War Is Coming

Training Ground.

Apart from the men watching the Great Wall, every officer and soldier in the Thousand Household Office had assembled.

Xiang Tingchun strode up onto the high platform.

Even from several dozen paces away, everyone could sense Lord Thousand Households' buoyant mood.

"Brothers!"

Xiang Tingchun's voice rang like a great bell and a mighty chime. "Today, I have two matters to announce.

"Remember, when the Grand Ancestor first founded the nation, during the Yongchang era, our dynasty had over three million soldiers, yet every one of them was well fed and warmly clothed, their fighting spirit soaring high!

"But later, calamities of heaven and disasters wrought by man came without end.

"In the early years, Poyang County even suffered from unpaid wages and withheld grain. Many brothers could not fill their bellies or cover their bodies, and were forced to flee and become wandering refugees.

"As the one stationed here, I, Xiang Tingchun, bear an inescapable responsibility. Here, I offer all my brothers my apologies!

"But from this day onward, that will absolutely never happen again.

"The four great martial halls of Poyang County and many local gentlemen could not bear to watch the brothers defending home and country live such bitter lives. Therefore, they have donated great quantities of grain, pay, medicinal materials, and horses.

"So, the first matter is this—starting today—

"All regular soldiers will receive a fifty percent increase in monthly pay, plus an additional shi of grain.

"Warrior Recruits will receive double monthly pay and double Blood Replenishing Soup.

"Military officers will each have their benefits doubled.

"And from now on, all kinds of medicinal materials may be purchased directly in the Military Camp at half the price charged by pharmacies outside!"

The entire grounds erupted after he finished speaking.

"Doubled?"

"A shi of grain every month?"

What did a shi of grain each month mean in a year of poor harvest?

It meant that this year, not only could everyone survive the winter without going hungry, they might even have money left over to buy winter clothes!

The Warrior Recruits were equally thrilled.

Most who enlisted came from poor families. How could they afford Blood Replenishing Soup that cost ten taels per dose?

Yet relying solely on the rations supplied by the Thousand Household Office was far from enough to improve their cultivation.

To them, Lord Thousand Households' words were no different from pies falling out of the sky.

Zhu Tong clenched his fists. "With enough Blood Replenishing Soup, I'll have a chance to move forward on the martial path too!"

His and Wang Li's talent was not actually poor.

They were simply too poor, and it dragged down their progress.

While everyone else was celebrating, Xu Wencai merely shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid there's going to be a war—and a hard one at that."

"Really?"

Zhu Tong was half-convinced. "Makes sense. Why would those bastards from the martial halls suddenly be willing to fork over money for us? There has to be something fishy going on!"

"Let me finish."

Xiang Tingchun gestured for everyone to quiet down.

"Next is the second matter.

"You all surely know why the Poyang Thousand Households Command was established.

"It was to resist the savages of the Alien Races!

"For thousands of years, the barbarians have seized our homes and fields. They thirst to turn our wives, children, and elders into slaves, then use our heads to fertilize their pastures!

"It was the Grand Ancestor and the Second Ancestor who personally led expeditions time and again, beating them so thoroughly that they could not raise their heads for two hundred years!

"But now, they are stirring again, seeking to recreate the tragedy of the former dynasty!

"How can we good men sit and await death?

"With approval from the Ministry of War, I will lead an expedition next spring to exterminate the barbarians around Xihe!

"Therefore, I hope that in the days ahead, brothers will train diligently, so that you may serve the court on the battlefield.

"As long as you kill enough enemies, being granted a marquisate and becoming a general may not be impossible!"

When he finished, the Training Ground fell silent as a grave, forming a stark contrast to before.

Granted a marquisate and made a general?

Very few people truly harbored such lofty ambitions.

All they wanted was a peaceful life.

But as men of the military, killing enemies upon the battlefield was a fate they could not escape.

Fortunately, going to war with full bellies was better than going with empty ones.

That was why Xiang Tingchun had gone to such lengths to wrest money and grain from the martial halls.

Soldiers without full pay had no Combat Power!

Conversely, under heavy rewards, brave men would surely emerge.

Only when a force had sufficient resources could it possess Combat Power and avoid collapsing at the first blow.

There was no need to worry that announcing it in advance would alert the enemy.

Barbarian spies had always been around.

When the martial halls donated money and grain on such a scale, even a fool would know what they were preparing for.

Rather than conceal it from everyone, it was better to begin training early and prepare them mentally and physically.

After his speech, Xiang Tingchun departed in broad strides, giving the soldiers time to digest the news.

Chen Sanshi had already been mentally prepared.

