After hearing Dai Yueheng's question, Huo Yuhao shrugged and said casually to him,
"You can't treat those two like ordinary classmates. They're a married couple through and through. A young couple quarrels at the head of the bed and makes up at the foot—isn't that perfectly normal?"
Dai Yueheng gazed intently at Huo Yuhao and asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice,
"Is it really just quarreling at the head of the bed and making up at the foot? Why do I keep catching the scent of a conspiracy?"
Huo Yuhao shrugged, then said to Dai Yueheng,
"So what? Why don't you go ask him yourself?"
Dai Yueheng shook his head, took a deep breath, and said to Huo Yuhao,
"Rather than trust whatever comes out of that dog's mouth, I'd say there's a better chance of getting ivory out of yours. Still, I'll say it again: cooperation requires sincerity. We brothers can't fight among ourselves. We have to share information."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then said to Dai Yueheng,
"The most important part of cooperation is trust. Showing each other sincerity ultimately serves to build that trust. If you keep doubting me, our partnership will never stand firm."
Dai Yueheng nodded, then stood and said to Huo Yuhao,
"Well said. I hope we can both trust each other. Also, Father really is in a hurry. You can't return to the Duke's Mansion this month anyway, so why not go to the military camp?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. Looks like the White Tiger Duke really does need me urgently. Dai Yueheng keeps hounding me to get to camp as if death itself were at my heels. Something must have happened again.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help remembering the Sun Moon Empire commander he had matched wits with from afar, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
If that opponent had made a move, Dai Hao would indeed have a difficult time for a while.
By the time Huo Yuhao reached the military camp, the White Tiger encampment looked more battered than before. The White Tiger soldiers on its outer perimeter were so jumpy that every gust of wind and cry of a crane seemed like an enemy approaching.
"Young general!!!"
At the sight of Huo Yuhao, the White Tiger soldiers on guard who had previously accompanied him all struck their chests with their left hands, saluting him.
Huo Yuhao nodded, then entered the White Tiger command tent under a soldier's guidance.
The White Tiger Duke had lost his former easy confidence and was staring at a map with a deeply furrowed brow. Only when he saw Huo Yuhao return did his brows stir.
"You've grown quite a bit. You're taller."
Huo Yuhao smiled, then looked at Dai Hao and said,
"What happened? Why are you in such a sorry state?"
Dai Hao gave a bitter laugh, then said to Huo Yuhao,
"The Sun Moon Empire has changed its tactics lately. They keep sending small squads to infiltrate our territory and wreak havoc. A lot of the men in camp are jumping at every gust of wind and cry of a crane."
Huo Yuhao raised his eyebrows, then said to Dai Hao,
"Just strengthen the patrols. Is that really worth worrying over?"
Dai Hao shook his head, then sighed and said,
"It's not that simple. Every time they act, they manage to anticipate our patrol routes, so we suffer heavy losses every time."
Huo Yuhao frowned at this, then asked Dai Hao, "How have you been arranging the patrols?"
After Dai Hao finished explaining, Huo Yuhao was left rather speechless. Dai Hao's patrol method was the simplest sort of piecemeal reinforcement: if the enemy attacked the west today, he strengthened the western defenses tomorrow, only for the enemy to turn around and attack the east.
Considering the military manuals Huo Yuhao had read before, which were practically child's play, Dai Hao's method really would work well against ordinary commanders.
"I'll arrange the patrol shifts tonight. Give me some authority over that."
After hearing him out, Huo Yuhao raised a hand to indicate that Dai Hao needn't continue, then spoke to him.
Dai Hao naturally had complete trust in his son. After nodding, he handed Huo Yuhao his half of the military tally and said,
"Of course. If you need anything, just ask. I'll do my best to provide it."
Huo Yuhao accepted the half tiger tally, then nodded.
Although most of the White Tiger troops recognized faces rather than tokens, with this half tiger tally and Dai Hao's personal endorsement, Huo Yuhao could still mobilize enough men for his deployment.
That night, along the Sun Moon Empire's border, a small squad from the Sun Moon Empire quietly approached the western side of the White Tiger camp under cover of darkness.
There stood a relatively isolated outpost with only a few men stationed inside. It chiefly guarded a small patch of territory captured a few days earlier.
After the squad contemptuously disposed of the guards stationed there, they had advanced only a few dozen paces when the thunder of gongs and drums suddenly filled the sky.
The next moment, the entire White Tiger encampment lit up as bright as day.
With eight Soul Saints taking action, the squad was silently eliminated before they could even fire a signal flare.
The Sun Moon Empire's border garrison naturally showed no reaction to this, but by the following night, things had changed.
A detachment of the White Tiger Legion that had already rested for a full day now stood on the border, with several large gongs and bronze drums set up beside them.
"Beat the drums and sound the gongs! Prepare a Soul Cannon volley."
At Huo Yuhao's command, the captured Soul Cannons that had sat untouched in the armory were hauled to the front line.
The Sun Moon Empire's sleeping defenders were abruptly jolted awake by fierce cannon fire and the earthshaking clamor of gongs and drums.
While they hurriedly gathered men to counterattack, Huo Yuhao gave another order,
"Cease fire. Rear ranks to the front. Withdraw."
Although the White Tiger Duke's tactical skills were laughably poor, there was no denying the strict discipline he maintained.
At Huo Yuhao's command, the unit moved in good order, swiftly securing the Soul Cannons before turning around and withdrawing into camp.
The Sun Moon Empire's defenders naturally had no desire to pursue them and merely sent out an additional patrol to keep watch.
Roughly four hours later, Huo Yuhao gave the order again, repeating the same routine: beating drums, sounding gongs, and treating the enemy to Soul Cannon fire.
The cycle continued until dawn, with four or five such assaults launched throughout the night.
When daylight came, the well-rested White Tiger troops relieved those who had worked through the night and began the same routine of cannon fire and clanging gongs.
After three full days, the Sun Moon Empire's defenders were exhausted from scrambling back and forth. They tried several times to assemble their forces and engage the White Tiger Duke's garrison in a more substantial clash.
But having received Huo Yuhao's stratagem, the White Tiger Duke simply held his ground, untroubled by the enemy's charges.
At noon on the fourth day, just after lunch, when everyone was at their most relaxed, Huo Yuhao led another unit up a hill to harass the Sun Moon Empire's defenders with Soul Cannons.
This time, as Huo Yuhao observed the defenders' reaction, he suddenly ordered the soldiers beside him,
"We're not withdrawing this time. Charge straight in!"
The soldiers froze, but Huo Yuhao pointed at the Sun Moon Empire defenders, who showed no reaction whatsoever to their harassing attacks, and said,
"Didn't you hear me? I said, charge!"
Before you continue