You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 46 Treat
Heavy snow has blocked the mountains, shrouding the world in darkness, and the sun has not been seen for several days.

On the vast white earth, the wind howled, and the swirling snow blurred the vision, making it difficult to distinguish anything even a hundred paces away.

The Song soldiers stationed here all stayed in their tents, and only the unlucky ones were sent to build camps.

Everyone was covered in white hair and looked like a monster, but they were just cursing quietly.

On the watchtowers on all four sides, the Song army had doubled its guards and lookouts. Despite the heavy snow blocking the mountains, the Xia rebels didn't care about that.

A group of soldiers huddled on the narrow watchtower, taking turns looking into the distance. It was precisely at times like this that they were most worried about the Xia bandits taking advantage of the weather to launch an attack on their camp.

Everyone was exhaling long puffs of white breath, stamping their feet to keep warm on the watchtower.

Han Shizhong, wearing a thick cloak, walked up and down the stockade wall, inspecting the area.

In their camp, the original commander Gao Yu had already died in battle, and the new commander had not yet arrived.

So everyone elected Han Shizhong to temporarily take charge, and he readily agreed, taking on the responsibility of commanding the battalion as a temporary captain.

He paced back and forth on the stockade wall, occasionally cracking a few gruff jokes and affectionately patting the helmets of the soldiers on duty, stirring up a small commotion wherever he went.

Everyone respected Han Shizhong. He was a capable commander, yet approachable. If he were to become a battalion commander, fighting under him would be a sure win.

At this time, he was not the real headman yet. His status was actually the same as everyone else's. He was just temporarily recommended to take charge, waiting for the new commander appointed from above to arrive. Then everyone would be a common soldier again.

"Han Wu, when will you truly be eliminated as the commander of this battalion? Until the order is issued, you won't be able to stand up straight. In the end, don't exert yourself; the credit will go to others, but you'll be the one suffering!"

This person was clearly an old acquaintance; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken so rudely, so precisely targeting Han Shizhong's lungs.

Even the usually carefree Han Shizhong sighed, "Damn it, I, Han Shizhong, am thirty years old and have been a bachelor my whole life. How can I not think things through now?"

But my reputation is too bad, and I don't have many major achievements. How can I get promoted?
And now, with the battle at Hengshan turning out like this, it's already a miracle I'm not being blamed for the defeat. I wonder when a capable lord will appear and lead us in a proper battle; otherwise, Commander Yu, you might not even be a commander, and I, Han Wu, might just waste my life!

"You really have a mouth." Hearing his unusually serious tone, devoid of his usual nonchalance, everyone felt the same way and couldn't help but feel melancholy.

Who doesn't want to make a name for themselves?

If this had happened during the founding of the nation, countless people among them would have been destined for high office and great titles.

Now, they can't even get a full meal.

Especially the current Han Wu, how many contributions he has made, others may not know, but these old brothers do.
Now, he can't even get a position as a military commander.

There's no other reason than that he came from a very humble background.

"Someone!"

Everyone hurriedly got up and looked over.

Sure enough, a rider came galloping from afar. Han Shizhong laughed and said, "Just one. He must be one of our own."

"Huh, it seems to be a messenger again." The others couldn't see it at all, but Han Shizhong's eyesight was exceptionally good. He could see clearly and far, and his eyesight was even a bit abnormal.

Half an hour later, looking at the document in his hand, Han Shizhong was somewhat puzzled.

Who is Chen Shao?

The messenger, Shengjie, was also puzzled and asked, "You don't recognize him? Didn't Shaoge say that he was on good terms with you and used his connections to transfer you over? Oh, right, Liu Guanglie is his cousin."

Han Shizhong suddenly remembered.

It was him.
The kid who took credit for his own work has now risen to the rank of commander?
It's still under the command of the victorious army!

Han Shizhong narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling excited. His opportunity had finally arrived.
-
Xingqing Village.

Chen Shao sat on a wooden stake, scraping hides with the villagers. These were all wild animals hunted from the mountains; mink, fox, and otter pelts, though not as valuable as cowhide, could still be used to make some armor.

Beside him squatted a middle-aged Tangut woman, sturdy in build, instructing Chen Shao on how to scrape skin.

His village has taken in many Qiang people. Although the Western Xia was ruled by the Qiang, they were very embroiled in internal strife.

There were frequent conflicts between the tribes, and each tribe was happy to wipe out the other's tribe.

Over the years, the border region has seen a mix of Han and Qiang people, as well as some Uyghurs and Tibetans.

When war breaks out, neither side cares which ethnic group you belong to; they'll just harass you if they catch you, especially in small-scale battles in the mountains where you basically have to find supplies on the spot.

Zhao He returned from outside and found Chen Shao. "Master, I went to Shihao Village. They said that Li Xiaozhong hasn't been selling horses for a long time."

Chen Shao nodded, slightly regretful, "Did you leave a letter?"

"I stayed."

On the day he went to buy horses with Dong Dahu, Li Xiaozhong, the man who stole horses from the Xixia ranch, left a very good impression on Chen Shao.

He wanted to recruit the other person, but the person was no longer there.

In these chaotic times, without news, there's a high probability that they're gone.
Chen Shao sighed inwardly, secretly lamenting the pity.

Zhao He lowered his voice and said, "Master, that son of a bitch Ma Hong is talking badly about you behind your back again, saying that you deliberately didn't ask for supplies and that the whole village will starve to death sooner or later."

Chen Shao smiled and nodded to indicate that he understood.

"My boss?"

Chen Shao clapped his hands, washed them in the pool next to him, and rinsed off the blood and foam.

"We'll host a banquet tonight and invite them to drink. That way, all these conflicts will be resolved."

Zhao He found it unbelievable that he would invite them to a banquet.

"Since we've met here, it's fate. We're all brothers. If the Xia bandits attack in the future, we'll have to rely on each other to defend against them."

Feeling aggrieved, Zhao He exhaled a heavy puff of white air and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, in Ma Hong's room, he was picking charcoal from the stove.

The grilled meat on the rack was sizzling with oil, and the aroma filled the air. The oil droplets falling onto the charcoal made a sizzling sound.

At this moment, Zhen Qi, Ma Hong's trusted confidant with a face full of scars, strode in, his hand on his sword.

He lowered his head and whispered a few words in Ma Hong's ear.

"Did he really say that?"

Zhen Qi nodded and said, "Brother, is this kid trying to trick us? Could it be that Li Mi invited Zhai Rang?"

Ma Hong sneered disdainfully, "Trying to trick me? What makes him think he can? I'll urge him again tonight. If he doesn't ask Tong Guan for grain and instead takes those brutes hunting every day, the village will soon be empty."

Zhen Qi wiped his eyelids and said, "Brother, don't be careless. I've noticed something strange about this kid since he arrived. He's always cheerful and never seems to be in a hurry, as if he has some confidence."

Ma Hong glanced at him sideways, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Tell the brothers to take their knives, and send a few more tonight!"

　Thanks to Ziqi Donglai, Gouqi, and Shuzi Ge for the donations. The Li Shishi side story is out, as usual.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)