Fan Zehao grabbed his hair, his brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a mosquito. "That's a long explanation. I only know how to do it, I can't explain it. Ask my wife, she taught me!"
Zhao Jiaqi, on the other side, kept winking at him, but Fan Zehao, missing such crucial information from his wife, had sold her out with a single sentence.
Xiao Ce straightened his back and looked at Zhao Jiaqi, raising an eyebrow. "Sister-in-law, that's not very fair. Do you have something against your brother?"
"Where did that come from? It wasn't convenient to say it in the palace, and then we were on the road and I forgot about it!"
Zhao Jiaqi forced a smile. It wasn't that she couldn't say it, but at the time, she suspected there were spies in the palace. If the words got out, it would be disadvantageous to her husband later.
Fang Jingchen had never heard this before and looked at Zhao Jiaqi curiously.
He had a vague suspicion. Could the skills his godson had learned be from her?
Stared at by the two of them, Zhao Jiaqi still felt a bit embarrassed and quickly explained, "Show strength when you are weak, pretend to be inactive when you are active, if you are near, make them believe you are far; if you are far, make them believe you are near. Lure them with bait; sow confusion and attack. Attack when they are unprepared, appear when they are not expected. Oppose him when he is inflated by strength, and create confusion when he is in a state of repose. Be close to him and make him alienate others. Attack his unpreparedness; emerge from where they do not expect."
With all these "if you are near" and "if you are far," Fan Zehao didn't understand. But his wife's explanation was much simpler.
While they were contemplating, Fan Zehao suddenly interjected, "What is real, make it seem fake; what is fake, make it seem real. It's about doing everything possible to confuse them, to disorient them. The most crucial thing is to understand the opponent's general's character and devise specific strategies tailored to their temperament. If there's no certainty of complete victory, at least you can awe him!"
Fang Jingchen and Xiao Ce exchanged glances, seeing mutual admiration in each other's eyes.
Who said he was foolish? Look at how thoroughly he analyzed it.
Fang Jingchen coughed to clear his throat and asked the woman beside him, "Daughter-in-law, your godfather asks you, did this kid learn those ways of fighting from you?"
"Godfather, please don't flatter me. I just translated what I just said into plain language for him. The rest is all his own experience, and it has nothing to do with me."
"Oh, and he learned to read and write from Brother Sheng. As for whether Brother Sheng taught him anything else, I'm not sure."
Zhao Jiaqi quickly passed the buck. As a woman, she didn't want to draw any attention.
Hearing his wife say this, he wasn't so foolish as to expose her and busily nodded, "Yes, Brother Sheng taught me."
He just didn't say what Brother Sheng taught him. As for whether his godfather and Brother Xiao would misunderstand, he couldn't control that.
The couple, working in concert, successfully shifted the focus to Murong Sheng. The blame was very effectively dodged.
As Xiao Ce was leaving, he clapped Fan Zehao heavily on the shoulder and said, "Brother, when you return to the capital this time, report this matter to the Emperor and ask for Brother Sheng to help you. With your godfather leading you and your brother, the three of you will surely merge into one powerful force and leave no enemy alive! Resolve this war quickly so we can return to the capital and have a good drink together."
Fan Zehao was stunned. Zhao Jiaqi covered her face, not daring to look at Xiao Ce's solemn expression.
She sincerely hoped that Elder Brother Xiao would forget about this matter, or that the Emperor wouldn't have a sudden whim. Otherwise, things would get lively.
If Brother Sheng were to apply his business strategies to warfare... The consequences were unimaginable for the couple.
That night, Fang Jingchen, Fan Zehao, and a group of soldiers made battle plans overnight. The discussion was very intense.
Some agreed, some refused. Fan Zehao, repeating his wife's goading words, successfully persuaded the deputy generals.
Seeing them speechless and no longer objecting, he continued with the arrangements.
In Fan Zehao's tent, Zhao Jiaqi slept soundly, hugging Junjun. It was the most peaceful sleep she had had in a month.
Before dawn, she heard a commotion in the camp. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling, finally realizing what was happening outside. She guessed that her husband was breaking the rules and preparing for a surprise attack on the enemy.
Deputy General Zhang Heng was left behind to take care of Xiao Ce and the imperial guards, as well as the two "men" of one large and one small size.
During the meal, Zhao Jiaqi looked left and right, stretching her neck longer than a giraffe's, gazing anxiously outside the tent. It was clear she was worried about her husband.
"Eat. They won't be back that soon. It will take until the afternoon or late at night. Don't let yourself starve before he returns."
He would be blamed again.
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the steaming porridge in her bowl and a plate of meat, saying listlessly, "This is the first time I've seen him go off to war. I didn't feel so worried when he was at home, but now my heart is in my throat."
At eighteen, a young girl stepping into a sedan chair for marriage, this was her first time in a military camp. In her past life and this life combined, it was still her first time.
Xiao Ce spoke little. He picked up a piece of meat for her and a few pieces of vegetables for Junjun before saying, "If you don't eat, the child won't eat. Think about the child, if not for yourself. Moreover, you should trust him."
Zhao Jiaqi looked at Junjun, her eyes filled with worry. She smiled and stroked her dark, soft hair. "Eat, Daddy will definitely win the battle and return safely."
"Yes, Daddy is the most amazing, I believe Daddy!"
Mother and child smiled at each other, cheering each other on. The meal was tasteless but they still filled their stomachs.
The waiting time was long. The sun rose in the east and set in the west. The sky had already darkened. Wounded soldiers were being carried back intermittently.
Zhao Jiaqi saw soldiers with broken arms, lost legs, protruding intestines, blinded eyes, and even several holes in their stomachs. She was so frightened that her face turned pale.
In the medical tent, there was constant suffering and pain. Some died during treatment, others before it could even begin.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi rushed in and helped the military doctor. She couldn't save them, but she could bandage them.
As long as they were stabilized and the bleeding stopped, she would help bandage them, all the while encouraging the soldiers, "As long as you have the will to live, you can go home to see your parents, wives, and children. If you die, you will have nothing!"
Frankly speaking, this very statement indeed gave the soldiers courage. Even if they were crippled, they could live to see their families.
Seeing this, Xiao Ce quietly withdrew.
As night fell, the sound of horses' hooves echoed outside. Soon, the news of recapturing another city spread throughout the entire camp.
The soldiers' morale immediately soared, and they clamored to continue fighting.
She returned to Fan Zehao's tent and was immediately embraced by him. There was still blood on his face, and he smiled at her, saying, "Wife, I won. I plan to rest for a day before marching out and taking them all the way back!"
Zhao Jiaqi lowered her eyes. "Don't pursue a cornered enemy. Don't push them too hard, lest it backfire. Moreover, our soldiers are terribly wounded, it's heartbreaking to see!"
"That's the battlefield!"
Zhao Jiaqi didn't speak. She suddenly remembered something and looked up at him, asking, "Where is Xudong? I've been here for a day and a night, and I haven't seen him."
Fan Zehao leaned into her ear and whispered, "I sent him behind enemy lines to scout for military intelligence. If we can infiltrate their ranks, and when the time is right, we'll wipe them all out."
She gasped, looking at him with anger, and whispered fiercely, "Are you crazy? That's a life-threatening mission!"