In a chaotic world, border soldiers begin their journey by enlisting in the army and getting married

Nan Tu Rou rode forward on horseback, walked to Chen Shan's side, and looked at Chen Shan with a curious expression.

She kept a close eye on her surroundings throughout the journey.

Unfortunately, nothing was discovered.

As for Kong Qingzhi, that guy followed behind with his men, and he seemed to be honest and didn't make any moves.

She couldn't find the problem either.

If you continue deeper into the grasslands, you'll find yourself isolated and helpless.

If something goes wrong at that time, it will be very troublesome.

"We don't have any plans yet; we'll just wait and see."

"I'm just curious, when did Confucianism become so protective of its own people? They even sent troops out specifically for one person."

"Are they really that kind?"

As Chen Shan spoke, Nan Tu Rou was also taken aback, and then said, "I guess the important thing isn't the person. Didn't that guy say there were some ancient books too?"

"These guys have a ton of theories, they're always glued to those tattered books, but they don't seem to have any good character."

Despite her words, Nan Tu Rou couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark, showing absolutely no politeness.

Chen Shan looked thoughtful.

There seems to be something fishy going on here.

However, he couldn't figure out the problem, so he simply stopped thinking about it. Since he was already here, he decided to just take it one step at a time.

Gradually, the army penetrated deeper into the grasslands, getting closer and closer to the so-called Changshengtai (Longevity Terrace).

three days later.

The army arrived.

Dozens of miles ahead, billowing black smoke could be vaguely seen.

Chen Shan had exceptional eyesight, enhanced by the power of the Six Stones, which already made him extraordinary. He could clearly see that the place was indeed an altar.

While Qing dynasty architecture primarily consisted of tents, this altar was entirely constructed of piled stones, demonstrating its significant importance to the Qing dynasty.

Kong Qingzhi knew about such an important place, and even as he walked in, he didn't see any Qing troops.

This situation is truly bizarre.

"Brother Xiao, tell the brothers to be on alert."

"Ignore Kong Qingzhi and the others."

"I told you it was getting late and we should have started cooking."

As Chen Shan spoke, Xiao Zhen listened without asking any further questions, and instead directly had someone relay the military order.

Xiao Zhen was relatively reassured about Chen Shan's arrangements.

"What was discovered?"

Nan Tu Rou stepped forward and saw that the Red-Character Battalion had stopped, and some soldiers had even started cooking.

This action also stunned Kong Qingzhi, who was following behind.

Just when they were about to reach their destination, Nan Tu Rou and Chen Shan decided to stop.

This was truly unexpected.

"There's a problem. The fact that the Qing Dynasty was completely unprepared for this place is problematic. This Kong Qingzhi is not clean."

Chen Shan probably realized it.

Back when Chiling was under attack, some people colluded with the Qing army.

Back then, even a lowly corporal could make contact with the Qing Dynasty, let alone someone of Kong Qingzhi's status.

Although Chen Shan didn't say it outright, Nan Tu Rou was a smart person and understood the meaning behind his words.

Before Nan Tu Rou could even ask, Kong Qingzhi had already ridden forward, his face showing some displeasure.

"Who told you to stop?"

"The destination is not far ahead, keep going! If you delay the mission, I have the authority to punish you!"

Kong Qingzhi was very arrogant, speaking in a completely commanding tone.

Unfortunately, his status as the Grand General of the Southern Army was useless in the Red Flag Camp.

After all, he had already lost all face in the deficit camp.

With Chen Shan and Nan Tu Rou both present, they didn't take him seriously, so naturally, his soldiers wouldn't obey his orders.

"Are you all deaf? Didn't you hear what I said?!"

Being ignored, Kong Qingzhi instantly became furious.

Just as he was about to continue his outburst, he was interrupted by Nan Tu Rou.

"Kong Qingzhi, are you an idiot? Do you really know anything about military strategy and warfare?"

"After such a long journey, the soldiers naturally need to rest and recuperate so that they can be better prepared should the enemy appear."

"What? You don't even understand this simple logic?"

"Furthermore, since you've been following behind, I also have the right to order you to move forward and stand guard!"

Nan Tu Rou didn't hold back at all and directly retorted.

This stunned Kong Qingzhi, who was already furious, and her anger instantly turned into a cold laugh.

"Good, as expected of General Nan Tu, you have indeed learned the art of leading troops from King Nan Tu."

"I can have others keep watch. Once you've rested, don't let me down!"

Kong Qingzhi gritted his teeth, turned around, and led his battalion forward.

After watching Kong Qingzhi leave, Nan Tu Rou turned to Chen Shan.

"Tell me, did you discover something?"

Nan Tu Rou looked on with curiosity.

She didn't believe that Chen Shan stopped simply to rest.

"I've already said something's not right, General, there's no need to rush."

"Let's take stock of the number of people in our deficit camp first."

As Chen Shan spoke, Liu Sanshi also got up to check.

This move left Nan Tu Rou completely bewildered.

We've been in the grasslands for so many days now, and we're almost at our destination. What's the point of counting the number of people?

Moreover, the actual number of people involved in military campaigns is usually an approximation, not a precise figure.

After all, with numbers often in the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, who would care about the exact number of people?

Looking around, it's densely packed, and no one would bother to make any special plans.

However, not long after, the summaries of several thousand households were sent up.

"Boss, the calculations are done, the deficit battalion now has three thousand soldiers."

"Three thousand?"

"How could so much be missing?"

Nan Tu Rou was stunned, leaning against Chen Shan in disbelief.

As a general of the Third Army Corps, she knew exactly how many men were in each battalion.

The deficit camp had 5,000 men, and there were 5,000 when they came out. How could 2,000 be missing for no reason?

Xiao Zhen, who was standing to the side, was surprised by Nan Tu Rou's reaction and immediately laughed, "General, don't worry, those missing men were all arranged to go out in advance."

"We've been in the grasslands for so many days, and the people on night watch are all our own, so it's easy to get some of them out."

"Besides, that good-for-nothing Kong Qingzhi wouldn't even notice something like this."

Nan Tu Rou was dumbfounded when Xiao Zhen said that.

She's been with us the whole time during these past few days of marching.

Even though we didn't sleep together at night, it's not like we didn't notice this at all.

The key point is that no abnormality was detected the next day.

This is truly unexpected.

"Two thousand men, are they being sent out to provide backup? Chen Shan, what are you up to?"

Nan Tu Rou didn't understand, but she was also eager to know.

She was a seasoned veteran, but she had never seen such a feat before—to arrange so many things during a military march.

The key is to do it without anyone noticing.

"What kind of medicine could it be? It's obviously for better mission completion, isn't it?"

"Although the mission wasn't great, the military merits are real. Now that we're here, we can't go back empty-handed."

Chen Shan grinned, a bright and cheerful smile that suddenly made Nan Tu Rou feel like she couldn't see through him.

Although she knew this person was smart and capable, he was sometimes really hard to figure out.