Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

Early in the morning, Luo Yu watched as Centurion Zhang Lu left Black Ditch Fortress with his troops and baggage train. Before leaving, he didn’t even spare Luo Yu a glance.

In Zhang Lu’s eyes, Luo Yu was already a dead man.

Xiao Shaoyou left a little later, his face full of guilt.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know Zhang Gui was Zhang Lu’s clan cousin. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have…”

“I understand. I killed him, so I should bear the responsibility.”

Luo Yu smiled lightly. Who could have guessed that Zhang Gui had a centurion for a cousin? However, he was surprised that a dignified vice centurion like Xiao Shaoyou would explain himself with such a shameful expression.

Over the past two days, he had asked around. This Vice Centurion Xiao had considerable prestige in the camp. He was indeed upright, hated evil like an enemy, and was uncorrupted. Many soldiers spoke of him with faces full of awe and respect.

Xiao Shaoyou looked into the distance.

“I sent scouts to check for you. About a hundred li to the west, there is a squad of over a hundred Qiang cavalry patrolling. Since we suddenly abandoned so many fortresses, they haven’t figured out our intentions yet and don’t dare to act rashly for the moment.

“But based on my understanding of the Qiang soldiers, they will realize within four or five days at most that we are gradually withdrawing troops. When that time comes, they will definitely drive straight in to attack Black Ditch Fortress. In other words, you have to hold out for a full five days.”

Luo Yu remained silent.

Black Ditch Fortress had no defensible barriers. Inside the camp were only a few dozen routed soldiers. That meant using flesh and blood to resist the Qiang warhorses. Facing over a hundred Qiang cavalry, they probably wouldn’t even last five hours.

“I saw that you captured some warhorses. I specifically left behind some long spears for cavalry use and quite a bit of grain.”

Xiao Shaoyou looked at Luo Yu. “This is all I can do.”

“Thank you. It’s enough.”

Luo Yu returned a smile. There was no pessimism or despair on his face.

Xiao Shaoyou was very puzzled by the calm expression.

“You are a smart man. I don’t need to tell you how hard Black Ditch Fortress is to defend. Can you hold it?”

“I don’t know.”

Luo Yu spread his hands and returned the same question, “If Vice Centurion Xiao were commanding here, could you hold it?”

“If they were soldiers I brought out myself, I’d have seventy percent confidence.”

Xiao Shaoyou frowned as he looked at the group of routed soldiers.

“But with them… no.”

Luo Yu was surprised in his heart. Seventy percent confidence in holding Black Ditch Fortress with just a few dozen of his own men? It seemed this Centurion Xiao was a master of warfare.

“Nothing is absolute.” Luo Yu stretched his waist. “How will we know if we don’t try?”

“Then I wish you good luck.”

Xiao Shaoyou urged his horse forward, unable to resist looking back to shout:

“I hope we can meet again!”

“Definitely!”

The single rider gradually moved away, merging into the distant marching column. Luo Yu muttered to himself:

“That guy… is actually pretty nice.”

* * *

The open campground was full of people. All the garrison soldiers who had withdrawn from the front line were here, totaling seventy-three men. Shen Li and the group of refugees also huddled in the corner, looking around.

According to the Great Qian military system, a standard should consist of fifty men. Luo Yu could be considered to have a reinforced standard.

The stragglers and disbanded soldiers looked at Luo Yu blankly. They heard this was the newly appointed standard commander, their new leader. The battle of Jiming Fortress had been widely rumored, becoming more outrageous as it spread. Some even said Luo Yu possessed innate divine strength and could slap several Qiang riders to death with one hand.

Although the rumors were ridiculous, they did give Luo Yu a bit more prestige. As soon as he stood there, the chattering voices quieted down significantly.

Luo Yu scanned the whole field and said loudly:

“I gathered everyone today to say two things!

“First thing: the centurion has already led troops back to Yunyang Pass. The task left to us is to hold Black Ditch Fortress for ten days. According to the latest scout reports, there are at least a hundred Qiang cavalry patrolling the border. They will arrive at the outskirts of Black Ditch Fortress in five or six days.

“You know that the flank fortresses have long been evacuated. That means we have become an isolated force.

“So, when the Qiang soldiers arrive, there is bound to be a bloody battle!

“Before leaving, Centurion Zhang said, if we can’t hold Black Ditch Fortress, the entire standard will be beheaded!”

“What?! Relying on just us to hold Black Ditch Fortress for ten days? How is that possible!”

“There isn’t even a camp wall here; how can we stop the Qiang cavalry?”

