The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 262: Victory in the Barren Mountain

"I am willing to stay and serve the country with General Wang."

Li Qing was the first to speak, and as soon as he spoke, everyone behind him became active.

They were all from poor families, orphans without parents, or people in bad circumstances. Otherwise, they would not have been tricked by Shen Pingzhi into going to Wuya Mountain.

For people like them, what good would it do if they went back? It would be better for them to follow Wang Zongyuan. Even if they couldn't make it big, at least they could have some success.

If he died on the battlefield in the future and sacrificed his life for his country, at least his family would receive a pension.

It is better than going back and not finding a way out, waiting to die in despair.

"Okay, since you're all willing to follow me, then line up. I'll have someone take you to Pingzhou City to wait."

Although these people have been recruited and seem to listen to Liu Hu very much, after all, these people were not brought up by Wang Zongyuan herself, so she has no idea what their character is like.

Although they had the protection of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion in what they did this time, they still had some concerns.

Once this matter is leaked, all accusations will be directed at Queen Shen Tianjiao, and then the public opinion that can scare people to death will bury Shen Tianjiao.

If we send these people away and only our own people remain, things will be easier.

Under Li Qing's leadership, all the people from Wuya Mountain went down the mountain.

At this time, all those left on the mountain were his own people. Wang Zongyuan looked at the soldiers in front of him and said, "Leave some people here to guard, and the rest of you go to the warehouse to work."

Wang Zongyuan called over his personal guards and ordered, "Select some of the soldiers we brought with us. They will accompany General He on a top-secret mission."

"This matter is top secret. Everyone must keep their mouths shut. You should come along too."

"Yes." The guards received the order and hurried to carry it out.

Wang Zongyuan turned around and went back to the warehouse. He saw He Chao and said, "Old He, I've already made arrangements. Everything here is ready. You can leave first."

"I'll go talk to the Second Young Master later. I'm going to help him now. I'm always worried when I'm not with him."

Anyone in this group of people could get into trouble, but Shen Tingzhi is the only one who cannot get into trouble.

"Okay, go ahead." Since Shen Tingzhi's safety was at stake, He Chao didn't dare to be careless.

Wang Zongyuan said goodbye to He Chao and quickly went down the mountain. He was thinking about Shen Tingzhi and didn't want to delay any longer.

Shen Tingzhi was not as lucky as Wang Zongyuan. When he, Tong Tai and Chu Yan led the army to the barren mountains, they were discovered by secret sentries before they got close.

So a fierce battle ensued immediately, but fortunately Shen Tingzhi and his men had all been on the battlefield and had lived on the edge of a knife. After a brief panic, they immediately calmed down and began to command the battle.

I have to say that the combat effectiveness of the soldiers on this desolate mountain is much stronger than those on Wuya Mountain.

They all fight as if they don't care about their lives, they are tough and powerful.

Fortunately, both sides are strong and are evenly matched.

The leader of this group of soldiers on the barren mountain was called Scar. He was called Scar because his entire face was crossed by a terrifying scar.

He looks very creepy, and it's obvious that he is a vicious and evil person.

"Second Young Master, these people are too good at fighting. If they continue like this, the losses will be huge."

Tong Tai's plan was the same as Wang Zongyuan's. He also wanted to save the lives of as many people as possible on the barren mountain and send them to the northern border as reinforcements to be reformed in preparation for the war in the near future.

However, the current situation is not optimistic. If the fighting continues like this, the enemy's losses will become greater and greater, and in the end they might all be wiped out.

Then wouldn’t their trip be in vain?

"What's the rush? Let's capture the leader first. Do you see that scarface?"

While Shen Tingzhi was fighting, his eyes and mind were not idle. He was constantly observing.

Soon he found a scarred man among the rebels. Not only did the man look fierce, but his eyes also revealed a cold and sinister light.

It's obvious that such a person couldn't be an ordinary soldier.

"That scarface should be the leader of these people. As long as we capture him, or even kill him, this group will be leaderless and won't be able to cause any trouble."

