Finest Servant

Chapter 310

Chapter 310 Military Exercise on the Battlefield

"The road has been paved? How exactly was it paved?" Lin Wanrong asked in confusion.

An Biru gave him a glance, laughed softly, and said, "You're smart at times, yet muddled at others. Why would I stick my neck out today if not for you?"

Lin Wanrong chuckled, his eyes wandering over her figure, "Sister, are you talking about your affair with Prince Cheng? He's your sweetheart, isn't he? How does this relate to paving the way for me?"

An Biru giggled, shot him a coquettish glance, and chided, "Indeed, he is my sweetheart. Little Brother, could it be that you're jealous?"

Jealous, maybe not, but he did feel a touch of discomfort. Seeing a ripe peach being picked by an old monkey, if he felt no frustration, could he even be considered a man?

It seemed that An Biru had seen through his thoughts. A blush crossed her face, a teasing twinkle in her eyes as she chuckled, "Oh, you are indeed jealous. Little Brother, rest assured, while Prince Cheng does covet me, I, An Biru, have roamed for many years and met more men than the number of hairs on your body. How could I let someone take advantage of me so easily? Moreover, the men in this world are mostly fickle and ungrateful. Which of them could be worthy of being my sweetheart?"

Her face was filled with pride; she didn't seem to regard any man in the world. That said, given her beauty, intellect, and demeanor, there were indeed very few men in the world who were worthy of her.

Lin Wanrong chuckled. While there were cases of a jaybird matched with a wolf in this world, there were also plenty of cases of fine flowers wedded to cow dung. With such a high opinion of herself, it was natural she hadn't found a suitable suitor.

"Little Brother, after you crossed paths with Prince Cheng in the peach garden today, discerning people naturally took note. Moreover, you took the credit for annihilating the White Lotus Sect—" An Biru shot a glance at Lin Wanrong, her eyes revealing a trace of resentment, "You are talented and fearless of the powerful, which will certainly make people like Xu Wei value you even more. Your opportunity is about to arrive. The closer you get to the court, the closer you get to my senior sister. My public appearance in front of Prince Cheng will only make her more alert. And you, not only are you Prince Cheng's arch-nemesis, but also a candidate highly recommended by Xu Wei—little rascal, do you understand now?"

So, this vixen had calculated long ago that he would cooperate with her and arranged everything so perfectly. Lin Wanrong laughed, "As you say, but don't forget, the fairy is still wounded by my hand, how could I make peace with her? I'm afraid this plot won't work."

An Biru giggled, her full chest and perky rear subtly trembling. Her curvaceous figure drew an enticing line that made one's heart pound and eyes dazzle.

"Little Brother, you don't know much about these so-called righteous people. My senior sister is regarded as a fairy from heaven, worshiped by thousands, admired by tens of thousands, always advocating for the welfare of the common people and justice in the world. How could she disregard the greater good she has devoted her life to over a petty personal grudge? Wouldn't that make her a laughingstock, tarnishing her reputation? She would never do such a face-losing thing. Even if she's utterly unwilling, as long as you prove your worth, she will have to stand by your side. For the so-called justice and credibility, she'd rather sacrifice others' happiness to maintain her dignity. Compared to this, what do your trivial issues count for?"

"That's true," Lin Wanrong mused, considering An Biru's cunning and free-spirited demeanor. He could imagine what kind of person Fairy Ning, her complete opposite, would be. He was slightly convinced and replied with a laugh, "Let's hope things go as you predict."

"Not only that," An Biru flashed a mischievous smile, "Prince Cheng is already plotting to kill you, and he has personally asked me to handle it. Think about it - what would my Senior Sister do when she finds out that I am openly committing atrocities and killing innocents? Given her 'boundless compassion', what do you think she would do?" Her light veil fluttered, revealing her alluring figure.

"Sister, you look great in this dress. Do you have anything with even less fabric?" Lin Wanrong replied with a smirk. Seeing An Biru slightly smile and a silver glint appearing in her hand, he quickly turned serious, "If Fairy Ning knows you are doing wrong, she will naturally try to stop you. Wait a moment, does this mean she has to protect me even though I injured her?"

"Basically, that's the case. But of course, it depends on your skills," An Biru smiled faintly.

Upon connecting the dots, he realized that An Biru had already planned to publicly appear with Prince Cheng. The cunning of this vixen was not to be underestimated.

"Although I have arranged everything, the charm of my Senior Sister is well-known. Who among men can resist her words, her frowns and smiles? I am still worried that you might betray us. Hence," she paused, a blush coloring her cheeks, her eyes sparkling. She gently licked her lips, an enchanting smile playing on her face, "Now you understand why I dressed this way today, right? You are quite lucky, you naughty boy."

