The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 146 The army sets out for battle
After returning to the Marquis's residence that evening, Li Jingxiao originally planned to stay at Qin Keqing's place that night.
Although Qin Keqing was more than willing, she still advised Li Jingxiao that it was really unreasonable for him to leave his new wife alone in an empty room after only two days of marriage with Yuan Chun.

As the older sister, she had to take care of Yuan Chun at this time.

Li Jingxiao was somewhat helpless and could only say that Qin Keqing was indeed virtuous and intelligent.

She doesn't seek fleeting pleasure. As virtuous as she is now, Yuan Chun should show her the same understanding and tolerance in the future.

However, although Li Jingxiao agreed to continue staying in Xifu Yuanchun's room that night, it didn't stop him from picking up Qin Keqing and heading towards the room.

Qin Keqing immediately guessed what her husband was thinking. Her pretty face flushed, but she didn't continue to persuade him or refuse him.

Half an hour later, Li Jingxiao went to the west courtyard feeling refreshed.

Not only did he drag Qin Keqing into a martial arts contest, but he also called Baozhu and Ruizhu in to have a match with them.

Although the three of them, master and servants, were exhausted, the pent-up frustration of the past three days had worn them down to the point that they had no energy left to think about anything else.

Moreover, in this society, what women are fighting for is nothing more than a man's favor.

Before her husband went to the west courtyard, he even dragged her into a fight. For Qin Keqing, knowing that Li Jingxiao had feelings for her was enough.

As for Yuan Chun, it was already early Hai Shi (9-11 PM), and she thought that her husband would stay in the East Courtyard tonight.

Yuan Chun felt a little reluctant and helpless, but unexpectedly, she was just about to wash up and rest.

Then the maidservant shouted excitedly, "Master is back!"

In the past, if the little girl had made such a fuss, Yuan Chun would definitely have been angry.

But now, she got up with a look of surprise and delight to greet Li Jingxiao.

Upon hearing Li Jingxiao say that Qin Keqing had actually kicked him out of the East Courtyard, he was shocked.

They said it's only been three days since the wedding, so they should spend more time with the bride.

Yuan Chun was extremely surprised, and then her goodwill towards Qin Keqing exploded.

Despite her gratitude, Yuan Chun still instructed Bao Qin, You Erjie, and You Sanjie to help Li Jingxiao wash up.

Li Jingxiao felt no burden about Baoqin serving him.

However, there were still some reservations about the You sisters.

But the words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, and he swallowed them back.

If they refuse, the two sisters will start to overthink and attract all sorts of gossip.

So after thinking about it, Li Jingxiao didn't say anything and followed Baoqin towards the bathroom.

However, when taking a bath, Li Jingxiao only allowed Baoqin to serve him personally.

The sound of billiard balls hitting the glass could be heard from inside from time to time.

The You sisters were both envious and looking forward to it.

After a while, when Li Jingxiao came out dressed and carrying Baoqin, he pinched the little faces of You Erjie and You Sanjie.

This made the two sisters blush even more.

However, Lee Kyung-hyo's actions also made the two sisters unable to think about anything else.

That evening, Yuan Chun was inevitably dragged along by Li Jingxiao to have a match as well.
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The next day, Li Jingxiao, who had only been married for four days, felt too embarrassed to continue staying at home.

Last night and this morning, I gained a total of 1 experience points from my two wives, three concubines, and two prospective concubines during my morning exercise.

Li Jingxiao was satisfied and finished breakfast with his two wives before taking Erfu and the others to the yamen.

In the few days since his marriage, Li Jingxiao has practiced sword control techniques only when he is lying in bed.

The rest of the time is spent visiting relatives and spending time with my wife.

Fortunately, having practiced the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang (易筋锻骨章), I gain 6 proficiency points every day, which I actively add to the Bu Lao Chang Chun Gong (不老长春功).

Although the number of times is small, over the long term, the skill level gained is considerable.

