Chapter Sixty-Four: The Situation is 'Confusing'

Zhao Qirui pulled Qin Mo up, looked at him carefully, and sighed, "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. You've grown so much. When your father went south to become a high-ranking official, I went to see him off and saw you once. You were only this tall then." Zhao Qirui gestured to show his height, and a desolate expression appeared on his face.

Qin Mo was filled with mixed feelings. She had thought that coming to the trading city would just make her a cannon fodder suicide squad, but she never expected to get involved with the big boss. Was it a blessing or a curse?

“Nephew, let me introduce you. This is Xiang Zuo, the commander of the Xuanyi Army. This is Wei Tao, the deputy commander of the Xuanyi Army. These two are Lin Zesheng, the commander of the Xuanwu Army, and Hu Wansheng, the deputy commander.” Zhao Qirui held Qin Mo’s hand and introduced the generals who came forward to him one by one.

The Xuanyi Army and the Xuanwu Army are personal troops personally trained by Zhao Qirui. They are powerful and have many strong warriors. Just looking at the fact that the two commanders of each army are both Xuan Realm cultivators, they are much better than other border armies and imperial guards.

The four commanders and deputy commanders all saluted Qin Mo as a colleague, and Qin Mo naturally could not be impolite. He returned the salute to each of them and they were very happy to see each other.

There were only six of them for dinner, and the huge table of dishes opened Qin Mo's eyes once again. Many of the northern specialties were things she could never eat in Dayuan. The snow chicken, unique to the Siberian forests, was not only delicious but also had the effect of regulating internal energy. The gallbladder of the beastmen's ferocious beasts had a special function of strengthening the body and bones when eaten fresh, and it was said to have special effects on a certain part of the body.

"General Qin, your speed in heading north to aid Maimai City has truly exceeded our expectations. We thought it would be incredibly fast if you could arrive before New Year's Eve." Qin Mo insisted that the commanders address him as "General Qin." At first, everyone felt uncomfortable, but after drinking the strong liquor Qin Mo brought, they quickly became familiar with each other. These words were spoken by Wei Tao, the deputy commander of the Xuanyi Army.

"I came up with this horse-drawn sled on a whim this time. It was a lucky accident. If I had waited until New Year's Eve, the roads would probably have been dangerous. On the road, I encountered an attack by Cossack cavalry, including an orc general!"

"Orc general, that's quite a military achievement. General Qin, did you capture him?" The Xuanyi Army commander asked Zuo. In his opinion, an orc general would definitely turn around and run away as soon as he saw Qin Mo, and would disappear without a trace if he couldn't catch up.

"I used a trick, disguised myself as a supply battalion, and wiped them all out. Except for three or four hundred Cossack prisoners, the rest were all killed." Qin Mo explained the key points of the battle, which drew cheers from several commanders. After all, Cossack cavalry were as swift as the wind on the snowy plains, easy to defeat but difficult to surround and kill.

"Your army does indeed resemble a supply battalion. Our scouts mistook you for reinforcements after seeing you," Hu Wansheng, the deputy commander of the Xuanwu Army, casually remarked, reminding Qin Mo that there was still an important matter to discuss!

"When we set off from Wulan City this time, Governor Li allowed us to freely load military supplies from the treasury. My troops were inexperienced and loaded too much. I have already had it counted and set aside a portion, which I wish to give to Uncle for military use." Qin Mo took out a prepared list from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Qirui with both hands.

When Zhao Qirui took a look, the list contained more than a dozen types of military supplies, including provisions, leather armor, arrows, and so on. The quantity was also considerable, estimated to be about 30% of the total amount Qin Mo had taken.

Zhao Qirui sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "Just the other day, Li Zinian wrote to me, asking me to confiscate all his military funds. I didn't expect them to arrive today and even voluntarily hand over so much military funds. It seems that Qin Mo is not as bad as the rumors say. I was once indebted to Qin Lan, how can I break ties with such a high-ranking official?"

Zhao Qirui is the only cultivator in the Great Xia Empire who came from a humble background. Back then, after he earned his cultivation technique through military merit and entered the Dao, many aristocratic families wanted to recruit him, but he did not want to be a vassal of others and was determined to make a name for himself.

His pride brought him countless setbacks. They'd say recruiting him was a favor, but no matter how talented he was, they'd still make him die young. Those years were filled with misfortune and unhappiness for Zhao Qirui.

Later, Qin Lan invited him to venture deep into the orcish territory and pull off a big heist. At that time, Qin Lan was already the Duke of Heng, a man of high status with many powerful subordinates. Zhao Qirui naturally agreed to go into battle with him.

It was on that occasion that Qin Lan and Zhao Qirui ventured deep into enemy territory, turning the orcish rear upside down. Zhao Qirui not only achieved numerous military merits but also advanced to the Earth Realm through life-or-death trials, earning the right to establish his own independent force. Zhao Qirui's journey from humble beginnings to becoming a military giant was entirely due to his own strength, but he would forever remember Qin Lan's invitation from back then.

"Nephew, you understand the bigger picture and prioritize the overall situation. You truly have the same qualities as your father. I'd like to offer you a toast." Zhao Qirui put away the list, raised his glass, and toasted. Given his current position, this was a very high compliment for Qin Mo. Several commanders and deputy commanders also raised their glasses, secretly making their own plans: "The General thinks highly of Qin Mo. As the General's confidant, we must also befriend him."

After a few rounds of drinks, Qin Mo tentatively asked Zhao Qirui, "Uncle, I only know that you took this fortified city by surprise this time, but I don't know the details of how you did it. How many troops does the orc race have now? We only have a few hundred thousand people, how are we going to defend the city?"

“Let me tell General Qin!” Wei Tao, the deputy commander of the Xuanyi Army, took over Qin Mo’s words and began to explain.

It turned out that Zhao Qirui had noticed that the high priest Blackham, who was stationed in Maimai City, was not in the city. This puzzled him greatly. For a long time, the two had been stationed in Maimai City and Ulan City respectively, maintaining a standoff and neither wanting to easily provoke a large-scale war. Was Blackham's sudden departure a trap or an opportunity?

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