Chapter 1 Just a Little Mistake

He had merely been thinking about his political position during the military council and spaced out a little; he hadn't expected it to produce such an effect.

With his interjection,

and Prince Jingnan's subsequent suggestion,

Zheng Boye was somewhat dazed. How had he, a dignified commander of Xuehai Pass, inexplicably become the temporary commander leading Li Fusheng's Northern Garrison to battle?

The most crucial problem was that,

Zheng Boye hadn't brought Liang Cheng with him because he was confident that his current abilities were sufficient to handle Prince Jingnan's assessment, as well as strategic matters beyond the ordinary scope of warfare.

Facts had also proven Zheng Boye's growth and progress over the years.

Whether it was his understanding of Prince Jingnan's grand plan while eating hotpot, or his handling of memorials, or answering Prince Jingnan's questions about his stance and policies, Zheng Boye had dealt with them smoothly.

But,

but,

but to be suddenly pulled out to command a siege, he really couldn't do it.

The method was, of course, very simple. It was nothing more than first leveling the Chu army's outer defenses, then pushing forward the shield-bearers and arrow towers, having the archers and catapults bombard the city, and then taking the opportunity to order an assault up the city walls.

Yes, it was very simple; he could learn it after watching it a few times.

But grasping the timing and having the keen observation of the battlefield required the genius of a military strategist.

Zheng Boye knew his own level. If he were to lead an army on a field battle, how to maneuver, how to harass, how to charge, how to divide—he could handle all of that.

But a siege was completely different from a field battle.

Why did Shi Yuantang lead his army out to counterattack the day after the attack on Dongshan Fort? Because Liang Cheng's command of the siege was so smooth and fluid that the Chu defenders in the city were completely stunned and unable to breathe, and the city walls were on the verge of falling.

Otherwise, according to the script of the Great Chu Pillar of State, he had planned to defend for ten days or half a month before attempting to break out.

Therefore, in that battle, although Liang Cheng hadn't foreseen that there would be a Great Chu Pillar of State and an imperial guard unit in the city, his command in the early stages was actually perfect, impeccable.

It was Liang Cheng's command of the siege that forced Shi Yuantang to reveal his trump card early.

Now, Liang Cheng wasn't by his side.

Li Fusheng had been gnawing on Xishan Fort for so long that the two sides were already very familiar with each other. The Chu people had also developed patience, and it could even be said that they had developed confidence after repeatedly repelling the Yan army's attacks.

To have an even more difficult situation handed over to him from Liang Cheng's hands… Zheng Boye, who had always been very realistic about his own abilities, knew that he really couldn't do it.

But at this point, he couldn't refuse.

Zheng Boye took a few steps forward and knelt on one knee before Prince Jingnan:

"This humble general obeys!"

………

"Come, come, Brother Zheng, get to know these people; many of them are old acquaintances."

Prince Jingnan went to the next military camp, leaving Zheng Boye alone.

At this time, Li Fusheng was introducing his generals to Zheng Boye.

A small half of them were people Zheng Boye already knew; after all, Zheng Fan had once served in Li Fusheng's army and went south to Qian with them.

Back then, the various military leaders of the Northern Garrison were still dreaming of supporting their own lord to ascend the throne, and they warmly courted talents like Zheng Boye, whom the Marquis of the Northern Garrison personally praised.

However, Zheng Boye was already considered to have entered the Marquis of Jingnan's circle, and coupled with the rapid changes in the situation after the war, not only did he not join the Northern Garrison, but this Northern Garrison had almost joined the Jingnan Army.

Now, he and Li Fusheng were completely equal, and those generals who had been of a higher status than him in the past could only salute him now.

The impermanence of the world was truly like this.

"Greetings, Earl Pingye!"

"Greetings, Earl Pingye!"

The generals saluted Zheng Fan.

Li Fusheng could "let it dry on his face" and not take it to heart, but these generals were obviously somewhat hurt by Zheng Boye's attitude during the military council.

Zheng Boye had always wanted to take a people-friendly route, with everyone getting along well and having a good relationship;

But Prince Jingnan had been forcibly pulling him onto another path, one of confidence, arrogance, and disregard for everything. This kind of persona could of course work, and in the end, he would truly become the next Tian Wujing;

But this path was simply too tiring.

