Finest Servant

Chapter 315 A Smart Man

In this near-real battle exercise, it was Lin San who emerged overwhelmingly victorious, as if he was the one commanding five thousand soldiers. It indeed left everyone surprised. Despite leading a weaker force against a stronger adversary and under sudden attack, Lin San reacted quickly, made effective deployments, and left everyone in awe.

Observing the puzzled expressions around him, Li Tai chuckled, "Miss Xu, Lin San was at a disadvantage, and Su Mubai launched a sudden attack, but it was the least favored Lin San who emerged victorious. What's your view on this?"

Xu Zhiqing nodded slightly and responded seriously, "In my opinion, Lin San is definitely not an unprepared man. Those firecrackers and fireworks used to drive the war horses were surely prepared in advance. This alone demonstrates his clear understanding of the situation on the field and his adequate preparation. General Su's troop arrangement was indeed excellent, in full accordance with the art of war, truly top-notch. Yet, Lin San was able to anticipate the enemy's actions, spring a surprise attack, and that was a key to his victory. Secondly, from my perspective, Lin San excelled in coordinating his troops, especially in utilizing the Divine Machine Unit to achieve good results. The harmony between his cavalry and infantry was near perfect, and his use of the Divine Machine Unit was simply brilliant. It seemed he could think of every possible method. His ability to command a coordinated battle was unmatched, truly a talent of a great general. In this regard, General Su was somewhat rigid and not flexible enough, slightly inferior."

Prince Cheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly smiled, "Miss Xu, your analysis is very reasonable. However, in my view, while Lin San is indeed good at using surprise tactics, his understanding of military strategy is quite rough, whereas Su Mubai excels in this area. If a real battle ensues, whether surprise tactics or military strategy will prevail is something no one can precisely predict."

Xu Zhiqing just smiled faintly without replying, but Li Tai laughed out loud, "Prince Cheng, since you have never led an army, naturally you don't understand these intricacies. The so-called art of war aims at victory. On the surface, it may appear that Lin San merely used surprise tactics and won by accident, but this is based on his strong prediction skills and his ability to control the overall situation. In fact, he has a thorough understanding of military strategy, which enables him to come up with such an extraordinary tactic. This is the finest military strategy. If Your Highness thinks more about it, you will understand."

Li Tai's words were clearly a lesson to Prince Cheng. However, Li Tai was a distinguished general in Great Hua, and his military prestige was unmatched. Among the ministers present, Prince Cheng feared him more than Xu Wei. Hearing his words, although he was displeased, he only grunted and said nothing more.

The Emperor laughed, "Listening to my beloved officials, it seems that this Lin San has quite a few highlights. I would actually like to meet him—." His words were interrupted as a young eunuch rushed in, whispered a few words in his ear, causing the Emperor's face to change, he angrily snorted, "How audacious! These northern nomads are overly insolent!"

Hearing the Emperor's words that seemed to involve the northern nomads, everyone became silent. At this critical time, every move of the northern nomads was related to the safety of Great Hua. Even Prince Cheng was all ears.

The Emperor snorted, "There's an issue in the palace today. Minister Xu, Brother Cheng, come back to the palace with me to discuss this."

"Your will is my command," Prince Cheng and Xu Wei replied in unison.

The royal carriage was set in motion. The Emperor's face was marked by anger, his mind burdened with grave matters. He intended to return to the palace. Li Tai, seeing this, was deeply worried. He hastily motioned toward Xu Wei. Xu Wei understood his concern and quickly said, "Your Majesty, the matter of today's military exercise—"

The Emperor's steps paused for a moment. He said, "I intended to meet this Lin San today, but now it seems impossible. Minister Xu—"

"I am here!" Xu Wei quickly replied, respectfully bowing his fist.

The Emperor contemplated for a moment, then spoke, "In a few days, ambassadors from all nations will pay homage to the palace. You can bring Lin San along as well." The reception of ambassadors from all nations? What did that have to do with Lin San? Xu Wei was puzzled. However, seeing the Emperor striding away and climbing onto his royal carriage, he set aside his doubts and quickly followed.

