The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 78 The Night Before the Decisive Battle (Thanks to "一笑奈何有酒醉" for the generous donation)

The 20th camp still smelled bad, but it was better than yesterday.

Perhaps Xiao Yiwen has gotten used to it.

After putting down the box containing the reward money, he went outside, wrung out some cold water, and simply wiped his body down.

He touched his back muscles, which were beginning to take shape, and was quite satisfied with the progress. He had no shortage of skills in wielding a gun and shooting arrows, but there was still a lot of room for improvement in his strength and back muscles.

"You're really not being fair by going to raid the camp without me on your back!" Guo Xin strode over and angrily questioned, "Why didn't you take me with you?"

“I was planning and copying when Liu Tingrang took me away.”

"Do you think I'm stupid? I may not like to use my brain, but that doesn't mean I don't have one."

"Okay, to be honest, you're not good enough. Your horsemanship, archery, martial arts, and resourcefulness are all below the standard of a scout."

"Ugh, stop telling the truth, it's annoying."

Xiao Yi smiled, casually put on his robe, and said, "You have remembered my merit, so I am sure we can hold the banner of the Twenty Camps."

"Oh, you didn't know?"

"how?"

"That old monkey Chen Guanghui, I don't know where he got more than two hundred people, and filled up almost all of the First, Second and Fourth Districts."

Xiao Yi's smile faded, and he asked, "Where did he get his soldiers and horses? We are a cavalry force."

Guo Xin looked dejected and said, "It must be that he pulled the mountain from Chanzhou when crossing the river. Which Chanzhou soldier wouldn't want to join his father? And Wang Yin didn't stop him. I suspect that if he hadn't deliberately made things difficult for us, he could have filled the entire command post."

Xiao Yi glanced back and said, "It's alright, at least the flag of the 20th Battalion is still there."

"That's true, but let me show you around, come on."

The two hadn't walked far when they saw a camp with a large flag planted in front of it. The flagpole was made of jujube wood and covered with black leather. The flag itself was the deep indigo color of the Tianxiong Army, and the words "Twentieth Commander of the Left Wing of the Cavalry" were embroidered in gold thread, making it look quite imposing.

Isn't that infuriating?

Guo Xin stared at the flag, spat into the snow, and cursed, "That old woman Chen Guanghui, her embroidery skills aren't bad."

"Sanlang, why speak ill of others behind their backs?"

Xiao Yi turned around and saw Chen Guanghui striding over, bowing to Guo Xin and saying in a friendly tone, "If you, Third Brother, are dissatisfied with this humble servant, please feel free to speak up."

"No, I was just praising the embroiderer you hired. It must have cost you a lot of money."

"As the commander of the twentieth command, I should take it seriously."

After Chen Guanghui finished speaking, he turned to Xiao Yi and said frankly, "I know the commander-in-chief appreciates you and will transfer you to another command sooner or later. From now on, we will go our separate ways."

Xiao Yi said, "Commander Chen should be the one to take a higher position. I have little experience and plan to hone my skills in the 20th Battalion."

"Still being stubborn." Chen Guanghui snorted angrily and said, "There's no one else around right now. To be honest, there's nothing that can't be overcome between real men, but it's different in front of the brothers. If I back down, where will I put my face? You'll definitely push me out!"

“Let’s rely on our own abilities!” Guo Xin shouted. “We’ll have to thank you for the heads you’ve taken and the flags you’ve embroidered.”

He had made the boast, but as soon as he turned around, Guo Xin lost confidence and began to sigh.

"Damn it, two hundred men will definitely get more heads than forty. What should I do? Should I go ask my father for help?"

"It doesn't matter. The quality of the troops is more important than their quantity."

"But we're not very good either; the new recruits are all clueless."

"Don't say anything that might dampen morale. How did the training go today?"

"They practiced really well. I had a lot of ideas; I made them shuffle the name chain game, it was so much fun, and we even sang a song..."

"Have you practiced standing at attention and obeying commands?"

"Sigh, I've practiced a bit."

Suddenly, a deafening cheer erupted from the camp, with soldiers shouting "Victory!" Their voices echoing across the entire area.

Xiao Yi and Guo Xin exchanged a glance, both puzzled.

After traveling for a while, the two saw Hua Nong and Lao Pan standing there looking at each other, having just finished talking with a military officer.

"What happened?"

"Commander, everyone in the army is saying that once Kaifeng is captured, soldiers will be allowed to plunder. Didn't you say that Commander Guo is different from others? This..."