However, Zheng Boye didn't explain anything; he just nodded silently. If they were so cold to him, then he could just handle things officially.

Zheng Boye looked at Li Fusheng and asked,

"Will we still attack the city tomorrow?"

"Attack? Of course, we must attack."

"Then everyone should return to their camps to prepare now."

Most things had already been discussed during the military council; there was no point in holding another meeting to repeat what had already been said.

"This humble general takes his leave!"

"This humble general takes his leave!"

After the generals left, Li Fusheng smiled and said, "Don't mind them; I spoiled these little brats."

Zheng Boye touched the tip of his nose and said, "I was distracted."

"I could tell."

"Now it's become a bit of a tiger ride."

Back when Li Fusheng had asked him about the princess, Zheng Boye had been able to tell him the truth.

Li Fusheng looked at Zheng Fan with a sense of satisfaction that the junior he had once admired and promoted had finally surpassed him.

"Brother Zheng, you're being too modest. To be honest, I really feel much more at ease with you in command."

"It still has to be you, Brother, who commands. After all, if the soldiers don't know the generals and the generals don't know the soldiers, I'm afraid it won't be good if I forcibly command."

Before Li Fusheng could refute, Zheng Fan immediately said,

"I'll just watch from the side and help you fill in the gaps."

Li Fusheng nodded and said, "Well... alright then."

"Brother, let's go take a look at the siege equipment in the camp first."

"Of course, of course."

Li Fusheng's unit actually had quite a bit of siege equipment. Because Xuehai Pass had a foundation in terms of artisans, and because Li Fusheng was responsible for attacking Xishan Fort, half of the artisans who were centrally dispatched from Yingdu were supplied to Li Fusheng.

Of course, after looking at it, Zheng Boye found that the equipment here was not as sophisticated as his own.

At this time, a short figure darted out. Who else could it be but Xue San?

"Oh, my lord, you're actually here."

Xue San's face was black, as if it had been smoked.

In Xue San's opinion, his lord should be working as a secretary for Prince Jingnan, so why would he be here?

Li Fusheng pointed to Xue San and said, "Brother Zheng, your subordinates are truly full of talent. The artisan masters from Yingdu don't dare to act big in front of him."

Xue San had the ability to do this; it wasn't strange.

"What are you working on?"

Zheng Boye bent down, reached out and wiped Xue San's face, and then smelled it.

"Oil?"

"Helping them improve it."

Wrapping stones with oil and launching them with catapults was one of the uses of catapults.

However, based on the actual battlefield damage, oil-wrapped stones were far less effective than pure stones. The former was weaker than the latter in terms of both force and impact.

But the accounts couldn't be calculated in this way, because the flaming spheres would still roll when they landed, and the splashing fire would also have a visual effect that significantly weakened the enemy's morale. It didn't matter if they killed fewer people.

"The Prince asked me to come over as a consultant to help with the siege," Zheng Boye said.

Xue San's expression immediately became very interesting, and he tried hard to hold back his laughter.

Zheng Boye patted Xue San's head and said to Li Fusheng, "Brother, let's go take a look over there."

"Alright."

After circling half of the camp, Zheng Boye couldn't help but sigh. The Northern Garrison was indeed the Northern Garrison. Li Fusheng's Northern Garrison had extremely high troop quality and had never experienced the division caused by Li Bao's death. In addition, Li Fusheng had joined Jin early and was considered to be under Tian Wujing's command.

It was equivalent to a very sharp sword being carefully maintained and cared for.

Therefore, even though the siege had been going on for a long time, the morale of the army had not declined. This could be seen in the unconvinced expressions on the faces of the generals.

In addition, their military equipment was also being met to the greatest extent possible.

This was different from Xuehai Pass, which had started from scratch. When Ke Yan's tribe came over, the tribe's warriors' arrowheads were still made of animal bones, and equipping them had cost Xuehai Pass a great deal.

But Li Fusheng's side had a wealth of resources to begin with.

"Brother Zheng, shall we have dinner?"

