058

In the afternoon, shouts suddenly rang out in the main camp of the Southwest Army. When the deputy generals led their men to the training ground, Yu Baizhou was already standing on the high platform with his hands behind his back.

At first there were some whispers and commotion below, but after several lieutenants kicked down a few people, they quieted down considerably.

The incident happened suddenly, and the deputy generals hadn't even had time to inform the general why he had pulled this stunt.

Until they saw three people bound hand and foot and escorted to a high platform, where they were forced to kneel on the ground.

A commotion immediately broke out below.

Those who knew them well were already unable to contain their emotions.

"Isn't that Commander Yang?"

"And there's Liu Zi..."

It would be good to know someone. Yu Baizhou, who was at the head of the table, paused for a moment to let the noise from the crowd below subside. Then, he picked up a mallet with one hand and struck a large gong that he had somehow acquired.

Initially, the Southwest only had a few hundred thousand troops, but after taking over Shannan Prefecture, they began to secretly recruit soldiers, and now they have at least three hundred thousand.

With all sides still eyeing this place covetously, it's certainly unrealistic to gather a large army here.

Therefore, Yu Baizhou adopted Song Ling's suggestion and only sent some of the officers with the rank of commander of a thousand households, commander of a hundred households, and above.

But there were still quite a few people.

Yu Baizhou stood on the high platform, scanning the expressions of the people below.

A line of soldiers stood in front of the platform, and whenever he spoke a sentence, these soldiers would shout it out loud to the soldiers below.

Its presence is absolutely extraordinary.

"I think quite a few people should recognize these three people on stage, right?"

He appeared to be smiling, but his eyes betrayed suppressed anger: "Which lieutenant general would like to claim his men?"

“Reporting to the General,” Lieutenant General Li stepped forward with an upright expression, “the leader is a commander of a thousand men under my command.”

Yu Baizhou: "These three people were robbing and beating civilians in the street. What is the military regulation for them?"

Lieutenant Li seemed surprised that his subordinates dared to be so arrogant, and frowned as he explained, "They should be beheaded."

The soldiers in that line were not idle for a moment, and the words "beheading" spoken by Lieutenant General Li were also relayed to the ears of the person below without reservation.

"Beheading? Surely not..."

"That's right, I heard about it. They only stole a bag of grain..."

"General, this is too disheartening. We fight and kill on the battlefield, and now you want to lose your life over a bag of grain?"

"Exactly, exactly," someone chimed in, "Who would dare risk their life for a general like that? He might just die in the camp one day..."

The situation is escalating, and it looks like things are getting out of control.

The lieutenants had never seen a general who could sow discord among his own soldiers, and they were at a loss for what to do.

Yu Baizhou and Song Ling, sitting at the head of the table, exchanged a glance and both saw the faces below who were stirring up trouble.

Having achieved their goal, the group quietly retreated to the back of the line.

With her hands behind her back, Song Ling made a single gesture with her fingers, and the person hidden behind her began to act.

"Quiet!"

Yu Baizhou suddenly roared, and the area below fell silent due to years of training.

Just then...

"Fellow soldiers—"

A woman's voice, seemingly gentle yet powerful, carrying an inner strength, reached the ears of everyone present.

Everyone present was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.

Even the row of soldiers standing below the stage, who were making their pronouncements, suddenly looked at each other in bewilderment.

Given this situation, will they... still spread it?

After receiving the general's hand signal, the leader led his men to join the ranks below, in case of any unforeseen events.

Deputy General Wang nudged Shi Qing beside him, staring in disbelief at the voice beside him: "Shi Qing, tell me, what kind of martial arts secret technique is this, strategist?"

How can someone be so powerful? They're even more impressive than a general.

"Maybe." Shi Qing pursed his lips, even more disdainful of his initial attitude of not recognizing someone's true worth.

He probably didn't even realize that at this moment, his eyes were brighter when he looked at Song Ling on the stage than when he looked at his own general.

After all, in the past, this Deputy General Shi had clearly always regarded General Yu as a role model.

