Chapter 1683 – Conquering Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Part 91)
Jiang Pengji, being from a military background, even though she had stepped back from the front lines, it didn’t mean she was completely free from the battlefield.
It was just that she no longer took the lead as she once did.
“[Zhang Jike’s table tennis]: Is the streamer worried about Fu Wang and his crew capsizing in the sewer? She’s here to support them.”
Jiang Pengji snickered, “This credit is practically picked up for free; there’s hardly any difficulty involved. If Fu Wang can’t even handle this small task, then he should just head back home and grow sweet potatoes. Am I worried about them? Why would I worry for a bunch of useless loafs?”
“[Yu Ying]: (#^.^#) The streamer’s tsundere act is never boring. If you get Fu Wang kicked back home to grow sweet potatoes, who’s going to cover Hui Jun’s expenses, the twins’ formula, diapers, and education fees?”
Even after so many years, the slackers still couldn’t get over Fu Wang’s romantic interference.
For the sake of those adorable twins, they barely accepted Fu Wang.
Jiang Pengji remarked, “Worried about them? Not at all, I’m just supervising the battle.”
The slackers were used to Jiang Pengji’s contradictory nature; after all, the tsundere streamer was their favorite—a true gem of the world.
As night fell, all was silent except for the sound of patrolling cavalry and the crackle of torches.
Fu Wang donned heavy beast-ring armor, making his already hefty build resemble a small mountain. After the grueling march, he could barely find time to groom his face, having last shaved eight days ago. His unkempt stubble had grown messy, looking rather unruly. The helmet pressed against his stubble, making him quite uncomfortable…
If he still had his wits about him, he would have drawn his long knife and shaved his face with it.
When Xie Ze returned from his rounds and saw Fu Wang occasionally scratching his face, he mistook it for an insect bite.
“I have some insect repellent powder here, General Fu, would you like to use it?”
Xie Ze handed over the pouch he had at his waist.
Fu Wang was momentarily stunned and after a moment realized Xie Ze had misunderstood. He waved his hand, “It’s not insect bites; I don’t need it.”
Xie Ze looked surprised and curiously asked, “Then why do you keep scratching your face?”
Fu Wang felt a bit embarrassed and said, “The stubble is scratching my face; it’s uncomfortable, and I left my razor in the tent…”
Xie Ze: “…”
What could he do?
Naturally, he could only smile awkwardly while maintaining politeness.
Fu Wang was not among the youngest, but everyone noticed he still had no beard.
Even in the midst of battle, he would always spare a half-day to groom his stubble properly.
Though not having a beard didn’t diminish Fu Wang’s masculinity, others felt that something was missing.
Xie Ze curiously asked, and Fu Wang nonchalantly replied, “My family doesn’t like it; they say it scratches the face.”
The twins took after Hui Jun, their skin smooth and tender; whenever Fu Wang would sneak a kiss, it would always make the children cry. Over time, the kids grew distant from him. Helplessly, Fu Wang had to give up growing a beard, shaving regularly instead.
Having no beard or a long one was fine, but he absolutely detested the half-grown one; the helmet pressed against his face, making the stubble prick him terribly.
Xie Ze said, “It sounds quite enviable.”
Fu Wang puffed up his chest and replied, “Of course.”
Not having a beard had its perks—it kept him looking young.
Ever since he swindled his way into Hui Jun’s household registration, he loathed it when people brought up his age.
Even if he wasn’t much older than Hui Jun, that age gap still made Fu Wang feel soundproofed; he wished they were the same age.
After casually chatting for a bit, they tacitly shifted the topic back to the results of the patrol.
They all knew it was imperative to achieve results tonight; if they messed up… well, the Lord would have their skins peeled off.
Fu Wang was the most cowardly among them.
Why?
Because he feared his wife.
If Hui Jun found out he had let the Lord down, the scene was simply unimaginable.
Fu Wang and the others were well-prepared, thus feeling confident.
Everything was in place, just waiting for the enemy!
Not long after, a heavy sound of hooves approached from afar.
To ensure the ambush was successful, the horses’ hooves had been wrapped with cloth strips to muffle the noise.
“General Fu, there’s movement.”
“Ugh, can’t anyone stop talking about it—” Fu Wang showed a sly smile, suddenly standing up, leaping onto his horse, and commanding, “Send the word out to be on high alert everywhere; today, not a single fish can slip through the net!”
“Yes!”
Fu Wang and Xie Ze had different roles; the former focused on offense, while the latter handled encirclement, coordinating their assault to flank the enemy from both sides.
The night wind was chilly, and the shadows of trees swayed as dark figures melded almost seamlessly into the night.
If it were just to destroy a granary, An Huan could do the job with just over a thousand men; too many would risk exposing their goal, but he intended to raid grains to supplement his own forces—as such, his numbers couldn’t be too few. Otherwise, even if they seized the grains, they wouldn’t have enough manpower to transport them.
To boost the morale of his troops, An Huan made a bold decision—he would lead a night raid!
Of course, this night raid couldn’t be compared to Jiang Pengji’s heroic feats; simply put, it was more about staying safely behind the center of the army, with plenty of leeway whether advancing or retreating. Even then, An Huan was somewhat reluctant. After all, not everyone was a strange creature like Jiang Pengji, who felt unwell unless actively fighting; An Huan valued his life above all else and wasn’t about to take unnecessary risks.
Yet he had no choice but to do this.
The entire army’s morale was low, and desertions had been constant lately, roughly estimating a loss of over ten thousand low-level soldiers.
How could morale be lifted?
After much thought, the only answer was “personally leading the charge.”
Imitating a letter written by Lü Zheng flawlessly, Jiang Pengji provided him with accurate rough sketches, and An Huan set off with thirty thousand handpicked elite troops. They hadn’t noticed anything suspicious along the way, and as his army delved deeper, An Huan’s confidence multiplied.
“If this succeeds, I should give Shaoyin credit.”
An Huan sighed somewhat nostalgically.
Even though he had distanced himself from Lü Zheng, Lü Zheng remained loyal to him, always plotting and planning for him.
Recalling their past, An Huan softened somewhat and planned to continue employing Lü Zheng once he recovered from his illness.
Even if Lü Zheng held some dissatisfaction towards him, so what?
He was the lord, and Lü Zheng was a subject; the ruler was above the subject. Could Lü Zheng really turn things upside down?
With this thought, An Huan’s vigilance relaxed a bit.
He could relax, but others didn’t dare.
After marching for over an hour, with most of the first half of the night gone, An Huan and his men finally approached the granary’s location.
“Is there anything unusual about the defenses here?”
An Huan was a suspicious person; if he detected anything amiss, he would immediately turn back.
“Report to the Lord, there’s nothing unusual.”
An Huan’s heart soared with joy, and he clapped his hands, “Heaven is assisting me!”
