Zhou Wei dutifully pulled the roasted sweet potatoes out of the charcoal fire. The scorching hot sweet potatoes, their skin charred black, were thrown on the ground, resembling several lumps of coal.
The old Duke put down the terrain map and picked up a sweet potato, peeling its skin to show Zhou Wei. "Look, my skills haven’t deteriorated, have they? With its flesh bright and orange, you can tell it’s sweet just from its appearance."
Zhou Wei hadn’t eaten sweet potatoes like this in years. He remembered, when he was a child, his grandfather had taken them to practice drills on barren hills during the winter. They too warmed sweet potatoes on charcoal. "In the heart of winter, during a march or a battle, just a bite of this can sustain me for several days," he used to say.
Zhou Wei nodded with a smile, picked up a sweet potato, peeled it, and took a bite. "Mmm, grandfather’s culinary skills have not deteriorated. It tastes just as I remember from my childhood."
The old Duke laughed heartily. "I am glad you remember. This proves that you haven’t forgotten the lessons I taught you."
As he ate his baked sweet potato, he spoke to Zhou Wei, "Your brother is in Nanping, and Su Rong, that little maiden, is also there. With the two of them around, even if Nanping’s thirty thousand soldiers were to fall, they’d find a way to secure Nanping City and maintain order."
"Jibei has two hundred thousand soldiers, supposedly led by Zhang Cheng." Zhou Wei was still very worried.
The old Duke replied, "Trust this. In desperate times, people can realize their greatest potential. Your brother, after years of being sheltered in the Eastern Palace, lacks experience. It is necessary for him to venture outside the capital."
It’s regrettable that his fine grandson’s experiential journey seems to be one-way. If that young maiden isn’t foolish, she would hold onto him and not let him go, binding him to her side and making him stay in Nanchu.
Alas.
Having expended great effort in training the one who has now gotten away, he must turn to teach his great-grandson.
This great-grandson of his is gifted but lacks refinement, and the skill to discern hearts and minds. He failed to teach this, thinking that as long as his grandsons weren’t foolish, one scholar and three warriors would be enough. With Zhou Gu present in the imperial court, the wit and strategies should suffice. The other three wouldn’t need it, but who would’ve known that he needs to start over now.
Let’s start with the teaching of wit and courage before it comes to blows with Zhang Ping! If this goes well, it could be the best lesson.
After eating two potatoes, the old Duke patted his belly, "Ah.. I’m getting old. In my prime, I could eat seven or eight of these in one go - now; just two are more than enough."
To Zhou Wei he gestured, "Take the rest away. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow early in the morning, let’s head over to Changzhou. Once there, we hold our positions."
Zhou Wei expressed surprise, "Grandfather, Changzhou is still hundreds of miles away from Longxi County. Why stop there?"
"If we rush to Longxi County haphazardly, exhausted and fatigued, do we stand a chance against Zhang Ping? Not to mention, he has a force of 250,000 soldiers," the old Duke replied. "We will halt at Changzhou, set up camp there, and make proper preparations. If we wait for Zhang Ping to come to us, we stand a chance of winning. Otherwise, even with our two hundred thousand soldiers..."
The old Duke shook his head regretfully, "King’s skilled Jinglu Troops that have been poorly trained over the years are just showpieces, seemingly solid heads of cabbage that rot from inside. We’re practically gifting him our heads."
Zhou Wei fell silent, "I will heed grandfather’s advice."
The old Duke waved him off. Seeing him pick up the sweet potatoes on the ground, he suddenly remembered something, "Where is that boy Su Xingze? I haven’t seen him all day."
Zhou Wei said, "He seems to be studying a map of the terrain."
The old Duke said to him. "Forget about picking those up, send someone to bring that boy here to eat."
Zhou Wei acknowledged the instruction and immediately dispatched someone to retrieve Su Xingze.Su Xingze’s tent was not far from the old Duke’s tent, and he arrived quickly. After entering the tent, he saluted the old Duke, "Duke."
