Chapter 971: Better to be lucky than early (Part 2) [Requesting monthly votes]

A few years earlier, Su Shiyilu would never have dreamed of this scene—he would be heading to the same battlefield as his enemy, with elite troops from the Wuzhou General's Army among them. He lowered his eyes and pondered for a few moments, then couldn't help but look up again.

As a scholar with a refined mind, Lin Feng possessed keen senses.

She could not ignore that gaze.

I was in such a hurry that I didn't have the time or inclination to pay attention to anything else.

Su Shiyilu harbored a nameless rage, which he drank several mouthfuls of cold water to quell, his internal organs feeling as if they were about to twist and knot. That night, the order for the army to rest in place was finally issued. He stood with his hands on his hips, exhaling a foul breath, but it did nothing to alleviate the hatred licking at his insides. Just as he was becoming increasingly agitated, Su Shiyilu noticed some soldiers in the army formation who were slacking off.

Without a second thought, he conjured a long whip and lashed out.

This lash wouldn't seriously injure someone, but it would definitely cause excruciating pain. His expression was sinister: "Who told you to do this?"

The soldier who was whipped let out a painful cry.

That soldier was also a soldier from the Zhechong Prefecture of Wuzhou.

The hurried pace had caused blisters to form on his feet, which would burst and then reappear repeatedly. Coupled with several days of rapid movement, his body and mind were exhausted, and he had momentarily relaxed. The sharp pain from this whip snapped him back to reality, but he dared not complain and obediently endured it. The old men who followed Su Shiyilu all knew that he had a terrible temper.

Seeing that he was sensible, Su Shiyilu didn't lash out with the whip a second time. Instead, he swept his murderous gaze over the rest of the group, finally settling on Lin Feng, who sat cross-legged on his horse, holding a map in his hands, deep in thought. Lin Feng showed no reaction to what was happening.

He couldn't bear to see her remain so aloof.

"Military Advisor Lin, don't you think I'm strict in disciplining my troops?"

Lin Feng finally raised his head, not surprised that Su Shiyilu would make trouble for him. He closed the book and said calmly, "These soldiers are the Fubing (府兵), and they were once the general's headquarters in Wuzhou. They have long been working together in harmony. It would be presumptuous for me to interfere."

This answer didn't give Su Shiyilu any further ammunition, but he didn't let it go either: "Hmph, I thought Military Advisor Lin would be the kind of pretentious scholar who advocates 'treating soldiers like his own children' and regards it as a golden rule. But deep down, he's also ruthless and decisive."

It's hard to tell whether this is a compliment or a sarcastic remark.

Lin Feng was not provoked by him, nor was he interested in Su Shiyilu's aggressive provocation. He calmly said, "A general's duty is to lead soldiers to victory. If you truly treat soldiers like children and indulge them, it will inevitably lead to lax discipline. What kind of victory can such an army win? Furthermore, would someone who truly 'loves his soldiers like his own children' push his children to the battlefield? There is nothing wrong with the general's behavior."

As long as it's not about deliberately beating or harming soldiers, being appropriately strict is fine. Su Shiyi's power base lies with these veterans of his own unit; why would he kill people for no reason?

After saying this, Lin Feng lowered his head again to look at the map.

Su Shiyilu's anger became even more intense from being suppressed.

Of course, he couldn't kill Lin Feng, nor could he abandon his troops. If the troops here mutinied, the rest of the main force could easily wipe them out. Thinking of this, Su Shiyilu once again cursed Shen Tang as a despicable villain in his heart.

To prevent any unrest or rebellion within Wuzhou during the war between Kangguo and Beimo, she used the pretext of "relying on Wuzhou and treating everyone equally" to transfer key Wuzhou officials, led by Su Shiyilu, to various locations. Apart from Su Shiyilu and a few others who could still lead troops, the others—all men, no soldiers—were essentially commanders without troops!

These people could not cause any trouble in other parts of Kangguo.

