At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

"It was a really long night."

Sun Bin's voice rang out from the Northern Barbarian City.

Under a sky full of stars, the bright moon casts its silvery light, and the night wind carries a hint of coolness. The firelight flickers, and the soldiers on duty on the city wall stand as straight as wooden stakes.

Li Gan, who was standing with his sword at his side, glanced at Sun Bin, who was standing with his hands at his sides, and a cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

“I know you’re angry and furious. If it weren’t for your duty, you would have beaten me up without hesitation.” After a brief silence, Sun Bin’s voice rang out.

"The general will not dare."

Li Gan snorted coldly, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the knife hilt bulging, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

"Heh... Is there anything in this world that you, Li, wouldn't dare to do?"

Sun Bin shook his head with a smile, then turned to Li Gan and said, "If that's really the case, then the Duke of Xun's most beloved and trusted adopted son wouldn't be you."

Li Gan would have been better off not listening to these words; upon hearing them, the anger in his heart could no longer be suppressed!

"Marquis Chenyang! You are truly ruthless and cold-hearted!!"

Meeting Sun Bin's gaze, Li Gan gritted his teeth and said, "In order to facilitate tonight's battle, you used the vanguard of the Southern Army as bait to lure Wumuhan into leading his troops to attack!"

"You have suppressed the battle reports from Tuowu City again and again. Even now, Yu Zhengbei Town's eldest brother, who is guarding the town, still doesn't know about them!"

"His Majesty has indeed appointed you as the commander-in-chief for this battle, but you must not forget that launching a large-scale offensive against the northern barbarians in our northern border region is inseparable from the various armies and units stationed on the northern frontier!"

"really."

Sun Bin shook his head with a smile, "In your eyes, your children and nephews are more precious than other people's lives. If it weren't for Li Bin, Zong Zhi, Chang Feng, Cao Jing, Dong Heng, Shangguan Xiu, Han Cheng, Xu Bin, and Sun Ben being the vanguard of the Southern Army, and if they had stayed in Tuowu City, you wouldn't be like this, right?"

"wrong!!"

Li Gan waved his hand to interrupt: "This humble general had no such intention. From beginning to end, you have never trusted us. In the war against the enemy, you only made clear the subsequent deployment after problems arose. You didn't even give people time to react before the troops were dispatched."

"The Southern Army's vanguard was ordered to rush to Tuowu City, and that's how it was."

"The Imperial Guards were dispatched in the same way."

"If this war is fought like this, what are we? Puppets on strings?! How can you be sure that everything you think is correct?! How can you guarantee it?!"

Li Gan's voice attracted a lot of attention.

The atmosphere here changed silently.

“I cannot guarantee it, but I do know one thing: trust is the most precious luxury in the Northern Frontier right now!” Sun Bin said sharply, meeting Li Gan’s angry glare.

"This was sent back from the rear. Take a good look. Among the various armies and units guarding the northern border, there's a damn bunch of traitorous rats among them!!"

At this point, Sun Bin pulled a briefing out of his pocket and slammed it hard against Li Gan's breastplate. A burning pain shot through Sun Bin's hand, but he didn't react at all.

Li Gan frowned and reached out his hand.

"For this battle against the Northern barbarians, His Majesty has planned so much, borne so much burden, and endured so much—even I cannot imagine it!"

As Li Gan opened the briefing and began to read it quickly, Sun Bin's deep voice rang out, "Why is Your Majesty so determined to fight this battle? Is it really just because the Northern Barbarians have encountered a problem, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Great Yu? Is it really that simple?"

"If that's what you think, then you're not worthy to have come north with me!"

"This is a damn war of revenge! Not only to avenge the Great Yu's previous humiliation in the northern frontier, but also to wipe away the shame the royal family has in the hearts of the people!!!"

"Don't even mention the noble sons who were trained in the Southern Army; they all died in battle on the northern frontier. Even I, along with all the other armies that went north with me, all died in battle. But as long as this shame is avenged, then it was all worth it!!"

Sun Bin's words echoed in Li Gan's ears like a thunderclap.

What truly stirred up a storm in Li Gan's heart was the briefing he was holding.

Even though Li Gan was a seasoned veteran who had weathered countless storms, his hands trembled slightly when he saw the contents of the briefing.

"This is real?!"

Li Gan suddenly raised his head and looked at Sun Bin in disbelief.

