The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Shaktunan quickly knelt down, lowered his head and said, "I deserve to die. I beg for forgiveness, Your Highness."

"You really deserve to die. Because of you, not only did the plan I had been planning for many years fail, but I also lost tens of thousands of troops in vain and missed this great opportunity to capture Yunli in one fell swoop." If Ainuer Xiong'an continued to speak, he was afraid that he would really die of anger.

"I am willing to die for my sins. I hope Your Highness will take care of himself. I will come back one day to avenge today's grudge." Shaktunan took out the dagger from his sleeve, raised it up and prepared to end his own life.

Ainuer Xiongan picked up another book and threw it, knocking the dagger out of Shaktunan's hand. "You useless thing! I just said a few words to you and you're threatening to kill yourself. Is that all you have left, Shaktunan? Get out of here and think carefully about what to do next!"

Shaktunan didn't dare to say anything else. He lowered his head and walked out of the tent.

"Yan Yu!" Ainuer Xiong'an narrowed his eyes, exuding a dangerous aura. "Go and investigate Yan Yu thoroughly. I want all his information."

Being able to meet such a strong opponent, Ainuer Xiong'an was not only angry, but also more excited and eager to win.

Ainuer Xiong'an's previous opponent was Yan Mingde. Unexpectedly, his current opponent would be Yan Mingde's son Yan Yu. Should we say this is fate or a bad fate?

The secret guard who had been hiding in the dark quietly retreated after hearing the master's order.

Yan Mingde stayed up all night worriedly, and finally waited for Yan Yu to wake up at dawn.

"Yu'er, you're awake. Come and drink some water." Seeing Yan Yu wake up, Yan Mingde quickly brought him some water.

Yan Yu was already thirsty after sleeping for so long. He took the tea handed to him by Yan Mingde and drank it all in one breath.

Seeing Yan Yu drink up all the water, Yan Mingde quickly asked, "Do you want more?"

Yan Yu shook his head. Looking at Yan Mingde's tired face and dark eyes, Yan Yu knew that his father had stayed up all night to watch over him.

"Father, I'm sorry for making you worry about your son." Yan Yu forced a smile. "Go and have a rest. I'm happy to be here."

"Silly child, why should you be polite to your own father?" Yan Mingde reached out and touched Yan Yu's forehead. He no longer had a fever or cold sweats and had returned to normal. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yu'er, you haven't eaten for a whole day and night. Daddy made some ginseng and pheasant soup for you. Would you like to drink some?" Yan Mingde, who cooked soup for his son for the first time in his life, felt a sense of accomplishment. This sense of accomplishment was no less than winning a great victory.

"Dad, did you stew this yourself?" Yan Yu suddenly felt his eyes sore. He had never enjoyed the love of his parents in either his past life or this life. Now that he suddenly received his father's love, he felt sour in his heart.

"Well, it was cooked by my father himself." Yan Mingde patted his chest proudly, "So do you want to drink it?"

"Okay." Yan Yu nodded. Even if he had no appetite, he had to save face for his father. After all, this was the first time he cooked soup for him, and he had to drink it no matter what.

"Then wait, dad will serve you some soup." At this moment, Yan Mingde was like an ordinary old man who cared about his son, his heart and eyes filled with his child.

The big tent became quiet. Yan Yu wanted to laugh but he couldn't help feeling sad when he recalled the scene in his dream. In his previous life, he had spent his entire life just to protect his little girl and let her live a safe and worry-free life. However, he couldn't even fulfill such a simple wish. What he didn't do in his previous life, will he have another chance in this life?

Thinking of this, Yan Yu couldn't help but have a strange thought in his mind. Since he was reborn, then could his little girl also be reborn? Could she be reborn here like him?

This bizarre and bold idea didn't strike Yan Yu as absurd; instead, it made him excited. The world was so vast and full of wonders, and if he could live his life over again, then what else was impossible? He suddenly felt like he could look forward to it.

