Chapter Ten: Integration into the Troops

  After Leiming and Yang Tian left, Tong Dashuai was silent for a while, drank the remaining wine in his bowl, and said to the empty tent: "Please ask Mr. Wen and Qin Hao to come over and chat." Then he ordered the guards to prepare the wine table again.

  Before long, the wine table that had been prepared early was brought up, and Mr. Wen and Qin Hao also rushed over. Mr. Wen had a white face with a mustache, wearing coarse gray cloth clothes, dressed as a peasant, but his demeanor was a dusty and elegant attitude; Qin Hao was handsome and determined, with hair tied to his shoulders, wearing a military uniform with a golden bronze sword hanging from his waist, with a hard and upright figure, a typical military posture.

  Qin Hao entered and bowed, saying in a loud voice: "The subordinate general has returned from patrol, everything is fine! I don't know why the subordinate general was summoned here?" Mr. Wen smiled but didn't speak.

  Tong Dashuai hastily got up to greet him, saying: "Vice Commander, you don't have to be so polite, please get up and sit down." He helped Qin Hao up and then stretched out his hand to invite Mr. Wen to sit down, asking: "I wonder what you think of the two young friends?" Mr. Wen smiled and said: "Hasn't the commander already made a decision?"

  "Haha~" Tong Da Shuai stroked his beard and smiled, saying: "With Mr. De's words, Wen Zheng's heart is at ease." Seeing Qin Hao's confusion, he continued: "Let's eat while we chat."

  Then he sat down and roughly told Mr. Wen about the experiences of Lei Meng and Yang Tian before and after joining the army, while Mr. Wen listened in his tent next door with a copper tube.

  Having said that with relish, General Tong was just about to pour a bowl of wine when Mr. Wen hastily stopped him, saying: "General, General! Drinking is bad for your health, why not eat some meat instead?"

  Qin Hao also stood up and said: "The general wants to take his body seriously."

  "Alas!" With a heavy sigh, Tong Dashuai put down his wine bowl and said, "I've lost my appetite." Seeing that the two of them were still worried, he quickly changed the subject and said to Qin Hao, "Deputy Commander has returned from patrol, you must be hungry, hurry up and eat some meat!"

  Qin Hao raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "General, you'd better call me Qin Hao, always calling me Deputy General makes me feel awkward..."

  "Brat! Have you turned against me now that you've been promoted?!" General Tong scolded loudly.

  "No, no. I'm just suggesting..."

  "Haha~" Mr. Wen burst out laughing at this.

  "Mr. Wen must be laughing at me." General Tong said with a smile to Mr. Wen, and then he shouted at Qin Hao who was smiling: "Eat quickly! We'll discuss military affairs later!"

  Qin Hao buried his head and ate painfully...

  As Lei Meng and Yang Tian were brought to a vacant tent near the commander, Yang Tian lay down with his head down and muttered something. The guard said: "Is there anything you need? Please instruct!"

  Lei Meng waved his hand and said, "You go back, we'll take care of things here." Lei Meng waited for the guard to leave, then squatted down to prop up Yang Tian, unfastened his belt, covered him with a coarse hemp quilt, and listened carefully as Yang Tian muttered: Lei Meng, brothers can't go back... sob... I want to kill all those... sob... Brothers can't go back...

  Lei Meng let out a soft sigh, rubbed his forehead, blew out the lamp flame, and sat cross-legged in meditation.

  A peaceful night with nothing out of the ordinary happening.

  The next morning, Yang Tian suddenly shouted: "Ah! My knife!" In the darkness, he turned over and felt for the knife beside him, gasping for breath and breaking out in a cold sweat. It was just a nightmare, Yang Tian thought to himself. Then he smelled the strong smell of wine filling the tent, and Yang Tian couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

  "Ugh, I just dozed off and you woke me up." Lei Meng said weakly.

  The quiet morning was immediately broken by the sound of "hustle and bustle" waking up, the noise getting bigger and bigger, with shouts coming one after another, a new day began.

