Chapter 66: Chapter 65 Recording Merits Chapter 66: Chapter 65 Recording Merits As dusk neared, the troop stopped again at a river beach.
To avoid another surprise attack, Yang Zhenshan directly ordered the carts to be arranged on the perimeter, forming a temporary camp.
Yang Zhenshan didn’t know that the Northern barbarians were wreaking havoc along the supply route, but having encountered one attack, they naturally prepared to prevent another.
After nightfall, Yang Zhenshan forbid the soldiers and laborers to light fires; everyone drank the cold water prepared during the day and gnawed on hard, dry rations.
Fortunately, it was late June, and the nighttime temperature was relatively high, so even if they had to sleep in the open, everyone could endure it.
The night passed without incident, and at dawn the next day, the troop set out once more.
Had they not been ambushed the day before, they would have reached Fushan City today. But now they had wounded to care for, and it was certain they could not make it to Fushan City today.
The unease in Yang Zhenshan’s heart still hadn’t subsided, but intensified instead.
He originally thought his unease stemmed from that group of Northern barbarians, but now that they had wiped out those barbarians, the strong feeling of unease still remained.
Thus, Yang Zhenshan proceeded with extreme caution on their journey.
The Scouts, such as Yang Chengze, were dispatched ten-plus miles ahead.
Around noon, just as Yang Zhenshan was preparing to let everyone rest for a moment, Yang Chengze surprisingly galloped back.
“Sir, a large number of Cavalry appeared ahead!”
Yang Zhenshan’s whole body shook, and his eyes instantly became sharp.
“How many?”
“Too far to see clearly, but they seem not to be Northern barbarians!” Yang Chengze said gravely.
Yang Zhenshan didn’t hesitate, hurriedly giving the command: “Stop, prepare for battle!”
Whether they were Northern barbarians or not, it was certainly right to prepare for battle.
With the order given, soldiers and laborers efficiently began to set up the Round Formation.
The laborers, already experienced, did not need the direction of Yang Mingwu and Yang Mingzhi and parked the supply wagons on the perimeter.
Yang Zhenshan spurred his horse toward the front, and just as he rode out two miles, he saw a cloud of dust rising over a small earth mound in the distance.
“Not Northern barbarians, it’s the Left Camp!”
He looked at the flying banners and immediately felt a sense of relief.
The Cavalry thundered toward him, and Yang Zhenshan spotted Zhou Lan at the forefront at first glance.
At that moment, Zhou Lan was clad in a shiny gold-lacquered armor with a red tassel atop his helmet and a fiery red cape draped over his shoulders, charging on his horse, his slender frame exuding a warrior’s aura.
“Yang Hundred Households!”
Zhou Lan pulled on the reins, stopping quickly in front of Yang Zhenshan; the hundreds of Cavalry behind her halted, a bit disorderly but clearly displaying their excellent riding skills.
“My lord, I pay my respects to General Zhou!” Yang Zhenshan promptly dismounted and bowed with his fists clasped.
Zhou Lan also dismounted, reached out a hand in a gesture of aid, and asked, “The supply route has suffered the Northern barbarians’ harassment. Have you encountered them?”
“We did, but luckily the attackers weren’t numerous, and we managed to hold them off!” said Yang Zhenshan.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lan’s face showed a touch of surprise.
No wonder she was surprised; the news she had received these past few days were all of Supply Teams being attacked and wiped out; she hadn’t received word of anyone capable of holding off the Northern barbarians.
Not only the Supply Teams but even the Five Camps tasked with guarding the supply route had suffered significant casualties due to the Northern barbarians’ attacks.
At that moment, to suddenly hear that Yang Zhenshan’s group had repelled the Northern barbarians’ attack caused her considerable surprise.
“Where is the grain convoy?” Zhou Lan asked.
“Over there!” Yang Zhenshan pointed toward the distant river beach.
“Let’s go and take a look first!” Zhou Lan got back on her horse and sped toward the river beach.
