NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Divine Strategist Han Xuanzhi (II)
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Huang Sanyuan had been very nervous the whole time. It was because there was something that only he knew, that the bandits that he only saw two men from the Toad Bandits. Given how Han Xuanzhi was so excited, to the point where he mobilize a thousand men, then the moment this fact becomes known, then only death would await himself. Thus, Huan Sanyuan had been constantly thinking about how to find an opportunity to run away midway.
However, as the army moved forth, Huang Sanyuan gradually felt like the problem that he had been considering really wasn’t much of one. That was because there was an even bigger problem with the army.
The road was rough, bumpy, and overgrown. For the army, marching on this road was basically a kind of torture. Among the army of a thousand, some got colds, some had stomach bugs, and several of the heavy infantry even fainted. Even the commanders could only ride their horses all about the army while using their whips to whip people into moving forward.
Yet, in the middle of all this, there’s also a gaudy carriage. It’s pulled by two horses, with the insides cushioned with thick cotton blankets. Han Xuanzhi sat within the carriage, lightly fanning himself with an assured expression.
Huang Sanyuan hesitated for some time before he finally managed to spit out the question he had, “Young lord, aren’t we supposed to be in a hurry? In that case, why are you taking the carriage?”
“I’m not a soldier. It’s not my responsibility to charge into danger.” Han Xuanzhi raised a brow as he spoke forcefully, “My responsibility is to direct them to fight. My value won’t be shown through enduring pain and suffering. Don’t you understand?”
“I do, I understand.” Huang Sanyuan hurriedly nodded. He once again had that feeling of [your logic sounds very reasonable, I have no counter for it, but I keep feeling like there’s something wrong].
“You can’t possibly understand.” Han Xuanzhi looked outside the carriage window as he sighed, “In ancient times, there was the famed general Chen Xuanzhi. When he went on campaign, he didn’t so much as leave his tent, and yet he slew his enemies thousands of miles away. The enemy armies would be utterly annihilated as he chatted casually. My senior’s bearing is truly admirable.”
And though you don’t have a great general’s ability, you have a great general’s madness. Huang Sanyuan so grumbled in his mind. Now he has finally slowly understood what kind of person Han Xuanzhi was. In this world, there are useless sons and there are capable and ambitious sons. There are also sons who believed themselves capable and ambitious, but are in fact useless. And the guy in front of him… Is unquestionably the last type.
Blackstone City. On the day after Han Xuanzhi set out with his army, Xue Banjou came to the lord’s mansion.
It was quite hot at the time, so Han Huju was drinking wine with his upper half bare. Even so, he was still sweating from the heat. The sisters Huaer and Caoer were currently servicing him. Both sisters only wore a thin shirt at the moment, and their beautiful figures can be seen though the thin layer veiling them.
That was the view that Xue Banjou saw as he entered the mansion. He thus hurriedly lowered his head in a panic, not daring to look.
“What is it?” Han Huju was very displeased.
“My lord, the young master had left for a day now, but I have a bad feeling. It might be best if I take a hundred cavalry to check on him, just in case.”
“What could possibly go wrong… Alright, go ahead, go ahead…” Han Huju impatiently waved him off.
Xue Banjou backed away as he left. Only until he fully left the room did he finally stand up straight.
After half an hour, a hundred cavalry were gathered at the assembly yard. Xue Banjou had once trained five hundred soldiers, and these hundred light cavalry are the elite among them. All of them were around 20-30 or so, and each of them were strong and tough. They formed up in square formations with five on each side, equipped with with bow and arrows on their backs, spear in their hands, and a short saber on sheathed on their waist.
No one spoke. Even the warhorses stayed quiet. A hundred strong men simply silently watched Xue Banjou.
They don’t need brains. Xue Banjou is their brain. They don’t need beliefs, Xue Banjou is their belief.
Xue Banjou stopped for a moment before getting on his horse.
“Move out!”
The horses neighed as one. Even the horses’ hoof steps were practically synchronized. They charged forth as one like a mighty tiger and followed behind Xue Banjou.
Those hundred men acted as one. The limbs of those hundred acted as if they’re a single person’s. This is what real elite soldiers are like.
…
The army slowly marched forth. The distance of 30 or so miles to Toad Peak, which should take the morning or so, ended up taking an entire day for the army.
“Young lord we will be arriving at Toad Peak soon. Should we let the soldiers rest for a bit? They’ve already marched for an entire day and night after all.” Huang Sanyuan spoke.
“Rest!” Han Xuanzhi looked at Huang Sanyuan with an uncomprehending expression. “Butler Huang, don’t you know that in war, speed is paramount? If we were to rest, then what would happen if the bandits raid us in the middle of the night?”
“That…” Huang Sanyuan spoke, “But the soldiers are too tired. They won’t be able to keep going much longer…”
“My soldiers must have the courage to charge in the face of difficulties, the will to search out a path to life in a crisis. Butler Huang, we’re here to fight a battle here, that’s the kind of thing that kills people. What is a little tiredness in comparison to that?”
Fuck, that feeling’s back. Your logic sounds very reasonable, I have no counter for it, but I keep feeling like there’s something wrong.
The sound of a horse approached. An army supervisor came to the carriage, “Young master, there’s a fork in the road up ahead. One is the public road, while the other is a goat trail that passes through a valley. Young Master, which path should we take?”
“You idiot, of course we’re taking the official road! You even need to ask?” Huang Sanyuan rebuked as he silently prayed: Oh ancestors, please don’t let something else go wrong.
“Wait!” As expected, Han Xuanzhi once again showed that [none of you understand, only I understand] expression as he spoke, “Butler Huang believes that we should take the public road. In fact everyone will believe that we’ll take the public road. In that case, wouldn’t the bandits also know that we’ll take the public road? They will definitely set up an ambush on the way. However, I’m going to purposefully go against the common logic and completely invalidate their trap.”
Huang Sanyuan was at the verge of spitting up blood. The hell you need to go against common logic here, what’s two bandits supposed to ambush anything? Whatever, it’s just two bandits after all. It’s all the same no matter which path they takes. The only difference is that the soldiers will be having it a bit harder.
The army begun changing direction toward the goat trail.
It goes without saying that Huang Sanyuan was quite depressed, but not even he knew that hidden in the foliage were a number of eyes watching their army.
Xu Shenji had visited every bandit group on the Blackbull mountains during the past few days. He told every one of them the exact same thing: Blackstone City is going to be sending a big army to wipe out all the bandits on Blackbull mountain.
Nobody really believed his words, but there would always be a hint of doubt in their minds, so they’ll at least send people out to scout things out. When Han Xuanzhi’s army arrived near the vicinity of Blackbull Mountain, those scouts saw them and sped back to report to their various groups.
It’s an army of a thousand after all. It was a major threat to all the bandits.
The Flying Tiger Bandits, Apricot Flower Peak, Doghead Peak, Wild Boar Woods, Bald Slope… All the leaders of each of those bandit groups all hid themselves in the woods on the sides of the public road along with their men.
One of them was dressed in black with a large naked saber in his hand. He was the boss of the Flying Tiger Bandits, Gao Feihu. There was also someone next to him, his little brother Gao Feibao.
“Big bro, they don’t seem to be here for us. Given their path, they seem to be heading toward Toad Peak?”
“Would they really send this many soldiers to attack what few people left with the Toad Bandits?” Gao Feihu frowned, unable to understand the logic behind such actions. “Sigh, if only the strategist was here. Let’s just watch and see for now just what’s going on today.”