Finest Servant

Chapter 241 The Assault

Hundreds of men, hauling several carts of provisions and two heavy cannons, were bound to travel slowly. Furthermore, General Lin intentionally delayed their march, causing them to stop and start, dividing their time between marching and training. It was a very leisurely journey.

Du Xiuyuan and Hu Bugui had put in great efforts to train these few hundred soldiers into an elite force. Both men seemed to have their own unique approach; after training individual soldiers, they began to practice formations, refusing to let anyone lag behind. Their strict implementation of a 'last place elimination' system was uncompromising. Indeed, on the first day, nearly twenty percent of the soldiers didn't get dinner. This fueled a marked rise in enthusiasm for training on the second day, and even more so on the third. The two officers were delighted by the progress, giving a thumbs-up and praising General Lin's methods as an exemplary model for soldiers.

Lin Wanrong, however, held a different perspective; he trained his soldiers not for the purpose of killing the enemy, but to have a fallback plan in case they needed to retreat. He entrusted Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan with his men, allowing himself a relaxed and leisurely attitude.

They made slow progress on this journey, passing through Fengyang, Suzhou, Huaibei, and other places, and only reached Xuzhou after five days. Upon arrival, they learned that Xu Wei had set out the previous night for Feng County. With no other choice, Lin Wanrong had to lead his troops forward, embarking on what seemed more like a sightseeing tour than a military expedition.

"Starting from yesterday, Master Xu led cavalry and infantry from Zhejiang and Shandong, attacking from the north through Yuncheng, Ningyang, and Sishui, and from the south through Dingtao, Tengzhou, and Shanting. They are squeezing the White Lotus Sect's forces between Ju Ye, Jining, and Zou Cheng, effectively surrounding them. Master Xu just sent the latest orders, instructing us to reach Feng County tomorrow to join his main force," Hu Bugui explained, pointing at the crude military map.

Having been born and bred in the field, he was quite familiar with the topography and took the lead in explaining the current situation to Lin Wanrong, Li Sheng, and Du Xiuyuan.

The current position of Lin Wanrong's three camps was in Pei County, just a few dozen li away from Xu Wei's frontline camp in Feng County. Lin Wanrong wasn't particularly interested in these geographical details, yet he listened to Hu Bugui's explanation, all the while suppressing several yawns.

Du Xiuyuan said, "We're only fifty to sixty li away from Master Xu's camp. If we march early tomorrow, we can deliver the provisions and cannons to Master Xu, and our mission will be accomplished."

Hu Bugui, however, had a different view: "Looking at the situation, our army just closed in yesterday. The White Lotus Sect didn't even have time to resist. By the time we deliver these supplies tomorrow, Master Xu might have already reached Jining and wiped out the White Lotus Sect's stronghold. Our lads have trained hard these days, yet they haven't had the chance to test their skills in battle. It's quite a disappointment."

Lin Wanrong patted Hu Bugui's shoulder, laughing: "Brother Hu, I understand how you feel. But war means people die, and these are all our brothers. I would grieve if any of them got hurt. It's better for everyone to be safe and sound. Ideally, this war would never reach us, and everyone could go back home to celebrate the New Year in peace."

Although General Lin was efficient in his duties, these words revealed a lack of ambition. Hu Bugui couldn't help but shake his head, a hint of disdain seeping into his thoughts.

"Brothers, give the order. We will camp here today. We'll set up camp in the formations practiced under Du Xiuyuan's guidance and reinforce our defenses, especially outside the general’s camps. We must strengthen our patrols. After all, this is a war zone. It's always good to be prepared. In case there's any disturbance, the safety of our general is paramount. Ah, haha, let's leave it at that," Lin Wanrong said earnestly.

"Just admit you're scared of dying instead of making excuses," Hu Bugui muttered disdainfully, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes. In contrast, Du Xiuyuan voiced his agreement, "General Lin is absolutely correct. This place is currently under the control of the White Lotus Cult and is located close to Weishan Lake. These bandits are familiar with the terrain and could potentially launch a sneak attack under cover of night, which would be difficult to prevent."

