Chapter 55: Something Unusual

Upon returning to the main camp, Lin Shize originally intended to discuss Chu Luolong with Zhang Jiawen, only to learn that Chu Luolong had already been placed under escort to the garrison commander's main camp, having departed fifteen miles away by now.

Looking at Lin Shize, who had remained silent for a long time, Zhang Jiawen spoke up, "I have let down the brothers of the Heavenly Wolf Camp this time.

"You can ask for men, money, or grain, and I will give them to you, but Chu Luolong cannot die here.

"We suffered heavy casualties in this battle at Mount Qier, and with so many brothers fallen here, as the major general, I must consider their interests."

Lin Shize could understand what was on Zhang Jiawen's mind; once Chu Luolong died here, it would inevitably forge a mortal blood feud with Chu Boxuan.

Although as a roving inspector, his official rank was not high, his authority was immense. He was empowered to impeach local officials, supervise cases, and inspect taxation, earning him the title of "the Emperor's roving envoy." Even a garrison commander would be reluctant to easily offend such a person.

Seeing Lin Shize lower his head in silence, Zhang Jiawen continued, "I have already officially submitted the record of Chu Luolong's crimes to the garrison commander's camp.

"Leaving aside his oppression of the common people, the mere fact that he led troops to intercept and murder others is enough to warrant capital punishment. It will be fortunate if Chu Boxuan is not implicated, let alone attempting to clear Chu Luolong of his crimes.

"I, Zhang Jiawen, am not a villain devoid of a sense of right and wrong, and I will not stand idly by while my brothers are wronged. However, the state has its laws and the family has its rules; Chu Luolong is, after all, a vice commissioner of the provincial surveillance commission. If he must die, he must die in the grand hall of the viceroy's yamen, not here."

Lin Shize let out a long breath. What Zhang Jiawen had done was entirely reasonable, and he had nothing more to say. As long as Zhang Jiawen still cared for his subordinates, he remained the major general of the main camp.

Three days later, when news arrived that Chu Luolong had been ambushed by the Mongols on the road, Zhang Jiawen furiously swept everything off his desk.

"Who brought this news?"

Looking at the official document in his hand, Sun Zheng replied, "The garrison commander's camp."

Zhang Jiawen let out a cold snort and said, "What a formidable figure with connections reaching the heavens."

Both men knew that Chu Luolong was accompanied by two thousand elite troops sent from the garrison commander's camp for protection; how could he have been so easily ambushed by the Mongols?

All of this was undoubtedly a substitution scam orchestrated by Chu Boxuan. Chu Luolong was probably still alive, but from now on, he could only live in the shadows.

Meanwhile, Lin Shize, upon receiving the news, showed no particular expression. He had known all along that things would not go so smoothly.

Even if Chu Boxuan had killed his own son with his bare hands, Lin Shize would not have been surprised. After all, whether Chu Luolong's death was real or fake, he had to die.

Otherwise, Chu Boxuan, as the roving inspector, would not be able to escape his own culpability.

Withdrawing his thoughts, he redirected his gaze back to the sand table in front of him.

Pointing at the densely packed markers on the sand table, Liu Wu said, "After the battle at Mount Qier, although the defense zones of both sides have not changed,

"the Mongols have suffered heavy losses and have lost the advantage of taking the offensive initiative."

Frowning, Zhao Daha asked, "If that's the case, why have the enemy been sending out so many scouts recently?"

Liu Wu also shook his head and said, "I also feel something is wrong. The main enemy forces have made no moves at all, yet their scouts are swarming into our defense zone like a tide, and some have even reached the hidden trails behind our mountain.

"Our scouts have been suffering casualties every day recently."

Lin Shize also furrowed his brows deeply. The enemy's current behavior was far too abnormal, and whenever anomalies occurred, demons were bound to follow.

"Dahua, take a few men and let's go out and take a look."

Thud!

That was the muffled sound of an arrow embedding itself into a tree trunk.

Lin Shize did not know whether he was experiencing terrible luck or extraordinary fortune; no sooner had he arrived on the trail behind the mountain than he encountered a squad of Mongol scouts.

