445 Fu Baoguo’s Woes (1/2)
When Yutang's thirty thousand men of the Steel Cavalry had set out earlier, He Dachui was lying in the snow at the sides of the forest like a lizard, watching in awestruck wonder as the army tore into each other. The devastation that was horrifyingly grand and touching shook He Dachui deeply, swaying his heart and shocking him to the core.
”What good men they are!”
Since that day, He Dachui had praised Yutang's Steel Cavalry highly, admiring and yearning to be as brave as they were.
In fact, there were many times that the deafening roars of Yutang's Steel Cavalry would fill his waking thoughts. He Dachui had even dreamed that he was one of Yutang's Steel Cavalry, braving the battlefield together and bathing in blood with them, with a roar that shook the heaven and intimidated the enemy to no end!
Gradually, there a strange thought began to take shape within He Dachui.
It was a mixture of yearning, passion, and no small amount disdain. He was suddenly thinking, ”If I were to lead my people and help the army fight in the war, will it be as exhilarating and fearless as all the acts of valor I have seen?”
”It shouldn't be too difficult to obtain merit and credit during these times, should it?”
”It would be even better if I were to be made an officer because of this!”
Of course, He Dachui had never mentioned his thoughts to his subordinate brothers.
”Brothers, I want to discuss something with everyone. Now that the country is stricken with war, we are bandits, but we still come from Yutang after all. Now that our homeland is in the depth of trouble, we can't ignore it. I plan to help Marshal Fu when the armies fight again, do you all have any opinion on this? Don't hold back if you don't agree. This is purely flirting with death, so much more dangerous than what we used to do that even I, myself, am a little hesitant about this. I will not hold anything against you if you speak up.”
A few leading members exchanged wary looks for quite a while before someone finally spoke, ”It's a matter of course that Boss thinks this way. We have been drifting along in life anyway and have never really done anything good for our country. Now that the country is facing hard times, it's only our duty to fight for it. Even if we lose our lives, it wouldn't be a waste. It's better than leaving behind the legacy of a bandit after our passing.”
Right after his short speech, everyone began to let known their thoughts as well.
After all, everyone knew their reputation among ordinary citizens. If they could get rid of the bandit hat that was pinned on their heads, it would, of course, be a delightful achievement. More so, they were confident about their capabilities and even felt that they would win against Yutang's Steel Cavalry if it came to a fuel. They had a high chance of leaving unscathed after the war!
He Dachui felt somewhat guilty about his intentions. After all, his mighty plan greatly involved the lives of his brothers as his bargaining chips in exchange for wealth and prosperity.
Besides, how could no one die when it was a war?
In spite of his misgivings, he was thrilled at the bright future that awaited him.
After watching a few small-scale battles, He Dachui came to a conclusion. Yutang's Steel Cavalry and Dongxuan's Shadow Cavalry were not at an advantage at all, in terms of individual standards, compared to his Wolf Bandits; there were plenty of men whose cultivation bases were worse than his brothers. If they had an equal number of men on both sides, his Wolf Bandits would emerge victorious, with overwhelming success.
”What we have to do now is to wait for the right time. Once there's a battle, the similar number of people and combat power will result in a stand-off. When I abruptly add our forces into Yutang's side, it will be the last straw that causes the enemy to crumble. Not only can it win the war for the army easily, the Wolf Bandits' name can be glorified. It might help us take up a spot in Yutang's military!”
”If so, the risk is not to be mentioned at all… This can be done and should be done!”
He Dachui decided swiftly, and drank a good amount of wine with his Wolf Bandits brothers, emptying the last of their supplies rapidly.
…
The day had finally come.
The chance He Dachui was waiting for arrived. Truth be told though, such a chance existed basically every day.
Previously, the Steel Cavalry's breach was already considered a great humiliation by Dongxuan's Shadow Cavalry. They were invested in the art of provocation while standing guard at the Fortress of Resilience every day, galloping like the wind with all sorts of attempts at goading taking pace.
Yutang had won victoriously and its morale was spiking to the highest point. Despite Fu Baoguo's stern control of commands, there were times when they were unable to hold back their zest.
Choosing the moment when Dongxuan's Shadow Cavalry prodded about and lost energy, Fu Baoguo would send a squad of cavalrymen to expend their combat ability. If there was a gain from it, then all the more it would come as a delightful surprise!
Therefore, both sides would battle it out almost every day after that war. The battlefield that they met on had become a crimson red from how much fighting was going on, the ice stained with fresh blood.
On this day, the Shadow Cavalry went to their extremes with their expletives, going over the Steel Cavalry's bottom line. The two troops of cavalrymen, tens of thousands of people each, submitted a letter of blood to ask to fight.
No matter how reluctant Fu Baoguo was, he eventually lifted the ban and ordered Wang Dingguo to personally lead the fight into the Fortress of Resilience.
War against Dongxuan's Shadow Cavalry.