"Troops, hear my command," Ye Shikai shouted.
"Those with elderly parents at ho without anyone to support them, step forward."
"Those with wives but no children at ho, step forward."
"Only sons, step forward."
When Ye Shikai finished speaking, one or two hundred soldiers stepped forward. After this battle, nearly half of the cavalry were killed or injured. Ye Shikai didn’t want them all to die here. Although losing so many at once would make it impossible to maintain the structure of the cavalry, he had no regrets at all. So many soldiers from Heyang County died on the frontier; he couldn’t let them all perish here.
"Is there anyone else?" Ye Shikai asked again. There were a total of 176 people. In fact, Ye Shikai did not have data on these individuals. Even if they lied, no one could verify it, relying fundantally on the soldiers’ conscience.
"Alright, you people go back and pack your clothes. If other soldiers have letters to send ho, help them deliver them on your way back," Ye Shikai looked at these soldiers, fatigue and dejection reflected in their eyes. They were about to return to their longed-for holand, yet found it hard to be excited. Many of their brothers remained on the battlefield, and who knew life and death? If they simply returned ho, how would they answer when the elders in their village asked? Probably... they wouldn’t be able to face the question.
"You don’t need to bear too much psychological burden; once you return ho, rest well, and assure your family and village elders of your safety."
This ti, Ye Shikai was a great help to General ng. With this favor, even though he was still just a Chiliarch, many officers naturally showed him respect. General ng readily agreed to his request, and soon, these soldiers headed south to return ho.
Not long after, General ng’s award arrived. Ye Shikai and Shangguan Jian were promoted to Military Marquis, while Han Hao was promoted to Colonel. All three had risen in rank under Han Hao. Of course, their soldiers also received rewards based on their military rits. General ng valued Ye Shikai greatly, granting him and his subordinates extra rewards, boosting morale. Originally, they were rely garrison troops from the counties; however, they fought so remarkable battles, with performance and fighting strength matching those of seasoned guards. This astonished Han Hao, and it was undoubtedly linked to Ye Shikai’s decisions.
These days, everyone stayed at the Shifeng Fortress, repairing and heightening defenses, alert against the Wolf Clan. But as General ng anticipated, having lost over one hundred thousand people and countless supplies and provisions, the Wolf Clan was incapable of moving south for at least a year or two. The gunpowder sll inside and outside the fortress dissipated considerably. Taking advantage of this rare period of "peaceful" ti, reinforcents from the rear gradually arrived, including fifty thousand Imperial Guards from Xianyang and other garrison troops from various counties. If Ye Shikai guessed correctly, perhaps in more than a month, once the defense stabilizes, they could return ho.
Two weeks later.
"Charge!"
"Charge!"
Ye Shikai watched the cavalry training on the racetrack with great pleasure. General ng kept his promise; the reinforcent troops were dispatched to various fortresses and defense lines, and along with the war horses captured during previous battles, the cavalry was successfully rebuilt, now structured as two thousand strong.
Speaking of which, an ordinary garrison would absolutely not have a cavalry regint of two thousand. This was, of course, deliberate on General ng’s part. During the Ji County battle, Ye Shikai’s cavalry made significant contributions, thus earning General ng’s special trust in him.
"Wan Qi Yuan, how are things going?" In this battle, Wan Qi Yuan commanded skillfully and personally killed thirty-three Wolf Clan mbers, thus was promoted to Five Hundred Master. Certainly, appointing a forr Wolf Clan prisoner as a Qin Army officer faced considerable opposition, but Ye Shikai firmly stood against it. Therefore, he had Wan Qi Yuan registered as a Qin citizen, making him practically one of Qin.
"Report to the Military Marquis, training is proceeding rigorously, but everything is going smoothly. Most of the new recruits are northern people familiar with horses, training isn’t difficult," Wan Qi Yuan continued, "Moreover, the two thousand sets of armor and weapons sent by Great General ng have arrived. With this equipnt, the troops are very motivated, all eager to enter battle and fight to the death."
"Very good, having morale is positive, but I hope they can all safely return ho," Ye Shikai personally mounted his horse and trained alongside the cavalry.
..................
Shifeng Fortress is a cold frontier outpost with little entertainnt, certainly not comparable to Ji County. During these tis without war, amidst the tranquility lurks so boredom. Besides training, soldiers are left with nothing but leisure chatting. Even Ye Shikai felt sowhat uninteresting; the cavalry, under the training of Wan Qi Yuan and other Wolf Clan instructors, gradually transford into an elite force.
Finally, a piece of intelligence from Alimu broke this "peaceful" aura.
Thousands of Wolf Clan soldiers established a supply camp fifty miles north of Shifeng Fortress, where they are stationed. It appears preparations are underway for a future counterattack. Their actions are very hidden; without Alimu, this "Wolf Clan rchant," Qin Army would surely be unaware of this military intelligence.
"Ye, what are your thoughts?" Han Hao asked, staring at the map, his brows slightly furrowed.
"The Wolf Clan won’t give up easily; naturally, we cannot let them be at ease," Ye Shikai sneered. The situation has dramatically changed, with the Qin Army strong and well-supplied. The Wolf Clan dared to establish a supply station so close, clearly believing Qin Army wouldn’t dare step out of the fortress, aside from safeguarding it, not daring to take the initiative in battle, hence being so ’brazen.’
Ye Shikai was not a glory-seeker who mobilized forces for fa, but his decision to attack this ti was well justified. Supplies are a crucial elent of warfare. Without provisions, an army would not fight but retreat in disgrace. Destroying this supply station would extinguish the Wolf Clan’s hope of counterattacking Shifeng Fortress...
"It seems like your cavalry is about to make its mark," Han Hao smiled slightly, having anticipated Ye Shikai’s response.
"Indeed, training soldiers for a thousand days but using them for a mont, cavalry is highly mobile, allowing for quick battles and decisive victories."
"If that’s the case, Ye, you should set out imdiately."
"Please wait, Lord Han," suddenly, Ye Shikai called out to Han Hao.
"What is it, Ye, do you have other thoughts?"
"The Wolf Clan hasn’t delivered all their supplies to the camp yet. Attacking now might be in vain. It would be better to remain calm and choose a day to depart."
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