Chapter 21: Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Jiawen
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“Excellent. You are absolutely right.”
Zhang Jiawen looked at Sun Zheng with clear approval.
Zhang Jiawen had always thought highly of Sun Zheng. Calm and steady, with a keen eye for detail, he would surely become a general capable of holding down an entire region once he had been properly tempered.
The others nodded involuntarily, agreeing with Sun Zheng’s assessment.
Zhang Jiawen said, “Since that is the case, have the scouts sent back any news from that area? What exactly happened?”
Sun Zheng replied, “The scouts have yet to send back any reliable information. However, I did visit that place some time ago.”
“There was a new recruit named Lin Shize, exceptionally brave. As an ordinary soldier, he single-handedly slew ten Mengla warriors. He is now the hundred-man commander stationed there.”
Another battalion commander frowned. “A mere hundred-man commander, with barely enough troops to fight—how could he possibly have stirred up such a tremendous commotion?”
“If you ask me, the Mengla must simply have been unable to endure such prolonged fighting and withdrew on their own.”
Zhang Jiawen’s fingers moved restlessly across the map. He did indeed remember this Lin Shize.
When he had first heard that Lin Shize had killed five Mengla warriors by himself, he had found it difficult to believe and had specifically sent Sun Zheng to investigate.
To his surprise, when Sun Zheng returned, he reported that the new recruit had killed another five Mengla warriors. Zhang Jiawen himself had approved the document appointing him hundred-man commander.
As everyone continued their discussion, a sudden burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the tent. A scout hastened inside, saluted, and reported, “Deputy General, the scouts have discovered a thousand Mengla troops assembling and advancing toward Treasure Village!”
Treasure Village? Was that not the very place they had just been discussing? It seemed the Mengla’s recent movements truly were connected to it.
Zhang Jiawen’s gaze sharpened.
“Sun Zheng!”
“Your subordinate is here!”
“I order you to take three thousand crack troops, including my five hundred personal guards, and intercept the enemy. You must wipe them out!”
“Remember, do not become entangled with the Mengla. The mountains around Treasure Village are steep and treacherous. Choose a suitable ambush site and finish the battle swiftly.”
This time, Zhang Jiawen was committing considerable strength. Not only had he given Sun Zheng three thousand elite soldiers, he had even dispatched his own personal guards to support him.
The Mengla might be fierce and skilled warriors, but Zhang Jiawen was no pushover. Since they dared to make such a brazen move right under his nose, he had to curb their arrogance.
Sun Zheng said, “Your subordinate obeys!”
Zhang Jiawen continued, “The rest of you are to return to your respective defense zones at once. Monitor every movement of the Mengla closely and report immediately if anything happens.”
“Yes!”
As the sun sank in the west, three thousand elite soldiers surged out of the main camp. Sun Zheng, clad in armor and riding at the head of the column, wore a gaze hard as iron. This was his first major battle, and he had to seize the opportunity.
Late that night, Zhang Jiawen received news of Sun Zheng’s great victory: more than seven hundred Mengla warriors had been slain. It was a rare triumph for the frontier.
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“Deputy General! Your subordinate has returned to report.”
Sun Zheng was covered in blood and grime as he saluted Zhang Jiawen.
“Good! Very good!”
Zhang Jiawen personally poured him a cup of wine.
“Congratulations on your great victory. Come, drink this cup to the bottom!”
Sun Zheng tilted his head back and drained the wine.
Then he said to Zhang Jiawen, “Deputy General, the Mengla seemed desperate to reach Treasure Village this time. They did not even send scouts to reconnoiter, which allowed me to catch them completely off guard.”
Everyone else in the command tent frowned at his words.
They had all fought the Mengla before. The Mengla army had always been cautious when setting out on campaign. Why had they been so careless this time?
Suddenly, Zhang Jiawen thought of Lin Shize, whom Sun Zheng had mentioned earlier. Could all of this truly be connected to him?
Otherwise, there was no way to explain the Mengla’s abnormal behavior.
“Someone, bring me Lin Shize’s military report.”
A personal guard immediately retrieved the report from the writing desk and handed it over.
“Deputy General, this is the report he had someone deliver today.”
After reading it, Zhang Jiawen abruptly closed the document, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes.
