When he received Xue Qing Lin's military command, Xu Yan Ze laughed.
After Xiang Han brought some men to leave Jin Zhou, he quickly discovered a mine with the system's help and hurried back.
Currently, he used the excuse of delivering provisions to head towards the northeast. After Xu Yan Ze sent the messenger off, he said, "Xue Qing Lin has always been cautious, this is unlike his usual style. The Turk's situation is still unknown, who knows if the crown prince would become the emperor. Even if he did, Jin Wu and Shuo Feng had 26,000 soldiers combined. He will need to consider his circumstances before taking revenge."
Xu Yan Ze laughed, "Xue Qing Lin isn't the one who is cautious, but his men. Moreover, he's been blinded by anger. It's inevitable for him to make a couple of irrational decisions."
"Do you mean after he's calmed down, he might rescind his decision?" Xiang Han asked.
"Not necessarily." Xu Yan Ze smiled. "He won't have a chance to regret his actions. This war will be his grave."
Hearing this, Xiang Han understood this was all part of his plan. "What have you done?"
Xu Yan Ze pulled him into his arms and kissed his temples. "It wasn't me, but Lady Mei. Didn't I tell you before not to underestimate the power of pillow-talk?"
Xiang Han twitched his lips. "So you're going to war with the Turks?"
"More or less." Xu Yan Ze pulled him into the tent and poured him a hot cup of tea. He turned around and called for his subordinates to bring some food before taking a seat. "Tomorrow, we'll go to the regional commander's manor to finalise our plans. If we're quick, it'll take about three to five days. Otherwise, it'll take at least seven to eight days."
Saying so, he asked Xiang Han again, "Right, why did you return so early this time?"
Xiang Han remembered and his eyes lit up. "I came to borrow some men."
Without missing a beat, "How many?"
Xiang Han was stunned. "You're not going to ask why?"
"There aren't enough mercenaries?" Xu Yan Ze asked. He didn't care for the reason since he was only concerned with Xiang Han's safety. Since he didn't have enough manpower, he would supply it.
Xiang Han touched his forehead. Did Xu Yan Ze forget that he also needed manpower for his battle?
"Two… A thousand is enough. I found a mine near the boundary between Wu Cheng and Yunnan."
"It's better to take two thousand. You're always with the caravans, so it's better to have more people. I'm also… Mine?" Xu Yan Ze suddenly came to his senses and looked at him in astonishment.
"Yeah." Xiang Han narrowed his eyes and nodded, basking in his gaze.
"How did you find it? What type of mine is it?" Xu Yan Ze was in disbelief. Were mines like cabbages at the market waiting to be picked whenever you wanted them?
"It… It's a coincidence." When asked how he discovered it, Xiang Han was stuck and simply spun an excuse. "There's iron and copper."
Xu Yan Ze pondered for a long time before he abruptly said, "2,000 isn't enough. I'll tell Di Ping to choose 5,000 men later…"
"No, no, no. It's enough. There are still some people from the guild." Xiang Han quickly stopped him.
"No way, you'll be in danger if other people discover the mine."
Xu Yan Ze was unconvinced and the two entered a deadlock. In the end, they both compromised and reached an agreement of having 3,000 men.
That night, they laid on the couch together, but neither of them was sleepy. Xu Yan Ze hugged him and whispered, "You have to be up earlier tomorrow. I'll send you to General Zhang's camp before you return to Jin Zhou while I head towards the regional commander's manor with him. It's almost time for war. I can only be relieved when you're back."
"But…" I'm worried about you.
Although he knew this was for his sake, Xiang Han was still somewhat gloomy.
Xu Yan Ze could see his uneasiness. "Don't worry. I'm the commander, not the chargers. Moreover, this war is within my and the emperor's expectations. Now that we have soldiers and manpower as well as iron, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Xiang Han was silent for a while before giving a small sound of agreement. After contemplating,he realised he was of no help even if he were to remain by Xu Yan Ze's side. Since this was the case, it was better for him to take care of the logistics. It must be noted that the reason Liu Bang1 could conquer the world was all because he had Xiao He2 to support him.
Thinking of this, Xiang Han's mood improved. When he returned to Jin Zhou, he directly brought his people to Yunnan without stopping to rest. They began to mine, smelt and forge weapons. Meanwhile, he handled all matters pertaining to the provisions and caravan to his father.
When Xu Yan Ze and Zhang Yong arrived at the regional commander's manor, the other generals had already been waiting for a long time but Xue Qing Lin was not yet up. Recently, he found himself sleeping extremely soundly and after waking up, he would pamper Lady Mei.