Li Fusheng asked when it was almost time.

Zheng Boye nodded and entered the commander's tent with Li Fusheng.

Dinner was simple, but the portions were large and filling: salted sauce and steamed buns, both in generous amounts.

"Damn it, I forgot to tell the people below to make something better," Li Fusheng cursed, slapping his forehead.

"It doesn't matter; when you're fighting, everything tastes good."

Zheng Boye sat down and started eating a steamed bun.

When he wasn't fighting, Zheng Boye's body would be a bit delicate, but once he entered a state of war, he really ate well and slept soundly.

Li Fusheng also sat down and said,

"Which side do you think we should focus on attacking tomorrow, Brother Zheng?"

"I won't make any suggestions on this; you should make the decision, Brother. At the very least, I'll have to experience a few battles here before I can make targeted suggestions."

Li Fusheng nodded and sighed, "Brother Zheng, you're good at everything, but you're just too modest sometimes. But that's also true; you are our Prince's high disciple after all. The details of your fighting are really the same as the Prince's."

Zheng Boye smiled modestly and took a bite of the steamed bun.

He was actually trying not to make decisions as much as possible. If he could push it off, he would. Anyway, Li Fusheng had been attacking Xishan Fort for so long and had gained experience and was familiar with the battlefield. It couldn't be too bad. Zheng Boye was really afraid that he would come up with some "heavenly flying fairy" kind of suggestion that would make Li Fusheng, a seasoned veteran, laugh his head off. If he really messed up the situation, it would be really unnecessary.

"Don't look at those brats below; they didn't treat you well earlier, but they were all personally selected by me and crawled out of the sea of corpses and blood with me.

I know they admire you too, Brother Zheng. When they're mobilized tomorrow, they'll definitely follow your orders and won't be perfunctory in any way."

"Brother, I've already said that it was my fault."

Zheng Fan took a sip of water and continued,

"Why are you bringing it up again, Brother?"

"I'm just afraid you'll have a grudge in your heart."

"A grudge?"

Zheng Boye didn't quite understand for a moment.

"Old Marquis... no, Old Prince..."

The Old Prince here was obviously referring to Li Liangting.

"Hey, you know it too, so I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Actually, I had that thought in my heart, that is, to let our Old Marquis sit in that position. If the Ji family can sit there, why can't my Li family?

But the Old Marquis has long said that he doesn't have that idea. As for me, I'm getting old. Although I don't look old now, to tell you the truth, I don't have much to ask for. I just want to kill people happily.

I'm not like them, who brought their children with them to the battlefield early to train them. I have no children, so I have nothing to lose.

If these possessions are really handed over to you in the future, Brother Zheng, I'll be satisfied. At least, it's considered to have found a good home for them, for these old brothers.

Fighting on the battlefield and dying in battle is fate. There's nothing to say, but I just hope they don't die in vain, and if they're lucky enough to survive all the way, they can earn a decent living for themselves and their families. That's all that matters."

"Brother, it's not time to say these words yet."

"Brother Zheng, we're not outsiders. I'm just telling you the truth here. You understand what I mean, that's good."

As he said that, Li Fusheng reached out and patted Zheng Fan's thigh.

Zheng Fan nodded to show that he understood;

Then,

he silently pulled his leg back.

……

The next day, when it was still dimly lit, the horns sounded in the Yan army's formation.

After a long time of attacking the city, both the generals and the soldiers had developed experience and habits.

The Yan people used to be not good at siege warfare, but everything is something they are not good at until they have actually done it.

Li Fusheng's army didn't have the commander's carriage that the Xuehai Army had specially made for Zheng Boye, but it had a high platform. The high platform was divided into three parts, connected together, with a deck in the middle.

When the battle started, Li Fusheng would stand on the middle high platform to observe the battle situation, and the flag bearers on the left and right high platforms would transmit Li Fusheng's orders.

The army leaving the camp and the various arms advancing in order was a considerable process. It was like a shop having to bring in the things placed outside and put up the door panels before closing at night, and then having to open the door panels and put them out again the next day. They knew it was very cumbersome, but they could only do this if they didn't want to be robbed at night.

"Come, Brother Zheng, please!"