After drinking the ginseng and pheasant soup cooked by Yan Mingde, Yan Yu felt much better. Ginseng and pheasant are both very nutritious and very beneficial for restoring physical strength.

Seeing Yan Yu in such good spirits, Yan Mingde was greatly encouraged. He was already thinking about what he should do to nourish Yan Yu's body next time.

Yan Yu's health is no longer seriously injured, so naturally he has to go out and say hello to everyone, let everyone know that he is fine, and reassure the troops.

Seeing that Yan Yu was really fine, everyone finally put their minds at ease.

"Major General, what should we do with that man?" Qin Gang, who was accompanying Yan Yu, knew that Yan Yu still needed more rest, but he also wanted to deal with that man's matter quickly, otherwise that man would die before they could interrogate him.

"Who?" Yan Yu looked confused. He was so busy that he completely forgot about the little mustache man he had caught.

"That's the guy who tried to assassinate you, but you killed and caught him." Qin Gang was quite impressed with Yan Yu's memory. This guy only had an excellent memory when it came to things that interested him. At other times, his memory was zero.

"Oh, him." Yan Yu, who was a forgetful man, finally remembered the little mustache man who was beaten half to death by him.

Yan Yu laughed awkwardly. He had completely forgotten about the mustache. "Where is he now? Come with me to see him."

"He has been locked up in the barracks and is being watched by special personnel. He regained consciousness a few days ago, but he refused to eat anything, not even a sip of water. It seems he is determined to die." Qin Gang has seen countless people. Although he does not know the true identity of the man with a mustache, he can tell that he is not a simple person.

"Go, go and meet him. If he can be of use to me, then keep him. If he insists on going his own way, then leave him a decent life so that he suffers less." Although Yan Yu was very interested in the man with a mustache and the power behind him, if he really couldn't be of use to him, then what was the point of keeping him?

However, after just a few days, when Yan Yu saw the little mustache again, he actually felt as if he was in a different world. The little mustache in front of him now had completely lost the viciousness and spirit that he had when they first met.

Although the man with a mustache was not skin and bones at this time, he had changed his appearance. Yan Yu almost didn't recognize him.

Seeing someone coming in, the man with a mustache looked up and saw that it was Yan Yu. His eyes moved and then returned to normal. He continued to lower his head and close his eyes to pretend to be asleep.

Yan Yu smiled and sat down in front of the mustache man. "Brother Qin, go prepare some food. It would be best if you could prepare some porridge and some side dishes. When you have a weak stomach, porridge with some side dishes is best."

Qin Gang nodded and went out. Only Yan Yu and the man with the mustache were left in the barracks.

"Okay, now that we're alone, don't be so reserved. How about we just speak our minds?"

Yan Yu glanced at the mustache lying on the bed. Seeing that he still ignored him and was not angry, he just said to himself: "I have some news that may not be good news for you. Ainuer Xiong'an's army of hundreds of thousands was almost wiped out the night before yesterday. No matter what purpose he brought to Yunli this time, he is destined to return in failure. It is still unknown whether he will have the chance to come to Yunli again in the rest of his life."

"People say that good birds choose the right trees to roost in, people go to high places and water flows to low places. There is nothing more precious than human life in this world. Living well is better than anything else."

After saying this, Yan Yu stood up, turned around, and started to leave. He paused at the door and said, "I can give you some time to slowly think through your future path. Your life is your own, and no one can be held responsible for it except you."

Just as Yan Yu opened the door curtain and was about to walk out, the man with the mustache who had been lying on the bed pretending to be dead suddenly spoke up, "If you keep me here, aren't you afraid that if I stay by your side, I'll bite you back?"

"Trust your men when you employ them, and don't employ those you doubt. Although we've only fought once, I can tell you're a real man. I, Yan Yu, value talent, and I've made life-or-death connections with my brothers. I always treat others with sincerity."

"A hero's origins are not questioned. No matter who you served under or what you did in the past, I will not ask or hold you accountable. What matters is not the past but the future. Since I intend to recruit you, I will naturally treat you with sincerity."

