Chapter 1357 - 333: Bloody Battle (4)_3

Chapter 1357: Chapter 333: Bloody Battle (4)_3

"However, having him volunteer is quite economical."

"So tomorrow, will it be a true battle to the death?" Lord Zheng continued rubbing his temples.

"Yes, my lord, if tomorrow doesn’t yield miraculous results, then it will likely be a prolonged siege and defense situation."

"Hmm."

At this moment,

the guard at the door reported:

"My lord, Mr. Bei and Mr. Ye request an audience."

Mr. Ye naturally referred to Gou Moli.

Gou Moli was known as Mr. Ye among the people around Zheng Fan. At Lord Zheng’s place, except for Liang Cheng who held a military post and was addressed as General by subordinates, the others were all referred to as Mister.

"Let them in."

Soon,

the blind man and Gou Moli entered the command tent.

Upon entering, the blind man stood to the side, indicating he was there just as company.

Gou Moli directly knelt in front of Lord Zheng,

shouting:

"My lord, tomorrow’s battle is bound to be critical. If we win, East Mountain Fort can be secured once and for all. If we lose, it will be a prolonged tug-of-war;

therefore,

subordinate requests that my lord give me another chance,

tomorrow, I request to have my wild warriors be the first to scale the walls!"

These words demonstrate that a clear understanding of the current battle situation is held not only by Liang Cheng but also by Gou Moli.

In fact, Gou Moli’s strategic vision and tactical capabilities are undeniable; otherwise, the continuous victories against the Situ Family outside Snow Sea Pass would not have occurred.

Lord Zheng set down the small bottle of essential balm, took out his iron box, and pulled out two cigarettes, tossing one to the blind man standing afar.

The cigarette floated through the air and landed steadily between the blind man’s lips.

Lord Zheng chuckled, took a cigarette himself, and then a lit candle floated up from the table, bringing the flame to his face to light the cigarette perfectly.

Liang Cheng pretended not to see this,

if Fanli were here, he would probably say:

"Such a show-off."

Exhaling a smoke ring,

Lord Zheng, holding his cigarette, turned his body slightly and looked at the kneeling king of the wild people below,

slowly said:

"Charging the city will cost many lives."

Gou Moli lifted his head, grinned,

and said:

"I beg my lord to give this subordinate a chance to die. Someone must go up in the first wave. There’s no need for skilled coordination or individual prowess,

all that’s needed is,

the courage to face death without fear."

Lord Zheng squinted his eyes, tapped off some ash, and said:

"Alright."

"Thank you, my lord, for granting this!"

......

The command chariot was again pulled out of the camp, only this time, it stopped not far outside the military camp.

Lord Zheng, donned in golden armor, stood atop it, with A Ming on his left and the Sword Saint on his right.

Below the command chariot was an escort of guards led personally by Gao Yi.

Beside the command chariot, a railing held a flag with the character "Zheng", and a purple longbow was also tied there.

In wars throughout history, except for cases of overwhelming superiority, most battles were fought over morale.

To reduce the opponent’s morale as much as possible reflects the level of a commander, yet safeguarding and boosting one’s own morale is a fundamental duty of a commander.

Lord Zheng did not like wearing this gold armor,

nor did he favor the overly bright longbow,

but to soothe the troops,

he had to stand boldly here today, allowing the soldiers, auxiliary troops, and laborers under his command to see him.

As expected, when the first batch of regular troops passed by the command chariot out of the camp, the spirit and morale of the soldiers visibly lifted.

The auxiliary troops and laborers followed suit.

Because no matter what, Zheng Fan was the backbone, the mascot, of this army. Though the term may sound like a playful tag from another time and space’s modern world, in this era, the main general of an army is the spirit binding everyone together.

Gongsun Zhi led the troops over. After dismounting, he led his entourage of guards and voluntarily approached the command chariot, kneeling on one knee.

Hundreds of guards behind followed suit, kneeling together.

"This subordinate greets my lord. May my lord enjoy peace and health!"

Standing on the command chariot, Lord Zheng held his sword in his left hand and raised his right hand slightly, saying:

"General Gongsun, please rise."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Gongsun Zhi stood up, as did the guards behind him, except for one young boy in armor beside Gongsun Zhi who remained kneeling, appearing to be just over ten years old.

In fact, Lord Zheng had noticed him earlier, for no other reason than that his figure was overly conspicuous among the fierce and imposing guards.

Gongsun Zhi pointed to the boy still kneeling on the ground and said:

"My lord, this is my son, Gongsun Zhen."

"Gongsun Zhen greets Lord Pingye. May Lord Pingye enjoy peace and health."

After speaking, the young boy kowtowed three more times.

This gesture carried a different meaning.

It surpassed the respect customary between officer and subordinate, as well as the usual courtesy extended to uncles and seniors.

Gongsun Zhen, originally named Li Zhen.

Below the Earl of North Border’s mansion earl, out of seven chief soldiers, six were adopted sons who all took the surname Li, including Li Fusheng.

Li Fusheng’s original surname was Guo.

This adopted son system had a profound and widespread impact throughout Yan State, especially within the military.

But for someone like Li Fusheng, his children could revert to the surname Guo, as for the adopted sons in the military, it was merely a symbol of unity within the army.

Yet Li Bao was different. Li Bao was an orphan with no original surname of his own, so he bore the surname Li.

Gongsun Zhi, originally one of these adopted sons, changed his name to Li Zhi, and was later taken as a son-in-law, thus his son’s original name was Li Zhen.