Families of the Eight Hundred Warriors

Shanhe City, given to the barbarians as a dowry!

These words struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

That was Shanhe City!

The number one city of the Northern Frontier!

The great pass defending the north of Great Yu!

For the eight hundred years since the founding of Great Yu, countless patriots had shed their blood here, and countless soldiers had died in battle, making it an eternal pain in the hearts of the barbarians.

But now...

It was given to the barbarians?

Taken by the barbarians without shedding a single drop of blood?

Among the crowd present, apart from a few newly promoted officers of Yunji City, the rest were the original Eight Hundred Army, subordinate to the Chifeng Army, who had always been stationed in Shanhe City.

Ren Tianye was relatively fine; after all, he had only transmigrated here three or four months ago. But the others in the Eight Hundred Army had left years, over a decade, or even decades of their lives in Shanhe City.

They had extremely deep feelings for Shanhe City.

For a moment, it was hard to accept.

"What exactly is going on in the Empress's head? How could she give Shanhe City to the barbarians?"

"The Chifeng Army was slaughtered, and Shanhe City was given away. From now on, this world will no longer belong to Great Yu."

"Now that the barbarians have Shanhe City, they will definitely attack. When that time comes, I'd like to see where this Empress goes to cry!"

...

The crowd shouted with righteous indignation, terrifying the young duke, who immediately cowered and dared not speak another word.

Ren Tianye, however, remained relatively calm.

He immediately grasped the crux of the matter.

Once Shanhe City fell into the hands of the barbarians, it would be much easier for them to invade the Central Plains again.

Coupled with the fact that the Northern Frontier was now empty with no troops to defend it, he could almost conclude that the barbarians would sweep across the entire Northern Frontier and proceed to attack the capital.

Furthermore, once the news of the Chifeng Army's slaughter spread back, the realm would certainly not be at peace.

Then, a war that would sweep the entire world would surge forth, and the eight-hundred-year prosperous era of Great Yu would be destroyed in an instant.

But...

This was a good thing for him!

Only in times of chaos would the elites of Great Yu have no time to deal with them, giving them the opportunity to quickly develop and grow, become a regional overlord, and then scheme for the world.

Looking at it this way, although Empress Xiao Mingzhao's actions were infuriating, they also allowed him to maximize his own benefits.

Ren Tianye's mind raced.

But suddenly, he was startled.

Thinking of something, a slight cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He immediately said to the young duke, Lu Jun, "Your second uncle plans to pay a heavy ransom for you. I have agreed, but I have some conditions!"

The despairing young duke Lu Jun was instantly overjoyed.

His second uncle was coming to save him?!

Sure enough, his mother was right; his second uncle would never just leave him be.

He quickly said, "Please speak, my lord. No matter what the conditions are, my second uncle will agree. For me, he is willing to do anything."

However, Lu Jun was wrong about this.

When Ren Tianye shouted from the city wall to Lu Qing that there was a second condition, Lu Qing was instantly furious.

"Insolent! You actually dare to bargain with me? Do you really think my words are that worthless?"

"I always keep my word."

"I said I'd give you seventy thousand sets of equipment, and I will. As for the rest, even if you want one more arrow or one more dagger, don't even think about it!"

Lu Qing was clearly still subconsciously maintaining his domineering image; this was clearly Lu Qing's pride.

Always keeping his word!

Ren Tianye didn't waste his breath either, slapping the young duke Lu Jun right across the face.

Instantly adding injury to the young duke Lu Jun's face, he screamed in pain and shouted to Lu Qing below Yunji City, "Second Uncle, agree to him!"

"If you don't agree, he's going to kill me!"

"If I die, how will you explain it to my mother?"

"Are you, are you really going to let my mother down!"

"My mother will be heartbroken."

This shout shocked the Yunji City soldiers and the imperial guards both on and below the city wall, causing them to look sideways.

Second Uncle?

Your mother?

Let her down?

It seemed there was something going on here!

Lu Qing didn't realize this, just looking conflicted, and finally could only sigh and say, "Fine, fine!"

"Defenders on the wall, listen up."

"One last condition, but if you dare to go too far, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Ren Tianye breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The first condition, the seventy thousand sets of equipment, was still being orderly placed below Yunji City by the imperial guards; it wasn't fully in his hands yet.

Naturally, he didn't need to lose the big picture over a small detail.

He then said, "This request is very simple. I just want you to order the imperial guards to make way and write a hand-written order."

"I need to send someone on a trip to Shanhe City."

Lu Qing frowned. "What are you going to Shanhe City for?"

"I have some friends and brothers still in Shanhe City, and I want to bring them back."

"That's not difficult. Fine, I agree to this request." Lu Qing waved his large hand and, with his domineering style, quickly wrote down the order.

He had his subordinate soldiers shoot it onto the Yunji City wall with an arrow.

Ren Tianye opened it and took a look, and the heavy stone in his heart finally dropped.

Beside him, a few guerrilla generals and the soldiers of the Eight Hundred Army couldn't help but burst into tears.

They knew what Ren Tianye was asking for!

It was their families trapped in Shanhe City!

Their parents, brothers, sons, daughters, and their wives!

Ever since they rebelled, the Eight Hundred Army had always had this worry. Although they were constantly at risk of being beheaded, they also had the chance to achieve the merit of following a dragon, gaining eternal glory, and blessing their descendants.

But their families were innocent!

These past few days, the Great General had actually sent out many scouts to gather information, but there had been no news.

They hadn't expected that the Great General was still keeping it in mind.

Trying everything possible to help them bring back their families trapped in Shanhe City.

"Great General, from now on, my life is yours. If you tell me to climb a mountain of swords, I will climb it; if you tell me to plunge into a sea of fire, I will plunge into it!"

"Great General, we are willing to defend you to the death from now on. Whatever your orders, we will never disobey. If we break this oath, may heaven strike us with lightning!"

"I thought I would never see the old mother who raised me again in this life... Great General, I won't say anything else, but from now on, I am your most loyal soldier!"

...

Ren Tianye helped these men up and said, "What I promised you all, I naturally must fulfill."

Pausing, he shouted, "Sun Xiang!"

"Here, General."

"I am entrusting this matter to you."

"I will certainly not fail this mission," Sun Xiang said with a righteous face.

As he said this, his heart was still trembling slightly.

He had lost his wife in his early years, leaving only a three-year-old child and a seriously ill old mother at home. In past years, they had barely survived on his meager salary.

Now that he had rebelled and occupied Yunji City, he felt incredibly gratified, but once the dead of night arrived, the longing for his family flowed into his organs like a surging sea, making him dream every night and leaving his mind unsettled.

He constantly worried about how his old mother and young child would survive now that he was gone. Would the Empress raise her butcher's knife and bring it down upon them too?

Every time he thought of this, he couldn't help but feel a piercing pain in his heart.

Now, the Great General had given him a chance to save his family. Even if he died, he would complete the Great General's order.

"Very well," Ren Tianye nodded. "However, for this journey, you must keep a few words in mind."

"Please give your orders, General!"

Ren Tianye spoke, emphasizing every syllable, "You must act swiftly and cleanly, and be decisive in your strikes. Furthermore, do not provoke any unnecessary conflicts. Bringing back the families of the Eight Hundred Army is your greatest mission."

"Yes, General. I will remember!"

...