Finest Servant

Chapter 313 First Victory

"What's going on here?" Standing on the city wall, Xu Zhiqing, who was watching the exercise with Xu Wei and Li Tai, saw the scene before her, and couldn't help but frown slightly, whispering, "Wasn't it agreed that each side would have a thousand people? Why has General Su's side suddenly gained so many more troops?"

Xu Wei was also puzzled. Looking at Li Tai, the old general's weather-beaten face showed no expression, and he said solemnly, "Everything is close to actual combat, and any unexpected occurrence is normal. War does not negotiate terms. On this point, Su Mubai is doing well. I'm afraid Lin San is going to suffer a disadvantage."

Xu Zhiqing clenched her teeth. Just now, she had personally told Lin San that each side would have a thousand men. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, Su Mubai had produced five times the troops? By calculation, although it was unintentional, she had misreported the information, putting Lin San in a dangerous situation. She felt somewhat confused, could Lin San hold out in this round?

The Emperor heard the conversation and suddenly became interested. "Oh? Minister Xu, General Li, are you saying that this troop movement was improvised by Su Mubai? And none of you knew about it?"

Li Tai bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the art of war is deceptive. Su Mubai's move is in line with military principles and has surprised everyone. This actual combat exercise might turn out to be quite lively."

The Emperor's face showed a hint of a smile, and he nodded, "Those who accomplish great things do not adhere to the trivial. Su Mubai's unexpected move is not in vain. I put him next to the old general to learn. Very good, very good. Minister Xu, what do you think of the comparison between Su Mubai and the unique person you recommended? Who is superior?"

Xu Wei thought for a while, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Top Scholar Su uses troops in a miraculous way, he indeed has exceptional talent. But the person I recommended is not easily defeated, there might be quite a fight in this battle."

"There should be a fight, a good one." The Emperor laughed loudly, a mysterious smile in his eyes, "My dear ministers, today's military exercise has this unexpected situation, so we can witness with our own eyes the real battle of our Great Hua's lions. This is a rare sight in a century. Let's just watch the changes here." The ministers saw the Emperor's high spirits and all responded loudly, then shifted their attention back to the training field.

Xu Wei anxiously looked at the distance, only to see Su Mubai's five thousand troops far away, their formation steady and dense, like a tide going against the opponent. Although Lin San was at a disadvantage, his army was in good order and showed no rashness. He felt a glimmer of hope rising in his heart: ‘Little Brother Lin, you must not disappoint me.’

Seeing Xu Zhiqing's worried face, Li Tai asked, "Zhiqing, who do you think will win this battle, Su Mubai or Lin San?"

Xu Zhiqing remained silent, then sighed after a long time, "Who wins and who loses, I dare not to judge rashly. I only know one thing. Even if Su Mubai wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory."

Xu Wei looked at Xu Zhiqing and nodded, smiling, "Zhiqing, you really have seen through Lin San. This man does not conform to norms in his actions and character, always exceeding expectations." He turned to Li Tai and said, "General Li, let's make a bet. If Lin San wins today's battle, I will invite you to my home for three days of wine."

Before Li Tai could answer, the Emperor, thoroughly intrigued by the conversation, laughed and said, "Minister Xu, given your words, could it be that you have no confidence in the talented individual you recommended, and are now favoring Su Mubai? Otherwise, why would you willingly offer to foot the bill for the drinks?"

Xu Wei shook his head, saying, "Not at all, not at all. This old servant would be more than glad to pay for the drinks. If Lin San emerges victorious, even if it costs me a fortune to treat all my colleagues to ten days and nights of drinking, I would be more than willing."

The Emperor chuckled, "This is truly interesting. Minister Xu, count me in for your banquet, I too wish to taste that Daughter Red you have kept in your cellar for so long."

This statement elicited laughter from everyone present, causing Xu Zhiqing's face to redden with embarrassment. The 'Daughter Red' that Xu Wei kept in his cellar was a special wine reserved for his daughter's wedding. Regrettably, Xu Zhiqing, who had lost her betrothed to the ravages of war before they could even meet, had left this special wine without an occasion to be uncorked.

