Chapter 530: - Carry

Gou Moli held an enormous bowl of congee in both hands, a bowl large enough to serve as a washbasin.

He did not look especially large, but his appetite had always been astonishing. As the Blind Man put it, whether Gou Moli had been locked up at Snow Sea Pass or released to work as he was now, whenever mealtime came, the bastard could put away enough food for two men, sometimes nearly three.

That was because before every meal, he could always adjust his mind and body to their best possible state. If he had already decided to live well, then naturally he had to eat well too.

A whole ring of pickled ginger slices rested around the rim of his bowl, crisp and salty, perfect for eating with congee. Four salted duck eggs sat on the ground beside his feet.

He drank his congee with obvious enjoyment. Around him, a group of Savage soldiers in rattan armor shoveled down dry rice in huge mouthfuls, each serving accompanied by strips of cured meat.

During wartime, soldiers' food standards were raised. They needed both solid grain and meat, otherwise there was no way to maintain their strength.

Besides, East Mountain Fort had now fallen. Having learned from the disaster of the Azure Luan Army at Yupan City, the Chu had stocked East Mountain Fort with abundant grain. Combined with the Great Yan Dynasty's steady logistical support, the Snow Sea Army genuinely did not lack food at the moment.

The Savage soldiers had suffered terrible casualties in the wall assault. More died during the Chu counterattack and the series of bloody clashes that followed. Still, some survived.

The Savage King had kept his promise. He personally went to the quartermaster and applied for full military rations for the several hundred men left under him.

These few hundred would form the backbone of his future First Command. Truthfully, they were already enough to start with. Count Pingye had originally allotted him only two Battalions, three thousand troops in total.

In a few days, he could return to the Savage slave camp and select more young, able-bodied men. Once that was done, the frame of the First Command would finally stand.

The process had been rough and the road crooked, but at least he had finally wrestled things onto the proper path.

The Blind Man came walking over with two rice balls in his hands. He ate as he walked, then sat down beside the Savage King.

Gou Moli shoveled down two mouthfuls of congee. “Mr. Bei, has the Count woken up yet?”

The Blind Man bit into one rice ball, picked up one of the salted duck eggs beside Gou Moli, and tapped it lightly against the ground. “What? Got ideas already?”

“How could I? Even if the Count were gone, you'd still be here, wouldn't you?”

“Heh. Why do I feel like there are layers to everything you say now?”

“Didn't you and the Count both tell me to change my old habits? I'm trying.”

“Mm.” The Blind Man peeled the salted duck egg and took a bite. “Master is basically fine. He just overtaxed his body rather badly.”

“Good. That's what matters.” Gou Moli drank two more large mouthfuls of congee. “The Chu truly are formidable. That counterattack nearly broke us. Good thing our Count turned the tide by force. Oh, right, Mr. Bei. Your injuries?”

“Nothing serious. As long as my brain still works, I'm fine.”

“Exactly.”

“I came looking for you because I want to discuss what happens next. Whatever the process looked like, East Mountain Fort is ours now. So how do we operate from here?”

Gou Moli was already a grasshopper tied to the same rope as the rest of them. The Blind Man naturally had no intention of leaving a grand strategist like this unused.

And Gou Moli had no reason to hide anything. He spoke directly.

