Chapter 783: I am the Lord! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"They've withdrawn?"
When the news reached Wu Xian's camp, everyone was overjoyed.
Wu Xian pressed for details: "Is the news definitely true?"
As the saying goes, "all's fair in war," it's not impossible for them to feign a retreat to lower the enemy's guard, and then ambush them along the way. Wu Xian knew Huang Lie's troops were cunning, and after chasing them like mad dogs for so long, why would they just retreat?
The scout reported back, "It is indeed true."
Because Huang Lie's troops did not retreat in a large-scale operation, the scouts at the front lines failed to detect it immediately. By the time they realized something was wrong and sent men to investigate, Huang Lie's camp was deserted. Judging from the traces left behind, they must have left in batches.
Realizing this, the scouts quickly gave chase.
Judging from the direction of Huang Lie's troops' retreat, the chances of them ambushing and launching a counterattack are almost zero. In short, the crisis is over.
After listening to the scout's detailed report, Wu Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the pent-up frustration of the past few days dissipated completely. If it were just Huang Lie's group, Wu Xian was confident he could continue, but with Zhang He's betrayal, he was in for a headache.
With the external crisis unresolved and internal turmoil brewing, even though Wu Xian was certain that the Tianhai faction wouldn't dare to stage a mutiny, being forced to make a decision by the neck left him with a burning rage, like a volcano he had been suppressing. Beset by internal and external troubles, he was worn down.
With the external threat temporarily averted, he had some time to calm down, and his expression softened as he looked at Cui Xiao and the others with even more amiable eyes. Cui Xiao asked, "Huang Xiguang's withdrawal is only a temporary solution; he'll inevitably return one day."
Wu Xian sighed softly, "This man is ambitious. Even when we were still allied, he would hide from battle and rack his brains to weaken us. How could such a villain let this go? Shang Nan Gu Ziyi has already met with misfortune and died, leaving only the Tianhai and Longwu families..."
Huang Lie wasn't as bad as Wu Xian described.
Besides concealing the trump card of the Sixteenth-Rank Grand Master, the Heavy Shield Warrior Legion is also deployed in every battle, but whether they exert their full strength is something only Huang Lie himself knows. However, Wu Xian wants to cooperate with Shen Tang, and stepping on their common enemy is a basic tactic.
After all, both families were thorns in Huang Lie's side.
Cui Xiao's attitude did not disappoint him.
For a moment, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Wu Xian kept calling her "Sister Chen" as if it were nothing, but the people under his command showed a "physiological" reaction to this title—after a whole night, they still couldn't quite accept the truth, as if they were having a nightmare.
After a long silence, Wu Xian sighed with regret and said with shame, "Shanxiao's great talent has been buried for many years, it is my fault."
Cui Xiaodao: "Lord Wu is too kind."
How can a person's talent be discerned in just a few words? The so-called "great talent" is nothing but a polite phrase, used only because of the cooperation between the two companies. Cui Xiao coldly saw this clearly. For Wu Xian, Cui Xiao's departure was a foregone conclusion; he would not and could no longer be used by him. If wasting a little breath could eliminate the dissatisfaction that Cui Xiao had accumulated over the years and prevent the possibility of Cui Xiao tripping him up in the future because of this matter, wouldn't it be worthwhile? If Cui Xiao were in his shoes, he would be willing to do it too.
Since the two companies intend to cooperate, they can no longer act independently.
With supplies running low, Wu Xian's forces were facing a critical shortage, making a retreat to Chao Li Pass the wisest option. Combining the forces of both sides would provide greater security at Chao Li Pass and prevent the possibility of being ambushed by other forces while isolated. Immediately, Wu Xian ordered the troops to break camp and set off.
There was a small incident on the way to Chaoli Pass.
Huang Lie withdrew his troops without informing Zhang He in time.
