Chapter 6 Chapter 1 The Lion of Troubled Times VI

In the afternoon, there was Fengtang, in the mansion bestowed by Baili Jinghong to Xi Yan. Xi Yan wrote at the desk.Ji Ye walked into the study quietly, and stood at the bottom of the steps, Xi Yan didn't look at him, and kept writing in his hand. There is only the rustling sound of brush strokes.Ji Ye endured it for a while, couldn't help it, and quietly turned around to run away, but Xi Yan's voice came from behind: "Going out to drink with Lu Guichen all day long, I have no patience!" Ji Ye could only stand still, bowed his head and said nothing. Xi Yan took out a stack of documents from the file and threw them on the table: "Apart from the trouble last night, here are the documents from the gatekeepers of the East City last month. Some people got together in a wine shop after drinking. One side was two men and one woman. Among the sixteen rich men, the one with the most people injured eight of them, and the one with the few people was not only unscathed, but also overturned a patrol captain when they fled. One was an officer of the Xia Tang Dynasty, the other was a barbarian heir. They are all young heroes!"

Ji Ye's heart sank, and he understood that nothing he and Lu Guichen had done could escape the teacher's eyes. "What a hero! What courage!" Xi Yan knocked on the table, showing no emotion, "You have been in the army for four years, and you didn't go to battle, but you know how to rob the rich and help the poor in the army. You are famous in the wine shop , throwing fists in the streets and alleys, I recommended you to join the army five years ago, I didn't know you still have the character of a street warrior!" "Do you want to remove my military status?" Ji Ye pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time before whispering.

"If you want to get out of the army after losing your military status? Do you think it's that simple?" Ji Ye raised his head abruptly, seeing the anger in Xi Yan's eyes, a sense of hopelessness suddenly came to his mind.The reason why he was able to join the army was all thanks to Xi Yan's support. At this time, Xi Yan was going to drive him out of the army. In the vast world, he was afraid that no one would sponsor him again.Ji Qian is doing everything possible to get a lieutenant-general position for his younger brother Chang Ye, and he is about to take up the post, but he has been in the army for four years, and he is still just a Qingying Guard of the Wudian, after all, he is just a pawn serving Xiyan.

He is not afraid of anything, but at this moment he feels lonely in his heart.He knew that what happened last night was a big deal. Hong Luqing and Nanhuai famous prostitutes were ripped apart from their carriages on the street and exposed naked to the public.He also had rumors that in the morning Hong Luqing gave a memorial to hermitage, saying that she was seriously ill and could not enter the court.The ruler of the country was surprised and was assigning the Jinwu Guard to visit the sick. However, he has never begged anyone in his life, even Xi Yan is no exception.He tried his best to raise his head to face Xi Yan, and that stubborn nature supported him.He knew that he would have nothing if he left the army, but he still refused to lower his head after all.

Xi Yan sneered: "After taking military pay for so many years, you just want to leave? If the army spends money to support trash, who will guard the country? Rather than having to fight when you are idle, why not go out with me. Of course you are a trash. It's better to die in the battlefield than to be a gangster in the city." "Expedition?" Ji Ye's eyes widened in confusion. In the next Tang Dynasty, the state was rejuvenated by literature, and there were hardly any wars in ten or eight years.Those who have a certain rank in the army are all looking forward to it, hoping that the world will be in chaos tomorrow, so that they can seek fame, fame and fortune, and gain a wife and son.However, the number of places to lead troops is limited, and they often have to pay their own money to get through the joints.He drank and gambled, beat his comrades, and was lucky not to be kicked out of the barracks, but he couldn't imagine that such a good thing would happen to him.

"It's too late to say you're afraid of death now. The vanguard general Zuo Jiye took the order!" Xi Yan threw down a golden talisman and shouted, "Tomorrow morning we will collect the army and horses of the Daliu camp, and we will leave the camp at noon two days later. If there is any delay, the military law will be merciless! " "Shangyang Pass?" Ji Ye stumbled forward a few steps, catching the golden talisman that appointed him to command the Vanguard Battalion, still unable to believe what he heard. Yesterday he was just a pawn serving Xi Yan, and his military rank was still lower than that of Lei Yunzhengke and others, but today when the golden talisman arrived, he suddenly became a cavalry in dace armor, leading the vanguard battalion, and commanding eight hundred light cavalry. The commander of the army is still above the cavalry general.