Shen Tingzhi did not take action at this moment, not because his hands were occupied, nor because he was unable to do anything else, but because he wanted to find the best opportunity to give the opponent a fatal blow in one fell swoop, leaving him with no power to fight back.

Coincidentally, Shen Tingzhi thought so, and the scar-faced man on the opposite side also thought so. He had been observing the opponent's camp.

His professional sensitivity allowed him to see the difference in Shen Tingzhi at a glance.

Although Shen Tingzhi was wearing casual clothes, and Tong Tai and Chu Yan were both wearing military uniforms, Scar could still tell at a glance that Shen Tingzhi was different from them.

Both sides are looking for the best opportunity to kill the other. Now it's just a competition of who is faster, more accurate, and more ruthless.

Almost at the same time, Shen Tingzhi and Scar raised their bows and arrows and shot at each other. Their tacit understanding was truly unparalleled.

Two arrows were shot at each other at the same time. The only difference was that Shen Tingzhi's arrow was more powerful, faster and steadier.

Shen Tingzhi is a man who has fought his way out of danger, and his ability to respond is far better than Scar's.

When the arrow flew towards him, he had already prepared to respond. He just slightly turned his body and easily dodged the arrow shot by Scar.

However, the arrow was so powerful that it directly pierced the tree behind Shen Tingzhi.

Shen Tingzhi avoided the arrow shot by Scar, but Scar was not as lucky as Shen Tingzhi. He did not completely avoid the arrow shot by Shen Tingzhi. The arrow directly cut his face, adding a brilliant color to his face.

The severe pain caused by the arrow piercing his skin almost made Scar lose his balance. He staggered a few times and almost fell to the ground.

This secret contest was seen by Chu Yi who was standing by.

He now seemed to understand why his father admired Shen Tingzhi so much. The second son of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion was indeed very capable.

Before Scar could react, Shen Tingzhi's second arrow flew over, and this time it pierced Scar's left arm directly.

The third arrow followed immediately, leaving Scar no chance to breathe.

The third arrow hit Scar's leg. Shen Tingzhi did not intend to let Scar die now, so he controlled the strength of the arrow just right.

It would leave Scar with no power to fight back, but it wouldn't kill him immediately.

While Shen Tingzhi was concentrating on dealing with Scar, he was not on guard against someone shooting another arrow at him.

Although Shen Tingzhi did not notice the arrow, it was noticed by the clever Chu Yi standing next to him.

When the arrow flew over, Chu Yi stepped forward to help Shen Tingzhi block the arrow.

Shen Tingzhi looked back at Chu Yi and nodded at him. The young master of the Chu family had good martial arts and had a lot of room for training and improvement.

Just when Chu Yi was feeling proud, someone came at him with a knife.

Shen Tingzhi grabbed Chu Yi's collar and threw him up, then snatched a knife from the hand of someone next to him and killed the man who attacked Chu Yi.

Chu Yi, who had escaped death, was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. His vigilance was still too low.

"What are you standing there for? Go away." Chu Yan was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. If he had been a little later, this kid would have really died here today.

He only has this one son, and nothing can happen to him.

Chu Yi, who was scolded by Chu Yan, retreated silently to the back in shock.

Chu Yan was also a man who would never let go of his grudges. He took the bow and arrow from Shen Tingzhi without any hesitation, aimed at the person who had just tried to sneak attack Shen Tingzhi, and shot him steadily, accurately and fiercely.

The man was hit by the arrow and fell to the ground, never to get up again.

Seeing that the time had come, Shen Tingzhi ordered the accompanying messenger to beat the drum.

After receiving the order, the messenger immediately took out the military drum he carried with him and started beating it.

The moment the military drum was struck, it was breathtaking and frightening, causing everyone to stop fighting.

"Everyone on the other side, listen up! Your leader has been subdued by me. Everyone, lay down your weapons. Those who surrender will be spared, but those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

Shen Tingzhi already had a murderous aura that came from years of being on the battlefield, and now this aura was even more intimidating.

The person opposite me was holding a knife, and I didn't know whether to fight or stop.