Wu Xian's troops encountered Zhang He's forces halfway through the journey. Zhang He's side keenly sensed something was wrong and retreated without lingering. They darted away faster than rabbits, impossible to catch.
"This Zhang Yongqing—"
Wu Xian was so angry he wanted to curse.
"This Huang Xiguang—"
Zhang He was also so angry that he started cursing.
At the same time, Shen Tang also greeted them equally: "Huang Xiguang and Zhang Yongqing, the day we catch those two, we'll tear them apart!"
She squatted on the edge of the field, looking at the land and sighing.
With the Chaoli Pass mountain range as the dividing line, the Yanzhou half outside the pass had long been cleared by Zheng Qiao, leaving not a single seedling in the fields, and he did not care about the floods; the Yanzhou half inside the pass was in the hands of the Allied Army, so spring plowing was carried out as usual.
All our hard work was wasted in the face of this great flood in Miaojiang.
The floodwaters receded after several days, destroying all the crops in the fields.
Is it too late to replant now?
The only solution is to switch to crops planted in late spring and early summer, which must be high-yielding and have a short harvest period.
Otherwise, Yanzhou would truly be filled with starving corpses this year.
She rested her chin on her hand, pondering a solution, when a large shadow fell over her head, and a pair of muddy feet came into view. Shen Tang pinched her nose and dodged back, Qian Yong's face darkened in an instant: "You're making me do all this hard work, and you're just shirking your responsibilities."
Because the situation outside Chaoli Pass was chaotic while the area inside was peaceful, Shen Tang concentrated his forces to vigorously reorganize the region. Clearing silt from river channels, dredging canals, reinforcing river embankments, demolishing dilapidated houses... In short, all of these were tasks for the brave and skilled warriors.
Qian Yong initially thought these trivial matters had nothing to do with him, but Shen Tang did not play by the rules and named names.
He immediately glared at them and said, "I won't do it!"
Shen Tang appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him: "You eat my food, drink my water, live in my house, and I even saved your life. I'm not asking you to go to war and risk your life; it's just to do some odd jobs. You can't even do something so unskilled?"
Qian Yong was so angry that his beard seemed to stand on end. Seeing that he refused to cooperate, Shen Tang had no choice but to look for other people, such as Wei Yuanyuan.
Of course, the task of persuading Wei Shou was left to Chu Yao.
No one knows what Chu Yao said, but the next day Wei Shou obediently came to report for duty and led more than 500 people to clean up a ten-mile-long section of the river in one day. The silt and sand were piled up on both banks and then carried by others to the barren wasteland.
Qian Yong said with heartache: "You were, after all, a great general..."
How could I lower myself to do such menial labor?
Wei Shou said, "It's not like we're working for free."
Qian Yong: [...]
Wei Shoudao: [The next quarter's allocation for military pay will be 10% higher.]
For soldiers, military pay is the most tangible reward. Who goes to war not to fill their stomach? Why wouldn't they take advantage of a quarterly pay bonus without risking their lives to fight the enemy? He didn't understand.
Qian Yong said: "[For a mere ten percent of the military pay...]"
Wei Shou mocked: "A well-fed man doesn't know the hunger of a starving man."
Qian Yong: [...]
Wei Shou's next sentence struck a nerve with Qian Yong.
Don't you want to make a comeback?
Because of their martial prowess, many well-born military officers would cultivate their own trusted retinues, ranging in size from dozens to hundreds or even thousands. These retinues were highly coordinated in battle, the elite of the elite. Against ordinary troops, one could easily take on ten.
Qian Yong's trusted followers were reduced to a mere hundred or so remnants. If he had no great ambitions, these hundred men would have been sufficient, but Qian Yong was clearly not satisfied; he still sought revenge against Zhang Yongqing. Furthermore, the size of his trusted followers was also related to his prestige within the army.
How could he be content with just being an ordinary military officer?
Within two days, he joined the infrastructure construction team.