The vanguard selection would take place after spring.

In other words, before heading to the Eight Great Camps to take part in the vanguard selection examination, he would also participate in this battle.

"Mr. Xu."

Chen Sanshi asked, "Do you know how strong the barbarians around Xihe are?"

"My lord, you've asked exactly the right person."

Xu Wencai answered without hesitation, "Though Xu is unworthy, I once spent five years specifically researching the distribution of barbarian forces.

"The Xihe Tribe is a branch of the Yuwen lineage. They have lived here for several decades, and by conservative estimate, they have two thousand well-trained soldiers.

"Among them is one Organ Tempering martial artist. Their numbers of Blood Tempering and Bone Tempering military officers are roughly comparable to our Thousand Household Office.

"But they have far more horses than us, and their archers are also of higher quality."

Chen Sanshi considered this. "In your view, what are our odds of winning next spring?"

"My lord, please come with me."

Xu Wencai led him to a secluded, empty corner, picked up a branch, and began drawing in the dirt.

"Nearly every important pass on the northern frontier of our Flourishing Dynasty is now constantly clashing with the barbarians. There definitely will not be spare troops sent to support us.

"At most, the Anding Prefecture Guard might send another Garrison Thousand Household Command to hold the rear, ensuring that if we lose beyond the Great Wall, someone can receive us. That way, the barbarians will not simply seize Poyang.

"But they absolutely will not easily leave the city to fight.

"In other words, our Thousand Household Office will effectively be a lone army."

"What are you two muttering about?"

Zhu Tong sneaked over. "What the hell are you drawing with that busted stick?"

"You uncouth brute, stop getting in the way."

Xu Wencai stroked his beard and stared at the crude troop deployment on the ground, deeply puzzled. "How strange. Sending troops to attack the barbarians is a matter of national importance. It ought to be planned and dispatched in unified fashion. What sense is there in sending barely a thousand men to attack a scattered tribe?

"Whether it succeeds or fails will not change The General Trend much.

"My lord, what do you think?"

Chen Sanshi answered, "This is a performance to show their superiors their work capability."

"My lord is wise. That is exactly what I think as well!"

Xu Wencai looked around, then said carefully, "Thousand Households Xiang intends to have one general's success built upon ten thousand bleaching bones!"

That was already putting it mildly.

To put it bluntly, Xiang Tingchun intended to trade the lives of Poyang Thousand Households Command's nine hundred men for his own future!

The Ministry of War's approval likely involved the various factions at court as well. The waters ran deep.

"As for our chances of victory."

Xu Wencai continued, "The barbarians have strong soldiers and sturdy horses, but they are not skilled in military formations. And every spring is when nomadic peoples are at their weakest.

"If the martial halls can send more Bone Tempering martial masters to help, and with Anding Prefecture holding the rear, we should be able to win, but...

"It will certainly be a costly victory."

Zhu Tong, who had been listening in a haze of confusion, finally understood the last sentence. "How costly?"

Xu Wencai said heavily, "The two of us will both die!"

"That is pretty costly."

Zhu Tong grabbed his collar. "Lazybones, don't you always brag that you know how to wage war? Think of something. How can we make it less costly?"

Xu Wencai said solemnly, "I do have a strategy that can at least reduce losses by twenty percent."

"Only twenty percent?"

Zhu Tong said disdainfully, "What's the difference between that and not reducing them at all?"

"I'm a crouching dragon, not an immortal! In this kind of assault battle, twenty percent is already an enormous saving of troops!"

Xu Wencai tossed aside the branch. "I'm going to offer my strategy to the Thousand Households!"

As he spoke, he ran toward where Xiang Tingchun worked.

Zhu Tong counted on his fingers. "There are over nine hundred of us in the Thousand Household Office. What's twenty percent?"

"..."

Chen Sanshi said helplessly, "He meant reducing losses by twenty percent. He never said the entire army would be wiped out."

"Then how many is that?"

Zhu Tong became even more confused.

Before he could figure it out, Xu Wencai had returned.

Zhu Tong hurriedly asked, "How'd it go? What did Lord Thousand Households say?"

Xu Wencai's face flushed crimson with rage. Stomping his feet, he shouted, "Mediocre general! Mediocre general!"

The Thousand Household Command's tent was not far away. Just now, carried by the wind, Chen Sanshi had faintly heard the word "Scram."

He shook his head and rose to leave.

This battle could not be avoided, and he had no intention of avoiding it.

But it seemed he truly needed to reach Bone Tempering before spring.

After Bone Tempering, one could withstand blades and weapons. On the battlefield, a slight injury would not cause him to lose his Combat Power.