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

"let me go--"

"what!!"

"Haha! The women of the Northern Barbarians are quite something!!"

"don't want!!"

Under the light drizzle, the stench of blood that filled the air was somewhat diluted. Screams, shouts, laughter, and even faint sounds of rape echoed through the mountains and forests.

"Damn it! That's enough!!"

Inside a tent.

Dong Heng frowned, sitting with his legs spread apart. However, the small tent in his pants looked rather conspicuous. As he cursed, it seemed to aggravate his wound, causing Dong Heng to grimace.

Li Bin, Xu Bin, Sun Ben, and the others exchanged glances, but none of them said anything.

Why isn't anyone saying anything?

Seeing that the others were silent, Dong Heng frowned and said, "After traveling and ambushing people everywhere, we finally found a place that's relatively secluded. Instead of resting properly, we're starting a fight..."

"Isn't this a rest and recuperation?"

Sun Ben picked up a piece of dried meat, threw it into his mouth, and chewed it.

"You call this rest and recuperation?"

Dong Heng pointed outside the tent, glared at Sun Ben, and said, "What the hell is this called..."

"Adultery with a woman?"

Li Bin glanced at Dong Heng, his voice a little hoarse, "Stop your pity. It's wartime. Whether we can go back alive is uncertain."

Li Bin's words surprised Dong Heng. He looked at Li Bin in disbelief, clearly not expecting these words to come from Li Bin's mouth.

As a son of a noble family, he had his own pride.

Dong Heng believes that others also possess this sense of pride!

Perhaps he frequented brothels when he was in Yudu and was familiar with matters between men and women, but those were all consensual, with some paying money and others paying something else.

"If the northern border is breached, the situation in the border areas and even more places will be even worse than it is now."

Xu Bin, who had been silent all along, picked up the water pouch without looking at Dong Heng. "Put away your pride and ideas that you've had since childhood. Li Bin and the others are right. We're at war right now. We were just raiding along the way, so we didn't encounter this kind of thing before."

“But things are different now. We have this good place to rest for a while, and there are also Northern barbarian tribes gathered here. We can manage ourselves, but we have no reason or right to manage others. Don’t forget, General Duanmu and General Shu have not said anything about this.”

After speaking, Xu Bin pulled out the cork and took small sips of water from the water bag.

Dong Heng remained silent.

War brings more than just iron and blood, destruction, slaughter, and carnage; it also changes people. The experiences in Tuowu City brought about a change in the noble sons who were trained in the Southern Army: they became brave and composed. The changes brought about by accompanying the army to raid the heartland of the Northern Barbarians were even greater.

Not all rules apply to all times.

The sounds outside the tent continued incessantly.

Dong Heng, Li Bin, Sun Ben, Xu Bin, and the others were either lying down or sitting, none of them saying a word. This scene was playing out in several other tents as well...

Of course, there are others besides these.

"call……"

"Whoo~"

At a cluster of tents, the snoring was deafening, and despite the various noises outside, it had no effect on them whatsoever.

The sounds of armor plates colliding mingled with the sounds of footsteps.

"General!!"

The guards on duty, seeing Huang Long being escorted by his entourage, immediately clasped their hands in a salute.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Huang Long stepped forward and gently patted the man's shoulder.

"This is nothing."

The man grinned, but then a look of helplessness crossed his face: "It's just that the noise was a bit loud."

"You little rascal, are you having puberty?!"

Before Huang Long could say anything, Wu Liang, who was standing behind him, laughed and cursed.

"Where is it?"

The man glared and said, "I have someone I like!" At this point, he surprisingly showed a hint of shyness.

"Really? Who is it?"

"Let me guess, it can't be..."

"General! You mustn't say that!!"

Seeing the group making a ruckus, Huang Long smiled and, as he walked forward with his sword slung over his shoulder, said to the man with a smile, "After this battle is over, go and propose marriage. The brothers will back you up!"

"Um!!"

The man nodded emphatically.

After patting the man, Huang Long walked into the tent. The moment he entered, a stench mixed with the smell of sweat hit him. Huang Long frowned slightly and looked at the dozens of people sleeping soundly huddled together. Huang Long felt a pang of sadness. The journey from the raid on Shalu City to the west had been a great test for the Imperial Guards.

They are either killing the enemy or on their way to kill the enemy.

This was also because they met up with the pioneers of the Southern Army and found a secluded place. Otherwise, they would never have dared to think about resting for such a long time.

Let alone the noises and commotion outside, even if it were a knife falling, these sleeping guys wouldn't wake up unless the special whistle blew out!

"General, you should find a place to sleep too."

Stepping out of the tent, Wu Liang, suppressing his drowsiness and exhaustion, looked at Huang Long and said, "You haven't been sleeping well these past few days."

"Yes, General."

