He knew that the Militia Private of the four battalions were exhausted, and many could barely walk.
But he couldn't give everyone more time to rest; even if they walked slowly, they had to keep going!
A moment later, the procession slowly advanced along the official road.
The more than 700 captured Mount Liang soldiers, stripped of their weapons and armor, were tied together with ropes. They were responsible for carrying the wounded and heavy packs, easing the burden on the Militia Private.
Even so, after walking for a while, some Militia Private in the group who had suffered minor injuries were unable to continue.
Wu Shuangren ordered that those Militia Private who were too exhausted to walk should lie on their horses and rest for a while before dismounting and walking again. Then another group of soldiers who were too exhausted to walk would be put on the horses, and this process would continue.
"If we do it this way, many warhorses will die of exhaustion before they even reach the capital."
Wu Dongrong walked over and whispered to Wu Shuangren.
Wu Shuangren nodded upon hearing this and calmly said, "I know, but people are more important than horses."
Upon hearing this, Wu Dongrong did not say anything more.
In fact, when he was in the border army, the value of one warhorse was even greater than that of ten ordinary soldiers combined!
If it were one of the border generals he encountered back then, they would definitely prioritize preserving the warhorses and cavalry and retreat first.
Wu Shuangren's actions did not seem like those of a qualified general.
But Wu Dongrong didn't try to persuade her son; instead, she felt a little proud!
Xu Jing listened to the conversation between the father and son and gave Wu Shuangren a deep look.
When Wu Shuangren first became the head of the Bo County Militia, Xu Jing didn't take him seriously.
Later, even as he watched Wu Shuangren gradually expand the Bo County Militia and eventually establish the Yi Province Militia, Xu Jing could only regard Wu Shuangren as a local tyrant at most.
But this time, he witnessed Wu Shuangren risking his life to lead his troops out to save the people of Linwen County.
Then I heard Wu Shuangren say again, "People are more important than horses."
Wu Shuangren's image in his mind has undergone a complete transformation!
Xu Jing couldn't help but recall a passage he had read in a military treatise:
"Treat your soldiers like infants, and you will follow them into the deepest ravines; treat your soldiers like your beloved sons, and you will follow them to their deaths!"
On the other side, Yan Xiaobing, riding his horse, led a group of the fastest Mount Liang to a stop.
The vanguard of over a hundred cavalrymen had played almost no role in the previous battles; their only purpose was to escape at the end.
"Take a headcount for casualties."
Yan Xiaobing gave the order.
He then found Liang An, Lin Qian, He Zhigang, and others.
Zhigang was severely wounded by Wu Shuangren and was immediately escorted away by his personal guards. When Yan Xiaobing chose to retreat, Liang An also used his movement technique to escape, and Xu Yu could not catch up with him.
Lin Qian's agility was the best, so withdrawing was naturally a piece of cake for him.
Yan Xiaobing breathed a sigh of relief that all the big bosses were unharmed.
"Instructor Lin, did you not make a move earlier because you discovered Xu Nanzhi and she's keeping an eye on you?"
Yan Xiaobing looked at Lin Qian and asked.
This was the only explanation he could think of.
Lin Qian pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
"This Xu Nanzhi, she didn't show up when you all surrounded Wu Shuangren last time. The strategist even speculated that she might have an old ailment that made it inconvenient for her to take action."
Yan Xiaobing looked at Lin Qian, "Instructor Lin, when you fought this person just now, did you sense that she was injured?"
Lin Qian thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "At least I didn't sense that she was injured."
Liang An spoke up from the side, "Instructor Lin, how strong is this Xu Nanzhi?"
Lin Qian paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I think her strength is probably no less than Wu Shuangren's!"
"..."
Yan Xiaobing and Liang An exchanged a glance, their expressions both somewhat solemn.
The reason Mount Liang sent Lu Yulin to personally lead troops back to Yi Province was because they were certain that Lu Yulin would be able to defeat Wu Shuangren.
But now, suddenly, Xu Nanzhi, whose strength is no less than Wu Shuangren's, has appeared!
"I can keep her occupied; within a hundred moves, she'll have little chance of defeating me."
