257 Kind Teaching

be enough for him to know what she needed. This allowed Ye Li to free herself from the daily hustle and focus only on significant matters that required her decision."Any news from Dark Two" As Ye Li s...257. Teaching of Goodwill

257. Teaching of Goodwill

Indeed, a group of overly excited young men were brought back to camp by Zhang Qilan at dawn. Ye Li and Wei Lin, who had been waiting for the cessation of battle sounds until the fourth hour of the night before taking over from Qin Feng, only saw them returning after half an hour. The originally spirited young officers all looked dejected, as if they had been withered by frost.

As soon as they entered the camp, they saw Ye Li smiling at them in a carriage and their faces turned even more awkward. They felt that General Zhang somehow managed to find this young military advisor who did nothing but occasionally spout nonsense yet was highly valued by the general. Naturally, these young men were不服氣的，心中無不認為自己比這個小白臉強到不知哪兒去了。如今卻當著他的麵丟了這麼大一個臉，臉色自然好看不到哪兒去。(They felt they were better than this fair-skinned man.) Now that they had lost face in front of him, their faces naturally did not look good.

"Sir Chu hasn't rested yet" Zhang Qilan greeted Ye Li naturally as soon as he saw her.

Ye Li smiled and said, "General hasn't rested either Thank you for your hard work. Is everything fine"

Zhang Qilan sighed and said, "Fortunately, there's nothing wrong." He turned around and glared at everyone, shouting, "Aren't you going to rest yet! Do you want to wait for punishment" Hearing this, the young officers scattered like birds and beasts.

Seeing how they looked at Zhang Qilan as if he were a god of killing, Ye Li couldn't help but laugh softly, "General clearly doesn't intend to punish them, so why scare them deliberately" Zhang Qilan sighed helplessly and said, "All those who came out this time are young boys. Not only have they not been on the real battlefield before, they just rush forward with enthusiasm without considering their surroundings or the enemy situation. If they really went into battle, who knows what would happen then."

It turned out that tonight's few rounds of night raids had indeed made the other side rather busy for a while in the first two times. These young men forgot themselves and decided to take turns fighting until dawn. As a result, the enemy could not sleep all night, but their own people could rotate rest. The idea was good, but they neglected to observe the surrounding terrain and the situation of the enemy, so when the third round of raids was halfway through, Lu Jinxian dispatched two teams of troops to secretly encircle them from both sides.

If it weren't for Zhang Qilan bringing his troops in time with only four or five thousand soldiers they brought, even those few young officers would have been wiped out there. The battlefield is always ruthless and無情的，如果不是世家出身幾百萬大軍也出不了多少校尉，幾千名校尉最多也隻有不到百人能成為副將，而這不足百人的副將中最多也不過能出兩三位將軍。並非是這些人冇有成為將軍的潛力，而是在成為將軍的過程中他們就已經先被慚愧的戰場吞冇了。(cruel and indifferent, it would not produce many military officers even with millions of soldiers if one were not from a noble family. With thousands of military officers, only less than a hundred could become deputy generals, and among these less than a hundred deputy generals, there might be at most two or three who could become generals. It was not that these people did not have the potential to become generals, but rather they had already been swallowed up by the cruel battlefield before becoming generals.)

"I hope Sir Chu will teach these young men more often in the future," Zhang Qilan said sincerely. He knew what skills the Princess Consort possessed; even the invincible and elusive Kirin was personally cultivated by the Princess Consort, and Qin Feng and Zhuo Jing around her would all be rising stars if placed in a military camp. From this perspective, it could be seen that the Princess Consort's method of teaching people was extremely ingenious.

Ye Li smiled and said, "General Zhang is an excellent commander." It was indeed rare for commanders to consider their subordinates so much in this era.