—---

‘Having won this battle, the Emperor should meet me. Damn, what excuse should I find to sneak into his harem?’ Lin Wanrong was daydreaming when he saw the royal carriage moving away in the distance. The ministers followed, and the Emperor was about to descend the city tower.

His heart lurched. He spurred his horse and galloped forward, waving his hand and shouting, "Hey, hey, wait! The one waving the flag, wait!" But the royal carriage did not wait for him; no one even spared him a glance, leaving him alone in moments.

"Hey, father-in-law, you can't go!" Lin Wanrong yelled from below the city tower, but the tower was deserted. Who would pay attention to him?

General Lin was extremely annoyed. ‘After I worked so hard to win this battle, you just left without a word? How could you live up to your ancestors, your conscience, and me?’

Over there, Du Xiuyuan hurriedly rode over and shouted, "General Lin, General Lin—"

Lin Wanrong turned his head to look. Du Xiuyuan looked troubled, as if he had something difficult to say. He said, "Brother Du, what's the matter?"

Du Xiuyuan hesitated for a moment, but finally plucked up his courage and said, "General Lin, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

Lin Wanrong laughed and said, "Brother Du, where did you learn to be so polite? If you have something on your mind and keep it from me, then you're looking down on me."

Du Xiuyuan nodded and said, "In that case, I'll say it. General Lin, don't be angry after you hear it. It's true that we won the battle today, but..." He pointed at the scene in the field and sighed.

Lin Wanrong looked over and saw tall flames in the field. The grains and grass were still burning. More than half of Su Mubai's five thousand elite soldiers were injured, with over a thousand of them seriously wounded. They lay on the ground, unable to move, their moans filled the air. Lin Wanrong was stunned. Honestly, he didn't want to see the situation turn out like this. However, under the circumstances at the time, he had no choice. His tactics might have been harsh, but they were enough to wake people up and lessen the bloodshed on future battlefields.

Du Xiuyuan shook his head repeatedly. Although the thrill of battle had its own allure, once the military drill was over and he saw more than a thousand wounded soldiers wailing on the ground, even the rugged Hu Bugui felt somewhat overwhelmed. Previous drills had also resulted in injuries and deaths, but those were a mere handful. Nothing compared to today – there were burn injuries, trampling injuries, falling injuries, cutting injuries. Thousands of horses and men were severely wounded; it was unprecedented. These were not enemy soldiers but their own brothers. In future battles, they would be relying on each other for survival. Only united could they defeat the enemy and move forward bravely. It was true that drills were meant to simulate real warfare, and weapons were merciless, but these were their brothers in arms. Injuring so many of them today, how could there not be resentment?

If not handled properly, Du Xiuyuan and Hu Bugui might end up isolated within the army. The idea of an isolated unit entering the battlefield was dreadful to contemplate.

Lin Wanrong could have walked away from this situation, but what about Brother Hu and Brother Du? And what about the brothers who followed him back from the battle in Shandong? Lin Wanrong took a deep breath, patted Du Xiuyuan on the shoulder, and genuinely thanked him, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Du. I know what to do now."

He shouted, "Hu Bugui!"

Hu Bugui hurriedly galloped over, "I am at your command, General."

"Brother Hu, ask our brothers to go over and lend a hand," Lin Wanrong said gently, glancing at the wounded soldiers across from them.

Hu Bugui was stunned, then understood, gratefully saying, "General Lin, I thank you on behalf of our brothers."

"Get lost! We don't need your help!" A clamor rose from the opposing side. Lin Wanrong saw that it was Xu Zhen and others aiding the wounded soldiers under Su Mubai. An infantryman with a bandaged neck was cursing at Xu Zhen.

"Holy shit!" Hu Bugui roared and spurred his horse, galloping over to stand before Xu Zhen, scolding the infantryman, "You were bested in battle, captured by us as a prisoner. We are offering you help out of goodwill, and you dare to rant?"

The infantryman sneered, "Even if we lost, we're still better than you. You turn against your own brothers, are your consciences eaten by dogs?"

"Yeah, so many of our brothers were injured by you. Have your consciences been eaten by dogs?" The thousands of wounded soldiers began cursing in unison. Hu Bugui became angry and lashed out with his whip, intending to strike the infantryman.

