Chapter 93
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Feeling that the person behind him hadn’t moved, Han Jiao immediately straightened his posture, eagerly urging the big boss to let him experience the swordmanship of a martial arts master, “Is it possible, Your Highness?”
Xie Duo regained his composure, lowered his long eyelashes to hide the panic in his eyes, and bent down to grasp Han Jiao’s hand holding the sword. His other hand slowly circled Han Jiao’s abdomen, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly tightened, pressing the person in his arms closer to himself.
“Oh!” As the sword danced, Han Jiao felt as if he were a marionette, completely under the control of Xie Duo.
Indeed, the seemingly graceful and gentle sword moves concealed a blend of softness and strength. Han Jiao could feel the force and agility in Xie Duo’s every move, with fluid and enjoyable movements.
The sharp sword cut through the air, the sound whistling in his ears. With his body closely pressed to the person behind him, Han Jiao sometimes leaned back, and sometimes was lifted into the air, the surroundings spinning, causing Han Jiao’s body to excitedly tense.
Han Jiao felt that Xie Duo’s set of moves was much more extensive than before. After a while, the long sword held by both of them in their right hands made the final stroke on the ground.
Xie Duo released his grip, and only then did Han Jiao’s heels touch the ground. Excitedly, he looked down but didn’t recognize the words on the ground at first. Stepping back two paces for a clear view, he realized there wasn’t just one word carved but rather two words, spelling “complete victory.”
“Wow! Your Highness wrote two words?” Han Jiao raised an astonished gaze, but Xie Duo kept a poker face, not showing off at all. Instead, he lightly kicked the soil with his toe, as if trying to bury the extra word he had written.
Xie An, feeling extremely aggrieved, ran over to complain, “Ninth Brother is biased! I want to write two words too!”
Xie Duo mumbled quietly, “Playing once is enough.”
Han Jiao returned the sword to Xie An, offering a few comforting words. As he had been standing for a long time in the morning, his legs felt a bit numb. Unconsciously, he switched his legs to support his body and flexed his ankles.
“What’s wrong with your leg?” Xie Duo asked cautiously. “Did I accidentally hurt you?”
Han Jiao turned his head and saw the big boss glaring at his feet with an ominous look. Han Jiao hurriedly denied, “No, it’s just that I’ve been standing for a long time today, and my legs are sore.”
The hostility on the big boss’ face finally dissipated.
Han Jiao looked utterly confused.
The big boss was becoming increasingly unreasonable. Even if Han Jiao had hurt his leg while practicing with the sword, Xie Duo shared some responsibility, but the big boss was the one getting angry first.
“If you’re tired, go back to the tent and sit for a while,” the big boss finally spoke like a normal person. “We all have to stay at the camp tonight. Before it gets dark, I’ll have someone escort you back.”
Han Jiao looked at Xie Duo in astonishment. “Your Highness, why are you treating me so kindly?”
Xie Duo turned and took steps toward the tent. “You just realized?”
Han Jiao quickly caught up, noticing the pleasing curve at the corner of the big boss’ mouth. He plucked up the courage to tease, “Of course, Your Highness. It’s the first time you’ve been so kind, so naturally, it’s the first time I’ve noticed.”
“Are you kidding?” Xie Duo turned to look at him. “How would you like me to treat you kindly?”
Seizing the opportunity with the big boss in a good mood, Han Jiao retrieved a map from his pocket. “If Your Highness is willing to give me advice on how to strategize this battle, there couldn’t be anything better.”
As they spoke, the two of them had already arrived at the military tent.
Xie Duo rested one hand on the tent’s support frame, glanced at the map in Han Jiao’s hand, and then looked at Han Jiao. “Are you testing me?”
“Impossible,” Han Jiao said with a wry smile. “I know nothing about military strategy. I don’t have the confidence to test Your Highness.”
Xie Duo looked at the little child prodigy with confusion. “This is the second time. Did you deliberately bring it along in your pocket to ask me?”
Han Jiao nodded. “I really wanted to hear Your Highness’ insights!”
Xie Duo let out a mocking laugh, turned away, and spoke in a low voice, “Han Xiaobai, I don’t know how to wage war.”
Han Jiao: “……”
This youngster was often arrogant when he should be humble, but at this crucial moment when it mattered, he surprisingly showed humility.
Saying you ‘don’t know how to wage war’ is absurd, Big Boss! You’re practically born for battle!
“The last time you dealt with the refugees, Your Highness’ water-encirclement strategy left everyone in awe. Even the two renowned Generals couldn’t stop praising it. Your Highness is a tactical genius!”
Xie Duo lowered his head and smiled.
“What’s so funny?” Han Jiao asked with seriousness. “I’m being sincere.”
Xie Duo raised an eyebrow as he looked at the little child prodigy. “Handling refugees isn’t the same as warfare. Those people, with no combat capability, were heading down a path of self-destruction. If I had taken a few more days to deal with them, they might have starved themselves on that mountain.”
Han Jiao spoke earnestly, “You can’t put it that way. You were originally trying to save their lives. In that situation, survival was a thousand times harder than warfare. Your tactical brilliance was the reason you devised such a plan. I’m sure that if you were to lead in a real battle, you’d be the most formidable commander of Great Chu.”
Xie Duo couldn’t contain his amusement. “Don’t you say that in front of others.”
“Why do you underestimate yourself, Your Highness?” Han Jiao didn’t expect that the big boss had no inkling of his own talent in this regard.
Xie Duo sighed in resignation. “I’ve never been in a real battle, Xiaobai. Don’t you need some foundation for bragging?”
“How would you know if you don’t try?” Han Jiao handed the map to Xie Duo.
Xie Duo was about to refuse, but the little child prodigy had already tucked the map into his arms.