  "Ah~~," Leimeng sat up and stretched his waist, stood up and said: "Your cry really stirred up a thousand waves. Let's go out and take a look." After finishing, he crawled up in one roll.

  Yang Tian was shocked and muttered: "What does this have to do with me? It's just someone else getting up..."

  The thunder rumbled and the coarse canvas door was blown open, revealing a faint white mist floating outside. The distant mountains were shrouded in a thin veil, evoking endless reveries. Nearby, soldiers in the camp had begun to cook their meals, with the clanging of pots and pans echoing amidst the wispy smoke. Yang Tian slung his bow over his back, grasped his knife, and walked out, his eyes widening as he took in this unfamiliar scene.

  Then, two curious babies slung their bows and knives and wandered around, seeing nothing but soldiers and barracks, without a place to have fun. Just as they were about to walk further away, a guard caught up with them from behind and said respectfully: "Please ask the two young masters to go to the commander's tent for dinner."

  Yang Tian was surprised and also called out to his little brother. He hastily stood on tiptoes and compared heights with Lei Ming, but the two were still about the same height. Rubbing his belly, he heard a rumbling noise. Lei Ming smiled and replied, "Lead the way ahead."

  The guards knew they were formidable and didn't dare make fun of them, so they quickly turned around and led the two to the commander's tent.

  After passing seven or eight camps, they turned two corners and saw Tong Da and two others standing outside the commander's tent, laughing and chatting. One had an elegant demeanor, while the other was robust and heroic. The guards had already left on their own when Lei Ming and the others approached the commander's tent and stood before them.

  Tong Dashuai saw the two of them coming over and burst out laughing, saying: "You two little friends, did you sleep well last night?"

  "It's fine, it's fine." Yang Tian said with satisfaction, and then he and Lei Ming stood up to size up the three people, waiting quietly for Tong Da Shuai to continue.

  "Let me introduce you to these two, this is Mr. Wen, the military advisor of my department." General Tong pointed at Mr. Wen and then at Qin Hao, "This is Vice Commander Qin Hao of my department." Mr. Wen and Qin Hao bowed their hands in greeting, and Lei Ming and Yang Tian also hurriedly returned the bow - these two are high-ranking officials in the army. "Long..." Yang Tian almost shouted out "I've long admired you!", but swallowed it back.

  Everyone looked at Yang Tian with suspicion, and their eyes all focused on him. Yang Tian rubbed his belly and said, "I'm hungry."

  Tong Dashuai burst out laughing and pointed inside the tent, saying: "Please, everyone come in and have a meal."

  Inside the account, the guests and hosts sat down. Lei Meng and Yang Tian sat at the main table on the left, while Mr. Wen and Qin Hao sat at the right. Under the fiery red lanterns, two bowls of congee and two plates of roasted meat were placed on the table.

  Tong Dashuai saw that everyone had sat down and hurriedly said: "Everyone can start eating now."

  The wind rolled up the remaining clouds, and everyone ate their fill quickly. The guards were ordered to clean up. General Tong asked Lei Ming and Yang Tian: "I wonder what positions the two young friends want in the army?"

  Lei Meng cupped his hands and said, "General Tong, it's better if you just call us by our names. Calling 'little friend' sounds awkward." Qin Hao, who was sitting at the other end of the table, couldn't help but snicker when he heard this, and only stopped after giving General Tong a sideways glance.

  Yang Tian also had an idea at this time, stood up and cupped his hands: "General, arrange a vanguard position for me, I want to lead the troops in a fierce battle!"

  "Ah..." Tong Da Shuai pinched his mustache in hesitation.

  Lei Meng lightly kicked Yang Tian, glared at him, and said to Tong Da Shuai: "General, Yang Tian is young and inexperienced in battle. I suggest letting him follow the deputy general. I see that General's guard strength is ordinary, so I'd like to follow you closely."

  Qin Hao listened, his eyes wide with surprise, wanting to see if these two were monsters. Mr. Wen listened, chuckled and nodded, stood up and bowed to the general: "General, Lei...Lei Meng's words are very good."