"We both know what Jin Yi is like."

Sun Bin narrowed his eyes, his words laced with coldness, "Without solid evidence, this report wouldn't be included. Smuggling is rampant and has penetrated deep into the lifeline of the border region!"

Li Gan appeared somewhat dazed.

If that's really the case, that's terrifying!!

Li Gan didn't even dare to think further about what kind of turmoil would occur if the central leadership hadn't done anything about the border regions without this battle.

Mutiny?

riot?

Chaos?

If what he's thinking really happens on the frontier—no, just the northern frontier, putting everything else aside for now—his brother Li Ying alone could be caught in the storm!

Li Gan's Adam's apple bobbed as a terrifying thought arose in his mind.

The Marquis of Chenyang of the Great Yu Dynasty before us is here on imperial orders to lead his army north. His mission is not only to fight against the northern barbarians, but also to reclaim what the Great Yu Dynasty has lost on the battlefield!

Under these circumstances, it is even more important to thoroughly cleanse the northern frontier, so as to eradicate the various deep-seated problems that the central government, or more accurately, the imperial court, has discovered, especially those corrupt and decadent interest groups, in one fell swoop!

If this choice is made, countless officers and soldiers will be removed from the northern border defense force alone. These vacant positions must be filled, otherwise the northern border will inevitably descend into turmoil. Nothing is more effective in achieving this than a major war against foreign powers.

Things that I couldn't understand before, I understand now.

But even so, the way Li Gan looked at Sun Bin changed.

Just how much pressure and burden must they be carrying?

If there were any mishap, the consequences would be unimaginable...

"who!?"

As Li Gan was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a hand reach out, which immediately alerted him, and his hand instinctively reached for his knife.

"I!"

Zong Ning's icy voice rang out.

Li Gan frowned as he looked over.

At this moment, Zong Ning had already snatched the briefing from Li Gan, but his cold eyes were fixed on Sun Bin. Li Gan breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he became nervous.

The gentleman before me has only just returned today.

Many of his brothers died in battle!

"boom!!"

Under Li Gan's slightly open gaze, Zong Ning, who was clutching the briefing, suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it hard at Sun Bin, causing Sun Bin to stagger back several steps.

"My lord!!"

The guards standing not far away all glared angrily at Zong Ning, and some even drew their swords to rush over. Their movement caused the guards who were with Zong Ning to draw their swords and look at them.

The atmosphere here turned cold.

"Everyone, stand down."

Sun Bin's voice rang out, causing his retainers to show various expressions, but Sun Bin ignored them and instead reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Hehe, you have a strong grip."

Sun Bin stared at Zong Ning with a half-smile.

Do you know why I hit you?

Zong Ning clenched his fist and glared angrily at Sun Bin.

"know."

Sun Bin, his hands on his belt, said calmly, "No matter how much I've carried, in the Northern Frontier, in this place, we should have absolute trust in Li Gan, in you Zong Ning, in Li Ying, in Chang Sheng, and in... because you are not only military generals of the Great Yu, but also nobles of the Great Yu!"

"Good to know!!"

Zong Ning stretched out his hand and pointed at Sun Bin, saying, "Our loyalty to the Great Yu is no less than yours, Sun Bin. I never deny that there may be some who are disloyal to the Great Yu or have other ideas, but we are not. If we were, we wouldn't be fighting here so bloodily years ago!"

"Especially him, and Li Ying!!"

"What you've done is the greatest disrespect to the late Duke Xun!"

"I don't care how powerful you are now, or how much His Majesty trusts you, but on this matter, you are wrong, terribly wrong!!"

Sun Bin didn't speak, but a glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

Little did they know that this was exactly what he wanted to see.

"Damn it, this is outrageous!!"

In this situation, there was a moment of silence before Zong Ning's voice rang out again, his anger emanating from him without any attempt to conceal it.

No wonder!

No wonder!

A roar of anger rose in Zong Ning's heart. Before this, there were many things that had made him doubtful, but at this moment, they all became clear.

"Is this brocade robe reliable?"

Under the watchful eyes of Sun Bin and Li Gan, Zong Ning raised the briefing and stared intently at Sun Bin.

“If even the Embroidered Uniform Guard is unreliable, then I don’t know what else I can rely on,” Sun Bin said calmly, meeting Zong Ning’s gaze.

"Good, good, good."