Zheng Boye looked at the high platform and instinctively rejected it.

It wasn't very close to the front line here, but it wasn't very far either. Having had the experience of being chased by catapults, Zheng Boye really resisted this kind of battlefield adventure.

But fortunately, because the high platform was connected by three platforms, there was plenty of room to maneuver, so even if a catapult really hit, there was still time to avoid it.

In the end, Zheng Boye still went up with Li Fusheng.

On the opposite city wall, the Chu people had obviously "woken up" as well. Smoke was rising from the city.

This picture of war and life combined was not out of place at all, but rather seemed very harmonious.

Below, the various troops were still entering their designated positions one after another, and catapults and arrow towers were still being pushed forward from the rear.

"Report!!!!!!!!!!!"

A messenger rider came over, dismounted, and quickly went up the high platform.

"General, a funeral procession is coming from the east, bearing the banner of the Xuehai Army."

"A funeral procession?" Li Fusheng looked at Zheng Fan, who was standing next to him.

Zheng Fan nodded and said, "They're my people."

"Oh, let them in."

"Yes!"

"Is it for the Great Chu Pillar of State?" Li Fusheng immediately thought of the key point.

"Yes."

The funeral procession entered, all of their armor tied with white cloth, and their weapons also wrapped with white strips, carrying a delicate coffin that originally should have belonged to A Ming.

Here, the Yan army was still making preparations before attacking the city. Many soldiers were already sitting cross-legged on the ground waiting. Seeing this suddenly entering "strangely dressed" group, everyone curiously looked up slightly.

The Chu people on the city wall of Xishan Fort were also like this, wondering what kind of medicine the Yan army was selling in their gourds.

Li Fusheng's troops had already ordered the Chu defenders of Xishan Fort to be informed of Shi Yuantang's death, but the Chu defenders on the opposite side should have suppressed this news, or simply said that it was the Yan people's plan to shake our army's morale.

Before Shi Yuantang died, the Yan army was shouting that the Fifth Prince had rebelled and had already killed the Regent.

The Chu army was shouting, "Go back and take a look, your Yan Emperor has died a violent death!"

This kind of lie that "your mother is dead" or "your father is gone" on the battlefield was actually thrown around a lot.

Over time, everyone had become somewhat immune to it.

However,

when the funeral procession raised a golden Fire Phoenix flag, the Chu army on the city wall was stunned.

After that, when a bronze chariot was pushed out, the Chu people on the city wall immediately exploded.

Rumors can be spread casually, but it is difficult to fake objects.

Because neither the Fire Phoenix flag nor the bronze chariot were ordinary items.

And if the Chu people on the opposite side took out the gilded armor belonging to Prince Jingnan and hung it up, the Yan army would inevitably be shaken.

Then, an even more outrageous scene appeared.

A giant man came out of the Yan army's funeral procession,

He opened the coffin,

He carried out the body of an old man wearing noble armor,

He held up the body,

There were wires and boards to fix the body, and the giant man had wooden boards in his hands and mouth.

The body was raised,

The giant man's hands began to move,

Like playing a marionette, the body above also began to twist.

The giant man's own legs and waist also began to twist to the rhythm.

Then,

dozens of people in the funeral procession dismounted. Although they were wearing mourning clothes, they took out red silk and twisted to the same steps as the giant man in front.

Everyone's movements were consistent and uniform.

They were doing the yangko dance.

The Yan people were inexplicably confused.

Although this folk activity had been performed as a visiting performance representing Yan folk customs at the blood alliance conference of the snowfield and wild people tribes,

The native Yan people simply didn't know that their family actually had this custom!

And on the city wall, there were constant shouts, roars, and cries from the Chu people.

After a period of time,

The city gate of Xishan Fort actually opened, and a cavalry unit rushed out, intending to snatch the body of their Pillar of State that was being insulted by the Yan people.

Li Fusheng excitedly slapped the railing in front of him,

And shouted at Zheng Boye, who was standing next to him;

"No wonder you didn't want command yesterday. It turns out that everything is under your control, Brother Zheng!"

Zheng Boye: "Huh?"

————

There will be more tonight.