Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Sky Wolf Camp’s Victory Banquet

The rewards were mostly piles of copper coins and a small amount of silver; as for gold and jewelry, there was none for them. They had to carry the thousands of pounds of copper coins and the wounded soldiers themselves. Fortunately, Lin Shize had the foresight to have the soldiers of Yingling Village waiting for them at the foot of the mountain with the villagers.

Passing by Bate Mountain, where the fighting was fierce, Lin Shize hurried everyone along. The Mengla people had gone mad, desperate to break through the encirclement, and Wu Tian had been pushed from the city walls down to the foot of the mountain. Covered in dirt and grime, Wu Tian roared at his soldiers to hold their formation. The Mengla were frantic; even though their main force had already charged toward Qier Mountain, those remaining were still biting at them relentlessly.

"Lin Shize, hurry up and bring your men up to cover our retreat!" Wu Tian brandished Zhang Jiawen’s token, ordering him. As long as these men could hold for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he could escape unscathed; the men of the old camp were meant for such tasks.

Wang Li stepped forward and said to Lin Shize, "Boss, let me take the brothers." Wang Li was prepared not to return alive, hoping only to sacrifice himself and a few others to trade for the survival of the rest. Besides, the commander would surely not mistreat his family.

Lin Shize stared intensely at Wu Tian, but said to Wang Li, "Did I tell you to go? Get out of here! Go back. There’s a mountain of work at home, don't waste time here." Wang Li hesitated for a moment, then quickly walked toward the foot of the mountain, pretending not to hear Wu Tian’s roaring behind him.

Wu Tian bellowed, "Lin Shize! This is the Major’s token! How dare you ignore it?"

Looking at the sputtering, saliva-spraying Wu Tian in front of him, Lin Shize could bear it no longer. He kicked him to the ground and rained punches down upon him. "You piece of trash! You can't win a fight, and you can't even run away?! You want to send my men to their deaths? You aren't worthy! My Sky Wolf Battalion is an independent unit; it does not fall under your command. The battle at Qier Mountain has likely already begun, and the main camp needs to provide support. If you can't retreat now, you’ll be dead once the enemy’s main force returns from Qier Mountain. Push me too far, and I’ll quit this position as commander and hack you to pieces myself, you son of a bitch!"

After beating Wu Tian, the pent-up anger in his heart finally dissipated. Lin Shize felt refreshed and swaggered off to catch up with his troops. Wu Tian’s mouth moved for a moment before he spat out a bloody tooth, roaring, "Lin Shize, I won’t let you get away with this!" Before the words faded, the Mengla offensive struck again, and he was forced to continue fighting, riddled with injuries, hoping only to retreat to the main camp and shake off the enemy.

Wang Li had seen with his own eyes the commander beat the living daylights out of Wu Tian, and he felt a sense of immense satisfaction. Every time, this Wu Tian would send the men of the old camp to die while he reaped the rewards in the back. Now, being beaten by the commander and not daring to say a word—that was power. Only by following such a man could they hold their heads high.

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they loaded the rewards and the wounded onto carts, and Lin Shize urged everyone to hurry. With fighting everywhere, it was best to get out quickly. Upon returning to Yingling Village, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. The infirmary had been prepared long ago, for which Lin Shize had even written a "Wounded Soldier Management Ordinance." The wounded were immediately sent into the infirmary.

Wan Qing had already led the women to prepare food, and every soldier grabbed a bowl of hot porridge, gulping it down despite the scalding heat. Wang Li had taken three sword strikes to the chest, but to his surprise, the first thing he was made to do in the infirmary was to have his body wiped clean. He didn't understand what bacterial infection meant, but being wiped down with a hot towel felt wonderful, and it was the first time he realized his skin was actually quite fair.

His wounds were sprinkled with powder and wrapped in gauze, and he was then carried into another clean room. The entire room had white lime sprinkled in every corner, and the bed was covered with neat, clean bedding. Lying on the bed, the crisp, fresh air filled his nostrils, making him sigh with relief. Wang Li couldn't help but marvel that life in this infirmary was better than that of a local magistrate.

Inside the main tent, Lin Shize called for Liu Wu and the others, as well as the families of the fallen soldiers. Wang Li was also carried in and placed beside Lin Shize. Upon learning that their loved ones had died in battle, the families immediately broke into wailing. Wang Li shouted, "Our brothers died on the battlefield; they died heroically. The commander will certainly not mistreat you. Listen to what the commander has to say first!"

Lin Shize cleared his throat and said, "We’re all our own people, so I’ll speak plainly. I can see now that we are stepchildren—neither loved by the heavens nor cared for by the earth. We risked our lives to win a battle, and the promised rewards were cut by more than half. This is them looking down on us."

Wang Li smiled bitterly, "Boss, they only gave us those rewards for your sake. I’ve been in the old camp for over half a year and never saw a single reward; just coming back alive is a blessing." Even the other veterans from the old camp nodded in agreement, harboring no dissatisfaction.

Lin Shize slammed the table and roared, "I don't care what others do! My Sky Wolf Battalion has its own rules. I’ve noted this debt, and sooner or later, I will settle it with them. Our rules are: fifty taels of silver for each fallen brother, twenty-five for those seriously wounded, and ten for those lightly wounded, with military merits counted separately."

As soon as Lin Shize finished, the veterans in the tent knelt to the ground, and Wang Li, lying on his stretcher, was bathed in tears.

Lin Shize continued, "Furthermore, as long as the Sky Wolf Battalion exists, their families are our families. We must take care of them so that the spirits of our brothers can find some comfort. Is there any problem with this distribution?"

Wang Li shook his head like a rattle, "Boss, I have no objections, and neither do the brothers. Whoever dares to say a word against it, I’ll chop him down myself right now."

Lin Shize nodded, "Good, then that’s settled. Officers will have separate rewards. Also, in a while, I plan to have everyone work on a business venture. I will give priority to the families of the fallen brothers to participate in this; we’ll discuss the details later. Once the money is distributed, have the kitchen prepare plenty of meat and fish. We shall celebrate the first great victory of the Sky Wolf Battalion!"

"Huzzah! The commander is wise!"

Lin Shize walked out of the tent, looking at the thriving scene of Yingling Village, and felt a sense of pride rise from the depths of his heart. Creation is always more pleasurable than destruction.

When the feast began, Lin Shize only said, "Eat well, drink well," and after wolfing down a large basin of food, he wiped his mouth and returned to his tent. The joyous noise outside made him smile. Wan Qing entered the tent and helped Lin Shize remove his armor.

Lin Shize said, "You’ve worked hard."

Wan Qing said nothing, but Lin Shize heard the sound of soft sobbing behind him. Turning around, he saw that Wan Qing was already weeping, her face like rain-drenched pear blossoms.

"You went to attack Qier Mountain this time, didn't you?"