Chapter 3: On Top of the Ox Cart

  Xí Bīn was chatting with his two deputy generals, Jīng Lín and Lǚ Qiān, inside the carriage. He heard the continuous cheers outside the ox cart, and ā Chóu repeatedly forbade it three times without stopping, wanting to go out and see his troops. Jīng Lín and Lǚ Qiān were afraid he would catch a cold, and persuaded him tirelessly, but Xí Bīn knew that at this moment, morale was crucial. Moreover, he also wanted to take a look with his own eyes how much capital he had left, so he insisted on going out.

  The two deputy generals had no choice but to wrap him tightly in a quilt, wrapping him up like a silkworm cocoon. Then, Jinglin, Lü Qian, and his personal bodyguards, Ah Chou and Zai Chou, carefully carried him out.

  As soon as Xi Bin Fu appeared, the cheers stopped abruptly, and the soldiers surrounding the cow cart fell silent. All eyes were on him. After a moment of silence, all the soldiers knelt down on one knee, giving him the most solemn military salute, shouting loudly: "See the young master!"

  Xí Bīn scanned the surroundings, based on the military knowledge he had grasped from Qìng Jì. He estimated that there were more than 2,000 troops still by his side. At first, Qìng Jì had dispatched an army of 15,000 men, and Xí Bīn's heart felt a pang of sorrow.

  Jing Lin saw the expression on his face and whispered, "Young Master, our warships were surrounded by Ji Guang's naval forces. At that time, you were unconscious, so in the urgency of the moment, we had no choice but to take you ashore and escape, and even the soldiers couldn't all be brought out."

  However, it was nighttime then, and Ji Guang couldn't annihilate our army. I believe a large number of troops escaped, only temporarily scattered. Once they learn that the prince is still alive, they will definitely rush to meet him."

  Xi Bin nodded silently, knowing that this remnant of defeated soldiers needed him to hold them together. He had to give these people confidence and courage, not despair. If the commander-in-chief hung his head in defeat, it would have a magnifying effect on the soldiers, and once their morale was gone, everything would be lost.

  To say, the original Xi Bin was just a drama group's drama officer, and he didn't necessarily have this kind of commanding ability. However, he had completely merged with Qing Yi's memories and knowledge, relying on his own experiences and Qing Yi's knowledge to handle interpersonal relationships in a more proper manner.

  He ordered the soldiers to stand up, looking at this army that belonged to him, a faint smile appeared on his face. Some of the soldiers had no weapons, some had no armor, and they were called an army, but their current equipment was not much stronger than a group of bandits. However, their spirit was absolutely like that of seasoned veterans who had been through hundreds of battles.

  Xī Bīn comforted himself: "The morale of the soldiers is still usable, this is the most important thing!"

  He leaned into the embrace of the thorny forest, raised his voice and said: "Brothers, don't be discouraged. This battle is not a crime of war. Ji Guang is a petty person who only understands the tricks of assassination, if it were a real battle between two armies, would I, a seasoned soldier, be his opponent? If I don't perish today, Ji Guang should be the one crying!"

  Xí Bīn's voice was not loud, he said a sentence, and Jīng Lín and Lǚ Qiān loudly repeated it to the soldiers. Xí Bīn did some ideological mobilization work, and finally said: "Since Qìng Jì is not dead, he will definitely be able to lead everyone to rise again and restore the State of Wu!"

  Jinglin and Lü Qian led the chant: "Heaven blesses Qingji! Heaven blesses Qingji!"

  Xí Bīn's words were powerful and sonorous, greatly boosting the morale of the troops. After finishing his speech, Xí Bīn was slightly out of breath, he signaled to Jīng Lín and the others to help him sit down, and asked in a low voice: "Where are we now?"

  Jinglin and Lü Qian both knelt beside him, Jinglin replied in a low voice: "Young master, we have now passed through the town of Zeng in the state of Lu. Originally, we should take the road back to the state of Wei, but the young master's injury is too severe. We are worried that the hardships of traveling by boat and carriage will be unpredictable, so we want to go to the capital city of Lu, Qufu, where there are famous doctors to treat the young master's injuries."

  Xī Bīn thought to himself about the over two thousand soldiers who had been defeated, and slightly shook his head: "We... were defeated so miserably, how come many people even lost their weapons and armor?"

  Lü Qiān's face turned red, a bit embarrassed: "Young master, this... isn't because we lost the battle. It's just that when we abandoned our boats and landed, we didn't bring many valuables with us. Now that we're taking refuge within the borders of Lu, we can't take things by force, so we have to exchange armor and weapons for food..."

  At this point, Jinglin also felt embarrassed and lowered his head.

  In that era, various countries did not have many standing armies. Once war broke out, they would mobilize people from each household according to the military register, and the soldiers would bring their own weapons, armor, and food. The army's equipment was well-made, so if it were sold, there would be a big market for it, and the price wouldn't be low either. However, with too many mouths to feed, that's why many soldiers are now in tattered uniforms.

  Xí Bīn listened and also found it difficult, thinking for a moment before shaking his head: "This won't do, the road back to Wei Guo is still long. My injuries are not healed, and I'm moving slowly. If the whole army follows me, who knows when we'll be able to return to Wei Guo? You two quickly get the entire army in order, leave 200 people with me, and take the rest of the troops back to Wei Guo's Ai City immediately."