Hu Bugui was candid, and despite his demotion from a commander of a thousand men to a commander of a hundred, he hadn't become any more restrained. But then again, anyone competent tended to have a strong personality. ‘Just like me,’ thought Lin Wanrong with a smirk as he ordered his troops to set up camp securely.

Pei County was adjacent to Weishan Lake. It was dusk, and as the setting sun cast its last light and the cool breeze blew, Lin Wanrong exhaled comfortably. Suddenly remembering a popular old song, he began to sing in a loud voice, "Oh, Weishan Lake, shimmering golden light, fluffy clouds floating like cotton — "

He had only sung a few lines when laughter erupted from his soldiers, who were practicing their drills and found his unusual tune amusing.

General Lin was well known for his camaraderie, and his lack of pretentiousness, sincere treatment of his soldiers, and willingness to share their daily lives had earned him a reputation for cherishing his men like his own children. While his last-place elimination system may have seemed harsh, the improvement that the soldiers could feel in themselves through these days of training had actually ignited their passion. They no longer resented the system as much.

"Laugh all you want. Anyone who can sing better should step forward. I bet you guys are only good at singing in the brothels," Lin Wanrong jested lewdly.

Hearing the general joke with them, the soldiers cheered loudly, creating a lively atmosphere. Lin Wanrong had already taken Hu Bugui's advice, mixing the soldiers from Zhejiang and Shandong in a one-to-one ratio for training, and the results had been excellent. Among the cheering crowd were the educated soldiers from Zhejiang and the rugged ones from Shandong.

Seeing the young soldier who had stopped him during a night patrol, Lin Wanrong smiled and asked, "You're Xu Zhen, right?"

"Reporting to the general, I am indeed Xu Zhen," replied the boy, who was a standard-bearer despite being only fourteen or fifteen. He was competent enough to train a group of men much older than him.

Patting his shoulder, Lin Wanrong said, "Good job, Xu Zhen. At such a young age, you have shown great ability. You have a promising future. Keep training the men well. If you do well, I will recommend you to Marshal Xu to lead a group of a hundred or a thousand soldiers."

Xu Zhen was deeply moved by this young general's magnanimity and kindness, and he voiced out loud, "I am grateful for the general's nurturing kindness."

Lin Wanrong nodded approvingly, thinking to himself that although he was not particularly adept in battlefield warfare, nurturing talents were well within his capabilities. Fortunately, the three Commanders under him were all capable individuals, and Xu Zhen was an emerging talent. He definitely needed to recommend Xu Zhen to Xu Wei.

Gao Qiu, who followed Lin Wanrong closely, noticed a satisfied grin on his face. Unable to contain himself, he chuckled, "Brother Lin, you seem particularly cheerful today."

Lin Wanrong let out a hearty laugh, "Brother Gao, the beauty of Weishan Lake is simply delightful. Why not enjoy a little boat ride with me?" Seeing Lin Wanrong in such high spirits, Gao Qiu didn't protest, and found a small boat nearby. Hu Bugui, noticing the two were about to venture onto the lake, quickly warned, "General Lin, it's getting late and Weishan Lake might not be safe. If there are bandits lurking, it would spell trouble."

Lin Wanrong, with a face of righteousness, responded, "Brother Hu, you misunderstand. My intention in exploring the lake is to investigate the potential bandit presence. I suspect..." His eyes flickered, then he mysteriously added, "The lake could be a hiding place for the enemy."

Upon hearing Lin Wanrong's conjecture, Hu Bugui expressed his skepticism, "General Lin, there's something you don't understand. It's already winter. If these bandits were hiding in Weishan Lake, it would certainly be a dead end for them."

"Why is that so?" Lin Wanrong asked curiously.

"Please look, General," Hu Bugui pointed at the dense reeds in the lake and declared loudly, "I was born near Weishan Lake and I'm very familiar with its terrain. The lake stretches tens of miles, and the reeds are a good hiding place. But now it's winter and the reeds have withered. If they are truly hiding in Weishan Lake, all I have to do is set the reeds on fire, and they will have nowhere to hide. Even if we can't annihilate them all with fire, as long as our army stands firm and adopts a scorched-earth policy, within a month, when the heavy snow falls, the bandits hiding in the lake will die from hunger and cold. They won't be able to survive this winter, even without us hunting them down. Therefore, I don't believe they would be foolish enough to choose a path to their own deaths." Hu Bugui's reasoning seemed sound.