It wasn't difficult, but he was busy as a bee while Shen Tang was daydreaming, which annoyed him no matter how he looked at it.
Shen Tang picked at her ear with her little finger: "What do you mean I'm 'slacking off'? I'm the lord! If the lord has to do everything personally, wouldn't that make everyone else look incompetent?"
After running this business for so many years, can't she even relax for a moment?
Qian Yong looked at the occasional flashes of martial energy, the absurdity in his heart still not gone—in his entire life, apart from the battlefield, he had never seen so many martial arts masters in any other place.
He slung the hoe over his shoulder and said sarcastically, "Aren't you afraid that all this fussing will end up benefiting someone else?"
After all, the outcome is still uncertain.
Qian Yong said: "People like Huang Liezhang and He."
Shen Tang rolled her eyes: "Do they even deserve it?"
Qian Yong: "..."
Who exactly is it that keeps shouting about Shen Youli's humility?
Is that arrogant guy next to him, with his nostrils pointing skyward, a ghost?
Qian Yong snorted, "You'd better take it easy. After all, a martial artist isn't an ordinary person. These tasks are too trivial..."
The resentment that a martial artist harbors will eventually erupt if it accumulates too much.
Shen Tang plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, adopting an air of old-fashioned wisdom, and said, "You don't understand. I call this 'killing multiple birds with one stone.' I have martial artists actively participate in labor not only to encourage their courage and efficiency, but also for other purposes. This is also the key to leading troops. I don't bother to teach those I'm not on good terms with."
Qian Yong sneered, "I'd like to hear your opinion."
Shen Tang said, "Martial arts warriors have more physical strength and energy than ordinary soldiers. A group of energetic people are like huskies; once they have excess energy, they'll wreak havoc. Too much energy needs to be released; if it's not released, it easily leads to chaos. Over time, it can also cause morale to drop, discipline to become lax, and combat effectiveness to decline. Some forces use the most 'bad' methods to solve problems. Once they reach a certain place, they allow their soldiers to rape and plunder everywhere to satisfy their physiological needs, leaving the troops like a broken comb. In this way, the hidden dangers are minimized..."
She chuckled and said, "Of course I wouldn't do that."
It's easy to release physical and mental energy.
Either get to work or engage in high-intensity training.
The latter can enhance combat power, while the former offers additional benefits.
Qian Yong muttered, "What a waste of food."
The losses are significant, and the consumption of grain is also substantial.
Shen Tang sighed and said, "That's why we have to work in the fields."
She is under a lot of pressure regarding food supplies.
As dusk settled, Qian Yong washed his feet with clean water, dried them, put on his boots again, and set off on his journey home, his shadow trailing behind him. His other confidants followed behind, chatting and laughing, discussing how much work they had done that day and what they would eat for dinner.
Qian Yong listened carefully to what he had to say.
A strange, complex feeling welled up inside me.
In a daze, it felt as if I was far away from the battlefield.
"...General, it seems there's some braised pork today... I heard it was specially transported from Longwu. Other veterans say the logistics team's caramelization and other specialties are absolutely superb!"
Qian Yong laughed and scolded, "Eat, eat, eat! All you know is how to eat!"
He wouldn't want to eat pork with such a strong, unpleasant smell.
But he was quickly proven wrong. If it weren't for his extraordinary strength, that bowl of meat would have ended up in some brat's stomach.
He had just finished eating when he suddenly heard the sound of pots and pans clattering outside, and he couldn't help but look over out of curiosity.
A woman stood with her hands on her hips and got into an argument with the kitchen staff.
"What's wrong?"
Qian Yong, holding his bowl, also went over.
(_)
I spent ages researching crop cultivation, but couldn't find what I was looking for. I glanced at the time and nearly fainted. I'd misread the update time…
P.S.: I don't know why, but I can't see the book reviews on the front end, but I can see them in the author's back end. You can still leave comments as usual. I'll ask the editor.
(End of this chapter)
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