Chapter 1561 – The Assault on Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Ninety-Nine)
“Sigh, let’s not talk about these sad things anymore; the more we talk, the sadder it gets.”
Yang Si waved his hand, signaling the Deputy General to skip this rather painful topic.
Smacking his lips, Yang Si felt a bit thirsty and asked the Deputy General, “Is there any wine in the cabin?”
The Deputy General laughed, “Where can we drink wine out here on the battlefield? Even if I wanted to plead with the Military Adviser, I can’t break the law, can I? However, we do have a couple of baskets of lychees here, just picked yesterday—they’re supposed to be late ripeners, with small pits and lots of flesh. Would you like to try some fresh ones, Military Adviser?”
Lychee is indeed a rare treat. While the yield is not small, it’s hard to keep fresh, and people living in the north seldom get to taste such delicacies.
Even when they do, a single lychee is worth a fortune, considering the effort to dig up the lychee trees and transport them north by boat. The manpower and resources required are substantial, making it unaffordable for ordinary families. Of course, in lychee-producing areas, they’re not expensive.
Yang Si smiled and said, “You clever rascal, how come I never heard about the lychees arriving?”
The Deputy General had someone bring over a basket of lychees, their skins a vibrant red with scale-like bumps, making them look exquisite.
“My hometown produces quite a few lychees; my parents used to plant them for the local wealthy,” the Deputy General grinned. “Ever since I followed the Lord/Leader, my family’s life has improved. With the money I send back, we bought over ten acres of lychee trees, and this year is supposed to be a bumper harvest. Conveniently, we’re not far from my hometown; it takes three or four days overland, but just a day or so by water along the river.”
The Deputy General is an honest man. He knows his Military Adviser is formidable; concealing things would be suicidal. It’s better to please than to provoke disdain.
“I heard the Military Adviser likes these things, so I had my parents pick some and send them over,” he said.
When Yang Si was younger and traveling for studies, he had indeed tasted lychees in the producing regions, and they were simply delicious.
“How many baskets are in the cabin?”
Yang Si looked at the lychees—every single one was plump and enticing, clearly meticulously selected and specially preserved with cooling techniques.
He picked one up, its tip exuding a slight chill.
As a cultured foodie, Yang Si had his own way of peeling lychees.
The Deputy General used his fingernail to scrape the outer skin bit by bit, which not only dirtied his hands but also left lychee juice clinging to his fingers—unclean!
Instead, Yang Si utilized his thumb and index finger to pinch the tip of the lychee, gently applying pressure along the line of the skin.
With an almost imperceptible sound, the skin split open along the line, revealing the glistening, translucent flesh like crystal.
While the Deputy General was still peeling, Yang Si had already eaten two.
“Fifteen baskets were sent; would you like one for yourself, Military Adviser?”
Seeing Yang Si peel quickly and cleanly, the Deputy General mimicked his actions, and indeed, it was much easier.
Scholarly people always carry a sense of style, even when it comes to peeling lychees—it looked hygienic.
“So many?” Yang Si pondered. The lychee yield from the producing area was indeed not low. He chuckled, “Let’s reserve one basket for Feng Langzi and General Fu, and distribute the rest to the soldiers. How can I bill for lychees? They have little value in my eyes.”
The Deputy General replied, “They are self-grown, not worth anything.”
“Well, that won’t do. Without rules, there’s no order,” Yang Si said. “If the Lord/Leader finds out, she wouldn’t agree.”
Even if it’s self-grown, taking care of lychee trees requires time and effort. As a Military Adviser, he shouldn’t take advantage of his soldiers.
In chaotic times, military generals live with their heads figuratively tied to their belts; they shouldn’t be treated harshly.
Unable to go against Yang Si, the Deputy General could only accept his goodwill.
Yang Si ordered soldiers to distribute the baskets of lychees across the boats, resulting in each person getting just one.
He remembered that little brat, Xie Ze, was around, so he had some sent to him too.
“If the battle ends, and there are still lychees left, we can gorge ourselves then.”
The Deputy General chuckled, “If that’s the case, it truly is to thank the local common people on behalf of the Military Adviser.”
Indeed, lychees are a rare item, but not many common people can afford them. Each year’s yield is high, leading to low local demand. While selling to other regions raises the price, they are hard to preserve, making the storage and transport costs terrifying.
Yang Si looked somewhat lean, yet his appetite was significant.
Had it not been for the warming properties of lychees causing potential fire from excess consumption, he would have devoured them until he needed support from the walls.
Before long, a small pile of lychee shells and pits began to accumulate on the deck.
Time flew by quickly, as if it were racing through his fingers, and a faint mist began to form on the river surface.
Yang Si remarked, “Feng Langzi was spot on; as soon as we mention fog, it appears. Alert the entire army to be vigilant against enemy attacks.”
The Deputy General immediately relayed the message.
“Military Adviser, everything is prepared.”
Although Xie Ze wasn’t on the same boat as Yang Si, he was close enough that he could hear him speak loudly.
Yang Si said, “Yes, tell General Xie to be ready to fend off the enemy at any time.”
He didn’t have Xie Ze’s booming voice, so he had the Deputy General convey it.
If Yan Lin and the others were here, they would discover that the supply boats looked quite suspicious.
First, the appearance of the boats: ordinary warships are just wood-colored, but Yang Si’s vessels were painted jet black.
Second, the fact that the boats were tied with thick, long hemp ropes to one another!
You must know, to ensure maneuverability in watery battles and to avoid getting burnt down entirely by the enemy in one go, boats typically wouldn’t be connected.
Had Yang Si made a fundamental mistake?
Not at all!
Yang Si’s arrangements were indeed highly intentional.
Tonight was the dark night of the new moon, with the darkness thick and fog likely to obstruct visibility.
To keep the formation of the fleet intact, he temporarily tied them together with thick ropes, which could easily be cut if an enemy situation arose.
Furthermore, painting the boats black allowed them to blend seamlessly with the night and the river surface. If thick fog rolled in, not only would the enemy struggle to find them, they themselves might not be able to find themselves. Having ropes attached would always be more convenient.
The “supply and logistics fleet” followed the original route.
As time progressed, everyone’s nerves tightened like a stretched string, constantly worried that an enemy would suddenly spring forth.
The Deputy General said, “Military Adviser, it’s getting late; you should rest in the cabin.”
Should the enemy appear, they would surely launch a shower of arrows, and Yang Si was at risk of being caught in the crossfire on the deck.
Yang Si narrowed his eyes dangerously and pressed his finger to his lips, signaling the Deputy General to be silent.
“Inform General Xie that if my predictions hold true, the enemy will certainly be lying in ambush just ahead in the waters.”
This time, the Deputy General couldn’t shout to communicate; instead, he used signal flags.
Since the two boats were not too far apart, they could barely make out the message being conveyed.
Meanwhile, Yan Lin and the others were on high alert.
Half an hour past midnight, the fog had thickened massively.
Yan Lin pressed his left hand on the hilt of his sword, his brow tightly furrowed.
“Where are they?”
At that moment, he caught sight of something floating on the water.
Yan Lin immediately ordered someone to scoop it up with a netted pole, and upon inspection, it was—
Lychee shells!
The commander exclaimed, “How could there be something like this on the river?”
Yan Lin replied, “The enemy is coming soon; order the soldiers to prepare for battle!”
Ah, busy munching on lychees while leaving the river covered in remnants!
