Chapter 44

Don't worry, big brother, I'll arrange it right away.

Guan Shan raised his head and drank the liquor in one gulp, then secretly swapped the wine jug.

Immediately afterwards, he went straight away to handle Military Camp affairs.

After Guan Zhen finished training, he came to the stone table drenched in sweat, picked up the wine jug, felt it light in his hand, and stood there stunned.

He immediately began cursing at the departing Guan Shan.

"You damned third brother, you actually drank all of my liquor!"

These liquors are not just liquor; they are spirit liquor brewed from heavenly treasures that can aid in tempering Qi Blood.

After drinking, it not only won't make one drowsy, but will make one more alert, enhancing the effect of tempering Qi Blood.

"Damn it, our parents died early, I raised you with my own blood and sweat, yet you're eyeing my spirit liquor."

Guan Zhen's face darkened, he painfully took out a new bottle of spirit liquor and drank it heartily.

……

Zhong Cheng, the General's Residence.

Compared to the situation at Mu Shan Cheng's General's Residence, the General's Residence in Zhong Cheng of Jian Chi State is shrouded in dark clouds.

Several Bijang and Deputy Generals in the General's Residence lowered their heads, faces grim, silent.

The commanding general Wang Kaisan atop the main seat slammed his palm, shattering the table before him into fragments.

"Zhang Meng, what are you scouts good for?"

"Ben Lang Guo is in the open, you're in the dark, yet you lost over ninety scouts? Damn, you're a bunch of useless gluttons!"

Wang Kaisan pointed at Zhang Meng's nose in the crowd and began cursing.

"The enemy only lost twenty or thirty? That's less than half of our dead!"

"We provide good food and drink for the scouts in the Military Camp, and this is how you repay me?"

"In my view, you don't even need to remain a guerrilla Bijang!"

Zhang Meng, shrinking his neck, shuddered violently, not daring to make a sound.

The other Bijang also couldn't take pleasure in his misfortune, they stepped forward, clasped fists, and spoke in a low voice.

"Please, General, quell your anger."

Wang Kaisan was still seething, he slammed the table.

"I can't be bothered to argue about the scouts; after all, it's enemy territory, we went on the offensive to scout, so losing some is normal."

"Has the terrain map been completed?"

Upon hearing that, Zhang Meng's face turned even paler, he spoke in a trembling voice barely audible to himself.

"No…… not yet……"

Bang!

Wang Kaisan picked up a broken corner of the table and hurled it at Zhang Meng, instantly causing his head to split and bleed.

"Tell me, what exactly are you good for?"

"Scouts dead in heaps, and the map still isn't finished!"

"The superiors have long assigned the mission: our task is to take Mu Shan Cheng by year's end and claim merit before the Imperial Court. With your efficiency, I'd say not being punished is already lucky."

Facing Wang Kaisan's tirade, everyone below lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

After a while, Wang Kaisan's anger also subsided somewhat.

"There are still three months until New Year; I'll give you at most one more month to finish the map!"

"If after one month I still don't see a complete border defense map of Mu Shan Cheng, you can go to the vanguard camp and be a forward trooper."

Zhang Meng's face darkened.

The four great achievements on the battlefield are: beheading a general, capturing a flag, breaking through formations, and being the first to scale the wall.

Each of them is a life‑risking task!

Even he has no guarantee of surviving after being the first to scale the wall!

"General, I……"

Zhang Meng was about to speak when Wang Kaisan angrily glared at him.

"What 'you'? Get lost, now!"

Zhang Meng, intimidated, shrank his head and could only keep silent.

After the meeting dispersed, Zhang Meng returned to his tent and took out his anger on the scouts.

The scouts were scolded bloody and muttered complaints.

"General, it's not that we're incompetent; it's that Ben Lang Guo had already prepared."

"Elsewhere, we've often clashed covertly with Jian Chi State's scouts, even gaining a slight edge."

"But this area, to us, is like a forbidden zone."

One scout produced a freshly drawn map and drew a circle over a certain region.

"According to our observation, none of the brothers who entered that region have come back alive."

"No one knows what traps lie within; after dozens of brothers died, we dare not venture in again."

Zhang Meng looked at the region on the map and couldn't help but furrow his brow.

After looking a while, he seemed to feel the area somewhat familiar, and turned to a young man beside him.

"Zhao Qin, is this where your Saber-Toothed Pig went missing?"

Zhao Qin clenched his teeth tightly and spoke angrily.

"Exactly, this is the place!"

"Brother-in-law, you must definitely avenge me!"

Zhao Qin was Zhang Meng's brother-in-law; he came here to serve as a scout, solely to earn merit.

The task of beheading generals and capturing flags was too difficult for Zhao Qin; by comparison, serving as a scout drawing maps, as long as he acted carefully, would not involve great danger.

Moreover, Zhao Qin was not acting alone; he was under the protection of several other scouts, merely touring the mountains and waters.

If danger arose, naturally the other scouts would help him resolve it.

But even so, Zhao Qin's saber-toothed pig still died in Ben Lang Guo.

A saber-toothed pig that barely reached two-star rank was not considered especially valuable to Zhang Meng.

But after that, because he worried about his brother-in-law getting into trouble, Zhang Meng forbade Zhao Qin from venturing deep into Ben Lang Guo.

As long as he remained in the outer areas, waiting for the other scouts to finish their tasks would suffice.

At this moment, seeing Zhao Qin's confirmation, Zhang Meng lightly tapped his two fingers twice on the desk.

"This region has a radius exceeding five kilometers; its rugged, complex terrain can accommodate many combat soldiers."

"If there truly are many people lying in ambush inside, and we haven't scouted it clearly, we will just detour around this area."

"Once we are surrounded by the people of Ben Lang Guo in the middle, it's a dead end!"

Having said that, Zhang Meng's gaze swept over the several chief scout team leaders.

"Within ten days, the map must be completed; otherwise, everyone will face military punishment!"

Upon hearing this, several scout team leaders' faces all changed dramatically,

"General, wouldn't ten days be too rushed?"

"Drawing the terrain isn't difficult, but we must carefully investigate it; otherwise, if we overlook something and the enemy deceives us, it will surely cause a great disaster!"

"Then half a month!"

Zhang Meng seemed to have made a great determination, and he spoke in a deep voice,

"Because the scouts have suffered heavy casualties, I have already established a military order with the general; the task must be completed within ten days!"

"I can at most secure half a month's time!"

"I hope you will certainly not disappoint me."

Seeing Zhang Meng so considerate of them, even though several scout team leaders still thought the task was burdensome and hard to complete,

At this moment, no one stood up to object; instead, they each clasped their hands,

"Please rest assured, general; we will surely complete the task on schedule and not betray your trust!"