Chapter 1711: Chapter 1711: Birthday

Beyond Daokou Gully lies Changhe Prefecture.

Between Changhe Prefecture and Long’an Prefecture, there are four county towns. Mu County, Cunning County, Gaoshui County, and Shuohe County, these four county towns were previously occupied by the Rong people.

Tie He, while passing through these counties, ordered his troops to retreat together.

If they didn’t retreat, when the tens of thousands of soldiers led by Xu You came to kill, the thousand Rong soldiers left in the four county towns would be utterly defeated.

This was convenient for Xu You, who regained the four county towns without a fight.

"Great General, the Rong bandits’ Heavenly Khan has already stationed troops inside Daokou Gully, and the peak is full of archers of the bandit Rong. Our men are tired, and we fear we cannot conquer them." Troop Commander Lang said, "Inside Daokou Gully there remains a noble General, whose camp has abundant herbs and food. All transported from Changhe Prefecture, the wheels have carved deep ruts in the road."

It seems the Rong bandits have been continuously transporting supplies from Changhe Prefecture to this place.

Troop Commander Lang is Xu You’s confidant Reconnoitre Troop Commander; in such battles directing tens of thousands of troops, General Xu usually entrusts him with scouting tasks.

Lang Troop Commander is quite capable, managing to gather so much intel just by arriving two hours earlier.

Having reached Daokou Gully, Xu You is satisfied, and orders: "Transmit to the whole army, all Generals are to plant flags, mark territory, set up camp, and rest in batches, no noise, no chaos, no running around privately; violators will be executed."

"Yes!" Lang Troop Commander immediately relayed the order to the scouts, six-tenths of whom rode out at a gallop, waving order flags while shouting: "General Xu’s order, all Generals are to plant flags, mark territory, set up camp, rest in batches, no noise, no chaos, no running around privately; violators will be executed!"

Tens of thousands of troops with no end in sight; the reconnoitre soldiers rode for about an hour in all directions until every soldier heard the order.

The soldiers excitedly shouted: "Rest, setting up camp for rest!"

If they didn’t rest now, they’d be exhausted to death.

The Troop Commanders and Company Commanders shouted at their soldiers: "Shut up, General Xu said no noise! Are you deaf? Quiet down, hurry up and grab territories to set up camp, dawdle and you’ll sleep on the worst land!"

Though Generals were planting flags to mark off territories to set up camp, with tens of thousands of troops, and over ten thousand soldiers under each General, if they don’t seize spots, they’ll end up on the roughest, hole-ridden ground.

"Yes, grab territories to camp quickly, get a good spot to sleep well!"

All soldiers began to move.

But Xu You’s thirty thousand personal soldiers didn’t move and instead remained in formation near the camp, guarding against sudden attacks by the Rong bandits during camp setup.

...

Vice General Ma found Qin San Lang and his group, saying with a smile, "You’ve worked hard, come to our place to set up camp."

Qin San Lang and his group came from He’an Prefecture and didn’t have an immediate General or Vice General, but General Xu had taken a liking to him, noting that Niu Dabao and others were also good; he had instructed Vice General Ma to invite Qin San Lang and his group, including those who traveled west for the campaign against the Rong, to Ma’s encampment.

"This is a great fortune, everyone hurry and follow Vice General Ma!" Company Commander Jin was overjoyed. Vice General Ma is a confidant of General Xu; camping with him guarantees visits from General Xu, and though one may not necessarily climb the ranks, the benefits are undoubtedly plentiful.

Company Commander Hu and Guo Daming also felt good about it; being associated with Vice General Ma means convenience in the main camp, without being bullied for being Southern Soldiers by the Northern Generals.

Company Commander Cao prefers General Dai.

General Dai is afraid of death and won’t be in the forefront during battles, allowing his men to relax and rely on him for many resources from the Ministry of War.

But Company Commander Cao dared not speak; Kid Qin bears grudges, and ever since his one mistake, Qin San Lang has treated him coolly, unlike his treatment of Niu Dabao, Xie Cheng, and Zhang Yan.