Lin Qian glanced at the seriously injured Zhigang and suddenly spoke.
The insights gained over the past month, through my recent exchange with Xu Nanzhi, have been transformed into practical experience and a breakthrough.
Lin Qian's marksmanship has indeed taken another step forward!
"That's good."
Yan Xiaobing breathed a sigh of relief.
Next, he sent messengers to report to the rear while also sending people to gather the scattered and fleeing soldiers.
About an hour later, Yan Xiaobing had only managed to gather a little over 1,500 men.
This means that the Mount Liang vanguard suffered more than half its losses in this ambush!
Yan Xiaobing's face was gloomy.
His tactics were indeed effective, forcing Wu Shuangren to lead his men into battle against him.
But what he didn't expect was that the Yi Province Militia would win a great victory, while the Mount Liang vanguard would suffer a crushing defeat and flee in disarray!
The losses on our side were too great, and the casualties inflicted on the Yi Province Militia were far from the ideal result.
The Yi Province Militia won too easily; their physical exertion did not meet Yan Xiaobing's expectations, and the number of wounded was even less than he anticipated.
Even if the marching speed is affected, it will still be faster than Yan Xiaobing predicted!
Moreover, given the current morale of the remaining members of the Mount Liang vanguard, it is no longer possible for them to catch up and continue to pursue Wu Shuangren and his men.
Yan Xiaobing was now very worried that the main force behind them would not be able to catch up in time, and that Wu Shuangren would eventually lead the more than four thousand men back to the state city, thus missing this opportunity.
More than an hour later, the messenger returned with the news.
"Report—"
"Grand Marshal Lu has already led five thousand elite troops to arrive ahead of us!"
161. The human heart is a scale; self-interest is set aside. (Large Chapter)
Dust billowed along the official road as a large contingent of people approached from afar.
From afar, one can see the banner of Mount Liang acting on behalf of Heaven, and next to it is another banner with the character 'Lu' written on it.
Lu Yulin arrived even faster than Yan Xiaobing had anticipated!
"Greetings, Grand Marshal! Greetings, Military Advisor!"
Yan Xiaobing led the group to greet them and met Lu Yulin and the strategist Wu Yan, who had come with them.
"I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."
Yan Xiaobing sighed.
Lu Yulin looked him up and down, and seeing that he had no injuries, he secretly felt relieved. "After receiving your message yesterday, the strategist suggested that I divide the troops and take five thousand elite soldiers ahead."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaobing couldn't help but admire Wu Yan's decisiveness.
If we continue to speed up our journey with the main force, we might really not be able to catch up with Wu Shuangren and the others.
Wu Yan was unaware of the outcome of the battle between the vanguard and Wu Shuangren yesterday, but he was able to decisively order Lu Yulin to divide his forces and prepare for the worst!
"Yan Xiaobing's incompetence led to the vanguard's disastrous defeat. We beg the Grand Marshal to punish him!"
Yan Xiaobing suddenly bowed and said to Lu Yulin.
Lu Yulin did not immediately help Yan Xiaobing up, but asked in a deep voice, "The strategist and I have already heard the initial report from the messenger. What exactly happened? Why did we suffer such a crushing defeat?"
Then, Yan Xiaobing recounted the details of the ambush that had taken place that day.
After listening, Wu Yan looked at Lin Qian first. "Instructor Lin, are you sure Xu Nanzhi doesn't have any old injuries?"
Lin Qian nodded. "At least when she sparred with me, her breathing rhythm, blood flow, and muscle power generation were all very smooth."
Wu Yan frowned, fanning himself with his goose feather fan as he fell into deep thought.
After a long pause, he spoke, "This crushing defeat was due to our oversight of two variables: Xu Nanzhi's strength and Wu Shuangren's strength."
He had previously speculated that Xu Nanzhi had a pre-existing ailment that made it inconvenient for her to take action, which was why she had not appeared at all during the battle of Yi Province.
Even so, he still arranged for Lin Qian, First Rank expert, to be stationed in the vanguard. Even though Lin Qian's injuries had not fully healed, he still had no problem dealing with ordinary First Rank experts.
