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墨書 Inktalez
Meng Wu had no interest in squeezing in to listen to anyone's story; he simply grabbed his meal and returned to the Main Tent to eat. It wasn't that he didn't want to join in the fun with everyone else, but it was too cold outside. Hearing bursts of laughter from behind him made his suppressed feelings feel a bit lighter. When he turned around and saw the youthful faces filled with joy, his heart felt suddenly heavy.
Once upon a time, his subordinates were also a group of passionate and spirited young people. However! Just one glance back... and they were already separated by life and death. Thinking of this, those past memories resurfaced. He shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the painful recollections, only to realize they had already taken root deep within his heart.
"Bang bang bang..."
A series of urgent warning sounds suddenly rang out, scattering the crowd still listening to stories. Everyone quickly grabbed their projectile weapons and rushed toward the source of the sound. As the defensive positions gradually filled with combat personnel, what lay before them made them exchange glances in surprise.
At that moment, lights illuminated the hillside below, revealing a large encampment connected together. In the flickering firelight, one could clearly see that there were so many people below it seemed like a temple fair. Optimistically estimating, there were at least thousands of people in the newly established camp.
"They can't be our own people, right?"
Li Xin heard a child's voice beside him and turned to see that it was Zhang Yong, who had just turned sixteen. Celebrating his birthday on New Year's Day at this hour was quite significant. As long as peers of the same age gathered together, they would naturally call him brother without hesitation.
As military households, any male offspring were destined to become Soldiers. Whether one liked it or not, they had to start military training from a young age. The hardships and efforts involved could only be swallowed alone at night with tears. It was precisely this foundation that ensured the high individual quality of Qin Army soldiers.
As for killing, one had to overcome this hurdle before the Rite of Passage. As long as one's psychological resilience was strong enough, very few would go mad afterward. Fortunately, there were a few psychological counselors available internally (it is unclear whether Ancient People referred to all of them as doctors; for clarity's sake, we will use this term here). Sometimes veterans would also come to assist with psychological guidance. Therefore, there was no need for Generals to worry too much about combat against enemies.
However, when facing an encroaching Army and impending death, strict Military Law constraints and strong psychological endurance were necessary. Courage is something that can only be forged through real battlefield experience. As for when one masters it, that's hard to say; sometimes just a blink can turn a rookie into a Veteran in an instant.
Li Xin patted Zhang Yong on the shoulder and drew an arrow from his quiver, saying, "It doesn't matter how many people they have; what matters is that we have this. If you fear it, it will abandon you. If you face its existence directly, it becomes your courage! Raise your weapon! Aim at the enemy ahead!"
Zhang Yong nodded in agreement and slowly raised his Crossbow.
Li Xin watched as the crossbow twitched occasionally and shook his head quietly. The child was still too young, and the lack of confidence led to this situation. If he couldn't overcome this step, it would become an insurmountable psychological barrier in the days to come.
"If you can feel fear right now, that's correct! When people face the unknown, they feel fear. If you can't overcome it, it will become a burden to your comrades. If you want to survive and return, you must conquer yourself. Try to adjust your breathing rhythm, letting the arrow move in sync with your breath. Yes! Just like that! Take it slow, very good!"
With Li Xin's guidance, Zhang Yong adjusted his breathing. It was strange! Once his breathing became steady, he no longer felt afraid. At that moment, all his hopes were concentrated on the sharp arrowhead.
There was little more Li Xin could do; seeing that the child had grasped the basics, he decided to stretch lazily and casually glanced at the lights of Shanxia before ignoring it further.
It was winter, and nighttime at that. Even if the Zhao Army was preparing to seize the hill, they likely wouldn't start until tomorrow morning. He instructed the Sentinel to remain vigilant for enemy movements and then called everyone back to rest.
With this commotion, everyone lost interest in listening to stories. They dispersed to their tents to clean their weapons in preparation for tomorrow's battle. In fact, everything that needed preparation had already been done; all that remained was waiting for that moment to arrive.
Li Xin also had no mood to continue telling stories. Feeling that he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, he decided to stroll over to the Main Tent to chat with Meng Wu.
Upon receiving news of the Zhao Army's arrival, Meng Wu was focused on the Battle Map when he heard footsteps and snapped out of his thoughts. He beckoned Li Xin over to sit by the fire, and the two stared at each other, unsure of what to say.
Silence lingered for a long time.
Meng Wu took a deep breath and said, "The Zhao Army has at least Two Thousand men this time; according to siege ratios, they seem to have quite a surplus. Heh heh!"
In truth, this was just small talk; Li Xin nodded. "Fortunately, we still have enough arrows! The only problem is our..."
Meng Wu glanced outside the tent and quickly shook his head. It wasn't appropriate to discuss Reinforcements at this moment since that was their current hope. After all, so many people from Shanxia had arrived, while most of their soldiers were new recruits. If they were Veterans, it wouldn't matter as their psychological resilience would be strong enough. As long as they ensured the camp wasn't breached and held out until help arrived when the clouds cleared, there was still hope.
"You say, what else can we do!? Right now, we can only think this way! Sigh! When I get back, I must find a Feng Shui master to help me take a look. It's always so unlucky; is there really no end to this?" Meng Wu looked up at the brother sitting across from him, momentarily unsure of how to respond.
Seeing this person sighing and lamenting, Li Xin couldn't help but ask, "We can hold out for a day or two without any problem. Why does the general sigh?"
Luzi's combat order consisted of just four words: Hold the position and wait for reinforcements!
What does it mean to hold the position? It means to fight here until the last person stands. Reinforcements? Where are they? Luzi has already sent all the soldiers he could spare! If more are needed, it would require the old man himself to come up. How could that be allowed!? He would rather die in battle than let him take that risk!
When Meng Wu heard Li Xin say that holding out for a day or two was fine, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Looking at the hopeful eyes across from him, he cruelly extended four fingers.
What does four fingers mean?
Li Xin was also taken aback but quickly understood. The arrival time of the main force would take at least four days, assuming there was no snow from the heavens. If heavy snow fell in the following days, it could be seven or eight days before they arrived!
Seven days? Eight days!? Just thinking about this extremely serious issue made Li Xin break into a cold sweat.
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