Fighting Bloody Battles To Defend The Border, The Love-Brained Empress Ordered The Troops To Withdraw? - Chapter 2

“So soon?”

Duan Peng immediately became excited. They had just won a great victory, and now a decree from His Majesty had arrived?

“General, could it be that His Majesty is going to greatly reward us?”

“General, you’re getting promoted!”

Li Yunfei currently held the position of Commandant (Du Wei), a third-rank official, with a stipend of 2,000 shi. He was without doubt the top military official in the Shanhe Prefecture, holding command over all military forces there.

However, he was still under the supervision of the Imperial Censor.

At the same time, his power was kept in balance with that of the Prefect (Governor) of Shanhe.

If he were to be promoted, it would mean moving directly from a local post to the central government, becoming a second-rank General of Chariots and Cavalry, defending the capital—or even taking on more critical military responsibilities.

That would put him at a highly prestigious level in the military hierarchy!

He would surely become a general remembered throughout history!

Yet in the face of Duan Peng’s optimistic guess, Li Yunfei gently shook his head.

He had a strong sixth sense—

Things wouldn’t be that simple.

Back when he had just transmigrated into this world, he didn’t even have time to adapt before he keenly sensed, from the towering piles of documents, that the northern barbarians were showing signs of movement.

He had no time to adjust. He immediately began training troops, preparing rations, forging weapons, and built up an extraordinarily powerful army—the White Robes.

At the same time, he compiled intelligence and speculation from various sources into reports, which he sent to the capital, hoping for reinforcements and strategic deployments.

But—no matter how diligently he sent daily reports, no matter how loyal and heartfelt his words were, even if every word was written in bl00d…

The court—and the Empress of the Great Yu—never responded.

At the time, he was too busy preparing for war to dwell on it.

Besides, he didn’t want to let his patriotic heart be ensnared in the murky intrigues of the imperial court.

So he suppressed all doubts and focused entirely on preparing for the decisive battle with the barbarians.

But now…

The imperial edict had come.

There was no way Li Yunfei could remain calm!

Still, he instructed Duan Peng to quickly prepare the incense altar. He himself straightened his military attire, and led the generals who had just come from battle—all in full armor—to stand solemnly before the main hall, awaiting the imperial decree.

“Ah, General Li, you’ve suffered so much…”

A shrill, ambiguous voice rang out.

An old eunuch with a pale, beardless face and a warm smile, followed by a grand ceremonial escort, walked in cheerfully.

The moment he saw Li Yunfei, he displayed a look of deep concern. Grasping Li Yunfei’s hand, he said earnestly:

“Oh dear, General Li, you’ve truly been through so much hardship!”

“Everyone says the border is tough, but I never imagined it was this tough.”

“General, look at how thin you’ve gotten.”

“Eh?”

Noticing the bl00d seeping from Li Yunfei’s shoulder, the old eunuch jumped in fright: “You’re injured?”

“Is it serious?”

“Oh heavens, General, you’ve really endured too much!”

The eunuch, Wang Hai, spoke with sincere emotion. His special regard for Li Yunfei was clear.

As if he wanted to rip open his chest to show how much he cared.

And the reason was obvious to Li Yunfei.

Though his inherited memories were fragmented, he still knew that his predecessor and the Empress of Great Yu likely had… some romantic history.

This Wang Hai was undoubtedly showing such favor because of that.

But Li Yunfei dared not accept such a scandalous notion. He subtly stepped back half a step and gave a formal military salute:

“Your Excellency is too kind. This general is merely fulfilling his duty as a border commander. There is no talk of hardship.”

“Such loyalty to the throne!” Wang Hai sighed in admiration, then changed the topic with a beaming smile:

“But soon, General, you won’t have to suffer the hardships of the frontier any longer!”

The moment those words left his mouth, Vice General Duan Peng couldn’t help but show delight.

As expected, the general was being promoted!

Promoted to the capital, perhaps as General of Chariots and Cavalry!

Beside him, the generals who had fought and bled alongside Li Yunfei, even the soldiers behind them holding spears, all shared the same thought—and smiles bloomed on their faces.

Li Yunfei’s promotion was more than deserved.

In just over three months, he had earned everyone’s respect.

He reformed the army, lived and ate with the troops, labored tirelessly on the front lines. It was because of him that Shanhe Pass’s defenses were massively strengthened.

In the recent war, he had worked tirelessly and led a brilliant counterattack that shattered the barbarian invasion!

Without Li Yunfei, Shanhe Pass would have fallen.

And the millions of civilians in Shanhe Prefecture would’ve been massacred by the barbarians.

Such a general should be promoted.

It was the will of the people.

The atmosphere in the hall immediately warmed.

Wang Hai, feeling the shift, smiled even more brightly.

With a grin, he took the imperial edict from a little eunuch and began reading aloud.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:”

“We, having received Heaven’s command to govern all under Heaven, recognize the long toil of our border soldiers, ever vigilant and brave. Now that peace reigns across the land and the borders are secure,

In compassion for the suffering of our soldiers, We issue this benevolent decree:

Let Commandant of Shanhe Prefecture, Li Yunfei, from this day forth, marshal all forces, and within three days—withdraw all troops from Shanhe City…”

Wang Hai read with deep emotion.

But when he spoke the line “peace reigns across the land and the borders are secure,” everyone’s expressions changed.

And when he reached the command to withdraw all troops from Shanhe City within three days, the hall burst into murmurs and unrest.

The border had just seen a bloody war. Where was this peace?

If the troops withdrew now, the defeated barbarians would surely return—and all their hard-won sacrifices would be for nothing!

“Silence!”

Wang Hai scowled, displeased by the sudden uproar. His sharp, narrow eyes swept coldly over the assembled officers like blades.

He turned to Li Yunfei and said:

“General Li, His Majesty holds high hopes for you. You must lead your troops well and repay His Majesty’s kindness.”

“You can’t allow these crude soldiers of yours to be so unruly. We’re still reading the imperial edict, and they dare to make a fuss?”

“If it weren’t me here today—if it were someone else—you’d be charged with failing to control your troops!”

Li Yunfei ignored the veiled threat.

Suppressing the surge of emotions within, he locked eyes with Wang Hai and spoke word by word:

“What does Her Majesty mean by this decree?”

“If I am to withdraw the troops from Shanhe City—what of the millions of civilians here?”

This caught Wang Hai off guard.

Clearly, he had never considered that.

He replied: “Well… what else? Once General Li and the army leave, the barbarians will naturally occupy Shanhe City. At that point, those millions of civilians will be under their rule!”

Then, with another smile, he added:

“General Li, to tell you the truth, Her Majesty has already decided to give Shanhe City to the barbarians.”

“A few days ago, Her Majesty received a marriage proposal from the barbarian prince, Tuoba Hao. She was overjoyed and said she had been waiting for this day for a long time.”

“She immediately decided to gift Shanhe City to Tuoba Hao—as her wedding dowry!