By the time they reached the river beach, the surprise on Zhou Lan’s face had intensified.
She looked at the groups of war horses, at the heads hanging from their backs, and her surprise turned to shock.
“How many heads did you take?”
“Two hundred eighty-three heads!”
“Did all of you kill them?” Zhou Lan looked at the soldiers and civilians within the Round Formation, somewhat incredulous.
It wasn’t that she underestimated Yang Zhenshan, but such battle achievements were too rare.
The East Sea Hu Clan were universally armed, every member was a formidable hunter from the mountains, raised to hunt and accustomed to blood and life-and-death situations.
In the face of such enemies, even the soldiers of the Five Camps dared not claim they could defeat more with less.
And Zhou Lan knew all too well how many men and Supply Team soldiers were under Yang Zhenshan’s command.
To behead two hundred eighty-three with less than two hundred soldiers was indeed defeating the many with the few.
The civilians were directly ignored by her, not because she didn’t notice them, but based on past experience, the combat capability of civilians could almost be disregarded.
Not to mention combat capability, it would be good enough if they didn’t cause trouble for the soldiers.
But there’s a saying that goes well, a pack of sheep led by a wolf can defeat a pack of wolves led by a sheep.
If the soldiers at the front couldn’t withstand the Northern barbarian cavalry’s onslaught, the civilians behind would naturally become a flock of lambs.
But if the soldiers at the front could hold their ground and also display a fearless courage to fight to the death, then these civilians too would have the spirit and could become a fierce mob.
In that previous battle, the civilians didn’t achieve much, but they had helped Yang Zhenshan and his men a great deal.
Zhou Lan ignored the civilians, but after observing the temporarily arranged Round Formation, she immediately understood how Yang Zhenshan’s men managed to withstand the Northern barbarian’s attack.
Using the supply wagons as obstacles blocked the first wave of the Northern barbarian cavalry’s charge, making the remaining fight relatively easier.
Taking away the speed advantage of the Northern barbarian cavalry, and fighting them dismounted, was indeed a very good strategy.
But didn’t the other Supply Teams know this?
No!
They knew.
But they couldn’t accomplish it.
Because they couldn’t arrange the Round Formation in a short period of time.
This was thanks to the well-trained soldiers of Linguan Castle, who executed commands without hesitation upon a single order.
That was the key.
Otherwise, once chaos ensued, a charge by the Northern barbarian cavalry would scatter the troops, and all that was left would be slaughter.
Zhou Lan’s eyes shone with admiration as she gazed at each spirited soldier.
“Your soldiers here can be called elite troops!”
Yang Zhenshan shook his head slightly, “They are still some distance away from being elite troops!”
Previously, they had never seen blood, so naturally, they couldn’t be considered elite troops. Now they have seen blood, but they still fall short of the elite and brave soldiers Yang Zhenshan envisions in his mind.
The resolve to plunge into battle, to face death without fear!
They have a long way to go.
“Summon someone to record their merit!”
Zhou Lan didn’t argue with Yang Zhenshan, but instead summoned a civil servant from the army to record merit for Yang Zhenshan and his men.
Beheading nearly three hundred heads can be counted as a great achievement.
Defending the supply line could also be accredited.
With just these two contributions, Yang Zhenshan has done enough to merit a promotion.
Zhou Lan had already decided that after this battle, she would promote Yang Zhenshan immediately.
As for what position to promote Yang Zhenshan to, she needed to give it some thought.
She thought of finding an opportunity to mention Yang Zhenshan’s capabilities to Zhang Shouwang, to let Zhang Shouwang also appreciate Yang Zhenshan.
Hearing that Zhou Lan was going to record merit for him, Yang Zhenshan stroked his inch-long goatskin beard and smiled faintly.
Yang Mingwu and the others around him were even more overjoyed, each one wishing they could jump up and cheer.
Fortunately, they still knew that now was not the time to celebrate and suppressed their joy and excitement in their hearts.