Chapter 4: Don't be arrogant when young and successful

  The setting sun was like blood, the endless sunset covered the entire battlefield, after a big battle, it was unclear whether the fresh blood dyed the sky red or the sunset painted the earth. The gunfire had already thinned out, after a whole day of noise, the battlefield at this time seemed unusually quiet.

  It is said that the battlefield can make men mature quickly, whether it's a battle between men and women or a battle between enemies. Cheng Huan was lying alone in a hospital room with thick gauze wrapped all over his body, even he himself couldn't tell how many wounds he had on his body.

  Opening his eyes, Ye Zhiwei pulled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a long-lost smile, and the gloom in his heart before the war gradually dissipated.

  Yes, he had no reason not to be happy. The outcome of the battle had already been changed by him. Just after Ye Zhiwei launched a charge, Ye Zhichao's supporting troops arrived and joined the battlefield. With the timely capture of the opportunity by Nie Shicheng and other old generals, they launched a pincer attack from both sides, defeating two Japanese infantry brigades and an artillery brigade in one fell swoop. This made Little Japan basically lose its ability to fire cannons for a short period of time.

  After the battle, statistics showed that over 1,000 Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded, including two lieutenant colonels and five majors. The heavy casualties on the Japanese side were mainly due to the previous three cannons' powerful shots, which directly hit the Japanese troops. However, with a loss of 800 men, the Qing army was also unable to launch a larger offensive, and both sides entered a stalemate, accumulating energy for an even bigger battle.

  Ye Zhi Kui, despite feeling sore all over his body, struggled to get out of bed. The two personal guards outside the house heard the noise and rushed in to help him up.

  "Ye Shao, you're awake. Do you want to report to General Nie?" The two bodyguards were both in their thirties, and their eyes couldn't hide the respect they felt. After this battle, Ye Zhikui's prestige was unmatched for a time, and being gazed at with moist, affectionate eyes by two big men made even someone as thick-skinned as Ye Zhikui feel overwhelmed.

  Gently patting the shoulders of the two, Ye Zhi Kui said: "It's been tough on you," then shook his head and declined: "No need to trouble General Nie, just take me to the wounded soldiers' camp first."

  Supported by two bodyguards, Ye Zhi Kui slowly approached the wounded soldiers' camp. Before he even entered the door, he heard a loud voice coming from inside.

  "Girl, you don't know, at that time Ye Shao pointed to the little Japanese officer and said to me, Zhao Er Gou, if you don't blow this little Japanese up, tomorrow when we drink and eat meat, there won't be your share. I was anxious, so I patted my chest and replied to Ye Shao, 'Don't worry, Ye Shao, the Qing dynasty's artillery skills, I'm second to none.' Then I glanced at the direction of the little Japanese with one eye, fired a cannon, and immediately knocked down several little Japanese officers. Ye Shao took out his binoculars and looked, then laughed and patted me on the shoulder, saying 'Good! You did a great job, after we win, I'll reward you with a Japanese girl.'"

  "Is that true, Captain Zhao?"

  "Captain Zhao, you're bragging, Ye Shao didn't say he'd reward you with a Japanese girl!"

  As soon as Ye Zhi entered the door, he saw a group of lightly wounded soldiers surrounding Zhao Er Gou, the captain of the artillery company. The other wounded soldiers lying beside him were also listening with rapt attention to Zhao's boasts about his own exploits.

  The slightly injured soldier not far from the door was the first to discover Ye Zhiwei, and before Ye Zhiwei could stop him, the lightly wounded soldier hastily stood up and called out "Young Master Ye". The surrounding wounded soldiers immediately discovered Ye Zhiwei, and Zhao Er Gou stood awkwardly in the crowd, rubbing his hands together.

  Ye Zhi Kui couldn't help but smile wryly, glanced at him and said: "Captain Zhao, I don't have any Japanese girls here, do you want some Korean girls?"

  Get the wounded to sit down, Ye Zhi Kui looked around and saw that this wounded camp was the largest one, with over 300 people filling up the yard. The wounded soldiers were either sitting or lying down, the yard was a bit messy but still clean. Since they had won the battle, the morale of the wounded was not bad.

  Ye Zhi Kui casually found a place to sit down, and continued: "Brothers, I, Ye Mou, would like to thank you all first. I hope that brothers can take good care of their injuries and recover soon, so we can fight side by side again. Those who are seriously injured don't have to worry, I will arrange for your livelihood in the future, and won't let brothers suffer any grievances. The Yongzi Camp will never abandon any brother, we will not give up, nor will we abandon!"

  The wounded soldiers saw Ye Zhiwei ignoring his own injuries to visit them, and were already deeply moved. When they heard Ye Zhiwei's words, they were even more grateful from the bottom of their hearts. People are all made of flesh and blood, and it's clear who is good to whom compared to other battalion officers. They immediately thought of the phrase "die for those who know you". Ye Zhiwei later visited Wu Dashan and other wounded officers, and transferred some of the wounded soldiers to his own courtyard.

  Thanks to Yeh's leadership, it wasn't long before all the uninjured officers had paid a visit to the wounded soldiers' camp, which indirectly made the Qing army pay more attention to the wounded soldiers.

  The Japanese military medical team, several devil officers are surrounding the bedside of Oshima Yoshimasa. Oshima Yoshimasa was not killed by the explosion due to a mistake in the timing of the detonation. However, his left leg is severely injured and although it will not be crippled, he may still be left with aftereffects that will make him lame.

  At this time, Oshima Yoshimasa's eyes were filled with bloodshot, looking gloomy at the documents in his hand, which was actually some basic information about Ye Zhikui. In front of him stood Kōmori Mitsutomo, the head of the Korean intelligence group this time. The thin two-page document was almost torn apart by Oshima Yoshimasa's flipping, and the more he looked at it, the angrier he became. With a sudden slap from Oshima Yoshimasa, Kōmori Mitsutomo nearly fell to the ground with a loud "slap".

  "Eight! You, Shinotsuka, what are you being paid for? The Empire spent a huge amount of money to have you active in Korea, not for you to indulge in food and pleasure. Why is it that there's only this little information on such an important general of the Qing country? If I don't get a detailed report within three days, you, Shinotsuka, will be waiting to face the military court and die for the Empire!"

  Kamio Mitsutane clenched his fists, thinking to himself: It's all because of your arrogance, ōshima Yoshimasa, not taking the Qing army seriously, that led to this defeat. And now you want to shift the blame to our intelligence department? How absurd! Although Kamio was furious, he didn't dare show it, as ōshima was still fuming. He lowered his head and replied: "Yes, General! It's my fault, I'll submit the detailed information on Ye Ziku immediately." Seeing ōshima's anger, the surrounding officers didn't dare make a sound.

  ōshima Yoshimasa found the atmosphere somewhat down, suppressing his anger in his heart, said: "Gentlemen, this time the war is unfavorable, it's just an accident. Moreover, our great Japanese Imperial Army and the Chinese are mutually wounded and not superior to each other. As long as you gentlemen continue to work hard next, I believe that Korea will eventually belong to us, the Chinese will be driven out of the sea, and the Empire will win!"