Chapter 1079: Can You Lead an Army?
"We're going to Sichuan! To Sichuan!"
Inside the Gao Family Village barracks, throngs of soldiers cheered, scurrying back to their quarters, making ready for the expedition.
For this campaign, Cheng Xu was, for the first time in a long while, personally leading the troops.
As the Commander-in-Chief of Gao Family Village, Cheng Xu had spent years overseeing overall deployment and resource allocation, rarely leaving the village itself.
But this time, the circumstances were different.
Several of Gao Family Village's major armies were occupied with their own vital missions and could not be deployed.
Cheng Xu, left with no alternative, prepared to lead the charge.
His decision to lead sparked an immense fervor; the entire barracks erupted in excitement.
"Have you heard? Instructor He Jiu is personally leading us into battle this time!"
"No, no, no, that's a misunderstanding. The movies concealed his real name to protect him. Haven't you realized? The 'He' in He Jiu, it's the same 'He' as in He Kegang! He *is* He Kegang, one of the Three Heroes of Liaodong! Zu Dashou couldn't kill him back then; he faked his death, escaping from a literal mountain of corpses and a sea of blood."
"Wow, so that's it!" another exclaimed. "Now that you say it, of course! 'He' and 'He'—they sound exactly the same! So he really is He Kegang."
"One of the Three Heroes of Liaodong! He's incredibly formidable in combat."
"Forget about using new-style firearms; back then, he could hold his own against the mighty Manchu army with just ordinary weapons. Now that he has new cannons, Flintlock Rifles, and Hand Grenades, the Manchus won't even stand a chance."
"Being able to go on expedition with General He Kegang feels incredibly fortunate."
The militia soldiers were brimming with enthusiasm.
Such an infectious spirit spreads quickly through the ranks.
Cheng Xu walked out of his office, and as he passed through the corridor, he felt a peculiar surge of excitement permeating the barracks.
"What's going on? Why is everyone so spirited?" Cheng Xu chuckled lightly. "This is excellent, such great drive. I thought there might be some resistance before heading into Sichuan. After all, the path into Sichuan is famously treacherous, more difficult than ascending to the heavens. Going to fight in such a difficult place would be a trial for everyone."
The soldiers in the corridor immediately straightened up and snapped a salute at him. "Fighting alongside General He, we're too thrilled to feel any reluctance."
"Something feels off," Cheng Xu thought, hearing the three words "General He." He had a nagging feeling they weren't referring to him, but couldn't quite pinpoint why.
After a long moment, it finally dawned on him. "Hey, call me Instructor He Jiu, not General."
Everyone: "Understood, Instructor He!"
Cheng Xu: "It still sounds off somehow. But what exactly is it? Ugh, forget it, I won't worry about it."
Cheng Xu walked out onto the training ground. He saw five thousand Gao Family Village militia soldiers already fully assembled.
This was the main village militia, not comparable to a branch unit like the Xiaolangdi Militia.
Every soldier was brimming with vitality and spirit; every soldier was equipped with top-tier gear.
The front two thousand five hundred men were all armed with Gao Family Village's newest bolt-action rifles. These featured large magazines holding eight Paper Cartridges; the bullets were spring-fed into the chamber, allowing ammunition to be loaded in a brief moment with just one pull of the bolt.
This was Gao Family Village's elite unit, designated as the First Regiment!
Behind these two thousand five hundred men were another two thousand five hundred, equipped with the finest forged breech-loading rifled muskets, designated as the Second Regiment!
Both regiments were also equipped with their own engineering battalions, artillery battalions, and field kitchens.
Cheng Xu had just reached the rostrum and hadn't yet had a chance to speak.
When all five thousand men simultaneously shouted aloud, "Greetings, Instructor He!"
Cheng Xu froze for a moment: It clearly sounded like Instructor He Jiu, but something still felt off. Why did he always feel like they weren't calling *him*?
Cheng Xu cleared his throat: "Gentlemen, the battle we are about to fight will be an arduous and formidable one. We are heading into Sichuan!"
"To Sichuan! To Sichuan! To Sichuan!" The five thousand men roared with overwhelming momentum, "With Instructor He, we fear nothing.”
Cheng Xu stared blankly.
Something was wrong, damn it, everything felt off from head to toe.
This bizarre, peculiar feeling, was it a warning of danger?
Cheng Xu quickly scanned left and right. No, his internal alarm wasn't sounding anywhere. His danger warning hadn't been triggered, so there couldn't be any real threat.
"Reporting in," a sincere voice said from nearby: "Gao Chuwu, arrived from Hedong, rejoining the ranks."
"Reporting in," another goofy voice chimed in: "Zheng Daniu, arrived from the cavalry battalion, rejoining the ranks."
The moment Cheng Xu saw these two simpletons, he finally understood why something felt so off. "Ahhh, so it's you two who are joining! No wonder I felt something was amiss. Taking you two simpletons on an expedition will surely cost me five years of my life, five full years!”
"Who, who called these two simpletons back?!"
As Cheng Xu was fuming, he heard a dreadful voice declare: "Reporting! Padi Tu, returned from the Yellow Pole Military Academy's Xi'an campus, rejoining the ranks."
"Zheng Gouzi, same as above."
Cheng Xu turned to look at Padi Tu. "Ah! All three idiots are here! Someone save me!"
As he was protesting, a 'Puppet Heavenly Lord' walked over. "I called them all here, and I'm coming too. We'll go together."
"What?!" Cheng Xu exclaimed. "The Heavenly Lord is going personally?!"
Li Daoxuan smiled. He was a true native of Shuangqing City, born in the Jiangbei District of Shuangqing City, on an old street by the Jialing River. How could he not personally go on a rescue mission to Sichuan?
No matter what, he wanted to see Shuangqing.
"Instructor He Jiu, the terrain in Sichuan is complex, and five thousand men won't be able to maneuver effectively in many areas," Li Daoxuan said. "Furthermore, the enemy forces are scattered, and it's highly probable we'll be forced to split our forces for pursuit. That's why I've called back several of our top commanders; each of them possesses the ability to lead troops. They can each lead a small detachment for independent operations at any time.”
Only then did Cheng Xu understand the Heavenly Lord's plan.
Precisely!
As the Heavenly Lord had said, campaigning in Sichuan would likely require splitting forces. He couldn't rely solely on himself. But... could these guys truly be called commanders? Did they truly possess the ability to lead independent forces?
Cheng Xu looked at Gao Chuwu with an embarrassed expression. "You can lead an army now?"
Gao Chuwu: "Yes, I can! Just walk at the front and lead everyone, right?"
Cheng Xu slapped a hand over his face.
Cheng Xu then turned to look at Zheng Daniu.
Zheng Daniu just let out a foolish chuckle...
Padi Tu stood with his hands on his hips. "Hahaha, Instructor He Jiu! This Rabbit Lord is now invincible! Just leave it all to me!”
Cheng Xu felt utterly overwhelmed.
"Don't underestimate them," Li Daoxuan smiled. "Even foolish brigands like Guo Tianxing and Waguanwang have grown formidable through years of battle. Chuwu, Daniu, Rabbit, and Gouzi are no longer the naive youths they once were. Plus, they've been trained at the Yellow Pole Military Academy. Give them a little more trust.”
If the Heavenly Lord himself said so, then there was nothing more to be said.
Cheng Xu no longer hesitated. To arms! To arms!...
The soldiers arrived at the train station, lining up to board the trains.
Destination: Shanyang County!
They would then proceed through Yunyang to enter Sichuan.
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