Xi Yan waved his hand and unfolded the entire map of the four states and sixteen countries of the Eastern Land on the table. The pen was as sharp as a sword, and he pointed at the intersection of the two mountain ranges of Leiyan Mountain and Suohe Mountain: "The four states of the Eastern Land are actually formed by these two mountain ranges. Leiyan The mountains run across, and the Suohe Mountain runs vertically. If you extend along the direction of the Suohe Mountain, it will basically be a cross that divides the four states of the Eastern Continent. The place where the imperial city Apocalypse is located is a plain between the two mountains, and the place where the two mountains meet is the so-called The Shangyang Pass of the 'Eastern Land Second'."

Ji Ye calmed down and looked along Xi Yan's pen. Among the high mountains, a pass blocked the imperial city, facing the six hundred li plain. "Are we going to King Qin? Are we going to fight Li Guo?" Ji Ye knew about the siege of the Li army by the princes at Shangyang Pass, and it was written in yesterday's military newspaper.He has a special duty and can read many secret military newspapers. "Who else can we fight? Go to war with Chu Weiguo? The current military situation is that Ying Wuyi is blocked here. This is the only way to go, otherwise it will take a detour of 1,200 miles. But if he breaks through this Checkpoints, then let the tiger go back to the mountain, let the dragon into the sea, and then try to trap him," Xi Yan shook his head, "I'm afraid no one in Donglu can do it."

"Then we're late!" Ji Ye's palms were sweating, and he resisted moving, but he couldn't hide the eager expression on his face, "I heard that the troops of Chu Weiguo and other countries have arrived, and they are in Shangyang. Guan Xia confronts Li Jun!" "Late? I haven't seen it so fast. Given the distance we went to Tang, it would have been a few days late for the news to arrive here. The lord ordered to serve the king immediately. The three armies have been reorganized this morning and can start tomorrow. The leading general Zuo Du has received an urgent order, regardless of whether there is something at home, he must rush to Daliu Camp tomorrow morning, otherwise he will be punished by military law. And do you know how much time it usually takes to prepare?"

Himeno shook his head blankly. "It will take about fifteen days." Xi Yan said, "But we are fast, Chu Weiguo is even faster, before Ying Wuyi reaches Shangyang Pass, the 30,000 elite soldiers of Chu Weiguo have already marched towards Shangyang Pass. The rest Several countries also set up their troops in the territory of Chu Wei State in advance, and almost arrived together with the 30,000 elite soldiers of Chu Wei State. I have been in the army for so many years, and I have never seen so many troops move so quickly.” "It must have been prepared and obtained the military situation in advance!"