The elite troops from Wuzhou were transferred to the front lines.

The commanders were Su Shiyilu and several of his former subordinates.

This arrangement, on the surface, genuinely shows a willingness to disregard past grievances and give preferential treatment to the troops of Wuzhou, but behind the scenes, it is extremely unsettling. Su Shiyilu is not stupid; he knows what Shen Tang is plotting.

If Kangguo is defeated by Beimo, Shentang will not let him live.

Insidious, vicious, and despicable!

Anyone with the surname Shen deserves to be cut into ten thousand pieces!

What's even more upsetting is that the military advisor accompanying the army is Lin Feng.

Su Shiyilu had little impression of Lin Feng, only knowing that she was the highest-ranking female official in terms of literary talent, one of only two scholars in Kangguo to possess the second-rank upper-level literary talent, and a very outstanding person. Until he unexpectedly learned that Lin Feng was the murderer of his own nephew.

Past resentments surged back like a tidal wave.

In the past two years, Su Shiyilu and she haven't seen each other at all. While this was partly due to the deliberate arrangement by the man surnamed Shen, it was also partly due to Lin Feng's deliberate avoidance. However, since they both served in the same court, even if one was in the capital and the other in Wuzhou, it was impossible for them to never meet again.

This time, we not only met, but we also have to cooperate.

Su Shiyilu cursed Shen Tang even louder in his heart.

If this wasn't intentional on the part of the man surnamed Shen, his head would have been chopped off!

Just as Su Shiyilu was secretly plotting, an ordinary-looking bird landed on her shoulder. Lin Feng turned his head towards the bird. After a few moments, she looked at Su Shiyilu with a smile and asked, "General, would you like some military merit?"

Su Shiyilu: "..."

He cursed Lin Feng inwardly, adding him to his blacklist.

"If you have the guts to give it, I have the guts to accept it!"

If Kangguo loses this battle, he will find an opportunity to cut off Lin Feng's head, avenging his nephew even in his dying moments. If Kangguo wins, but the situation on the battlefield is unfavorable for Lin Feng, he will still find an opportunity to cut off Lin Feng's head—

Su Shiyi stared coldly at Lin Feng's neck.

Such a delicate and fair appearance, slashed down with a single blade—

Su Shiyilu's remaining thoughts were interrupted by a female voice that reached his ears. The voice was crisp and slightly seductive: "Then it depends on whether the general has the ability. If Kangguo is defeated, your sword and axe will have to be faster than my sword."

His tiger-like eyes widened suddenly.

"you--"

Lin Feng had already ridden away on horseback.

They turned back not long after.

He held a military order in his hand.

"General, you must accept this military merit with pride!"

The border between Kangguo and Beimo was very long. In order to alleviate the pressure caused by the excessively long battle line, the northwestern kingdoms once joined forces to send dozens of highly skilled warriors and two to three hundred thousand laborers to build an artificial natural barrier along the border, similar to the Chaoli Pass mountain range. It took thirty years and two generations to complete, and each city stone, weighing hundreds of kilograms, was reinforced with the national fortune, making it virtually impregnable.

Every ten or twenty years, they will gather together to strengthen the nation's fortune.

They also built an endless city defense on the natural barrier.

There are three strategic passes, one large and two small.

One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade.

The actions of the initial northwestern kingdoms gave their descendants confidence in facing attacks from the Northern Desert. However, even the greatest reserves cannot withstand a continuous outflow of resources. After the Xin and Geng kingdoms took turns in power, and then Shen Tang rose to prominence, more than twenty years passed, and the city's defenses were no longer as impregnable as they once were. Shen Tang's agreement to trade with the Northern Desert was also an attempt to buy time to repair the city's defenses.

The northern desert side, however, knew all too well that the fate of the nation was hard to win.

They were certain that the nation's fortunes wouldn't improve much with Shen Tang repairing the city's defenses.

Both sides are gambling, and the winner is still unknown.

