Chapter 142 The Young Master is truly benevolent

It was not that Wei Wuji did not want to enter through the main gate, but rather that his current disheveled appearance would severely compromise his dignified image.

Wouldn't it be far better to bypass his own soldiers, change clothes with his guards, and only then make a grand appearance?

Zheng Dali went ahead to knock on the gate, and shortly afterward, Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba hurried out to welcome him.

Mindful of Zheng Dali's prior instructions, the two men had brought no one else with them.

Having been apart for some days, Wei Wuji felt a momentary trance when Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba reappeared before him, as the harrowing scenes of frontline warfare instantly resurfaced in his mind.

So much so that Wei Wuji even found himself wondering: Could that event truly have happened? Was that person really me?

"Your subordinates pay respects to the Young Lord!" Arriving before Wei Wuji, the two men immediately knelt, performing the full set of etiquette.

Naturally, the effect was deeply gratifying. Wei Wuji felt immensely satisfied inwardly; these men were indeed still fiercely loyal to him.

"Rise quickly." Wei Wuji stepped forward and personally helped Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba to their feet.

Only after standing straight did the two men begin to carefully scrutinize Wei Wuji. But upon doing so, they immediately noticed something amiss.

"Young Lord, your attire..." Wang Xiu asked with a puzzled expression, gesturing toward the guards standing behind Wei Wuji.

Due to the fierce battle earlier, the guards were all bearing various wounds, and their clothes were riddled with tears. Ironically, Wei Wuji, who had been forced to retreat to the rear, appeared relatively unscathed.

"It's a long story. Let's go inside and talk!" Wei Wuji took the lead, having no desire to linger outside for long.

Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba naturally had no objections and could only follow closely behind Wei Wuji as he walked toward the military tent.

***

"What? The Young Lord encountered assassins?" Inside the tent, Liu Xuanba, who had just barely taken his seat, abruptly jumped back to his feet.

When Wei Wuji recounted his harrowing encounter, Wang Xiu and the others were profoundly shocked.

Who was Wei Wuji? He was a young lord of the State of Wei, possessing a peerless and exalted status. For someone to dare make a move against him—how were military commanders like them supposed to take this?

Not to mention, they were all counting on Wei Wuji for their future prospects! If any misfortune were to befall him, the impact on their careers would be catastrophic.

"Very well, it is enough that you all know of this matter; do not go spreading it outside," Wei Wuji said from the master's seat. He had already changed into a fresh set of clothes, as had his guards.

"Young Lord, why is that?" Liu Xuanba asked, utterly perplexed.

However, the intricate complexities behind this could not be explained in just a few words. Furthermore, matters involving internal palace struggles were not suitable to be discussed with outsiders.

Wang Xiu reached out and pulled Liu Xuanba back down, chastising him at the same time: "The Young Lord naturally has his reasons for what he does. Why must you ask so many questions?"

Wang Xiu was a shrewd man and naturally understood the hidden undercurrents at play. To be frank, the mere fact that Wei Wuji had shared the news of his assassination attempt with them proved that he regarded them as his own trusted people.

Thus, Wang Xiu felt that this was already sufficient. Anything beyond that was truly not something they ought to pry into at the moment, lest it bring disaster upon Wei Wuji.

Wei Wuji cast a deep look at Wang Xiu, secretly sighing that this fellow was indeed remarkably clever.

"My coming to the military camp today is, first, to bring everyone some good news—that is, the Lord Sovereign is about to return in triumphant victory." Since he was using the pretext of delivering good news, Wei Wuji felt it best to go through the motions.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba maintained calm expressions, suggesting they had already caught wind of the news beforehand.

"The second matter is to hold a grand celebration banquet with all of you, where every single brother can drink to his heart's content." Wei Wuji stood up and announced the second item on the agenda.

The two men exchanged glances, completely baffled as to how this celebration banquet was supposed to happen, given that no additional military rations had been officially approved from above.

"Young Lord, a celebration banquet is certainly a fine thing, but for *all* the brothers to take part... I'm afraid our military supplies simply cannot bear the strain," Wang Xiu said cautiously, emphasizing the word "all" heavily.