“Han Jiao.”
Startled by the warning tone from the big boss, Han Jiao quickly withdrew his hand, realizing that he had been overly bold again.
Seeing fear on the little child prodigy’s face, Xie Duo felt a hint of regret but maintained a stern attitude. “Why don’t you dare to be so audacious in front of Sixth Brother? If anyone else sees this, do you think I should not punish you? If I scold you, you’ll feel wronged. If I don’t, you’ll get more unrestrained.”
Han Jiao still hoped that the big boss would take a look at the map. With him looking, Han Jiao would feel reassured.
Tomorrow, as Prince Yan was about to embark on a military campaign, it was the only chance to be a bit unrestrained.
“Why are you silent?” Xie Duo looked at him.
Han Jiao, expressing his disappointment, said, “I’m going back home.”
Xie Duo was a bit of a willful little rascal himself, and although Han Jiao had been impolite first, Xie Duo tried to soothe him patiently for a while. However, his patience was wearing thin, and now he stopped talking, watching to see if Han Jiao really had the courage to leave in front of him.
Fortunately, the little child prodigy was a practical person and didn’t really give attitude. He quietly asked Xie Duo, “Is everything ready for Your Highness’ journey?”
Xie Duo couldn’t help but break character, covering his forehead and chuckling softly. “Are you waiting for me to send you?”
Han Jiao, trying to act confident and ease the atmosphere, said, “Your Highness isn’t thinking of changing your mind, right? My legs are nearly broken!”
Xie Duo realized he couldn’t really engage in a serious argument with this little child prodigy. He turned, took a step, and walked up to the tent. With his own hands, he lifted the door curtain. “Please come in, Master. If you’re tired, take a rest before hitting the road again.”
Seeing the big boss’ improved mood, Han Jiao, not giving up, asked once more, “What’s the use of going inside? Your Highness won’t help me look at the map.”
Xie Duo finally gave in. “You only brought one map? Not enough, bring me the maps of all the counties in Sichuan and Guizhou.”
Han Jiao finally smiled and quickly ducked inside the tent, sitting down and spreading the map on a low table.
Xie Duo bent down to follow him. Seeing Han Jiao placing the map upside down, he had no choice but to sit on the opposite side of the low table.
Han Jiao leaned forward eagerly, waiting for the “War God” to work his magic.
Xie Duo examined the map closely and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Han Jiao was puzzled. “Why is Your Highness laughing again?”
Xie Duo took a deep breath and tried to maintain composure. “Did you draw this map yourself?”
“I copied it based on the map of Luozhou I found at the Hanlin Academy’s document room! I double-checked it, so it’s absolutely accurate!”
Xie Duo lowered his head, covering his eyes and struggling to hold back his laughter. “Could you at least copy the mountains and rivers? Why copy the distribution of various tribes? We’re going to war, not visiting friends.”
A moment of silence followed.
Xie Duo raised his head and only then noticed the disappointment on the little child prodigy’s face.
Immediately, Xie Duo picked up the map with both hands, regaining his seriousness.
Han Jiao sighed and said, “I searched through the document room and could only find this map.”
Xie Duo nodded and said firmly, “It’s alright. We can still make use of it.”
Han Jiao felt more deflated as he thought about it. “If it’s not useful, then forget it.”
Xie Duo set down the map and said earnestly, “It’s useful. We can use this map to make educated guesses about their supply routes.”
Han Jiao looked up at the big boss and asked, “Really?”
Xie Duo nodded in confirmation.
Han Jiao knew this map might not be of great use. In this battle, he would have to trust the abilities of the accompanying officers.
Suddenly, Xie Duo, noticing Han Jiao’s gloomy mood, remembered something. He looked at Han Jiao mischievously and said, “How about coming to the main camp to see a terrain sand table of Luozhou? Are you up for it?”
Han Jiao’s eyes lit up. “Can I see it too?”
“Well, no one said you couldn’t,” Xie Duo grinned.
“Should we seek permission from Prince Yan first?”
Xie Duo was straightforward in his reminder. “If you ask Sixth Brother, he’ll have to seek permission from General Liu, and that could complicate things.”
“So, should we sneak in then?”
Xie Duo nodded in agreement.
“What if we get caught?”
“We’ll just say we entered the wrong tent.”
Han Jiao couldn’t help but feel that the big boss seemed unreliable.
Xie Duo gestured toward the door, encouraging the little child prodigy to summon his courage.
Han Jiao lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and then slapped the table, standing up. “Let’s go!”
Outside the tent, people were everywhere, and sneaking in was impossible. Xie Duo walked ahead, with a stern and menacing expression that intimidated anyone who looked at hi. He boldly entered the main camp.
Han Jiao successfully reached the destination, displaying a confidence beyond his usual demeanor.
The main camp was more open than the previous military tent, well-lit with several lamps that illuminated the central area where a terrain sand table of Luozhou was placed.
Although the terrain model on the sand table was roughly made, the distribution was meticulous. The overall topography, the intricate waterways, and even the details of the fortresses were all clearly visible.
Han Jiao looked at the big boss. “How about it, Your Highness? Isn’t this more useful than the map? Even the terrain around the fortresses is clear as day.”
Xie Duo’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the sand table. It was apparent that he had never seen such a unique model before. He exclaimed with excitement, “It’s done with great detail.”
Han Jiao regained his confidence and patiently waited for the War God to reveal his insights.
Due to the meticulous layout of the sand table, Xie Duo could only focus on a few key points after an initial overview of the entire terrain.
He had expected the big boss to become more excited as he examined the sand table, but to his surprise, as time passed, Xie Duo’s expression grew serious and even somewhat distressed. His usually sharp amber eyes were now flickering with astonishment.
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