General Sheng Xiao stood outside the tent and saw them approaching his camp from afar.
He squinted slightly, knowing perfectly well why they had come.
He welcomed the people into the tent, sat in the main seat, and did not speak. He simply observed everyone, wanting to see who would take the lead in speaking first.
The scene fell silent immediately, and no one spoke.
The others looked at each other in bewilderment and remained silent.
Liao Ziquan glanced at Gu Yucheng and Jiang Yu in front of him. He saw that Gu Yucheng's eyes kept darting between the desk and the tent, avoiding eye contact with him, while Jiang Yu stared straight ahead without moving, showing no intention of giving him any attention.
Seeing that neither of them intended to speak, Liao Ziquan stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute to General Sheng Xiao, and said, "Reporting to the General, we have come here regarding the matter of provisions."
Sheng Xiao looked at him, gesturing for him to continue.
After hearing Liao Ziquan's words, Sheng Xiao didn't rush to speak. Instead, he looked around and asked in a deep, authoritative voice, "You all think the same way?"
Jiang Yu and Gu Yucheng clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Just as General Liao said."
Others echoed his sentiments.
Sheng Xiao glanced at everyone, sighed, and said, "I will write to His Majesty, requesting that His Majesty send the military pay to all the generals as soon as possible. I hope that all the generals will do their best to fight for the country, end the rebellion as soon as possible, and restore peace to the world."
The crowd agreed, but in their hearts they thought that quelling the rebellion did not necessarily bring peace to the world.
If there is no wise ruler and those in high positions remain unchanged, how can the people live in peace and prosperity?
Another half month passed, and by this time the army was already advancing towards Julu.
"Brother, the imperial reinforcements will be arriving soon. Should we retreat?"
Looking at the continuous drizzle, Wu Chuliang said coldly, "What's there to be afraid of? What's the use of having many people if people aren't united? This murky water isn't just about our group."
As far as he knew, some of the reinforcements summoned by the Zhou emperor had long harbored resentment towards the Zhou dynasty, and he wondered what their true intentions were in coming here.
Since the various prefectures sent out their troops, Wu Jiliang and his men had already sent people to investigate the backgrounds of the generals leading the troops. Surprisingly, both the left and right vanguards had served in Yuyang before.
Moreover, their families were all exiled here by the Zhou emperor.
In Yuyang, their lives are not very good!
He didn't believe that the Zhou Emperor was unaware of their identities, yet he still sent people over. Was the Zhou Emperor overconfident, believing that no one in the world would dare to betray him? Or was it a foolish move made out of desperation?
I fear that in the end, we will only raise a tiger that will turn out to be a menace.
However, this is beneficial to them; the more muddy the waters of the world are stirred up, the better for them.
But if they want to use them as a stepping stone, they'll have to see if the other party has the ability to do so.
"Give the order to send three thousand light cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the approaching army tonight."
Since they have come from afar with a large army, he should at least treat them well and give them a gift.
Chu Guanzhi agreed, also thinking that his elder brother's move was brilliant. The Zhou Emperor's army probably never expected that when facing an army of over 600,000, they would not only not back down, but would instead launch a preemptive attack, catching them off guard.
He volunteered, saying, "Then I'll leave this to you."
Wu Jiliang nodded and instructed, "Be careful in your actions, and retreat immediately if you find any danger."
Chu Guanzhi nodded. He naturally knew to act according to the situation and would not force anyone.
As night fell and the rain stopped, about a hundred miles from Julu, Commander Pan Yi ordered the army to set up camp there.
Around the campfire, the soldiers sat together to keep warm.
"Damn, this weather is so cold, even though it's only early autumn."
One soldier took a sip of strong liquor and complained to the people around him that their uniforms, while not exactly thin, were not exactly warm either.
Wouldn't it be even more arduous to march and fight in winter?
Most of them were new recruits who had just enlisted this year. Although they had suffered during the famine, they were only focused on surviving and didn't care about anything else. But this was their first time marching and fighting. After the initial excitement wore off, the journey became tedious.
The old soldier next to him took a big gulp of strong liquor and said, "What's this? Back in the day, we dragged our wounded bodies through the snow all night in the dead of winter before we finally got medical help. The battlefield is never a fun place. Once you're on the battlefield, you have to be prepared to die at any time."
He looked at the flickering flames; the war had only just begun!
Jiang Yu took a sip of the strong liquor beside him and felt a little warmer. He listened quietly to the soldiers' conversation without joining in.
After a while, he said to Jiang Ming, "Pass down the order to have the soldiers in Shangjun drink less wine, just enough to warm up. Be more vigilant tonight, and arrange for another team to patrol the night."
We'll reach Julu tomorrow after another day's journey; it's not far from the enemy's main camp.
If he were an enemy soldier, he would surely take a bite out of the enemy when they are exhausted from marching.
Zhang Liao naturally understood Jiang Yu's considerations and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to get a good night's sleep tonight."
I just don't know if General Sheng has made the arrangements yet.
Having led troops for many years, Sheng Xiao was naturally very vigilant. He went to the tent of Commander-in-Chief Pan Yi and, instead of expressing his worries, reminded him: "The rebels will surely make a move tonight. It would be better to issue an order to all the troops to prepare for defense as soon as possible."
Pan Yi disagreed, saying:
"General, you are worrying too much. When they heard that our army was coming, the rebels were already scared out of their wits. How could they dare to attack our army?"
He glanced at Sheng Xiao, who was almost sixty years old.
"The older people get, the more afraid they are of death. The general should be enjoying his old age in his mansion. It's freezing cold, and it's too much trouble for the general to send his son. He's too unfilial."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Xiao was so angry that he glared and puffed out his beard. After a long while, he finally calmed down and his gaze became sharp and cold. "No need for the commander to worry. I am still vigorous despite my old age. To me, marching and fighting is just a small matter. My son is no match for the commander."
"Since the commander-in-chief has made his own decision, there is probably no need for my advice."
Seeing Sheng Xiao turn and leave, the eunuch Huang Han said, "Is it not a good idea for the commander to break ties with him so early?"
Pan Yi's gaze was cold.
“What’s wrong with that? We were just giving him face before. But these people don’t respect you at all. Not only do they deal with you in private, but they even sent the letter directly to His Majesty without going through us. Let’s see if His Majesty will grant their wish.”
Huang Han chimed in, "Compared to them, His Majesty trusts the two of us more. His Majesty's reply should arrive soon, and then we will make sure they know our identities."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com