Chapter 1144 – Striking Xu Pei, First Kill of the Lords (14)
“Pfft, those sons of guns really know how to run—”
The enemy was jumping around like crazed rabbits, and of course, they followed suit, having cornered them several times only for them to slip away again.
Once or twice, okay, but every time?!
Han Yu and others kept their cool, but the soldiers on the ground were getting restless, their tempers flaring up as if they had eaten explosives.
“Hey, watch your mouth! If Xie Ze or Han Yunshi hears you, everyone will share your misfortune.”
Mentioning Han Yu and Xie Ze finally made the comrades shut up, though their faces looked as sour as a pile of rotten fruit.
Even though Han Yu hadn’t heard the complaints directly, he could tell the overall morale of the army was dwindling.
Xie Ze noticed it too and felt anxious.
He genuinely wondered if Yang Si and his crew had hidden a pair of wind-fire wheels underfoot, zooming around with ease?
Several times they could have caught them like fish in a barrel, but they always managed to escape in ways that exceeded normal thinking.
Are they addicted to hide-and-seek or something?
In contrast, Han Yu remained remarkably calm, showing no signs of impatience.
Xie Ze wanted to voice his concerns but hesitated again and again, swallowing his words back down.
Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
He furrowed his brows in worry, “Han Yunshi, our soldiers’ morale is plummeting. If this keeps up, we’ll be in trouble.”
“Keep up?” Han Yu retorted, “How long does Xie Wei think this ‘keep up’ will last?”
Xie Ze took a moment, preparing to respond, but suddenly realized something and froze.
Han Yu wore a smile, but his eyes flashed with cold light, his tone as calm as ever, as if Yang Si’s antics hadn’t thrown him off at all. He stated, “They’re lightly packed and can’t carry much food or supplies. Over ten thousand troops is not a small number, and daily rations add up to a huge sum. Even if everyone brought their own supplies, how many days’ worth can one carry?”
They were chasing from behind, while Yang Si and his gang fled up front.
Due to the beacons warning of danger, Yang Si couldn’t hide their tracks and couldn’t linger in one place too long.
They had to keep changing locations, marching and hiding to evade the scouts’ eyes and ears.
Long hours of heightened nerves and constant fleeing unintentionally increased the soldiers’ demand for food, further wearing down their morale.
What used to last four or five days might not even hold out for two now.
From this situation, it seemed like Yang Si was toying with them, but ultimately, the first to crack would be the side with the food shortage.
Without supply lines, Yang Si’s group wouldn’t last long at all.
Either they’d starve and lose their fighting spirit or they’d have to break out before hunger killed them, leading to a direct confrontation.
“You don’t need to worry, Xie Wei, because your enemies are even more anxious than you.”
Han Yu was patient, steadily applying pressure on Yang Si’s group, forcing them to increase their escape rate, further exhausting their strength. It was a battle of wits and endurance; whoever lost their cool first would be the victor.
Yang Si’s combat style was bold and free-spirited, always thinking differently—wild and out there.
Han Yu, however, was steady and methodical, not bound by rigid thinking, meticulous and poised, truly able to withstand pressure.
As Han Yu expected, Yang Si would soon face the dilemma of food shortage, barely able to last another day.
After that day, the remaining time would be filled with the grim satisfaction of mere water.
Seeing this, Qin Gong’s youthful face was etched with worry.
“Why so flustered, Qin Wei?” Seeing his pale face made Yang Si feel reluctant to do nothing. He waved Qin Gong over, suggesting he take a break and loosen up, “Come, sit down and talk. Here’s a bag of water to quench your thirst.”
Qin Gong thanked Yang Si for his kindness.
Being a military general, his physique was far superior to Yang Si, the scholar.
Currently, lacking both food and water, Yang Si should keep his water pouch for himself.
Qin Gong couldn’t help but say, “Yang Junshi is really not in the least bit anxious—”
Yang Si replied, “In another day or two, we’ll run out of water and food. How could I not be anxious?”
Qin Gong studied his expression closely and found it strange, saying, “If the strategist is anxious, why does he seem so calm?”
Yang Si shot back, “If I jump around in a panic, will food and water just magically appear?”
Qin Gong: “…”
It was the first time he’d seen someone justify “letting things fall apart” so confidently.
Qin Gong said, “With food running low and morale wavering, won’t we become fish in a barrel for the enemy?”
Yang Si laughed and looked over at the military supervisor Cheng Yuan, saying with a grin, “True, food is running low, but saying morale is wavering is just exaggerating.”
Qin Gong paused, realizing something all of a sudden.
In a typical army, no matter if they had food only for a day or half a month left, morale would be fracturing.
As the food shortage dragged on, desertions or fear of battle would inevitably arise.
The longer it took, the more deserters—they could hardly avoid it.
Just a recent example—
Xu Fei had been trapped in Shanweng City for months, and the “watered-down soldiers” he recruited were the first to flee, eventually totaling three thousand running off. They scattered like rabble upon escaping, becoming trouble for the common people. Then there were the soldiers eligible for military rations, and finally, only the loyal elite willing to share life and death would remain.
Qin Gong had been on edge these days, and suddenly, he hadn’t even noticed this point.
Over ten thousand troops had been running around for days, with food running low, yet no reports of desertions from the soldiers.
This—was absolutely impossible!
Seeing him lost in thought, Yang Si couldn’t help but smirk.
“I said before, since the Lord allowed you to lead ten thousand elite soldiers, that’s guaranteed to be the real deal.”
Qin Gong was hit hard by those words, left speechless for a good moment.
“B-but… I still feel I’ve let my Lord down…”
Qin Gong knew how rare those ten thousand elite soldiers were; they were earned with a lot of money and hard work.
To lose a thousand like that, he couldn’t begin to compensate.
“What does it have to do with you? If we’re going to blame anyone, it can only be Qi Guanrang. His sudden order caught everyone off guard, and we’re just the unfortunate ones caught in it.” Yang Si secretly grinned, if they survived this, he’d definitely go knock on Qi Guanrang’s door and demand compensation.
Qin Gong thought Yang Si was comforting him, but he couldn’t shake off the guilt inside.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Pengji to place such high hopes on him; that trust stirred up a bittersweet sensation within him, yet it felt warm as well.
Qin Gong held back, desperately brainstorming for another topic.
For generals, nothing is more fulfilling than training a fierce army.
He was eager to know who trained these ten thousand elites behind him.
That question proved a bit tricky—
“Everyone had a part to play, right?” Yang Si said uncertainly, “Besides, the birth of elites isn’t solely due to one person’s effort.”
“How is that?” Qin Gong was puzzled.
