Chapter 369

After Hongfa Monk left Falling Wind Pavilion, Chen Wuji and the others also didn't linger any longer; they quickly took a detour and rushed to Xiao Jia Ji, while Yang Tiejiang and Xu Zengyi still brought their retainers there.

"Right, I forgot something—where's my horse? Did those bastards take it all away?" Having gone halfway, Chen Wuji suddenly asked Qin Zhanhong beside him.

This time heading back everything was rushed in a hurry, so much that Chen Wuji completely forgot to ask about the cattle, sheep, and horses that had pained him countless times.

Marching all the way, at this point his soles started to hurt, and only then did he suddenly remember.

If they had warhorses, they would have already reached Xiao Jia Ji by now.

"They've gone into the mountains." Qin Zhanhong said.

"Chen Bushi is such a miser—how could he possibly give all those cattle, sheep, and warhorses away to the enemy for free? The day after you sent out troops, the first thing he transferred was those warhorses."

Chen Wuji's eyebrows shot up with relief: "Good, good, otherwise I'd be heartbroken to death. In the Lingnan Six Commanderies, gathering this many warhorses isn't easy. But how did I not notice them in the mountains?"

So many cattle, sheep, and warhorses should be quite conspicuous.

"You took the mountain path yesterday too—how could you have driven all those cattle, sheep, and warhorses through there?" Qin Zhanhong said, "It seems they were sent over to Elephant Trunk Ridge; I'm not sure exactly where."

"Those warhorses were driven out from there, so driving them back would be easier."

"Then that's good!" A shadow lifted from Chen Wuji's heart.

He knew leaving Chen Bushi and Chen Luozi behind was absolutely the right move.

This arrangement truly puts one at ease.

Qin Zhanhong edged closer to Chen Wuji, saying, "Actually, I think you shouldn't treat the warhorses as so precious; you should bring them out now and let the troops practice in actual combat!"

"Even if some are lost, training them would be absolutely fast; in a short time you could scrape together a cavalry unit barely able to fight. Since the enemy are all infantry, having a cavalry would give you a great advantage."

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "What you say does make some sense, but I can't afford that loss."

"If you let the soldiers practice horsemanship on the battlefield, the losses wouldn't just be the horses but also the soldiers. Who knows—before the battle even starts, my men might die under hooves; then, if we lose the fight, the soldiers die and the horses still have to be returned to their owners."

Qin Zhanhong glanced askance, a touch of displeasure and annoyance in his voice: "Do I sound that stupid? Certainly only a small part—I meant training the cavalry by letting those who can already ride practice; you think I'm telling those who can't ride to just grab a horse and charge into battle?"

"You think all horses are as docile as me, and that even if you force‑ride them they'll still eagerly keep letting you ride? That's a nice thought."

Chen Wuji's pupils instantly shook.

What a lousy road—how can you even drive on this?

"No, let's keep talking about horses!" Chen Wuji said, giving a light cough.

There are people nearby; it's not proper to discuss this in broad daylight.

Qin Zhanhong rolled his eyes, "I was talking about horses, wasn't I?"

"Yes, yes, yes—the horses are gentle, I love them, I wish I could ride every day!" Chen Wuji lowered his voice so the clan troops and personal guards ahead and behind wouldn't hear.

Qin Zhanhong pursed his lips and smiled lightly, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

"Your subordinates couldn't possibly fail to muster a couple hundred who can ride, right?" She finally brought the topic back to warhorses in earnest.

Chen Wuji shook his head, "I'm not sure; we'll need to look into it."

After the warhorses were rounded up, the Chen clan troops gave them a try—only a handful could ride, pitifully few.

The current generation of the Chen family has lived a miserable life; few have ever had contact with horses.

As for the others, Chen Wuji has no idea.

Among the Qian family's retainers and the old veterans under Yang Tiejiang's command, there should be some who can be pulled out.

If we could really muster a few dozen to a hundred people, Qin Zhanhong's suggestion could actually work.

Even a cavalry of just a few dozen could play a big role on such a battlefield.

Before Chen Wuji even arrived at Xiao Jia Ji, Yang Tiejiang and Xu Zengyi had already come ahead.

They met Chen Wuji's party at a point about five or six li from Xiao Jia Ji.

"Commandant!"

Xu Zengyi and Yang Tiejiang, et al., clasped their fists in salute.

"Nothing happened, right?" Chen Wuji asked immediately.

"Actually, there is a bit of an issue." Xu Zengyi said.

The scout yesterday discovered a small enemy force active north of Xiao Jia Ji; this morning Wu Bu Yong and Qian Fugui each requested orders, so I let them go; the engagement is minor, should be no problem.

The scout also couldn't make out the names of the surrounding villages, but from reconnaissance he found there was roughly a regiment's worth of troops, scattered into several groups, currently pillaging the nearby villages.

These villages had already been swept clean once before, but many people had hidden in the mountains; they yesterday killed a Revolving Horse Spear.

Chen Wuji gave a light laugh, "Mr. Xu remains as steady as ever. It's just a regiment of enemy troops, and they're split into several groups, yet you sent those two of them forward; if I were worried something would happen, then from now on we shouldn't fight at all."

Xu Zengyi, when mentioning this, just shook his head, "I also wanted to send only one of them, but both of them insisted on going; I got a headache from their nagging, so I let them go together."

"Wu Bu Yong used to be someone who didn't contend or grab, but today he seems possessed by Qian Fugui, insisting on contending, arguing stubbornly. He also said the commandant favors the Chen Clan Troops, I favor Qian Fugui, and that the people of Tianchi Pass are like stepchildren; what can I say about that?"

Chen Wuji looked bewildered, "When have I ever favored our Chen Clan Troops?"

"Under heavy rewards there must be brave men!" Xu Zengyi shook his head with a sigh.

"You put the Chen Clan Troops at the front, supposedly to lead by example and set a standard for the army, but I still think you're playing imperial mind games; damn, really, this is embarrassing to say— who the damn could think they believe you put the Chen Clan Troops at the front just to gain more military merit and earn more silver? This, this makes no sense at all."

Moreover, after chatting with them today I discovered something truly terrifying: whether it's the Provincial Troops of Tianchi Pass or the Qian Family's farmhands, every single one of them isn't afraid of death, and they even look forward to dying!

"It's utterly unreasonable, you know? They actually look forward to earning your silver by dying in battle!"

Chen Wuji became even more bewildered.

"Tsk, shouldn't it be that one earns more by staying alive?"

He understands the matter of earning silver; that was exactly the result he wanted when he first set it up.

But why has the path gone so awry?

Staying alive not only lets one earn silver, but also gain promotion and hold power.

Why do they keep thinking about dying in battle?

Xu Zengyi looked speechless, "I also want to say that, I also want to know why."