Wartime chaos, post-war peace.
Everywhere you look, there are limbs scattered about, some lying horizontally and some vertically.
There were Tartars, compatriots, fathers of children, and children of fathers.
Those who used to greet me and invite me to get together are now gone; my childhood playmate from the same village lost his leg; and the familiar faces I'd passed by countless times have stopped breathing.
But no one had time to grieve.
They calmly lifted the wounded soldier who had lost all four limbs, picked up the dying child, and closed their unseeing eyes.
The remaining severed limbs and corpses were all skillfully thrown into a large pit a short distance away.
That was the only fate for those who died on the battlefield, the most convenient and quickest way to dispose of their bodies, and also the most helpless choice.
“Don’t feel bad about throwing them into the mass grave. This is a siege. We still need to close the Jinxian Pass before we can dispose of the bodies.” Jiang Jizu leaned on his nine-linked broadsword and looked around. “If we were fighting outside, there wouldn’t even be anyone to collect the corpses.”
The dead can only be exposed to the sun day after day, eventually turning into dust and bones.
“Father.” Jiang Chengyuan staggered forward. “We’re too late, Father. We’re too late.”
Fang Heng knelt down on one knee without saying a word.
Both of them believed that they arrived too late, which led to this tragedy and the loss of tens of thousands of lives.
“It’s never too late or not too late. The war has never stopped, and the conspiracies and schemes between the two sides have never disappeared.” Although Jiang Jizu didn’t know what had happened, he could guess pretty much. “It’s just that this time, the Dayu Dynasty was outmaneuvered by the Tartars.”
“It’s not just scheming, it’s betrayal.” Jiang Chengyuan gritted his teeth. “The Second Prince failed to seize power and actually stole the battle formation map left by General Fang and defected to the Tartars. There are four defensive lines there, including the Guan Jin Line, which is almost equivalent to half a military defense map.”
Just as I expected.
Jiang Jizu nodded. "I knew that the Fang family's things might have been leaked because the Guan Jin Line was broken so easily and the formation left by Lao Fang collapsed so easily. But I didn't expect... that it was one of our own people who sent it out."
Fang Heng was overwhelmed with shame, and choked with sobs as he clasped his hands in a fist. "We were too late. We failed to inform the northern frontier of this news in time, which led to the attack on the Guanjin Line and the loss of so many innocent soldiers."
Perhaps the abrasions on the inner thighs are painful, perhaps the buttocks have long since lost sensation, but compared to the lives lost by the soldiers of the Guan Jin Line, what does this matter?
"Son, don't feel too guilty." Jiang Jizu sighed. "I'll say it again, it's never too late. What's done is done. Instead of dwelling on guilt, why don't you think about what to do next?"
The most important lesson to learn in growing up is: solve problems instead of wasting too much time on meaningless emotions.
For example, regret, or guilt.
The Fang family's battle formation diagram has been lost. Rather than suffering the punishment in their hearts here, they should think carefully about how to deal with the Tartars' attack next.
How should we deal with the second prince, who is filled with resentment and willing to betray his country?
Fang Heng and Jiang Chengyuan exchanged a solemn glance and immediately began their discussion.
Jiang Jizu then personally carried the lifeless Deputy General Jin to the small grave at headquarters.
Those who rose to the rank of deputy general were entitled to their own private burial mound, while those who rose to the rank of commander-in-chief were required to escort the coffin back to Fengjing, which was considered a form of honor in the Dayu Dynasty.
But what's the point of honor when everyone's dead?
Jiang Jizu sighed again, took out two sausages wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, and placed them in front of the grave mound.
"Old Jin, you shouldn't be lonely, right? These are all your brothers who fought alongside you in the past, and they're all here with you."
"Don't worry about the two boys at home. I will have the Jiang family take care of them. You are a meritorious official of the Dayu Dynasty, and all the people remember your contributions..."
"Take these two sausages with you, so you won't be lonely on your journey to the underworld. Perhaps it won't be long before Old Jiang catches up with you."
"Do not laugh at me, drunk and lying on the battlefield; how many have returned from ancient battles?"
"How many people are going back?"
A gust of wind blew, lifting up broken branches and leaves, and carried them into the deputy general's cemetery. Looking around, it was filled with grave mounds.
These people are densely packed together, and these souls are layered upon layered.
Jiang Jizu turned away dejectedly, looked at the two dashing young men, and finally a hint of relief appeared on his face.
No one can be the pillar of the nation forever; the country must have talented people emerging in every generation for the nation to be strong and stable.
"Have you come up with a solution?" he asked, raising his voice.
Fang Heng and Jiang Chengyuan exchanged a glance.
Jiang Chengyuan, being older, took the lead in bowing and said, "General Fang's formation diagram involved the construction of four border defense lines. Now that the Tartars have tasted success, they are very likely to attack the other three border defense lines."
"Speed is of the essence in war. Once we discover that the formation diagram is missing, we will be prepared, and the Tartars will surely take advantage of the time before we discover it to seize the opportunity."
"By leveraging this information gap, we can even turn the tables on the Tartars and ensure they never return!"
The nineteen-year-old boy subtly inherited his father's demeanor in his speech, while the influence of his family of military generals made him organized and clear-headed.
Jiang Jizu nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Fang Heng.
"The main responsibility for the attack on the Guanjin Line this time is the loss of the formation map, but there is another minor drawback that we must be careful about." The fifteen-year-old boy felt guilty but was not ashamed to speak of the formation map because it belonged to the Fang family. "General Zhou always thought that the Tartars attacked with 50,000 troops. According to the strength of the two sides, even if 50,000 troops broke through the city defenses, they would not be able to defeat 100,000 border troops."
"However, the 40,000 men hidden under the horses' bellies disrupted our own formation. I specifically examined the Tartar horses and found that what they called hiding under the horses' bellies was actually wrapping the backs of the horses with cloth of the same color, leaving gaps in the belly area for them to hide in, and then tearing the cloth out during the battle."
"This kind of hiding cannot last long. The Tartars must make their plans not far from the Guan-Jin line, while the sentries are completely unaware."
"General," Fang Heng clasped his hands in greeting, "I believe that the sentry patrols need to be conducted further out, and the number of sentries should also be increased."
Sentinels are the eyes of the army; only by keeping a keen eye on everything can they effectively detect enemy activity.
Jiang Jizu nodded, agreeing to the request.
"Then Father, shall we go to war?" Jiang Chengyuan asked, his eyes shining brightly.
The victory on the Guanjin Line was a Pyrrhic one. Vice General Jin's life cannot be lost in vain, considering the many innocent compatriots and the many fallen soldiers.
They cannot have died in vain!
Future generations will seek justice for them and restore a clear sky for them.
This time, Jiang Jizu did not nod, but looked directly at the two future generals and asked, "Which defensive line do you think the Tartars will attack next?"
There were a total of four defensive lines in which General Fang was involved.
The Guanjin Line, Guyuan Line, Datong Line, and Xuanji Line are all located in different areas. The Xuanji Line and Datong Line are slightly further apart, while the Guanjin Line and Guyuan Line are closer together.
If the attacking force is the same group of people, then given the importance of speed in warfare, the Guyuan line is definitely the best option.
"It should be the Guyuan line," Jiang Chengyuan said with rare certainty.
To everyone's surprise, Jiang Jizu shook his head. "No."
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