His strategist had been anxious for an entire night. Once he saw him come out of his courtyard, he rushed forward. "Commander, I heard you were planning to send your troops to the Turks."
The strategist's tone was laced with anxiety from his urgency which made Xue Qing Lin uncomfortable and feel as if he was questioning him.
At this time, a guard came to report. "Reporting to the commander, the army is already awaiting your presence."
The strategist hurried to speak. "Commander, you must not…"
Xue Qing Lin immediately raised a hand to stop him and said in a dull tone. "Let's talk later."
When discussing official matters, Xue Qing Lin sat at the top and scanned the room full of people. He turned to his aide. "Why isn't General Chen here?"
"He… General Chen is feeling unwell and requested for leave." His aide replied stiffly.
Xue Qing Lin finally remembered his brother-in-law had been castrated. Once he recalled this matter, his anger flared.
At that time, he had only said it as a passing remark but did not expect for Xu Yan Ze to use his words as a weapon and really castrate Chen Ting Hong.
He thought of the 20,000 troops he had spent years carefully amassing while Xu Yan Ze was a mere farmer who'd become a general. Yet, he now commanded 60,000 men. At present, Xu Yan Ze stood on the lower-left of him and had become the representative of the others. He was evidently enjoying their appreciation.
Xue Qing Lin was stifled. The more he looked at Xu Yan Ze, the more he felt the latter was unpleasant to his eyes and silently thought, I must completely crush his spirit and tear off his wings.
Thinking of this, he immediately announced his plan to attack the Turks before asking, "Feel free to point out if you have any objections."
Zhang Yong was the first to agree. When the other generals saw this, they too gave their support. The military strategist was dumbfounded: Didn't they say it was a discussion? Why was it already decided?
Quickly, the majority of those present were in favour of fighting the war, especially since the Turks had been too arrogant when attacking Jin Zhou not long ago. They must teach those people a lesson.
The strategist dared not pour cold water on these people whose fighting spirits had been roused. He could only wait until they dispersed before falling to his knees and beseeching, "Commander, it's too rash to attack the Turks. You mustn't!"
Xue Qing Lin had just been praised by those generals earlier and these words made his mood extremely low. However, his strategist had made many successful contributions in the past, so he forced himself to listen despite his unhappiness.
"Commander, the situation with the crown prince is still unclear. If we rashly send our soldiers, we would be senselessly provoking them for no reason. Moreover, there are other buffering states watching Jin Wu and Shuo Feng like prey."
"These are all old news." Xue Qing Lin waved a hand. "This time, it's to let Yan Xiao Ze and Zhang Yong take the vanguard. I've been planning this for a long time. It's killing two birds with one stone. Advisor, you don't have to dissuade me any longer."
The strategist grew frantic. "Commander, your plan to kill two birds with one stone by using the Turks to deal with the General of Ding Yuan is certainly brilliant. But what if, just like you, they plan to use the Turks to do their dirty work?"
The strategist was well aware of Xue Qing Lin's character and didn't forget to praise him before giving his analysis.
Sure enough, Xue Qing Lin fell into deep thought.
The strategist gave a sigh of relief upon seeing this but didn't expect Xue Qing Lin to say, "The order has already been given. If we were to change it now, won't I be losing face?"
"Commander, this is not the time to care about your face." The strategist said bitterly. He'd nearly forgotten Xue Qing Lin was a prideful man.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Xue Qing Lin replied, "Let me think about it."
He spent a while thinking about it until Lady Mei giggled and told him, "The counsellor is wise indeed. He's always a step ahead of others. This concubine didn't even think of all these."
Xue Qing Lin laughed, "You're just a woman with a brain the size of melon seed. How could you have the counsellor's experience?"
Lady Mei was unconvinced. "Isn't the general of Ding Yuan also a commoner? But isn't he just as insightful?"
Xue Qing Lin scrunched his face. "What? Did you fall for that pretty boy?"
After messing around for a bit, he held his concubine and suddenly thought: That's right. Yan Xiao Ze is merely a farmer and the men under him are a bunch of rowdy commoners. How could he possibly be that cunning? It was probably the counsellor with his unfounded doubts thinking too highly of others.
Moreover, the crown prince had been taken as a prisoner of war and returned alone. Would the Turk Emperor dare to give him command of his soldiers so quickly?
After careful consideration and receiving Lady Mei's pillow-talk, he felt the situation wasn't as serious as his strategist made it out to be. In any case, Yan Xiao Ze and Zhang Yong were on the vanguard. If the situation changed, he could simply recall his troops if needed.
Three days later, the army was stationed and ready to go.