Moreover, he always wore a purple-gold gourd around his waist, and would occasionally take a sip of monkey spirit wine from it.

Thanks to the increased proficiency gained from the spirit wine, his sword control technique improved at a rapid pace.
Sword Control Technique - Mastery (420/4000)

Li Jingxiao calculated carefully that if the army set off, it would take about ten days to half a month to reach Shanhaiguan.

It might take another ten days to reach Liaodong Town.

It should be a month from now before we go looking for trouble with that tiger demon again.

By then, I should be close enough to have mastered the Sword Control Technique.

Of course, this would be disregarding logistics and whether the horses would break down.

With 3 cavalrymen, each riding two or three horses, it would only take four or five days to reach Shanhaiguan.

It should only take five or six days to get to Liaodong Town again.

But Li Jingxiao was not in a hurry. On the contrary, he felt that the longer it dragged on, the higher his fighting power would become.

Upon arriving at the Palace Guard, Li Jingxiao's first task was to personally inspect the provisions and horses prepared for this expedition.

Fortunately, Jia Rong and Jia Lian were indeed responsible, and the eunuchs of the Imperial Horse Stable probably also received instructions from the palace.

So there were no mistakes or omissions, which made Li Jingxiao very satisfied.

When he encountered Xia Shouzhong at the horse farm, he pulled Jia Lian aside and chatted with the old eunuch for a while.

They also chatted about buying an official position for Jia Lian and finding him a good background.

Xia Shouzhong chuckled as he watched Jia Lian become excited, thinking to himself that this kid was really lucky. At this moment, no matter what request Li Jingxiao made, as long as it wasn't excessive, His Majesty and the Emperor would agree.

Now, it's just a small matter of seeking an official position for Jia Lian. Perhaps His Majesty and the Emperor will think that Li Jingxiao is being too cautious.

Although purchasing an official position still grants one official status, obtaining a real position can be a long wait.

In reality, he was just a figurehead official.

Therefore, in Xia Shouzhong's mind, there was no need to donate for an official position. Just like when he rewarded Jia Zheng, he could directly appoint him to a substantive sixth-rank official position.

Upon hearing Xia Shouzhong's words, Li Jingxiao couldn't help but look at Jia Lian.

Fortunately, Jia Lian was indeed quite clever; he only hesitated for a few seconds before shaking his head.

They say they are young and lack experience, and after a few years, once they have achieved some success and merit, they will shamelessly ask for a position.

Li Jingxiao knew that although Jia Lian was a playboy, he was very smart and adept at dealing with people, so he was not surprised.

But precisely because he was too shrewd, Li Jingxiao was unwilling to have him work by his side.

That's why Jia Rong was chosen.

Xia Shouzhong was somewhat surprised. In his mind, Jia Lian was a good-for-nothing playboy who was neither good at literature nor martial arts.

Unexpectedly, despite his young age, he was quite self-aware and did not become arrogant just because his brother-in-law, Li Jingxiao, was in power.

He couldn't help but develop a lot of goodwill towards Jia Lian.

They became more friendly towards him.

When Jia Lian looked at Li Jingxiao again, he was naturally filled with gratitude.

This can be seen as Li Jingxiao's way of thanking him for working with Jia Rong to oversee logistics these past few days.

Moreover, even if Li Jingxiao hadn't brought it up, Jia Lian would definitely have bought an official position later.

Just like when Jia Rong came of age, Jia Zhen also donated money to give him the official position of a fifth-rank imperial guard.
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After inspecting the provisions, Li Jingxiao naturally focused on the horses and soldiers for the next few days.

Five days later, Li Jingxiao arrived in full military attire, accompanied by Erfu and other guards, who were also dressed in armor.

He mounted his tall horse and waved to Qin Keqing, Yuan Chun, and the others who were seeing him off.

The second uncle, who was lying on the recliner, nodded.

He nudged the horse's belly with his heel and rode off towards the military camp outside the city.

Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun had already started crying out of worry.

Unfortunately, Li Jingxiao didn't see it, and even if he had, he wouldn't have gone back to comfort him.

And these past few days, I've been consistently gaining around 1100 experience points each day.

The level also increased from 22 to 24 (110/4800).

新得的两点属性点，被李景孝全加在了根骨上。    体质17、根骨19+4、悟性18+2。

They arrived at the military camp outside the city, but had not yet entered the camp.

Zhao Junming and Han Mengzhuo led 120 captains from the Left Garrison Command.

Shi Delong and his two fellow disciples, Hu Xinrong and Hu Rou'er (uncle and nephew), and Liu Yixiu and Liu Yizhi (brother and sister).

Then there's Jia Rong, whose face is pale and who looks somewhat trembling, a low-ranking official in charge of the imperial storehouse.

They greeted the soldiers with salutes outside the military camp.

Li Jingxiao waved his hand, having no time to pay attention to the Left Garrison Commander and Shi Delong and the others.

He glanced at Jia Rong, who looked embarrassed and clearly didn't want to go to Liaodong, and rode his horse directly into the military camp.

On the reviewing stand, I saw Xia Shouzhong and Dai Quan, the old eunuch who served the retired emperor.

The imperial edicts issued by the emperor and his son were mostly words of encouragement.

Besides clearly stating military orders and regulations, Li Jingxiao's words to the three thousand cavalrymen were also...

Erfu and others carried the 10 treasure chests that the Left Garrison Commander had brought over yesterday and placed them on the command platform.

Upon opening them, all 10 boxes were filled with silver.

One container holds three thousand taels, so ten containers would hold thirty thousand taels.

Li Jingxiao kicked over all 10 boxes one by one, scattering silver all over the ground.

Only then, amidst the astonished gazes of the three thousand cavalrymen, did he loudly proclaim, "This official dislikes idle talk."

Each of the three thousand cavalrymen will receive 10 taels of silver as a resettlement allowance.

From now on, those who disobey orders will be executed.

If you encounter an enemy, don't 'slay' them.

Those who desert in the face of battle will be executed.

After saying that, Li Jingxiao didn't waste any more words and directly ordered Jia Rong to lead people to distribute the silver.

Before even setting out on the campaign, Li Jingxiao was already giving out 10 taels of silver as a resettlement allowance. The three thousand cavalrymen knew that Li Jingxiao was trying to win over the hearts of his troops.

They might be trying to use our lives to earn him credit and promote him.

But the silver was real money, and most of the cavalrymen were indeed excited.

Morale is naturally higher.

Li Jingxiao had heard online in his previous life that the soldiers of the Celestial Empire, as long as they had sufficient food and pay, were actually far more powerful than the nomadic tribes of the grasslands.

He didn't know if what he said was true or false, but he did know that most soldiers and lower-ranking officers were involved in military operations.

They weren't seeking promotion, but rather wealth.

If they've been paid enough and still don't obey orders, then I'll kill someone as a sacrifice to warn others, and I won't feel any guilt about it.

An hour later, the three thousand soldiers and more than one hundred people from the Left Garrison Command had packed their belongings.

The ten taels of silver he had just received were handed over to the two eunuchs' subordinates to help deliver to their homes.

Moreover, when a large army goes on an expedition, in addition to soldiers, there are actually many merchant caravans accompanying them.

These are essentially disguised logistics support teams.

The caravans were also risking their lives; if the army suffered a major defeat, they would become targets for pursuit and slaughter by the enemy.

They were even the primary targets of pursuit, because the caravan had money, supplies, and a large number of mules and horses.

But if the army wins, the profits will be huge.

If a large army cannot carry a sheep across the grasslands, it will often sell it to these merchants at a drastically reduced price.

Soldiers feel more secure and their morale is boosted when they receive easily portable silver.

Moreover, sending letters home and war spoils back home could also be very profitable.

