Chapter 158 – Labor of Troops

In the main camp at Blackcliff Pass, the blizzard had just subsided. Soldiers continued their drills within the camp while far away, beneath the frozen river, troops struggled to break large chunks of ice from the surface. They dragged these pieces over to large cauldrons beside burning fires, melting them for daily drinking water.

On the other side, another set of cauldrons boiled coarse millet porridge. Beside them, the cooks threw in large pieces of root vegetables and chunks of fish caught from the sea, stirring vigorously with giant wooden spoons as steam billowed up.

Inside the central tent,

“The rations have been halved, but we can only hold out for ten days! The officials from Silla say that their fields have been seized by the Japanese, and their cities as well. They have no grain!” The supply officer complained loudly.

The generals inside the tent erupted,

“How can we survive in this cold with half rations?”

“Not enough winter clothes either, how are we supposed to fight on empty stomachs?”

“And medicine, we are lacking medicine. The cold and the climate have made many soldiers sick.”

Amidst the clamor, Fang Zijing, who had been silent in his commander’s seat, asked,

“Hasn’t the military supplies arrived yet? Didn’t the message three days ago say that the ambush against the Japanese was a great victory? Judging by the time, they should’ve arrived by now.”

At his words, the tent fell silent.

One of the officers below replied,

“The snow was too heavy, it’s inevitable that there would be delays.”

Fang Zijing said sternly,

“I’ve already extended the deadline by three days. If they don’t arrive today, they’ll be dealt with according to military law.”

Someone among the generals coughed lightly,

“Xu Tiju is still young, it’s his first time escorting military provisions, and he’s already made great contributions. Commander, please be lenient.”

Fang Zijing glanced at him,

“Merit and demerit must be clearly distinguished. I’ve already submitted the report for his accomplishments, but those who deserve punishment must also be punished. Military orders are like mountains, no need for further discussion.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a messenger ran in from outside,

“Commander! The ships have arrived! They bear the words ‘Ten Thousand Years’ and ‘Thousand Autumns’!”

Fang Zijing’s eyebrows raised slightly, and he rose to his feet,

“Let’s go take a look.”

Outside, the weather was gloomy, heavy clouds pressing down from the horizon, the frigid wind cutting like knives. The sea waves crashed against the rocks, rolling into dark waves.

The generals walked to the seaside lookout platform, indeed seeing the silhouettes of more than a dozen fleets slowly approaching from the horizon. Two of the larger ships were particularly huge, their black iron hulls heavy and massive like beasts, slowly cutting through the wind and waves. The closer they got, the more immense the ships appeared.

Indeed, the black hulls gleamed with gold paint, inscribed with the words “Ten Thousand Years” and “Thousand Autumns”.

The soldiers knew these were the ships escorting the military provisions. Now that they could see the ship names clearly, they couldn’t help but raise their long spears in their hands and cheer,

“Ten Thousand Years! Thousand Autumns!”

At first, it was just a few soldiers shouting, but gradually, as the commanders didn’t stop them, the soldiers training nearby boldly raised their spears and roared,

“Ten Thousand Years! Thousand Autumns!”

The calls echoed with the sound of the sea, carrying far across the ocean.

Xu Chun heard the shouts from the tower ship and was somewhat surprised. He wrapped himself in a fur robe, about to get up, but was held back by Sheng Changtian,

“It’s just the shore soldiers cheering because they saw our ships. Docking looks close, but it’s actually quite a distance. Rest a little longer.”

But Xu Chun was eager to go ashore, his eyes filled with excitement,

“I want to see if Lord Fang is also on the shore. Still, let me put on my armor. I’ll have to meet the commander later.”

Sheng Changtian was speechless, seeing the sparkle in his eyes, knowing that he definitely couldn’t sleep. It would be better to rest after docking, so he ordered Qiuhu Xiaochao to come over and help him into his cotton robe and soft armor, directing,

“Wear a silk velvet underneath, then the outer robe and soft armor.”

Xu Chun pleaded,

“This is too much, there’s still the fox fur coat.”

Dinghai said,

“Your Highness, still wear it. It’s very cold outside, who knows how long the ceremony and the handover will last. I’ve heard that Lord Fang’s military orders are as solid as mountains, and he never shows favoritism. That’s why he can command the entire army. Your Highness, do not think that because you’re familiar with him, you can defy military orders. It won’t feel good to receive a punishment to set an example.”

Xu Chun obediently put it on, then got up and came out onto the high platform of the tower ship, taking out the telescope to look. Indeed, he saw generals in splendid armor and bright banners on the shore, the military formation looking very solemn and imposing. And the faint cheers of ‘Ten Thousand Years’ and ‘Thousand Autumns’ coming from the shore also brought a proud smile to Xu Chun’s lips.

