The tumult of war, the tranquility after war.
Everywhere the eye could see, bodies lay criss-cross.
Some were the Tartars', some were compatriots', some were fathers of children, some were children of fathers.
Those who used to greet each other in the village were now lifeless, the childhood friend from the same village lost a leg, the familiar faces passed by several times ceased breathing.
But no one had the time to grieve.
They steadily carried the limbless soldiers, hugged the dying children, and closed the eyes that would never open again.
The remaining limbs and corpses were efficiently thrown into the mass graves further away, trained as they were.
That was the only destination for those fallen in battle, the most convenient and fastest way to dispose of corpses, yet also the most helpless choice.
"Do not feel bad that they are thrown into mass graves. This is a siege, we have to capture the Guanjin Line before corpse disposal," said Jiang Jizu, scanning around while supporting his nine-ring sword. "If we were fighting outsiders, there would not even be anyone to collect the dead."
The deceased, they could only be left under the scorching sun day after day, eventually dissipating into the clouds of dust, turning into parched bones in the loess.
"Father," Jiang Chengyuan stumbled over. "We came late, Father, we came late."
Fang Heng knelt on one knee, speechless.
Both thought they had come late, which led to this tragedy, led to the evaporation of tens of thousands of lives.
"There is no late or early. War has never stopped, neither have the sinister plots on both sides," although Jiang Jizu did not know exactly what had happened, he could guess the gist of it. "It's just that this time, the Tartars outsmarted the Dayu Dynasty."
"Not just outsmarted, but betrayed," Jiang Chengyuan gnashed his teeth. "The Second Prince failed in his attemp to usurp the throne. He actually stole the formation maps left by General Fang, which contained the structure of four defense lines including the Guanjin Line. That was almost equal to half of the military defense maps."
Indeed so.
Jiang Jizu nodded. "From how easily the Guanjin Line was breached, how General Fang's formations easily crumbled, I knew the Fang family's belongings might have leaked. But I didn't expect... it was delivered by one of our own."
Fang Heng was ashamed beyond words. He saluted with fists clenched, choking with remorse. "It was us who came late, who failed to notify the northern border of this news in time, which allowed the Guanjin Line to come under raid, causing so many innocent soldiers to perish..."
"My skin tears on the inner thighs might be painful, I might have lost sensation in the buttocks, but compared to those soldiers of the Guanjin Line who lost their lives, what are those?"
"My child, don't be too hard on yourself," Jiang Jizu sighed. "As I’ve always said, there is no late or early. Things have happened. Rather than wallowing in remorse, think about what to do next, right?"
One of the most important lessons in growing up is: solve problems instead of wasting meaningless emotions.
Regret, for example. And remorse, for another.
The Fang family’s formation maps were lost. Rather than accepting the punishment of the conscience here, it’d be better to think carefully about how to deal with the Tartars’ attacks next, and how to deal with the Second Prince who was resentful enough to betray his country.
Fang Heng and Jiang Chengyuan exchanged solemn looks. After a moment, they started discussing countermeasures.
Jiang Jizu personally carried the breathless Jin Vice General and sent him into the headquarters’ small grave.
One could have an independent grave when reaching the position of Vice General. One's body would be escorted back to Abundant Capital when reaching the position of Chief General. That was considered a certain glory in the Dayu Dynasty.
But what’s the point when one’s already dead?
Jiang Jizu sighed again. He took out two wax-paper-wrapped sausages from his arms and put them in front of the grave.
"Old Jin, you shouldn't feel lonely. Here lie all the brothers who once fought alongside you. They are all around you!"
"Don't worry about the two boys in your family. I will have the Jiang family pay you tribute. You are a hero of the Dayu Dynasty. All our people will remember your merits..."
"Take these sausages with you lest you feel lonely on the road to the netherworld. Perhaps Old Jiang will catch up with you before long."
"The battlefield is where heroes fall, since ancient times how many warriors have returned?"
"How many have returned?"
A desolate wind rose, lifting broken branches and withered leaves, blowing into the vice general’s grave. Looking around, it was full of graves.
These densely packed souls, these layers and layers of spirits.
Jiang Jizu turned and left with a lonely look. Seeing the two valiant youths, his face finally showed some gratification.
No one could be the pillar forever. The country relied on outstanding talents emerging one generation after another. Only then could the family and nation stand firm and stable.
"Any ideas for countermeasures?" He asked loudly.
Jiang Chengyuan and Fang Heng exchanged a glance.
The older one, Jiang Chengyuan, saluted first. "General Fang's formation maps contained four border defense lines. Having tasted the sweetness today, the Tartars are likely to attack the other three lines."
"Speed is essential for troops. Since we’ll be on high alert as soon as we discover the loss of the maps, the Tartars must take advantage of the time window before we find out."
"With this information gap, we can even counter-attack and wipe them out in one strike!"
The nineteen-year-old teenager spoke with an air that faintly resembled his father, while his upbringing in a family of generals made him articulate and clear-minded.
Jiang Jizu nodded satisfactorily and turned to Fang Heng.
"The main responsibility for the raid on the Guanjin Line lies in the loss of the formation maps, but there is another minor flaw to keep in mind," said the fifteen-year-old boy, not hiding the issue despite the maps belonging to the Fang family due to his sense of guilt. "General Zhou always thought there were 50,000 Tartar invaders. Based on the confrontation of forces, 50,000 wouldn’t defeat 100,000 border troops even if they broke through the defense."
"But the 40,000 hidden under the horses disrupted our formation. I deliberately checked under the Tartar horses. This so-called hiding under the horses was actually wrapping same-colored cloth around the horses' backs and leaving space in the abdominal area to conceal people. They would burst out when the battle started."
"Such concealment couldn't last long. The Tartars must have schemed near the Guanjin Line without being noticed by the scouts."
“General,” Fang Heng saluted. “Your subordinate believes the scout patrol locations need to be set further, and more scouts should be deployed.”
The scouts were the eyes of an army. Only by observing all directions could enemy situations be detected effectively.
Jiang Jizu nodded in agreement.
“So Father, shall we go into battle?” Jiang Chengyuan asked, his eyes shining brightly.
The victory at the Guanjin Line was a pyrrhic one. Vice General Jin’s life could not be lost in vain, nor could so many innocent compatriots or fallen soldiers!
They could not have died in vain!
The later generations would avenge them and restore their azure skies.
This time Jiang Jizu didn't nod. Instead he looked straight at the two future generals and asked, "In your opinion, which defense line will the Tartars attack next?”
There were four defense lines with General Fang’s participation.
The Guanjin Line, Guyuan Line, Datong Line and Xuanji Line. The latter two were positioned slightly further. The Guanjin Line and Guyuan Line were relatively close.
Considering the mobility of troops, the Guyuan Line would definitely be the optimal choice if attacked by the same forces.
"It should be the Guyuan Line," Jiang Chengyuan said with rare certainty.
But Jiang Jizu shook his head. "No."
