Chapter 1

Although Wei Ba knew more characters, he had no particular advantage in this area. It was quite a challenge for him to discern the hidden truths from those concise and grand official documents, far more difficult than inventing iron shovels or abacuses.

Wei Ba sat in the tent for a long time, carefully reading through the official documents from the past few months, and wrote a summary of events in chronological order. However, he still couldn't find any issues. Since the end of last year, the numerous official documents had mainly discussed the Chancellor's imminent arrival in Hanzhong, urging the Governor of Hanzhong, Wei Yan, to increase the cultivation of farmland to reduce the pressure of transporting grain from Chengdu. Additionally, he was instructed to prepare camp locations and various supplies, including iron and charcoal needed by the logistics camp, which were likely for the production of weapons and armor. Yesterday, when Wei Ba visited the logistics camp, he heard the characteristic sound of iron being forged.

After setting aside the long list of supplies, Wei Ba found little information related to court politics. He felt dizzy and his shoulders and back ached, so he stood up, tidied the documents, tucked the list into his chest, and did some stretching exercises to relax his body before leaving the tent.

The sunlight outside the tent shone brightly on the armored soldiers, making it hard to open his eyes. Wei Ba squinted to adjust to the sunlight and realized it was already noon. Thinking of this, his stomach growled on cue. He patted his stomach and walked toward his tent.

When he reached the tent entrance, he didn't enter his own tent but went to Fu Xing's tent. As soon as he entered, he smelled a mix of medicinal herbs and porridge, and heard the sound of someone slurping. He saw the young maid Peng Xiaoyu carefully feeding Fu Xing porridge, while Wei Wu was squatting beside him, his face buried in a large wooden bowl, eating heartily.

Wei Ba was a bit surprised, "Ah Wu, why aren't you with Father? How did you come back so early?"

Wei Wu lifted his head, with a few grains of rice on his nose. Before Wei Ba could remind him, he licked his nose clean, which startled Wei Ba. This kid had such a skill, something most people couldn't do.

Wei Wu stood up, rubbed his round belly, and burped, "Uh— I didn't follow Father today. I practiced swordsmanship this morning, two thousand swings, not a single one less. The cooks said... uh— this month's firewood is all cut."

"Did you practice swordsmanship or cut firewood?"

"Practicing swordsmanship is... uh— cutting firewood." Wei Wu habitually wiped his mouth with his sleeve, but seeing Wei Ba's gaze, he awkwardly put his arm down and took a cloth from Peng Xiaoyu to wipe his mouth, "Our Wei family's sword technique is the woodcutting technique, killing people like cutting wood."

Wei Ba, who was weak and hadn't practiced martial arts before, didn't know if Wei Wu was right and didn't dare to ask, fearing he might expose himself. He looked at the wooden bowl Wei Wu had licked clean and asked worriedly, "Did you eat all of mine too?"

"How could I? Uh— Xiaoyu cooked a lot." Wei Wu patted his belly contentedly, "Hmm, I think I ate a bit too much today. I need to take a walk to digest. Brother, will you come with me?"

"You need to digest, but I'm still hungry. Walking on an empty stomach while you burp and I have stomach growls?" Wei Ba glared, and Wei Wu scratched his head, smiling sheepishly, "Then you eat, I'll go by myself."

Wei Wu left the tent, and Wei Ba went to serve himself some porridge. Peng Xiaoyu was about to help, but he waved her off, "Don't worry about me, just take care of Captain Fu. I have hands and feet, I can do it myself. This brat, when there's good food, he forgets his elder brother, not even calling me."

Fu Xing, who had just finished eating, chimed in, "Wei brother, you're wronging your brother. He waited for a long time, but you didn't come back, so he ate first. By the way, why did you come back so late today?"

"Earlier, Military Advisor Ma and Commander Zhuge came, and we talked for a while, which took some time." Wei Ba held the bowl of porridge and walked to Fu Xing's side. Peng Xiaoyu handed him a stool, and he sat down, looking at Fu Xing's still pale but calm face, and smiled, "Feeling better?"

"Much better, your family's medicine is indeed effective." Fu Xing smiled faintly, "But I feel bad troubling Miss Peng."

"No problem, no problem." Wei Ba waved his chopsticks, taking on a protective stance, "You got injured helping me, so it's my duty to take care of you. I've been busy lately, and since Miss Peng is willing to serve as my maid, it's only right for her to take care of you."

"Even so, I still feel bad." Fu Xing looked a bit gloomy, "This time, following the Chancellor to Hanzhong, I hoped to earn some merit, but I didn't expect to get injured as soon as I arrived."

Wei Ba was taken aback and quickly comforted him, "Don't worry, there's still time. It takes a hundred days to heal from a serious injury. In three months, you'll be as lively as ever, and it won't affect your chances of earning merit."

"Three months, the Chancellor might already be in Chang'an."

"Not that fast." Wei Ba blurted out, thinking the Chancellor might never reach Chang'an in his lifetime.

"Why are you so sure?" Fu Xing looked at Wei Ba in surprise. Wei Ba was taken aback, realizing he had spoken too quickly. He quickly thought of a response, "To reach Chang'an, one must first cross the towering Nan Mountains, which alone takes a month. Preparations before that would take at least two to three months. How could one reach Chang'an in three months?"

