Chapter 55

  "I've long heard of General Tang's great name, today I finally see him, indeed he is extraordinary and heroic, my brother admires him, admires him!"

  The fort guardian general, whose position was no lower than Tang Yin's, but his flattering words made Tang Yin break out in goosebumps.

  With such city defenses and such a defender, he was really worried that once the Mo Guo army arrived, the Ba Guan would not be able to withstand even half a day's time before being trampled.

  But it's none of his business, and he's too lazy to care. Tang Yin chuckled twice and didn't say anything else.

  Inside the Pass, there are no civilian residences, only military barracks of uniform color. The commander's mansion is also very simple, a simple dwelling made of earth and stone mixed with each other, as if it could be blown down by a strong wind.

  Upon entering the house, they sat down as host and guest. Tang Yin didn't exchange pleasantries, but instead asked directly: "General Ying, when can Her Highness arrive at Ba Guan?"

  "Well..." Ying Bu supported his chin and thought for a long time before saying: "I estimate it will arrive in one or two days."

  "An estimate?" Tang Yin was naturally not satisfied with this ambiguous answer. He asked, "Didn't the princess and Mo Guo send someone to inform us in advance?"

  Ying Bu smiled and shook his head: "It seems not yet, I haven't received any news about this."

  In the military, strict discipline has always been emphasized, and there is no room for even a slight mistake. Words like "estimate" and "seemingly" are taboo. Looking at Ying Bu's smiling face, Tang Yin really couldn't understand how he had risen to the position of commander of the Pass of Hegemony.

  The conversation didn't go well, and Tang Yin couldn't get the answer he wanted from Ying Bu. With a bad impression of him, they only chatted briefly before Tang Yin took his leave and returned to the army.

  Inside the Pass there was no inn, so he and Qiu Zhen moved into the army's barracks.

  While eating, Tang Yin asked: "This Ying Bu doesn't seem like much of a person!"

  "Haha!" Qiu Zhen understood and laughed, letting out a light sigh, saying: "The conditions at Ba Guan are too poor, the atmosphere is tense but there's no war, who would want to be stuck here if they have any ability?"

  He picked up the wine jug, poured a bowl for Tang Yin and himself, took a big sip, and said: "Now there are two places in Fengguo that no one is fighting for, the first is Pingyuan County in Tianyuan Prefecture. It borders the Mo Fei Federation, with two cities, five towns, and many villages within the county, which may be harassed and attacked by Mo Fei cavalry at any time. In just ten years, Pingyuan County has changed six county guards, five of whom were wounded or killed in battle. As for the city owner, I don't know how many have been replaced; The second is this Baoguan, the garrison here cannot leave without the approval of the king's court, which means that the garrison is basically trapped in this small fortress all year round, and may stay for several years or even decades. Dull and tasteless, even a normal person can be driven mad."

  "Oh! So that's how it is." Tang Yin nodded, no wonder Ying Bu looked so disheveled and down on his luck. It was also no wonder he was so enthusiastic when he saw him, probably because he hadn't seen a new face in years while being stuck at the border pass. Now, he actually felt some sympathy for Ying Bu, if it were him who was trapped here, he reckoned he wouldn't be much better off than Ying Bu.

  Tang Yin asked: "Do we still have wine and meat?"

  "Ah! When I came out of the city, I had people prepare quite a few things." Qiu Zhen smiled.

  "That's great, let's prepare more wine and meat, we'll go to Ba Guan to eat and drink." Tang Yin smiled and stood up straight.

  He went and came back, which was quite beyond Ying Bu's expectations, especially when he saw him bring wine and meat, Ying Bu was even more surprised.

  Without further ado, Tang Yin arranged the wine and meat on the table one by one, waved his hand and said: "General Ying won't mind having a drink and dinner with me, will he?"

  Ying stepped back to his senses, shook his head repeatedly and hastily said: "How could that be?!" As he spoke, he was afraid that Tang Yin would take away the wine and meat, so he quickly sat down with the fastest speed. First, he grabbed a large piece of beef and stuffed it into his mouth, then picked up the wine bowl, pretending to drink. But just as the rim of the bowl touched his lips, his movements suddenly froze. He let out a dry laugh and looked at Tang Yin, saying: "General Tang, drinking is not allowed in the army, you... wouldn't be trying to test me, would you?"

  Tang Yin burst out laughing, picked up his wine bowl and said: "General Ying, I'll drink first to show respect!" As he spoke, he gulped down the wine in his bowl with a loud gurgling sound.

  The man's temperament is strong and fierce, the wine is also pungent, after drinking it into his belly, it really feels like hundreds of small knives are cutting his intestines, but when he drinks heavily, it is exceptionally refreshing and enjoyable.

  He saw him drink the wine first, and Ying Bu didn't hesitate. He raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. He let out a long sigh of satisfaction, saying: "Good wine, really good wine!" As he spoke, he looked at Tang Yin and smiled, saying: "I remember last time we had a drink, it should have been last year... no, it seems like two or three years ago!"

  Watching him laugh heartily, Tang Yin felt a tinge of bitterness, picked up the wine jug, poured it full, and simply said: "Drink!"

  "Cheers!"

  "Cheers!"

  The two men clinked their cups together and downed the wine in one gulp. Qiu Zhen's capacity for liquor was not bad, but he couldn't compare with the other two. After several bowls, his face was already flushed red, showing signs of intoxication.