“The Battle of Central Mountain Camp was our first great merit. Taking East Mountain Fort is the second. East Mountain Fort and West Mountain Fort are the two great gates and pillars of the entire Chu defensive zone before Zhennan Pass. In my opinion, taking East Mountain Fort like this is a greater achievement than Central Mountain Camp, and its effect on the overall situation and army morale is stronger too. Great Chu's Pillar of State Shi Yuantang died here. That's the third merit. One of the most elite bodies of the Imperial Clan Guards of Chu was destroyed here. That's the fourth. The Count has always liked viewing war with a merchant's mentality. However we calculate it, we've already exceeded our quota long before the campaign is over. If the supreme commander were anyone other than Tian Wujing, we would still need to think very carefully. If Zhennan Pass cannot be taken, then the moment the political winds shift later, Snow Sea Pass could rapidly fall into a very dangerous position. But the supreme commander is the Prince of Jingnan. We can trust Tian Wujing's ability to wage war. So I think that for the next stretch of time, we can properly rest, recuperate, and build ourselves back up. First, we integrate Gongsun Zhi's and Gong Wang's forces. Gongsun Zhi's old foundation is the Zhenbei Army. Tsk, the Zhenbei Army. When it comes to fighting hard battles, there's nothing to criticize. As for Gong Wang's force, how should I put it? The man himself possesses an ability to attract Jin people, and a reputation among them, that almost no one else can match. Use Gong Wang's name as the banner and we can draw in a large wave of Jin men willing to serve. Then there's my side. The Count personally promised me the First Command. This is the perfect chance to fill it out to the full three thousand. I'll temper them properly and make sure this force carries a little more killing aura. Savage slave soldiers are also far more effective in my hands than they are in anyone else's. When the next war comes, I'll lead three thousand regular Savage troops and place the Savage slave forces beneath them in battle. Our Snow Sea Pass core can also absorb some auxiliaries this time. First, that fills the manpower losses. Second, it gives us more excuses to ask the rear for additional support. Our losses in this battle were enormous. But after a period of reorganization, the warlord mountain centered on Snow Sea Pass can actually become stronger rather than weaker. And the most important thing is that the Prince of Jingnan wants our Count to stand in the limelight, seize military merit, and gather prestige. He isn't trying to kill us with a borrowed knife and dull our blade while he does it. So from now until the battle for Zhennan Pass truly begins, we'll probably remain here integrating the troops and training recruits, using the opportunity to solidify our own strength. We probably won't be assigned any more battles. After all, the Great Yan Dynasty committed hundreds of thousands of regular troops to this campaign against Chu. They can't possibly dump every battle onto us. I know the Count has always wanted a stable environment where he can quietly develop. Right now is exactly such an opportunity. There is one point I know you would handle even if I never mentioned it, Mr. Bei. But I still have to say it, otherwise I'd look a little useless.”

“Say it.”

“The casualty report and request for reinforcements we send to the Prince of Jingnan. That's the key.”

The Blind Man nodded and took another bite of salted duck egg.

“We've already done everything we needed to do. Now we see whether the Prince of Jingnan is willing to open the back door for us one more time.”

“Mm.”

“One more thing.”

The Blind Man looked at him. “How is there still more?”

“This one doesn't count. I simply think Tian Wujing may not obediently clear the entire outer defensive zone in the same fixed way and then grind away at Zhennan Pass.”

“Oh? What do you think he'll do instead?”

“I have no idea. I know the terrain of Jin and Chu too. If you want to invade Chu, you have to pry open Zhennan Pass. It's the only road south.”

“Then what are you even saying?”

“I don't know. That doesn't mean Tian Wujing doesn't. Remember, I'm only a defeated general beneath Tian Wujing's hand.”

“Heh.”

“General Liang is all right, isn't he?” Gou Moli asked.

“What could possibly be wrong with him?”

“No, I mean, this time he...”

“The relationship between us and Master is something you cannot imagine.”

“Yes, yes. Naturally.”

The Blind Man finished both rice balls with the salted duck egg, lightly clapped his hands clean, and stood. “All right. Keep eating. I'll go make another round elsewhere.”

“Take care, Mr. Bei.”

After the Blind Man left, Gou Moli continued drinking his enormous bowl of congee. But his gaze began to drift, because in the distance a general had mounted and was galloping away.

Jin Shuke.

Suddenly, Gou Moli felt rather pressured.

Jin Shuke was a Barbarian. Like Gou Moli, he was not Xia.

But unlike Gou Moli, Snow Sea Pass bordered the snowfields, so Gou Moli had far more room to make himself useful. If one day their core territory no longer lay near the snowfields, would his usefulness still compare with Jin Shuke's?

Anyone human possessed a competitive streak. And Gou Moli could already see that, barring disaster, Count Pingye's foundation would only grow broader and larger in the future. Using the people of Xia as the core base would inevitably become the long-term trend.

Strictly speaking, that meant he and Jin Shuke were both eating from a separate little dish beside the main table. If one ate more, the other was bound to receive less.

