Chapter 1088: Full Attack (1)

Little Bear’s mouth fell open. What had he done these past few days?

He had been completely exhausted from the urgent march every day. In the past, when he was a “Prince”, he could still ride a horse. But now that he was a lowly-ranked soldier, he had to rely on his two legs.

As a new recruit, he was also bullied by the veterans. During the urgent march, he had to help them carry some luggage. When they stopped, he had to help them fetch water, dig weeds, pick up firewood, start a fire, and roast things. Sometimes, he had to help them snatch military rations. He would even be kicked awake from time to time when he slept at night. In short, he was kept extremely busy.

Qi Haoran looked at his son’s confused expression and couldn’t help but sigh. “Those things they asked you to do are the skills you need to survive. Now, are you able to carry a pile of luggage and march urgently while thinking and looking for something to eat on the way?”

Little Bear’s expression was strange. “This is an ability, huh. In the past, I also…” Little Bear thought for a moment and said, “In the past, as long as I had the heart, I would definitely have been able to do this, too. Father, did you want me to become an ordinary soldier just for this?”

Qi Haoran snorted coldly. “Do you think this is easy to learn? You’re strong and have internal energy to regulate your breathing, but in terms of endurance, you’re far inferior to those veterans. You think that you could do the same in the past, huh. But think about it–was it easy for you to keep up with those veterans during the urgent march in the first three days?”

Little Bear opened his mouth, looking a little ashamed.

Qi Haoran stood up and said, “Let me tell you again, don’t underestimate those veterans. Although they can’t teach war strategy and other more impressive skills, in terms of survival, even I can’t compare to them sometimes.”

“They did ask you to carry their luggage for them. But did you notice that they have always been carrying their own rations, water, and weapons?” Qi Haoran sneered and said, “Only those ‘experienced soldiers’ who have only joined the army for a few months and feel that they have fought in the battlefield will bully the newbies and stuff everything into the hands of the new recruits. Every time the army stops, one has to choose a place that’s easy to defend and difficult to attack, in addition to finding a water source themselves. But every time, you manage to quickly find a water source. Why is that so?”

“Your mother did teach you how to find water sources and edible wild vegetables, but think about it. Have you been applying the knowledge that your mother taught you these past few days? As a soldier on an expedition, even if it’s not you patrolling the night, you can’t fall into deep slumber. By kicking you awake from time to time, they’re saving you.” Qi Haoran said, “Son, there’s still a lot you need to learn.”

Having always had a problem with those veterans who ordered him to do this and that, Little Bear felt ashamed. He didn’t expect them to actually be teaching him.

Qi Haoran looked at his son’s expression and instantly felt that he was stupid but in a cute way. He opened his mouth but ultimately held it in.

Mu Yangling nudged him and said with a smile, “Hurry up and go back. They’ll be suspicious if you’re gone for too long. These veterans are very smart. When you go out later, remember to roll around on the grass.”

Little Bear pouted and asked, “Mother, is it because I’m not good at learning, so I have to learn from them how to find water sources and wild vegetables?”

“Silly child, what I taught you in the past was to find a clear and clean water source and refreshing wild vegetables that are edible. The premise is that you have enough time to leisurely wander around and search. But now, you’re a soldier at war, so you can’t be too far away from the camp. You have to march urgently, and time is tight, so you can only search for food in the vicinity. Think about the water sources you’ve been finding along the way. There’s water from the streams, the river, the ditches in the caves, and even from the hailstones on the ground. There’s both clean and dirty sources. The situation is different, so the things you need to learn are naturally different. Not to mention, what I taught you in the past was to find wild vegetables, chickens, and rabbits to stew. Now, they’re teaching you which weeds are edible, what parts of leaves to eat, and how to eat them…” Mu Yangling rubbed his head and smiled. “The main reason is that we’re only on an urgent march now, so we’re letting you learn from them. When there’s a big battle, you’ll have to return to your father’s side to learn how to deploy soldiers.”

Little Bear lowered his head and thought for a moment. “I understand, Mother. I want to be a general. While I have to learn how to survive, I also have to learn how to deploy troops in a war!”

