knife

Chapter 101: Everyone Wants to Delay It

A handcart, a stove, a soup pot, several stacks of bowls and chopsticks, and seven or eight small stools—that's all the belongings of a roadside vendor.

The small stools looked quite old, with many signs of repair, but the bowls and chopsticks were clean. The business was run by an elderly couple, their clothes patched upon patched, but they were also clean and looked quite efficient.

The war had just ended, and the city was very quiet. The people in the city naturally stayed home as much as possible unless absolutely necessary.

Although the thin door could not stop a ferocious army, it could still provide a false sense of security when closed.

The elderly couple were somewhat apprehensive, because almost all of those who came to patronize their business were soldiers dressed in brown uniforms.

These are the people who conquered Treasure City and killed countless people. Those who died were all important figures in the city, and their heads are still hanging on the city walls!

Ding Ergou and Huang Dafu sat on small stools, each holding a bowl of glutinous rice balls. The rice was very sticky and soft, but unfortunately, no sugar was added, which made the taste much worse.

However, in such cold weather, a bowl of hot glutinous rice balls is already quite nice. As for frosting sugar, even on the Helan Plain, it is only added in small amounts during festivals.

That thing is too expensive!
"Brother Dafu, looks like we can go home for the New Year!" Ding Ergou's hands were wrapped in thick strips of cloth. Two days ago, during the siege, he had grabbed the spear shaft that was thrusting at him with his bare hands, and the skin on his palms was rubbed off. He didn't notice it at the time and chopped off the guy's head with his sword and jumped onto the city wall. He didn't feel the pain until the battle was over.

"Hopefully you can go home for the New Year. You've got quite a haul this time, haven't you?" Huang Dafu: "You've got a lot of good stuff bulging in your pockets?"

Ding Ergou chuckled, "I'm going to the jewelry store in town later to buy some jewelry for Jiaojiao. She's been with me for years, and all I've bought her are a few copper hairpins!"

“Then let’s go together. Otherwise, if your wife is pregnant and mine isn’t, won’t you cause trouble for me?” Huang Dafu laughed.

Ding Ergou and Huang Dafu were from the same village, and in the army they were in the same team and the same regiment. They were both squad leaders. When they went to the battlefield, they stood close to each other. Although they only fought one battle, they developed a good understanding of each other.

War is the ultimate test of character. Although they didn't have much experience yet, they both understood that on the battlefield, helping each other was the best way to survive.

This battle wasn't actually that difficult, because the enemy's commander was beheaded early on.

I'm afraid there won't be many more good things like this in the future.

"I heard that seven men from the Eighth Company of the Second Regiment died. Their captain cried terribly after the battle!" Ding Ergou said.

"It's really tragic that a village lost seven people at once. I heard they ran into the Yan family who were trying to break through the siege, and they're tough nut to crack." Huang Dafu shook his head and said, "Ergou, in war, sometimes you really need a bit of luck. The Eighth Team was just unlucky. Tell me, if we had encountered these enemies, I'm afraid we wouldn't have survived either!"

Ding Ergou shuddered: "Brother Dafu, we're still lacking. If we could cultivate to the Qi Control level sooner, we wouldn't be afraid."

At this point, Huang Dafu looked at Ding Ergou with some envy. Although both of them were now in the solid state, Huang Dafu was almost thirty years old and at most he would only be in the solid state in his lifetime, while Ding Ergou was only eighteen years old, which meant he had unlimited possibilities.

In the team, the captain treated Ding Ergou very well, and the regimental commander also thought highly of him. This was because Ding Ergou's future achievements were very likely to surpass theirs.

Ding Ergou finished the hot soup in one gulp, took out four copper coins from his pocket and put them on the stall. He said to Huang Dafu, "Brother Dafu, let's go early. I'm afraid there are many people who have the same idea as us. If we go late, we'll have to queue up. If we don't get a turn, our day will be wasted. Who knows, we might be ordered to set off again at any time."

"Let's go!" Huang Dafu also took out four copper coins, put them on the stall, and the two strode away side by side.

Linghu Zhishu stood at the window, gazing at the scene unfolding on the street below.

"Did you notice anything?" He turned to look at one of his attendants.

"Their military discipline is excellent!" the attendant said. "This stall opened yesterday, and so far, all the customers have been Li Dachui's soldiers in brown uniforms, but not a single one has ate or dashed. They may be bandits, but their discipline is astonishing!"

"The streets are getting more and more lively, and more and more shops are opening. This shows that their control over Baoping City is deepening and becoming more and more successful," another person said. "When do you think Xiao Changche will meet with me?"

