"Issue the orders: dismount and rest, no fires, and send out the scouts."
Without setting up tents, under Zheng Fan’s command, all the barbarian soldiers settled their warhorses and then began eating dry rations and drinking water. These men, hailing from the desert penal tribes, were not pampered; in fact, in some ways, they were even hardier than the soldiers of the Yan State military.
Zheng Fan took some fried noodles from his warhorse’s saddlebag, leaned against a tree, and ate, washing it down with water from his canteen. Liang Cheng sat beside him.
"My Lord, are we going to attack the fortress ahead later?"
"Since we’re already here, we might as well give it a try."
"Is this something you and the Blind discussed?"
"Mm," Zheng Fan nodded. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel{f}ire.net
"I don’t believe so, My Lord."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fan chuckled and asked, "Why not?"
"If you and the Blind had truly planned this, you would have definitely brought Xue Three."
The fortress ahead stood silently. With only four hundred barbarian cavalry, a direct assault was out of the question. They had stopped to rest so far away and forbidden fires precisely to remain hidden and avoid detection by the enemy fortress. If a signal fire were lit, it would undoubtedly alert the surrounding Beacon Forts and nearby garrisons. Therefore, if a sneak attack had been meticulously planned beforehand, how could one forget to bring the assassins from the unit?
"Mm." Zheng Fan conceded. He popped the last bit of fried noodles into his mouth and took a swig of water. "It won’t be long before word of today’s events spreads, and infamy will everywhere. It might even attract the attention of high officials in the Imperial Court. To say nothing of the Prime Minister—he’ll definitely hear about his alma mater being trampled by us.
"But infamy alone isn’t enough; one needs two legs to walk steadily.
"In any case, the Imperial Court is already cleaning up Yinlang County and reorganizing the border defense system. This is all a prelude to making a move against the Qian State. Before they act, there will surely be provocations to create tension. I don’t know who the higher-ups will assign this task to, but it doesn’t matter—we’ll just snatch it. I’ve noticed that since waking up in this world, I haven’t shown any particularly outstanding abilities, except for one: I seem to have a special talent for snatching credit."
"Though your explanation is thorough, My Lord, I don’t believe that’s the true reason."
"Heh, the real reason is simply that my hands are itching for a fight."
"Mm." Liang Cheng acknowledged this reason.
"Actually, in my past life, I loved playing single-player strategy games. Do you know what my playstyle was?"
Zheng Fan shook his head and replied, "Cautious."
Zheng Fan handed his waterskin to Liang Cheng, then held out his hands. Liang Cheng poured water from the waterskin over Zheng Fan’s hands, and Zheng Fan began to rub them.
"In games, I liked to hunker down in my hometown and focus on farming. If there was trade, I’d trade; if there was tech, I’d research it. I didn’t like fighting in the early stages. Only after I was done farming would I mass-produce units and steamroll everything.
"But that was just a game. Once it became reality, once I had soldiers and a bit of an estate under my command, I found myself feeling incredibly restless.
"It’s like having a bit of money in your pocket. Your rational mind tells you to save it for a house, a car, or a betrothal gift, but you can’t help but go out and splurge it all that very night.
"To be honest with you, taking the fall for what happened at the academy today... even though I know it might get me noticed by that Lord Jingnan, I still feel quite uncomfortable about it."
"So, My Lord, you plan to take it out on the Qian people?"
"This is a strategic reconnaissance. The history books might record it something : ’In the tenth year of the Wu’an era of Great Yan, Commander Zheng Fan of Green Willow Fortress launched the... Oh, no, let me rephrase. In the autumn of the tenth year of the Wu’an era of Great Yan, Commander Zheng Fan of Green Willow Fortress fired Yan State’s first arrow southward, marking the beginning of the Yan-Qian War.’
"Who knows, maybe a thousand years from now, this will be an exam question."
"I’d like to say something, though it goes against my true feelings."
"Doing this seems a bit rash and risky. Besides these barbarian soldiers, you only have me by your side."
"And your true thoughts?"
"I find it very interesting."
Zheng Fan laughed and clapped Liang Cheng on the shoulder. He knew that if he himself was feeling cooped up, Liang Cheng, who had been drilling troops constantly, must be feeling even more stifled.
"It’s fine. Causing trouble is our guiding principle. When has the Blind ever formulated a plan that wasn’t wildly audacious?
"This time, we’re just testing the waters. If we can launch a sneak attack on a fortress, we will. If their defenses are too strong and a sneak attack isn’t feasible, we’ll pull out immediately.
"There’s no reason why only the Blind gets to light lamps while we’re not allowed to start fires."
"There are many fortresses in this area, and the Beacon Forts are also very dense. We’ll need to be extremely careful when we make our move."
"Understood. Later, pick twenty men. We’ll sneak over first and see if we can remove that ’nail’."
Zheng Fan nodded with satisfaction. He and Liang Cheng had already removed their armor. The twenty barbarian soldiers selected for the reconnaissance party were even more hardcore—they had chosen to go shirtless.
To the people of Qian State, the borderlands between Yan and Qian were considered a bitterly cold northern region. However, to these barbarians, who had always lived in the desert, it actually felt a little warm.
The barbarians were quite hirsute. Even bare-chested, the thick mats of hair covering their bodies made them look as if they were draped in fur pelts.