Xiong Wu followed closely behind, saying, "Leave the patrol to us. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."

"I can't sleep soundly without making a round of inspections."

Huang Long forced a smile and looked at Wu Liang and the others, "Let's go, we'll be done with the patrol soon."

"Yes!"

Seeing this, Yi Xing didn't say anything more.

Patrolling the camp was a military rule established by Chu Ling from the very beginning of the Yulin Army. No matter how tired they were or what situation they were in, as long as they were resting, the officers and soldiers in charge of the troops had to patrol the camp. In addition to inspecting the soldiers who were resting, they also had to check out the hidden sentries during this time.

Even though the Imperial Guards have joined forces with the Southern Army's vanguard, in addition to overall defense and vigilance, the Imperial Guards will also send a group of soldiers to guard deep behind enemy lines. It is always good to be more vigilant and careful.

As the patrol continued, it gradually grew dark.

Although various noises continued during this time, they did not affect Huang Long and his group in the slightest. Although Huang Long and his group disapproved of those things, they did not say anything.

After all, deep behind enemy lines, they could die in battle at any time. Among the Southern Army Vanguard were border soldiers who had been temporarily incorporated into the Southern Army Vanguard. Taking advantage of this rare rest time, they vented their frustrations, which allowed them to relax a little. If people are always tense, problems will arise.

Unlike Dong Heng and his group of noble sons, Huang Long and his comrades carried a heavy burden. Those who were selected for the Imperial Guard all had grudges to avenge. They would not relax until they had avenged those grudges. Once that tension was released, their spirit and energy would also dissipate!

"General, General Duanmu has sent someone to summon you."

On his way back to his residence, a member of the Imperial Guard ran towards him.

Wu Liang, Xiong Wu, and the others following behind exchanged glances, their brows furrowing slightly. Could it be that something had happened that someone was being sent over at this time?

"You guys go get some rest."

Huang Long glanced at Wu Liang and the others, "I'll go over there first."

"Yes."

They clasped their hands in a fist and bowed.

Although they wanted to go along, they knew what their general meant by Huang Long's arrangement. He wanted them to rest so that they could react immediately if anything went wrong.

The Imperial Guards underwent significant changes, but the most dramatic transformation was undoubtedly that of General Huang Long.

He has to consider every aspect.

One wrong move could lead to the complete annihilation of the Imperial Guards, a responsibility that Huanglong could never bear.

Furthermore, this time, having penetrated deep behind enemy lines, the entire Imperial Guard was watching him closely. He was the guiding light for the Imperial Guard, showing them where to go, how to fight, whether to launch a raid, or to rest... The Imperial Guard had no doubts about this. This was certainly a demonstration of strict discipline, but it was also a profound sign of trust.

Huanglong cannot and cannot afford to betray this trust.

No matter how much pressure he faces, he will bear it all.

The entire journey was speechless.

When Huang Long arrived at Duanmu Yu's residence, he smelled a strong aroma of meat.

"finally come!"

The moment he entered the tent, Duanmu Yu smiled and reached out his hand, "You've been keeping track of the time; this meat is stewed just in time."

"You're lucky, kid."

Shu Yuqing smiled slightly and looked at Huang Long.

"Greetings, Generals!"

Huang Long raised his hand in a salute.

Duanmu Yu and Shu Yuqing exchanged a glance, both revealing helpless smiles. Compared to when they were in Shanglin Garden, Huanglong had changed quite a bit.

However, considering what Huanglong had gone through, the two expressed their understanding.

As a member of the imperial family, Huanglong's background was in no way inferior to that of the sons of nobles, of course, this was based on the premise that the current emperor succeeded to the throne.

This is also what makes Huanglong different from those sons of noble families.

He carries too much on his shoulders.

Before leading the Imperial Guards into battle, none of this was apparent, but once on the battlefield, it all became clear.

"You haven't eaten yet after this inspection, have you?"

Duanmu Yu stepped forward and handed Huang Long a short dagger. "You know, why didn't you just send your men to patrol?"

"Thank you, General."

Huang Long took it and said calmly, "We're all tired enough, we can't slack off."

"You little brat, are you indirectly insulting us?"

After hearing this, Shu Yuqing glared at Huang Long and said.

The military regulations for patrolling camps were not unique to the Imperial Guards; all the military units in the Shanglin Garden had gradually developed them. Duanmu Yu and Shu Yuqing had both served in the Shanglin Garden before, and they took these regulations with them.

However, it is inconvenient for them to patrol the camp at the moment.

How to patrol?

Many of the people below do that kind of thing.

Most of the troops were elite soldiers drawn from Tuowu City. Although they were resting and recuperating here, it was necessary to issue strict orders, but it was difficult to issue such orders. Everyone was on edge, and if they overreacted, it would make the later battles much harder.