"Although Baoping City is the core of Baoping Prefecture, it is not the entirety of Baoping Prefecture. Although the main force of the Yan family's army was wiped out by Xiao Changche, the Yan clan's influence in the towns and villages below is still very strong. The absence of Xiao Changche and his main cavalry in Baoping City can only mean one thing: they are clearing out the Yan clan's resistance forces in various places. Once the clearing is completed, it will mean that Xiao Changche has completely controlled Baoping Prefecture. Only then will he meet with you, Military Advisor!"

Chang Jian walked over, looked at the street, and said with some confusion, "To completely control a place, military occupation is only the first step, or even the simplest step. Many people can do that, but to completely control a place is difficult. Xiao Changche's strength is obvious to all. He has strong military strength but weak governance. How can he control Baoping Prefecture? I'm afraid that even if you gathered all the literate people under his command, there would be very few of them."

“Tai’an City!” Linghu Zhishu said, “Elder Chang, do you still remember the Hall of Worthies in Tai’an City? Many scholars gathered there. And the academies in Tai’an City, which said that education should be accessible to all, as long as one is willing to study, one can go and learn!”

“It seems that Master Yu proposed building this school when he was still in Tai’an City!” Chang Jian said, “I remember that. The school’s tuition could be paid on credit or deducted by working at the school. Some talented students also received financial aid, and so on. It was very prosperous.”

At this point, Chang Jian glanced at Linghu Zhishu and said, "If that's the case, then is Baoping Prefecture Xiao Changche's Baoping Prefecture or Tai'an City's Baoping Prefecture?"

“For us, it doesn’t make much difference!” Linghu Zhishu gritted his teeth and said, “Xiao Changche and Tai’an City have clearly colluded. Who is in charge and who is deputy is an internal matter for them, but the threat they pose to us is real. Moreover, in my opinion, there is a high possibility that Tai’an City will take control, and Xiao Changche is just a military man.”

"Now that we have Zhang Ruo, don't we?"

"Mr. Chang, do you think Zhang Ruo is skilled at manipulating people's hearts and minds?"

Chang Jian shook his head. If Zhang Ruo had that ability, he wouldn't have been ruined and driven to exile beyond the Great Wall.

“They’re stalling for time. Doesn’t the commander-in-chief also need time to adjust his forces?” Chang Jian laughed. “We can talk again when the commander-in-chief has finished making arrangements! But Zhishu, if we can’t reach an agreement, will we really fight? If we really go to war, it will only hurt our friends and please our enemies. In the end, the only ones who will benefit are the Yuan people.”

Linghu Zhishu's face twitched.

Who said no!
But what can be done?
If negotiations break down, then only a swift and decisive strike will suffice. It would be best to completely annihilate Xiao Changche before the Yuan people can react. Only in this way can the losses be minimized.

In any case, when he left Zhenwu City, the commander-in-chief's five thousand personal guards were already preparing for battle.

However, just thinking about Xiao Changche's three thousand iron cavalry and Li Dachui's Heavenly Battalion made Linghu Zhishu's teeth ache.

What if things don't go well in the start of the war?
What if I fail?
"Contact our informants in Baoping City. I need the most detailed intelligence, including every single detail they can find out about this battle!" Linghu Zhishu said. "Also, find out as much as possible where Xiao Changche and Li Dachui are."

“Zhishu, I’m afraid they’re watching our every move closely. Is it alright to act so openly?” Chang Jian asked.

“Elder Chang, we rushed here in a panic, only to be humiliated and left standing there. If we just sit here leisurely and do nothing, that would be abnormal. Would that still be us?” Linghu Zhishu said, “If we jump around and reach out, acting desperately and even resorting to unscrupulous means, they will think we are helpless and will gloat over our failure. As for exposing some informants, it doesn’t matter. Since they can be exposed, they are not worth much. Those who are truly valuable will naturally be hidden even deeper.”

After hearing Linghu Zhishu's words, Chang Jian was stunned for a long time before nodding. "That makes sense. I was wrong. I hope it won't really come to blows. We don't know how strong Li Dachui is yet, but Xiao Cheqi's three thousand iron cavalry are truly impressive!"

Is Li Dachui's strength lacking?
Linghu Zhishu is now able to roughly sketch out some of Li Dachui's power.

Leaving aside Fang Xiaomao's Tianzi Camp, just considering Gu Xiaoman, also known as Wild Wolf, his ability to hold out against the encirclement of tens of thousands of Yan's troops until Xiao Changche's cavalry arrived speaks volumes about his strength.

I'm afraid this Li Dachui will be even more difficult to deal with than Xiao Changche.

Thinking about how he had overlooked such a powerful force over the years, allowing that scoundrel Li Dachui to grow into what he is today, Linghu Zhishu wanted to slap himself a few times.

This is my own fault.

If I had discovered Li Dachui's true strength earlier, I would never have tolerated them developing to this point. So what if they have a master of innate strength backing them up?
(End of this chapter)