Chapter 613: Pacifying Sibao County (Fifteen) [Hospitalized on the 14th]
Realizing that everyone was looking at her, with gazes that were either mocking, amused, or disdainful, Miao Shu realized that her tone had been a bit harsh. Offending them might put her in an even more difficult situation. So she had to calm herself down, but her words still carried a barb.
It's not that she can't listen to honest advice, even if it's unpleasant to hear.
She just couldn't stand hearing others praise Shen Tang.
“According to the registrar, Shen is a meticulous and thoughtful traitor who wouldn’t do something that would destroy his own defenses. Therefore, it’s impossible that the 20,000 troops outside the city are just cooks. Otherwise, what benefit would Shen gain from doing this? Leading his 10,000 elite troops to attack Sibao County, giving us military merit?” Miao Shu relayed the registrar’s words verbatim. Shen Tang is human too; surely he can make mistakes.
Boost the morale of others while diminishing your own!
Xun Ding almost burst out laughing after hearing this.
According to this analysis, Longwu County has a strong defense and 20,000 elite troops at the front, but these two results are contradictory.
Where did the extra 10,000 elite troops come from?
Did it fall from the sky or appear out of thin air?
Or perhaps it was borrowed from someone?
Just as he finished thinking, he heard Miao Shu say, "Both are deceptive, one of them must be fake, meant to confuse us..."
The registrar seemed quite composed, remaining unperturbed even after Miao Shu publicly rebuked him. His tone was as calm as ever, without any fluctuation: "Why can't it be that the traitor Shen borrowed troops from others? Do you all remember that this young man made many friends among heroes and celebrities during the battle of Xiaocheng? Now that he intends to wage war against us, he feels he lacks sufficient troops, so it's not impossible that he secretly sought to borrow soldiers... isn't that right?"
Xun Ding secretly observed the two of them.
Rather than saying this scholar was well-mannered, it would be more accurate to say that he simply didn't care about Miao Shu and therefore didn't care about her feelings.
Miao Shu sneered: "Back then, all the allies of Xiaocheng, except those who died in battle, joined the Dragon-Slaying Bureau, wholeheartedly fighting against the tyrant Zheng Qiao. In terms of kinship, they are all allies of our lord now. How could they betray their alliance and assist outsiders?"
It's impossible for anyone to lend troops to Shen Tang.
Furthermore, there isn't enough time.
so--
The question inevitably circled back to the same point.
Which of these two guesses is true, and which is false?
Just as Qiu Cheng was hesitating, Xun Ding, an unofficial member of the organization, looked left and right and couldn't help but say, "Isn't it easy to verify this? Aren't their 20,000 troops waiting just ten miles outside the city? If we engage them, we can find out their true strength."
The situation is urgent, why are you still arguing about these things?
Gong Xichou did have some truth to what he said; people from wealthy and powerful families like to do these fancy things.
It's completely useless!
Given Xun Ding's temperament, he would immediately prepare for battle, muster his troops, dispatch elite forces to guard the city, and then lead his own troops out of the city to confront Shen Tang's main force. Whether they are strong or weak, real or feint, will be clear after a fight. What's the point of the internal storm?
How embarrassing would it be to guess wrong after all that guessing?
Everyone: "..."
Xun Ding looked doubtful: "Uh, did I misspoke?"
Have these people forgotten about Shen Tang?
It's not that I forgot, but I certainly didn't take it seriously enough.
Their attack on the Nanyu County granary revealed their habit of looking down on Shen Tang with an air of superiority. Deep down, they harbored a disdain for amateur performers stemming from their privileged backgrounds. Even Shen Tang's later display of skill failed to completely quell their arrogance.
Linshan County, city wall.
Qiu Cheng, his face stern, led his men to the city wall. They stood still, gazing towards the direction of Chen Tang's army. Though the night obscured their view, they could still see a vast expanse of flags in the distance, densely packed, fluttering in the wind. The air itself was thick with a silent, chilling atmosphere.
He looked down at the wall again.
A cold wind swept across my face, and the flags fluttered in the wind.
