A general’s control of a ten-thousand-strong army positioned near the Capital City was a terrifying prospect in any world.
Not to ntion anything else, consider the simplest reason: what if this general lost his mind one day and suddenly attacked the Capital City? And what if luck was on his side, allowing him to breach and enter straight into the Imperial City, threatening the Emperor and causing chaos across the land?
It was only in a world like that of the cultivators, where individual martial power could dominate all living beings, that such a thing could occur. Otherwise, no Emperor, no matter how foolish, would allow an army out of his control to deploy near his own Capital City.
Not just the Emperor, but any general with a bit of sense would not do such a thing.
The reason was simple: if you harbored other intentions, you would first secure your own territory, stabilize your rear, and then think about expanding your realm before strategizing to capture the Capital City.
Not simply seizing the Capital City right off the bat... If so, being the hub of the country, other garrisoned troops from various locations could reach there in no ti. Where could you run? Not running would an being surrounded and enveloped by enemies from all directions.
Would that be a way to seek death?
If you didn’t harbor other intentions, that was even more impermissible. As the saying goes, "possession of a mighty weapon begets the urge to use it." How much more so when holding an entire army?
Even if you had no other thoughts, others would go to any lengths to prevent you from getting them, to neutralize you, and then move the army elsewhere.
Thus, apart from the Emperor’s own troops, any military presence near the Capital City was essentially forbidden.
Yet, in the Da Qian Dynasty, the Emperor had actually sent word directly to Li Ming to bring his troops here...
From this, one could see the unique characteristics of this world.
And from this, one could also infer the caliber of masters hidden within the Capital City...
"May I ask, is the gentleman ahead General Li Ming, the Military Strategist?"
A thirteen thousand strong army slowly arrived at the designated location, and several riders imdiately went forth to greet them. After identities were exchanged, one of them was brought before Li Ming who was on his horse, and knelt on one knee to inquire.
’Military Strategist’ is a title, ntioning ’Military Strategist’ before the na shows respect.
’General’ is a duty role, ntioning the na before the duty shows reverence, and these distinctions mattered.
Hence, although ’Marquis’ and ’General’ were different entities, Li Ming was often addressed by combining both.
"Nothing less."
Li Ming chuckled softly, replying in a low voice, "What does the Marquis seek from ?"
"Return to Your Grace, your camp has been ready for quite so ti. His Majesty the Emperor personally commanded us to wait here to guide you to the camp!"
The arriving rider, hearing Li Ming address himself as the Marquis, naturally referred to him in the sa way, bowing slightly with his fists cupped as he spoke respectfully.
Housing tens of thousands of troops on the fringes of the Capital City without considering political factors was no easy task.
Especially for ancient armies: normally, while the army was still marching, scouts must report in detail to the army commander about possible camp locations ahead of ti. Setting up camp was not as simple as one might think; ancient Tang armies of the Eastern Blue Star needed to surround their camps with temporary wooden fences.
The thod of production was to first chop down two rows of tree trunks, one row longer than the other. After charring the bottom of the trunks, they would bury them halfway into the ground. The longer trunks were arranged in a tight row on the outside and the shorter trunks in a row on the inside. Then, wooden planks were placed between the two rows of trunks, divided into upper and lower layers. Thus, the longer trunks protruding beca a protective wall, with the upper layer allowing soldiers to patrol and keep watch and the lower layer used for storing defense weapons and for soldiers to rest.
In the Tang army, a small team consisted of fifty soldiers, plus a team leader and a deputy. When setting up camp, it was the sa, with everyone’s tents set up opposite each other. Drainage ditches had to be dug around and between the tents. Soldiers were strictly forbidden from running around between different camp areas and within their own camp areas as well.
Each camp area had a communal toilet. Interestingly, military strategies emphasized camp hygiene, tirelessly stressing the importance of the location of toilets. They must be far from water sources and food storage areas, maintain a certain distance from the sleeping quarters, but not too far to prevent soldiers from returning to their units in ti, yet obviously not too close as well.
At that ti, the military camp also placed a high emphasis on epidemic prevention, such as tily burying or burning of waste from humans and animals, and isolating patients with serious or contagious diseases.
The army’s food supplies also greatly varied with rank. For example, Huo Qubing, during the battle at Wolf Living Mountain, carried a royal kitchen with him. However, after the battle, as the retreat was too heavy, a large amount of fresh at and food were abandoned. Due to advancing too far into the Xiongnu territory and the logistical supplies failing to catch up, the soldiers hardly had a full al. As a result, when leaving the pass, out of the more than 100,000 battle horses, only less than 10,000 remained.
Therefore, setting up a proper camp was very important. Although in the wilderness, making do with available materials was acceptable, in Capital City, of course, such compromises could not be made.
After all, although Li Ming’s troops were able to endure hardship, they shouldn’t just be sitting idle and suffering without cause.
You should know that people can only maintain health if they eat well, sleep well, and are well-clothed. Enduring hardship is acceptable, but unless specific conditions and special needs demand otherwise, under normal circumstances, comfort is naturally preferred to maximize their energy for cultivation and self-improvent.
Outdoor camping over extended periods could easily lead to various diseases and lower physical quality. Naturally, no one would choose this if better conditions were available.
Thus, before deploying Li Ming’s troops, the Emperor had certainly already constructed the military camp and, at the sa ti, prepared the food supply routes, hence allowing them to co.
"Uh, if that’s the case, then lead the way."
Having recognized him as a soldier he had seen previously in the hunting grounds, Li Ming nodded with a smile and softly spoke.
Hearing this, the soldier imdiately clasped his hands and bowed with a salute, then turned around leading Li Ming’s troops to the pre-constructed military camp.
Inside, the soldiers’ barracks, parade ground, arrow tower, and defense walls were all present. Li Ming was quite satisfied as he nodded his head. Once the soldiers had settled down and all preparations for patrol and defense were complete, he left his comrades to keep a watchful eye on the defenses and commanded a group of martial artists to stay alert. Subsequently, he set off with Zi Donglai and his two martial uncles towards the Capital City.
With their current level of cultivation, the several tens of li road was effortless as they used their ’Qinggong.’ Naturally, it was swift, and they promptly reached the Capital City.
"Marquis Li, the Emperor commanded to wait here for you for quite so ti."
At the gate of the Capital City, an eunuch dressed in palace attire awaited. Upon Li Ming’s arrival, he greeted him with a smile and a bow, speaking in a high-pitched voice.
"Oh? To think he commanded you to wait for here."
Seeing a designated eunuch waiting for him at the gate of Capital City, Li Ming imdiately realized the significance and his expression turned solemn.
"Duke, no need for formalities. I will escort you, exempt from inspections, straight to see His Majesty."
The eunuch calmly nodded, then turned around and gestured invitingly. Li Ming clasped his hands and bowed, then hastened forward with his martial uncle, martial father, martial elder, and the Great Grandmaster Zi Donglai.
"Whooosh~"
The wind roared by their ears. The martial cultivation of the eunuch surprisingly had reached the Innate Realm, with profound and well-established skills, and his ’true energy’ no less impressive than the authentic teachings of Green Pine Sect; his ’Qinggong’ was exceptionally fast, astounding everyone.
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