"Do you recognize me, sir?" Song Ling smiled gently, breaking the tense atmosphere that had been created by General Yu's roar. The people below seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although most soldiers had never met Song Ling, they had heard of her and were grateful to her.

After all, this strategist Song not only solved their food problem, but also provided medical prescriptions to treat the disease when it spread to the military camp...

However, there are always some troublemakers who like to show off at this time.

"What right does a woman have to stand up there and lecture us!"

Scattered voices shouted angrily, and with a single glance from Yu Baizhou, his guards went to tie up the first person who had shouted.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it, and what you find is astonishing.

Lieutenant Li frowned. What kind of things are happening every day? Why are they always his men?

He was a general who was supposed to maintain the status quo, but heaven knows how he ended up recruiting so many scoundrels under his command every day.

"Brother, sigh." Another deputy general, Zhang, patted his shoulder and sighed.

Zhang, the deputy general, and Li, the deputy general, were soldiers of the same year, but their personalities were completely opposite. Li was cautious, while Zhang was very adventurous and brave.

However, most of Li's men were troublemakers, while Zhang's men were all as taciturn as mutes, extremely conservative and cautious.

The two would often hug each other and cry their hearts out.

If the general hadn't refused, and if they hadn't been so reluctant to part with the soldiers they'd led for so many years, they really would have requested a change of commanders...

Lieutenant Li knew this "troublemaker" well; he was upright and pedantic, but on the battlefield, he always led his soldiers to the forefront.

They act like they're out of their minds.

He had just distinguished himself in this battle not long ago, and if he were punished now, it might cause resentment.

"You're not convinced?" Song Ling stopped Yu Baizhou from his actions and instead of ordering anyone to bring him up, she walked off the stage herself.

For some reason, everyone's eyes followed her to the side of the stage.

In fact, Song Ling was unaware that Chu Yan had also come today.

Chu Yan could still see her, but as Song Ling walked down, he was suddenly blocked by the tall person in front of him when he turned to the side.

"Hey bro, wanna switch seats?"

Chu Yan tried to ingratiate himself by suggesting, "How about a small nest?"

The tall man paused for a moment, then stepped aside to make way: "Deal."

Chu Yan revealed a smug smile, but the smile suddenly froze and shattered when he saw the back of yet another tall person's head in front of him.

What did these kids eat to grow up like that? They're all so damn tall!

Chu Yan, in a fit of despair, stretched out his paw and began counting how many steamed buns he had saved up were left...

Outside the group, Song Ling looked down at the man.

The man was pinned to the ground, his fierce eyes like those of a wolf.

Song Ling: "What's your name?"

"Xue Hu".

Song Ling smiled faintly: "You look down on me just because I'm a woman?"

"The Emperor has decreed that women are forbidden from entering the army." Xue Hu said indignantly, "Even if you have done great favors for the brothers in the army, it is not a reason for you to linger in the army and speak out!"

"I refuse to accept this!"

"Since when has the army had to listen to a woman?"

Although he didn't swear, his attitude and tone were certainly not pleasant. Someone with a weaker constitution might have already turned pale and had tears welling in their eyes.

But who is Song Ling? Her fair complexion is natural.

It's always been white.

As for shedding tears, that's even more out of the question.

Upon hearing this, she simply smiled and said, "How about this, you fight me first. If you win, I will leave the military camp immediately."

"But if you lose, you'll have to listen to me finish what I have to say, okay?"

Although she spoke in a tone of discussion, her command was unequivocal: "Release him."

Yu Baizhou, sitting in the audience, noticed Song Ling moving her wrists and his eyes flickered slightly. He wondered if she had anticipated what was going to happen, as she was dressed in a white outfit today.

Her usual gentle and aloof demeanor vanished, replaced by a touch of dashing spirit.

Xue Hu initially thought he shouldn't fight with a woman, but after seeing her take off her sword, he realized that this person was definitely skilled in martial arts.

However, since the other party was a woman, close combat would be inconvenient. He frowned and asked, "I see you have a sword. Do you know how to use a staff?"