“So the affair at Treasure Village really was connected to him!”
Wu Tian, another battalion commander, frowned. “Treasure Village is more than a hundred miles from Lin Shize’s beacon tower. Instead of properly guarding his post, he actually dared to abandon it without authorization. Deputy General, that is a violation of military law.”
“It is nothing serious. That boy led his men to kill more than twenty Mengla warriors at Treasure Village. He has proven himself both brave and resourceful.”
The others were astonished by Zhang Jiawen’s words. The deputy general had always enforced military discipline with the utmost strictness. Yet Lin Shize had not only escaped punishment for violating military regulations, he had even earned the commander’s praise. It was truly extraordinary.
Seeing that the deputy general was not angry, Sun Zheng pressed on.
“Deputy General, what exactly happened?”
Zhang Jiawen replied, “Lin Shize originally took more than forty men to Mount Gu to suppress bandits. Unexpectedly, after exterminating the bandits, he encountered the Mengla at Treasure Village.”
“He then killed a number of them as well. That must be why the Mengla rushed toward Treasure Village at all costs—they were probably seeking revenge.”
“In this battle, counting the bandits, Lin Shize’s forces eliminated more than two hundred enemies. Eight of his soldiers were killed, and fourteen were seriously wounded.”
When Zhang Jiawen finished speaking, the entire command tent fell deathly silent. Everyone wondered whether they had misheard him.
Sun Zheng even dug at his ears in disbelief. Forty men had killed more than two hundred enemies, including more than twenty Mengla warriors.
He had just led three thousand elite soldiers into battle, possessing every advantage of time, terrain, and morale. Even so, he had only managed to slay more than seven hundred Mengla warriors at the cost of over three hundred casualties—and more than two hundred enemies had ultimately escaped.
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Lin Shize had only a few veteran soldiers under his command. He had taken several dozen inexperienced recruits and annihilated five times their number, losing only eight men in the process.
What kind of heaven-defying achievement was that?
What Zhang Jiawen lacked most at present was a capable commander who could stand on his own. Lin Shize was truly a remarkable talent. At that thought, Zhang Jiawen made up his mind.
“Sun Bei, since you have met Lin Shize once before, you will go tomorrow. Pass on my order: Lin Shize is to be promoted to battalion commander and summoned to the main camp to see me!”
An uproar broke out inside the tent. A new recruit had risen to battalion commander in less than two months. It was almost unbelievable.
In the corner, Wu Tian lowered his head, his expression dark and unreadable. No one knew what he was thinking.
Sun Zheng forcefully suppressed his shock, accepted the order, and departed.
Only after everyone had left did Zhang Jiawen look coldly at the military report in his hand.
In the report, Lin Shize had explained in full how Feng Mu had colluded with the Mengla and the events leading up to it. He had also stated that someone in the main camp was working with them.
The Great Qi faced enemies both within and without, and now a traitor had emerged in Zhang Jiawen’s own camp.
Such a man deserved death!
Zhang Jiawen suddenly clenched the report in his hand.
Gazing at the deep mountains beyond the tent, he sighed. “The world is battered by storms, and these are difficult times.”
“If we launch a major investigation into the traitor now, it may throw the army into turmoil and do more harm than good.”
“The commander-in-chief says that most people at court now advocate seeking peace. What do those spineless fools understand? The Mengla are a ravenous pack of wolves.”
“They will never rest until they have swallowed the last piece of flesh and the last drop of blood from the Great Qi dynasty.”
The reason he could tolerate Lin Shize’s disregard for regulations was that Lin Shize knew how to win battles.
He would use victory after victory to tell the Mengla—and those spineless fools—that the frontier army still possessed men willing to fight!
The following morning, at Heroic Spirit Village, Lin Shize was arranging affairs in the military tent when Liu Wu suddenly entered, his face flushed as he struggled to contain his laughter.
Lin Shize looked at him in puzzlement.
“What happened to you?”
Liu Wu said, “Commander, see who has come.”
He stepped aside, revealing the graceful figure of Wan Qing behind him.
Wan Qing pinched the hem of her skirt, her face faintly flushed. She stole a glance at Lin Shize, and her heart leaped violently. Fine beads of sweat had already gathered across the tip of her nose.
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