"So, you dressed this way to test me because you're afraid I'll fall for Fairy Ning's beauty trap? If I knew, I would have been bolder, even bolder. How did I do in your test, Sister?" Lin Wanrong said, laughing.

An Biru chuckled, "You did alright. You should know, though, that I haven't even used all my skills yet. Even if I had, they would only be external temptations. My Senior Sister, on the other hand, possesses the real internal allure. Without uttering a word, a smile or frown from her can captivate a man's soul. When that happens and she takes advantage of you, don't say I didn't warn you."

While talking, An Biru lightly stepped to the side of the pool and fetched a clean robe. She draped it over her body, concealing her snow-white skin, yet her enticing figure was still evident. She exuded a different kind of allure.

‘Damn it, this vixen. I wonder if she has other sisters. It would be wonderful if she dressed like this every day to test me.’ With these thoughts, he sighed inwardly, his eyes gleaming with desire.

An Biru tied up her hair, fixed her hairpin and laughed, "That's it for today. It's getting late, and I should leave. If you return home any later, the big beast Xiao in your house will stir."

"The big beast Xiao?" Lin Wanrong was taken aback, then laughed, "Sister, are you leaving already? Sigh, I was hoping to play with you in this spring-filled pool. Why are you leaving so soon?"

"A fellow with a thief's mind but lacking a thief's guts." An Biru softly stated, defining his character. She stood by the large stone, a slight smile gracing her lips. "I won't linger with you any longer. If I stay any longer, I fear I won't be able to leave. So, little brother, wait for me to 'assassinate' you—" With a light tap of her foot, she gracefully took off like a honking goose in flight. Her long skirt swaying lightly, her hair fluttering, she descended and soon disappeared from sight. An Biru had left with such determination, showing no hint of regret. Standing on the cliff, Lin Wanrong stared at the setting sun, a strange feeling welled up in his heart. His relationship with Qingxuan had drawn him into the issues involving An Biru and Fairy Ning, now it was tying him with Prince Cheng and the royal court, which was far from his original plans. Romantic relations had stirred up factional disputes and state affairs, this path was indeed hard to navigate.

—---

When he returned home, the big beast Xiao wasn't there. After inquiring with Madam Song, he learned that Miss Xu had invited the Eldest Miss over for a chat, and they were going to stay at the Xu's residence for the night. This was the first time the Eldest Miss had not returned home for the night since he had known her. Facing the quiet and empty courtyard, he felt a bit lonely. He was used to the Eldest Miss's nagging presence, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable without her around. Recalling the nickname the big beast Xiao, that An Biru had given the Eldest Miss, he felt both amused and warm. Having a strong-willed wife might not be a misfortune after all.

Without the Eldest Miss, he woke up rather early the next day. Sister Song was secretly surprised to see him voluntarily helping in the shop; it seemed that with the Eldest Miss gone, this Lin San had become conscientious. After he had busied himself for a while, he began to wonder when An Biru would come to play the assassination game. Suddenly, he heard a burst of laughter outside. "Young Master Lin, Young Master Lin—"

Rushing out the door, Lin Wanrong saw Hu Bugui, along with Du Xiuyuan, Li Sheng, and even Li Tai's legitimate grandson Li Wuling. They had all come for a visit on horseback. Xu Zhen held the reins of an extra horse, but it was unclear for whom it was intended.

Lin Wanrong greeted them with a smile. "Brother Hu, Brother Du, how did you find time to come here? Please, come inside and sit down. Huan'er, bring tea—go to the Eldest Miss's room and bring last year's new tea. These gentlemen are my sworn brothers; we can't neglect them."

The visitors dismounted. Li Wuling saw Lin Wanrong commanding the scene, hardly acting like a servant. His eyes twinkled, and he chuckled, "Lin San, you're living such a comfortable life at the Xiao residence, even freely entering the Eldest Miss's boudoir. No wonder you didn't want to go to war."

Du Xiuyuan and the others burst into crude laughter. Lin Wanrong chuckled, thinking that he truly didn't consider himself an outsider. When he eventually married both Miss Xiao into his family, the Xiao estate would become the dowry of the Xiao sisters, and the Xiao family would have to change their surname to Lin.

Hu Bugui, a lewd smile on his face, grabbed Lin Wanrong's hand. "General Lin, there's no time for tea. Hurry, follow me—" He barely finished speaking before he pulled Lin Wanrong and started heading out.

Startled, Lin Wanrong asked, "Brother Hu, what is this all about?"

Du Xiuyuan followed, a mysterious smile on his face. "You'll find out soon enough."

Several of them teamed up, nudging him onto the spare horse. Lin Wanrong chuckled, realizing that these rascals had planned to seek him out all along.

Seeing him mount the fine horse, Li Wuling issued a loud command. The small white steed beneath him dashed forward, stirring a cloud of dust as bystanders on both sides of the street swiftly dodged.

