Chapter 55 – Take Over
October 27th. Morning, Xin Ping Army main tent.
Xin Ping had organized all his officers to gather at his main tent today as he had an important announcement to everybody.
Thirty officers, including Zhang He and his aide, were present in the tent.
Xin Ping staggered into the tent and gazed at everyone. Afterward, he started the meeting.
"Since everyone is here then *hig* I'll be brief. We're going home."
"What!?"
"Really!?"
"But what about Zhang Tong?"
The crowd was confused. Although their army suffered a setback, the two thousand men that were captured had returned. They should be preparing for another siege attempt, but why they had to retreat.
"I know all of you are confused. However, we must not forget the purpose of this skirmish. Our Lord, Han Fu, wanted to humiliate Yuan Shao and his family so we marched here to destroy Yuan Shao's allies. But, since Yuan Shao's men were cowards. They didn't even dare to step a foot outside of their base, so we don't have to continue struggling in vain. They had already humiliated themselves."
All officers were baffled as they murmured. They did not know the purpose of this invasion before. Everything was for this petty fight between the families?
"Secondly *hig*, yesterday evening, I have received an invitation from Liu Yan Army. They want us to join them and attack Zhang Tong together. *hig*"
The crowd murmured again. Some of them wanted did not want to go back yet, but other officers of the conscripted militias were reluctant to continue fighting.
"For this joint coalition against Zhang Tong, I see this as a stupid move. Zhang Tong is already crafty and cunning, and Liu Yan's general is a snake. So if we take part in that, we'll be used by the other forces as pawns and die in vain. Let me ask you this, do you all want to die for a stranger?"
The one-arm aide of Zhang He laughed in his heart because of Xin Ping's comments.
'Hypocrite, you have just contradicted yourself. You want to use us as your pawns but you won't allow them to use us as their pawns? What do you think we are? Worthless ants?'
The one-arm soldier smirked at Xin Ping who was reeking alcohol from his mouth. His face was as red as a tomato. His hair was unkempt as if he didn't comp it after he woke up in the morning. His eyes were blood-shot, and his motion was unstable. All signs showed that Xin Ping was dead drunk.
'How do you like my 85% alcohol vodka? Let's see how you will ruin your leadership and your army.'
The smiling soldier was none other than Tong. On the day of the prison break, he caused an explosion and slipped out of his fort with the escapees. To get away from the intense interrogation from Xin Ping, Tong cut off his own arm to pretend to be an injured soldier. Furthermore, he also had Zhang He and his men made up a story about his backgrounds as if he was once a Ye City citizen. As a result, he got in with the other prisoners without being suspected of being a spy.
Before Tong started the prison break plan, he had made two bottles of vodka from his magic cooking utensil.
After he had infiltrated into Xin Ping camp, he ordered Zhang He to give all of the prepared vodkas for Xin Ping's personal cooks. So he could get himself drunk or crippled his judgment for a day.
However, Tong was surprised by Xin Ping's alcohol tolerant. He heard that Xin Ping emptied the bottles of vodka this morning but he was still able to attend the meeting.
'I thought he would die from alcohol poisoning. Well, it's better if he didn't die instantly.'
Tong rubbed his chin as he observed Xin Ping from head to toes. Then he swept his glance to everybody in the tent.
All officers had distorted expression as they noticed the alcoholic smell from Xin Ping. Tong assumed that they were already aware that Xin Ping was dead drunk.
"I'm the only one that can order you around! No one has the right to command my army! No one …"
Xin Ping started babbling nonsense which caused all of the officers to express their inconvenient on their faces. They wanted to retort or stopped Xin Ping, but they were afraid of the martial laws and its punishment for insubordination or careless remarks.
Tong smirked as he realized that the timing was right. He pulled out a small packed cloth with powder anesthetic, AKA "Date Rape Drug" in the modern time, which Hua Shi had prepared for him beforehand. Afterward, he chanted his magic words in his mind.
'Time stop!'
All movements in the world stopped. For the next ten seconds, Tong owned this world.
Tong straddled forward and shoved his drug into Xin Ping's mouth directly, and fed him with a scoop of water from a bucket nearby. After the set up was done, Tong returned to his previous spot and allowed the time to resume.