But no matter how hard he tried, the whip wouldn't descend. He roared behind him, "Who's holding me back—General Lin?"

Lin Wanrong didn't say a word. He pulled Hu Bugui behind him, looking coldly at the thousand-plus wounded soldiers on the opposite side. He raised his voice, "My name is Lin San. I was the one who commanded today's battle, set the fire, trampled the grain. If anyone has a problem with that, come at me."

Seeing his dark expression and imposing manner, everyone was taken aback for a moment, and no one dared to speak. A cavalry officer captured by Hu Bugui, Liu Guoxuan, walked over, glanced at Lin Wanrong, and snorted, "General Lin, even if you are the victor, you can't humiliate us brothers. We are all part of the Great Hua army, yet you were ruthless against us, injuring many of our brothers. This is unacceptable."

"Ruthless?" Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, looking up at the sky. "Your five thousand men attacked my thousand, and yet you call me ruthless? Esteemed Commander Liu, by your logic, would I only be considered kind if I ordered my men to drop their weapons, allowing you to capture us? Is that it?"

Liu Guoxuan was taken aback, a trace of embarrassment appearing on his face. However, the previously vocal infantry commander retorted loudly, "But the way you fought, you might as well have been northern nomads! Did you ever consider us as brothers?"

With a snap of his whip, Lin Wanrong stilled the crowd. Every nerve was on edge as they listened to this white-robed general. "You fought ineffectively. My thousand men scattered your five thousand. If I had let you off lightly, would that make us brothers? But who would still consider you as brothers on the battlefield tomorrow, sparing your lives? Being brothers doesn't work that way! Where is Hu Bugui?"

"Present!" Hu Bugui bellowed in response.

With a swift motion, Lin Wanrong tore off his long robe, revealing his muscular, sunburnt skin. He coolly handed his whip to Hu Bugui, who was momentarily taken aback.

"General, what are you—?" All eyes were on them, the soldiers from both sides transfixed.

Tearing his robe completely off his body, Lin Wanrong spoke aloud, "Only by sweating more in peacetime, can we bleed less in wartime. I believe that after today's battle, you brothers will lose your arrogance and adopt more grounded attitudes. Should there be a battle drill in the future, I, Lin San, will still strategize without mercy. Today, during the military exercise, I injured my brothers. I am not at ease, but I do not regret it. This matter has nothing to do with my brothers, it was all under my command. If there is any offense, I alone will bear it. Today, my brothers have suffered. I, Lin San, will receive a hundred lashes! Hu Bugui, you carry out the punishment—"

"General, you can't—" Hu Bugui objected hurriedly.

"Ignoring military orders is punishable by death! If a lash doesn't draw blood, then ten more lashes will be added! If you want to ease my suffering, then give it all you've got. I'll make it clear in advance, these lashes I take today are to share the hardships with you, my brothers. In future battles, I will still not show any mercy. Hu Bugui, begin—"

"Damn it!" Hu Bugui's blood boiled. He dropped the whip, tore off his armor, ripped open his shirt to reveal his dark chest, covered in scars. He said in a hearty voice, "I, old Hu, am a rough man. I am willing to give my life for those who are good to my brothers. General Lin is the backbone of my tens of thousands of brothers, and I trust him with my life. I, Hu Bugui, am willing to take this punishment with the general."

"I, Du Xiuyuan (Li Sheng), am willing to be punished with the general," the two men said as they knelt together, their eyes filled with hot tears.

"We are willing to be punished with the general!" The one thousand soldiers under Lin Wanrong's command fell to their knees, pleading in mournful voices.

The situation had progressed to this stage, far beyond what the thousands of men under Su Mubai's command had expected. Among these soldiers, bred on the blood and iron of the battlefield, not many could claim the same devotion to their brothers as General Lin. To take the brunt of the hardship, to willingly risk his life for his brethren was something few could achieve. Although they had lost the battle that day, their defeat was not unjustified. A man like General Lin, brimming with tactical brilliance and unyielding valor, was indeed worth dying for. The troops' hearts were swayed, and their looks of initial defiance towards General Lin slowly transformed into admiration.

