839 A Detour (1/2)
”Try to think what King Rizhu will do.”
This remark of the Second Consort's had been echoing through Liman's ears this whole time, leaving him heavily perturbed. ”I'll go to the front and take a look. You stay here and don't do anything reckless. Be prepared for a fight. Just in case.”
Suspicion gleamed in the eyes of the four companions sent by Duodun. Then one of them said, ”There's nothing to look at. Do you not believe the scouts' report, or do you not believe… His Highness's judgement?”
Duodun didn't trust Liman, and this had also spread to his companions. The four people felt that they were more like supervisors than the Commander-in-chief's helpers.
Liman pointed the horsewhip in front of him, where the air was filled with dust and sand. ”The visibility's poor. It doesn't hurt to be prudent.”
”Liman, you don't believe in the Second Consort's speculation, do you?” A companion vigilantly watched this Commander-in-chief as he continued to say, ”This is a test of our loyalty. His Highness has made it very clear. Don't be a fence sitter.”
Suppressing his anger, Liman coldly replied, ”This has nothing to do with loyalty. His Highness put me in command of over 40,000 troops, and I have to be responsible for all of them.”
”But you first have to be responsible for His Highness,” another companion said in an even colder tone. ”There are over 100,000 men in the Naihang Tribe. Can you convince them all just by yourself?”
”Liman, I know that you're eager to regain His Highness's favor. However, you shouldn't vie with us for credit in this way. You're the Commander-in-chief, so you should be the last one to take risks. Otherwise, what's the point of His Highness sending us here?”
The four people no longer tried to hide their suspicions, but Liman calmed down in this hostile environment. ”I hope that I'm wrong. How about this? I'll divide the 40,000 cavalrymen into four contingents, and each of you can take one. The four contingents shall depart one by one, and I'll go with the first one.”
Right in front of Liman, Duodun's four companions started consulting with each other in a low voice, speculating about his true intentions. In the end, one of them said, ”Fine. But you have to go with the last contingent. Anyone can do the scouting work, and it doesn't necessarily have to be you.”
”You're the Commander-in-chief, so of course you should stay in the rear,” another one said in support of the first speaker.
After watching these four people for quite a while, Liman nodded. ”Fine. The four contingents shouldn't stay too close to each other either. If anything unusual — ”
”You're not the only one who knows how to lead an army and fight,” a companion said disdainfully. He immediately selected a 10,000-men army to be the first contingent and departed.
The 10,000 cavalrymen were in a formation that stretched towards the two wings, like a fragile giant fishing net moving towards hundreds of thousands of wriggling fish. Liman wanted to remind him, but controlled his urges in the end.
The second 10,000-men army departed without Liman's order, and they were only an arrow's range away from the first contingent. If they rode a little faster, the two contingents would actually join up.
Liman still remained silent. When the third companion also intended to order the army to depart in a hurry, Liman grabbed his arm. ”Wait. It's been a long time since the last time a scout came back and reported to us.”
”So what? The scouts must have seen the armies, so they probably think that it's no longer necessary to send messages back to us.” The companion shook off Liman's hand forcefully.
”Scouts are in no place to make such a decision.”
”Then they must have encountered the first two contingents and reported the messages to them.”
Liman was still worried as he said, ”There's no harm in waiting a little longer.”
”If we wait a little longer, then they will take all of the credit.” The third companion gave an order to the Captain regardless of Liman and the third contingent started advancing forward in a snake-like formation.
This third 10,000-men army was still within their sights, but the fourth companion urged, ”Let's go. You see? Everything's still fine. Zhesu's just an uneducated peasant. What kind of plots can he possibly come up with?”
Enduring the companion's offensive words at his father, Liman recalled the Second Consort's warning once again. Zhesu was indeed more brave than wise, and he was not good at conspiracies. However, he was unfallibly loyal to the old King Rizhu and regarded every remark he had ever said as an inviolable order.
King Rizhu had been the only Norland lord who bore a surname of an outsider. What had he done during the fierce fight for the throne? At that time, Liman himself was serving in King Rizhu's armies and he had seen, with his own eyes, that King Rizhu had sat on the fence the whole time, profiting from all sides. It was not until King Rizhu had died that Liman had finally learned that the one designated by King Rizhu to be Khan was actually the twelve-year-old Shulitu.
”If Luoluo's army attacks the Naihang Tribe and they're really willing to surrender, then the 30,000 men ahead will be enough. If there's a trap, then I hope to save these 10,000 plus cavalrymen for His Highness.” Liman ultimately decided to have the fourth contingent stay behind.
The companion became exasperated. It was already unlucky enough for him to lead the last contingent. If he stayed here, then it was very likely that not only would he miss the opportunity to make a contribution, but that he would also be punished. ”What are you talking about, Liman? Do you really think that His Highness designated you to be Commander-in-chief because he trusts you? He did it because you're from the Naihang Tribe, and because you're Zhesu's son. What's your true purpose behind delaying the army from going to the front? To persuade them into surrendering?”
”You forgot that it was me who wanted to lead the way, and that it was you who originally refused to let me,” Liman replied calmly, becoming more and more certain that something had gone wrong.
The companion blushed. ”This tactic is called 'letting the enemy off in order to catch him later.' Yes, I know what kind of trick you're trying to play. You deliberately…”
Liman turned and faced the last contingent's Captain and said, ”I'm still the Commander-in-chief of the Left Corps.”
”Yes,” the Captain answered respectfully. He merely intended to fulfill his obligation and wanted no part in the infighting between the cliques around the prince. ”You're still the Commander-in-chief.”
”Make my order known to everyone — all units prepare to fight. Send more scouts to the front line for reconnaissance.”
”Yes.” The Captain had some soldiers spread the order.
The companion found that nobody would come to his support and that just he himself was unable to counterbalance Liman's authority. Feeling humiliated and annoyed, he got on his horse and rode forward, planning to go to the front by himself. However, he soon returned, and as he passed by Liman, he resentfully said, ”I'm going back to meet with His Highness right now. Enjoy your power while you're still the Commander-in-chief, because soon, you won't be.”
Liman nodded, but didn't say anything. He believed that, as the Commander-in-chief, he was empowered to adjust Prince Duodun's order accordingly.
The first few batch of scouts soon came back, but they didn't have any special news. The one who had been the farthest had even heard the yelling from the battleground, and it seemed that the Naihang Tribe was having an intense battle with Luoluo's army.
A herald came from the rear and rode directly to Liman's horse, gravely reporting, ”Here's an order from His Highness — Commander-in-chief Liman shall lead the army and advance immediately without any delay.”
The Captain looked at the young Commander-in-chief sympathetically.