If we were being honest, Qiu Cheng and Shen Tang were both gamblers.
The difference was that Shen Tang had predicted Qiu Cheng's prediction.
At the battle for Beishang County's Number One Granary, her original intention had been to squeeze a little interest out of Qiu Cheng, teach him a lesson, and lay the groundwork for the campaign to come. It also gave the newcomers under her command a chance to practice. After all, newcomers who had never seen blood would always be green.
Gongshu Wu merely mulled this over in his heart.
[Kang Jishou wasn't wrong to seek out my lord. One after another, they're all gamblers to the bone. If they're going to play, they only play for high stakes.]
Had they even considered how much they'd lose if things went wrong? There were plenty of examples of people using a whetstone to sharpen a blade, only to break the blade in the process.
Fortunately, Qiu Cheng's actions had been much as the staff officers had predicted in their drills. The fellow really had focused his efforts on Beishang.
"Don't pursue them. Clean things up and count the bodies."
Gongshu Wu put away his weapon. He had killed the Seventh Rank Duke's Minister, but the other enemy, a cunning and experienced Ninth Rank Wudafu, had escaped with his men. He couldn't be bothered to send anyone after them. It wasn't that he didn't want to press their advantage; his task was simply to hold the line.
And to keep casualties around the camp to a minimum.
Besides—
They wouldn't get far.
His lord was watching like a tiger poised to pounce.
They'd had their fill of meat. They ought to let his lord have a taste of the soup, too, shouldn't they?
The enemy commander signaled a retreat,