"How could that be? My grandfather pacified the three towns without committing a single crime. Who would dare spread such a rumor?!"

“It’s true,” Old Pan said. “The supervising officer’s original words were, ‘After receiving the punishment, once the capital is captured, you may plunder within ten days.’”

"Wang Jun?"

Xiao Yi felt a chill run down his spine, and immediately understood why Wang Jun had looked at him unkindly during the military council. Since he advocated allowing the troops to plunder, he naturally disliked him after hearing about his killing of Xu Sheng.

Conversely, he now also loathes Wang Jun.

However, the key to this matter lies in Guo Wei's attitude.

"I'm going to see you, sir."

Xiao Yi immediately strode towards the central command tent.

Guo Xin followed without hesitation, saying, "I'll go with you!"

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Xiao Yi's mind: Why was Wang Jun acting this way? And what was Guo Wei's attitude?

Today, after risking my life to scout the camp, I saw that the morale of the Southern Army was far inferior to that of the Northern Army. This battle is almost certain to be won, so why bother with this unnecessary effort? It seems that Wang Jun doesn't trust me at all and thinks that Guo Chongwei instructed me and Liu Tingrang to say what was advantageous to him. Wang Jun was frightened by the Emperor's personal expedition and thought that this gamble, which was risking his entire family's lives, could not be lost and that he had to ensure a sure win.

That scoundrel cherishes his life and property; the more than 200,000 men, women, and children of Kaifeng are merely bargaining chips.

Thinking about what happened next, Xiao Yi's face darkened.

"That old bastard Wang Jun, he's so sinister and disgusting! To come up with such a terrible idea, ruining my grandfather's lifelong reputation!" Guo Xin cursed. "I'll make sure he doesn't get away with this..."

"You two, stop right there!"

Before they even reached the central army's camp, two men came side by side from the side and shouted at them.

Xiao Yi turned his head and saw that it was Wang Yin and Guo Chongwei. He quickly clasped his hands in greeting.

"Look how tense your face is."

Wang Yin stepped forward, patted the snowflakes off Xiao Yi's shoulder, and whispered, "A true man remains calm even when Mount Tai collapses before him. If you want to achieve something, learn to keep your emotions in check."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi took a deep breath, his expression calming somewhat, but his eyes became even more resolute. Guo Xin asked, "Wang Jun said that Father allowed the soldiers to plunder for ten days, is that true?"

"General Guo and I have come here to dissuade you from this matter. You should go back first."

Xiao Yi said, "I dare say we will win this battle. There's no need for that. Let's withdraw our orders now..."

"Who dares to assert victory? In the Battle of Fei River, Fu Jian threw his whip to stop the flow of the river; was victory assured?" Wang Yin said, "I will advise Marshal Guo to restrain his troops, but it is not advisable to dampen the spirits of the soldiers now. We should wait until Liu Zibei defeats the Southern army and rewards the soldiers before announcing the victory. Do you understand?"

"Alright." Xiao Yi still had a question, saying, "I wonder if Wang Jun acted on his own initiative, or if he was truly acting on your orders, sir?"

Wang Yin sighed and said, "Does it still matter now?"

Xiao Yi remained silent for a moment, then said, "I would like to accompany you two to see Lord Ming."

"No need. You are too young and your words carry little weight. Go ahead and rest assured. I and General Guo will take care of everything."

"Can……"

Before Xiao Yi could say anything more, Guo Chongwei strode forward, shoved him onto the shoulder armor, and gave the order in a deep voice.

"Go back and rest!"

"Yes."

As Xiao Yi watched Wang Yin and Guo Chongwei's backs disappear into the central army, he felt half of his hot blood cool down.

The enthusiasm for serving Guo Wei also cooled down.

"Let's go."

"Are we just going to let it go like this?" Guo Xin said, "Let's go ask Wang Jun in person."

"What's the use? Let's talk after the decisive battle with Generals Wang and Guo."

"Oh."

Back at the campsite, the morale of the other camps was noticeably low compared to their high spirits.

Their reason for following Xiao Yi, besides his personal charisma, was partly because they believed that Guo Wei's policy of not harming the people during the pacification of the three towns would become the norm.

This is also the source of the conflict between Xiao Yi and Chen Guanghui.

Before Xiao Yi could even enter, Hua Nong pulled him aside.

"command."

"what happened?"

"The common people in the shops of the post station... General Guo stayed here for several days, and they were all safe and sound. But as soon as Wang Jun's troops arrived, they all..."

Xiao Yi's gaze fell upon Hua Nong, where two tears fell from her eyes.