This ship name was indeed well chosen. It seemed that every call was a prayer for his Ninth Brother, wishing him Ten Thousand Years and Thousand Autumns of blessings and longevity.

Soon, the ship docked. Xu Chun led the officers and soldiers down, indeed seeing Fang Zijing surrounded by a group of generals. Fang Zijing wore silver light armor, a sword hanging from his waist, draped in a blue fox fur coat. He had fine brows and long eyes, and his face was dignified.

Xu Chun hurriedly stepped forward, bowed and saluted,

“Xu Chun, the Supervisor of the Jinhai Customs Office, following the imperial edict, has collected and escorted 240,000 dan of military provisions, 10,000 baskets of salt, 10,000 pieces of cotton clothing, 1,000 heads of sheep and pigs, 3,000 horses, various weapons, some medicine for bruises and injuries, strong alcohol, and other necessities, all delivered. There were also encounters with Japanese along the way, capturing some spoils of war and prisoners, all listed in the inventory, please check, Commander!”

The morale of the troops soared instantly, everyone’s faces showing joy.

A hint of a smile curled at the corner of Fang Zijing’s mouth,

“Very good. Have them slaughter the pigs and sheep tonight to reward the soldiers in each camp. All the generals return to your camps to organize the troops and arrange for the use of the military supplies. The supply officer leads people to count the supplies, distribute the urgently needed winter clothes and medicine to each camp first. The rear troops send people to escort the prisoners to the prisoner camp. They are short-handed and can be used to dig ice and boil water for labor. But rewarding is one thing, the camps must not neglect their defenses.”

The military order was quickly passed on. The soldiers cheered, the cheers from the soldiers filled with the uplifted spirits and jubilation of the troops.

For a moment, the generals dispersed. Fang Zijing took Xu Chun’s arm and walked towards the big tent, saying,

“Come inside and tell me about your tactics for the island ambush.”

Xu Chun grinned,

“It was an encounter, an encounter!”

Fang Zijing sneered, lowering his voice,

“The merit report was filed according to your lies. Who do you think you can fool? You can’t even fool me, let alone the Emperor?”

Xu Chun spoke righteously,

“Thank you, Lord Fang, for your consideration.”

He and Fang Zijing walked to the map. Just as he picked up the bamboo stick, Sheng Changtian suddenly stepped forward,

“Shouldn’t I be the one to explain? Your Highness can fill in later?”

Fang Zijing looked at Sheng Changtian,

“He should explain it himself. By recounting the battle, it helps him to organize his thoughts. He’ll improve next time.”

Xu Chun smiled, picking up the bamboo stick and pointing,

“I’ll explain. That day, our sailors reported that the weather was likely to bring a blizzard. We needed to find a nearby port or island to avoid the storm. There were many islands nearby, but our fleet was large, so we chose the biggest, North Reversal Island. To prevent any accidents, we arranged iron chains and boats nearby, pulled up the chains, laid underwater mines, preparing in case we encountered Japanese trying to raid the provisions, so we’d have a plan ready.”

Fang Zijing snorted, knowing that Xu Chun was spouting nonsense. Avoiding the blizzard was true, but most likely he took advantage to scout the Japanese route and timing of the blizzard, setting up an ambush in advance, or possibly even luring the enemy over deliberately, but their primary responsibility was to escort the military provisions. Actively attacking the Japanese was risky, and naturally, they couldn’t admit it. He didn’t expose him, only asking,

“How were the troops distributed? What kind of underwater mines? That thing isn’t easy to deploy during combat, and once in the water, it’s easily triggered by pressure, endangering your own men. Did you buy new types of underwater mines? How did you lay them in such cold weather? They shouldn’t have submersible mines yet on the market.”

Xu Chun said,

“We sent two dragonfly fast boats on each side, each with a hundred men. The mines were hung on the chains, bound in iron boxes and sunk. When the chains were pulled up, they would detonate. These mines were indeed better than before, bought from Lucian merchants, very expensive. It’d be great if we could make them ourselves. Talk to Zhang Wenzheng, let the naval school research it?”

Fang Zijing said,

“A hundred men on each side is too many. This kind of ambush requires surprise. Fifty men combined on both sides is enough. The remaining manpower should be placed on the main battlefield for stability. As for the mines, we’ve researched them before, but they’re dangerous and prone to accidentally harming your own people. Also, they’re not very useful in actual combat. There’s no time to lay them ahead of time, so we put it on hold. But they’re effective for ambushes. Since you have new mines, send someone to show them how others do it.”

Xu Chun said,

“Okay.” Then he continued, Fang Zijing listened attentively, occasionally asking questions. Some things Xu Chun hadn’t noticed were pointed out by Fang Zijing. Later on, Xu Chun’s narration became less and less detailed, when Fang Zijing asked about the specifics of capturing the enemy general, Xu Chun started looking at Sheng Changtian.

