Pick up a princess to be your wife

The 27th year of the Jingtai reign, the fifth day of the first month.

Ten thousand White Horse Army soldiers quietly entered Baling and joined up with Li Ertie and Hei Fu.

Although Baling has not yet recovered much of its vitality, it has already established a basic level of order under Li Ertie's rule.

Li Ertie and Hei Fu couldn't understand why the White Horse Army was suddenly going to send troops.

But they didn't ask any more questions.

After receiving the strategic materials to be transported, Li Ertie immediately began operations.

He was to take strategic supplies and set off ahead of schedule.

Three thousand hot air balloons—not too many, not too few—will take some time to travel.

After that, Li Mu handed over command to Ma Rulong and Xiong Wenjing.

This expedition requires a direct strike at Baiyujing, and will bypass many cities along the way.

If we really want to fight our way through, it's not that difficult. The Divine Gun Battalion can open the city gates, and the infantry and cavalry can enter the city to reap the rewards, pushing all the way to Baiyujing.

However, there were not many Yan troops along the way, and the main force of Yan was temporarily concentrated in the capital.

Once the White Horse Army captures Baiyujing and drives out the Wu traitors, the imperial army will surely march into the Central Plains upon hearing the news.

If Wu Fengxian is unable to gain a foothold in Baiyujing, he will retreat back to Dongkaido once again.

Therefore, as long as Baiyujing is occupied, it is equivalent to taking back the Central Plains from Wu Fengxian.

This is another blitzkrieg; the march must be conducted covertly to catch the enemy off guard.

Ma Rulong immediately ordered the army to be divided into battalions and dispersed to Baiyujing, where they would regroup in the northwest of Baiyujing.

The 15,000-strong White Horse Army crossed the Tianjiang River in succession and marched towards the northwest Central Plains.

After crossing the Tianjiang River, we officially entered Shannan Road, which is the Central Plains region.

Passing through Shannan Road, you will reach Hedong Road. Baiyujing is located in Hedong Road.

Baling is about two thousand miles away from Baiyujing.

If the cavalry advances at full speed, traveling day and night, they can arrive in just three or four days.

However, the logistics battalion needs to transport a large amount of supplies, so the army does not need to rush.

To conceal their movements, the White Horse Army chose to march at night and rest during the day.

They were dispersed into battalions, so the movement of the White Horse Army was not conspicuous.

Li Mu estimated that all units would be able to get back to their posts before the Lantern Festival.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, a surprise attack on Baiyujing can be launched.

This was Li Mu's first time venturing out of the south and into the Central Plains.

The lives of ordinary people in the Central Plains were truly unbearable.

The world is in chaos; you really can't understand it if you don't go out and see for yourself.

In some villages, the entire population was slaughtered, and many wild dogs feasted on the village.

In some counties, the entire population was massacred, leaving behind corpses and bones everywhere, resembling a ghost town.

This is not necessarily all the work of Wu the traitor, but the people of the world do need someone to save them.

Otherwise, such killings will only increase.

The next day at dawn, Li Mu led his men into a county town that had been almost completely massacred to rest.

Li Mu ordered his men to clear out a mansion where three hundred people could rest.

The group found corners to sit down, and just as they finished eating their rations and were about to take a nap, they suddenly heard a rustling sound of footsteps outside.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of arrows rained down.

Arrows pierced through the already dilapidated windows and shot towards the White Horse Army inside.

The rain of arrows lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before it stopped.

Immediately afterwards, footsteps approached from afar.

A large crowd poured into the courtyard.

Some of them were going to fetch the warhorses, while others planned to clear the battlefield.

After that recent barrage of arrows, those hundreds of people must be dead.

However, the White Horse Army suddenly emerged from various parts of the courtyard.

One by one, they drew their swords and silently attacked the bandits.

The number of bandits was considerable, no less than six hundred.

At first, they were not afraid and, led by several leaders, immediately launched a counterattack.

However, after just one exchange, they knew what kind of being they had messed with.

The White Horse Army fought independently, yet they were like sharp little knives; once they bit into the bandits, the bandits would never be able to escape.

In some places, even when seventy or eighty people surrounded a team, they couldn't gain any advantage and were instead suppressed by the other side.

In the blink of an eye, more than half of the bandits were dead.

Seeing that things were going badly, the leader immediately ordered a retreat.

If nothing unexpected happens, they've run into a regular army. If they were just refugees or bandits, they would never have this kind of fighting power.

"Leave one alive, kill the rest," Li Mu ordered.

The White Horse Army immediately chased after them out of the mansion.

Screams of agony echoed continuously from outside.

But the dense sounds gradually became sparse.

In less than fifteen minutes, the entire White Horse Army returned to their positions, and Xiong Mo came back with one prisoner alive.

He pressed the man to the ground and then stepped on the man's head.

"Who is it?" Li Mu asked.

"I...I was originally from this county town, but I was slaughtered by the bandit Wu, so I fled with a group of people. General, spare our lives! General, spare our lives!"

Why did you shoot arrows at us in ambush?

"My brothers have not eaten for many days, so I only want to ask the general for a bite to eat, and I have no other intentions."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Using bows and arrows to beg for food? Do you want to eat us alive?" Li Mu said coldly.

"General, please calm down. I had no choice."

“I think these bandits are all very vicious and are definitely not good people,” a squad leader said.

"Kill him," Li Mu said in a deep voice.

"Spare your life, spare your life..."

The pleas for mercy quickly disappeared.

These few hundred bandits were clearly there to kill and rob.

This guy is just a nobody; there's no point in keeping him around.

"Everyone, get some rest," Li Mu said, then went back inside.

"Uncle Xingzhou".

Xiong Mo walked over and sat down next to Li Mu.

"There are quite a few bandits in the Central Plains. We might encounter even more along the way."

"They're just a bunch of small fry. We can kill them one by one."

Such bandits could not even stop the White Horse Army's march.

Let alone six hundred men, even if six thousand men came, they would still be no match for three hundred White Horse Army soldiers.

The county town fell into a state of peace.

As darkness fell, the White Horse Army continued their journey.

Baiyujing, the imperial palace, a side hall.

Wu Fengxian lay on his side on the couch, holding a wine cup in his hand and gently swirling it.

In the center of the main hall, a woman dressed in red was dancing gracefully.

Her graceful figure and charming face captivated Wu Fengxian more and more.

Especially her bare, fair feet, which, in Wu Fengxian's eyes, were countless times more beautiful than the most beautiful jade in the world.

The music stopped, the dance ended.

Yang Xianrong, trailing a long red skirt, walked gracefully toward Wu Fengxian.

With a gentle turn, she sat in Wu Fengxian's lap, took the wine glass from his hand, and fed him wine.

"Your Majesty, did I dance well?"

"Excellent. There is no woman in the world like you who can make me fall in love every day."