Chapter 126: The Contrastingly Charming Commander!

In his youth, Su Jing was indeed a fierce warrior, a man capable of drawing bows of immense weight and charging into enemy lines to seize their banners.

In his twenties, he possessed formidable strength, likely on par with—or at least not far behind—Li Yun as he is today.

But now, at over fifty, his vigor had waned significantly. After being pushed back, he refused to admit defeat and charged again. The two grappled, and when Li Yun unleashed a sudden burst of strength, Su Jing could no longer hold his ground, stumbling back several paces.

The Great General let out an angry shout and lunged forward once more. They exchanged blows for several rounds until, finally, Su Jing gripped Li Yun’s shoulders firmly and lowered his voice: "Kid!"

Li Yun glared at him, his lingering anger causing him to hold back only slightly as he retorted, "What is it!"

The Great General felt a mix of frustration and irritation. "How about we both take a step back?"

Li Yun glanced at him, snorted, and gave the old man a light shove that sent him back four or five paces, while he himself feigned a retreat of his own.

In truth, while the Great General was formidable, fists are no match for the vitality of youth. Li Yun could have decided the outcome two or three rounds earlier, but this was a man about to command tens of thousands of troops. If he offended him too deeply, Li Yun worried his own position would be untenable. Thus, he had held back.

Yet, honestly, despite his age, the General’s skills were truly impressive—certainly far superior to those of his own subordinates. Among the enemies Li Yun had faced, only Pei Zhuang, who served near Young Master Pei, could hold his own against this old general.

Once they had separated, Li Yun cupped his hands and said, "General, shall we call it a draw?"

Su Jing was not one to continue posturing. As he stepped back, several of his subordinates rushed to support him. The General looked at Li Yun with renewed scrutiny, caught his breath, and said, "Well played, lad. It seems I misjudged you earlier."

He then asked, "How is it that you know Cui Shao?"

Li Yun did not answer. Instead, he cupped his hands again and said, "General, I must return to Qingyang to hunt down bandits. We shall meet again if fate allows."

With that, he signaled to Li Zheng and the others behind him. "Let’s go."

At this moment, Li Yun had no desire to follow the "Imperial Army" to suppress the rebellion just to scrape by. He would rather go back to his own affairs; even if his growth was slower, it was better than being treated with such disdain here.

"Wait."

General Su raised a hand, looking at Li Yun. "You’re so young, why is your temper so fierce?"

"I grant you command of the Qingyang troops. Is that satisfactory?"

Li Yun glanced at him but remained silent.

Su Jing looked back at his subordinates and gave them a signal. They immediately understood and retreated a dozen paces. The General stepped forward, patted Li Yun on the shoulder, and continued, "Shall we talk?"

Li Yun took a deep breath. "General, I don't think there is anything left to discuss. I originally intended to contribute to the Imperial Court, but since the General has no use for me, then that is the end of it."

"As for the men I brought with me," Li Yun said expressionlessly, "The General can investigate and will find that almost all of them were originally mountain bandits. It was I who recruited them, one stronghold at a time. If I am not there, I doubt many in the army could keep their ferocity in check. Rather than causing trouble, it is better that I take them back."

"Within a month, for every man I take back, Qingyang County will send you a new recruit to replace him."

"Mountain bandits?" Su Jing was stunned, then realized, "Of course. With your abilities, subduing a few bandits would indeed be no difficult task."

"Then why did Cui Shao write to recommend you?"

Li Yun frowned, hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Because I captured a rebel from Yuezhou for Magistrate Cui."

Su Jing pondered this for a moment.

"That makes sense."

The General found a large rock and sat down. "I come from a military family, so I have little patience for those so-called aristocratic clans... I previously assumed you were one of their men."

"Furthermore, the troops from every county, prefecture, and commandery must be reorganized before they can be used on the battlefield, so..."

"Let’s call it a misunderstanding. To have those bandits follow you so loyally, combined with these skills of yours—you are a natural at leading troops."