The time flow resumed. Xin Ping found himself choking because some of the water got into his lung. After the serious coughing, he felt dizzy and nauseous. Then blackness enveloped his vision as he lost consciousness.
The crowd was thrown into an uproar the moment they saw Xin Ping suddenly collapsed. However, none of them suspected that Xin Ping was poisoned or assassinated because they all believed that Xin Ping finally hit his alcohol limit and passed out.
One of the officers called out Xin Ping's servants and had them taking the drunk man back to his resting tent. After the matter was done, all of them resumed the war meeting.
"Lord Xin Ping is not currently in a state to handle troops. What do you all think we should do?" One of the officers asked.
"Lord Pan Feng is dead and Lord Xin Ping is out cold. Who will command this army?"
"That's right. Without a leader, we can't move our men like this."
"How about we move with our men and decide for ourselves what to do?"
"No! That will create chaos! All of us here are either a hundred-man commander or a thousand-man commander. If we do that we will split our forces into small numbers and it will not be organized."
Seeing that the officers were deciding what to do next, Tong chipped in.
"I think we should select someone among us to be the new temporary commander for now."
"Hmm?"
"Ehh?"
"Ah! That's right! We need a new grand commander!"
"Correct! Without a leader, our army can't operate!"
"Nice idea! Let's do that. But who will be the new commander?"
Tong smiled as he proposed another idea.
"How about our two-thousand-man commander, Zhang He."
"Hmm? Him?"
"The new two-thousand-man commander?"
The crowd focused their attention on Tong and Zhang He. Meanwhile, Zhang He's eyes were opened wide while he was sweating bullets. Although Tong had briefed his plan with him beforehand, he was still nervous.
"Yes. From the prison break attempt, he was our leader and the mastermind behind the plan. He kept his head cool and saved all of us. Moreover, he currently has the highest rank among us. I think Lord Zhang He is the most suitable candidate for this position."
Tong persuaded everyone by shoving all credits to Zhang He to create a hero image for him. However, Zhang He's teeth were chattering as if he was in the middle of Alaska naked, yet he did his best to maintain his poker face.
All officers nodded in agreement. They had no reason to refuse the idea as Zhang He had proven that he qualified to be a commander. He protected his people. He also had the highest rank and he was smart, so why not?
"Since everybody agrees with me. Then Lord Zhang He, we will leave our fates in your hand."
Tong concluded the decision without giving anyone a chance to think or offering any other idea. Then he winked at Zhang He and hinted him to acknowledge it and take the position.
Zhang He stood up and walked to the main seat in the main tent. Then he sat down as he gazed at everyone in solemn. His poker face did not flinch the slightest.
Tong was surprised by his calm reaction and his ability to maintain his coolness. He indeed had the charisma of a great general.
Everybody in the tent was also impressed by his demeanor. They had no doubt that they had selected the most suitable person to be their commander.
Tong made a hand gesture in secret, telling him what to do next, which made Zhang He rained another sweat.
Zhang He took a deep breath before he gave out his first thought and command.
"Although Lord Xin Ping was drunk, I agree with his idea of withdrawing from this battle. This war was meaningless to us anyway. What do you guys think?"
The crowd nodded. The suggestion from the sane commander and a drunk man was the same, but the credibility they had was a world apart. All officers agreed without any question.
Tong smiled while he gave Zhang He a thumb up.
'It was tiring and risky. But the second and third phase was successful.'
'With this, one of the three armies is eliminated.'
Chapter 56 – Aspiration of a Great General
October 27th. Afternoon.
Xin Ping Army soldiers packed all of their belonging in a joyous mood as they did not have to fight in a bloody war anymore. Since the majority of the troops were conscripted militias, they did not feel sad for losing a battle. They were here for money and food for their families, so their priority was to return home alive.
There were still a few who resented Zhang Tong and his men for killing their friends in the first-day siege and the night raid. But all of them were professional soldiers, so they could not disobey their grand commander's order.
Zhang He gazed at his men with his indifferent face. He kept his poker face all this morning which it slowly turned into his casual face without him realizing it. Behind him, Tong was there, swinging his newly regenerated arm to get back his feeling and his sense.
Regenerating a lost body part was costly as the system charged him 500 lifespans for one piece. Although Tong gained some of his lifespans back with his [Sword Mastery] skill for killing Pan Feng's soldiers, he had only 656 lifespans remaining.