All at once, the congee in Gou Moli's bowl stopped tasting so good.

He looked around at the subordinates still wolfing down their food and cursed in the Savage tongue:

“You pack of wolf-bred bastards, eat faster! Finish up and come work with me!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

His men were still extremely respectful toward him.

For some reason, that only made Gou Moli feel even more irritated. He took another sip of congee, pinched his throat into a mocking imitation, and said:

“Ooh, the relationship between us and Master is something you cannot imagine.”

...

Jin Shuke rode all the way back to East Mountain Fort.

Every soldier and officer he encountered along the road greeted him with exceptional warmth.

Everyone knew exactly how decisive a role Jin Shuke's cavalry charge had played in that battle.

One could say the entire course of the engagement had been changed by Jin Shuke alone.

The Count had already valued Jin Shuke deeply. Keyan Dongge had become commander of a Command because he had the Keyan Tribe behind him. Jin Shuke, on the other hand, had reached his position purely through “imperial favor.”

He already enjoyed “imperial favor,” and now he had rendered such tremendous merit. His future within Snow Sea Pass was naturally limitless.

Yet Jin Shuke remained as restrained as ever. He showed no arrogance, never put on airs, and displayed not the slightest sign that his tail was about to rise into the sky. Soldiers saluted him and he nodded in return. Other officers greeted him and he returned every salute with great seriousness.

After entering East Mountain Fort, Jin Shuke went directly to the residence where Count Pingye had been placed.

It was not truly a residence. East Mountain Fort was a military fortress and had never been designed around civilian housing. But this building had probably belonged to the fort's former commanding general, so its conditions were decent.

Count Pingye had been carried here after losing consciousness.

Jin Shuke dismounted, walked to the entrance, and asked the personal guards there, “Has the Count woken yet?”

The guards shook their heads.

Jin Shuke nodded. Concern showed clearly in his eyes.

After a short while, just as he was preparing to mount and leave, one personal guard hurried out from inside. The moment he saw Jin Shuke standing at the entrance, he laughed.

“Perfect timing, General Jin. The Count just woke and ordered this subordinate to find you and bring you in.”

“The Count is awake?” Jin Shuke was visibly delighted. He removed his saber, handed it to a guard nearby, and hurried inside.

...

Count Pingye had only just woken.

When Jin Shuke entered, Zheng Fan was sitting cross-legged on the bed eating.

One meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and one soup. There was none of the bland congee normally associated with someone “just recovered from illness.”

In truth, Zheng Fan's appetite was not especially good. But he understood his own body. Right now, he needed nutrition.

And he was a Sixth Grade Martial Artist. He had never neglected physical training, so there was nothing wrong with his basic constitution. The main reason he had collapsed earlier was that the Demon Pill's possession and Xue San's pill had together drained his spirit until he simply could not continue.

So after waking, eating a normal meal posed no problem.

“Eaten yet?”

Count Pingye glanced at Jin Shuke, who was kneeling before him.

“Reporting to the Count, no.”

“Heh.” Count Pingye smiled and told a personal guard beside him, “Bring another bowl and another pair of chopsticks.”

Then he looked at Jin Shuke. “Eat with me.”

“This general would not dare!”

“Eat with me. I'm deliberately trying to show you favor here. You need to cooperate.”

“...” Jin Shuke.

The bowl and chopsticks arrived. Jin Shuke squatted beside the bed.

Count Pingye chuckled. “Sit up here. Don't be so restrained.”

“This...”

Jin Shuke stood and let only the edge of his backside touch the side of the bed.

Count Pingye sighed.

“Forget it. Forget it.”

He poured the rice from his own bowl onto one plate of vegetables, then took Jin Shuke's bowl and dumped its rice over the meat dish.

In effect, he had turned the meal into two plates of rice with toppings.

“Fine. Take this one and eat.”

“Thank you, Count. Thank you, Count.”

Jin Shuke carried the plate down from the bed and squatted to one side to eat.

Count Pingye also carried his plate down, sat directly on the floor, and ate face-to-face with him.

After a while, Jin Shuke looked up from shoveling down rice. Seeing Count Pingye sitting across from him, he became so emotional that his throat caught. Then a grain of rice went down the wrong way.