The Emperor's words were intended as a light jest at the female strategist's expense, causing everyone to roar with laughter. Everyone, except for Li Tai, who sighed and shook his head. Xu Zhiqing's marital mishap was indeed a fault on the part of the Li family. He glanced at Xu Zhiqing and said, "Zhiqing, if there is someone you fancy, just let your uncle know. Your uncle will help arrange the marriage for you. You are the precious daughter of the Xu family, and also my own dear girl. We will definitely see you married off in a grand fashion."

Xu Zhiqing, her face slightly flushed, gave a graceful smile and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty, and Uncle Li for your kindness. I, Zhiqing, am devoted to the world and have no lingering attachment to the matters of marriage. As for the fine wines of the Xu family, I ask everyone to enjoy them freely."

"Quick, look—" Xu Wei, who had been intently watching the distant battlefield, suddenly cried out in surprise, drawing everyone's attention. As they turned their gaze to the field, they saw the flags of Lin San's army fluttering, the figures moving, Lin San was starting to make his move.

—---

Upon hearing Lin Wanrong's words, Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan looked over, only to see dust whirling up on the battlefield, countless heads bobbing in a sea of soldiers. Amidst the thunderous galloping of thousands of horses, an innumerable wave of soldiers surged towards them like a raging tide.

"Damn, at least five thousand men." Hu Bugui smirked, a flash of excitement in his eyes, "This is going to be a real fight. That Top Scholar knows how to play this hand, he's not a simpleton after all."

It was Li Wuling's first time witnessing such a grand scene. Although young, he came from a military family. Seeing the current situation, he waved the long saber in his hand, let out a battle cry, his horse neighed, and he began to shout excitedly, "Let's fight, a good fight."

"These two are truly war fanatics," Du Xiuyuan gave a bitter smile. He was known for his tactical brilliance, always calm and collected in the face of adversity. With the opposing force five times their number, charging at them with an overwhelming momentum, he glanced at Lin Wanrong with concern, and quietly asked, "General, what should we do?"

‘Damn, this Su fellow looks sophisticated, but I didn't expect him to be such an expert in covert operations,’ Lin Wanrong swallowed, moistening his dry throat, and asked, "Brother Du, if we were to clash head-on with them, what are our chances of victory?"

Du Xiuyuan and Hu Bugui often trained with the opposing soldiers, so they had a deep understanding of their combat capabilities. Upon hearing this, Du Xiuyuan pondered and said, "If it's one against two, our men would surely win. Against three, we might be slightly outmatched."

"Even if it's one against three, there won't be any problems," Hu Bugui strongly countered, "General Lin, none of the soldiers under my command are cowards who fear death."

Unlike Hu Bugui, the belligerent one, Lin Wanrong dared not believe his words. It was more reliable to listen to Du Xiuyuan's advice. Lin Wanrong had implemented the last elimination system, and it had been faithfully executed by Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan. This nearly ruthless method greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the soldiers. The assertion that one could battle two was no empty claim. However, the soldiers on the opposing side were also the elites of the Great Hua and should not be taken lightly.

During the momentary quiet as they all fell into contemplation, Lin Wanrong looked across the field. He saw Su Mubai's force of 5,000 soldiers, at least 1,500 of whom were cavalry, rushing forward with horse neighs and sword swings. Their formation was solid and well-coordinated, clearly the result of extensive practice. The long spears of the infantry followed closely, in a strict formation and appearing indomitable, proving that they were no ordinary foes. The distance of several dozen feet between the cavalry and infantry was the standard arrangement for a combined attack formation.

Witnessing the thousands of enemy cavalry charging in front, Lin Wanrong gritted his teeth. "Dammit," he thought. "Good thing I've got tricks up my sleeve and had prepared something with Li Sheng in advance. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know I was being trampled by that Su fellow."

