, they will mobilize an even larger military force."

  His one sentence extinguished nearly half of everyone's joy.

  Tang Yin nodded heavily and praised: "Xiao Canjun is right, to stand invincible, one must prepare for the unexpected!"

  Seeing Tang Yin say this, everyone looked at each other, and no one responded.

  As soon as they entered the city, they saw that the streets were packed with people from Fengguo, and the joy on their faces was even more radiant than that of the soldiers who had just won a great victory. The crowd surged forward, standing on tiptoes and craning their necks, all eager to catch a glimpse of Tang Yin and his troops.

  These civilians, mostly from Yuanwang Town who moved to Biancheng, initially heard that the barbarian army was approaching and their numbers exceeded 60,000. These civilians all felt a sense of impending doom, thinking they would surely die this time with no chance of survival. But unexpectedly, the less than 20,000 strong Feng Army defending the city greatly defeated the enemy, killing the attacking barbarian soldiers until they flowed like fallen flowers and flowing water. The excitement in their hearts can be imagined.

  Township head Zhong Wen led the way out of the crowd, welcoming Tang Yan. Before he even spoke, he knelt down on one knee, his face still smiling, but already with tears streaming down, and said in a trembling voice: "With your esteemed presence to preside over our defense against the barbarian state, it is a great blessing for me, for Pingyuan County, and for the people of Pingyuan!"

  As soon as Zhang Wen's voice fell, thousands of people around him also knelt down, looking up with their eyes, the crowd fell to the ground in a piece.

  Tang Yin's heartstrings were touched. If he had only wanted to do his duty when he first took office, now he was gradually becoming one with the Wind Country and Pingyuan County. He looked around at the crowds of people kneeling in the streets, dazed and unsure what to say.

  At this time, Qiu Zhen, who was beside him, gently pulled down his collar and said in a low voice: "The people's hearts."

  Tang Yin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood Qiu Zhen's meaning. He took a step forward, grasping Zhong Wen's arm while also kneeling on one knee. With a serious expression, he said: "In the past, the barbarian army repeatedly invaded our borders, and despite repeated prohibitions, they could not be stopped. This was an error of the government, a sign of its incompetence, which led to the suffering of the people in the county. Now that I have taken up the post of County Magistrate, I will do my utmost to resist foreign enemies, protect our borders, and ensure peace for the people within the county. If I fail to achieve this, I swear to...!" As he spoke, Tang Yin stood up straight, walked quickly to a stone horse tie by the side of the road, and with a flick of his wrist, a black light flashed, and without seeing how he applied force, there was a loud cracking sound. The stone horse tie, crafted from stone, snapped in two, its cut surface smooth as a mirror.

  Wow! Seeing this, the people on the street were in an uproar.

  It was unclear who shouted loudly first: "The great lord is mighty——"

  Thousands of people shouted in unison: "The great general is mighty, the Wind Army is mighty! The great general is mighty, the Wind Army is mighty——" The shouting continued without end.

  Tang Yin's eyes were filled with a surging energy, his heart was pounding with excitement, and his emotions were in turmoil for a long time. He wasn't an impulsive person, but at this moment he really had the urge to ride his horse and charge into the barbarian lands.

  Looking at the spirit on his face, Qiu Zhen secretly curled her lips and whispered: "Sir, you are supposed to inspire the people, not be inspired by them."

  As he poured the cold water, Tang Yin's inner fire was just about to ignite when it was extinguished. He glanced at Qiu Zhen, whose face was calm and serene, shook his head with a bitter smile, and led the way back to the City Master's mansion.

  The border town no longer has a city master, and the government office is also empty. It has become a place for Tang Yin to rest and discuss military affairs.

  He sat in the central hall of the government office, with the Feng Jun generals seated on either side.

  Tang Yin smiled and looked around at his subordinates, saying: "This time we won, you all have made great contributions!"

  "You're too kind!" Everyone bowed and cupped their hands in respect.

  Tang Yin smiled and looked at Qiu Zhen and Xiao Mucqing, saying: "In the border city's defense against the enemy, Lord Qiu and General Xiao have made the greatest contributions!"

  Everyone had no opinion, and they all nodded in agreement. Only Xiao Mucqing felt uncomfortable after listening to it. It can be said that from the beginning to the end, he was the one who resisted the barbarian army with his own hands. If he hadn't taken over the command, and let Qiu Zhen continue to command, the barbarian army would have entered the city long ago.

  Tang Yin was very clever, and as soon as he saw Xiao Mucqing's expression of disapproval on his face, he immediately understood what he was thinking. He smiled slightly and said, "Does General Xiao have any objections to my words?"

  "No! I dare not!" Xiao Mu Qing's heart was even more arrogant, his face even thicker, but it was not good to openly vie for merit in front of everyone.

  Xiao Mqing took over the command from Qiu Zhen in Biancheng, leading the defending army to resist the fierce attack of the barbarian soldiers. Tang Yin also heard about this matter.

  He said faintly: "Xiao Canjun, if you were the commander-in-chief of the army and one of your talented subordinates suddenly asked for command during a battle with the enemy, would you give in?"

  "This..."

  Xiao Muqing was speechless, stuttering and stumbling over her words.

  Tang Yin smiled and said, "Don't mention you, even I couldn't do it. However, Lord Qiu did. At the most critical moment, he trusted you and gave you the power. Whether it's his broad-mindedness or his boldness, Lord Qiu is admirable. It's precisely because of Lord Qiu's decisive action and your ability and experience, General Xiao, that we were able to save the border city from falling. So, I'd say that you two have made the greatest contributions - this shouldn't be an exaggeration, right, General Xiao?"

  Xiao Muqing was startled, hastily stood up and bowed: "Sir's teachings are indeed correct!" As he spoke, he looked at Qiu Zhen again, with a serious expression: "Qiu Sir's demeanor is truly admirable to his subordinates!"

  This is what they call turning with the wind. Regardless of whether Xiao Miaoqing was convinced in her heart, at least she showed a sincere and obedient appearance on the surface.

  Tang Yin did not say much about this matter, Xiao Muqing's ambition, he could see it, Xiao Muqing's strong desire to win, he could also feel it, but he thought it was a good thing, without ambition is equivalent to no strong desire to win, without strong desire to win is equivalent to no wholehearted effort, losing these two points, no matter how strong the ability, how much talent, in the military it's hard to become a great general.

  At this time, Qiu Zhen smiled at Xiao Mucqing and said: "General Xiao is being polite!" As he spoke, his words turned to Tang Yin and said: "Your Excellency, you should immediately send a joyful report to Wang Ting, stating that we have won a great victory over the barbarian army in Biancheng, killing countless enemies, and inviting King Ting to take credit for this!"

  Tang Yan's eyes rolled around and he asked: "If Wang Ting finds out about this, what reward will I get? He won't transfer me away from Pingyuan County, will he?"

  Now, even if Wang Ting sends someone to ask Tang Yin to leave, he won't agree to it anymore.

  As the county guard of Pingyuan County, he became more and more comfortable with his work, mainly because he could freely cultivate his own confidants here, and also go to the battlefield from time to time to kill enemies and improve his cultivation. In the entire Fengguo, or even in the entire Haotian Empire, there was no place more suitable for him than Pingyuan County.