"A Martial Gall Warrior captured by a Literary Scholar?"
Life in the military camp was dull, and the battlefield was brutal and bloody. Soldiers were ordinary people, too. Under enough psychological pressure, they needed an outlet to unwind. Sharing gossip during their breaks was one of their few forms of entertainment, and it helped pass the time.
"Yeah, and it was Military Advisor Xun who captured him with his own hands..."
"How do you know all that?"
Several soldiers who were usually on good terms with him gathered around.
The soldier pointed at his eyes. "How do I know? I saw it with these two eyes, of course."
One of the listeners pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice to a furtive whisper. "It's not that I look down on our military advisor, but... isn't he a Literary Scholar? A Martial Gall Warrior who could be captured by a Literary Scholar... probably isn't much of a fighter, right? An enemy general without much skill wouldn't be worth many military merits. Capturing him would just waste our rations..."
They might as well have taken his head instead.
His companions also thought the captured general sounded a bit weak, but after mulling it over, one of them said, "...That's true, but maybe this man's worth something else? We can't possibly guess what the military advisors are planning..."
If they could figure it out themselves, what would they need military advisors for?
"Come on, come on—water's here!"
The old man's cheerful voice interrupted their chatter.
"Old man, you've still got water?"
"The water in my house's water jar is clean and sweet!"
The old man grinned, showing off his few remaining teeth.
These young fellows might not have much else, but they were strong, quick workers, and every one of them was