"That's right," Xi Yan praised, "You have learned the art of war with me for a few years, and you have really opened up. But the strange thing is, who would know that this guy Ying Wuyi is going back to China? I have been thinking about it for a day and a half , I haven't figured it out yet." "Anyway, it's a war. If you think about it, you have to go to war. If you don't think about it, you have to go to war. It's always good to get military information in advance!" "Not necessarily good," Xi Yan shook his head slightly, "This opportunity seems to be too good for us. Things that are too good always make people feel a little conspiracy. I may be too stubborn, but I have always been with the best in my life. Stuff brushes past me and I don't quite trust my good luck." He said that there was something special about Youyou, and he squinted his eyes in a daze. "Maybe it is..." Ji Ye ignored Chu Xiyan's deep meaning, "The battle of Suoheshan suffered heavy losses, and the princes' army learned from the pain, so the coordination is faster than before." "What a stunned young man. When the princes join forces, they will inevitably procrastinate and intrigue. It can be resolved after learning from the pain." Xi Yan sneered, "But there is an interesting thing, and it is also very troublesome." "What?" Ji Ye's ears perked up. Xi Yan smiled: "There is a man in Li's army that we want in the Tang Dynasty. This man is very valuable, and all countries want to snatch it. Therefore, we must speed up our march, lest Ying Wuyi succeed in breaking through, or other countries will succeed first." , we won’t be able to get this person.” "Who?" Ji Ye's interest was aroused even higher. He knew he was always being fooled like this, but he couldn't help it.Xi Yan speaks like a storyteller, always leaving an ending slowly, making people want to listen further.Ji Ye seldom has the patience to listen to people talking, but what Xi Yan said, Ji Ye always wished that he could talk endlessly, as if begging Xi Yan to continue talking every time.So Ji Ye also knew that if another teacher taught him the art of war, it might not be able to have the general effect of interest, maybe the teacher would talk, and he would be out of the sky. Xi Yan wanted him to look anxious, and smiled leisurely: "Chu Weiguo, Princess Xiaozhou. This princess is the beloved daughter of the Lord Chuwei. According to the emperor's will, she was taken to the imperial capital and lived in Taizhou. In the palace of the Qing Dynasty. However, the imperial capital is nominally the site of the royal family, but it is actually Ying Wuyi’s other courtyard, so Chu Weiguo is also very worried about putting this princess next to Ying Wuyi’s teeth. Everyone in the East China knows that Ying Wuyi is A male lion, when he is not hungry, he will lazily ignore things that he is not interested in. But if he suddenly remembered, he would eat the princess in one bite, and he may not even spit out a few bones." "That's a pretty princess? Chu Weiguo would lose face if Ying Wuyi took her in, isn't that right?" Ji Ye felt that he understood. "Monkey panic!" Xi Yan nodded his nose, "It's not easy to draw conclusions like this. When you go into battle in the future and make decisions in the face of danger, you can't stick to the end. If you are an enemy, you must know the enemy's character and style. Win Wuyi is not a lustful person, otherwise he would have rushed into the Taiqing Palace and lived directly in the emperor's harem, and that would be called losing face, to the point where the heads of the princes of the world are all green." "The emperor's wife lives in the harem, why do the princes of the world lose face?" Ji Ye was puzzled. "You stupid boy, you live in Nanhuai, where the atmosphere is loose, not very loyal to the emperor and patriotic. You have to know that the royal family is the master of the world, and the emperor marries a wife for the sake of the world, and he marries a wife and has children. All things are auspicious omens for all people in the world. So the emperor's wife is the mother of the world..." "Aren't there many mothers of the world?" Ji Ye interrupted. "It doesn't matter how much or how much," Xi Yan couldn't laugh or cry, "this is not the point, but the princes are like the emperor's descendants. The emperor is the father, and he entrusts the land to his sons. The princes are the sons, and they must be filial and respectful to their father. The emperor's woman was invaded by others." It's the prince's mother and grandma who were humiliated, so the prince's head is also green." "Oh!" Ji Ye nodded frequently, as if realizing something. "But the danger of Princess Xiaozhou is that her motherland is Chu Wei, which is the most loyal to the royal family. This country is Ying Wuyi's greatest enemy. If Ying Wuyi wants to kill this princess, it will be like killing Chu Wei. A piece of meat in the heart of the country's lord. The lord of the Chuwei Kingdom is a duchess, married to Mr. Anping, and has only one blood relative. According to the secret agreement between our country and Chu Weiguo, our country will donate 400,000 gold baht in military expenses to Chuweiguo , while Chu Weiguo secretly took Princess Xiaozhou out to live in Nanhuai through the power in the imperial capital. Our two countries have formed an alliance for this. The princes in the