Fang Zijing sneered,

“Busted, huh?” He stood up and pressed his hand on Xu Chun’s shoulder. Xu Chun’s face paled with an “ouch,” smiling embarrassedly as he hurriedly covered it. Sheng Changtian also hurriedly stood up to support him. Fang Zijing said,

“You can’t explain the details because you were injured, right? I see that you’re not moving as freely as before, and your complexion isn’t good. Looking at Dinghai, Sheng Changtian, and the others staring at you like a precious phoenix egg, I know something must be wrong with you.”

“The tactic was unexpected, but the greatest risk was getting too close! You relied on the ironclad ships to bully the enemy, but at the same time, you were taking a risk because you were within range of their cannons! You could’ve used your superior firepower to lure them in, but you chose to risk using your ships as bait. Sheng Changtian is cautious and wouldn’t dare to do it. Naturally, it was your decision. Wait and see how the Emperor punishes you.”

Xu Chun recovered, his face still pale, smiling embarrassedly,

“Brother Zijing, you have keen eyes. It was just a small graze from a cannonball, nothing serious.”

Fang Zijing said,

“In war, you have to take risks. Your two ships were tough and heavily armed, and with your elite soldiers, this tactic was indeed feasible. The risk was worth taking. If I were in your place, I would’ve done the same.”

Xu Chun happily smiled,

“I also think so.”

Fang Zijing looked at him,

“Speaking objectively, yes. But privately, Xu Chun, you’re still a novice, with a promising future ahead of you. Your actions should prioritize caution, not hard-hitting tactics. If this strategy were executed steadily, you could send decoys instead of personally being the bait.”

Xu Chun’s clear eyes looked at Fang Zijing,

“Is there any fighting without risks? Whose child is not their own treasure? Brother Zijing, deep down, you understand that if the commander seeks safety, takes a step back, the soldiers will retreat even faster. How can you command subordinates if you don’t lead by example?”

Fang Zijing smiled slightly,

“I treat you like a son, naturally concerned. Who doesn’t have selfishness? But I admire your bravery. This battle was well fought.”

Xu Chun proudly said,

“I also think so! We paid a minimal price, annihilating the enemy and seizing their large ship! And the ship was full of their supplies!”

His face was full of pride. Fang Zijing couldn’t help but laugh. Knowing that it was rare for a young man to win his first battle, he mainly encouraged him, praising,

“It was indeed a great victory, relieving our urgent needs.”

Xu Chun looked around,

“Where’s Brother Nong? I left a captured firearm for you and him, it’s very useful!”

Fang Zijing said,

“He’s leading troops on another mission, probably won’t be back for a few days.”

Xu Chun smiled,

“He was surprised to find out you’re the seagull island lord, right? You cooperated well, right? He told me he was worried. He heard that Wu Yinghou’s style of leading troops is tough and decisive, afraid you two wouldn’t get along. He said that he also has a peculiar temper when leading troops, which is why he wasn’t favored by King Guangyuan before.”

Fang Zijing cleared his throat lightly,

“Hmm, he’s here, executing several offensive missions in a row. Unfortunately, every time he returned, I was also out on a mission, so we haven’t met yet.”

Xu Chun looked at him with wide eyes,

“You haven’t met yet?”

Fang Zijing smiled,

“It’s a bit unfortunate timing.”

But Xu Chun saw a hint of cunning behind his smile,

“Brother Zijing, you’re doing it on purpose, right! You deliberately didn’t recognize him. It can’t be guilt, right? That doesn’t sound like you!”

Fang Zijing chuckled lightly,

“Hmm… he’s new, coming from Yizhou. He only has a squad of personal guards. To establish himself, he’s eager to make achievements. He’s skilled in naval battles, sending him out almost guarantees victories. He uses minimal resources, performs to the best of his ability, fights quickly and well, very stress-free. He doesn’t ask me for money, supplies, or personnel.”

Xu Chun,

“…You can’t be deliberately delaying meeting him just to continue enjoying the ease!”

Fang Zijing touched his nose,

“At first, I said to wait a bit, not to rush. Later, it was really inconvenient. There were a thousand things to deal with. I also had to arrange for the land routes. The situation in Jidong is tense. Everywhere needs supplies, personnel, equipment, and horses. I’m busy. Who has time for old acquaintances meeting and reminiscing about old times?”

Xu Chun said,

“Brother Zijing, you’re truly heartless.”

Fang Zijing,

“…” He glared at him, and justified,

“As a commander, of course, I must be impartial. I treat all my subordinate generals equally. What do you know? Go down and rest. Look at your pale face.”