‘Damn, all I wanted was a leisurely boat ride, and here's Hu giving me a myriad of reasons not to,’ Lin Wanrong thought. He responded with a serious face, "Brother Hu, your words make sense. But you're applying conventional wisdom here. These White Lotus rebels are cunning and deceptive. Perhaps they might exploit your line of thought, swiftly moving in and out of the lake, catching us off guard. It's a possibility."

Hu Bugui hesitated for a moment. General Lin's words also seemed to carry a lot of weight. He nodded and said, "Then I will accompany the general on this venture."

Seeing Hu Bugui's determined expression, Lin Wanrong, not wanting to refuse, nodded back with a smile. The three of them embarked on the small boat and set off into the distance. Although Hu Bugui was known for his brashness, he was an excellent swimmer, so he was entrusted with the task of rowing the boat, which moved very steadily. Gao Qiu, despite his martial prowess, was a poor swimmer, so he stood firmly by Lin Wanrong's side.

Nowhere was there a divide between the lake and the sky; they merged into one under the setting sun, which cast a bloody red hue onto the water. A gentle breeze blew, causing the reeds to sway and rustle softly, sounding much like the whimper of a baby. A few late-returning waterbirds flapped their wings, disappearing into the dense clusters of reeds in the blink of an eye. Besides their little boat, the lake was desolate. The soft splashing of their oars against the water seemed to echo from an infinite distance. In the midst of the crimson sunset and lone waterbirds, Weishan Lake appeared as tranquil and serene as a shy maiden.

Lin Wanrong yawned lazily. The continuous marching over the past few days had exhausted him. Today's boat trip on the lake offered a bit of relaxation. Seeing Gao Qiu continuously scanning their surroundings, Lin Wanrong laughed and asked, "Brother Gao, under such scenery, what is it that you wish to do most?"

"Drink wine, visit a brothel!" Gao Qiu answered without hesitation. Hu Bugui, who was rowing the boat, burst into hearty laughter, "Indeed, Brother Gao is a man of forthright character!"

‘Damn, you two crude individuals, amidst such beautiful scenery, can't you think of something more refined? A bath with your partner would suffice; why would you want to visit a brothel?’ Lin Wanrong shook his head helplessly. He was indeed more cultured than these two ‘youngsters.’

As dusk set in, the trio rowed their boat farther from the shore, close to a reed bed. Hu Bugui began to search the surroundings seriously. The area was desolate and eerily silent, not even a bird's shadow in sight. After listening carefully for a while, he shook his head and said, "General Lin, there's no one in the reeds."

‘Damn, of course, I know there's no one there. I originally came out to enjoy the scenery, not to look for people.’ He was about to respond when a soft sound reached his ears. The sound seemed to come from afar, but Lin Wanrong's martial arts skills were decent, and his hearing was exceptional. Although the sound was faint, he could hear it clearly.

"Brother Gao, do you hear any sounds?" Lin Wanrong asked Gao Qiu.

Gao Qiu nodded, "It sounds like the splashing of oars, some distance away from us."

The three looked around but saw no trace of any boats. However, the sound of the oars was becoming increasingly clear and louder. It didn't sound like a single oar, but rather like millions of small oars simultaneously striking the water's surface.

In the distance, several waterbirds that had settled in for the night suddenly flew out from the reeds, their flapping wings making a rustling sound.

"Look!" Hu Bugui exclaimed.

Following the direction of his pointing hand, Lin Wanrong saw countless small boats emerging from the reeds hundreds of yards away. Each boat held dozens of men, holding steel blades, looking murderous. A rough sweep of his gaze estimated at least a hundred boats, nearly a thousand men.