  "What?" Jinglin and Lü Qian were shocked: "Young master, how can we put our minds at ease if you abandon us? This is absolutely impossible..."

  Xue Bin said solemnly, "Nonsense! If the State of Lu wants to harm us, what can these two thousand defeated soldiers do? Do you think I want you to hurry back just because I'm worried that these two thousand people won't have enough food and clothing on the road? Ai City is our foundation. If we don't return for a long time, people's hearts will scatter. When we return, Ai City will become an empty city. Only if our foundation is not lost can we make a comeback. You have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders, this is a top priority."

  He took a deep breath and continued, "Besides, bringing two thousand disheveled soldiers would only make the people of Lu look down on me. Listen to my orders, quickly take the men back to Ai City, I will go to Qufu, recover from my injuries, and at the same time, interact with the people of Lu, perhaps I can persuade them to lend us a helping hand."

  The common people of this era refer to officials rather than ordinary people. Many ordinary people didn't even have surnames yet.

  Jinglin and Lü Qian exchanged a glance and said in unison: "Alright, I'll stay by the young master's side and let him return."

  The two of them finished speaking and glared at each other simultaneously.

  Xue Bin furrowed his brow and said, "You all go back. Without you holding down Ai City, how can I feel at ease? We are currently within the borders of Lu Country, and with two hundred soldiers guarding me, it's enough to ensure my safety."

  "Your Highness..."

  Lv Qian still wanted to say more, but Xi Bin solemnly said: "This is a military order!"

  Jinglin and Lü Qian hesitated for a moment before reluctantly clasping their hands together in respect and saying: "Yes!"

  Jing Lin suddenly thought of something and hastily reported: "Young Master, when we were in Teng County, we heard some rumors that Gongzi Yun and Zhuo Yong are still alive. They have escaped to Chu State now. Ji Guang is also searching for their whereabouts."

  What is left over after covering up?

  Xi Bin was stunned for a moment, and then remembered that these two people were the younger brothers of Qing Ji's mother, Wu Wang Ji Liang. When they conquered Chu, they shared military power with Qing Ji. Ji Guang was originally fighting in Chu, but he used the tactic of "borrowing a tiger to leave the mountain" to lure Qing Ji and the two princes into Chu, then used the excuse of being injured to return to his country for recuperation, taking the opportunity to assassinate Wu Wang and usurp the throne.

  With the news of these two men, Xi Bin was overjoyed. These two men had long been in charge of the military power in Wu State and were well-respected by the people. They were also loyal to his father, King Ji Liang. Ji Guang slaughtered their entire family, and these two princes were now allies with him against a common enemy. When the Chu army counterattacked earlier, the three of them had hastily retreated separately, thinking they had already died. Unexpectedly, they had actually gone to attack Chu but ended up seeking refuge in Chu State to save their lives.

  Xí Bīn immediately said: "Immediately send someone to Chu State to find out their whereabouts and bring them back to Aicheng."

  Jing Lin said, "I heard that Wu Yun (Zi Xu) also sent someone to Chu State to find them and wanted to eliminate them completely. The two princes are now unknown to be under whose protection, it's probably very difficult to find them."

  "Wu Zixu..."

  Xī Bīn let out a cold laugh. This famous revenge god in history had always been recorded as a loyal minister, but the current Xī Bīn knew what kind of despicable things he had done. Wú Zǐ Xū's family was exterminated by the King of Chǔ, and he escaped to the State of Wú like a stray dog from a funeral home. It was his 'father', King Wu Jiǎng of Wú, who took him in and gave him an official position.

  Wu Zixu was eager to borrow the troops of King Wu of Wu to avenge his revenge against Chu, but King Wu Jizha, who was also fighting against Chu, considered that his own strength was not strong enough, so he could not meet Wu Zixu's request: attacking the capital of Chu and destroying the king of Chu. Because of this, he forgot his kindness and turned to join the ambitious Ji Guang, helping Ji Guang to plot and assassinate King Jizha with a hired assassin.

  This person only has one thought in his heart, which is to avenge. As long as avenging the family feud requires it, he can call you "big brother" with great enthusiasm today and kill you with one knife tomorrow. Xi Bin is now like Qing Ji, with different stances, so of course, there's no good feeling towards him.

  He thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to find them, so let them come find me. Send some people to the State of Chu, disguised as woodcutters and fishermen, spreading the news that this young master is in Wei State's Ai City. When they hear the news, they will definitely come to see me."

  "Yes!" The two people in the thorny forest responded again.

  Xiban relaxed his body and said, "Alright, now you select the soldiers, send some clever ones to Chu State, leave 200 people with me to Qufu, and take the rest back to Aicheng to guard the foundation."

  Jinglin and Lü Qianxu led the way, jumping down from the cattle cart to tidy up the troops, starting to select people and horses.

  Xī Bīn was somewhat tired, so he had ā Chóu and Zài Chóu, the two brothers, carry him back to the vehicle. He propped up his head and listened to the sound of the soldiers' footsteps outside, thinking: "Now that things have come to this, what's there for me, a man who has narrowly escaped with my life, to worry about? I might as well go all out! In the past, when the Red Army retreated to Sān Wān for reorganization, we had only over 700 people. Now, no matter how you look at it, I have over 2,000 troops. Can't this small spark of mine ignite a prairie fire?"