“Brigade Commander, the commanders of the 4th Regiment and the 3rd Regiment are quarreling again,” a staff officer said to Zhang Xiaoman at Mt. Youyu.
Zhang Xiaoman said impatiently, “What is it this time?”
“The 4th Regiment’s commander said that their regiment’s combat effectiveness is higher, so they should be the advance guard and the 3rd Regiment should just step aside, and that riled up the 3rd Regiment’s commander,” the staff officer said.
Zhang Xiaoman felt his scalp going numb with frustration. “What the hell is going on today? Since they’re so energetic, let them argue all they want. Go and tell them to take their quarrel to the entrance of the camp. They aren’t to stop arguing before it turns dark!”
The temporary military base at Mt. Youyu was a mess. As Wang Yun quietly observed this situation, he suddenly started to question whether his decision to join the Prosperous Northwest was too hasty.
In actual fact, Zhang Xiaoman had been promoted too quickly. Less than a year ago, he was still only a company commander. Then he had to lead a brigade to the Central Plains not long after he got promoted to regimental commander.
Zhang Xiaoman was totally unprepared for this as he was promoted too quickly and rushed into leading the troops.
He was suddenly forced to lead a brigade before he even learned how to be a brigade commander.
The difference between leading a 100 soldiers, a 1,000 soldiers, and several thousand soldiers was enormous. Leading soldiers into war was definitely not just a simple game of numbers.
Whether it was the allocation of supplies, the march progress, or achieving the balance between the officers under his command, all of this would be down to his knowledge.
As such, Zhang Xiaoman got so stressed recently that his lips started cracking. He kept having to deal with matters that made him angry all the time.
At some point, he got really worried that their own people would start fighting among themselves before they even encountered the barbarians.
Fortress 178’s infantry brigade that was supposed to support the Central Plains war had already been stationed at Mt. Youyu for several days. As Zhang Xiaoman had no idea where to lead his troops next, everyone was suddenly left with nothing to do. It was as though they were here on vacation.
To be honest, the scenery at Mt. Youyu was really quite beautiful.
At this moment, Ji Zi’ang was sitting in the camp and looking intently at a photo that was sent over under the orders of The Great Hoodwinker. It showed a young woman with a little boy and looked like a recent photo of Ji Zi’ang’s wife and child.
Zhang Xiaoman glanced at him. “You’ve looked at this photo so much since you received it that it’s almost tattered. Why’s a big man like you so sentimental?”
As Ji Zi’ang was 1.9 meters tall and extremely well-built, it really looked a little awkward when someone like him started smiling at the photo in his hand in a silly way.
Ji Zi’ang smiled and said, “You don’t have a wife and child yet, but when you do, you’ll understand. By the way, you don’t look young anymore. Why are you still single?”
Zhang Xiaoman was 30 this year. In this day and age, he should have been married with children by now.
After all, in this era, some people would already have children who were ready to attend high school at the age of 15 while they were 30.
“I’ve considered it before too.” Zhang Xiaoman sighed and said, “I almost got married to a woman a few years ago, but her family didn’t agree to it when I was dating her.”
“Her family didn’t agree?” Ji Zi’ang wondered, “Did her parents object because you’re poor?”
“Not really.” Zhang Xiaoman replied, “It wasn’t her parents.”
“Then who objected?” Ji Zi’ang was even more confused. Normally, if there were any objections to an important milestone like marriage, it would usually be the parents who did so. If the parents did not say anything, who else in the family could object?
Zhang Xiaoman said with a sigh, “Her husband.”
Ji Zi’ang was surprised.
Wang Yun, who was taking a sip of water beside them, spat it all out!
Zhang Xiaoman looked at Wang Yun. “What are you gloating about?”
“Oh.” Wang Yun wiped his mouth. “Since I have nothing to do, why can’t I gloat?”
“If you have nothing to do, go find something to do,” Zhang Xiaoman said with a dark expression.
“Hehe.” Wang Yun sneered, “Just tell me, how many days have we been here at Mt. Youyu? Have we done anything serious? Since you’re the brigade commander, why don’t you tell us what’s our next step?”
