The group arrived at the rest stop, and soon Fang Heng left with his men.
Only three people were left to drink hot water to fill their empty stomachs.
They were just like any ordinary traveling merchant, chatting animatedly while eating, discussing everything from national affairs to personal matters.
"The rest stops here on the frontier are just small huts, enough to shelter you from the wind and rain and give you a meal, they're really basic," Wang Xiaosong said casually. "The rest stops in Jiangnan are different, they're tea pavilions, and the tea inside is free, you can drink as much as you want."
"A tea pavilion? Wouldn't that be drafty and freezing cold?" Yang Zhi said blankly.
Wang Xiaosong laughed, "Jiangnan is warm, it's so hot without any wind. It's the breeze that seeps in from all sides of the tea pavilion that makes it cool and comfortable. And if you eat a bowl of shaved ice dumplings, that would be absolutely wonderful."
Yang Zhi's expression changed from blank to envious.
He was born in the northern frontier, and the farthest he had ever been was Anshui County. He had never been to Jiangnan and could not imagine what that legendary prosperous land was like.
"Good lad, stick with your brother, and I'll take you to Jiangnan to eat delicious food sometime." Wang Xiaosong made a big promise, "The roast duck there is so cheap, only a few dozen coins each."
Yang Zhi nodded earnestly, her face full of admiration.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three got up and continued on their journey.
Wang Xiaosong kept Fang Heng's instructions in mind and remained cautious as before, sometimes moving faster and sometimes slower, and occasionally complaining.
About half an hour passed, and the surroundings remained completely silent.
Wang Xiaosong was starting to wonder if the Tartars had left when suddenly a commotion came from behind him, mixed with joyful shouts and incomprehensible language.
In the blink of an eye, the carriage was stopped, and a dozen Tartars grinned as they approached and began to kill.
They didn't waste words or ramble on; their purpose was clear: to kill and intercept goods.
That long, dark blade, gleaming with a blue light, has claimed countless lives of the people of Da Yu.
Wang Xiaosong gritted his teeth, suppressing his fear.
The carriage curtain behind them was lifted, and Jiang Wu, Jiang Qi, and Jiang Ba, wielding long swords, engaged them in battle.
At that moment, swords clashed and blood flew everywhere.
The Tartars panicked, thinking they had been ambushed. But upon closer inspection, they realized there were only three people and decided to finish the battle quickly.
The Jiang siblings are under considerable pressure.
They had to protect Wang Xiaosong and his two companions behind them, while also delaying the Tartars and waiting for the main force to arrive.
Since they had no horses, they could only rely on their own agility to move among the crowd, slashing and killing enemies.
If we say that the Jiang siblings are gods of war descended to earth.
The three farmhands, like three blades of grass in the biting cold wind, huddled together, still shivering.
Some of the Tartars recognized them as bait, and while cursing, five long swords came slashing down at the same time.
Jiang Qi and Jiang Ba shouted and rushed over to block a knife.
There were still three blades pointed at the necks of the farmhands.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Wu rolled on the spot, gripping the longsword in his right hand and the stolen cleaver in his left, risking injury to his back, and single-handedly blocked the three longswords.
"Fifth Sister... Brother." Jiang Ba's eyes were red. "Hold on, the captain will be here soon."
Jiang Wu shook her head to indicate that she was fine, raised her hand to knock away the Tartar's sharp blade, and then turned around and cut off the Tartar's hand holding the knife behind her back.
"Ah..." the Tartar screamed in agony.
Jiang Wu remained unfazed, throwing his long sword with his left hand and smashing the Tartar off his horse.
Those years of hardship were not in vain; those who are ruthless to themselves will only be more ruthless to their enemies.
Despite being a beautiful young woman, she had to survive in the military camp as a man. Although her brothers helped cover for her, Jiang Wu's ruthlessness was the main factor.
She didn't care whether she was a woman, the calluses on her hands, the scars all over her body, whether her long hair was beautiful, or whether her face looked old.
She just wanted to prove that she was no less capable than a man.
She did it.
Fang Heng, who arrived at top speed, reined in his horse and saw the gushing blood on Jiang Wu's back. He angrily pulled on the reins.
The horse neighed, lifted its hoof, and took two more steps forward due to inertia, landing squarely on the Tartar soldier.
Amidst screams, Fang Heng, wielding a broadsword, roared, "Kill! Kill them all!"
If the previous actions were Jiang Wu and her brother's delaying tactics, then now it was a one-sided slaughter by the Dayu Dynasty's army. Even with the same number of troops, as long as the Tartars couldn't escape, they had no chance of winning.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen fierce men were either injured or killed, leaving only one man who fled on horseback in a sorry state, but he was also at the end of his rope.
Because Fang Heng had already drawn his bow and arrow behind him, aiming it at his back.
With a piercing arrow, the Tartar fell to the ground, lifeless.
The entire tenth squad cheered with joy; some collected weapons, some moved corpses, and others dragged horses.
That's how war is.
Given the limited amount of iron ore, equipping every soldier in the army with a longsword had already drained most of the national treasury.
Unfortunately, every war required the use of many long swords and resulted in the deaths of many people.
To conserve resources, intact knives were retrieved for continued use, broken blades were taken to the blacksmith for reforging, fine horses were taken home for use, and even dead horses could be skinned and eaten.
But these are not the biggest gains.
Fang Heng sat on horseback, looking at the trembling Wang Xiaosong and the other two. Recalling the key to luring the enemy deep into their territory, his eyes shone with an astonishing light.
Looking back on the years of friction between the Dayu Dynasty and the Tartars, they tried all sorts of tactics to lure the enemy deep into their territory, but most of them ended in failure.
Why?
Because it's not authentic enough.
Wang Xiaosong and others were used as bait because they were genuinely transporting goods, genuinely fearful, and genuinely fleeing for their lives.
All illusions can only deceive fools; only genuine actions can attract the enemy and lure them deep into our territory.
On the premise of refusing to use ordinary people as bait, let the soldiers live like ordinary people, transporting goods, arguing, bickering, and bragging.
It wasn't a temporary pretense or a role-playing game; it was about making them genuinely act like ordinary people to attract the Tartars' pursuit.
After years of difficulties, it seems that the deadlock has been broken.
Fang Heng sat on horseback, a young man full of vigor and ambition, his eyes bright as stars as he looked into the distance.
In two different directions, a young man sketching maps with ambitions for the future, and another young man sitting quietly reading and waiting for the results, are like three brilliant stars rising slowly.
Their positions form a triangle.
Sensing their younger brother's gaze, Zheng Ruqian and Xu Mo looked up at the same time.
One of them saw the frail and delicate young master Wang, who had come in person to deliver the reply.
A younger sister stared at the woman who had burst through the door, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Big brother, the results are out." Jiang Sheng gritted her teeth, her voice strained, "But your name isn't on the list."
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