“It’s over, it’s over. Isn’t this sending us to die…”

As soon as his voice fell, wails filled the field. Most people’s faces turned ashen. They had just escaped from the gates of hell, and in the blink of an eye, they had stepped back in.

“I know this battle will be hard to fight, but military orders are like mountains. We can only act according to orders!”

Luo Yu shouted coldly:

“Right now, I’m giving you a choice. Those who don’t want to die can leave on their own; I absolutely won’t stop you. As for whether you encounter Qiang cavalry on the road or get beheaded as deserters back at Yunyang Pass, that’s none of my business.

“But as long as you stay, from now on, you are a member under my command. You must listen to every word I say.

“Those who disobey orders will be killed without pardon!”

A killing intent suddenly emanated from Luo Yu, startling the field into silence.

Before the battle started, he had to ensure everyone listened to his orders. Those who wouldn’t listen should get lost early.

The garrison soldiers looked at each other.

Leave or stay?

“Leave my ass! We’re all men who piss standing up. Rather than being beheaded as deserters, we might as well stay here and fight for a way to live!” 

Meng Hu waved his fist and shouted, “We fought our way out of a desperate situation like Jiming Fortress. What is a mere Black Ditch Fortress? The Qiang soldiers don’t have three heads and six arms. What the hell is there to be afraid of!”

“Right!”

“We’re staying!”

The first to echo him were naturally the few dozen men from Jiming Fortress. That battle had been a transformation for them; it turned out that the Qiang soldiers weren’t that hard to deal with. The remaining garrison soldiers hesitated for a long time, but in the end, not a single person chose to leave.

The reason was simple: once a deserter was caught, it was a dead end anyway. Taking a gamble was their only chance.

Dozens of people looked at Luo Yu in unison. Right now, he was their backbone.

“Very good.”

Luo Yu beckoned. “Bring the stuff up!”

Dong Chuan and Little Wu carried up a small wooden chest. Luo Yu kicked it over, scattering shining white silver—at least a hundred taels.

“Second thing: this is the silver found on the Qiang soldiers after the battle of Jiming Fortress. Today, I’m taking it out to distribute to you!

“As long as we leave here alive, the silver is yours!”

The garrison soldiers, whose faces had been ashen just moments ago, instantly had eyes shining brightly. Even if each person only got two taels, it wasn’t a small amount. It gave them something to look forward to.

“I assume you’ve all heard. Back at Jiming Fortress, our twenty-something men slaughtered nearly a hundred Qiang soldiers. The Qiang soldiers are nothing to be afraid of!”

Luo Yu’s tone rose bit by bit, beginning to rally morale.

“The dozens of brothers present here either joined the army for silver or were forcibly conscripted. We are all people with hard fates. I don’t want to preach great principles about defending the country or protecting the people. You’d find it annoying to hear, and I find it annoying to say.

“Only one sentence!

“We don’t live for others; we live for ourselves!

“I, Luo Yu, guarantee: as long as you act according to my orders, I can definitely lead you to survive!”

Glimmers of light flashed in the soldiers’ eyes—that was the thirst for life. If someone else had said this, they wouldn’t have believed it. But this young man in front of them had just established great merit, practically creating a miracle. Perhaps there really was hope!

“Survive!”

“Survive!”

Again, Meng Hu took the lead, and roars filled the field. Who didn’t want to survive?

Huddled in the corner, Shen Li’s eyes flickered. This annoying Luo Yu was actually quite good at inspiring people.

“I’ve said what needs to be said. We don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point.”

Seeing everyone’s high spirits, Luo Yu was very satisfied.

“In the next few days, we have to improve our combat power. Otherwise, when the Qiang army comes to kill, we’ll have no power to fight back.”

“Uh.”

Dong Chuan was stunned for a moment and asked cautiously, “Sir, what can we do in four or five days? Without drilling for months, how can we have combat power? Why don’t we seize the time to repair the fortress walls and strengthen our defenses?”

“Who said we can’t?”

Luo Yu smiled slightly.

“Next, I’m going to teach everyone a combat tactic! It is called…

“The Three-Three System!”

NOTES

Three-Three System: A famous light infantry tactic developed by the PLA (People’s Liberation Army). It involves dividing a squad into small fireteams of three (assault, support, cover) arranged in a triangle formation. It emphasizes flexibility, minimizing casualties from area-of-effect weapons (or arrows/cavalry charges in this context), and maximizing offensive coordination. Luo Yu introduces this as a “cheat” from his modern mercenary memories.

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