With the knowledge from his past life history, Zhao Feng deeply understood that in this era, there was no such thing as free love. Everything was decided by parental orders and matchmakers.
For women, their fate was almost predetermined.
Of course, for women from noble families, most marriages were arranged to benefit their families. For women from ordinary families, there was perhaps a bit more freedom they might fall in love with someone from their village, and then either a matchmaker or their elders would step in to propose.
As for Wang Yan's identity, when Zhao Feng learned her surname was Wang and noticed she was guarded by bodyguards typically reserved for high-ranking generals, he immediately guessed who she was Wang Jian's daughter.
Wang Jian's household was one of the most powerful and prestigious in all of Qin. For Wang Yan to break free from her fate and escape a political marriage was nearly impossible.
"You sound a little out of touch with the struggles of ordinary people," Zhao Feng said slowly.
"You wish you were born into an ordinary family, but you don't realize how many people envy your status as a noble. Ordinary folks struggle just to survive in this chaotic world."
Wang Yan did not refute his words. Perhaps she was reluctant to become a pawn in a political marriage, but countless others would never even get that opportunity. What they wanted was simply to survive.
"Maybe you're right," Wang Yan replied softly.
As they walked on, they reached a military camp, and the sounds of soldiers training echoed from afar.
This camp, once belonging to the Han army, was now a temporary base for the Qin army.
"Greetings, Commander Wang!"
At the entrance, the guards immediately saluted respectfully.
"At ease," Wang Yan responded as she entered the camp with Zhao Feng following closely, his eyes filled with curiosity.
This was his first time entering a main battle camp of elite Qin soldiers.
Inside the camp, a vast training ground could hold tens of thousands of soldiers. At the moment, groups of soldiers were practicing various drills long spear combat, archery, and military formations.
The Qin army was renowned as a "tiger and wolf army." The implementation of the military merit system had transformed it into a juggernaut of war.
Even with such a system in place, the rigorous training of the Qin army was unmatched by any other state.
Particularly striking was their emphasis on formation training, a strength unique to the Qin army.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Shouts of effort rang out from the soldiers training on the grounds.
"This is the training of Qin's true elites," Zhao Feng murmured as he observed the drills.
"What do you think? How does this compare to the logistics troops?" Wang Yan turned to ask him.
"Their spirit is completely different," Zhao Feng replied without hesitation.
The soldiers here exuded an aura of killing intent and discipline. Their eyes held a fierce determination, and their bodies radiated an intangible sense of military might.
These were real soldiers of Qin.
By contrast, the logistics troops Zhao Feng had served with were far more lax, devoid of such murderous aura or cohesive discipline.
"Spirit?" Wang Yan tilted her head, intrigued.
"These soldiers carry a killing intent in their eyes and an unmistakable sense of military authority," Zhao Feng explained. "Their training is full of energy, whereas the logistics troops are mostly lackadaisical. That's the essential difference."
Hearing this, Wang Yan nodded in agreement.
"I've been at the Lantian camp for quite some time, but I've yet to see any cavalry. Does Lantian not have cavalry?" Zhao Feng asked curiously.
"Do you know how many major camps Qin has?" Wang Yan responded with a question of her own.
"I've only heard of Lantian and Lishan," Zhao Feng answered.
"In addition to those, there's also Beidi. Most of Qin's cavalry are stationed there because cavalry is essential for dealing with the northern nomads," Wang Yan explained. "They raid the northern borders, and without cavalry, it would be impossible to counter them effectively.
"Lantian does have cavalry, but only about five thousand. They're generally tasked with rapid response duties."
"I see," Zhao Feng said, nodding in understanding.
Previously, he had been just an ordinary commoner and didn't know much about these matters. Now he was beginning to grasp the strategic roles of different units and camps.
Beidi defended against northern tribes like the Xiongnu.
Lantian, on the other hand, was the main force for Qin's unification efforts.
Historically, this had also been true. Wang Jian, successor to Bai Qi, the great general of Qin, was a conqueror unparalleled in his time.
"Rally!" Wang Yan raised her hand and called out loudly.
Instantly, the soldiers on the training ground stopped what they were doing and began gathering at the center.
"Why are you rallying them?" Zhao Feng asked, confused.
"The soldiers are all very curious about you," Wang Yan said with a sly smile. "You killed Han's top general, so now that you're here, how could they not want to meet you?"
"Come on, is this necessary?" Zhao Feng protested, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Despite his reluctance, the soldiers on the training ground quickly assembled. In no time, nearly four thousand elite soldiers stood in formation before them.
Originally, Wang Yan had commanded five thousand elite soldiers, but after the battles at Yangcheng and the pursuit of Bao Yuan, only about 3,600 remained the rest had fallen in battle.
The soldiers' gazes were all focused on Wang Yan and Zhao Feng.
As the daughter of a prominent general and a commander herself, Wang Yan was accustomed to such attention.
Zhao Feng, on the other hand, while confident and outgoing, felt a bit awkward under the scrutiny of thousands of pairs of eyes. Still, he wasn't afraid.
"Soldiers of Qin!" Wang Yan raised her hand and shouted.
"Wind! Wind! Wind!"
The soldiers raised their fists and shouted in unison.
"Five days ago, our army was ambushed at Yangcheng. The enemy's top general hid within the city, launching a surprise attack on us in an attempt to cut off our supply lines.
"Had the enemy succeeded, we would have become traitors to Qin.
"But as you all know, that's not what happened.
"Zhao Feng, a logistics officer, led his troops in a courageous stand, holding back the enemy long enough for reinforcements to arrive and allowing us to annihilate the enemy."
With that, Wang Yan gestured to Zhao Feng beside her.
"This is Zhao Feng."
At her words, all eyes turned to Zhao Feng.
The soldiers' gazes were filled with admiration and gratitude.
For the soldiers stationed at Yangcheng, had Bao Yuan succeeded in his ambush, not only would Li Teng have been disgraced, but they would have all been implicated.
Though they might not have been executed, the incident would have haunted their reputations and impacted their salaries and promotions.
Zhao Feng's actions had undoubtedly saved them.