world, our country is the richest, and Chu Weiguo has the strongest military power. It is really rare Covenant. However, when Ying Wuyi left the imperial capital, he did something that no one could have imagined. He lost the emperor like a worn-in boot, but brought this Princess Xiaozhou with him in the army!" "Oh, hostage!" Himeno said. "Yes, it seems that Ying Wuyi is not afraid of heaven and earth, but is still afraid of one person." "Who?" "Bai Yi, the important minister of Chu Wei, the leader of the world's famous generals, Ying Wuyi brought this princess to prevent Bai Yi from taking the opportunity to fight him!" "Bai Yi!" Ji Ye knew the name and was shocked when he heard it. "The most famous general in the world!" He repeated quietly in his heart. "If Princess Xiaozhou is brought back to Liguo, the tops of our heads will indeed be green. Our 400,000 gold baht will become a bride price for helping Liguo." Xi Yan said again. "Bowry gift?" Ji Ye became dazed again, looked at Xi Yan and waited for his explanation. "Nine times out of ten alliances between princes are based on in-laws. Anyway, it is not a trouble for the king to have children. The children marry each other, and they can form iron alliances. Why not? Our country originally formed an alliance with Chu Weiguo , is to match Princess Xiaozhou with our country’s young master Yu. But if the princess is sent to Jiuyuan, the capital of Liguo, Ying Wuyi will just wave her hand and marry her to a son of the Ying family and have a few children. , then we can only stare blankly. Our gold baht, even if we help Liguo to hire Chu Weiguo." Xi Yan spread his hands, "And the fiancée of the prince of our country was forcibly married, we as ministers Yes, isn't the head also shiny green?" "It has nothing to do with me, Young Master Yu's matter." Ji Ye remembered that when he was performing martial arts in Daliuying, he saw that frail and delicate young man from a long distance away. When he heard Lu Guichen talking about that boy, he only felt a A boy rolling up a girl's skirt is an embarrassing thing to throw at home. "But there is such a secret about Princess Xiaozhou." Xi Yan looked at Ji Ye with a smile. "What's the secret?" Ji Ye couldn't help but widen his eyes, as if he saw a storyteller clap his eyes in a wine shop. "There is a rumor, which seems appalling, that Princess Xiaozhou is the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Xi, and the only bloodline of Emperor Xi!" "The emperor's daughter?" Ji Ye's eyes widened. "It should be said to be the daughter of the first emperor. In fact, Chu Weiguo also has the surname of Bai, and is a branch of the royal family. Emperor Qiangwei entrusted Chuwei Kingdom to the key gate of Shangyang Pass after careful consideration. At that time, there was the Ao family of Chunguo in the north. Guarding Tangwu Pass against the northern barbarians, and Chuwei State in the south outside Shangyang Pass as the gateway to the King's Domain, so the King's Domain is solid. Originally, the Li Kingdom's Red Brigade Thunder Riders were powerful, but they had to step through the Chu and Wei Kingdom's territory to force Shang Yangguan is probably not easy. But Ying Wuyi is an overlord and a genius. He never thought of attacking Shangyang Pass. He led his cavalry over the natural barrier and directly hit Tianqi City. Once the barrier of Leiyan Mountain was broken, the government and the public were shaken. At that time, Bai Buzhi, the Duke of Chu State, personally led the army to attack and led the allied forces of the princes to leave the country in a decisive battle on the eight deer plains of Suohe Mountain. In the end, he was defeated and died. The only child behind him was a girl whose baby name was Shun'er, and her real name was probably Bai Shun. She is now the Duke of Chu Weiguo, no one dares to call her by her name." "Isn't the duchess of Chu Weiguo married... No, did she marry Lord Anping? Then she had a child with the emperor, isn't it an inbreeding marriage? I heard people say that a child born like this would be stupid." Ji Ye Say. "Bah!" Xi Yan cried and laughed, "What a mess, the family was separated seven hundred years ago, and now there are 30 generations of distant relatives, so what's the matter of inbreeding?" Himeno didn't quite understand this, so he hummed honestly. "Bai Buzhi's daughter was fifteen years old at that time, and she happened to live in Tianqi City. She returned to Chuwei State when she was sixteen years old. She got married in April, but Princess Xiaozhou was born in October. , How can someone give birth to a child within six months of being newly married?" Xi Yan smiled inscrutably. "According to what the general said, six-month premature birth must be a very rare thing?" Xi Yan looked at the serious black eyes of the student, the teacher and the student were silent for a while, Xi Yan patted him on the shoulder: "Your way of thinking is really different from ordinary people, no one taught you this? Six months pregnant Nine times out of ten, the one that came down was stillborn, so how could there be that charming little princess? And the duchess was living in the palace at that time, how could any man in the palace dare to get involved with Duke Chu's beloved daughter?" "No one taught me, my family members are too lazy to talk to me, does Asule understand? Then who should I