Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

"The millet grows tall and lush, the seedlings of sorghum flourish. I walk slowly and hesitantly, my heart trembling."

The desolate and sorrowful voice drifted slowly away on the autumn wind.

The "Shuli" chapter of the Book of Songs, which originated in the Beijing-Luoyang area, seems somewhat out of place in this northern grassland.

But the mournful and compassionate tone draws you in involuntarily, stirring feelings of pity and sorrow within you.

"well……"

A long, drawn-out sigh fell.

The imposing figure slowly turned around.

"Wuchuan City, north of Yinshan Mountain, I haven't set foot here for more than ten years."

"Thinking back to those days, I was with my comrades, drinking wine and riding horses, and all the barbarian tribes bowed their heads in respect."

The voice was ethereal and filled with deep emotion.

"The scenes of hunting on the grasslands in the past are still vivid in my mind. I never imagined that more than a decade would pass by and all my old friends would be gone, and I, an old man, would have my hair and beard turned completely white."

"If I count on my fingers, I am already seventy-four years old this year. Alas, life is like a dream."

"Godfather".

"Father."

"Father, Commander."

A series of sorrowful voices rang out, and six or seven men clad in armor knelt down in unison.

"Father, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war; there is no need for you to be so worried."

This place is Wuchuan City. The old man who is speaking is undoubtedly the Prince of Kaoshan of the Great Sui Dynasty, and the people kneeling in front of him are his adopted sons, who are divided into the Twelve Protectors.

Yang Lin glanced at everyone and gently shook his head.

As a soldier with iron will, I am naturally not the kind of person who wallows in melancholy.

Moreover, Yang Lin had been in the military since he was a child, spending his life on the battlefield, so he wouldn't be easily swayed.

His emotional response to the scenery was never due to a recent defeat.

Instead, seeing the places where they had fought in the past brought back many memories.

The Northern Expedition of the Sui Dynasty was a magnificent and awe-inspiring feat.

The three armies were filled with renowned generals.

Yang Lin, Yang Su, and Gao Jiong were the commanders, and under them were skilled generals such as Dou Rongding and Yan Rong, as well as Han Qinhu, He Ruobi, and others.

The Nine Elders who helped establish the Sui Dynasty almost all joined forces, and the combined efforts of the Sui generals were truly earth-shattering.

But now, Yang Su, Gao Jiong, and others have long since passed away.

Only Yang Lin remained, single-handedly holding up the situation in the northern desert.

If that were all, Yang Lin wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

The cycle of birth and death, decay and prosperity, is the way of Heaven.

Which general who can command troops hasn't been accustomed to killing and death?

What worries Yang Lin the most is the situation of the Sui Dynasty.

After Yang Guang ascended the throne, he built the Eastern Capital, dug the Grand Canal, and launched a campaign against Liaodong.

Every step was earth-shattering, and the aftershocks were endless.

Yang Lin naturally noticed many things that were not right.

Yang Lin, however, only knew how to lead troops and focused solely on leading troops throughout his life.

Unlike Gao Jiong and Yang Su of the past, who were capable of both military prowess on the battlefield and civil administration, he was not a man of great talent.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Yang Lin has been able to live peacefully until now and support the Sui Dynasty.

Even though he was not knowledgeable about governing the country, he could see how abnormal the current situation of the Sui Dynasty was.

Yang Lin, who was born in the Western Wei Dynasty, witnessed the rise and fall of several generations.

There was a faint sense of death emanating from the Sui Dynasty.

That kind of atmosphere that can only be felt at the end of a fallen dynasty.

But the Sui Dynasty had only been established for less than thirty years. As a unified empire, it should have been a time of vigor, prosperity, and strength.

Yang Lin's gaze was filled with compassion, and his body, which had stood tall for decades, suddenly appeared somewhat hunched.

"Godfather".

Upon seeing this scene, the generals below also let out a cry of grief.

"Father, we will surely wipe out those Tartars and reclaim the lost glory for you."

Hearing the voice, Yang Lin finally snapped out of his reverie and looked at the people kneeling in front of him.

"How is the situation?"

Yang Lin's voice was calm and normal; all the previous sorrow and grief had vanished.

"After the adoptive father's army marched north, the scattered defeated soldiers in the surrounding area slowly returned, but..."

The one who spoke was Yang Lin's third bodyguard, Li Wan.

"Speak," Yang Lin waved his hand, his face expressionless.

"There's still no news from Brother Xue, and the five thousand vanguards he took with him haven't returned either. It's very likely that they've all been wiped out, or captured by the enemy," Li Wan said through gritted teeth.

"Also, Ziyan did not return. However, according to the description of the defeated soldiers from Wuchuan, Ziyan had already escaped from the city at that time and may not have been captured. She may just not have returned for the time being."

"According to my count, the losses in this battle have exceeded ten thousand, and... my godfather's Water-Character Dragon-Binding Staff and Mountain-Backing King Banner have been confirmed to have fallen into the hands of the enemy."

Li Wan bowed his head, using almost all his strength to finish delivering the message.

The place was deathly silent.

One defeat resulted in the loss of ten thousand lives.

The losses were certainly severe, but for an empire, they were far from being unbearable.

However, it was the Kao Shan Army, led by the Kao Shan King, that suffered the defeat.

Most importantly, even the Dragon-Trapping Staff and the Mountain-Backing Flag were taken away.

Such losses are enough to escalate to the political level.

Yang Lin slowly nodded: "I understand. You may all rise."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan and the others stood up one after another, but one person remained motionless, kneeling on the ground with his head touching the ground and tears streaming down his face.

It was none other than Paul the Great.

"You bastard! A man sheds blood, not tears. What are you doing putting on such a show?" Yang Lin glared and roared angrily.

"This humble general has suffered heavy losses, not only disgracing the nation but also losing my father's weapons and banner, damaging his reputation built up over decades. I have no face to live on and beg my father to punish me according to military law."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lin instantly flew into a rage, his full head of white hair billowing without wind, like a furious lion king, staring at the tearful Luo Fang.

"A general should not be arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat. It is absurd to make a big fuss about life and death over a trivial defeat."

"But..." Luo Fang's face was still pale.

The greatest loss in this battle was never the more than 10,000 soldiers, or even Xue Liang and Zhang Ziyan, who might have fallen.

Before Luo Fang could finish speaking, Yang Lin waved his hand to interrupt him.

"The Dragon-Binding Staff and the Mountain-Backing Banner are nothing but external possessions."

"The banner of the commander must come first before the banner can be formed. The prestige of the banner of the supporter was earned by me, one blow at a time."

"As for the Dragon-Binding Staff, it's just a weapon and has never represented anything. Even if I, Yang Lin, were to wield a mere wooden stick, I could still roam the world with impunity."

"Stand up for me!"

After saying that, Yang Lin shouted at Luo Fang.

"Defeat is defeat. Since we've lost, we have to accept it. On the battlefield, there are never any excuses."

Yang Lin turned his head slowly:

"As for other matters, whether it's the spread of rumors or the unrest in people's hearts, those are not things you need to consider. As long as I am alive, I can suppress everything."

"yes!"

All the adopted sons nodded in unison.

"Alright, now that the battle damage has been assessed, it's time to get to work."

"Issue my order:"

With a shout, the adopted sons straightened up at the same time.

"Luo Fang, Li Wan, and Gao Ming each led their troops, advancing along the east, west, and north in three routes."

"After advancing three hundred li, I, the king, intend to ensure that no Turkic tribes are seen within those three hundred li."

"Also, tell Shibi and Bixuan that I have arrived!"