Chapter Forty-Four: We Are the Reinforcements

“Bang!” With a heavy slam, the city gate closed firmly, clearly expressing the resolute stance of the Wangjiang garrison.

As they departed Wangjiang City, everyone’s expressions grew grim.

“Brother Xue, today we have truly offended Lord Lu to the utmost, yet we still failed to secure reinforcements,” Luo Fang admitted openly, no longer hiding the disappointment etched on his face.

Born from a military household, Luo Fang was caught in a web of conflicting emotions. He admired Lord Wei’s steadfast defense of Dongping and his courageous stand against the northern barbarians. As soldiers of Daliang, who could not respect such valor? If there were any chance, he would give his all to help Wei Xiao secure aid.

At the same time, he understood that Lu Xiaoyuan had been obstructing them all along, yet he still harbored some hope that the official might recognize their worth—perhaps if they achieved great feats again, Lu would regard them as valuable and capable officers, changing his attitude toward them.

But even as Luo Fang clung to this hope, he now realized they had deeply offended Lu Xiaoyuan; in the future, the official might even secretly work against them.

Outside the city, Kang Yu and the others were unaware of these developments. Hearing Luo Fang’s words, they all wore disappointed looks—except for Xue Chengqian, whose resolve remained unshaken.

He smiled and replied, “Who says we didn’t get reinforcements?”

“Huh?” Luo Fang looked up in surprise, wondering if he or Xue had misunderstood something.

“Lu Xiaoyuan, in front of the other generals, personally promised us permission to go aid the front ourselves. We are the reinforcements for Dongping!”

“Hmph!” Upon hearing such confident words, Luo Fang and the others were not encouraged but rather disheartened.

Kang Yu retorted irritably, “Xue, can you be serious? Our Zhenyi Camp only has a few soldiers, none properly trained—how can we compare to the imperial troops?”

“We might manage some guerrilla tactics, but if we face the northern barbarian cavalry head-on, defeat is certain.”

Their best hope was that Lu Xiaoyuan, out of regard for their allied forces, would dispatch his main troops for rescue. Then, with the barbarians’ attention fixed on the main front, they could exploit the terrain and launch surprise attacks from multiple directions.

On top of that, Dongping City still housed tens of thousands of soldiers, and Lord Wei appeared to be a bold and capable commander. With coordinated efforts inside and out, they could decisively defeat the northern barbarians and reverse the situation in the northern border.

Relying solely on their Zhenyi Camp? Not only were they no match for the barbarian cavalry, but even claiming such would be laughable.

Xue Chengqian calmly said, “Even if it’s just us, so what? By the Nujiang River, didn’t we annihilate thousands of enemy cavalry in one battle?”

“But that was with the advantage of Nujiang’s terrain. In a frontal clash, we cannot win—and the northern barbarians suffered a great loss once; they won’t give us a second chance.”

Xue replied, “In war, one must consider the right time, terrain, and unity. On the northern border, terrain is definitely in our favor. When the barbarians assault a city, no matter what advantages they wield, they will suffer losses in men and morale. Who’s to say we have no chance?”

The others couldn’t help but be stirred. Had anyone else said this, they would have been laughed off. But the last great battle had been commanded by Xue Chengqian; when the next battle comes, who could doubt he would devise clever strategies?

Luo Fang pondered, “But before that, we must strengthen our forces. Otherwise, even if we get the chance to defeat the enemy, we might mishandle it or only achieve a minor victory.”

Xue Chengqian smiled, “Precisely why I secured authorization from Lu Xiaoyuan before leaving. From now on, our Zhenyi Camp can expand with ease.”

“Before, you hesitated to accept Sun Fushan’s group, but now that you hold the imperial mandate, you can finally rest assured!”

Luo Fang exclaimed happily, “So that’s what you had in mind! Brother Xue, truly admirable!”

They had witnessed Sun Fushan’s band firsthand—more than a thousand able-bodied men, mostly strong and capable, with only a few weak or elderly. They revered Xue Chengqian and were eager to pledge allegiance. With some equipment and training directly overseen by Xue, they could become elite troops.

This effectively tripled the strength of the Zhenyi Camp.

Moreover, once their numbers approached two thousand, their battlefield impact would be significant.

Though Luo Fang had never commanded a large force himself, he had been fortunate enough to observe border generals in action. Apart from massive main battles, most engagements involved detachments of two or three thousand soldiers.

“Brother Xue makes a good point. Through Sun Fushan, we might even have the chance to bring other factions under our banner and further expand. Then, at least, we can face the northern barbarians in a true, fierce battle and right the wrongs at the border!”

Hearing this, Xue Chengqian could only smile wryly.

Luo Fang was fearless and loyal but still held a rigid view of warfare. Many shared this mindset—though flexible tactics brought victory and praise, these earnest men saw it as ‘cheating’ and felt the triumph lacked glory. They yearned to defeat the enemy in direct battle.

But now was not the time to correct him. With Xue by his side, reckless decisions would be avoided.

Kang Yu glanced behind them, puzzled. “You’re all out, but where is Miss Wei?”

“Could it be she met Lu Xiaoyuan and is now focused on him, indifferent to our efforts?”

Kang Yu still bore some ill will toward this newly acquainted ‘official’s daughter.’

Luo Fang explained, “Not at all.”

“Though Lu Xiaoyuan rejected us, Wei Xiao remains determined. She knows we genuinely want to aid Lord Wei.”

If Xue Chengqian and the others maintained this stance, Wei Xiao would unconditionally treat them as ‘one of her own,’ especially since her father was the one holding out in Dongping City.

“Lu Xiaoyuan is a shrewd political operator; he can’t outright say no to defending Dongping. Instead, he stalled under the pretense of military intelligence gathering. So Wei Xiao decided to pressure him by visiting several prominent officials and the court’s censor, Lord Li, inside the city.”

“Ha! They have no military authority; what good can begging them do?” Kang Yu remained baffled.

Xue waved his hand. “If we don’t try, how can we know it won’t help? None of us know the workings of the court and bureaucracy better than Miss Wei. Let her handle it.”

“We have agreed that she will leave the city tomorrow to meet us.”

Kang Yu, hearing him praise the official’s daughter so highly, grew even more displeased. She gave him a glare and stormed off, prompting the others to quietly chuckle.

Xue Chengqian took it as a fit of youthful temper—just then, a system notification suddenly appeared!