"It would be a pity not to have you in the army."

Su Jing stood up and paced with his hands behind his back. "I authorize you to command the new recruits from Qingyang, and I will transfer the troops of one more county to your command, giving you a total of five hundred men."

"On the battlefield, I will only give you orders; I will not require your unit to be pinned to the main formation. How is that?"

With no one else around them, Li Yun looked at the General, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, and frowned slightly. "Does the Commander think so highly of me just because we had a fight?"

"Certainly not." Su Jing’s expression was calm. "While men of your prowess are rare, I have seen a few. But as I said, individual bravery is no different from cockfighting."

"What a battlefield needs most is not individual prowess, but the ability to lead troops and adapt on the fly."

"The fact that you were able to lead over a hundred men away shows your leadership is decent, and what is most commendable is your excellent adaptability."

The General said quietly, "The Yuezhou rebels are gaining momentum. I brought almost no officers with me on this campaign, so I must do my best to identify capable men."

General Su looked at Li Yun. "I am now the Marshal of the Jiangnan East Circuit Expeditionary Force. Since I have spoken to this extent, you wouldn't still refuse to give me face, would you?"

Li Yun took a deep breath, still silent.

Su Jing patted his shoulder. "Young and hot-headed, unable to back down, are you?"

"How about this: stay in Ningguo for the night to cool off. If you still want to leave tomorrow, I will not stop you."

With that, the General turned and walked away, hands behind his back. Li Yun watched his retreating figure and frowned. This General was truly eccentric; the shift in his attitude was like night and day.

Li Yun knew that this change in Su Jing’s attitude was certainly not due to his individual fighting prowess. As the General himself said, personal combat power was of little use on a large battlefield.

After thinking for a long time without finding a clear answer, he turned to Li Zheng, Chen Da, and the others. "Return to the camp to rest. We will discuss everything tomorrow!"

Following Li Yun’s command, everyone complied and returned to the main camp.

Inside the tent, Li Zheng quietly sought out Li Yun to ask about what had happened in the commander's tent. After hearing Li Yun’s summary, Li Zheng was furious. "What kind of arrogance is that!"

Having grown up with Li Yun, Li Zheng naturally supported his "Second Brother" unconditionally. He clenched his fists and said, "Second Brother, let’s not take this insult. If worse comes to worst, we won’t go back to Qingyang—we’ll just head straight for Lingyang Mountain!"

Li Yun shook his head slightly. "Skinny, how long did it take us to grow the Cangshan stronghold from thirty or forty men to a hundred?"

Li Zheng thought for a moment. "After we took the Ten Kings Stronghold, we had about a hundred men. It took about half a year."

Li Yun continued, "And the anti-bandit team? How long for those hundred-plus men?"

"Two or three months?" Skinny scratched his head. "I don't remember clearly."

Li Yun pointed outside the tent. "But with a single document from the Imperial Court, there are now over ten thousand soldiers outside the walls of Ningguo County."

"The chaotic times are arriving too quickly," Li Yun said in a low voice. "If we can wrap ourselves in the mantle of the Imperial Court, it will make things much easier."

Li Zheng looked thoughtful and was about to speak when he heard Li Yun stretching his arms. "Everything, let's talk about it tomorrow."

Li Zheng nodded firmly. "I'll listen to Second Brother."

...

The next morning, just as Li Yun rose, an officer from the headquarters came to his tent. After finding him, the officer pressed a waist tag and a seal the size of a thumb into Li Yun’s hand. He smiled and said, "Brother Li, this is the waist tag and seal of a Captain. From now on, you are a Captain in the Imperial Army."

Li Yun was about to wave him off when the officer continued, "Many of the new recruits from Shidai say they know Captain Li, so the Commander has decided to assign the Shidai recruits to you as well."

Li Yun stared at the tag and seal, unable to stop himself from frowning deeply.

That old man—after getting a beating from me, he’s finally seen the light?