ask?" Ji Ye said, "It must be the emperor!" Xi Yan nodded: "Not necessarily, but nine times out of ten, when the Duchess Bai Shun was young, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. It makes sense that the late emperor was attracted to him. Of course, the problem of these six months cannot be hidden from others Eyes, and the late emperor’s love for this princess, whom he had never met before his death, is also well documented. He was named a princess one month after birth, and Emperor Xian named it himself, and gave Heluo a small sailing boat made of platinum. Walking on the lake by yourself, you can cross the Taiqing Lake in the imperial capital in a day and a night in windless weather, it is a rare treasure, if it is not your own child, how can you care so much for the child of a prince?" "Since the emperor likes this beautiful duke and her daughter so much, he should marry her himself." Xi Yan shook his head: "Emperor Xi didn't like beauty and was not close to the harem, so he didn't have a single child. Some people speculate that he was worried that his children would be poisoned by Ying Wuyi and insisted on refusing to have children. So even if Princess Xiaozhou is really his Daughter, he would not admit it either. But it would be cheap for Ying Wuyi. Once Emperor Xi died, Ying Wuyi logically pushed Emperor Xi's cousin, Guangchang Wang Baihui to the throne, who is now the emperor of Tianqi City. Come here This matter should have been settled in the first place, but some people in the imperial capital were not reconciled. First of all, there was a courtier Qi Zou, who wanted to take Princess Xiaozhou from Chu Weiguo to Tianqi Taiqing Palace to be raised, and said that she would marry the youngest son of the current emperor. In fact, this youngest son is only two years and seven months old, and he is not very good at speaking, but it is obviously just an excuse to marry a princess who is much older than her. However, some people in the imperial capital were very active, and finally the emperor personally ordered The Duke of Chuwei had no choice but to agree to take Princess Xiaozhou to the capital. As soon as Princess Xiaozhou arrived in the imperial capital, there was news that Emperor Xi still had blood in the world. Looking at this situation, someone actually wanted to establish a young heroine. gone." "Who are they?" Ji Ye frowned, and he could hear the conspiracy. "I don't know. Over the years, I have vaguely felt that there is a group of people in the empire. I can't see where they are, but I can see their methods." Xi Yan pondered, "Have you heard of the 'Rose Party'? name?" "No." "That's right. If everyone knew about the existence of these people, they would have been slaughtered by Ying Wuyi." Xi Yan smiled, "Actually, the name 'Rose Party' existed when Emperor Fengyan was in power. It has been spread, but I don’t know what kind of organization it is. But this group of people should exist. They can take Princess Xiaozhou from Chu Weiguo to the imperial capital through activities, and they can already see their means. But Chu Weiguo With Bai Yi in power, his wrists are not usually strong. Princess Xiaozhou has only been in the imperial capital for half a year, and Bai Yi turned to seek an alliance with our country, intending to formally determine the princess's fiancé-in-law. This move is considered strong. But both parties are playing Politics, when everyone was fighting secretly in the court, Ying Wuyi carried the princess and wanted to kill her back to Liguo. These ministers laughed and said that Ying Wuyi was a southern barbarian, but this southern barbarian started to do things, with the help of the official minister. The means can't be restrained, it's really embarrassing to throw at home." Ji Ye nodded: "The Red Army Thunder Riders from Liguo are invincible in the Eastern Continent. It is not easy for us to win with those army horses in Xiatang." "Where the red tide came, there were corpses all over the field. Why didn't I know? But I don't think anyone who participated in this battle will admit that they are not as good as Ying Wuyi." Xi Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly, with a profound meaning, "Troubled times really Whether it is Ying Wuyi or not is still unknown, and many people are still eager to compete with Ying Wuyi for this position. Ying Wuyi has already lit his sword, and his sword is Chilv Thunder Knight, while others , their knives were still tucked in their waists, and King Qin just gave these people a perfect opportunity to try their knives this time!" Ji Ye was engrossed in listening, but didn't want to understand what Xi Yan meant. "Why fight?" Xi Yan suddenly changed the subject and became strict. "I paid a thousand dollars and won their money." "anything else?" Ji Ye was silent for a long time: "They look down on me. They always want to fight with me, this time they just look for an opportunity. They think they are better than me, some of them have rich families, some have accumulated military achievements for hundreds of years, Some are big nobles, relatives in the family, all of them are big figures. But my family’s noble titles have been abolished, and I am looked down upon at home. But those people can’t beat me in the school field. They don’t accept it. They want I bow my head, I don't bow my head!" His voice was low, hoarse, and