chapter 38

Maybe it’s because she slept so late last night, but when Gu Nan woke up, the sun was already three poles high .

They should’ve already started eating breakfast .

Gu Nan crawled up from her bed . Her hair was a little messy, but she was always too lazy to take care of it anyways . She didn’t need to put on her armor because she had slept with it on . It’s not because she’s paranoid and vigilant or anything . The armor is just too frustrating to put on and take off, so she was just too lazy to deal with it .

She sat drowsily in her tent for a while longer, stumbling around with her fuzzy, sleepy vision . Her head still had a nagging pain in it . It was already past midnight when she got back, and operating on two or three hours of sleep is just too unnatural for her .

“Nn…” Gu Nan rubbed her eyes and splashed some water on her face from the basin nearby . There’s wasn’t much amenities in this military camp, and simply getting a basin of water was preferential treatment .

Putting on her boots, Gu Nan stepped out, still disregarding the messy hair and black circles around her eyes .

The soldiers were already out and receiving their breakfast . Everyone found an empty spot and squatted down to eat .

As she walked to the place where she normally ate, the atmosphere was already very lively . Quite a few people greeted her along the way with smiles .

After the fierce competition between her and Meng Wu, the whole army recognized this valiant girl’s terrifying strength, and most people have a fairly good impression of her .

Among the entire camp, she’s more or less the only woman, so she’s instantly recognizable . But really, Gu Nan didn’t have some lofty position within the army, nothing more than a member of the general’s bodyguard .

Gu Nan went to her usual spot, and after being there for half a month, she’s already familiar with the members .

“Old Huo, it’s still this cake today?”

The squad leader, Old Huo, heard her voice and turned around . Smiling, he greeted, “Miss Gu has arrived . ”

He looked down at his food and sighed, “Yes, it’s still dried cake . There is really nothing good to eat in the army . ”

As he spoke, he distributed two pieces and handed it to Gu Nan . Smiling regretfully, he said, “It’s must have been hard on Miss Gu to accompany us to eat this stuff . ”

“Hey . ” Gu Nan feigned some displeasure . “If you can eat it, why can’t I?”

As she spoke, she took a piece of the dried cake and took a determined bite out of it .

But after a few more tough chews, Gu Nan returned to her forlorn state . “But really, this thing does have any taste . ”

“Haha, haha . ”

The squatting soldiers nearby and even Old Huo laughed .

Old Huo scooped a bowl of rice porridge soup and handed it to her . Then, he shouted out to the soldiers all around .

“Brothers, have more enthusiasm . When we send the Zhao scurrying, we will eat meat and steamed bread!”

“Oh!”

…

Bai Qi sat in the distance, similarly holding the rice porridge soup and dried cake in his hands, accompanying him was the deputy commander, Wang He, with a slightly disgruntled expression . He would rather sit inside and out of the cold wind, but Bai Qi wouldn’t budge .

Looking at the soldier’s lively cheering, Bai Qi’s face formed a very slight, but genuine, smile . Gu Nan seems to have integrated well . It seems his worries were unfounded .

“Eat meat, hmph, there’s no way the army will have enough meat to feed all of them . ” Wang He scoffed lightly . “What a bunch of ignorant people . ”

“Don’t stop them . When we win, they can eat anything they want . I’ll provide it for them . ”

“Old man, you sure speak lightly!” Wang He rebuked loudly . “You’re not the one managing the supplies and budget . ”

“At most, once we beat Zhao back, I can have them slaughter some of the captured horses . ” Bai Qi said, unbothered .

“Slaughter the horses!? Do you know how much gold those horses are worth?”

“It’s not a big deal . We can report it as being killed in battle . The King won’t know . ”

“Old man!”

“Really, I told you this much, you cannot make a complaint now . ”

————————————————

The three thousand Qin cavalry had arrived in front of the Zhao encampment .

There was still no movement from within .

“Reporting . ” A soldier walked into Zhao Kuo’s tent and saluted . “The Qin force has come in front of the camp . ”

Zhao Kuo nodded, not surprised in the slightest . “How many people have come?”

“More than three thousand . ”

Really, it’s not too far off . They should have already probed our situation and want to stir up a storm .

The last bit of his luck seemed to be shattered .

He had hoped that perhaps Qin could take the initiative to attack the next few days . But now, it seems that even that path has been sundered, leaving only the option for a bloody assault .

“Ignore them . ” Zhao Kuo’s voice was calm . In his hand, he held a bamboo slip in his hand .

“General, their taunts are ferocious, the soldiers want to storm out and fight them since they’re only three thousand strong . ” The soldier’s face was quite grim, even he had the urge to slaughter them .

“Be patient, let them taunt if they wish . ” Zhao Kuo said with a faint voice .

The soldier reluctantly nodded . “Yes . ”

As the soldier left, Zhao Kuo finally released his grip on the bamboo slip . Looking down at it, it was actually blank .

He simply wasn’t in the mood to read . Focusing on devising a plan is the most imperative task to accomplish .

He must take the initiative to attack due to the decree . But rounding up all of the factors and odds, it’s just too unlikely to beat the six hundred thousand plus Qin army . But perhaps, at least the Zhao army shouldn’t collapse at the initial clash .

Under Qin’s curses, the Zhao army should have a bit more vigor .

When angry, there will always be more momentum than before .

In a battle of hundreds of thousands of people, momentum can be the factor that decides it all . Of course, just anger is not enough, there needs to be hope and confidence .

Zhao Kuo shut his eyes and, after a brief pause, opened it again . Picking up his brush, he began to write on the empty bamboo slip .

A fake decree . A fake decree from the King of Zhao .

Three hundred thousand reinforcements and one hundred thousand units of grain and grass will be sent to Changping .

He wants to spread this lie, a monstrous lie, around the Zhao camp .

But with this lie, he can contend with the Qin army .