Following military orders, Su Shiyilu led a contingent of elite troops away from the main force and changed their marching route. The original plan was to support a key pass, but instead, they were redirected to a secondary pass. He couldn't help but look back at his troops, a total of three thousand men.

What can so few people do?

But he couldn't bring himself to ask Lin Feng.

Lin Feng took the initiative to speak up: "We have a batch of grain and fodder."

According to the information Lin Feng received, the Northern Desert's forces are currently concentrated in key strategic locations near Camel City, including the Yun surname martial artist who suddenly appeared at the Northern Desert camp. With the main force there, the forces in other areas are relatively weak, representing a vulnerability.

Su Shiyilu pressed further, "How did you find out?"

Even scouts wouldn't be this fast.

Lin Feng said, "This is our unique secret technique."

Su Shiyi choked, nearly choking on the wind rushing into her mouth. Knowing Lin Feng was cunning and wary of her, he refused to tell the truth. This guess was somewhat unfair.

Lin Feng didn't speak up not because he was wary of her, but because her methods were somewhat shady—since Gong Xi Chou embarked on his five-year journey to find his brother, Gong Xi Lai had been managing the affairs of the Gong Xi clan. As Gong Xi Chou's benefactor, he specifically instructed Gong Xi Lai before leaving to try her best to meet any needs Lin Feng might have. Therefore, she had complete access to the Gong Xi clan's documents.

This clan has many secrets, and there are always new insights to be gained from them.

Lin Feng inevitably came into contact with many secrets, including but not limited to strange plants like the Corpse Vine and various Gu worm breeding manuals. Reason told her to stop, but she became more and more involved and couldn't extricate herself from the sea of ​​Gu worms.

They have achieved some success over the years.

One type of Gu worm specifically parasitizes birds and beasts, forming a vast surveillance network. With the assistance of Qin Li, the Minister of Rites who also served in the Imperial Observatory, a large number of these Gu worms were secretly transported to the Northern Desert. They parasitized various small animals, gradually bringing the Northern Desert under surveillance.

However, this kind of monitoring has limited effectiveness and a very small scope.

To maximize the effect, the ministers collected the battle records of the Northern Desert over the years, simulated the war between Kangguo and the Northern Desert, and delineated the combat actions that the Northern Desert would take. They also identified several possible garrison areas and marching routes and deployed spies in advance.

There are many advantages to making preparations in advance.

Firstly, the Gu worms can integrate more perfectly into the local biosphere, making them less likely to be detected by those with keen senses. Secondly, as long as the Northern Desert army enters the monitoring range, Kang Kingdom can obtain military secrets at the fastest speed. In addition, with the postal information network and DingTalk court meetings, the risk of delays in obtaining military intelligence is minimized.

The only drawback—

Animals are not human, after all, and the information they brought back was fragmented.

Lin Feng could only analyze the messages that were transmitted back.

These details cannot be disclosed to Su Shiyilu at the moment, because similar treatment exists in Wuzhou. Based on Su Shiyilu's experience, he probably knows perfectly well that Kangguo doesn't completely trust Shiwu; he just hasn't discovered the surveillance.

The main force proceeded to the key passes as planned.

A group of people arrived even faster than the main force.

Naturally, this refers to Shen Tang and his group, who had separated from the main group.

As they approached, the fortress was calm and peaceful, showing no signs of battle or enemy ambush. Shen Tang's anxiety subsided; she wiped her face and then rubbed her yellowed palms on the hem of her clothes.

"We haven't even reached the Northern Desert yet, and the wind is already howling in our faces. The accumulated sand could be used as concealer..." After complaining, Shen Tang burst into laughter, "In my experience, as long as we don't bring Ji Shou along, everything will go smoothly!"

If you bring a Combibloc watch, then it's hard to say.

Perhaps by the time she arrived, the strategic pass had already changed.

Qi Shan also showed a rare sense of relief: "According to Ji Shou, he has already figured out how to perfect the way of the scholar."