Sibao County was a place frequently ravaged by war, and the city walls of Linshan County also suffered damage from several battles. Although there have been repairs, the traces of war are still visible after repeated patching. The walls are pitted, with corners missing here and there.
News from the front lines arrived one by one with the scouts.
Shen Tang's army didn't seem to intend to engage in direct combat. Instead, they set up cooking fires ten miles away. Smoke curled from the chimneys, the aroma of rice filling the air—a scene of everyday life. From Qiu Cheng's perspective, this was tantamount to provocation. In crude terms, it meant: "Little brat, don't be impatient. Let your old man have a meal. If you can't wait, you can attack now, otherwise wait until I've eaten before attacking."
Qiu Cheng remained silent, and the others also kept quiet.
Miao Shu then asked, "What is their military formation like?"
If the formation is loose, there will be an opportunity to exploit it.
A large meal can make people feel sluggish and relaxed.
Cooking at such close range, that's incredibly risky.
The scout clasped his hands and bowed his head in response.
"The order was impeccable, and everything was neat and uniform."
Even in such a relaxed atmosphere, Shen Tang's army did not let their guard down, forcing the scouts to stay away.
Miao Shu asked again, "Is this the case throughout the entire army?"
If there were indeed unqualified commoner cooks, they would not have received proper training, and their actions would naturally be out of sync with the disciplined elite troops, making them a glaring flaw. However, the scout's reply was not what she expected.
"That's the case everywhere; no one is seen being lax or negligent..."
Miao Shu clenched her fists: "How could this be?"
There were no charlatans among them.
The only good news right now is that Shen Tang didn't launch a sudden attack, giving Qiu Cheng time to further refine his plans.
It wasn't that Shen Tang liked to dawdle; it was simply because "sharpening the axe doesn't delay the work of chopping wood"—although the Vanguard Camp's fight with Xun Ding was short, it had taken a lot of effort. Shen Tang's martial energy hadn't fully recovered, and Jiang Shengwen also needed to rest, so they decided to eat first.
"Food is as essential as iron; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal. This proverb is absolutely true." Shen Tang kept hearing news of enemy scouts approaching, but he remained calm and focused on enjoying his food, chewing each bite carefully as if the coarse grains in his hands were some kind of delicacy. "Hehe, Qiu Wenyan probably isn't in the mood to eat right now. I'd better choke him to death with one bite."
"Isn't our lord afraid of a sneak attack?"
Lu Jue would occasionally turn his head to look in the direction of the city.
He was already itching to do it.
This was his first time on the battlefield since the Battle of Yonggu Pass two years ago. How can a military general accumulate military merits without fighting? How can he become stronger without accumulating military merits? With victory so close at hand, how could he have any thought of eating? But his lord forbade him to move, so he could only suppress his thoughts.
The meal tasted like cardboard.
Shen Tang was very carefree and said with a smile, "It's even better that they took the initiative to launch a sneak attack, saving us from running ten miles... What does ten miles mean? It'll definitely be number one in WeChat steps! Aren't you tired of walking? Eat, eat, you need to be full to have energy."
Her reasoning was absurd, ridiculous, and incomprehensible.
Shen Tang would occasionally say strange things, but Lü Jue was used to it and was fine as long as he could understand the general meaning.
After eating and drinking their fill, no enemy troops came.
Shen Tang patted his stomach with regret: "Tsk, Qiu Wenyan, that coward! He didn't take such a good opportunity. What a wimp!"
Of course, if he dares to come, I'll smash his head off!
I went to the hospital on the 14th.
Try to save a few drafts of the mushroom image _(:з」∠)_
I estimate not many, just two or three chapters.
Take as few days off as possible.
The plot might be, probably, or maybe a bit weak (whispering, actually, it's because I'm in my late pregnancy and my brain isn't working properly. I had a lot of words and plot ideas planned out, but when I put my hands on the keyboard, I forgot them all. Just think of it as my brain getting waterlogged and diluting the plot).
After the shiitake mushroom spores fall to the ground, we'll rest for a bit and then come back with a big surprise for everyone!
(End of this chapter)
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