Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 487: Great Defeat in Northern Jiang, Hidden Dragon Shows its Claws_1

Yuan Lin looked at the relics that had been delivered, silent for a moment.

Wu Yong was dead. The King of Northern Jiang's first expedition to the south had failed, his forces beaten and scattered, fleeing back in disarray. Originally, it was proclaimed that their mighty army of 100,000 would take control of the Central Plains, but in the end, fewer than 1,000 defeated soldiers managed to escape and return.

Yuan Lin also understood the reasons for the defeat; it was nothing more than King Zhang Xuan of Northern Jiang being overly prideful and overzealous, which led him into an ambush. Then, due to a series of problematic decisions, his army was routed.

He did not resent the King of Northern Jiang. This was Wu Yong's duty; victory and defeat were commonplace in military affairs. There were no truly invincible generals.

But he was puzzled. Why had things turned out this way?

He opened Wu Yong's relics. Inside, there wasn't much—just a letter.

The letter was Wu Yong's will. Most of it expressed concern for Yuan Lin's studies and outlined a plan for his future learning. Wu Yong hoped Yuan Lin would progress step-by-step and study diligently. If one day he could become a Class A Disciple of the Holy Emperor, then Wu Yong could die in peace.

From start to finish, there was no mention of revenge or inheriting a dying wish to kill the Dog Emperor; Wu Yong's only concern had been for Yuan Lin.

"A Class A Disciple, huh?" Yuan Lin mumbled, then said, "Master Wu, I was just one step away..."

He died without ever knowing that I was already a Class B Disciple.

"One day, I will return to Mount Tai Temple with the heads of the entire Royal Family to offer them in tribute to all of you." At this moment, he couldn't help but remember Gong Temple Master and the aid from the many Dai Temples when he had fled north. He was still alive, but those Dai Temples had been destroyed.

"Little Yuan, are you busy?" The voice of a middle-aged man came from outside the tent.

"No, Uncle Zhang." Yuan Lin opened the tent curtain. Standing outside was a middle-aged man with a weary expression and a discernible scar on his face.

This man was King Zhang Xuan of Northern Jiang. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"I admit, this is indeed my fault. If I hadn't been so keen on heading south, I wouldn't have implicated Mr. Wu," Zhang Xuan said guiltily after entering the tent.

"Uncle Zhang, why do you say such a thing? War is perilous, and blades know no master," Yuan Lin replied. He hadn't been fully aware of Wu Yong's status before. Only later did he learn that Wu Yong was the Northern Jiang Army's Think Tank, holding an incredibly high position, one that placed him beneath only one man but above tens of thousands. They had hidden the truth from him only to prevent him from overthinking.

"Losing Mr. Wu has been a great blow to my Northern Jiang Army, like losing an arm. Now, other powers are watching like hungry tigers," Zhang Xuan sighed, his face etched with profound worry.

Yuan Lin instantly understood why Zhang Xuan had come. He wants me to take my teacher's place, he realized. There must be no one else available.

In their southern expedition, the Northern Jiang Army had suffered immense losses. Most of their capable personnel had been lost. Fortunately, the army's foundation remained intact, but even so, it was left in a Weak state.

Zhang Xuan himself was from a lowly background, and most of the Northern Jiang Army's high command were not cultured men. This meant that without Wu Yong, they found themselves struggling to manage many affairs, and Zhang Xuan himself couldn't handle them all.

Zhang Xuan then remembered Wu Yong had a Disciple. If this Disciple could handle things, there shouldn't be a problem; after all, he was one of their own. Zhang Xuan had also investigated Yuan Lin and, finding no issues, had decided to pay him a visit.

It was precisely because of Wu Yong's significant standing in the Northern Jiang Army that his final letter had reached Yuan Lin's hands.

"If Uncle Zhang does not find my abilities lacking or my learning insufficient, I am willing to serve the Northern Jiang Army." Yuan Lin knew he couldn't avoid this. It would be better to speak up himself and earn some goodwill, rather than wait for Zhang Xuan to ask.

He wasn't actually averse to assisting Zhang Xuan. As long as his own objectives were met, it didn't matter whom he advised.

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Xuan was instantly delighted, his joy evident. He had been waiting for Yuan Lin to say this, having initially thought the young man might not understand his unspoken meaning. This was excellent.

"Not at all, not at all! You are Master Wu's Disciple; how could we find you lacking!" Zhang Xuan was overjoyed, but then, feeling his elation might be inappropriate, he composed himself and said, "There are many pressing matters in the army. If Nephew Yuan is available..."

"Of course, I am available. I await your arrangements, Your Majesty," Yuan Lin replied, changing his form of address, no longer calling him 'Uncle.'

