Sun Xiang: Now I Understand the Great General

Sun Xiang's mind reeled.

He already felt a pang of guilt.

After all, having previously followed the orders of the Chifeng Army, he knew they absolutely forbade abandoning even a single citizen of Great Yu.

He was deeply influenced by this. Although he had been following General Ren Tianye in rebellion these past few days and had no time to process his thoughts, he was being pushed forward—consciously or unconsciously—by the rolling tide of events.

But those matters were all decided by the General.

Whatever General Ren Tianye said, he did!

His internal drive leaned more towards obeying military orders.

Right now, with him in charge of these troops, his most deeply ingrained logic involuntarily surfaced.

He was already feeling guilty about having to abandon some of the people following him; now, being called out on the spot brought a profound sense of shame.

For a moment, he felt overwhelmingly ashamed.

Fortunately, Sun Xiang was fairly resolute. Keeping Ren Tianye's instructions firmly in mind, he quickly replied, "The procession cannot stop."

"The main barbarian force could arrive at any moment."

"However, you shouldn't worry too much."

"After the main group departs, I will leave behind a hundred-man squad to search along the route for any lost citizens of Great Yu."

"Trust me, they will be fine."

"For now, we must move on!"

The young man completely disagreed. Still desperately gripping Sun Xiang's horse, he shouted, "No, no..."

"If we leave, my sweetheart won't be able to find us."

"She will be in danger."

"You must stay."

"You have to stay and wait for her."

Sun Xiang grew anxious. "But with so many people here, are they all supposed to wait?"

"Yes, everyone must wait!"

Sun Xiang was speechless.

At that moment, he intensely missed the feeling of being an invisible subordinate by General Ren Tianye's side. Whenever they encountered such complex situations that challenged one's psychological bottom line, the General always had a way to handle them.

However, this thought sparked a flash of inspiration.

He wondered: if General Ren Tianye were here right now, what would he do?

"Anyway, we must wait for her."

"If my sweetheart doesn't arrive, I'm not leaving!"

"You people don't understand what love is at all."

"You have no idea how to protect love!"

As the young man continued to babble, this brief delay allowed Sun Xiang to figure out exactly what General Ren Tianye would do.

His expression suddenly hardened, and he said coldly, "Then you stay behind and wait for her!"

"Men, leave him behind."

"Let him wait for his sweetheart!"

Two soldiers stepped out from the sides and forcefully pulled the young man away. Seeing him try to resist, they kicked him to the ground.

He could no longer block Sun Xiang.

Sun Xiang immediately shouted, "Everyone, move quickly towards Yunji City!"

The main force, especially the families of the Eight Hundred Army, had a strong concept of obeying orders, particularly knowing that the barbarians were highly likely to be chasing right behind them.

Those barbarians were ferocious and never treated the people of Yu as human beings. They did not want to stay behind and become ghosts under barbarian blades.

Not only did everyone obey, but they also noticeably quickened their pace.

However, some were still dissatisfied.

Sun Xiang hadn't taken two steps before an elderly woman blocked his path again. "You, how could you just abandon him?"

"Don't you remember him?"

"He's the friend of the classmate of the child of the younger uncle in the family of the second son of your great-aunt's eldest aunt!"

"We are practically relatives."

"How could you leave him behind?"

"Do you have any conscience left?"

"Quickly halt the procession and bring him back."

This dizzying string of titles left Sun Xiang bewildered again. For a moment, he couldn't even fathom what kind of distant relation he supposedly shared with the abandoned young man.

However, having just dealt with the young man, the heavy mountain of morality pressing on Sun Xiang's heart had already loosened.

The situation was critical. Without a shred of hesitation, he said coldly, "Since you pity that youngster so much, you can stay behind too!"

"Men, leave this person behind as well."

"Yes, sir!" The same two soldiers dragged the old woman out of the procession and tossed her to the side.

This time, Sun Xiang spurred his horse and galloped away.

He rode directly to the front of the procession to assume his duties as a commander. Yet, despite his best efforts, someone started cursing at him again.

"How can you ride a horse while making us walk?"

"Can't you see how old I am? Get down quickly and let me ride the horse. You can walk."

The speaker was a middle-aged woman.

Despite having walked for so long, she wasn't panting or flushed. Instead, she stood with her hands on her hips, acting as if she were entirely entitled to this demand.

It was infuriating!

Sun Xiang immediately drew his waist blade, rode forward, and chopped her head off with a single strike.

Instantly, the procession fell dead silent.

There wasn't a single sound left.

Everyone—aside from the families of the Eight Hundred Army who were already following the rules—fell completely silent, including those who had been constantly complaining just moments before.

It was a deathly silence.

The marching speed of the procession instantly accelerated.

Their chances of escaping the pursuit of the main barbarian force grew even greater.

At this moment, Sun Xiang had an epiphany!

"I... I think I understand the General's instructions now."

"I think I finally understand him!"

"So this is exactly what the General wanted!"

His spirits lifted, and he shouted fiercely, "All soldiers, hear my orders! During the march, anyone who disobeys discipline, deliberately delays, or dares to obstruct the main force..."

"Will be killed without mercy!"

The thousand soldiers he had brought with him roared their compliance.

The amiable expressions they had previously worn instantly switched to a cold, murderous intent.

As a result, the speed of this procession of nearly ten thousand people increased once more. Not only were there no further objections, but the civilians also became as obedient as enlisted soldiers.

The march proceeded incredibly smoothly.

They quickly distanced themselves from the battlefield, and the likelihood of being caught by the main barbarian force dwindled.

Leading the group, Sun Xiang's mood gradually relaxed.

He even began to feel somewhat complacent.

He thought back to when he used to escort the citizens of Great Yu with the Chifeng Army. They were always on edge, frequently having to stop and search because civilians fell behind.

When they finally found them, they had to comfort them one by one.

The worst part was that many of them couldn't be appeased no matter how much comforting they received.

This would go on until the barbarians caught up, forcing them into a bloody battle. They would have to sacrifice the lives of several, sometimes over a dozen soldiers, just to barely complete the mission of escorting the citizens.

He suddenly realized what a miserable life he had been living back then!

Escorting the citizens of Great Yu—how could it possibly be that difficult?

"Move faster! Try to reach Yunji City as soon as possible. Once we arrive at Yunji City, we will be completely safe."

With another shout, Sun Xiang, riding on his horse, led the way at the front. The massive procession marched grandly straight toward Yunji City!

...