Wei Wuji naturally understood what Wang Xiu was worried about. With a grand sweep of his hand, he declared, "You needn't worry about military provisions. The supplies for this celebration banquet have all been transported here by myself; there is no need to draw anything from the military stores."

Walking down the stone steps and standing in the center of the tent, Wei Wuji added, "Haven't you noticed that Zheng Dali is missing? He has already gone to the camp entrance to receive the wine and meat."

Sure enough, Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba looked around and realized Zheng Dali was nowhere to be seen.

"On behalf of our subordinates, we thank the Young Lord!" Wang Xiu and Liu Xuanba stood up in unison and bowed deeply to Wei Wuji.

Wei Wuji waved his hand, signaling that they need not stand on ceremony.

Meanwhile, outside the military camp, Zheng Dali, who had been waiting for quite some time, finally met up with the convoy transporting the supplies.

Because they were claiming to hold a celebration banquet, the guards at the camp gate smoothly granted them passage. It was a joke to think anyone would dare stop a caravan intended for celebrating the Marquis of Wei.

However, what Zheng Dali did not know was that this very movement had caused word of their arrival to leak out.

The news that the Fifth Young Lord, Wei Wuji, was rewarding his subordinates immediately flew into the city of Wu'an.

Because two empty carts had been cleared out to transport the guards who had fallen in battle, the remaining carriages were loaded even more heavily, the goods piled high.

As the convoy made its way inside, it naturally caught the attention of many, stunning onlookers with the sheer spectacle.

When Zheng Dali and his men appeared in the view of the Wei soldiers, the soldiers inevitably turned to look, even halting their ongoing training.

After watching for a moment, some soldiers recognized Zheng Dali—the most fierce and formidable man by the Young Lord's side.

"I wonder what Commander Zheng is doing here?" Zhou Changyun, the officer in charge of training the soldiers, walked up and asked Zheng Dali, who was leading the procession.

Because they had so recently shared a life-or-death ordeal, the two of them were quite easygoing with one another and dispensed with official bureaucratic formalities.

Zheng Dali leaped down from his horse, offered a slight fist-and-palm salute, and announced to everyone present, "My brothers, I have come here alongside the Young Lord to hold a celebration banquet for all of you!"

A stir instantly rippled through the crowd. Many soldiers' eyes grew eager, proving that despite Wei Wuji's absence over the past few days, his influence remained entirely undiminished.

"This time, regardless of military rank, the Young Lord treats everyone equally. Every single one of you will drink to your heart's content!" Zheng Dali said enthusiastically, gesturing toward the rear carriages piled high with jars of wine.

Since he himself loved to drink, the more people, the better, because only then would the atmosphere be lively enough.

A grand spectacle of over a thousand men drinking together was undoubtedly a rare sight indeed.

Sure enough, upon hearing Zheng Dali's words and seeing the supplies loaded on the carts, all the Wei soldiers became convinced that they truly were going to be permitted to attend the celebration banquet.

It would not be like previous times, where only military officers above the rank of gentleman could participate.

"The Young Lord has returned!" cheers erupted from the crowd. Compared to the impending feast, Wei Wuji's return undoubtedly brought the soldiers even greater joy.

One had to remember that it was Wei Wuji who had just fought to secure their military merits and rewards for them.

To scheme for such welfare on behalf of the common soldiers—this was a top-tier superior officer indeed.

That single cry of jubilation immediately infected the emotions of every soldier, sending them into a frenzy of excitement.

For the man returning was a young lord who had bled alongside them, sharing life and death against the enemy.

Simple and unpretentious soldiers possessed zero resistance toward such a wonderful superior.

Observing the cheering military camp, Zheng Dali finally walked over to Zhou Changyun and said, "Commander Zhou, please have the brothers come and help unload the goods!"

Gazing at the mountain-like piles of wine and meat stacked on the carts, Zhou Changyun immediately issued an order, demanding that the task be completed within twenty minutes.

"The Young Lord is truly benevolent!" Zhou Changyun exclaimed with a deep sigh of admiration.