Mu Yangling nodded with a smile.

After Little Bear left happily, Qi Haoran complained, “Why is he so stupid? I wasn’t that stupid in the past. He actually thought that those veterans would specially teach him.”

Those veterans had kicked him awake to remind him, but that had only begun in the past two days. Furthermore, that was on account that he was obedient enough. They had indeed also instructed Little Bear to do other things. If not for the reminders of the two seniors, who would have thought of these things?

He wanted Little Bear to mix among these veterans because he knew that they would bully new recruits, and those who were bullied would always learn something from it.

Mu Yangling smiled and said, “Just let him think so. Only then can he be more at ease and feel better.”

However, Little Bear did not stay by those veterans’ side for long. This was because within two days of the military rations being sent over, they received an order to launch an all-out attack and take down Shijiazhuang as soon as possible. Hence, Little Bear returned to his parents’ side to learn how to deploy troops.

After Shijiazhuang, they would be attacking Zhending Prefecture. As long as they took down Zhending, the north gate would open. General Shang and General Qin’s army slowly gathered at the Shijiazhuang. Now that the three armies had gathered, they surrounded the west and south gates of the Shijiazhuang.

Shijiazhuang only had 50,000 soldiers, while Qi Haoran’s three armies combined now had a strength of 150,000 soldiers, even more than when they first started out.

At the same time, Qi Xiuyuan ordered Mu Shi to start attacking Taiyuan. He ordered General Yuan to split his troops into two. One would head east to take down Yidu Prefecture, and the other would head north to take down Hejian Prefecture. The envoys of the Jin Kingdom, who had been under the impression that there was hope for peace negotiations, immediately knew that the peace talks had collapsed. They had been deceived and all the truce did was give the Great Qi army time to rest and reorganize.

When the news was sent back, Wulie tore the secret letter apart in hatred and said hatefully, “If I had known earlier, I would have killed Qi Haoran back then!”

Wulie paced back and forth anxiously and said to the envoy, “Send someone to look for Ogedei. Tell him that I’m willing to cede the city and only ask for the cooperation of the two armies to keep the Qi army out of Taiyuan first. Tell him that once the Qi army captures Taiyuan and Zhending, my children of the grassland will not have a day of peace. Prince Rong of Great Qi is warlike. Once they regain their lost land, he will soon set his sights on our grasslands!”

The envoy acknowledged the order and left.

Ogedei held Wulie’s letter with mixed feelings.

Some of his subordinates were for it, while others opposed the idea.

Li Zhang was one of the people who tried his best to object. He said angrily, “Khan, the Jin people are so cunning. Who knows if this is their plan to buy themselves some time? You have to know that not so long ago, he was thinking of negotiating with the Qi army to deal with us. Such a double-dealing person can’t be trusted. Besides, we have a death grudge with them!”

“That’s right, Khan. We can’t agree to it. What if we work with them and they stab us in the back?”

“But the Jin Emperor is right. Prince Rong of Great Qi is good at fighting wars. If he takes over the Zhending area, he might come to attack us in the future. Seeing as Great Qi is now powerful and has sufficient rations, I’m afraid we’re not their match. Why don’t we keep them south of Taiyuan and Zhending since it’s in the heat of battle and they have no time to deal with us?”

Li Zhang advised, “While good at farming and weaving, the Han people don’t like grazing and aren’t enthusiastic about the grassland. They just want to recover their lost land. Speaking of which, it was Great Jin who snatched their land. It has nothing to do with us.”

“The Military Advisor is a Han, so it’s unsurprising that you speak up for the Han…”

Although Ogedei didn’t say anything, there was a hint of agreement on his face. This was because Li Zhang had always been friendly to the Han people.

Li Zhang’s expression changed and he looked at him sadly. “Khan, we escaped from the mine together. I admit that I’m biased towards the Han people because I’m Han. However, I’m also your brother and friend. Back then, we could even sacrifice our lives for each other. Do you no longer trust me?”

Ogedei’s expression changed and he hurriedly said, “Of course not. Military Advisor, don’t think too much.”