  Tong Da Shuai stroked his beard and nodded slightly, "Hmmm, Yang Tian, what's your take on this?"

  Yang Tian rubbed his head, and his disheveled short hair became even more disheveled. He replied: "It was my fault. Please let the commander decide."

  "Alright. Hmm, you two have not yet achieved merit and cannot be appointed to a real position, but I can give you an honorary title." Commander Tong sank into thought for a moment, then sternly ordered: "Lei Meng, listen up!"

  "The humble people have arrived!" The pen of thunder stood upright and still.

  "You are appointed as the commander of the Imperial Guard, responsible for leading the Imperial Guard and protecting the Generalissimo at all times!"

  "Yes sir!" Lei Meng cupped his hands and replied in unison as he sat down.

  "Yang Tian, listen to orders!"

  "The common people are here!" Yang Tian stood up straight as well.

  "You will take the lead as Vanguard's deputy, assisting Qin Hao in handling all matters related to Vanguard!"

  "Yes sir!" Yang Tian cupped his hands and sat down with a smile.

  "Haha~, congratulations to General Shuai for getting a good general! Victory is just around the corner!" Mr. Wen stood up in time to congratulate him.

  "That was my blessing in disguise." General Tong sighed, "Alas!" Mr. Wen and Qin Hao remained silent, while Lei Ming and Yang Tian were perplexed, and the atmosphere immediately became subdued. Seeing this, he perked up and instructed, "Qin Hao!"

  "Yes, sir!" Qin Hao replied respectfully.

  "You must protect Yang Tian fully, otherwise I'll skin you alive! Take Yang Tian to meet your subordinates." After Tong Da Shuai's stern words, his tone turned gentle.

  "Yes!" Qin Hao shouted out with a military aura. He then walked up to Yang Tian and said in a relaxed tone, "Let's go, I'll introduce you to everyone."

  Yang Tian excitedly jumped out and followed Qin Hao out of the tent, as the sound of footsteps grew fainter and farther away.

  Inside the tent, after a brief silence, General Tong said: "Mr. Wen, what are your thoughts on our next plan?"

  "With Lei Meng and Yang Tian here, perhaps we can use that strategy." As he spoke, Mr. Wen walked to the commander's desk, pulled out a map scroll, and unrolled it.

  Tong Dashuai beckoned to Lei Meng and said: "Lei Meng, you come over too and take a look."

  Lei Meng hurried over to take a look and found it was a cowhide map, on which were drawn lines, with mountains and rivers, as well as some unrecognized symbols.

  "Sir, we are here," said Mr. Wen, pointing to a circle on the map. "And this is the border defense force of Hua Tian." I plan to send a detachment to launch a surprise attack from the right side at night. When they regroup and counterattack, pretend to be defeated and retreat through this mountain valley. When Hua Tian's army chases into the valley, our ambush troops on both sides will take advantage of the situation and attack. The commander-in-chief leads the central army to charge out of the valley with great fanfare; Hua Tian's army sees that our military strength is great, and their formation is disordered, they must retreat along the original road. Another ambush troop outside the valley waits for them to retreat halfway before attacking again. Hua Tian will surely suffer a great defeat. At that time, we can kill as many as possible, but our army will not pursue, fearing that they will jump over the wall in desperation." After finishing speaking, Mr. Wen laughed with satisfaction at this plan.

  Tong Dashuai also stroked his beard and chuckled: "Now that Yang Tian has joined the vanguard, we should be able to kill a few officers, make them hurt, and let them give chase. The first step of the night raid is now set."

  "Yes. Later when the Central Army broke out, there was thunder and the safety of the commander was also guaranteed." Mr. Wen stroked his beard with great satisfaction.

  Lei Meng's face was speechless, although he couldn't understand the map, but based on Mr. Wen's explanation just now, he also understood how to fight. But unexpectedly, General Tong put his treasure on their two bodies.

  At this point, Lei Meng shook his head and smiled.