"Did the two generals summon me here because of their plans for the subsequent raid?"

Huang Long did not answer Shu Yuqing's question. He walked to the earthenware pot, squatted down, stirred it with a short dagger, and when he saw that the stewed mutton was cooked, he used the dagger to stab the meat, placed it on a wooden board, and then got up and walked towards the two of them.

He placed it in front of the two of them, not caring that it was hot, and grabbed a piece to blow on.

This kid certainly doesn't hold back!

The two exchanged a glance, thought to themselves, and then grabbed one of the items.

"At this point in the battle, we are at most a hundred li away from the Southern Capital."

While eating meat, Shu Yuqing said somewhat indistinctly, "But after passing this place, the land will be flat and open. I just discussed some things with Lao Duan. I'm afraid there will be quite a few Northern Barbarian cavalry sent out, and even some Northern Barbarians will come back from the Tuowu Mountains."

"My surname is Duanmu!!"

As soon as Shu Yuqing finished speaking, Duanmu Yu glared at him and cursed, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all."

Huang Long suppressed a laugh.

"I know your surname is Duanmu, so why are you calling me that?"

Shu Yuqing said nonchalantly, then looked at Huang Long and grinned, "Neither Lao Duan nor I have ever fought a battle like this, so we thought we'd ask you to come over and discuss how to fight the next battle. After all, these good days of rest and recuperation are definitely not coming back."

"Didn't His Majesty say back in Shanglin Garden that there is strength in numbers? When faced with decisions that are difficult to make, listen to other people's opinions and ideas. This will give you more perspectives, won't it?"

Instead of summoning the sons of noble families like Zong Ning and Chang Feng, they called Huang Long to discuss the matter. This was because the two men felt that Huang Long was composed enough, and perhaps, the Duke of Cheng had said something to him beforehand.

After all, they knew some of the Imperial Guards' battle record and route after they joined forces.

"When I left the city of Shalu, the Duke of Cheng gave me these instructions."

Huang Long chewed the meat in his mouth and looked at the two men, saying, "Our army's vanguard has penetrated into the heart of the Northern Barbarian territory, and the situation on the front lines is favorable to our army. The Northern Barbarians are bound to be thrown into chaos."

Upon hearing this, the two men raised their eyebrows slightly.

It seems their guess was correct.

"What Duke Cheng said back then was that if we really meet up behind enemy lines, don't rush to rush towards Nandu." Huang Long didn't react to the two men's reactions. After spitting out a bone, he continued, "We need to stir up the situation more. If we lack food and water, we can take it from the Northern Barbarians. The Northern Barbarians have quite a few tribes and clans in the Southern Region."

"When doing these things, we should also send out more scouts and rangers, so that we don't end up being surrounded and wiped out without even knowing it."

"Look at Lao Duan!!"

Upon hearing this, Shu Yuqing clapped his hands and said, "Isn't this just like what I said? When we join forces, the scale will be over 20,000, almost 30,000. What the hell are we afraid of?"

"The battles on the front lines are being handled by Marquis Chenyang, Duke Baoguo, and Duke Chengguo; these are not things we need to worry about!"

"We'll just keep moving and running, who knows, maybe the fighter jets will just show up while we're on our way!!"

"indeed."

Duanmu Yu frowned slightly and said, "If the main force of the Northern Barbarians at the front line, as well as the Northern Barbarians along the Tuowu Mountains, were really retreating, their vanguard should have already attacked. But there has been no news at all."

"Either they're tied down, or they're on a mission to retrieve our supplies, which Murong Gu sent to Nandu."

"Who cares about that kind of thing, let's just hit them first."

Shu Yuqing dropped the bone in his hand, grinned, and said, "We all have two shoulders and one head, so who the hell is afraid of who!"

"this is correct."

Upon hearing this, Huang Long casually wiped his hand, then took out a map from his pocket. Under the astonished gazes of the two men, Huang Long carefully unfolded it and pointed to a spot. "Our army will be advancing to this place next. Of course, this is just my suggestion. If you two feel it's not safe, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

When Duanmu Yu and Shu Yuqing saw where Huang Long was pointing, their expressions changed, their eyes widened, and their hearts were filled with shock.

He really dares to dream big!!

But as soon as Huang Long finished speaking, Duanmu Yu clenched his fist and slammed it against the map, saying in a firm tone, "To raid this place is something none of us dared to even think about, and the Northern Barbarians probably never imagined that our army would dare to do such a thing."

"That's right!"

Once he realized what was happening, Shu Yuqing immediately shouted, "These days, the bold get rich and the timid starve! Damn it, you're the one who dares to think and act!"

"Shall we set off at dawn tomorrow?"

Seeing the two of them like this, Huang Long spoke up.

"can!"

The two exchanged a glance, then nodded to Huang Long.