"Li Sheng—" Lin Wanrong shouted.

"Present—" Li Sheng came rushing over, his face filled with both excitement and anticipation. Behind him were hundreds of horses, pulling dozens of large wagons laden with bundles of hay, surprisingly provisions for the warhorses.

"Brother Li, I won't say much. The honor and life of my thousands of brothers are in your hands," Lin Wanrong said after a brief pause. Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan exchanged puzzled looks, wondering what General Lin meant. Were they going to send the Divine Machine Unit into the fray?

Li Sheng bowed, saying, "General, your foresight is unmatched. I am fully convinced."

Lin Wanrong chuckled without explaining, straightened his face and bellowed, "Where is the Divine Machine Unit?"

Hundreds of archers promptly lined up, forming a combat formation with their powerful bows in hand. They took their positions at the front, their eyes sharp, directly facing the thousands of enemy cavalry charging towards them.

Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan both went pale. How could these hundreds of archers withstand the charge of the enemy's thousand cavalry? Had General Lin gone mad?

"General Lin—" A worried Hu Bugui was about to speak when Lin Wanrong raised his hand and said, "Follow orders, obey commands, archers prepare."

Over a hundred archers drew their bows and readied their arrows. The opponent cavalry, advancing at a furious pace, had quickly entered the range of the arrows. Lin Wanrong roared, "Release arrows."

Hundreds of arrows, like a storm of locusts, flew toward the charging cavalry. These were arrows used in actual combat, with blunt, unsharpened tips instead of sharp points, so their lethality was extremely limited. However, the Divine Machine Unit in Li Sheng's army was composed of select archers, and their aim was very accurate. Half of the arrows hit the horses' eyes directly. Hundreds of warhorses neighed, suffering in pain, they stumbled and fell, throwing dozens of cavalrymen off. Their cries of pain were incessant.

"Well struck!" Li Wuling shouted excitedly. Witnessing such a battlefield scene for the first time, his childlike enthusiasm naturally knew no bounds. However, Du Xiuyuan and Hu Bugui remained deeply concerned. The method of targeting the horse's eyes with arrows, learned from Hu Bugui's own experience fighting against the northern nomads and supplemented by the exceptional archers of the Divine Machine Unit, had achieved a decent effect. Nevertheless, the opposing force had at least one thousand five hundred cavalrymen, and a loss of a few hundred would hardly scratch the surface, but only provoke their murderous spirit.

Sure enough, having lost some of their men, the enemy cavalry seemed to grow more ferocious. Their charge was faster, and they cleverly changed their formation in mid-gallop, switching from horizontal to vertical to disrupt the targeting of the archers. The arrows of the Divine Machine Unit suddenly lost their potency. By the time one volley of arrows was over, the damage to the enemy cavalry had been limited.

"Charge!" The opposing cavalrymen roared, their horses flying. They switched from vertical back to horizontal, rushing in like a surging tide.

"Divine Machine Unit, fall back, Li Sheng--" Lin Wanrong roared his orders.

"Understood!" Li Sheng, poised and ready, had already prepared his men. At Lin Wanrong's command, several hundred cavalrymen spurred their horses, rapidly dragging wagons loaded with grain and forming a barrier of hay bales before the enemy cavalry in the blink of an eye.

No sooner had the grain been positioned than the enemy cavalry came charging. Panicking, Li Sheng yelled, "Retreat, retreat quickly!"

True to their discipline, hundreds of Lin San's cavalrymen obeyed the command to retreat. They swiftly leaped onto their horses, galloping away as though flying. Although their movement was extremely coordinated, using such skill for fleeing was regrettable.

The Emperor and his ministers on the city tower watched everything unfold clearly. They thought Lin San too pitiful, retreating hastily after just one volley of arrows. Could these grain wagons standing in the way really stop Su Mubai's unstoppable cavalry charge? It seemed far too naive.

