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墨書 Inktalez
The Zhao Army, which intended to enter Lightwolf Fortress to investigate the supply issues, indeed did not enter the city. Over a thousand soldiers set up camp outside the city. The mountain breeze at night carried a hint of coolness, alleviating the heat of the day.
A campfire was necessary, not for warmth but for illumination. The lanterns around the campsite and on the city walls swayed in the wind, resembling will-o'-the-wisps in the wild.
This time, the soldiers indulged in meat, enjoying a feast that was a rare treat for them. However, it soon led to stomach troubles, and they lamented their fate of eating coarse food. It wasn't that the soldiers had weak stomachs; rather, they were unaccustomed to rich food after a long period of eating only coarse grains. Their stomachs had adapted to digesting rough rations, so a sudden feast would inevitably cause digestive issues!
Sima Shang was not exempt from this common knowledge; he returned to the campfire while adjusting his belt and grumbling. He was astonished to see Li Mu reading by the firelight and felt a deep admiration. Usually, he never saw this classmate sneak any food—how did Li Mu avoid stomach issues? Logically speaking, his Mess Hall was quite good, far superior to that of the soldiers. As a Sergeant, his rations were not much better than those of ordinary soldiers.
"Li Mu! Don't you feel anything?"
Hearing an old friend's voice, Li Mu quickly put down his bamboo slip and stood to salute. "Greetings, General! I feel fine; what's wrong?"
Sima Shang had no intention of discussing that matter further; he gestured for Li Mu to sit down and talk. He had a question lingering in his mind but had temporarily set it aside due to the feast. Now that they were full and satisfied, it was time to discuss serious matters. "I want to know why we are not entering the city."
Li Mu glanced at the lanterns on the city wall and shook his head with a smile. "Are you suggesting we should rush in while they open the city gates?"
Was that even a question? With General Lian Po leading them away in haste, they had not brought ladders or climbing tools. The simplest way to enter the city now was to charge through the gates.
Li Mu looked up at the starry sky and suddenly became lost in thought. Human hearts seemed like countless stars—simple yet incredibly complex.
Sima Shang followed his gaze toward the Big Dipper and shook his head with a smile. War was indeed strange; it always liked to surprise people. One would expect that after hastily entering during winter, they would immediately engage upon seeing each other. Yet now, with hundreds of thousands of troops face-to-face, everyone suddenly held their ground! If they had known it would be like this, wouldn’t it have been better to meet again after spring?
"It truly is strange! We are busy fortifying our defenses as part of an old tradition. Coincidentally, the Qin Army is also reinforcing their walls alongside us. Are they planning to divide the Shangdang Region? Or do they have other intentions?"
Li Mu snapped out of his thoughts and gazed at the flickering flames. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you remember the major incident that happened in the Qin State a year ago?"
Upon hearing this, Sima Shang was taken aback. With war on the horizon, how did this lead back to the Qin State? What major incident occurred a year ago? As he pondered, he felt a spark of realization. "Are you referring to the Crown Prince Incident?"
Li Mu snorted and sighed, "I don't know what our Sovereign is thinking! Engaging in such an unjust war! The Qin State's reckless advance into Shangdang County is already against reason!"
Sima Shang looked at Li Mu, who was gritting his teeth, and quickly glanced around to ensure no one else was present. He whispered, "You dare say that! With your temper, you've suffered enough already; can't you change it a bit?"
Li Mu didn't care at all and coldly huffed. "We're in the middle of a war! Do you think we came all this way to play house? Hundreds of thousands of troops are here; it could lead to total annihilation!"
Sima Shang hurriedly covered Li Mu's mouth and said apologetically, "I've lost my mind again! I shouldn't have brought that up! Can we talk about something else?"
Li Mu nodded in understanding and let out a long sigh when Sima Shang released his hand. The key to dealing with enemies lies in being pragmatic. Harsh words can save many lives. What good does it do to speak flowery language? It could cost countless lives! Deep down, he knew these were not words a junior officer should say. So he changed the subject and avoided discussing domestic matters.
"If I'm not mistaken, the start of this war is not as simple as the outside world claims. King Zhao of Qin must have received some information through certain channels that the culprit behind the Crown Prince of Qin's incident is hiding in Shangdang County!"
As long as they didn't discuss major domestic issues, anything could be said! Sima Shang was also secretly surprised by this statement; the army should focus on its own affairs without dragging in unrelated murder cases. However, with this topic arising, it would be a lingering worry if they didn't clarify it!
"Could it be that coincidental? King Zhao of Qin is not someone who disregards the bigger picture; how could he recklessly send the main force of the Qin Army into such a dire situation? This is his capital; if he truly depletes it, it will be hard to recover."
Li Mu nodded. "His Chancellor, Zhang Lu, doesn't care about the bigger picture; he's someone who seeks revenge for even minor grievances. Back then, when Wei Kingdom sent Envoy Xu Jia to negotiate peace with Qin State, their personal feud led to a failed negotiation. Zhang Lu disregarded national interests and took personal revenge against Wei Kingdom's envoy Xu Jia. Didn't he realize that Xu Jia's identity at that time was no longer just himself but representing Wei Kingdom's Sovereign? With someone like Zhang Lu beside King Zhao who lacks perspective, it's not surprising for him to make unexpected moves!"
Sima Shang had heard about these matters as well. After all, Wei Kingdom's Chancellor Wei Qi fled after learning about this incident and even sought refuge in Zhao State. However, King Zhao feared Qin State's power and didn't dare to take him in, yet news of Wei Qi's visit to Zhao State spread widely. The information regarding Zhang Lu came from Wei Qi himself. And Zhang Lu was not his real name but Fan Ju!
"If what you say is true, why doesn't the Qin State directly raise a banner to declare that this military action is to punish the one who killed the Crown Prince? In that case, no country would send troops to aid Shangdang."
"The waters here are actually very deep, deep enough to drown anyone who dares to jump in!" Li Mu said, pulling out a chicken leg from behind him, taking a bite and chewing slowly. "Hmm! The taste is really good! The only ones who can't be drowned are the fish, yet they will die because they can't resist the temptation of bait!"
Sima Shang leaned over to look behind Li Mu, confirming that there was no chicken hidden back there. "The purpose of the Qin Army recklessly invading Shangdang County is to lure our Zhao State!?"
Li Xin smacked his lips, shook his head, and sighed, "We are actually walking into a trap! I'm afraid we won't even be able to find any allied forces afterward! If it comes to that, the Qin State can comfortably sit on the Fishing Platform and watch the fish take the bait! Truly a matter of fate! They clearly aimed to catch a small shrimp but unexpectedly encountered a big fish that isn't afraid of death!"
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