Chapter 448

Chen Wuji set down the documents in his hand, rose, and tidied Chen Baojia's clothes a bit.

"He's darkened, grown stouter, and ever more like a general."

Chen Wuji's gesture left Chen Baojia flustered, at a loss what to do with his hands and feet.

"Thank... thank you, Commandant, for your cultivation." He stammered.

Since childhood, only his mother would tidy his clothes like this.

Chen Wuji patted Chen Baojia's shoulder, smiling like a spring breeze: "My cultivation played a part, but this is mostly your own effort. Here, in the Chen clan, I have always held one principle: the capable occupy the position!"

Chen Baojia stammered, unable to speak.

He simply didn't know what to say...

After holding it in for a while, he clasped his fists firmly and said in a deep voice: "I, the humble officer, will surely not disappoint the Commandant nor the Family Head; first I will become a good general!"

Chen Li laughed like an old auntie.

"Please sit, please sit, let's talk about what comes next." Chen Wuji waved his hand lightly and was the first to sit down on a chair to the side.

The waiting Licentiate Yuan at the door immediately ran over, picked up the kettle that had been boiling for a while, and served hot tea to Chen Wuji and the two others.

This is the sole thing he needs to do at the xianya nowadays.

"San Shu previously sent people to open the mountain passes leading to Hezhou and marked in detail the strategic points and suitable sites for encampment." Chen Wuji got straight to the point, instructing Chen Baojia.

"Lead the troops ahead first, go to Xishan Village to find San Shu, discuss and obtain the map they drew back then. For this battle, do not use raw recruits; you must select veterans who have fought one or two engagements, choose your personnel, and ensure the defenses of Yunan and Xishan Village are properly arranged."

Chen Baojia sprang up like a spring and responded in a deep voice.

"Speak while seated!"

"Yes!"

Chen Wuji said: "Upon approaching Hezhou, you must conceal the troops and avoid exposure."

"Send a few scouts in disguise to approach Hezhou City, first to scout the surrounding situation and the movements of Hezhou troops, and to establish a camp in the mountain's strategic points, awaiting my arrival."

"Understood? This is what you must do next; no negligence allowed!"

Chen Baojia sprang up again like a spring: "Reporting to the Deputy Commandant, understood."

"Speak while seated, speak while seated."

"Yes!" Chen Baojia, somewhat flustered, forced a stern face.

Chen Wuji then turned to Chen Li and said: "Eleventh Uncle, later arrange a reward for the troops, give everyone a good meal, then prepare to set out for the mountains."

"Yes."

"Alright, that's it; you all hurry up and arrange it."

"Yes!"

Steam still rose from the tea in the bamboo cup as Chen Li and Chen Baojia hurried away.

Licentiate Yuan tidied the items on the desk, then suddenly said to Chen Wuji: "Sir, may I join the army this time? I also want to go to the battlefield, earn military merit, and marry."

Chen Wuji had just sat down at the desk, preparing to continue grinding over the documents; hearing this, he paused his pen and said: "The battlefield is no place for petty skirmishes; you should eat for another two years, grow taller and stronger before speaking."

Perhaps due to childhood hunger, the Yuan brothers' physiques have hardly changed since childhood; they remain as thin as monkeys, and any veteran on the battlefield could knock them flying with a casual bump.

"Sir, I'm not young either. Chen Wangzu is only two years older than me, and now he can lead people to pasture countless cattle and horses in the mountains; I... I also want to earn some prestige for our family." Licentiate Yuan's voice grew softer as he spoke, but his expression remained resolute.

"I know that without Sir giving us brothers a meal, we might have starved to death long ago; I dare not ask for anything else, I merely wish... to request that Sir also grant me a position as a personal guard."

Chen Wuji sensed the persistence in this obstinate youth's words.

Over the past six months, many have died in Xishan Village, while many others have leveraged his rise to gain both wealth and fame, thriving prosperously.

The two brothers have witnessed all of this.

A youth growing like weeds, his most precious quality is likely this unyielding will.

"I'll give you half a day to consider; tell me your answer this afternoon!" Chen Wuji said.

Facing these two brothers, he always feels as if looking into a mirror.

In this life, his starting point is no better than theirs.

If one must compare, the only thing that can be said is that his luck is sufficiently good.

Besides that, there is no difference.

He refuses to lose, and these two brothers are not the type to easily compromise with fate.

Licentiate Yuan did not hurry to reiterate his stance; he gladly accepted.

Chen Wuji raced against time to clear the backlog of documents, then ordered that all forthcoming documents be sent in full to Ningyuan County, to be handled remotely by Qin Feng.

A few days' delay in these documents is no problem, but his upcoming military operations cannot be delayed.

Xu Zengyi had already left without a word.

When he rushes to Guangyuan Prefecture, Chen Wuji's side must also take action to respond.

Afternoon, the Wei hour.

Chen Wuji held a grand banquet for the troops in the city, setting up a flowing feast on the city wall.

One thousand carefully selected veteran soldiers under Chen Baojia, five hundred personal guards, and the five hundred soldiers tasked with defending the city all formed ranks and began the feast.

Meat to fill the belly, wine one jar per table.

Once the banquet ends, the troops must march out; Chen Wuji cannot let these fellows get drunk.

After the feast began, Chen Wuji uttered a couple of meaningless remarks, then grabbed the wine jar and started weaving through the tables, toasting each one down the line; the soldiers gulped theirs down in one go, while he took small sips.

If he didn't do it this way, with two thousand soldiers, if he also gulped his drink in one go, there would be no hope of setting out today.

Perhaps after half his toasts, he'll have to sleep on this city wall.

The soldiers had long grown accustomed to Chen Wuji's unpretentious manner; eating and drinking, they made a ruckus, and even before the battle began, some bold reckless sorts had already prepared to seize a concubine of the Prefect of Hezhou to warm Chen Wuji's bed.

Many more raised their wine bowls, shouting to be the vanguard, begging Chen Wuji to support their families.

No one knows when it happened, but being the vanguard became a label in Chen Wuji's army to verify whether a person is brave; this perhaps ought to start from Qian Fugu's case.

Qian Fugui, this young master, when he first came to the army bearing the commandant's title, aside from the Qian family's retainers, others actually muttered quite a bit behind his back.

Unexpectedly, this young master, shouting "ah" several times as he rushed forward, the muttering behind him turned into "even a pampered young master like him can do this; why can't we?"

Chen Wuji tirelessly mixed with the soldiers, and now he finally seemed to faintly see the four words "united upper and lower".

Holding the wine bowl, Chen Wuji went among the soldiers, taking a couple sips at this table, a sip at that table, and in the blink of an eye he ate his fill; the toasting of the important figures was also drawing to a close.

Near the city tower, Chen Baojia quietly asked Chen Li, "Eleventh Uncle, should we also make a round of toasts?"

"You fool, what are we two going to toast? Don't do this!" Chen Li said solemnly, "The commandant does this for army morale; if we do this, we'd be disloyal."