Zhang Xiaoman said, “Oh yeah, what’s our next step?”
Wang Yun’s eyes widened. “How could you ask us this question when you’re the brigade commander?”
Actually, this was what was troubling Zhang Xiaoman the most. Compared to the question of what their next step should be, the argument between the regimental commanders was a trivial matter.
After the Northwest’s infantry brigade arrived at Mt. Youyu, they set up camp here right away. It was not that they did not want to join the battle, but that they did not know how they should fight.
Wang Yun continued sneering, “Don’t give me excuses that you’re unfamiliar with this place. The map of the Central Plains is all in my head. Tell me, where do you want to go? I’ll definitely identify the most correct route for you. But you don’t even know where you want to go. You’re so undependable that it reminds me exactly of the Great Hoodwinker! Are you sure you’re not related to him?”
Zhang Xiaoman immediately became agitated. “I’m warning you, that’s a personal attack! If you mention it again, I’ll beat you up!”
“Come at me then,” Wang Yun straightened up. “Why would a superhuman like me be afraid of fighting you? I’ll take you on with just one hand!”
Zhang Xiaoman was hopping mad. “Fight me without any hands if you dare!”
Wang Yun said, “… Can you not be such a coward!”
Wang Yun’s subordinates and the infantry brigade’s staff officers looked at one another. No one had any intention to stop them.
Wang Yun and Zhang Xiaoman had been quarreling almost daily for the past few days, but they would make up very quickly.
As for how they made up, it was all thanks to Ji Zi’ang, who mediated things between them.
Then they heard Ji Zi’ang say, “Stop quarreling. Instead of arguing among yourselves and affecting the camaraderie, why don’t the two of you take a step back and curse at the Great Hoodwinker together?”
Wang Yun and Zhang Xiaoman said in unison, “Alright.”
After their conflict was resolved, Ji Zi’ang thought that the atmosphere within Fortress 178’s troops was still quite good. Although these two people always quarreled, Zhang Xiaoman never once asserted his authority as the brigade commander.
After the two of them were done cursing at the Great Hoodwinker, Ji Zi’ang suddenly said, “Actually, we shouldn’t blame Zhang Xiaoman for not knowing where to go next. Wang Yun, although you have the map of the Central Plains memorized, the Wang Consortium lied to us before we got here that they would work with us. After we arrived at Mt. Youyu, they showed no intention of sharing their battle plan with us. As a result, we don’t even know what the barbarians are doing now, so we can’t really take the initiative to attack them.”
“See that? There are still understanding people around,” Zhang Xiaoman said.
“Then let’s start with the scouting first.” Wang Yun thought for a while and said, “My men don’t have any abilities other than being really good at reconnaissance and infiltration. Once we have a clear picture of the situation, we don’t have to wait for the Wang Consortium to share their battle plan with us. We can just act on our own.”
“That’s the way.” Zhang Xiaoman beamed. “Let’s discuss our countermeasures. As the saying goes, three stooges equal…”[1]
Wang Yun said, “You can be the stooge yourself. Don’t drag us in.”
“Alright, alright, it’s not the three stooges but the three musketeers!” Zhang Xiaoman said nonchalantly.
However, Wang Yun, whose memory was excellent, suddenly said, “Wait a minute, didn’t you say earlier that you led the troops here to the Central Plains for the future commander? And when he’s here, he’ll be the one commanding the troops? That’s what you said, right?”
“That’s right, I did say that.” Zhang Xiaoman said, “And that’s also what the higher-ups were hinting at.”
“Then where’s the future commander?” Wang Yun asked, “Since he’ll be leading the troops, why don’t you contact him now?”
Zhang Xiaoman snapped, “If I had a way to contact him, I would’ve contacted him a long time ago! Obviously I can’t! Do you think he’ll appear if I just shout for him? Future Commander! Future Commander, where are you?!”
But just as he finished speaking, the whistle of a steam locomotive came from beyond the mountains.
Zhang Xiaoman was shocked!
[1] Three stooges are equal to one Zhuge Liang | https://www.chinawiki.net/thread/53/51601.html
