Targeting the west and south?
Anyone with eyes could see this was a targeted move against them.
The west and south lacked a supreme commander. Though they had proceeded in an orderly fashion over the years, many conflicts and incidents had arisen. Now, these factions united to target the Dragon Pavilion and Beiye. Ye Longlin’s appointment and subsequent actions against them seemed not entirely unreasonable.
What was obvious to everyone required no further discussion.
Ultimately, they had stirred this pot themselves. As adults, they had to take responsibility for their actions. It was a normal tit-for-tat scenario.
After the remaining thirty thousand Dragon Pavilion soldiers were withdrawn from the south, the pressure there instantly escalated. That very night, the south suffered heavy casualties. The southern commander, King Nan Chen, publicly declared that Ye Longlin was targeting the south and that without the Dragon Pavilion’s support, the southern front was likely to fall.
Ye Longlin was accused of abusing his power for personal gain, disregarding the casualties on the southern front, and even victory itself. He was called a sinner of Great Xia, deserving to be nailed to the pillar of shame.
That night, the southern front indeed suffered a defeat.
Countless people attributed this defeat directly to Ye Longlin.
They all said that if Ye Longlin hadn't withdrawn the thirty thousand Dragon Pavilion soldiers, the southern battlefield would not have been routed.
This incident also stirred a significant storm in the capital.
Led by the retired western general Yang Tianfang, impeachments against Ye Longlin for being unworthy of his position began. They demanded Ye Longlin’s abdication and called for justice for Chen Wu and all his subordinate generals.
The sentiment was that if Ye Longlin did not die, the hearts of the western populace would remain unsettled.
Furthermore, a faction consisting of Han Qingshan's students argued that Ye Longlin lacked experience in dealing with matters, battlefield strategy, and overall judgment, and therefore could not bear such a great responsibility.
They focused entirely on Ye Longlin's age, making a big deal out of it.
They also secretly colluded with certain literati and scholars to incite public opinion.
In short, whether online or offline, articles attacking Ye Longlin were pervasive and overwhelming.
Mu Hanqi watched these reports with great distress. She didn't want to look at her phone, but she couldn't resist seeing what they were saying.
"I knew it, I just knew I shouldn't have let you go to war."
Mu Hanqi looked at the tidal wave of public opinion, feeling heartache for her stoic partner and injustice on his behalf.
However, she also knew that if this wave of propaganda didn't stop, it would significantly impact Ye Longlin's own influence.
With a determined mind, she visited the Murong family. Then, the counterattack began!
Within a day, three factions formed on the internet.
One faction attacked Ye Longlin, even bringing up the seven deadly sins of the former Sixth Elder. Another faction supported Ye Longlin, believing that a soldier should not be insulted. The third faction remained neutral.
An opinion war erupted suddenly, catching many off guard, who hadn't even grasped the full situation.
The next day.
The Hall of Glory exposed Ye Longlin's resume, shocking the world.
He enlisted at sixteen, joined the southern special forces at eighteen, was scouted by the great general Qin Hanlie of Beiye at nineteen, and founded the Dragon Pavilion at twenty-one.
To date, Ye Longlin had fought one hundred and eighty-six battles, with one hundred and eighty-six victories and no defeats.
His extensive resume, spanning three thousand characters, stunned countless people, making them realize how formidable this man under thirty was and how astonishing his achievements were.
This was simply a miracle in military history!
Achieving all this before the age of thirty, wasn't it a miracle?
In the afternoon, news emerged again from the inner court: Hetu Hedao was reinforcing with three hundred and fifty thousand troops, bringing their total strength to five hundred thousand, while Ye Longlin’s forces, after adjustments, only numbered one hundred and fifty thousand.
That same evening, more victorious reports arrived.
Ye Longlin fought one of the Eight Divine Generals alone, severely wounding him. Afterward, he led fifty thousand soldiers in pursuit and encirclement, culminating in a major battle at Baichen Mountain.
Fifty thousand soldiers engaged the enemy's one hundred and fifty thousand, wreaking havoc and killing ten thousand. Pressing their advantage, they encountered enemy encirclement.
Fifty li beyond the border, the Dragon Pavilion paid the price of twenty thousand soldiers to kill twenty thousand of the enemy.
The enemy lines contracted, and Ye Longlin withdrew his troops, ceding fifty li of open ground.
Two battles, two victories, drove countless people into a frenzy. No one had ever imagined Ye Longlin could actually achieve this!
This might truly be the God of War of this era!
Upon hearing this news, the southern King Nan Chen immediately retracted his previous statements. However, once words were spoken, retracting them proved difficult.
"King Nan Chen? When I return to the capital, I demand an explanation. Otherwise, you will join King Dingping."
Half a month later, the decisive battle erupted.
Ye Longlin led his remaining forces in the final confrontation against the rest of the Dark Hall.
Ten days later, Hetu Hedao sent jubilant reports.
The entire enemy force of five hundred thousand was annihilated. The Dragon Pavilion lost one hundred thousand soldiers, severely wounded two of the Eight Divine Generals, and captured five SSS-class war criminals.
Upon the spread of this news, the nation fell silent.
Upon hearing this, the Second Elder placed his hands on the railing, looked down at Yang Tianfang, and a disdainful smile appeared on his lips.
"During your tenure, Yang Tianfang, could you achieve ten thousand lives for fifty thousand?"
"Could Yang Tianfang win against superior numbers?"
Yang Tianfang was speechless.
While everyone was caught up in this whirlwind of public opinion, it seemed no one had considered that Ye Longlin, now twenty-seven years old, had never lost a single battle in his eleven years of military service.
"Cough, cough."
Yang Tianfang felt his face burn with embarrassment, unsure of what to say.
"When Ye Longlin returns, I will have him visit your Yang family. After all, your Yang family is one of the Ten Elder families."
Yang Tianfang did not linger, leaving behind a sentence before departing.
"I have matters to attend to, I must be going."
Three days later, Ye Longlin led his remaining forces to the eastern front. After pacifying the eastern battlefield within a week, they marched back to the capital.
Of the four major fronts—southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast—only the southern front remained unsettled, making King Nan Chen feel he would die on the battlefield.
With no other choice, he sent a request for aid to the military headquarters.
However, Ye Longlin merely glanced at it before tossing it aside, calmly stating, "The military discipline of the west needs improvement. Let it remain as it is from now on; only small-scale engagements are permitted."
Most chillingly, upon hearing Ye Longlin’s words, the western enemy commander immediately expressed understanding, stating that they would maintain small-scale combat from now on and would never engage in battles exceeding ten thousand men.
"What the hell, our Commander-in-Chief's influence is so great that the enemy has to listen? My goodness, what kind of divine being is this?"
"The enemy commander said: I don't want to die, I still want to live! Whatever Boss Ye says, goes. As long as the enemy doesn't deploy Ye Longlin, we won't cross the border by fifty li, hahaha!"