All eyes turned to Xu Wei. Minister Xu was highly educated and insightful, but it seemed today he had misjudged, fervently recommending such an incompetent individual to the Emperor, which was truly disappointing.

"General Li, how is Su Mubai's military deployment? Is there any mistake?" The Emperor, while watching the two battling parties, asked Li Tai beside him.

Li Tai shook his head, "Su Mubai's conduct in this battle is a classic military strategy from the textbooks – cavalry charging with infantry following. It's well executed. The cavalry formation changes swiftly and strikes powerfully, and the infantry is also fast, but--"

On this city wall, there were few who knew military strategy. Li Tai, being the top general in Great Hua, had been through thousands of battles and had a wealth of experience. His words could hardly be doubted.

Hearing him praising Su Mubai, the Emperor nodded slightly. Noticing his change in tone, the Emperor smiled, "Old general, don't be so courteous when pointing out the mistakes of a junior. Just speak your mind."

After observing for a while, Li Tai said, "The only flaw is the distance maintained between the cavalry and the infantry, it's slightly too far. According to the military books, this distance is not wrong. But in my experience in real battles, it's somewhat inappropriate. In a plain battle like this, the infantry and the cavalry should be closely connected to prevent the cavalry from being cut off and annihilated. What do you think, Miss Xu?"

The Emperor smiled and glanced at Xu Zhiqing. The young lady bowed and said, "I deeply agree with Uncle Li's opinion. Today's battle, I'm afraid, will bring about unexpected developments."

The Emperor nodded. "Now that we're done discussing Su Mubai, let's move on to the prodigy recommended by you, Minister Xu. General Li, what do you think of his performance?"

Li Tai gazed at the heap of hay obstructing the cavalry's path in the distance and shook his head. "I don't understand Lin San's actions. This strategy of using hay bales to block the soldiers isn't from any military book I've read. However, looking at the current situation, one thing is certain..."

"What is certain?" The Emperor, intrigued by the veteran general's analysis of the battlefield, quickly asked.

Li Tai smiled and said, "Miss Xu, why don't you share your thoughts?" All eyes turned to Xu Zhiqing, even the usually silent Prince Cheng attentively listened to her words.

Xu Zhiqing slightly smiled and said, "During the chaos of battle, Lin San's tactic of using hay bales to block the soldiers, and then retreat without fighting, could only mean two things."

The Emperor chuckled bitterly. "Miss Xu, don't keep me in suspense. I'll keep your Daughter Red in mind."

The court roared with laughter, causing Xu Zhiqing's cheeks to flush. She quietly said, "If it's not that Lin San is incompetent, then he is feigning weakness to plan a counterattack."

Plan a counterattack? The court was shocked. What could possibly be threatening about the supplies? And furthermore, Lin San's entire army had already withdrawn. Could there possibly be people hidden within the supplies?

Boom—Boom—Two massive explosions shook the ground, and even the Emperor's imperial tent trembled slightly.

"Who's firing? Protect the Emperor—Quickly protect the Emperor—" The court officials yelled in alarm. A few palace guards rushed over to shield the Emperor.

Experienced soldiers like Xu Wei and Li Tai remained calm, while the emperor laughed. "Protect what? This is real battle, are a couple of cannon shots not normal?" He looked towards the distance, where flames flickered. Lin San's troops were nowhere to be seen.

—---

Su Mubai's cavalry moved extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of the supply wagons. Seeing Lin San's soldiers abandon their wagons, a hint of contempt flashed across the faces of the cavalrymen. They didn't stop their horses and charged straight through the blockage, causing thousands of pieces of hay to scatter and form a long trail. It was a sight to behold. In a split second, the cavalry had broken through the hay bale line and charged straight into Lin San's army.

"Boom—" A shrill scream echoed, and a large cannonball seemed to find its target on the haystack behind the cavalry. The haystack instantly ignited.

A cold sweat broke out on the cavalry commander of Su Mubai's unit. This was a drill, not a real battle, yet Lin San dared to fire like this. Had he gone mad?