"At noon, I went to buy needles and thread. Madam Xing gave me a bowl of hot soup and said that General Guo and our army were very strict in their discipline. Her child was only four years old and kept pestering me to teach him the character 'Guo.' She said, 'From now on, you won't be afraid when you see this flag.' Her words are still ringing in my ears..."

At this point, Hua Nong choked up and burst into tears, collapsing to the ground. She then slammed her fist into the ground, smashing it until her hand was covered in blood and gore.

“Fuck!”

Xiao Yi squatted down, used clean snow to wipe the mud off his wound, and asked, "Do you still believe me?"

"After more than ten years in the army, I've become numb. If it weren't for my husband giving me hope, I wouldn't be so heartbroken. But this hope... is Guo Wei really different? Can this chaotic world really end?"

"Changes in the world don't happen overnight; they come from small changes accumulating into a great change. This is called 'quantitative change leading to qualitative change.' There are more and more generals like us, Wang Yin, and Guo Chongwei in the army, and sooner or later we will be able to sweep away the bad habits of the Five Dynasties."

"Quantitative change and qualitative change, sir, your words are insightful. What is meant by the Five Dynasties? Do you believe there were Five Dynasties in a chaotic era?"

"Don't worry, as long as we keep working, things can change. The key is that you can't collapse. If you collapse, what will happen to the soldiers?"

"..."

When the two returned to their lodgings, they found Guo Xin and Zhang Mantun reprimanding their soldiers.

"how?"

“These three cowards want to go find Chen Guanghui… What else do they want to say? Shut up.”

Xiao Yi said, "Zhang Biao, just say what you have to say."

“Alright, this is what Commander Xiao said. Commander Chen is the main general, so I’m following him. Besides, once Kaifeng is captured, Commander Xiao will definitely keep everyone under control. If we calculate it this way, the income will be far less. I’ve already planned it out: rob a few wealthy households and take some beauties…”

"Speak up! You fucking shut up! You're so pathetic, believing that old man Wang Jun's bullshit. Would you let my grandfather cause me trouble?"

Guo Xin cursed and lunged forward, kicking Zhang Biao to the ground and stomping on his face five or six times. He said angrily, "You bastards! I hate two-faced people the most. If you dare to walk out today, I'll beat you every time I see you in the future."

"Let him go."

Xiao Yi said coldly, "Those who want to leave can, but don't come back. Let me make this clear: I have already asked, and the Lord does not allow the looting of Kaifeng. If I happen to find you raping and plundering, don't blame me for being ruthless! Those who don't want to leave should also think it over carefully. From now on, rely on your own abilities to fight and earn merit, and give up your desire to make money by wielding your sword against women and children."

After saying that, he snatched Zhang Mantun's knife and chopped off the corner of the table with one stroke.

"The rules of the Twentieth Battalion are: those who oppress the people shall die, and we mean it!"

"I'm leaving."

Zhang Biao stood up and hurriedly walked outside.

Guo Xin wanted to stop him, but Xiao Yi raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Let's talk about ours after those who are wavering and weak have left."

He opened the wooden box that Guo Wei had given him after his meritorious service that day, revealing ingots of gleaming silver inside.

"As I have said, the 20th Battalion will not withhold pay, and the rewards will only be more generous. I'm a man of my word. In this decisive battle at Liuzibei, all those under my command who fight bravely will receive additional rewards in addition to the military regulations. How to distribute these rewards is something the brothers can discuss and agree upon."

But Zhang Biao walked to the door, paused, turned around, and stared at the box full of silver coins, forgetting to move his feet for a moment.

The two soldiers who wanted to follow him had barely lifted their buttocks when they immediately fell back down.

The veracity of the news of the looting of Kaifeng is unknown. Even if it is true, they would still have to compete with 50,000 fellow countrymen for it. However, this large box of silver would be divided among everyone.

"You idiot, get lost!"

Seeing that Zhang Biao wouldn't leave, Guo Xin kicked him out.

"The 20th Battalion only needs brothers who are loyal and devoted to each other."

It seemed that with these words, the somewhat gloomy atmosphere in the 20th Battalion was dispelled, and a sense of righteousness and chivalry was added.

Tang Jin didn't return to the guard post. He sat there, his feet stinking, glancing at Xiao Yi and Guo Xin, then at the box of silver, his eyes darting around, seemingly plotting something.

With anticipation of merit and reward, everyone stood ready for battle. When the war drum sounded at dawn, they all got up and rushed to Liuzibei.

(End of this chapter)