Therefore, when a large army sets out on an expedition, behind every 1 soldiers, there may be numerous caravans consisting of several thousand people following.

In fact, if there is a need, these caravans will turn into mercenaries as long as the benefits are sufficient.

However, if it's a secret operation, then naturally these caravans wouldn't be allowed to follow.

But Li Jingxiao also knew that even if he forbade the caravan from following, it would still be a problem.

These businessmen also have ways to make money.

Before the army set off, the Left Garrison Commander had already reported that several caravans had been heading towards Shanhaiguan in recent days.

These are towns that are planned to be located ahead of the main army and are needed for resupply.

This is none of Li Jingxiao's business.

Before leaving, Li Jingxiao glanced at Dai Quan and Xia Shouzhong a few times from his horse.

The two old eunuchs knew perfectly well that Li Jingxiao was warning them not to be greedy for the 3 taels of silver that were to be given as a reward to the soldiers.

Although Dai Quan and Xia Shouzhong were dissatisfied, they dared not show it at this time.

Not to mention, although they were greedy, they knew that this kind of money was not to be touched.

Otherwise, when Li Jingxiao returns in the future, he will most likely try to kill the two of them.

He hurriedly bowed to Li Jingxiao and repeatedly assured him that he would not make any mistakes.

Li Jingxiao nodded and rode his horse, leading more than 3,100 cavalrymen, some with two horses and some with three horses, and the heavy cavalrymen even rode three horses, all the way to Shanhaiguan.

The distance from the capital to Shanhaiguan is only about 700 li.

Even with two horses, Li Jingxiao knew that he could only travel a hundred li (about 50 kilometers) a day at most.

Otherwise, before even reaching Liaodong Town, his three thousand cavalry and seven thousand troops would have been exhausted.

Horses are indeed faster than people, but the endurance of most warhorses is far less than one might imagine.

Running at a speed of 20 to 30 kilometers per hour for 20 to 30 minutes, followed by a 30-minute rest is the norm.

So despite the cavalry's prowess, their logistical needs were even greater than Li Jingxiao had anticipated.

Of course, on the vast grasslands, it would indeed save a lot of trouble regarding fodder.

However, there are not enough natural pastures along the line from Beijing to Shanhaiguan for horses to use.

Li Jingxiao deliberately slowed down his journey, and it took him a full eight days to reach Shanhaiguan.

After resting for three more days, the team continued north.

Moreover, during these three days, Li Jingxiao collected packhorses and mules from all over Shanhaiguan to serve as logistical support.

Therefore, they had to pay 10 Three-Flower Jade Dew Pills to buy 500 packhorses and mules from the generals at Shanhaiguan while spending money to do so.

It was handed over to Jia Rong and Liu Hongshi.

Then they continued walking slowly, and it took them another ten days or so to reach Liaoyang City in Liaodong Town.

At this point, 24 days had passed since Li Jingxiao left the capital.

It was late February in the lunar calendar. Spring was in full bloom in the capital, but the temperature in Liaodong Town was still quite cold at night.

But for the Tatars, the snow had already begun to melt, so it did not affect their march.

After meeting with Dou Shaohui, the general of Liaodong Town, Li Jingxiao allowed the three thousand cavalrymen to rest and recuperate.

He himself was accompanied by twelve personal guards, Zhao Junming, a probationary centurion of the Left Garrison Command, and Han Mengzhuo, a captain.

There were also 120 captains, the three Shi brothers, the Hu family uncle and nephew, and the Liu family siblings who rode away from Liaoyang City.

Soon, someone rushed into the General's residence in the city to report to General Dou Shaohui.

"My lord, Marquis Xing'an has led about a hundred cavalrymen out of the city, and their whereabouts are unknown."

Dou Shaohui waved his hand, signaling his men to leave.

He silently thought about the secret edict that had been sent from the capital city ten days ago by express courier.

(End of this chapter)