"'Your Majesty'? There's no need for such formalities between us, uncle and nephew. Come with me." Seeing this, Zhang Xuan led Yuan Lin to where he handled official business.

He quickly brought Yuan Lin to the commander's tent, located in the center of the Northern Jiang Army's encampment. Inside was another young man—Zhang Xuan's son.

As King of Northern Jiang, Zhang Xuan had a son and a daughter, both serving in the army. His daughter aside, his son had followed his father through numerous campaigns and was a capable warrior in his own right.

"Yuan, you're here! Come in, come in, bro. I've been waiting for you for a long time," Zhang Cheng also rose to welcome him.

In this era, finding a capable person wasn't easy, especially in the Northern Prairie.

The vast majority of capable individuals came from Poor Families or the Great Family, or at the very least, were exceptionally wealthy Merchants. Most others never had the opportunity to learn to read.

Zhang Xuan and Zhang Cheng themselves were barely literate, having been forced to learn after their uprising began.

So, in Wu Yong's absence, dealing with official duties these past few days had nearly driven them mad.

"Greetings, Princely Heir," Yuan Lin said. "Are these the official duties that need to be handled these days?"

"No need for 'Princely Heir'! Just call me bro," Zhang Cheng said politely, then continued, "That's right, these are them. How long do you think you'll need to handle them, Yuan?"

How long it takes depends not on the quantity, but on the content, Yuan Lin thought. He was actually quite puzzled. There should be many literate people in the army. Couldn't they just have someone read the documents aloud, and Zhang Xuan and Zhang Cheng could then dictate the responses? Why was it such a hassle? Finding a truly capable person might be difficult, but finding someone literate shouldn't be hard.

However, on second thought, he understood. Neither of them was proficient in military affairs. Furthermore, these documents contained military secrets. If they were read aloud and someone overheard, or if the reader leaked the information, it would be disastrous. Yuan Lin, on the other hand, was Wu Yong's Disciple, a core member of the Northern Jiang Army, trustworthy and with connections. As for his ability... well, the test was starting now, wasn't it? If his ability was sufficient, he would directly replace Wu Yong as the Think Tank.

"Uncle Zhang, Big Brother Zhang, I'll start processing these then. Initially, I'll need your cooperation. I wonder..." Yuan Lin's intention was to demonstrate his abilities; if they proved satisfactory, Zhang Xuan and his son could then confidently leave him to work independently.

"Alright, go ahead." Zhang Xuan, though from a humble background and somewhat crude, was also insightful; otherwise, how could he have amassed such a large force?

Yuan Lin began reviewing the documents, verbalizing their contents and his proposed solutions.

Anyone could read the content; what Zhang Xuan and his son needed were solutions to these official matters.

"You truly embody Master Wu's teachings. Well done." Zhang Xuan was very satisfied with Yuan Lin's solution to this particular matter—a solution he himself wouldn't have even thought of.

"In that case, I shall write down the official decision," Yuan Lin said. He then wrote the solution into the report and handed it to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan did not take it. Instead, he retrieved a seal from his robes and placed it on the table.

"This is Master Wu's Army Adviser's Seal. From now on, it will be in your keeping, Nephew. Once you've approved the documents, you can stamp them, and then dispatch someone to carry out the orders." Zhang Xuan was naturally an astute man. The first matter he had presented was actually the most difficult. Yuan Lin's casual resolution of it indicated that the others wouldn't be a problem either.

So, just as he had done before, he directly delegated authority.

"This... Very well, I accept it." Yuan Lin did not refuse.

This meant he was now taking the place of his teacher, Wu Yong.

"Cheng'er and I still need to patrol the border. We'll leave the remaining affairs to you, Nephew Yuan." Zhang Xuan cupped his hands in a salute and, after speaking, left with Zhang Cheng.

The two of them were primarily focused on military affairs and were actually very busy. Naturally, after assessing Yuan Lin, they departed.

After they had walked some distance, Zhang Xuan finally spoke, "Cheng'er, what do you think of Yuan Lin? Is he worthy of Qing'er?"

He intended to bind Yuan Lin firmly to their war chariot. Judging by how quickly Yuan Lin handled official duties, his potential for Growth suggested he would eventually surpass Wu Yong.

"He is indeed worthy. I'm just not sure if Sister Qing'er would be willing," Zhang Cheng replied, clearly holding Yuan Lin in high regard.

"If he's worthy, that's enough. This is a matter of parents' orders and matchmakers' words; how could it be her decision?" Zhang Xuan settled the matter simply. "Next, we'll find an opportunity to bring the two of them together."

"But are we talking about him marrying into our family, or our daughter marrying into his?" Zhang Cheng asked.

Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Let's marry our daughter to him. If we were to have him marry into our family, it might seem somewhat demeaning to Nephew Yuan and could inevitably cause ill feelings."