"Brother Hu, for this clearance operation, did Marshal Xu bring any naval forces?" Lin Wanrong asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Yes, but they are all large ships. This group doesn't match our navy's scale. They look like—" his eyes widened as he realized, "White Lotus Cult, these are members of the White Lotus Cult!"

Damn, you're a bit slow on the uptake, old man, Lin Wanrong thought as he swallowed hard.

"What do we do, Brother Lin?" Gao Qiu asked urgently.

"Escape!" General Lin answered promptly, "Brother Hu, what are you waiting for? Start rowing!"

Coming to his senses, Hu Bugui took up the oars and turned the boat around, laughing heartily as he rowed, "General Lin, your foresight is remarkable. As you predicted, the White Lotus Sect indeed set an ambush on the lake. I'm thoroughly impressed." He seemed to grow more gleeful as he laughed, glancing back and spitting excitedly into the lake, "Damn it, I was just worried about not finding those bastards. Who would've thought they'd deliver themselves to us? My lads finally have their chance. Today, I will wipe them all out."

‘Damn it,’ Lin Wanrong finally lost his patience, delivering a swift kick to Hu's rear, "If you delay any further, instead of us wiping them out, we'll be the ones to get ravished by them."

Hu Bugui, admiring Lin Wanrong's foresight, simply laughed it off, putting more strength into his strokes. The boat shot towards the shore like an arrow.

Looking back, Lin Wanrong saw hundreds of boats also pushing forward, rapidly closing the distance.

‘Dammit,’ he slapped his forehead in frustration. He had only casually suggested a boat ride on the lake, he hadn't anticipated attracting the White Lotus cult, and especially not a thousand of them. Were they trying to kill him?

The three of them pulled their boat ashore, with Lin Wanrong leading the charge. He yelled, "Du Xiuyuan, form up! Li Sheng, aim the cannons, target the lake, prepare to fire--"

"Charge--" A thunderous roar erupted from the White Lotus soldiers chasing them. Hundreds of boats lunged forward. Lin Wanrong and his comrades had just reached the shore when they turned to see an army pressing toward them.

Breathing heavily, Du Xiuyuan arrived, and hundreds of Divine Machine Unit soldiers quickly formed up, bows and arrows aimed at the lake.

"General Lin, where did these enemies come from? There are so many of them!" Du Xiuyuan asked anxiously.

Lin Wanrong's face was ashen. ‘Dammit, they've sprouted out of nowhere, if it wasn't for my bad luck today, I wouldn't have known until they had stabbed me in the ass.’

"General Lin saw it coming. He foresaw this enemy attack." Hu Bugui truly admired General Lin at this point. Despite his laid-back appearance, General Lin had been prepared. Waving his hand, Hu said, "My boys, ready your weapons--"

At the critical moment, the daily drills came into play. The soldiers quickly formed their ranks, their eyes fixed nervously on the lake.

Dammit, they're all green recruits, Lin Wanrong thought, watching his six to seven hundred men. Most of them were newly enlisted young soldiers, their faces still showing traces of youth. Although their formation was solid, their eyes betrayed their fear.

"Brother Du, did you send for help?" Lin Wanrong shouted.

"General, as soon as we discovered the enemy attack, I dispatched a fast horse to request aid from Marshal Xu, sixty li away," Du Xiuyuan hastily replied.

General Lin nodded approvingly. This Du Xiuyuan was reliable and instilled a sense of confidence.

Hu Bugui cast a serious glance at the approaching White Lotus army and said, "General Lin, the formation of the White Lotus Army is well-organized and disciplined, certainly not a motley crew. They appear to be their elite troops."

"Elite?" Lin Wanrong almost fainted, "I only have a few hundred straggling soldiers and some hay. What do these elites want with me? They should go to Old Xu if they dare. Damnit, picking on us fresh recruits does not make them heroes."

"Brother Gao, what's the punishment for deserting in the face of battle?" Lin Wanrong quietly asked.

"Immediate execution!" Gao Qiu whispered back.

‘Damn it, who made such an inhumane rule? Is there no justice left in the world?’ He thought to himself, ‘If we can't win, I'm certainly going to lead my men to escape.’