"Is that so? That's good news." Fu Xing felt relieved but then realized his reaction was inappropriate and quickly explained, "I didn't mean it that way."

Wei Ba laughed, "It's fine, it doesn't matter what you meant. There's no one else here. I know speed is crucial in war, but that's only suitable for small units. For the Chancellor's ten-thousand-strong army to launch a surprise attack is almost impossible."

"That's true." Fu Xing agreed, "If I'm not mistaken, Cao Wei will soon know about the Chancellor's army entering Hanzhong."

Wei Ba was taken aback, his laughter stopping abruptly, "That fast?"

"Of course. Although our Han has been in a closed state and hasn't had any military conflicts with Cao Wei recently, both sides are still wary of each other. Cao Wei definitely has spies in Chengdu. The Chancellor's recruitment in Chengdu last year was a big event; they couldn't have missed it."

Wei Ba thought for a moment and felt ashamed. Yes, with ten thousand troops entering Hanzhong, how could Cao Wei not know? But if Cao Wei is prepared, wouldn't Father's surprise attack be even less likely to succeed? Just strengthening the defenses in Chang'an would make it impossible for Father to capture the city even if he emerged from the Ziwu Valley.

Perhaps this is why the Chancellor and Ma Su don't support Father's plan.

"Wei brother, what's wrong?"

Wei Ba was startled and smiled to cover up, "Nothing, I just think if Cao Wei is prepared, our army will have to force its way into Guanzhong, which won't be easy and will certainly be a fierce battle."

"Who says it won't be?" Fu Xing sighed.

Wei Ba's heart stirred, and he asked tentatively, "Fu brother, I heard that many of the Chancellor's troops are new recruits who haven't seen battle. Is that true?"

Fu Xing nodded, "It's true. After the First Lord entered Shu, there were several major battles, and many veteran soldiers were lost, especially during the eastern campaign, where the elite forces were almost completely wiped out. The Chancellor's troops, apart from some barbarian soldiers, are mostly newly recruited."

"If they are new recruits, isn't it a bit hasty to attack Wei now? Why not wait until they are better trained?"

Fu Xing licked his lips, avoiding Wei Ba's gaze, and looked at the dark tent floor. After a long pause, he forced a smile, "These matters are beyond my knowledge as a mere captain. Your father, the Northern Pacification General, surely knows the inside story. Why don't you ask him?"

Wei Ba smiled and didn't press further, lowering his head to drink his porridge. Fu Xing's expression told him that Fu Xing knew something but couldn't tell him. It might involve some court secrets or political struggles, which everyone understood but couldn't speak of. This had nothing to do with friendship; it was a rule of the bureaucracy. Those who couldn't understand it didn't even have the right to participate.

Fu Xing looked up in thought, while Wei Ba focused on his porridge. No one spoke, and the tent was filled with the sound of Wei Ba slurping and Peng Xiaoyu washing the cloth, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

After finishing his porridge, Wei Ba chatted with Fu Xing for a while about trivial matters before getting up to leave. As he stepped out of the tent, the warm sun made him feel drowsy. He stretched his arms and yawned.

Peng Xiaoyu came out of the tent with a basin of water, poured it aside, and saw his furrowed brows. She hesitated, bit her lip, and mustered the courage to say, "Young General, I heard that the Chief Clerk Cheng An of the Hanzhong Governor's Office is from a prominent family in Nanzheng. Though not from a long line of officials, he is an experienced elder. If you have any questions, why not consult him?"

Wei Ba was taken aback, slapped his forehead, and laughed, "You're right, I completely forgot about such a good teacher. Thanks for the reminder, I'll go see Mr. Cheng." He took a few steps, then suddenly remembered something and turned back, "How do you know about Mr. Cheng?"

Peng Xiaoyu lowered her head, timidly, "The four prominent families in Hanzhong are Zhao, Li, Cheng, and Zhang. Although I am not well-informed, I have heard of the Cheng family."

Wei Ba acknowledged and was about to leave when he suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable and turned to look at Peng Xiaoyu's eyes. "Hey— Miss Peng, you're indirectly calling me ignorant."

Peng Xiaoyu panicked, shaking her head, "Young General, you misunderstood, you misunderstood. I didn't mean it that way."

"Hmm, I think you did." Wei Ba put on a fierce expression,叉着腰，抖着肩，连声冷笑：“我说彭姑娘，你现在后悔还来得及。我魏家对下人管教很严的，你想必不知道，我刚刚在南郑的庄园里把一个大管事的屁股打得皮开肉绽，他现在还没能起床呢。你要做我的婢女，难保不会如此，为你的安全计，我还是早点送你回家吧。”

Wei Ba glanced at Peng Xiaoyu's slender hips. She had clearly suffered a lot in the logistics camp over the years, and there was no sign of the plumpness typical of a girl her age, which made Wei Ba feel a bit sad. The playful mischief in his heart faded a bit. Peng Xiaoyu, however, was terrified, her face turning pale, and she dared not look at Wei Ba. She lowered her head and said, "我去看看傅都尉。" and turned to go back into the tent.

Watching Peng Xiaoyu's flustered back, Wei Ba rubbed his chin, feeling a bit bored. Teasing an unattractive girl wasn't very interesting. He laughed to himself and turned to find Cheng An, but a thought lingered in his mind.

Does this girl's bottom have bruises too?

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