Chapter 881: Chapter 373: Besieging the City_2

To achieve all of this, he spared no effort to change.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

Consider it his final indulgence before death.

Moreover, Bai Yian had no intention of surviving at all costs and was ready to die with these soldiers, repaying them with his life.

Although he made this exchange without ever asking the soldiers’ desires.

In this world, there was never any talk of fairness or justice.

Ultimately, word of the Martial Marquis sharing meals with soldiers and promising that they would be home once they passed Ruichang City—and my presence there—spread through the entire barracks in no more than the time it takes for a morning meal, thanks to those who deliberately disseminated it.

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With this influence, by the time the grand army set off and the officers and men arranged themselves in formation to leave the camp, morale was extraordinarily high.

Every member of the Ning Army firmly believed that under the general’s leadership, they would overcome the final obstacle and make it home safely.

Bai Yian, mounted on a red steed and leading a host of personal guards, rode back and forth around the moving military column, by showing his own presence, confirming his words from the morning and boosting the soldiers’ spirits.

Ultimately, amid cheers and acclamation, Bai Yian led his troops and arrived at the foot of Ruichang City by noon.

…

Atop Ruichang City.

Huang Xuan and Sun Siwen stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the approaching Ning Army from the city walls.

It was just this morning—while Bai Yian shared the sufferings with his soldiers and made inspiring statements about “going home” and “I will be there.”

After a day and night of urgent march, Huang Xuan finally led thirty thousand soldiers to Ruichang City this morning, joining forces with Sun Siwen, who was stationed here.

As promised before they parted outside Changsha City last time, Huang Xuan led his troops to meet Sun Siwen right in Yuzhang Prefecture.

But the two who were briefly separated had no time to talk about parting before their attention was seized by the arrival of the Ning Army.

“The Ning Army has been defeated repeatedly and has been on the run for days, yet they can still have such high morale?”

After observing the Ning Army’s spirited ranks and well-organized formations, showing no signs of a defeated force, Huang Xuan was surprised and asked, “Who is the Ning Army commander leading the troops? Someone who can revitalize a vanquished army and possesses such capability?”

Since the beginning of the war with Chu Ning, through multiple major battles and more profound understanding as they unfolded, the people of Chu gradually learned that Emperor Shenqiu of Ning, a grand general by birth, was not as brave and skilled in warfare as rumors suggested, nor a famous general of the age.

The opponent had his position as the grand general of Pre-Yue mostly because of his family background and second-level Inborn strength.

Beyond those two aspects, his ability to lead troops in combat could only be described as average – a competent commander.

Well, don’t be deceived by the label “competent commander.”

You should know that in today’s military system in the Jiangnan states, with a basic unit structure of five men making a squad, two squads a section, five sections a team, two teams a platoon, and five platoons a company, normally two to five companies would have a military officer, and two to five of those officers would be under a Miscellaneous General.

By this convention, calculating by the most minimal standards, with two companies to one officer and two officers to one general, the least combination would be four companies—two thousand men—eligible for a general’s rank.

Of course, under normal circumstances, such minor generalship would not occur.

Because it would waste the honorific title.

It would be regarded as squandering the nobility of ranks and offices and devaluing their significance. It might also lead to excessive officials, increasing financial expenses.

In reality, it is more common to have generals leading around five to ten thousand people.

The so-called “Ten Thousand Men General” in the folk talk of Yangzhou comes from this tradition.

A general who leads only two thousand men could only be considered a Commander of a Thousand, in essence, merely an officer with a grand title.

With this explanation, you should all be clear about what Emperor Shenqiu’s “competent commander” evaluation actually means.

It’s just a ten thousand man general.

Such a level of capability, when applied to a run-of-the-mill general, naturally poses no issue.

But who is Shen Qiu?

The Heavenly Son of Ning Country, the leader of the Four Kingdoms Alliance of Jiangdong and Lingnan, the Commander in the eastern campaign, the one in charge of Ning’s six-hundred-thousand-strong eastern expeditionary army.

Such status, matched with such military ability, is naturally quite disastrous.

Therefore, from the moment Shen Qiu resolved to personally lead the eastern campaign, Ning’s eventual defeat was, in a sense, somewhat preordained.

Thus, seeing the spirited state of the Ning Army outside the city, Huang Xuan didn’t even consider attributing this accomplishment to Shen Qiu, pondering instead which among the Martial Marquises of Ning had such ability.

“In the Ning Army’s main camp in Jiangxia, there were three Inborn individuals. Among them, the Ning leader need not be mentioned, and another, Marquis Wuyang Li Dao, fell to our king a few days ago.

If there is anyone now who can take charge of the overall situation, it must be the remaining deputy commander of the Ning Army, Marquis Wuan Bai Yian,” thought Sun Siwen aloud.

“Marquis Wuan…”

Hearing this name, Huang Xuan’s expression shifted slightly, sighing, “Twelve years ago, the former Marquis Wuan led the armies of the four nations and triumphed over Zhou Shu’s three hundred thousand strong in the north of the river.

I thought that would be the final magnum opus of Marquis Wuan, but I didn’t expect, twelve years later, to witness again the splendor of a new Marquis Wuan.

Ha-ha, this battle is worth it, truly worth it.”

As Huang Xuan reached the end of his thoughts, he laughed heartily, his avatar imbued with Lu Yuan’s mindset, feeling extremely elated.

Seeing this, Sun Siwen’s face showed a hint of agreement.

As a genuine Yangzhou local, he had grown up with stories of Marquis Wuan’s fame, naturally holding a high degree of recognition and reverence.

Now that he had the opportunity to cross swords with the new Marquis Wuan, it was of course a matter of excitement and honor for him.