Before he could finish his thoughts, another explosion shook the ground. The haystacks were blowing up one after another, like a chain of fireworks, releasing waves of heat. In a blink of an eye, the haystacks exploded and ignited, forming a long line of fire, instantly separating the cavalry from the infantry.

Explosives! The cavalry commander instantly understood. The haystacks were hiding layers of explosives. To feign weakness, Lin San intentionally abandoned the hay bales, to make them lower their guard, then ignited the explosives with the cannons. Damn it, was this a drill? Lin San was trying to kill them!

A wave of searing heat swept over, and the warhorses leading the charge felt the rolling inferno at their rear. Panicked, they neighed loudly and sprinted forward with all their might. These horses, well-trained in regular times, would usually respond obediently to the reins, but in the face of the roaring flames behind them, even their riders could not control their pace despite pulling the reins desperately. Thousands of horses ran wild, bolting forward as if possessed.

The few dozen horses at the front stumbled after a few strides forward. Their front legs folded, heads pitched forward, and they toppled over, sending dozens of riders flying and crashing to the ground.

"Tripwires!" The commander exclaimed in horror. He hoisted his long sword and yanked the reins frantically, bellowing, "Halt, halt! There are tripwires ahead!"

The more than a thousand cavalries knew the danger of tripwires, but with the intensifying flames behind, the normally docile horses had gone mad. Hundreds of horses surged forward, only to tumble before the ropes. The horses at the back could not stop, leaping high and stepping on their fallen comrades, one after another crashing to the ground. Those barely controlled by their reins reared high on their hind legs, their cries filling the air, and violently unseated their riders. In an instant, men and horses were strewn about, cries of pain echoing around the horrific scene.

—---

Du Xiuyuan watched the scene in front of him with a heavy heart. These men were his brothers, and although they would not lose their lives, the severe injuries would take months to heal, and he feared their recovery was uncertain.

Lin Wanrong also understood his feelings. How could he bear to see such a sight? But this was the reality of warfare. He had already shown mercy today. If not, the cavalry in the field, trapped between ropes in the front and fire at the back, would become easy targets for archers. Wiping them out would be a cinch.

He patted Du Xiuyuan's shoulder and said with a bitter smile, "Brother Du, think of us as the northern nomads. That way, it might feel a little better. Today, these brothers have been injured, but they have learned a valuable lesson. In the future, if they encounter fierce northern nomads, they can shed less blood. Don't you think?"

Du Xiuyuan responded with a hearty smile, "General Lin, you're absolutely right. Let's just think of ourselves as the bad guys and teach them a lesson. I pride myself on knowing military strategies, but when it comes to tactics, I am no match for you. Only you would dare to hide explosives in the haystack. However, we have fired cannons today in the presence of the Emperor. It's quite disrespectful. Could this lead to trouble?"

Lin Wanrong shook his head, saying, "I can't be sure about that. But having made my move, should I wait to be completely annihilated by my opponent?"

Du Xiuyuan, a meticulous thinker, nodded helplessly. His question was truly out of concern, "Firing the cannon is one thing, but there's another matter that still worries me."

Lin Wanrong laughed, "Are you about to ask if I fire a cannon, will Su Mubai also fire a few at us?"

"That's exactly it." Du Xiuyuan nodded, "Since we're the ones who initiated, he wouldn't hold back either."

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "I'm gambling on him not daring to fire. We fired the cannon, but only burnt straw, and up till now, we haven't fought them directly. He's a scholar who aspires to be an official, unlike us who don't have any reservations. If he really dares to fire, then we'd be done for along with his fifteen hundred cavalry. Sure, he would win, but at the cost of killing innocents and treating soldiers like expendable pawns. If word of this spreads, how could he lead troops or become an official? If you were him, would you dare?"

So, this was human nature. Du Xiuyuan sighed in resignation. General Lin's understanding of people hit the nail on the head. On this count alone, who among all the courts and the public could compare with him?

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