This place was less than a thousand meters away from the Village of Heroes. It was unimaginable what kind of disaster would be unleashed if this group of men managed to slip into the village.

Hum!

With the sound of a vibrating bowstring, Lin Shize did not even think; almost reflexively, he leaped to the side.

An arrow struck the ground right where he had been standing just a moment before.

Had his reflexes not been so sharp, that arrow would have pierced his body.

Quickly taking cover behind a large boulder while Zhao Daha concealed himself behind a massive tree, Zhao quickly pinpointed the enemy's position based on the trajectory of those two arrows and waved a hand to the men behind him.

Lin Shize cautiously and slowly raised his head.

Swish!

The moment he lifted his head, the piercing sound of an arrow cutting through the air immediately rang out. Ducking down to avoid the projectile, Lin Shize simultaneously unhooked the longbow from his back, surged to his feet, drew and nocked an arrow in one fluid motion, and loosed it toward the distant brushwood.

Zhao Daha and his bodyguards also used their bows to suppress the enemy.

Vaulting fiercely over the boulder, Lin Shize ignored the enemy in the brush and charged toward the opposite flank.

Seeing Lin Shize charge directly at him with a sinister smile on his face, the Mongol scout immediately loosed an arrow.

At such close range, he could hit his target with his eyes closed.

Yet, reality turned out entirely different from what he had imagined.

Anticipating the move, Lin Shize had lunged forward the exact instant the scout raised his arm, and the arrow grazed his iron armor before flying off into the distance.

Using the momentum, he executed a forward roll and closed the distance to the enemy, picking up a rock from the ground along the way.

The Mongol scout never expected his foolproof shot to be evaded and hastily drew his saber to charge forward.

However, Lin Shize flicked his left hand, and a dark shadow hurtled straight toward his face.

Startled, the Mongol instinctively raised his blade to block. The instant the stone was deflected, Lin Shize's battle saber had already slashed across his neck.

Blood gushed forth, the enemy's eyes filled with terror, and then he crashed heavily to the ground.

Just as the enemy in front of him fell, two more figures darted out from the bushes on either side to attack him.

Swiping his saber fiercely from top to bottom, Lin Shize cleaved at the attacker on the left, delivering two consecutive strikes before kicking the wide-open enemy away with a powerful blow.

Trying to crawl back up after hitting the ground, the enemy instead spewed a mouthful of blood.

Looking at Lin Shize in horror, he never imagined that all three of their elite fighters were no match for this single man. By now, one was dead, one was severely wounded, and the last was barely holding on under Lin Shize's fierce blade work.

Meanwhile, Lin Shize remained completely unscathed, especially his smile, which remained as radiant as ever. Under normal circumstances, such a smile would feel warm, but on the battlefield, it only made one's blood run cold.

Not giving the enemy any opening, Lin Shize ended his life with a single slash to the neck, dispatching three men within the span of just a few exchanges.

Gazing at the enemy corpses, Lin Shize's doubts deepened. Why were these Mongol scouts lurking here? What on earth were they plotting?

After Zhao Daha led his men to thoroughly search the back mountain and confirm there were no other enemies, the group finally returned to the military camp.

Spring had arrived, all things were reviving, and it was once again the season for animals to...

In the apothecary, Lin Shize was studying wound-healing herbal remedies alongside several veteran physicians. In truth, the main ingredients for such balms were abundant along the borderlands, but these locals lacked knowledge of the proper proportions and manufacturing methods.

Lin Shize intended to equip every single soldier with a portable first-aid kit, which would drastically reduce the casualty rate among the troops.

Liu Wu and Dogegg stared at each other with wide eyes, watching Lin Shize busy at work.

"Boss, what are you doing?"

Without pausing his hands or raising his head, Lin Shize replied, "I'm making a type of wound-healing powder.

"From now on, everyone will carry a first-aid kit containing this powder, gauze, and other emergency medical supplies.

"Later on, I will teach you how to use them, and you must ensure that every single man in the Heavenly Wolf Camp learns how to use a first-aid kit."