knife

Chapter 217 Establishing Prestige
After Shalievin was recalled to Yandu to be punished, the command of the southern frontier temporarily fell to Lengge.

However, Lenger didn't seem to do any better than Charlevin.

Shalievin took the initiative to attack, but ended up with a crushing defeat and was captured alive, becoming yet another stain on the Yuan Dynasty's record that could not be washed away.

The previous stain was on Astu.

Both of these stains were created by Xiao Changche.

But Lengge, on the other hand, lost territory.

In his hands, two strategic points of Qingtongxia were lost.

Tongquanbao and Longgoubao.

To be honest, it's hard to say which crime is more serious.

Today, the new commander-in-chief, Jebe, is taking office.

Lengge respectfully led his civil and military officials to greet him ten miles away.

Their attitude has been made clear.

Whether Jebe will accept this is hard to say.

Every new coach has to establish his authority.

Moreover, this time Jebe is taking over the southern border region that the Tiele have been managing for many years. If Jebe wants to gain a foothold here and command the civil and military officials, his title as the eldest prince alone is certainly not enough.

The natural approach is to use both kindness and severity.

Before bestowing favors, it is essential to establish authority by targeting existing individuals.

Lenge himself wasn't worried, after all, given his status, Jebe really had no right to do anything to him.

If you want to convict him, you must send him back to Yandu.

Even if we return to Yandu, what then?

The Second Prince will not stand idly by.

Behind him were his family and tribe.

But his own subordinates?
Looking back, Lengge frowned, wondering how he could protect his subordinates without offending the prince.

The thunder of hooves, the fluttering of banners, and the rising dust in the distance—hundreds and thousands of cavalrymen were rolling in.

Upon approaching, these people showed no sign of slowing down or stopping, and charged straight at us.

Among the welcoming crowd, some civil officials couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, but Lengge remained standing there motionless. Since he didn't move, his military officers naturally didn't move either, except that each of them had their hands on the hilts of their swords at their waists.

The cavalrymen parted to the left and right with a whoosh, forming an arc before joining together on both sides. One circle turned clockwise, and the other counterclockwise, creating two concentric circles that tightly surrounded the welcoming crowd.

Lenger narrowed his eyes.

The horses these people rode were taller and stronger than those of the Yuan Dynasty, and the people themselves were more robust than the Yuan people. Their horsemanship was also passable, so they must have been the barbarians from the Northern and Western Hu tribes that His Highness had subdued in the northern frontier over the years.

That's really unruly.

Lenger took a deep breath. If it were any other day, he would have dared to draw his sword and kill these barbarians if they had dared to treat him like this.

So what if we offend Jebe?
He's not the emperor yet!
However, if we want to find a way to protect our subordinates today, it's best to avoid conflict.

Endure a moment of anger, and you'll find a brighter future!
Listening to the barbarians whistling and shouting in a language no one could understand, everyone present was filled with barely suppressed anger. A bunch of guys who had been defeated by the Yuan Dynasty were actually showing off their power in front of them.

But if they remain motionless, they are unable to retaliate.

He endured for the time it takes to burn an incense stick before finally hearing the sound of horses' hooves in the distance. After waiting a little longer, he finally saw Jebe's central army arrive.

The circle dispersed to the left and right, and Jebe, fully armored and in full helmet, slowly rode in.

Led by Lengge, everyone placed their right hand on their chest and bowed deeply.

Jebe did not dismount, but remained perched atop his horse, coldly watching Lengge.

Lenge, not hearing Jebe's voice, straightened up and looked up at Jebe.

“Lengge, you’ve done a good job as commander!” Jebe dismounted and said coldly, “His Majesty worked so hard back then, and so many of our Yuan soldiers died to capture this strategic location. It’s been in our hands for twenty-six years, but you lost it in just a few days.”

"Your Highness, it is my incompetence that has failed His Majesty's trust and I have disgraced the Great Northern Empire!" Lengge knelt on one knee. "Please punish me, Your Highness."

"Call me Commander!" Jebe looked down at Lengge from his high position.

"Yes, handsome!"

Jebe nodded, looking at Lengge kneeling upright in front of him.

To be honest, he really wanted to kill this guy with one blow.

With Lengge dead, all the resentment in the Southern Frontier will vanish. Those behind him, leaderless, will now be at his mercy. That's tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of thousands of people.

But he knew he couldn't do it.

Lenger's qualifications and the Lenger family's power gave him the right to challenge him.

"General Lengge oversaw the overall situation in Qingtongxia. He may not have made any significant contributions, but he certainly put in some hard work, at least he didn't lose Qingtongxia!" Zhebie said coldly. "Thank you for your consideration, Commander!" Lengge said, bowing his head.

Jebe slowly paced among the kneeling crowd.

"You must be Shulü Ping?"

Shulü Ping looked up at Zhebie and said loudly, "This humble general is Shulü Ping, the same general who lost Tongquan Fort. Please punish me, Your Highness!"