"Typical bullies!" Lin Wanrong laughed heartily and spurred his horse to catch up, the rest following closely behind him.

They galloped out of the city gate, traveling over ten miles when they began to hear the clashing of swords in the distance. Lin Wanrong strained his neck to see what was ahead, only to find dust billowing and the shouts of battle echoing. He had no idea what was transpiring.

After another few miles, the sounds of combat grew louder and more intense. Li Wuling's face was lit with excitement, he urged his horse faster, vanishing in a rush.

"General Lin, look!" Hu Bugui, who had been following behind Lin Wanrong, pushed his horse forward to ride alongside him and pointed towards the scene ahead, smiling.

Following his direction, Lin Wanrong saw a vast battlefield extending beyond his sight. On the battlefield, dust swirled around countless soldiers wielding various weapons. They were divided into different formations according to their roles, engaging in intense combat.

Nearest to them were the infantry, directed by a commander waving a small flag, instructing the soldiers to form different formations according to his flag signals, ranging from long spear lines to circular defense. The dust kicked up by tens of thousands of swiftly moving soldiers colored half of the sky yellow. These soldiers, strong and agile, bore an aggressive look on their faces; their practiced maneuvers clearly showing them to be well-trained and formidable. The formations became increasingly complex, and eventually evolved into segmented encirclement and annihilation tactics that made Lin Wanrong's eyes dizzy.

Further away were the cavalry units, with tens of thousands of warhorses neighing in unison. The thunderous clopping of hooves struck the ground like deep spring thunder, shaking the earth and deafening the ears. They were divided into groups of a thousand, practicing mounted combat against wooden figures tied to the ground. They used various weapons to target the vitals of these straw figures.

Farthest away was a mix of infantry and cavalry units, roughly tens of thousands strong. The infantry soldiers were in the front, carrying ladders and fire arrows, charging towards the mock city walls erected on the field - they were practicing siege warfare.

In the center of the attacking force was a raised platform on which a young, armored general stood, commanding with fervor and confidence. Due to the dust-filled battlefield, Lin Wanrong could not make out his face. The attacking soldiers, screaming war cries, set up the ladders, rushing to climb them and storm the city walls. On top of the walls, a few silhouettes stood, watching the live-action drills with great interest.

"General Lin, what do you think?" Du Xiuyuan's face was flush with excitement as he spoke loudly.

Lin Wanrong smiled slightly. "Brother Du, is this the legendary battlefield drill? It's indeed majestic and awe-inspiring."

Du Xiuyuan nodded, "Indeed, it's the military exercises on the sand field. I've been in the army for many years, yet I've never seen an exercise of such a large scale. These are the elite troops of our Great Hua, who will be our main force in resisting the northern nomads in the future. With such momentum, if Great Hua doesn't win, there would be no justice in the world."

Du Xiuyuan's words had Li Sheng and Xu Zhen nodding continuously. To see Du Xiuyuan, usually so calm, this excited, the exercise of these tens of thousands of troops was indeed impactful.

Lin Wanrong remained silent. Although he had never fought the northern nomads, from the novels and TV shows he had watched in his past life, the northern nomads were not easy to deal with. Exercises weren't real battles. No matter how great the momentum or how many tricks were shown now, they were just fancy moves, nice to look at but not necessarily practical. The battlefield was ever-changing, and a moment's shift could decide the victory or defeat of a battle. If such a large-scale exercise could predict the outcome of a war, then what was the point of fighting?

Hu Bugui, upon witnessing this spectacular scene, wore a smile on his face, but he was not as excited as Du Xiuyuan. He had fought against the northern nomads in the north, experienced their ferocity and cruelty, and due to the involvement in the White Lotus sect issue, he returned to Shandong to lead the troops, naturally having the most authority to speak.

Lin Wanrong laughed and glanced at him, "Brother Hu, what do you think of this exercise?"

Hu Bugui nodded, "The soldiers are strong and the horses are healthy. They can fight against the northern nomads."

Lin Wanrong gave a faint smile. Old Hu's words were quite diplomatic, probably to avoid disheartening these soldiers. With such a grand scene, they barely had the capacity to fight against the northern nomads, indicating the formidable combat power of the northern nomads.

Xu Zhen, being young and barely twenty, felt somewhat disheartened and unconvinced, "General Hu, are the northern nomads as strong as you say? These are our Great Hua's elite troops, and they can only 'fight' against the northern nomads?"

Although Hu Bugui was usually careless, he paid extreme attention to the morale of his men. Seeing Xu Zhen's dissatisfied expression, he sighed deeply, patted his shoulder, and said, "Little Xu, I had the same thoughts as you before I encountered the northern nomads. But facts speak louder than words, and currently, our Great Hua soldiers are indeed slightly inferior compared to the northern nomads."