But Tong did not regret it because paying 1,000 lifespans to force 5,000 to 6,000 men into retreat was worth it. Furthermore, this retreating plan had a couple more agendas which Tong had given Zhang He as a homework.
As for the body parts that were cut off, he buried all of them. If he continued keeping them and Hua Shi was to find them, she would probably eat it raw.
"My lord, are you sure this is the right move?" Zhang He asked Tong.
"Why?"
"I'm sorry if I might sound rude. But if I were my lord, I would use this troops to attack Liu Yan and Guo Dian forces men instead."
Tong smiled as he shook his head. There was another plan in his mind.
Because Ye City was one of the biggest Imperial cities on the northern province of China, he would need over two hundred thousand men for the siege if Tong wanted to claim Ye City in the future. The city alone could house over a hundred thousand soldiers and almost a million civilians. It could not be taken down without massive investments of troops, provision, and gold.
However, if he planted Zhang He within Han Fu's ranks like a Trojan Horse of Troy, it would be possible that Zhang He could take over Han Fu's entire army. If Tong wanted to invade Ye City in the future, he could make Zhang He surrender the city to him without fighting. Thus, it would save a hundred thousands lives of his men and his future civilians and servants, which was more beneficial to Tong in the long run.
If Zhang He helped Tong in this siege, they could crush Zou Jing and Guo Dian Army with ease. But the entire plan to take over Ye would be foiled as Han Fu would never trust Zhang He in the future.
For the bigger picture, Tong had to make an advance investment.
But now, he had to coax Zhang He into cooperation first.
"I understand why you view it that way. But you've forgotten something."
"I've forgotten something?"
"You've forgotten the heart of your soldiers. Your people."
"Heart of the soldiers?"
"Have you forgotten why you have become a soldier? Why they volunteered to be conscripted into militias?"
Zhang He was stunned as he was reminded of how he entered the military. He had to pay back his debt of a thousand gold so he had no choice but to risk his life and became a professional soldier.
"Just like you, they want money. They want to bring home food for their families."
"…"
"Have you seen their faces?"
"…Yes."
"Are they happy?"
"…Yes."
"Have you read a record called 'Art of War' written by Sun Tzu?"
"I've heard of it but I've never read it."
"There is one quote that I remember well; 'Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.'."
Zhang He was astonished and awed by the quote. It was deep and profound. He had never entered school or had any education before, but he desired an opportunity to be a tutor or to learn such a thing.
Zhang He immediately recited the quote in his mind in enthusiasm. He was afraid that he might forget it if he didn't recite it now.
Seeing that Zhang He mumbled to himself to recite the quote, Tong shook his head and sighed. Then he took out an empty scroll and started writing the quote that Tong taught Zhang He just now.
"Here, I wrote it down for you. You are not a scholar but a commander of an army. Stop reciting it like that."
Tong passed the scroll to Zhang He whose face was reddened by the embarrassment.
"What I'm trying to tell you is, don't recklessly toss away their lives even if their sacrifices can win you a battle. A third-rate general can win a battle but he will lose most of his men in return. The first-rate generals will win any battle with minimum loses. But do you know what a great general can achieve?"
Zhang He shook his head.
"He can win a war without losing his men."
"!!!"
"Remember my words, if you want to be a great general immortalized in the history for two thousand years, take priority for saving your men's lives. Look at the bigger picture! Look at the consequences of your actions before you act! Don't mindlessly charge into the enemy files of a formation. Take notes on geography and terrains. Send scouts to obtain more information. There are many things that you can collect and use it as a base to deduct your enemy's motives and their next movements."
Tong continued to lecture Zhang He despite knowing that he would become a great general in the future. But now, he was just a fledgling that had not grown a feather yet.
Furthermore, the Zhang He in the history was a good learner, yet a late bloomer. After he defected to Cao Cao, he participated in small skirmishes against Yuan Shao's sons and other pirates, bandits, and rebels, but he was outshone by other superior generals, such as Zhang Liao, Xiahou families, and other strategy geniuses.
Zhang He continued to pile up his experience and achievements one step at a time to improve himself as a general. Then in 211 and 212, Zhang He utilized his hard-earned experiences to defeat Ma Chao Army twice.
