"By decree of His Majesty!"
"The Capital Commandant, General Dongfang Lianwu, is hereby appointed Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition. He shall wield the Azure Emperor Dragon Talisman and command one million troops from all Prefectures and Regions. He is granted the authority to appoint military officials below the third rank."
"Zhao Ankang, son of the Qi Region Prince, is appointed Armament Commander..."
"The Master of the Imperial Capital's Martial Pavilion is appointed..."
Within the imperial court, the Human Emperor's punitive expedition against the Eastern Barbarians was now inevitable, and a series of appointments followed. Above the entire Heavenly Palace, tokens of authority emerged from a golden light. Li Wei could even feel the power of the Heavenly Dao; this was truly a case of authority bestowed by Heaven.
However, Li Wei could tell that the Azure Dynasty hadn't mounted such a grand campaign in a very long time. Faced with the immense pressure of internal turmoil and external threats, the expressions of the court officials grew increasingly solemn.
Li Wei also learned a little about the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition, General Dongfang Lianwu.
He was an aged veteran, a loyal General who had followed the Azure Emperor during his conquest to found the dynasty. The Dongfang family was also one of the Azure Dynasty's most ancient Immortal Clans.
Just as the court session concluded, Dongfang Lianwu, wearing the golden helmet bestowed by the Human Emperor, intercepted Li Dalong, who was rushing to return to his homeland.
"Venerable General Dongfang."
Li Dalong bowed with the utmost respect. Having spent some time at court, he had come to realize that there were many officials here who were truly worthy of his esteem. For instance, this very general, who, according to legend, had led a contingent of immortal soldiers during a time of great peril for the Human Race, defending an Immortal City against the Demon Clan for a full twenty years.
The Demon Clan was powerful back then. Venerable General Dongfang had led two hundred thousand troops, yet much like the Li family in their early days in the Azure Cloud region, they were isolated and without support. By the time reinforcements finally arrived, only three hundred of his two hundred thousand soldiers remained. After that great battle, Dongfang Lianwu brought home the corpses of over a hundred of the Dongfang family's children; his entire direct bloodline was left to guard that city forever.
"Prefecture Lord Li, do you happen to remember that shoe from a moment ago?"
Facing this rising star, Li Dalong, Dongfang Lianwu's expression was one of keen interest.
"..."
Li Dalong was taken aback for a moment. His gaze flickered to the torn sock on the old general's left foot.
"Venerable General Dongfang possesses some impressive skill," he remarked. "To nearly hit this junior with a shoe from the front ranks of the court is truly remarkable."
"Hahaha!"
Stroking his beard, Dongfang Lianwu beamed.
"This old man has long heard of Prefecture Lord Li's name," he said. "To become a Prefecture Lord at such a young age, you are truly a man of great magnanimity!"
After this round of flattery, Dongfang Lianwu's expression turned serious.
"Prefecture Lord Li," he said to Li Dalong, "this Eastern Expedition is a matter of the Imperial Dynasty's very survival. The Fourth Prince's rebellion is now a certainty. If this campaign should fail, the Demon Clan on the northern border and the Wu Clan in the southwest will undoubtedly seize the chance to invade our Dynasty with all their might."
"Even you aren't confident, Venerable General?"
Li Dalong frowned. He had only ever heard of this Prince Jue by name and had never met the man. The intelligence reports from the Hall of Heavenly Principle were scant. All they knew was that within Duskwild Prefecture, Prince Jue was no different from an emperor.
"Yes. Duskwild Prefecture has long been a hidden threat to the Imperial Dynasty. And the Fourth Prince, though an imperial son, has never once set foot in the Imperial Capital, yet…"
Dongfang Lianwu trailed off, his gaze sweeping over the other high ministers who had just emerged from the Golden Throne Hall. He lowered his voice, his tone turning grave.
"Amidst our internal turmoil and external threats, there are yet other dangers. The situation in the Imperial Dynasty is complex. Prefecture Lord Li, you haven't served as an official for long, so you are unaware of the full picture. This conflict is fought not only on the battlefield, but also beyond it."
He then gestured to himself.
"Just look at this old man."
Dongfang Lianwu suddenly broke into a hearty laugh. "But let's set all that aside. Prefecture Lord Li, on this occasion, I wish to borrow someone from you."
"Borrow someone?"
Li Dalong's brow furrowed.
Dongfang Lianwu continued, "I have long heard that when the Wu Clan invaded the Azure Cloud region, the Li family had a daughter, Li Tianyue, who was known as the Wu Clan's Doom Star and The Red Widow. Wherever the Azure Cloud Army went, the Wu Clan would tremble with fear at the very news. Prefecture Lord Li, you should know that this Imperial Dynasty has not fought a major war in many years. The Grand Tutor on the Northern Border did send over some commanders, but they are all a bunch of incompetents."
A hint of regret laced his words as he spoke. He had known about the crisis in Azure Cloud Region from early on and had even been the first to advocate for a decisive, all-out war against the Wu Clan there.
The Li family of Azure Cloud possessed great talent; Li Tianyue's ruthless methods as a general were feared everywhere, and her forces were unstoppable. However, the one Dongfang Lianwu admired even more was the Li family's own Li Yunbing.
He had even studied the troop deployments and battle formations Li Yunbing used during the war against the Wu Clan, which had earned his resounding praise.
A pity that such a brilliant talent died so young.
"Venerable General Dongfang," Li Dalong said, his expression grim, "please allow this junior to return and discuss this matter with the children of my clan."
---
1/2