"Is this a game to you all?" Lin Wanrong roared. "Are you here to get flogged for fun? Hu Bugui, dare you defy my military order? Do you really think I wouldn't dare to behead you?"

Hu Bugui gritted his teeth, and abruptly stood up. "Xu Zhen, after I execute General Lin's punishment, you can do the same to me. I, Hu Bugui, swear to follow General Lin to the death."

Standing atop the city tower, Xu Zhiqing observed the unfolding drama and couldn't help shaking her head. "This Lin San, sometimes I think he's clever, and other times he does the silliest things."

Laughing heartily at her side, Li Tai said, "This young man, so jovial on regular days, yet has such a side to him. He dares to do and dares to bear. He's a real man. In this aspect, Su Mubai is far behind him. Your father was truly not wrong in his judgment. Even if it cost me my life, I would bring him to the army. Such talent cannot be wasted."

Seeing Hu Bugui preparing to execute the punishment, Xu Zhiqing anxiously interjected, "Uncle Li, stop making idle remarks. That fool is about to be whipped. You should go down and stop them. He'll truly annoy me to death. I've never seen such a stupid person before."

Surprised, Li Tai looked at Miss Xu, who calmly retorted, "Uncle, why are you looking at me? I'm not concerned about him, I just can't bear to see a fool bullied."

Li Tai burst into laughter. "Miss Xu, you're mistaken. This Lin San is no fool. He's a real smart man. The camaraderie between men is something you'll never understand. This round of whipping, do you know how many people will swear to give their lives for him? It's a huge gain for him. Why would I stop him?"

Amid their conversation, Hu Bugui bit down hard, and his whip lashed fiercely onto Lin Wanrong's back, leaving a vivid scar. Behind Hu Bugui, Xu Zhen also steeled his heart and sent down a lash, marking Hu Bugui's rugged back as well.

The scorching pain radiating from his back caused Lin Wanrong to grit his teeth. Damn it, to be whipped and yet play the hero was a high price to pay. He thought of Hu Bugui as a fool. Why hadn't he smeared some medicinal salve on the whip? It made him suffer, and he wouldn't even be able to sleep properly that night.

The dull sound of the lashes hitting the two men's bodies echoed, but it also struck a chord in everyone's hearts. The soldiers from both sides, especially the veterans under General Lin, were all moved to tears by the sight of the crisscrossing wounds on the general's back. Everyone knelt and watched, with tears in their eyes, yet none bowed their heads.

Seeing how hard Hu Bugui was striking, Xu Zhiqing's heart pounded anxiously. With a huff, she thought to herself, ‘You like playing the hero, and today you've taken a beating. You must have earned quite a few tears from Miss Xiao. Fortunately, someone cares about you. Who knows what kind of mess you'd be in otherwise.’

Upon seeing Li Tai engrossed in the spectacle, Xu Zhiqing could no longer stand to watch. Irritated, she said, "That tall and dark Hu Bugui doesn't have enough strength, he's reluctant to strike hard. It's not interesting to watch. Uncle, I'm going back first."

"That's not right. I know how strong Bugui is, and in the army, there are few who could match his strength," Li Tai murmured to himself. "Miss Xu..." He lifted his head, only to find that she had already walked far away in a hurry, seemingly unable to bear staying another moment.

The sight of the whipping stirred the hearts of the onlookers. Over a thousand wounded soldiers from the Su Mubai’s army were also secretly impressed. Liu Guoxuan, the commander of the cavalry, hastily knelt and said, "I, Liu Guoxuan, admit defeat today, both in my heart and verbally. Please, general, spare me from the punishment."

Thousands of wounded soldiers, supporting each other, knelt down and said, "We all admit defeat. Please, general, spare us the punishment."

With a big grin, Lin Wanrong managed a weak laugh. "Brother Liu, my fellow soldiers, please rise quickly. Tonight, I will treat you to drinks. We won't return until we're drunk, and even if we're drunk, we won't return — ah, you little rabbit Hu Bugui, can't you be gentler —"

Everyone chuckled at his words, and amidst the laughter, they felt a newfound warmth toward General Lin. He seemed just like a brother to them. The site was filled with a mix of laughter and tears, bustling with extraordinary merriment.

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