  Tang Yin and Ying Bu were drinking bowl after bowl, and before long, the two full jars of wine had been emptied.

  Tang Yin's alcohol capacity is excellent, and at this time, he can't even get slightly drunk. Ying Bu's alcohol capacity is also good, but now when speaking, his tongue is a bit stiff.

  He patted Tang Yin's shoulder, shaking his head and sighing: "Tang brother, I really envy you, being able to do things in the capital city. Unlike me, it's been six years since I've returned home!" At the dinner table, they only discussed personal matters, not official business, and addressed each other as brothers.

  "Why don't you ask Wang Ting to transfer you away?" Tang Yin opened a new jar of wine.

  "What's going on?! " Ying Bu shook his head, saying: "When I first came, I applied for a transfer order almost every month, but every time it was sent to the capital, it was like throwing a stone into the ocean. It was hard to get a response, and when I finally did, it just said something like 'stay calm in Ba Guan, strictly guard your post, don't rush back to the capital' and other nonsense!"

  "Now, I've thoroughly figured it out, and even if I apply for a transfer order again, it's all in vain. This godforsaken place is only suitable for lunatics." Ying Bu downed another bowl of wine, and sighed bitterly: "Sometimes I really wish the Mo Kingdom's army would come and attack us, so I could finally be free from this place... but I still can't bear to abandon those over 10,000 brothers below, they're suffering even more than me..."

  As for Ying Bu and the hardships of the defending troops, Tang Yin could understand, but he couldn't do anything about it, couldn't help with any troubles, could only raise his wine cup and say: "A drunkenness to dispel a thousand worries! Cheers!"

  "One drunk to solve all worries, well said, let's do it!"

  That day, Ying Bu got drunk and Tang Yin was slightly tipsy. A simple drink brought the two together in friendship, and later Ying Bu really helped Tang Yin a great deal. This is indeed what they say: "Planting willows by chance brings shade."

  The Grand Duchess of the Imperial Palace did not keep Tang Yin waiting for too long, and on the next morning, the princess's entourage arrived at Ba Guan.

  The first to discover were the soldiers guarding the tower, who saw from a distance a team with the Mo army's large flag, and the soldiers were frightened, their faces changed in an instant, and they ran down the city wall at the first time to report to Ying Bu.

  At this time, Ying Bu and Tang Yi were still fast asleep, but suddenly heard that a large group of Mo troops had appeared, the two men's wine was sobered up, each wearing armor, hastily climbed onto the city wall.

  Two men stood on the city wall, gazing out to see a cavalry of over 20,000 people rapidly approaching in the distance. The team was flying the Mo Guo flag. As they drew closer, it became clearer that this cavalry was indeed strong and powerful, with horses wearing battle robes and riders wearing light helmets and armor. Despite their rapid pace, the large number of cavalrymen still maintained a neat formation. The mere sight of them was enough to intimidate people for three parts.

  What a fine cavalry! Tang Yin didn't know that Mo Guozheng was famous for his elite cavalry.

  "This isn't an enemy army!" Ying Bu took only two glances before making a judgment, saying: "There's the imperial flag in the center of the troops, this should be Princess Yu's guard!"

  "Oh?" Tang Yin's spirit lifted, and he looked carefully. Indeed, in the center of the troops was a large golden yellow flag with two big characters embroidered on it - Haotian.

  Very soon, this cavalry stopped at a place where they could shoot an arrow in front of the Baiguan Pass. Then, two war horses rushed out from the team, with two generals on horseback, wearing light iron chain armor and white long streamers on their heads, rushing to the foot of the Baiguan City like lightning. One of them shouted loudly: "I am Liao Gang, the flying general of Mo Guo, who is now escorting the princess to this place. Let your general come out to talk!"

  This commander was over twenty years old and spoke with a strong voice, every word loud and clear.

  As expected! Tang Yin nodded towards Ying Bu and said: "I'll go to welcome the princess, General Ying will stay in the city to guard against any unexpected events!"

  "Good!" Ying Bu reminded: "General Tang be careful!"

  "Don't worry." As he spoke, Tang Yin also quickly ran down the city wall.

  Ying Bu lay flat on the city wall and shouted down: "I am Ying Bu, the main general of Ba Guan. Please wait for a moment."

  The young leader, who claimed to be Luo Gang, raised his head and glanced at Ying Bu several times, with a slight curl of his lip and a look of disdain on his face. He didn't even bother to respond, only letting out a snort through his nostrils as if that was enough of an answer.

  Before long, Tang Yin led Gu Yue and Le Tian, two thousand-man commanders, as well as 2,000 soldiers out of the city gate.

  He rode his horse up to Liao Gang and said: "Your Excellency can let the princess's team come over."

  Liao Gang furrowed his brow and sized up Tang Yin, feeling that this general was much more spirited than the one on the city wall. He asked: "You are..."

  "Feng Guo's Second Army Corps Commander, Tang Yin!"

  "Oh! So it's just a battalion commander." Liao Gang sneered and said, "It seems that the defeat of Feng Ning was indeed very miserable. They can only send one battalion commander to welcome Her Highness, how ridiculous!"

  "Haha!" Tang Yin chuckled and said, "To protect the safety of Her Highness, just a battalion commander is enough. Why did your country make such a big fuss? Is it really that chaotic within your borders?"

  Liao's old face turned red with anger and he said: "This is a sign of respect for the princess, don't you even understand this?"