Chapter 960

Scout's information arrived even faster than Qian Fugui's review.

At the time when the sky was about to darken but not yet dark, the scout sent out early in the morning came back dusty and weary, and at the same time brought back news that Chen Wuji had not expected.

She Wengui had actually long abandoned his Old Stronghold and vanished without a trace.

The mountain range where he once stationed troops had at some point been burned into a barren plain, and some trees that were not completely burned to death had already sprouted new branches from their roots.

Scorched trees need at least a month to regrow branches.

Based on the length of the branches described by the scout, She Wengui must have left that mountain range at least three months ago; this is the most conservative estimate, and with a broader range it could be half a year.

"This person needs to be watched!"

Chen Wuji sat on a folding stool, basking in the evening breeze, and muttered to himself.

She Wengui and Lin Mao ming have essential differences; the differences are clear-cut everywhere.

Although both are among the four great generals, they are two completely different ways of handling affairs.

Chen Li stood like a weathered wooden post, motionless beside Chen Wuji, saying, "The arrangement by Snake Staff Old Man must have another purpose; I really can't figure out what else he could be aiming for—could it be to seize other places? Guiling Xian is just his smokescreen to deceive people, and the real blade is She Wengui?"

Chen Wuji clapped his hands, "Shi Yi Shu, don't say that—I just thought of this too; this might be the most likely possibility."

"Lin Mao ming and company look incapable of success no matter how you see it—they coerce civilians into the army and control them with A Furong; in Guiling Xian they can rely on the terrain and play hide-and-seek with Qian Fugui, but if they leave that rugged homeland of Guiling Xian, any unit would surely crush them into the ground."

"I think I've figured it out—Snake Staff Old Man is using Lin Mao ming and company to build momentum for She Wengui." Chen Li's eyes lit up, "These abnormal actions of She Wengui are fundamentally to win popular support!"

"A unit that only plunders the rich, harms no ordinary commoner, and even gives money and grain to the poor—even if it originates from bandits, in the people's eyes it will be a righteous army."

"Especially when Guiling Xian's north has someone as heinous as Lin Mao ming, She Wengui's protection and relief for the southern populace become all the more precious, surely letting the panic-stricken common folk see hope."

Chen Wuji's teeth almost itched with anger, "That must be it—Snake Staff Old Man's usual trick is nothing but manipulating hearts! They aim to besiege cities and seize the world; they can't rely forever on A Furong to control hearts, they must also take the path of winning popular support."

"Once we clarify She Wengui's exact whereabouts, his purpose will also become clear."

At that moment, Yuan Jinshi, holding an iron spoon, came trotting over from afar, "Sir, can we have chicken tonight? We've caught a few wild chickens."

"You guys seem to have good luck today!" Chen Wuji laughed.

Since the Yuan Clan joined the army, Chen Wuji's meals have markedly improved, basically doing away with the three standard field rations of raw, cold, and hard.

No matter how hurried the march, these two brothers always manage to rustle up a hot meal for Chen Wuji, though Chen Wuji doesn't always eat like that; often he eats the same as the soldiers.

In this era, there are two absolute bugs to winning the soldiers' absolute loyalty.

First, sharing weal and woe with clear rewards and punishments; second, calling out each soldier's name.

The second is difficult for Chen Wuji to carry out; his mind simply isn't large enough to hold the names of 200,000 soldiers, so he has to settle for other things, like acting as a matchmaker for the soldiers, writing marriage contracts, family letters, and so on.

Many people envy Chen Wuji's training method, thinking he possesses the Chen family's ancestral military arts.

But no one would think that Chen Wuji's training method is hidden in those actions that others look down on and scoff at when they hear about them.

Yuan Jinshi gave a somewhat embarrassed smile, "Sir, today's luck really is good; Licentiate Yuan, just entering the mountains, shot two lovey-dovey wild pheasants."

Chen Wuji burst out laughing, "Licentiate Yuan, you're so ruthless—not even sparing those lovey-dovey wild pheasants—what a promising young man, destined for great things."

"Perhaps Licentiate Yuan is missing his wife and can't bear to see such affectionate pheasants." Yuan Jinshi grinned, "Besides, that pheasant is pretty stupid—it doesn't fly much when it sees people, far less clever than the wild pheasants elsewhere."

These two brothers have followed Chen Wuji for so long; though not saying they're exceptionally clever, they certainly won't let Chen Wuji's words fall to the ground.

Chen Li chuckled teasingly, "Family Head, this kid seems to be missing his wife."

"You little brat, worrying about a wife—wait a couple more years." Chen Wuji laughed and scolded, "Presented Scholar, let me tell you, you and Licentiate Yuan, at your age, you must absolutely not hang around with Qian Fugui that scoundrel. If you damage your primordial yang at this age, you'll never recover it in this lifetime."

Yuan Jinshi blushed slightly and stammered, "Sir, we don't dare; General Qian doesn't take us either."

"As long as you two know what's in your hearts, that's fine. Now get busy." Chen Wuji said.

"... Yes!"

Chen Li watched Yuan Jinshi leave, then suddenly asked, "Family Head, are you giving up on steering them toward a commander's path?"

"For now just let them hang out like this; they're physically weak and young, not really suited for the battlefield." Chen Wuji said, "These two lads have plenty of grit and perseverance, but their frail builds are a serious liability—not even mentioning they could be brave and skilled generals, even a slap from me could send them flying."

"No matter how superb their martial skills, their bodies are a serious flaw; let's wait two more years to see. Having suffered great hardship in youth, it can't be made up quickly."

Yuan Jinshi and Licentiate Yuan had repeatedly volunteered before, but Chen Wuji didn't want to overly undermine their confidence, so he assigned them to follow along in the army for a while; the fact proves they really aren't up to it.

These two brothers are quite loyal, and moreover have a fierce ruthlessness toward enemies and even harsher toward themselves; their noses are quite sharp on the battlefield, but their frail builds are a major drawback.

Without a sound physique, not to mention fighting in war, they can't even endure long marches.

"They might need a better doctor to look at them; it's been over two years, and their builds seem hardly changed from two years ago." Chen Li said.

"The difference really isn't big, but seeing a doctor isn't necessary; just let them recuperate a bit more and there should be a change." Chen Wuji said, glancing at the sliver of sunset on the hilltop, "Send someone to urge Qian Fugui that dog to bring over the self-criticism."