Translator: ryangohsff Editor: Nora
Chapter 931 – City Protection Legion Corps Marshal
Ouyang Shuo gave a smile that did not look like a smile as he looked at Yang Guang, “Why must I help you?”
“If Xia King helps me get rid of him, you’ll get a strong ally in Great Sui.” Yang Guang promised.
Ouyang Shuo shook his head, “Not enough!”
In the foreseeable future, Yang Guang probably would not become the ruler of Great Sui.
Yang Guang also knew that one empty promise could not tempt him. Even if he was the person, it would not work, “What conditions do you want? Please speak.”
“Nice!” Ouyang Shuo nodded, “I need a person.”
“Who?”
Ouyang Shuo said, “Lai Hu’er.”
The Lai Hu’er that Ouyang Shuo called out came from the Lai family. He joined the Sui army in the early years, helping to calm down the Chen Dynasty and the Jiangnan Rebellion, accumulating credit and being promoted.
During the Daye time period, he was in charge of three missions to Goguryeo to calm down the Yang Xuangan rebellion. Following which, he followed Emperor Yang of Sui into Jiangdu.
618 AD, there was a coup in Jiangdu, and when Emperor Yang of Sui was assassinated, Lai Hu’er fell too.
“This…”
Yang Guang hesitated. Lai Hu’er could be said to be one of the generals that were the closest to him. To gift him to Great Xia like that, Yang Guang could not bear to.
When Ouyang Shuo saw that, he did not rush him and just casually drank his tea.
Seeing this, Yang Guang gritted his teeth and nodded, “Okay, I’ll promise you. Only one thing though, how is the king going to help me?”
Ouyang Shuo smiled, “I can designate you as the contact for trading to be in charge of Great Sui and Great Xia trade.”
When Yang Guang heard that, he smiled; he could not help but feel impressed. The person opposite was truly a smart person.
Based on power in the court, Yang Guang did not lose out to Yang Yong. All he lacked was a reason to interfere in politics. If not, he could only hide behind the scenes.
Using the identity of trading contact, he had a reason to walk to the front and even take charge of Great Sui diplomacy, which would increase his influence on the Imperial Court.
Although the matter seemed simple, only Great Xia could help him out in this matter.
Ouyang Shuo leisurely looked at Yang Guang, “In Quanzhou, Great Xia can be said to have some power. If you have any inconvenient matters, you can ask us for help.”
When Yang Guang heard that, his eyes lit up. He did not hesitate any longer, and he cupped his fists, “Do not worry my king, Lai Hu’er will come over to Shanhai City to report soon.”
It was not that Yang Guang was rash. However, Yang Yong knew many of Great Sui’s secrets, which placed Yang Guang in a really bad situation. If Great Xia helped him, the situation would naturally be different.
Ouyang Shuo smiled.
He revealed the arrangements of the Shanhai Guards in Quanzhou to help Yang Guang; this would also protect them. In the last few days, Shen Buhai had reported that Great Sui was investigating spies in Quanzhou.
It seemed like not long later, many of the Shanhai Guard spies would be dug up. Rather than that, why not help protect these spies and also give Yang Guang the ability to fight against Yang Yong?
A Great Sui that had internal conflicts was really beneficial to Great Xia.
With the meetings handled, Yang Guang took his leave.
************
8th month, 17th day, Yang Guang brought back the Great Xia promise of free trade to Quanzhou, completing his mission. The morning of the next day, Lai Hu’er and his family headed toward Great Xia.
Ouyang Shuo got the report and sent men to make arrangements for his family. He would receive Lai Hu’er in the Wuying Palace.
The Lai Hu’er in the game was 40 years old. He had a high nose and a broad face; he had a moustache and tanned skin, and he had a muscular body. He gave the impression of a second Zhang Fei.
Lai Hu’er might seem like a rough person, but he cared and loved the men under him, so he gained the trust and worship of the soldiers.
Name: Lai Hu’er (King Rank)
Dynasty: Sui Dynasty
Identity: Great Xia Dynasty General
Occupation: Advanced General
Loyalty: 70
Command: 75
Force: 85
Intelligence: 55
Politics: 60
Specialty: Riding General (raises troops combat strength by 30%, raises troops movement speed by 25%)
Cultivation Method: nil
Equipment: Iron Spear
Evaluation: Hu’er loved the men under him, not caring about finances. As for his usage of troops, he has many plots and plans. He is good at calming down soldiers.
“General greets the king!”
Within the hall, Lai Hu’er solemnly bowed. However, his tone did not have any meaning of getting close.
It was not a surprise. Changing so quickly from Great Sui to Great Xia, Lai Hu’er was not able to gather his bearings. However, since Yang Guang personally asked him to move, he had to follow it.
Since he followed the orders, he naturally would go all the way.
As a result, his loyalty stat was so high, reaching 70 points.
Ouyang Shuo smiled, “There’s no need for the formalities, general. To use such methods to bring general over seems really under the table.”
“….”
Although Lai Hu’er did not open his mouth, he thought to himself, ‘It’s good that you know.’
Ouyang Shuo said, “A fine fowl perches only on a fine tree, and a virtuous minister only serves a virtuous master. The current Great Sui is not the Great Sui of old; the current Great Xia is as good as the Great Sui of old.”