He immediately bowed his head and began coughing violently.

“I genuinely don't know what you're afraid of. When this Count eats in front of the Prince of Jingnan, even I don't get as nervous as you.”

“In this general's heart, the Count is far more towering than the Prince of Jingnan.”

“All right.” Count Pingye nodded.

Jin Shuke added, “And how could this general compare with you, Count?”

“There it is again. You have real ability, kid. If you hadn't led that cavalry charge out that day, whether I'd still be sitting here eating now is hard to say.”

“Count, this general... this subordinate... this general...”

“All right, all right. Don't say it yet. Eat first. We'll talk after.”

The two lowered their heads and ate in silence.

With Jin Shuke beside him, Count Pingye's appetite actually improved a little.

After both men finished their rice and dishes, Count Pingye picked up the soup bowl. It held laver-and-egg-drop soup. He drank roughly a third, then handed it to Jin Shuke.

Jin Shuke gulped down everything left and let out a satisfied belch.

Now that they had eaten and drunk their fill, Count Pingye remained seated on the floor.

Jin Shuke gradually stopped squatting too and sat down properly.

“Having you as my subordinate is my good fortune.”

“To be able to die in the Count's service is this general's good fortune.”

“I've always valued you. Truthfully, I noticed you very early. Otherwise I never would have arranged for the Sword Saint to guard the city gate together with you back then.”

“Count...”

“You know what kind of temperament I have. Men with ability, men who can get things done, I'll treat well if they serve under me. I won't be stingy with military merit or future prospects either. You deserve the greatest credit for taking East Mountain Fort. I've remembered it. As for rewards and promotions, we'll put those aside for now. The war isn't over yet.”

“Yes, Count.”

“I called you here because there is one matter I need you to handle.”

Jin Shuke immediately dropped to one knee before Zheng Fan.

“This general awaits orders!”

“The funeral procession for Shi Yuantang. Is it prepared?”

“Reporting to the Count, according to Mr. Bei's instructions, this subordinate has already prepared everything.”

“Good. I intend to have you lead it. First take the funeral procession to the Prince's command tent and let our Prince have a look. Then circle past the various Chu camps and forts. This is a job that puts your face in front of everyone. It should naturally go to you.”

“Many thanks, Count!”

“Mm. Good. That's all. I'm going to sleep a little longer. You can go.”

“This general takes his leave. Count, please take care of your health.”

“I will. You too.”

After Jin Shuke left, the Sword Saint walked out from the adjoining room and sighed.

“I never expected him to come this far either.”

Back then, the Sword Saint had merely found Jin Shuke interesting, a man capable of getting things done. Their time together had also left the Sword Saint owing him a small favor, so he had mentioned the man to Zheng Fan once.

But even the Sword Saint had never expected Jin Shuke to grow this quickly.

“That's because your judgment is excellent. A discerning eye recognizes a hero,” Count Pingye said with a smile.

“I don't have the face to claim something like that. In the end, you're the one willing to delegate power. On that point, you resemble that Emperor of Yan of yours.”

To outsiders, Snow Sea Pass was Count Pingye's absolute one-man domain.

But as his neighbor, the Sword Saint knew perfectly well just how lazy this Count actually was. Apart from showing his face at certain public occasions, he was almost completely a hands-off boss.

Finances, military authority, trade, civilian affairs, and everything else at Snow Sea Pass had all been delegated to the people beneath him.

“Careful. Talking like that is taboo. If someone from the Secret Intelligence Department around me hears you, that could become a serious problem.”

The Sword Saint smiled. “You still fear that?”

“How could I not? My troops suffered devastating losses in this battle. Next I need to seize every moment to restore our strength. And even before the war began, my force looked impressive enough inside eastern Jin, but across the whole territory ruled by the court, I wasn't truly big enough to sit at the main table. Forget everything else. If Emperor Yan really sent down one decree ordering the Prince of Jingnan to wipe me out... heh. Our Prince could crush me with one hand.”

At that moment, a voice came from outside.

“Then should this Prince crush you to death or not?”

“...” Count Pingye.

[End of Chapter 530]