Zong Ning said "okay" several times, and then, under the watchful eyes of the two men, he crumpled the report he was holding into a ball, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to chew it. "This score will be settled sooner or later. What do you want us to do now?"

Sun Bin was not surprised at all by Zong Ning's behavior.

Li Gan, on the contrary, looked surprised.

"Wait."

Sun Bin said succinctly.

"wait?"

Zong Ning opened his eyes slightly and looked at Sun Bin. "I've figured out the battle at Tuowu City. You were trying to lure Wu Mouhan, that barbarian general, into attacking. If I'm not mistaken, the entire Imperial Guard was sent to raid Lankun City, right?"

Li Gan's expression changed slightly as he looked at Sun Bin in disbelief.

Lankun City, though called a city, is actually a military stronghold. Located at a strategic point in the Tuowu Mountains, it is a vital supply depot for the Southern Court Prince's Palace.

The Northern Barbarians stationed a considerable number of troops in the Tuowu Mountains. The daily consumption of food and supplies for the men and horses was astronomical. Therefore, the Northern Barbarians established many military supply sites along the Tuowu Mountains to meet the various needs of each place.

Sending the Imperial Guards to raid Lankun City is an absolutely insane act.

But at this moment, Li Gan no longer felt that Sun Bin was intentionally using the Southern Army's vanguard to lure the Northern enemy, because Huang Long and his men were in a much more dangerous situation.

This is the Imperial Guard! The Imperial Guard, created by His Majesty himself!

Although Li Bin's return to Yudu from Xiliang and his short stay at Shanglin Garden to assume his new post have made him aware of what the Imperial Guards and female warriors mean to the Emperor.

Calling them eyeballs is no exaggeration.

"At the moment, Mr. Sun cannot speak."

Under their gazes, Sun Bin said without changing his expression, "However, I must say something: when we were young, this is how we went through it."

"Whether someone is a hero or a coward, the battlefield will reveal the truth."

"Tonight is crucial to the subsequent plans. Neither you nor anyone else can influence my decisions. Anyone who disobeys will be subject to military law!"

"You have such a cruel heart."

Zong Ning's breathing became somewhat rapid. He pointed at Sun Bin. If his guess was true, then he was not worried at all about the Southern Army Vanguard in Tuowu City, especially his son and his nephews. He had only met the Imperial Guards a few times, and there were many others he had never met. They were all about the same age as his nephews, or even younger. Such a dangerous battlefield was not something they should have to endure at their age.

Sun Bin remained unmoved.

But Sun Bin felt very resentful.

He knew all too well that his actions were ruthless, but there was no other way. The Imperial Guards had to go through this ordeal. Only in this way could Li Ganzong Ning, Li Yingchangsheng elsewhere, or others, after knowing these things, work together with him to deal with the more complex battle situations and circumstances that followed.

and also.

His goal was to use this battle to train all the pioneers of the Southern Army, the sons of noble families who had been tempered, and the Imperial Guards... one by one.

time does not wait.

Sun Bin knew, of course, that this was cruel for many people, and that they didn't even have to face such danger, but for the sake of his plans, they had to go through it!

The Great Yu Dynasty has run out of time.

The war launched in the northern frontier should not only inflict heavy losses on the northern barbarians, but also take this opportunity to purge the various border defense forces in the north. Only in this way can we truly seize the initiative and gain the upper hand.

Otherwise, this battle will have been fought in vain!

"Duke Baoguo, you..."

"I'm going to sleep, are you going to come with me?!"

The voices of Zong Ning and Li Gan brought Sun Bin back to his senses. Watching Zong Ning's departing figure, Sun Bin narrowed his eyes. How could Zong Ning possibly sleep well with this feeling of frustration?

But having the feeling is enough.

Now, for the sake of the Great Yu state and the stability of the world, a group of brave young men are charging ahead without fear of death, while these people can only watch helplessly. This is a bitter feeling!

"Marquis Chenyang".

"Go back."

Before Li Gan could speak, Sun Bin raised his hand to interrupt, "I want to be alone."

"Yes!"

Li Gan remained silent for a long time before clasping his hands and shouting. He knew why Sun Bin was like this. This night was not only long for Sun Bin, but also for many others, because there was a group of people who were not afraid of death and were willing to go into dangerous situations for the subsequent battles. But how many of them would return was something no one could predict...