“There’s no need to hide it from you, in the future, Great Xia and Great Shuo would have to fight. If you do not think for yourself, think for your children, do you want them to fall again?”
“….”
Lai Hu’er kept silent; he was obviously filled with emotion.
Speaking of which, Lai Hu’er had 12 kids. During the Jiangdu coup, most of them were killed, and only the two youngest ones lived on.
Along with Lai Hu’er appearing in the wilderness was Lai Kai, Lai Hong, and Lai Zheng.
As they say, a tiger father would not beget a dog son. During the Jiangdu coup, Lai Kai, Lai Hong, and Lai Zheng were all great generals.
Ouyang Shuo continued, “In the Great Xia, your sons and you can all get great positions and sweep the battlefield. It’s better than staying in Quanzhou like a caged bird.”
What more could Lai Hu’er say? Lai Hu’er said, “Do not worry king, I’m loyal to you.”
At the same time, a System Notification sounded out in Ouyang Shuo’s ear.
“System Notification: Congratulations player Qiyue Wuyi for successfully persuading Lai Hu’er, raising his loyalty by 10 points, congratulations.”
Ouyang Shuo chose Lai Hu’er for his ability; this person could almost match up to Shi Wanshui.
Secondly, he had two really great sons in Lei Heng and Lai Ji. The two of them were officials during the Tang Gaozong era.
The two of them at that time were just eight to nine years old. After their family was in dire straits, they lived under tough circumstances. However, they loved to learn and were good at discussing and debating, becoming Jingshi during the Tang Dynasty.
Amongst the two of them, Lai Ji was more amazing.
During Emperor Taizong’s reign, he was serving as a low-level official at the legislative bureau of government. Lai Ji was also made a scholar at the imperial think tank, Chongxian Pavilion. He was soon made a mid-level official at the legislative bureau and commissioned to edit the Book of Jin—the official history of Jin Dynasty—with Linhu Defen.
In 651, Lai Ji was made the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and he became an official in charge of editing the imperial history. However, as he opposed the queen, he was hated by Wu Zetian and demoted to a prefect of Taizhou Prefecture. During this time, the Turks invaded, and he died in battle at the age of 53.
Although Lei Ji was a civil servant, he had an attitude like his father. He would not back down and bow to authority.
It seemed like after the next Battle Map, Lai Heng and Lai Ji would appear in the wilderness. With Lai Hu’er here, it seemed like Shanhai City would gain two more civil servants.
…
After sending Lai Hu’er away, Ouyang Shuo summoned Du Ruhui.
Ouyang Shuo did not only ask for Lai Hu’er because he was a talent. In fact, it was also because he was planning for the 4th legion of the Guards Legion Corps.
Lai Hu’er’s arrival helped fill that last missing link.
The next morning, the Imperial Court announced a series of appointments.
Zongyong Marquis Shi Wanshui would be removed from his role of Legion General of the 2nd legion and upgraded to marshal of the City Protection Legion Corps. The Grade 3 Anxi general title would be taken back, and he would be given the Grade 2 Zhenguo general title.
The City Protection Legion Corps marshal position was left empty till today. Finally, it had someone to take its place.
Toward an old general who had done so much like Shuo Wanshui, Ouyang Shuo would naturally treat him well. He broke the tradition that marshals needed to be God Generals and promoted Shi Wanshui.
This also sent a message to the other the old generals and civil servants in the territory – he would not forget all the people who contributed along the way.
City Protection Legion Corps protected the imperial city. As such, giving Shi Wanshui the title of country protector general was quite fitting.
Lai Hu’er was appointed as the Legion General of the 2nd legion of the Dragon Legion Corps, giving him the grade 4 rank of Zhenwei general. His three sons Lai Kai, Lai Hong, and Lai Zheng were all moved to the Dragon Legion to either be colonels or Major Generals.
A family of four generals announced their arrival on the grand stage in such a manner. Facing such kindness, Lai Hu’er’s doubts all disappeared, and he brought his three sons into the palace in the afternoon to express his thanks.
The Lai family was officially taking root in Great Xia.
Dong Zhonglang General Er’Lai was removed from his position as Legion General of the 1st legion of the City Protection Legion; he would become the 4th Legion General of the Guards Legion Corps. The title of Dong Zhonglang general would be taken back, and he would be awarded with the Grade 3 title Wuwei general.
Dong Zhonglang general and Wuwei general were both Grade 3 generals, and the only difference was that Wuwei General belonged to the Guards Legion Corps.
With Er’Lai’s strength and contributions, and his prestige in the army, there would be no one that would oppose him being a Guards Legion Corps Legion General.
Ma Chao, Lu Bu, and Er’lai were all legendary generals, and they were all gathered in the Guards Legion Corps, making it truly the trump card of the dynasty.
As for his position of Legion General of the 1st legion, Shi Wanshui, who got promoted to marshal, would naturally take over.
Zhao Sihu, this Deputy Legion General, was Shi Wanshui’s previous subordinate, so they would not have problems working together.
With that, the matter of the Guards Legion Corps Legion General that he was worried about was finally solved. The only ones that felt regretful were Cao Chun, Xiahou Yuan, and the other Three Kingdoms generals.
Luckily, they would have chances in the future.
Along with Er’Lai being appointed, the war against Swordsman City was not that far away.