With Yan Xiaobing, Liang An, and Zhigang, three First Rate experts should have the upper hand against the injured Wu Shuangren and his bodyguard.
Even if something unexpected happened, Mount Liang had more skilled fighters, so it shouldn't have turned into a situation where a few big leaders were defeated and forced to flee, ultimately causing the morale and fighting spirit of the army to waver.
"Wu Shuangren was clearly injured, but his strength was not affected at all... His fighting style when facing an attack alone, according to your description, is somewhat similar to the martial arts of the Deer-Slaying Palace..."
Wu Yan murmured.
"The Deer-Slaying Palace?!"
Lu Yulin, standing to the side, was startled. "Strategist, do you think Wu Shuangren might be a successor of the Deer-Slaying Palace?"
Yan Xiaobing, Liang An, and Lin Qian all showed different expressions upon hearing the words "Deer-Slaying Palace".
Most of the world's First Rate masters were recruited by the imperial court, either becoming retainers of powerful families, imperial guards, members of the Six Doors (a government agency), or military officers who distinguished themselves in the army.
There aren't many top-tier First Rate arts masters who roam the martial arts world. Although Mount Liang has more than a dozen First Rate masters, half of them didn't used to be involved in the martial arts world, such as Lin Qian.
Deer-Slaying Palace is a renowned force in the martial arts world, and one of the few behemoths with multiple First Rate masters, and even a Great Grandmaster in charge!
Therefore, everyone present had heard of this name.
If Wu Shuangren is truly a successor of the Deer-Slaying Palace, reaching the First Rank realm at such a young age means his status within the Deer-Slaying Palace must be quite high; he is very likely a direct descendant of Great Grandmaster!
Although Lu Yulin was known as the number one martial artist in Hebei Circuit, he had absolutely no confidence when facing Grandmaster.
Some martial artists who have just entered the First Rate realm are at the peak of their lives and are bursting with confidence. They may think that Grandmaster are nothing special and that they can also challenge them.
However, the higher one's martial arts cultivation, the more one can appreciate the terrifying power of Grandmaster.
Having reached his current level, Lu Yulin can be considered a strong figure among those at the First Rank, and he naturally harbors ambitions to reach the Grandmaster level.
But the closer he got to that level, the more he realized how difficult it was to take that step, and how vast the gap was!
"I'm just guessing. Deer-Slaying Palace is far away in Jiangnan Circuit. There's no reason for that Great Grandmaster to come all the way to Jiannan Circuit to take on a disciple. Besides, if Wu Shuangren really has a connection with the Deer-Slaying Palace, he could just reveal his name, and we might be able to talk to him."
Wu Yan said, "I've already sent people to inquire. A First Rank expert like Xu Nanzhi shouldn't have been unknown before. Xu Nanzhi might just be an alias."
"But regardless of their identities, the die is cast, we must pursue them and severely cripple Wu Shuangren's four thousand-plus men!"
Lu Yulin nodded upon hearing this, and organized the more than 1,500 vanguard soldiers into ranks, reorganized the army, and marched quickly.
On the official road, the large contingent continued its journey in a grand procession.
Around noon, the sun was blazing overhead.
Wu Shuangren led his team to a shady spot to rest.
Wipe the warhorse's neck, chest, and hind legs with cool water. Feed the warhorse salt water in small amounts several times a day, and feed it horse feed only after its body temperature has dropped.
"Distribute the water bags and have all the captains keep an eye on them. No Militia Private should drink too much water at once. The First Battalion will eat their dry rations first, and then the Second Battalion, Third Battalion, and Sixth Battalion will eat in batches..."
Wu Shuangren issued orders methodically, one after another.
He has now gained some experience in marching and has learned a lot from Xu Jing, Wu Dongrong, Liao Yu and others.
A great general's skill is not just about commanding troops in battle, marching, setting up camp, logistics, training, etc.; a great general is one who can do all the details well.
Wu Shuangren knew he was still far from becoming a renowned general, so he didn't miss any opportunity to learn.
Under the shade of a tree, several Militia Private from the Sixth Battalion sat together.