Although Scar Man fell to the ground, he still had plenty of momentum.

If you want him to admit defeat, that is absolutely impossible unless he dies.

Just as he was about to order his soldiers to continue fighting, Shen Tingzhi's fourth arrow came at him, and this time it took his life directly.

The commander is dead, so there is no point in fighting. So the people on the barren mountain put down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle lasted for more than an hour, and both sides suffered casualties, but the casualties on the barren mountain were serious. On Shen Tingzhi's side, many people were injured, but the death toll was very small, almost negligible.

Now that the other side has surrendered, it means that the battle is over. All that remains is to recruit these prisoners and sort out the things left here.

Shen Tingzhi doesn't need to do these things at all, just leave it to Tong Tai.

After being out for so long, Shen Tingzhi had the same problem as Wang Zongyuan. If he didn't go back, something bad would probably happen.

He now has to pack up quickly and set off back to Shangjing.

The matter in Pingzhou this time was too complicated. He had already gone back to assist Shen Tianjiao in handling the subsequent issues. This time, he must not give the Qian family any chance to survive.

"Uncle Tong, have the military advisor write a list of casualties among the bandit fighters, reporting only the correct number."

The meaning of Shen Tingzhi's words was very clear, and Tong Tai understood it.

They reported to the court that the number of rebels was as many as 200,000. Now when reporting casualties, it doesn't matter if they report a lot more than the actual situation, because no one will come to investigate anyway.

They have the final say on matters like this, and can report as much as they want.

As for these extra people, they naturally do not need to be approved by the court and can be directly incorporated into the army.

This will also prevent unnecessary disputes and troubles from arising due to the large number of rebels being asked to join the army, which would cause dissatisfaction among some people.

If we exaggerate the number of casualties, there will be fewer people left. With fewer people, there will naturally be fewer disputes and troubles, or even no disputes and troubles at all.

"Understood. I'll have the military advisor write it down and you can bring it with you when you return to the capital."

This kind of thing was a piece of cake for Tong Tai, as he had done this kind of thing many times in the Northern Frontier before.

Tong Tai also knew that Shen Tingzhi could not leave Shangjing for too long, otherwise trouble would arise. Although he was reluctant to part with Shen Tingzhi, he also had to consider the overall situation.

"I'll leave this to you. I'm going to go back to Pingzhou first to take care of things there, and then I'll take that Fourth Master Qian and Jiyue back to the capital."

"We'll have plenty of time to get together again in the future. Maybe we can reunite in Northern Xinjiang right after we've separated."

Shen Tingzhi has always supported Shen Tianjiao's great cause with both hands and feet.

This is something that can change Yunli's history, and Shen Tingzhi will not miss it no matter what.

"Okay, Second Young Master, let's make a deal. You can't leave Lao Tong behind when the time comes."

If Tong Tai wasn't there in that multinational war, he would really make a scene without caring about his reputation.

"I know, I know. No matter who is missing, you, Uncle Tong, are not."

Shen Tingzhi was shaking his head helplessly like a rattle at this moment. His uncles were all really desperate fighters in battle, but now their cheating skills and their glorious military exploits were nothing.

Not to mention him, even his father, Marquis Zhenbei, had a headache facing this group of old subordinates.

He couldn't afford to offend any of these people.

The two were still talking when Wang Zongyuan arrived.

When Tong Tai saw Wang Zongyuan, his mouth almost stretched to the back of his head. The two brothers had not seen each other for many years.

Unlike He Chao, who would always bicker with each other when they met, when Tong Tai saw Wang Zongyuan coming, he rushed over and gave him a big hug.

"Old man, are you still alive?"

"Yeah, he's still alive and well. You look pretty good too."

"Okay, everything is fine."

After the greetings, Wang Zongyuan walked up to Shen Tingzhi. Shen Tingzhi nodded at him and said, "It's all resolved."

"Well, it's all resolved. Our casualties are zero, and all of theirs have been captured."

"The stuff hasn't leaked out. It's all in the warehouse. Old He is there with his men cleaning it up."