Chapter Thirty-Eight: Skirmish (Part Two)

At this moment, the troops led by Xu Kang were still five or six miles away from the Yellow Turban army ahead. With scouts keeping watch, he felt no concern about a surprise attack and ordered his soldiers to build fires and prepare their meals.

The soldiers, upon receiving the command, understood that a battle awaited them that night. Without delay, they started cooking as soon as they received their rations, preparing for their evening meal.

After issuing orders to the troops, Xu Kang did not idle; instead, he went directly to the rear of the army to seek out the quartermaster in charge of transporting supplies.

When the quartermaster saw Xu Kang approach, he hurried forward and saluted him.

“Sir, as per your instructions, all grain has been distributed to the soldiers!”

“Good, that’s as it should be.” Xu Kang nodded in satisfaction at the report, then asked, “How much supply remains?”

“Forty carts of tents and bedding, more than thirty carts of fodder—in total, over seventy carts!” the quartermaster replied.

“Over seventy carts, you say...”

Xu Kang stroked his chin in thought for a moment, then spoke again.

“The battle ahead will be fierce. We can no longer safeguard our supplies, but neither can we leave them for the Yellow Turbans. I order you to destroy all of it by fire!”

“What? Destroy everything?” The quartermaster was shocked, dropping to his knees with a thud.

“General, this must not be! If we burn all our supplies, our army will have no shelter and must eat and sleep exposed to the elements. Should the soldiers fall ill, it will surely affect our ability to march and fight. Please reconsider!”

He spoke of the dangers of exposure, meaning the soldiers might catch cold—a point Xu Kang understood. Hearing this, he showed some hesitation, but his resolve soon hardened.

“Enough. My mind is made up. At midnight, when we strike the Yellow Turbans, you are to lead your men and haul all our supplies into their camp and set them ablaze. Burn their encampment to the ground. Should you fail, I will hold you accountable and execute you to uphold discipline!”

Faced with these words, the quartermaster could only grit his teeth, bow his fists, and declare, “I will stake my life on it!”

“Good,” Xu Kang nodded in satisfaction, gently patting the man’s shoulder.

“If you succeed, you’ll be credited with a great merit. If you wish for promotion and reward, do your job well—do you understand?”

“Yes!” Excitement flashed across the quartermaster’s face at Xu Kang’s promise. “I understand, sir, you can count on me!”

Seeing his response, Xu Kang thought to himself, “A stick followed by a carrot truly works wonders,” and patted his shoulder again.

“I value you greatly. Work with care. Oh, and I lack a proper weapon—fetch me a sturdy spear, one with an iron shaft!”

“Certainly, sir!”

Upon receiving the order, the quartermaster rushed off to find a spear for him. He skipped dinner and took his men to prepare fire-starting materials.

Watching this diligence, Xu Kang felt somewhat reassured. With his newly acquired spear, he found a spacious area and began to practice.

Having consumed magical bread for nearly a month, Xu Kang was no longer as frail as when he first arrived in this world. Now, as he wielded the spear, his movements were vigorous and powerful, drawing cheers from the surrounding quartermasters and squad leaders.

Even Zhang Cheng, the commandant, was so impressed that he rushed over and praised him.

“General, your skill is formidable! This spear technique appears chaotic, full of openings, but looking closer, it is elusive and impossible to counter—truly unpredictable. May I ask, what is this technique called?”

“Ha! Zhang Commandant, you have a discerning eye,” Xu Kang replied, lowering his spear and smiling.

“This technique was created by a spear master named Xia Ji. It consists of eight moves: thrust, stab, entwine, block, pounce, tap, sweep. Once mastered, it can tear a man’s jewels apart—thus it is called the Eight Tear Technique of Xia Ji!”

“Good heavens...” Zhang Cheng gasped in astonishment. “Such a terrifying spear technique—why have I never heard of it?”

“Because I just made it up,” Xu Kang replied, expressionless, glancing at him.

“If you have time to flatter me, you’d be better off eating and resting. If you fail tonight against the Yellow Turbans, I’ll tear your jewels off myself!”

With that, he strode off to his tent, leaving the quartermasters and squad leaders chuckling behind their hands, and Zhang Cheng standing dumbfounded.

All I wanted was to curry favor—and ended up getting scolded!

At that moment, Zhang Cheng felt aggrieved and shouted at the amused crowd.

“What are you looking at? If you have time to stare at me, better go eat and rest. If you let me down tonight against the Yellow Turbans, I’ll tear all your jewels off—now get lost!”

...

After this bit of levity, the tense pre-battle atmosphere eased considerably. Many soldiers, recalling the incident, couldn’t help but smile.

As the saying goes, “The general is the soul of his men.” With Xu Kang acting so calmly in a crisis, the troops felt much more at ease, and their confidence in the coming battle grew.

If even the commander is unconcerned, what do the soldiers have to fear?

Yet the soldiers did not know that Xu Kang was far from as composed as he appeared.

After returning to his tent, he ate magical bread to restore the energy spent wielding the spear, while contemplating the possible changes in the battle and how to respond.

Night fell quickly. Lost in thought within his tent, Xu Kang hardly noticed the passage of time, until Zhang Cheng’s voice sounded outside.

“Sir, Commandant Zhao requests an audience!”

“Zhao Hong has returned?” Xu Kang snapped to attention. “Let him in at once... No, you both come in!”

“Yes, sir!”

With permission, Zhang Cheng and Zhao Hong entered the tent.

As they stepped in, Xu Kang immediately saw the blood on Zhao Hong’s armor and his expression changed.

“What happened? Did you clash with the Yellow Turban rebels? Are you injured?”

He prepared to cast a healing spell, but before he could, Zhao Hong dropped to his knees with a thud.

“Sir, I have failed your trust—I could not secure reinforcements from Chenliu. I have not even met the governor of Chenliu!”

With that, he bowed his head heavily to the ground and began to sob.

Seeing this, Xu Kang closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then stepped forward to help him up.

“Rise. A man’s knees are for heaven, earth, and parents. Failing to secure Chenliu’s aid is not your fault, nor is missing the governor your concern. I will handle this—do not trouble yourself. Zhang Cheng, what time is it?”

“Sir, it is now three quarters past the hour of the pig,” Zhang Cheng replied.

“Good, then it’s time to move out.”

With a nod, Xu Kang addressed both Zhao Hong and Zhang Cheng.

“Zhao Hong, take five hundred men and wait at the left flank of the Yellow Turban camp. Zhang Cheng, take five hundred men and wait at the right flank. When you see the fire in their camp, lead your troops in—cut banners, burn tents, create chaos. Once the Yellow Turbans’ camp explodes into disorder, break out through the north gate. No one is to linger or fight longer than necessary. Any who disobey will be executed!”

“Yes, sir!”