However, Qin San Lang is a capable fighter and has a wealthy, resourceful wife. As everyone came from He’an Prefecture, experiencing life-threatening events, sticking with him is the best before securing General Dai’s favor.

Qin San Lang bowed to Vice General Ma: "Low Level General obeys orders."

He immediately instructed Zhang Tu to hold the flag and gather the troops.

Vice General Ma was pleased; Kid Qin, despite his merits, didn’t act arrogantly and continued to show them respect.

"Let’s go." Vice General Ma, with his personal soldiers leading, followed by Qin San Lang and his group, marched to a site marked with the flag bearing Ma’s name, crossing half the camp.

The flag stood tall, visible from a distance.

Vice General Ma pointed to a plot to the right: "Set up your camp here and decide how to divide this land among yourselves."

The discussion was needed, but Qin San Lang had earned the most merit and held various medicines; the Company Commanders along with Chief Commanders Tang and Lao looked to him for leadership.

Vice General Ma was pleased—Kid Qin indeed had the ability to command subordinates, managing to have the older Company Commanders and Chief Commanders listen to him.

Qin San Lang was quick to divide the camping spots among the Company Commanders and Chief Commanders, facing no objection.

Interestingly, he placed Company Commander Cao’s camp right in the middle.

Vice General Ma smiled... it was known that Company Commander Cao was calculating, having evaded on a crucial night during Bandit Ding Ge’s attack; such a person should be centrally located for monitoring, ensuring his actions were visible to all.

Vice General Ma smiled upon seeing this. After Qin San Lang finished dividing the land, he said, "I will ensure you receive the materials due to you. Rest well; there might be tasks tonight."

After speaking, he tossed Qin San Lang a token bearing Ma’s name.

Qin San Lang caught it: "Thank you, Vice General Ma."

With Vice General Ma’s token, he could move freely within the camp encompassing tens of thousands.

Vice General Ma waved and departed with his personal soldiers.

After Vice General Ma left, Qin San Lang shouted: "Set up tents, camp!"

"Yes!" Everyone quickly unpacked tents, and after an hour of bustling, they finally set them up, establishing a place of refuge.

Niu Dabao, utterly exhausted, laid down on the straw-covered ground: "Damn it, finally able to rest; if we were to charge and fight the Rong bandits now, I’m afraid I’d drop dead from exhaustion!"

He’s old and can’t keep up with San Lang and the others.

Niu Sanjin chuckled: "Dad, General Xu would never be so foolish; the army is exhausted, rushing into battle now would be courting death."

Niu Sanjin, typically loud-voiced, spoke in a weary tone now.

Niu Erjin, injured, lay silent, asleep on the ground while Niu Dajin tended to his wounds.

"Use the Insect Attractant on your brother to lure out the bugs." Niu Dabao instructed his soldiers on the ground: "You too, don’t be lazy, take out your Insect Attractant to lure bugs away, or you risk poisonous insects invading your brain."

"Understood~" The soldiers responded weakly.

Qin San Lang also had Zhang Tu deliver Insect Attractant to each Company Commander and Chief Commander, instructing everyone to use the medicine first, eat some dry rations, and sleep immediately.

His wife Xiao Yu advised, too much exhaustion without sleep could lead to sudden death.

Thinking of Xiao Yu made Qin San Lang’s stern face soften; he wondered if she was doing well in Xing’an Prefecture? Gaining weight? Pregnant? Facing grievances?

Was she angry that she missed his twentieth birthday?

Indeed, June 15th had passed, marking his twentieth birthday.

He originally wanted to celebrate with her and they’d been privately planning for a long time, but when his birthday arrived, he was out fighting.

As Qin San Lang pondered these thoughts, he desired to see Gu Jinli increasingly but was too tired, faced with too many tasks. Watching the soldiers complete their insect expulsion with only a few managing to draw out poisonous insects, he finally succumbed to sleep.

He was awakened by the sound of a copper gong in the evening; General Xu’s reconnoitre soldiers delivered the message across the camp: "General Xu’s command, from now, dig canals in batches overnight, to nourish poisonous insects with long canals and prevent the Rong bandits from stepping out of Daokou Gully!"

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