Du Xiuyuan and others were also veterans, but they had never encountered the northern nomads. Although they had heard of the brutality and ferocity of the northern nomads, seeing the worry on the usually fearless Hu Bugui's face made them somewhat uneasy.

Lin Wanrong carefully observed their expressions, smiling slightly, "Brother Hu is right. The northern nomads are nomads, their lives depend on horses, their physiques are sturdy, and they have no fixed abode. Long-term migration not only hones their horsemanship but also enhances their sense of crisis, which is why they are formidable and fearless. Our Great Hua soldiers have been complacent for years, it's natural to suffer occasional defeats at the beginning of the war. As the saying goes, 'born from worry, die from comfort', as the war unfolds, our Great Hua soldiers will learn from their humiliation, gradually hone themselves, become increasingly tough, and in a few days, they will be able to ride horses, shoot arrows, and kill the northern nomads just like them. Think about it, our Great Hua has stood for a thousand years, and we have encountered humiliation more than a hundred times. Have we ever been afraid of anyone? Brothers, don't underestimate yourselves."

General Lin was usually quite jovial, but when it came to serious matters, his words were always reasoned and convincing. Hu Bugui secretly gave him a thumbs-up. The same words, if uttered from Old Hu's mouth, would have shaken the morale of the troops, but from General Lin, they inspired everyone.

All of them were soldiers who had fought under General Lin's command. They knew his capabilities well and regained some of their confidence after hearing him speak, revealing faint smiles on their faces.

Lin Wanrong nodded, "Brother Hu, Brother Du, did you come to me today just to watch this military exercise?"

Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan looked at each other, nodding simultaneously, and cast their hopeful eyes on Lin Wanrong.

From their expressions, Lin Wanrong easily guessed their intentions. He smiled slightly, "Let's not discuss other things for now. The three of you and Xu Zhen, you are all heads of thousands and tens of thousands under General Li Tai's command. Why didn't you participate in this military drill?"

Hu Bugui replied, "General Lin, you might not know that before our army officially set off, we had training sessions daily on the drill field. Today is the first military drill of the spring. The Emperor and all the Princes and Ministers have come to watch. Originally, we were all supposed to participate, but the Emperor sent someone to assist General Li Tai some days ago. Today's drill was held to test the abilities of this assistant. The selection of the soldiers and horses was all done by him, and Old General Li didn't interfere. The result—" Hu Bugui's face turned slightly embarrassed, hesitating to continue.

Lin Wanrong laughed, "So, you weren't chosen?"

A blush spread across Hu Bugui's face. He knelt down on one knee and thumped his chest in salute, Du Xiuyuan and the others also followed suit, kneeling and shouting together, "We were foolish and brought disgrace to you, General. Please punish us."

Lin Wanrong was surprised and hurriedly helped them up, "Brothers, please get up. What are you doing?"

After they stood up, Hu Bugui sighed, "General Lin, you've been away from the army for a few days and might not be aware. A few days ago, when the assisting general was selecting officers for the drill, he gathered us, the commanders of thousands and tens of thousands, and held an examination."

"An examination?" Lin Wanrong was surprised, "There are exams in the army? This is the first time I've heard of it."

Hu Bugui replied frustratedly, "Isn't it? I, Old Hu, have held a blade all my life, how could I possibly handle a brush? As a result, after the examination, among us brothers, only Brother Du passed. But when Brother Du saw that we were disqualified, he got angry and confronted the assisting general. And guess what, he was also disqualified." As he said this, he looked gratefully at Du Xiuyuan. Although they usually squabbled when they met, they were men of honor and camaraderie when it mattered.

"What the hell is this nonsense?" Lin Wanrong was also furious. "The skills of my generals were forged in battle, what the hell does that have to do with examinations?" He knew better than anyone the capabilities of his subordinates, all of which were earned through real blood and sweat, none of them were fake.

He let out a heavy humph, "Xu Zhen, tell me, what kind of examination was it? Whose damn idea was this?"

Xu Zhen hastily bowed, "In response to the general, it was an examination on military strategies."

Military strategies? Lin Wanrong was taken aback. Damn, who the hell would understand this stuff? If he were asked to take such an examination, he would surely fail. Moreover, the battlefield situation changes in the blink of an eye, no matter how strong one's knowledge of military strategies, it wouldn't compare to the rapid changes in the actual battle.

Du Xiuyuan gave a bitter smile, "This examination was based strictly on the textbook. Brother Hu and the others come from a background of leading troops and answered based on their own experiences, which greatly deviated from the content of the military strategy books, and so they were deemed unqualified."

‘That's bullshit!’ Lin Wanrong snorted, "Where did this assisting general come from? Exam, exam, exam, even brought the exam into the barracks. Did he pass the imperial examination to get his position?"

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