"Whatever your decision is, you should eat your meal later. A hero should die for a worthy and valuable cause. He shouldn't give up his life for something worthless."

Yan Yu lifted the door curtain and walked out. He had done what he should do and said what he should say. What happened next was not his business.

Seeing Yan Yu coming out, Qin Gang went to meet him. He had now perfectly and seamlessly replaced Ping An and became Yan Yu's personal follower.

"Major General, why do you insist on recruiting such a desperate criminal? He's always after money and will do anything. It's too unsafe to keep him around."

Yan Yu smiled. He knew what Qin Gang was worried about. He reached out and patted Qin Gang on the shoulder, saying, "People from the Jianghu have their uses. Sometimes the power they unleash is much greater than ours."

"Don't worry, since I want to keep him here, I won't let him escape from my control."

"Let's go and make up for the wine we missed yesterday."

When the food was delivered to the barracks, this time the man with the mustache did not refuse it, but ate all the food obediently, because he felt that Yan Yu was right, a hero's death must be worthwhile, and his death is meaningful. Although he was not a hero, it was too cowardly to starve himself to death.

Nothing in the world is bigger than a full stomach. Even if I die, I want to die with a full stomach.

Not only did Ainuer Xiong'an come with high hopes this time but returned in disappointment, he also fought the most cowardly battle of his life. He didn't even see his opponent, but was defeated and lost most of his troops. If this matter were to spread in the six kingdoms of Kyushu, he would probably never be able to hold his head up straight until his death.

He was unwilling to retreat back to Xirong without gaining any benefits. What he wanted most was to have a head-on confrontation with Yan Mingde's son Yan Yu, to fight on the battlefield with real swords and guns to decide the outcome. No matter what the result, he would feel better.

But no matter what he thought, reality did not allow him to act arbitrarily according to his thoughts. He did not have the capital and strength to fight Yan Yu head-on on the battlefield.

According to his original plan, he intended to take advantage of Li Bin's rebellion and lead his army to launch a surprise attack. When Li Bin led his men to attack Shangjing of Yunli, he would then join forces with the army of Xirong and capture Shangjing City in one fell swoop. He would let Li Bin replace Li Rui and become a puppet controlled by them, so that Yunli would become a vassal state that the Xirong could claim at will.

Originally, this plan was perfect. As long as it succeeded, Xirong would completely replace Yunli's position and become the largest country among the six countries in Kyushu.

But who could have imagined that at this critical moment, Yan Yu would appear and completely destroy his perfect plan, which he thought was flawless. Now, on the list of people that Ainuer Xiong'an hated the most, Yan Yu had successfully replaced his father Yan Mingde and temporarily took the first place.

"Your Highness, it's time for us to leave." The subordinates saw that Ainuer Xiong'an was sitting still and had no intention of retreating, so they had to bite the bullet and step forward to persuade him.

"I'm really unwilling to leave like this." Ainuer Xiong'an slammed her fist on the table. She had never felt so cowardly in her life.

"Your Highness, this is a different time now. As long as there is life, there is hope. Let's go back and recuperate so that we can regroup someday. Are you still afraid that we won't be able to avenge today's shame?" When the subordinate said this, he didn't dare to look up at Ainuer Xiong'an. His prince had the most violent temper, and he was really afraid that if he said something wrong by mistake, he would be in trouble immediately.

No matter how unwilling he was, Ainuer Xiong'an understood that he could not afford to fight Yan Yu now and could only wait for him to make a comeback one day.

"Give the order, the entire army will retreat immediately without delay."

Ainuer Xiong'an's order meant the complete failure of the invasion plan.

But Ainuerxiong'an wanted to leave, but Yan Yu refused. He didn't want to let Ainuerxiong'an go so easily. Since he dared to come, he must be prepared to accept the price of backlash.

When Yan Yu invited the soldiers to drink, he only left Zhang Fujiang, Li Jie, and the personal guards, and did not allow them to touch a drop of wine. He had already prepared a big gift for Ainuerxiong, just waiting for Ainuerxiong to accept it.