Chapter 1047

After the Deputy General's analysis, Song Bo's eyes lit up again.

"Old Shi, you… I really didn't notice that. When we return to the royal capital, how about we become sworn brothers? Although we are indeed a bit older, there are advantages to being old, right?"

The Deputy General clasped his fists and said, "Thanks to the general not despising me, this is an honor for the Deputy General."

"Ah, why say such formal words? It hurts feelings! From now on we'll address each other as brothers—you as the elder brother, me as the younger, disregarding rank and position, only considering age and experience!" Song Bo warmly put his arm around the Deputy General's neck, smiling like a spring breeze, his heart full of joy.

The Deputy General hastily waved his hands, "General, this won't do—how can we ignore rank and status and only consider age? It would be better for me, the Deputy General, to take the younger role in the sworn brotherhood, with you as the elder; age isn't that important."

"That's settled then!" Song Bo cut off the Deputy General's words, "We should first figure out how to get out of here, then talk; don't waste time on these trivial matters."

"Elder brother, does what you just said mean we should just keep looping around and run outward?"

His cry of "elder brother" was extremely smooth, without a hint of hesitation.

The Deputy General, however, listened in a daze, gave a stiff smile at the corner of his mouth, and replied.

"... Yes!"

Song Bo anxiously asked again, "Chen Wuji might pursue, but not in great numbers; when we return to the royal capital, we need to tell the king that, after enduring a grueling struggle and losing troops, we still failed to retain Chen Wuji—is that correct?"

"Yes, but the wording needs to be changed and also elaborated a bit." the Deputy General said, "For example, regarding the battles we fought and how we fought them, the general can expand and complicate our previous battles a little, and that will be about right."

"Moreover, the lost troops must be elite, the general's trusted confidants; when the general speaks, he must remember to appear grief‑stricken, to let the king know they died a heroic death."

"At the same time, the general also needs to chat with the subordinate commanders about these matters."

Song Bo's mouth twitched slightly, his gaze at the Deputy General extremely complex.

This person, he really had been blind before.

If his talent had been discovered earlier, how could he now be merely a commander of ten thousand cavalry?

……

"My lord, the enemy army is fleeing westward, not quickly, but their route's terrain is quite complex, unfavorable for battle." The Scout hurried over and reported the freshly gathered intelligence to Chen Wuji.

At that moment, Chen Wuji had just led his troops to the temporary resting place of Song Bo's unit.

"They surely know our army still has ambushes, and the news of their main force's crushing defeat—let's pursue first and act according to the situation." Chen Wuji muttered, then gave the order.

Chen Li wasn't present, nor were the two Lu elders; regardless of major or minor matters, Chen Wuji could only mutter to himself—Chen Wushuang, that tight‑lipped gourd, could never be expected to say anything.

He couldn't even manage a polite laugh or a perfunctory "uh-huh".

In the Jīnwèi yíng there were still commanders like Chen Xingyuan, but Chen Wuji couldn't transfer them over to stay constantly by his side.

Quickly settling on the next tactics, Chen Wuji followed the fresh footprints left by Song Bo's unit and pursued them all the way; he had this detachment firmly in hand.

After marching about six or seven li, Lu San Ye returned, following the scent.

"Marquis, another great victory!"

Chen Wuji eased his pace, "Did Chen Li already engage the Uyghur central army that quickly?"

"The Uyghur Qili Tribe has moved, which also counts as issuing orders to Chen Shi Yi." Lu San Ye smiled, "Inside‑outside coordination, this battle was fought extremely cleanly and swiftly—over in less than an hour, the fighting ceased."

Chen Wuji glanced at the sun barely hanging over West Mountain, his mouth twitching, "I should have let Uncle Shi Yi go into battle earlier—he fights so relaxed and carefree, yet every day he watches me wear myself out like a grandson, unwilling to offer even a suggestion."

"Marquis, this probably can't be blamed on Chen Shi Yi." Lu San Ye spoke up for Chen Li, "Today's battle was so easy and swift because of favorable timing, terrain, and combined factors—not every battle can be this easy."

Chen Wuji waved his hand and laughed, "I was just saying that on purpose; my Uncle Shi Yi may have profound strategies hidden within, but with me he is especially cautious—he isn't unwilling, just overly careful."

"Perhaps it's also to indulge me, deliberately restraining his own thoughts in the past. But honestly, I fight cautiously because my skills are lacking; I must stay steady, or I fear I'll capsize in a ditch."

Lu San Ye nodded with a smile, "Your words hit the nail on the head, Marquis. Today I saw Chen Shi Yi deploy troops; he doesn't seem to like conventional tactics, preferring instead to be unrestrained and to strike obliquely with the sword."

"With this battle, I don't see how he could avoid it anymore!"

It's been almost three years; he finally managed to get Chen Li to this position, which wasn't easy either.

"What's next?" Chen Wuji asked.

Lu San Ye took out his pipe, slowly tamping the tobacco, and said, "The Qili Tribe delivered cattle, sheep, warhorses, and prisoners; when I returned, both sides were cleaning up the battlefield, peacefully."

"The Uyghurs never prepared civilian laborers; those we earlier saw posing as civilians were actually Uyghur soldiers, only about a thousand. However, we captured many in this battle—over ten thousand."

Chen Wuji wasn't greatly surprised by this, "They never intended to honestly trade with us—how could they really prepare those things? The number of cattle and sheep is surely incomplete, and the warhorses likely have issues as well."

"But it's enough; this battle brought a rich harvest, and I'm not that greedy. With this battle, the Uyghurs' arrogance can be dampened somewhat, and it also gives Lao Yang and Kong Fang the chance to cause trouble in the Uyghur heartland—three birds with one stone, quite perfect."

"Did we catch those two biggest fish?"

Lu San Ye lit his pipe, smacked his lips and shook his head, "That's rather unfortunate—I and the elder brother personally led men in pursuit for a stretch, but couldn't catch up. The Uyghur left general himself is a master; he brought his elite troops to cover the retreat, and the Crown Prince also had a few masters guarding the rear—I killed several, yet still couldn't overtake them!"

"Indeed, it's a pity—if we could have both princes and the left general in hand, the sense of achievement would be great." Chen Wuji said, "I suppose it's also that I happened to capture Li Qichen, which gave this lot a heads‑up; we'll look for another chance later."

"Marquis, although you haven't yet set foot in Uyghur territory, the Uyghurs' vitality is already greatly damaged; whether we captured people or not isn't that crucial." Lu San Ye chuckled, "From now on, with the Qili Tribe's traitor, plus Yang Pojun and Kong Fang, there's enough to make the Uyghur Royal Court drink a pot."