Later on, Zhang He suffered defeat by Liu Bei's night raid in the battle of Hanzhong in the year 215, which Zhang He managed to escape but Xiahou Yuan was killed in the battle. However, Liu Bei expressed disappointment after learning that it was Xiahou Yuan but not Zhang He, who was dead.
Zhang He came back to haunt Shu forces in 228 when Zhuge Liang launched the first Shu Invasion against the Wei Kingdom. He exploited and crushed Ma Su in the battle of Jieting, forcing Zhuge Liang to execute one of his favorite subordinates in tears. Afterward, Zhang He snatched back three provinces from the hand of Shu forces, causing the first Shu Invasion to end in failure.
Ever since then, Zhuge Liang marked Zhang He as a number one priority target to take down alongside with Sima Yi.
For a fledgling to grow into someone who could threaten Zhuge Liang, he was not a simple general. Tong deemed that he had to cultivate this person carefully and not letting him fall into danger and die prematurely.
"For now, return with them and serve Han Fu once you get there."
"But my lord, why?"
"There are three jobs I want you to do while you are there. One, climb up your rank and become the grand general of Han Fu entire army. Two, the Ye City is an imperial city. There are imperial library and books that you can only access as a high-rank official. Take this chance and learn as many things possible in there. And three, befriend with Ju Shou. And if it's possible, try to get on his good side."
"But I promised you that I'll serve you. Why Han Fu?"
Tong smiled at him and patted his shoulder.
"It's just temporary. When the time is right, I'll pay you a visit myself at Ye. At that time, I want you to open the city gate and welcome me yourself with your subordinates."
The eyes of Zhang He lit up. Although he was still a fledgling, he was not stupid. He could tell that a grand scheme had been placed upon his shoulders.
Zhang He knelt down in one knee and cupped his fist.
"I swear by my father's name. I shall complete your trust even if it costs my life!"
Tong frowned. He walked forward to Zhang He. Instead of helping him up, Tong gave him a punch on top of Zhang He's head, causing a big bump.
Zhang He was confused. Why was he hit when he just swore his loyalty?
"Idiot! What did I just teach you? Never throw lives away, and that's including your own life! Here's another lesson for you. As long as you are alive, anything is possible! A dead man cannot achieve shit! So don't sacrifice your life without my permission! Did I make myself clear?"
Zhang He was stunned in confusion for a moment. But after he processed the information, he was in awe. He was reminded with the Tong's teaching "Treat your soldiers as if they are your children". It was the action of a father who disciplined his own child.
"This subordinate understands."
Tong nodded. Then he waved his hand and unloaded 10,000 gold on the ground in front of Zhang He as if he created it out of thin air.
"I promised you 2,000 gold, so take a portion for yourself. But be sure to give the rest to your men and the families of the deceased. Don't forget to tell them that I gave it to them as compensation from our previous fight. As for Xin Ping, don't kill him yet. You need him back alive to gain Han Fu's trust. But if he actually dies, then tell Han Fu that he dies from alcohol poisoning."
Tong handed everything to Zhang He, after which he walked away without looking back. And he left Zhang He with his words.
"Through battle, a man becomes a hero. Through death, a hero becomes a legend. Through time, a legend becomes a myth. But I don't want to see a dead man myth. I want to see a living legend!"
"Grow up and become a great general worthy of the Immortal King!"
The heart of Zhang He shook. An aspiration within the depth of his heart had been born. Within the darkness of his heart, a kindle had been ignited. The blood in his body heated up and boiled. His adrenaline shot through his blood vessels. And his eyes were moist as he was enveloped by countless of emotion. The feeling of being accepted and being entrusted upon a great responsibility moved him.
Zhang He both knees and his forehead hit the ground in kowtow. Zhang He swore in his heart that he would pursue the path of the strongest general under heaven.
…
…
After Tong left Zhang He's camp and was on his way to his fortress, Tong slapped his forehead repeatedly. He was ashamed of what he just said.
'WTF with those lines!? Grow up and become a great general worthy of the Immortal King!? Why the hell did I say that!? I want to die! Should I bit my tongue and commit suicide!?'
"SSSHIIIIIIEEEEETTTTT"
Rose are red.
Black Friday season is okay.
Friday is our heroine's name.
So here's another chap for the day.
Okay, I suck at poem. Forgive me ._.
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