With rely two thousand soldiers, wanting to charge into the camp of tens of thousands of the Wolf Clan is like pouring a glass of water onto a pile of firewood; before the attack on the enemy even starts, they would be "annihilated" by tens of thousands. Moreover, most of these two thousand are infantry, with only three hundred cavalry, compared to the Wolf Clan which is almost entirely composed of cavalry, a sneak attack is like using one’s weaknesses to attack the enemy’s strengths.
"Then what should we do? Even the intelligence we gathered will be in vain." Shangguan Jian was quite unwilling. If he were given thirty thousand troops, he would certainly lead them directly to the Wolf Clan’s camp. Should he manage to kill or capture the leading figures of the Wolf Clan, he would gain titles and ranks. More importantly, it would bring a swift end to this battle, possibly reducing the sacrifice of several tens of thousands of soldiers, and sparing tens of thousands of civilians from the ravages of war.
"It’s not necessarily so; if we can hand this map to the Great General, perhaps it would be effective." Ye Shikai murmured as he looked at the map.
"Are you referring to Great General ng Tian?"
"Yes, only he can mobilize all the troops at the border. Without his consent, this plan cannot be carried out." Ye Shikai replied.
"Old Ye, are you mad about attempting this? Do you know who Great General ng Tian is?" Shangguan Jian nearly reached out to feel Ye Shikai’s forehead. As a general of the Qin Dynasty, his background stems from the General’s family; both his grandfather and father were renowned generals of the Qin Dynasty, brilliant with many battle achievents during the conquest of the Six States. Besides quelling internal rebellion, the ng family has repeatedly resisted invasions from foreign enemies, and now ng Tian has gained great favor with Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Given the current military rank of Shangguan Jian and Ye Shikai, it’s impossible to even gain access to ng Tian.
"Of course, he’s a Great General; naturally, he will lead troops to counter the invasion of the Wolf Clan. I reckon he has already arrived at the frontline of the Great Wall." Ye Shikai answered.
"Do you actually believe that based on our ranks, we could et him in person, and that he would adopt our map as you suggest? Perhaps he’d even take us for lunatics." Shangguan Jian was rather frustrated; how could a Great General who commands hundreds of thousands of troops possibly heed the advice of rely a Hundred Generals and a village chief?
"That is indeed true, but we have no choice." Ye Shikai tucked the map away again. According to the plan, they would send these won to the nearest village for the Three Elders to settle them down. Frankly, Ye Shikai couldn’t guarantee the accuracy of this intelligence. The Wolf Clan is born and dies on horseback, highly maneuverable. If the terrain is flat, covering six hundred miles a day isn’t impossible, allowing them to charge three thousand miles in five days, potentially making the map information "distorted." Of course, the Wolf Clan may stay put; otherwise, if they advanced at full speed in these five days, there would be major movents on the frontline.
"Anyway, having this information is better than having none, right?" Ye Shikai stored the map in his bag. According to the won’s oral account, the Wolf Clan’s position should be to the northwest. If mory serves, it’s an area of high mountains without any Great Wall built. Ji County, however, is directly north; if the Wolf Clan were to cross these high mountains, they could bypass the defense line and head straight for Ji County, advancing uninterruptedly.
"It seems we need to accelerate our journey." Ye Shikai looked at the pouring rain in hopes that these worries were unfounded...
........................
After several more days of marching, the rain neither intensified nor waned. They proceeded in the rain, and every day so soldiers inevitably fell ill. Luckily, after three days, the sky finally cleared, lest even the weapons might rust from the rainwater. At this ti, the troops were less than a hundred miles from Ji County.
"Village chief, many troops are gathering here." As they approached Ji County, garrison troops from several counties were also assembling there.
"Indeed, given it’s a major battle, it’s the mobilization of national resources. The more soldiers there are, the more civilians and conscripts there are behind the scenes, transporting rations and military tools. I’ve heard they’re still building this Chidao, there should be many conscripts engaged in road construction." Ye Shikai said casually. After rushing these days, they finally arrived here, yet unsure of what’s ahead.
"Village chief, why do so people have armor different from ours?" Man Cang scanned the surroundings. On the road, several incoming troops varied from several thousand to a few hundred, they seed to be garrison troops from various counties summoned to reinforce the frontline.
"They should be from southern counties, as garrison troops, it’s normal to have so differences in equipnt." Shangguan Jian explained from the side. Ultimately, the frontier defense troops are the elite of the Qin Army, whereas the county garrison troops mainly deal with bandits, hence their equipnt wasn’t as robust, many warriors without armor simply wore thick cloth making cloth armor.
"Enough talk, let’s keep moving." Ye Shikai led the team forward, slowly reaching the gates of Ji County.
"These city walls... Are way too high and so thick." Though Man Cang was a seasoned Wei Wu Zuo veteran, he seed like an uninford child upon leaving He Nei County.
"Ji County was once the capital of the Yan State and adjacent to Wolf Clan territory; naturally, the city walls are tall and mighty." Ye Shikai viewed the walls closely; they were being heightened and thickened, indicating an unavoidable major battle.
"Ji County is also the main base now, all military commands originate here." Shangguan Jian added.
"Dismount, everyone." At this mont, a few gate guard soldiers ca over, in refined, quality armor, wielding weapons appearing brand new, likely the latest armants, comparatively, the weapons of these two thousand soldiers were "lackluster."
"Who are you?"
"He Nei County, Heyang County garrison troops, ordered to support the frontline. Commandant Han Hao ordered us two thousand troops to proceed first; he will personally escort military rations soon." Shangguan Jian explained and presented the military order.
"Alright, in you go." The soldier scrutinized the military order before allowing them to enter the city; warti differs from peaceti, caution was imperative.
"Village chief, did you see the weapons of those gate guard soldiers? They’re even more advanced than what I had in the Wei Wu Zuo." Inside the city, Man Cang exclaid excitedly.
"Certainly, the Qin Army’s equipnt is advanced; besides, weapon forging techniques have improved over these years. Take for instance the crossbow, Qin Army’s crossbows allow single-handed arrow loading with extended range."
"Will we also have such weapons?" Man Cang asked eagerly.
"We should, indeed, since deploynt hasn’t started yet, logistics take precedence, Ji County is now a granary and arsenal; here we should obtain new weapons."
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