"General Lin, we're just spare troops transporting warhorses and fodder. We're few in number. How could the elite troops of the White Lotus Army come for us? They seem to have been lurking for quite some time—" Du Xiuyuan asked, furrowing his brows. Always calm in the face of crisis and adept at strategizing, he had the makings of a military advisor.

Lin Wanrong was watching Li Sheng adjust the cannon's angle when he abruptly cut his own sentence short, his face turning pale, "The cannons, they're after the cannons—"

Jolted by this realization, Du Xiuyuan said, "We're by the lake. After seizing the cannons, they could conveniently transport it away by boat—"

"Maybe it's not as simple as fleeing far away—" Lin Wanrong shook his head, "We're only fifty or sixty miles from Marshal Xu's main camp. If they turned around and fired the cannon at the main camp—"

"Their target is Marshal Xu—" The sudden realization made Gao Qiu, Du Xiuyuan, and Hu Bugui jump in surprise. It was a bold conjecture, one that could only come from a person with exceptional intelligence like General Lin. But upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

Originally, Hu Bugui didn't think highly of this seemingly carefree young general. But upon hearing his incisive remarks, he was impressed by Lin Wanrong's true ability. He bowed in reverence, sincerely saying, "General Lin, I, Hu Bugui, acknowledge your superiority wholeheartedly. I will follow your command."

Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, holding Hu Bugui up, and loudly said to his soldiers, "Brothers, do not panic! This is a stratagem planned by Marshal Xu. He lured the White Lotus Army here on purpose. Marshal Xu, leading tens of thousands of soldiers, has already encircled the enemy. In an hour, they will be wiped out. All we need to do is hold for an hour! My Divine Machine Unit camp has prepared several giant cannons and thousands of cannonballs. Let's show them the might of the cannons. Li Sheng—"

Seeing that the White Lotus Army had entered the range of the cannons, Lin Wanrong shouted, "Fire the cannon—"

Li Sheng had already adjusted the angles of the two cannons. Hearing General Lin's command, he lit the fuses simultaneously. The cannonballs roared into the sky, carrying a whistling sound, striking two of the advancing boats. Amidst the thunderous noise, the wooden boats shattered, killing more than twenty White Lotus soldiers instantly.

"Well done!" Li Sheng's successful shot greatly boosted the morale of the troops. The soldiers from the three camps cheered in unison, their fear of the enemy dissipating like smoke.

Li Sheng continued to fire several rounds. Each shot hit its mark, sinking over a dozen of the White Lotus Army's boats in the blink of an eye. At the same time, over a hundred rockets from the Divine Machine Unit were launched simultaneously, causing dozens more White Lotus rebels to fall into the water. In this round of relentless assault, the White Lotus Army had already lost nearly twenty percent of its forces before they could even reach the shore. The fervor of the soldiers from the three camps rose dramatically, itching to join the fight and engage in a fierce battle with the enemy.

"Brothers, the time has come to make our mark. Hold for an hour, and you'll be promoted to command hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands. You will have countless lands and beauties at your disposal. What are you waiting for? Charge with me!" Lin Wanrong bellowed.

General Lin's stirring words were brazen and effective. Most of the soldiers were in their mid-teens, brimming with youthful vigor. They couldn't resist such instigation. Their blood was already boiling. Seeing General Lin, holding a short weapon with two barrels, charging bravely at the forefront, they felt greatly encouraged. They charged toward the enemy like a group of fierce tigers descending from the mountain.

"General Lin, you're the leader of the army. You shouldn't rashly charge into battle," Hu Bugui sprinted a few steps to catch up with Lin Wanrong, grabbing his sleeve tightly.

‘Damn, this guy finally catch up. Otherwise, I would have had no choice but to charge ahead.’

"Let go of me, let go of me," Lin Wanrong took a few steps back, his face expressing passionate resolution. "My brothers need me, the country needs me, Great Hua needs me—"

"A brave man—" Hu Bugui's eyes filled with tears. He forcefully pushed Lin Wanrong back a few steps and raised his hand, "Brothers, charge with me!" His robust figure, like a mountain, lunged forward.

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