"Have some sweet potato, freshly roasted." The old Duke moved to one side to drink tea, indicating the food on the ground. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Su Xingze thanked him with a smile, picked up a roasted sweet potato, sat on the cushion, and began to eat.
He ate elegantly, but his skills in peeling were proficient. He was unlike Zhou Wei, who was somewhat clumsy at peeling. After all, he was the heir of a duke’s family. Even in the army, where the old Duke intentionally raised him roughly, he still maintained the manners of a noble gentleman during times of peace. His upbringing couldn’t be helped, considering he had a grandmother who was a Princess Royal and a mother from a prominent noble family.
"Your skills are quite proficient," the old Duke remarked while watching Su Xingze.
Smiling, Su Xingze responded, "My seventh sister is a fiesty one. As a child, she disliked staying at home, preferring to climb the mountains or explore the rivers. To ensure her safety and despite being unable to restrain her, I would often accompany her on her adventures. She loved roasting food in the wild."
The old Duke understood and laughed happily. "That little girl is wild and unruly, unexpectedly, she grew up into a delicate beauty unlike her adventurous nature."
Su Xingze laughed, "You have not seen her fight. During her time in Jiangning County, she never acted like a proper lady. Only when she moved to Capital City did she start to look like a noble maiden."
The old Duke hadn’t seen it for himself, but anyone who could win over his most treasured grandson must be extraordinary. From the way she handled the situation when she came to cancel her marriage, he could imagine that she must not hold back in a fight.
He personally handed Su Xingze a cup of tea, "You’ve been studying the topographical maps all day? Share your thoughts."
Su Xingze quickly accepted the hot tea, thanked the old Duke, and shared, "I have been estimating the time. I’m afraid that by the time we arrive, Zhang Ping and his army will have already taken Longxi County. Therefore, I’m thinking about where our army should intercept Zhang Ping. With two hundred thousand men against two hundred and fifty thousand, there’s a considerable gap. Even if we add our Jinglu troops, we will still be at a disadvantage. If we don’t choose a naturally defensible location and prepare thoroughly, we may risk a hasty march and arrive exhausted. If we lose the first battle, we may lose the initiative and face continuous defeat, completely demoralizing our forces."
The old Duke looked at him admiringly, "Simply as expected of a student of Xie Yuan."
He glanced at Zhou Wei, "Do you submit?"
Ashamed, Zhou Wei replied, "This grandson submits."
Zhou Wei knew this comparison was an indirect way for the Duke to correct his shortcomings. Despite being raised in the army, being well-versed in military strategy, and often guided by his grandfather, he was still outperformed by Su Xingze. It was indeed embarrassing for him to lose his composure and panic at a critical moment despite being usually composed.
"You have your strengths. Despite your fatigue from our rushed march, you have kept our troops disciplined and orderly, which should be commended. However, it is your impatience that you have to work on. If you can calm your mind, it will not be hard for you to realize that by the time we reach Longxi County, the opportunity we were hoping for will already be lost," the old Duke said. "Losing Longxi County or even Qingyuan, Huaian, Peng City, Changze, Luoying will not matter as long as we hold onto Changzhou. Otherwise, if we doggedly defend inch by inch, we will only bring ourselves defeat after defeat until we’re pushed back to Capital City. This will put us at the risk of utter ruin. That Zhang Ping does not have the right to set foot in Capital City. We will defeat him in Changzhou."
After finishing, he turned to Su Xingze to ask, "Have you chosen Changzhou after studying the map for a day?"
Su Xingze took out the terrain map and spread it out in front of the old Duke, smiling and saying, "I, too, believe that Changzhou is a treasure."
The area he highlighted on the map was Bahuan Mountain in Changzhou.
The old Duke laughed heartily, "Not bad, the young indeed have potential. With the two of you under his guidance, Xie Yuan certainly has worthy successors."
He sighed, "What has he been doing, hiding in Jiangzhou all this time? Is it that your father won’t let him leave, or is it that he doesn’t want to leave Jiangzhou?"
Su Xingze replied warmly, "A few days ago, the master mentioned in his letter that he has left Jiangzhou. Since my seventh sister could not leave at that moment, he decided to head to Nanchu first."
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