To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Thus, we can raise an army of two million men.

This old minister is willing to personally lead these forces to the front lines at Liang City, to engage in a decisive battle to the death with the Chu traitors.

If we win, Liang City will be regained, and Dongjun will be preserved.

If we are defeated, I, along with the army, shall all perish; I implore the Crown Prince to lead the group of ministers and all officials across the river back to Ji, to preserve their lives.

The great affairs of the state, the rise or fall of Zhao Country, are all hinged on this moment.

I beseech the Crown Prince to grant his approval."

Zhao Country does not compare to Chu State or Liang in terms of deep foundations that can continually produce famous generals of the world.

Like the other ordinary dominant states of Nine Provinces, there has always been only one famous general in Zhao, and that is the Chen Tai before us.

It’s just that Chen Tai is too old; he is already one hundred thirty-five years old.

At this age, even for an Inborn Grandmaster, it is already the twilight years when one could pass away at any time.

What’s worse is that a lifetime of warfare, especially the past forty years due to the sudden intensification of conflicts in Nine Provinces brought about by the cataclysmic changes between Heaven and Earth, has taken up too much of his energy.

It can be said that almost all major battles in recent years in Zhao Country were presided over by this Old General Chen Tai.

The management and mobilization of tens of millions of people over the years, pressure balancing in all aspects domestically and internationally, and the fate of tens of millions of people in the country, have all been bearing down on this Old General’s shoulders.

All of these things have exhausted his energy.

Even an Inborn Grandmaster cannot transform fully into an iron man.

Long-term high-intensity energy consumption has rapidly dimmed the flame of Chen Tai’s life, gradually giving him a sense of not being able to hold on.

Therefore, as early as seventeen years ago, after personally leading the army to seize the region of Dongjun, Chen Tai had gradually let go of military affairs and handed over the army campaigns to the younger generation.

This person is Zhao Cheng, a scion of the Clan and the one now overseeing the front line at Bai Ma.

He himself has retreated to a secondary position and has taken up the role of the Minister of the Ministry of War, enjoying a leisurely life at court.

Zhao Cheng is a great general who has emerged in recent years in Zhao Country.

Not only is he extremely talented in Martial Arts, but at just sixty years old, he has also broken through to the Second Realm of Inborn.

Since joining the army, he has displayed an exceptionally brilliant performance in successive major battles.

Especially in the previous war for Dongjun, while the chief credit naturally went to the commanding Chen Tai, the most dazzling achievements under the commander were those of Zhao Cheng.

With his noble birth, high strength, conspicuous military exploits, and youth,

it can be said that Zhao Cheng, with all these shining halos, is naturally the next-generation military leader of Zhao Country.

And Zhao Country has also trained him according to this standard.

However, heaven does not always follow one’s wishes.

The earlier years of cultivation were indeed good for Zhao Cheng, who established his merits step by step in the army, his official ranks rapidly promoted, developing towards a trend comparable to Chen Tai.

In everyone’s eyes, by the age of sixty, Zhao Cheng would be the new star of Zhao Country’s next generation of famous generals.

But at that time, seven years ago, just when he was one step away from the standard of a famous general,

a crushing defeat interrupted his rise.

Wei Country took the initiative to invite Zhao and Xu to jointly launch an expedition against Liang, hoping for a decisive Great War to completely resolve the long-drawn-out struggle for Central State.

From the viewpoint at that time, after years of development, the combined strength of the three countries had already surpassed that of Liang, with a significant advantage.

On the contrary, Liang, after consecutive years of warfare, had become increasingly exhausted, gradually showing signs that it could no longer keep up.

At the time of the decisive battle with Liang, the odds of victory were quite large.

Thus, Zhao and Xu, upon receiving Wei’s invitation, gladly followed their big brother into battle.

On Zhao’s side, in order to cultivate the younger generation, they replaced the command of the troops with Zhao Cheng, who had been carefully trained, replacing the now aged and infirm Old General, Chen Tai.

The aim was to use this great war to propel a new generation of famous generals from Zhao after the victory, who could uphold Zhao’s military for the next hundred years.

Then, the outcome became clear to everyone.

Wei, as an ally, was truly despicable.

A major defeat led two allies to a crushing failure.

Forget about a big victory, the two countries nearly lost even their pants.

If Chu hadn’t intervened afterwards, Zhao and Xu would likely have coughed up the fruits of their years of development in Central State in one breath.

In such a situation, Zhao Cheng’s path to becoming a famous general was naturally greatly hindered and no longer possible to achieve.

Especially seven years ago, after the disastrous defeat at Changyuan.

In a critical situation, Zhao had to pull Chen Tai out of retirement and place him in Diqiu to serve as Minister of the Ministry of War and Vice-Locum Tenens of South Capital, to stabilize the overall situation.

So even now, Zhao still only has Chen Tai, an old general who might die at any moment, as its visible pillar of support, which is extremely precarious.

Under the present circumstances, the only one who could step forward to administer the overall situation and salvage the state of affairs was Chen Tai alone.

"Old General, can your body endure if you go on an expedition?"

Upon hearing Chen Tai volunteer, Crown Prince Zhao Xi couldn’t help but show his concern.

He knew that the body of this pillar of Zhao, if he truly went on an expedition this time, would be like carrying a coffin into battle, at any moment he could exhaust his energy and die suddenly on the battlefield.

To be so devoted to one’s country, to bow and serve until death, is all one could ask for.

"The state of my body is something I understand well; to last three to five years, indeed I am not capable. But to last one or one and a half years, that’s still without issue."

Facing the Crown Prince’s concern, Chen Tai shook his head and said, "Considering the situation in the Eastern Province, without Liang City to accept supplies from Hebei’s Ji Province, Zhao’s decisive battle against Chu’s army won’t last too long.

In at most two or three months’ time, the victory or defeat will be decided.

With my condition, it is enough to last until the end of the war."

Zhao Xi nodded slightly upon hearing this, then finally, looking earnestly at Chen Tai, agreed, "Since the Old General insists, the survival of the Eastern Province and the security of Diqiu are entrusted to you.

Old General, you may command the troops to the front line immediately, and I, in Diqiu city, will surely take good care of everything behind the lines, you won’t be troubled."

Zhao Xi took out the military tokens and personally handed them to Chen Tai, making a solemn promise.

Chen Tai accepted them and replied gravely, "Rest assured, Your Highness, I will fight to the end to protect our Great Zhao’s last stretch."

Having said this, he took the token and turned to leave.

He needs to muster the army for the expedition soon, and the Old General must gather his old subordinates and mobilize the troops.

’I wonder, after several years away from the camp, will those young lads still remember this old man.’

On his way out, Chen Tai paused, gazing at the clear bright moon, feeling a mix of fervor and desolation in his heart.

The state of Great Zhao, ever since the defeat at Changyuan seven years earlier, had been in continual decline.

Now, they’ve been reduced to sending an old man like himself into battle.

Alas, it’s done. This final battle of life, I will just do my best.

As for the future of Great Zhao, I won’t see it and can’t concern myself with too much more.