still fierce: "I will not bow to them!" "So you just fight with them and decide who wins or loses? To satisfy your competitive vanity?" Xi Yan sneered. "I don't want to look into their eyes. The way they look at me, they really look down on me." Ji Ye lowered his head. "Fart!" Xi Yan suddenly shouted angrily. Himeno was shocked.He had never heard such foul language from Xi Yan's mouth, nor did he expect Xi Yan's foul language to be so fierce and direct.He stared at his teacher blankly, and the teacher's eyes were shining brightly as if reflecting the light of a knife. "Do you still need to think about this? Why did they think highly of you? Why do they think highly of you? You are a child from a poor family, you were born by a concubine, and your father thinks you are a burden, and you still expect your compatriots to think highly of you? You also You should know the background of these people and what they value? It’s titles, military achievements, and money! And do you have it? You don’t have anything! Then you can expect them to think highly of you? People can see it, but you refuse to accept it, you want to stand out," Xi Yan said, "then why don't you just kill them?" Ji Ye felt that these words were like a heavy hammer hitting his chest, making him breathless. Xi Yan calmed down and looked straight into Ji Ye's eyes: "You have a big heart, but your life is poor. What you want is not given to you, but you don't want it, so you have to gamble your life to fight for it. But you killed One person, two people, there are still a thousand or ten thousand people in the world who look down on you, do you understand? Even if you are the emperor in Tianqi City, Li Guogong Ying Wuyi still looks down on him. Ying Wuyi has been in Tianqi City for six years , I'm afraid I don't even bother to kill the emperor!" Under the watchful eyes of the teacher, Himeno didn't dare to look away, but nodded vigorously. "But you have a gun in your hand. This is an ancient gun. When your great-grandfather held it, anyone who faced him would be terrified. Who dares to look down on him? You want to be an unprecedented warrior, so you don't have to fight alone. It's about fighting the world!" "My gun... I lost it." Ji Ye whispered. "No, it's still there. It contains your great-grandfather's soul." Xi Yan smiled and whispered. Himeno nodded vigorously, he felt sweat overflowing from every pore of his body like spring water, and he couldn't control it. Xi Yan waved his hand, indicating that he could push it down: "Think about what I said carefully. You are my student, you must have my ambition. Numb Erdus Golia, this gun was used to kill the dragon. Casting, did you use it to kill mice?" Xi Yan lowered his head to write official documents and stopped talking.Ji Ye felt that his underwear was drenched with sweat, he didn't dare to make a sound, and quietly withdrew. He walked to the door, and suddenly heard a faint voice behind him: "Actually, thirteen years ago, when Bai Yi and I saw that man for the first time in Qiuye Mountain City, we wanted to kill him! In this troubled world, with Killing the Mighty King Ying Wuyi is nothing compared to that! You will soon meet a powerful enemy, Chilv Leiqi, who is unparalleled in the world, but you should be ecstatic, because you finally have this opportunity to face them!" Just as Ji Ye's back disappeared outside the door, the curtain behind Xi Yan was lifted.The tall and thin old man was dressed in white sackcloth, and walked out of the back hall slowly. "The child was frightened by you." The old man said lightly. "It's still far away. If you want to become a man like his great-grandfather, how can you be intimidated by such a thing?" Xi Yan said, "He has been a little lazy recently and has no intention of making progress." "The times are different. In our time, so many men aspired to become heroes and build achievements. When Ji Yang was in Ji Palace, his friends were Su Jinshen, Ye Zhengxun and Li Lingxin. Those men, together they can overthrow the world. And this What kind of friends does a kid have? He's so lonely. He just wants to prove himself." Xi Yan smiled slightly: "No, he can do it, I can see that he has an aura, and I noticed that aura when I first saw him." The old man also laughed: "You are really an excellent teacher to say such passionate words to motivate a student." "Some are pretentious, some are real." Xi Yan said, "How has his spear skills progressed?" "I can use 'broken armor' proficiently, and the next step is 'heart wolf'. It is not easy to pass this step. The use of guns to this point is no longer technical, but mental. Everyone has a wolf in their hearts. The key is how to release the wolf." "Where's Lu Guichen?" "He is very smart, and his mastery of technology is better than that of Ji Ye, but he does not have the bloody spirit of a decisive victory, which will restrict his development." The old man shook his head slightly, "If this continues, he will lose the opportunity to master Cangyun Ancient Toothed Sword. Has he made any arrangements for his expedition with the army this time?" "I have already spoken to the lord, and the lord agreed that I would take him on the expedition, as long as he saw the military power of the Eastern Land." "Well, it's time, the youngsters need to be sharpened, they need a perfect drill before they start the real battle."