The Bodyguard King's CEO Wife-Chapter 1388: Han Hao Is Injured
Armor is a soldier’s first life on the battlefield. Ye Shikai was somewhat worried, for if they encountered a quartermaster like the last time, it would be troublesome. He Yang was Han Hao’s territory; even if the quartermaster was beaten, Han Hao wouldn’t punish him, especially since the fault was originally not his. But this place was different. This was the main camp at the front line, a fortress as solid as a rock, with no fewer than fifty thousand garrisoned troops. If trouble started here, military law would likely be enforced...
"This is your camp, enough for two thousand to be stationed. With the outbreak of war, many troops from various places have gathered here, so it’s best for you not to cause trouble. Stay calm and await the General’s orders." An officer led the group into the camp. As Ye Shikai walked along, he noticed some civilian homes and markets were closed, occupied by soldiers inside. Recalling the civilians met on the way, he guessed Ji County’s civilians had left early upon hearing of the impending battle.
"Sir, do all the soldiers rushing to Ji County stay here?" Ye Shikai asked.
"What are you thinking? There are still civilians inside the city and so many troops; there’s no way to house them all."
"Then where do the others stay?" The crowd was puzzled.
"Others are stationed outside the city. By order of General Meng, the troops arriving are treated equally — first-come, first-served. Early arrivals are stationed inside, while those arriving late must stay outside." The officer patted Ye Shikai’s shoulder, "You arrived early, so you’re stationed inside the city."
"Thank you, sir." Ye Shikai rejoiced inwardly. He was, of course, not one to take pleasure in others’ misfortune, but as the leader of these two thousand, he certainly hoped the troops wouldn’t have to endure the outside chill...
"Sir, regarding the new weapons and armor, when will arrangements be made?" Ye Shikai was most concerned about whether they could get new military equipment. Along the way, many soldiers had their clothes torn, and some were still wearing grass shoes already worn beyond use.
"Rest assured, arrangements will naturally be made, but with so many troops now, I’m afraid... it will take some time."
Ye Shikai felt a tremor in his heart, his greatest fear being insufficient military supplies. Without sophisticated weapons and armor, soldiers would needlessly die on the battlefield. But with the war at a critical point and supplies heavily consumed, it was likely not intentional delay from above.
"Then why are the city defense troops equipped, and we’re not? Do they look down on us?" Man Cang, hearing they couldn’t immediately receive new equipment, was instantly disgruntled, speaking out boldly. Fearing trouble, Ye Shikai hurriedly pulled him back.
"This young man misunderstands me." Ye Shikai originally thought the officer would be furious but was surprised he wasn’t angry. Instead, he seemed quite intrigued with Man Cang.
"This time, a total of two hundred thousand soldiers came as reinforcements, and even in Xianyang City’s warehouses, it’s impossible to store enough weapons and armor for two hundred thousand." The officer first explained, then slowly approached Man Cang, speaking in a meaningful tone.
"Nevertheless, you are right about the latter half; your county garrison troops indeed don’t impress me. In terms of combat capability, you’re quite lacking. Normally, you face nothing more than robbers, hardly a match for the Wolf Clan."
"You..." Man Cang’s anger surged upon hearing this, and Ye Shikai hurriedly restrained him.
"Don’t be so upset; it’s just the truth. Once you encounter the Wolf Clan on the battlefield, you’ll understand my words."
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"Village chief, why did you stop me earlier? Once I threw that old guy to the ground, let’s see if he’d still boast." Within the camp, Man Cang’s fury remained unabated. Earlier, it had taken five or six soldiers to pull him back.
"If you can throw out two thousand sets of equipment, I’ll let you kill him." Ye Shikai shook his head helplessly, as Shangguan Jian too appeared grave. Acting on impulse achieved nothing, while anger made matters worse. The reality was, if Man Cang actually hit that officer, the equipment would only arrive later.
"Enough, Old Ye, we’re not in a hurry over equipment. Instead, the officer’s words left quite an impression." At this moment, Shangguan Jian spoke up.
"The real question is whether our soldiers can rival the Wolf Clan cavalry." Everyone understood Shangguan Jian’s implication. Among these two thousand soldiers, at least three-fourths hadn’t even injured anyone, let alone killed. In other words, expecting those who were farmers seconds ago to suddenly become fearless warriors was nothing short of a fool’s dream.
"I know the Wei Wu Zuo training method..."
"But not everyone is Wei Wu Zuo." Ye Shikai knew what Man Cang meant to say. The Wei Wu Zuo’s combat strength was indeed formidable, rivaled by few, even among the Qin Army’s regulars. But Wei Wu Zuo soldiers weren’t ordinary; all were rigorously selected before entry, only those robust and physically strong. Such physical prowess is not built overnight. Taking Man Cang and his several Wei Wu Zuo brothers as a reference, only two to three hundred in these two thousand could meet the Wei Wu Zuo standards, not to mention finding armor like theirs...
The only solace for Ye Shikai was that the Qin Army’s strategy primarily focused on defending the Great Wall, with timely counterattacks as secondary. Meanwhile, the Wolf Clan favored guerrilla warfare and was not adept in storming fortifications, using simple equipment. Should the Qin Army stand firm, the Wolf Clan wouldn’t stand a chance.
"Report, Lord Han has arrived." Suddenly, a soldier rushed in excitedly.
"What, Lord Han is here already? How so quickly?" According to their plan, Han Hao escorting grain laborers should have taken twenty to thirty days, yet it had been barely over half a month.
"Lord Han is injured, and most accompanying soldiers are also wounded, with low morale."
"What on earth happened?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
"Alright, no more talking, let’s hurry and check it out." The two mounted with several guards, riding straight to the city gate.
From afar, Ye Shikai saw a group of "defeated soldiers" gradually entering the city gate, many severely wounded, supporting each other, stepping forward with the help of long spears. Some were so badly injured they had to be carried in. Clearly, a bloody battle had occurred.
"Lord Han, are you alright?" Shangguan Jian immediately spotted Han Hao. He was helping support the wounded with several soldiers, and Shangguan Jian quickly ordered assistance.
"Rest assured, just minor wounds, nothing serious." Han Hao, seeing them, finally exhaled in relief. His armor was also damaged, with his right arm bandaged.
"What exactly happened?"