Shen Tang felt an urge to roll her eyes: "Then I should praise him, right? Half of the students he mentored are already ahead of him, and he's only just getting started. By the way, what are the perfect conditions?"

Qi Shan said, "He didn't go into details."

It's estimated that the conditions for a perfect result are quite demanding.

"Hmm, I'll ask him later." To prevent Kang Jishou from troubling her again, she was determined to do everything in her power to make things right for him.

When her feet touched the pass, Shen Tang completely relaxed.

She even had the nerve to joke, "I'm definitely not the female lead."

Gong Xiqiu, who was inspecting the surroundings, turned his gaze over.

Shen Tang said, "If it's the female lead, she usually appears right on cue. For example, when a powerful enemy attacks and the general is fighting a fierce battle, I make a dazzling appearance at the critical moment to save him from danger."

"This is not good."

Ji Moqiu, who had been silent the whole way, suddenly spoke.

Shen Tang asked with a smile, "Why?"

Ji Moqiu didn't answer, but Gong Xichou was quite in sync: "What if he sneezes and you're a fraction of a second too late? Would this person die at the hands of an enemy, or from a sneeze?"

Shen Tang: "...Being on time is not a good habit."

Sigh, but it's so exciting it's addictive.

We arrived at the strategic pass close to midnight.

They arrived without concealing their presence, and Chu Jie was the first to know, rushing over immediately: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The reinforcements arrived travel-worn, clearly having not been delayed on their journey.

Shen Tang asked, "Is there any unusual activity in the Northern Desert?"

Chu Jie, who was already calm, felt even more reassured. He replied, "According to the scouts, around noon today, the Northern Desert troops advanced more than sixty li towards Camel City and set up the altar for the expedition. The campaign should begin in the next three days."

Shen Tang asked with a strange expression, "Have they mobilized all their troops?"

Due to its unique circumstances, the Northern Desert has its own system.

Broadly speaking, it's similar to the Zhechong Prefecture, only less systematic and less efficient in deployment. Furthermore, Shen Tang's previous infiltration and deployment in the Northern Desert exacerbated this weakness. They likely mobilized their troops at least half a month later than our own.

The troops aren't even all ready yet...

A sacrificial altar is set up before the expedition, and they're already on their way?

Or was it that the martial artist surnamed Yun, as an outside aid, gave Bei Mo such confidence? That they could fight even without a full force?

Chu Jie said, "No."

Troops from the northern desert are still arriving in droves.

Shen Tang glanced towards the direction of the Northern Desert.

He laughed and said, "I'd like to meet the North Desert's ace. There's an old saying: it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early."

Instead of trying to rescue someone at a checkpoint, it's better to wait patiently for them to come to you.

Buzz—

At this moment, a gentle breeze caressed my face.

The wind carried a faint scent of frost and snow.

Shen Tang was very familiar with this scent.

It was Yun Ce's unique skill; his martial energy could freeze liquids into ice and snow, and every time he attacked, ice crystals would fall like snowflakes. Regardless of its destructive power, the visual effect alone was unmatched. Even the deaths of his enemies were as beautiful as a painting.

She glanced casually in the direction the wind was blowing.

Gong Xichou and Ji Moqiu, one conjured a long halberd and the other grabbed a wooden staff, while Shen Tang stepped aside to block Chu Jie, who wanted to step forward.

"Don't make a move yet."

|ω`)

Su Shiyi Lu's younger sister, the only son of Queen Shiwu, was beheaded by Lin Feng.

Well, his status as an only child is somewhat special, so he finds it difficult to let go of it.

P.S.: It's rare to see another friend start a book, that's something else!

"Jinghong Tower", by Yao Yingyi

The pampered eldest daughter of the He family is a lie; the real heiress is a good-for-nothing.

The true heiress only did three trivial things in her life: casually raise an emperor, casually abolish a city, and incidentally open a chain of Jinghong Towers.

You're asking about a fake heiress?

Oh, so I've become a junior.

(End of this chapter)