Jebe laughed heartily, patted Shuluping on the shoulder, and pulled him up. "In the battle of Tongquan Fort, you fought to the death and were wounded in many places. I heard it took you almost a month to recover!"

"This humble general is incompetent."

"How can you say you're incompetent when you're willing to fight to the death?" Jebe said, "In the northern frontier, I suffered seven defeats in seven battles. The worst time, I broke five ribs and one leg. I tied myself to my horse and was chased like a dog. But what happened in the end? You see?"

He turned around and pointed at the tall, burly barbarians behind him: "These people are now my dogs!"

Shulu Ping's eyes lit up: "General, from now on I will make the Qin people my dogs too!"

Jebe laughed heartily, "Young man, you should have this kind of ambition! Very good, if you need anything in the future, you can come directly to me."

"Yes!"

He patted Shuluping on the shoulder again and continued walking. The next moment, he stood in front of another general.

Poly!

"This humble general, Baoli, is... is the guilty general who lost Longgou Fort. Please punish me, Commander!" The middle-aged general's voice trembled slightly.

Jebe nodded. "Yes, he should be punished. Shuluping's forces were insufficient and he had no reinforcements. After a bitter battle, he was covered in wounds and had no choice but to retreat. As for you, you protected the thousands of soldiers in Longgou Fort very well. I heard that you only lost a few dozen men?"

Paul swallowed hard, but before he could speak, Jebe's sneer turned into a sinister grin.

With a single reach, he seized Poly's throat.

Jebe was tall, while Pauli was rather thin; this lift actually sent Pauli flying into the air.

Zhebie was a master of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan. Once he made a move, Baoli didn't even have a chance to struggle.

"General, please have mercy!" Lengge cried out in alarm, but before he could finish his plea, Zhebie snapped Baoli's neck with a snap.

With a thud, Jebe threw Pauli's body heavily to the ground.
There was an uproar.

Lenger looked down at Baoli's corpse, his heart burning with rage, and suddenly looked up at Zhebie.

Jebe is slapping him in the face in public.

Jebe mounted his horse and rode forward a few steps. He turned back to look at the men and said, “Under my command, as long as you dare to fight, it doesn’t matter if you lose; I’ll cover for you. But if you flee without a fight, you will only face death, and no one can save your life. Gentlemen, please take heed!”

With a squeeze of his legs against the horse's belly, the warhorse let out a long neigh and galloped forward.

Behind him, the barbarians whistled and rode off after Jebe.

The welcoming crowd was left standing there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"General!" Shulüping walked to Lengge's side somewhat guiltily.

Lengge shook his head and said, "It's none of your business. Don't you think I can't see through such a clumsy attempt to sow discord?"

"Thank you, General!" Shulü Ping said gratefully.

“Shuluping, be careful next!” Lengge said, “Don’t think that just because Lengge praised you in public today, he will set you up as a model for winning people over. Knowing Zhebie as I do, he will send you on the most dangerous mission next, the kind that will most likely cost you your life!”

"Really?" Shulu Ping was surprised.

"Don't worry too much!" Lengge glanced at Baoli's corpse on the ground: "How could I let him succeed a second time! You are someone the Second Prince values, so of course I will protect you!"

After saying this, Lengge punched Shuluping hard in the chest. With a loud bang, Shuluping flew backward and landed on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth. He tried to get up and struggled a few times, but in the end, he was powerless. He looked at Lengge with a confused and bewildered expression.

The crowd erupted in uproar once again.

Lengge walked over, helped Shuluping up, and whispered in his ear, "You won't die. Go back to Yandu, and after another month or so of recuperation, you'll be fine. The affairs of the Southern Frontier have nothing to do with you anymore."

Shulu Ping suddenly realized.

Jebe's public attempt to win him over was not well-intentioned. Lengge took the opportunity to lash out and injure him, seemingly to vent his anger, but in reality, he was sending him back to Yandu to get away from the danger there.

"General, you must also be careful!"

"I don't care, so what if they kick me out?" Lenger chuckled. "But not now, but after he's established himself."

Qingtongxia, the headquarters of the Grand Marshal.

Jebe had barely settled in when he received news that Shulüping had been seriously injured by Lengge and had to return to Yandu for treatment.

"This little thing got off easy!" Zhebie laughed. "Originally, we wanted to let this brave and fierce general fight to the death for the Great Yuan to fulfill his wish, but that old bastard Lengge saw through it."

"General, we can't let this Lengge get away with it!"

"Of course, I will entrust him with an important task next!" Jebe sneered. "If the second and third brothers want to make things difficult for me, they will definitely try to sabotage the supplies. I will let Lengge do this. If he does it well, it is his duty. If he does it poorly, it will be good to deal with him. Do you really think I dare not kill him? Once I have solid evidence, what can I do even if I kill him?"

(End of this chapter)