Song Ling raised an eyebrow, her peripheral vision catching Shi Qing instinctively handing her the stick. She casually tossed him the sword she was holding: "I'd appreciate it if Vice General Shi could watch over these swords for me."

Xue Hu frowned coldly: "How about I give you three moves?"

"Heh, if the general on the battlefield were a woman, would you give her three moves too?" Song Ling sneered, her eyes dark. "No need."

Without saying a word, the two started fighting.

Only when Xue Hu's wrists were numb from the impact of the stick did he withdraw the disdain in his eyes and focus entirely on the task at hand.

But the more they fought, the more surprised they became.

It's understandable if a woman who looks sickly has a lithe figure, but how can she have such strength?

"ah--"

In a dizzying moment, Xue Hu was already pinned to the ground with a stick around his neck. A woman's mocking words came from above: "If I were your enemy right now, I would be holding a long sword, not a stick."

"You are already dead."

After speaking, Song Ling stood up, leaning on her wooden stick. Seeing that the man on the ground was still in a state of disbelief, she poked his head with the end of the stick. Her tone was not sarcastic, but rather rather helpless: "Didn't your general say that losing focus on the battlefield is a major taboo?"

"If you're not careful, you won't be the only one who dies."

It was a gentle reminder, but the tone of the words made Xue Hu feel more ashamed and indignant than any mockery or cold words.

He lost because of a woman, and also because he made a mistake he shouldn't have made in the past.

It was also because of... the other party's nonchalant attitude.

And deep down he knew that even without that moment of distraction, he wouldn't last ten moves against her.

This was Xue Hu's conservative estimate, without knowing whether the other party had held back.

"You may disagree with me, but according to the agreement, you have to shut your mouth from now on." Song Ling said nonchalantly, then looked at Deputy General Shi beside her.

The other person, still holding the sword in their hand, stared at her, somewhat stunned.

Song Ling smiled helplessly and held out her hand: "My sword."

It was only when his deputy, Wang, nudged him in the arm that he was brought back to his senses.

"Ah? Here you go, strategist."

It was bad enough to embarrass oneself in front of subordinates and colleagues, but to embarrass oneself in front of the person involved... Shi Qing's face burned, and he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Fortunately, he trained all day and got quite tanned, so no one noticed.

This made him secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Little did they know, Yu Baizhou on the stage had seen everything, his face tense and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Xue Hu returned to the team somewhat dejectedly, his head hanging low, seemingly lost in thought.

Suddenly, applause broke out from the audience, though no one knew who started it.

At first, there were only a few scattered ones, but later the sound suddenly resounded throughout the entire camp, startling Song Ling, who was about to walk onto the stage.

She looked down suspiciously, and unfortunately, she saw a conspicuous bag with its hand outstretched above its head.

Song Ling paused for a moment, then shook her head, too embarrassed to look.

Chu Yan, sitting in the audience, was smug, thinking that his dozen or so steamed buns were well worth it.

Seeing Xue Hu squeeze in silently from the side, Chu Yan put his arm around his shoulder as if they were old friends: "Brother, you just lost the fight, it's nothing."

“Our strategist Song knows martial arts, it’s normal that you can’t beat him.”

After all, he was considered one of the better fighters in Huailai, but he had never beaten Song Ling in all these years.

"Really?"

Another commander, like a dog sniffing out a scent, sidled up to him and asked, "How did you know?"

Chu Yan: "The strategist and I are from the same hometown, both in the Northwest. When we were kids, I used to spar with her, but we've never actually fought..."

Chu Yan showed no sign of being a loser; instead, he chuckled and patted Xue Hu on the shoulder: "She held back today, otherwise you would have been either dead or crippled..."

The answer is that he used to be a jerk and got his leg broken, and it took him several months to recover.

The people around gasped in surprise, and the applause grew even louder.

Xue Hu was even more frustrated...

After waiting for a while, the audience finally quieted down.

Standing on the platform, Song Ling casually drew her sword, which gleamed brightly, and suddenly stuck it into the wooden platform.

This drew a sidelong glance from Yu Baizhou, who had his hands behind his back.