Zhang Qilan laughed loudly and said straightforwardly, "These young men may be a bit impulsive, but they are the future of the Black Ink Army. We old fellows will eventually grow too old to go on the battlefield one day; we'll have to rely on them in the future." Ye Li smiled and said, "General is still in his prime, it's too early to talk about aging. I've taken note of what General said." This was a promise. Zhang Qilan clasped his hands and said, "In that case, thank you for your efforts, Mister. It's still early; why don't you go back and rest for a while"

"Thank you for your concern, general."

The next day, when the Eastern Route Army discovered to their surprise that the Western Route Army guarding the front was still full of vigor and vitality, a group of young people finally couldn't hold back any longer. The large tent was noisy as a pot of boiling soup, and Ye Li sat smiling in one corner of the tent listening to these youngsters discussing.

It was Zhang Qilan who got annoyed by their noise; he rolled his eyes and said, "What are you all arguing about It's only twenty miles from here to Tianyan Cliff. Do you think Lu Jinxian won't move the troops guarding Tianyan Cliff when they get tired from your noisy arguments last night If you can't get past this barrier ahead of you, do you expect to fly to Tianyan Cliff"

The group fell silent, looking at each other. "General, does that mean we all did wasted labor last night" Even if they continued to launch surprise attacks every day, as long as the enemy alternated between two groups of troops, unless they forcibly broke through this line of defense, it was useless no matter what else they did. Moreover, during their first sneak attack on the first night, they nearly suffered a major defeat.

Zhang Qilan scratched his beard and said, "It’s not entirely wasted effort. You young men get carried away with yourselves. Sneaking around to harass them once or twice is fine, but becoming addicted to it and going at set times isn’t good, right Doesn’t that give Lu Jinxian the chance to beat you up"

The junior officers felt somewhat embarrassed as some of the senior generals sitting beside him chuckled.

"General, what should we do next then" A young officer stepped forward and asked expectantly.

Zhang Qilan furrowed his brows and looked at Ye Li who was seated on one side. "What does Mr. Chu think" Ye Li leisurely tapped the fan in her hand and said, "They have a high ground advantage; an outright attack will be both time-consuming and exhausting. The nightly raids should continue but… Don’t give General Lu another chance to catch you off guard. Next time General Zhang might not just happen to bring reinforcements."

A few young officers looked at Ye Li with some resentment and said, "Since Mr. Chu is a military advisor, he must have some brilliant tactics against the enemy. But even if we launch nightly raids every day, we can’t win them over, right If this continues for ten or twenty days, we’ll lose without fighting."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "What are your ideas then"

"I request to lead the vanguard of our army!" A young officer bowed toward Zhang Qilan. Others followed suit, clearly wanting to fight against their opponents head-on.

Ye Li looked at them coldly and said, "I don’t oppose a direct confrontation. Based on the enemy’s current troop strength, it is possible for us to capture this area with half of our troops. However, I need to remind everyone: although it is just a drill now, if this were a real battlefield, we would have lost half of our ten thousand soldiers sitting here and outside."

“What’s the point” Someone muttered.

Ye Li smiled and said, "If losing more than half of your troops, including all of you present here, isn’t a big deal, how are the remaining five thousand men going to cross through Heavenly Gorge Pass How many soldiers will remain after crossing Or do you think… even if we break through, that one soldier can relieve Commander Yuan’s encirclement Just so you know: based on my understanding of Prince Ding, there is no more than a third of the Western Army stationed here. The remaining two-thirds are fresh troops who haven’t joined battle yet. So, how about your commander and the soldiers defending the city

Before Ye Li could finish her statement, those young people turned beet-red in the face, even though they were resentful. They had to admit that this military advisor named Chu was right. Their courage came from knowing it was a drill and not a real battlefield. If they faced a real war, would they still charge forward without hesitation Or what consequences would follow

Zhang Qilan tapped the table and said, "Alright, I will handle tonight’s plan. No one is allowed to act on their own without my order. Anyone who defies this command will be executed!" Even though it wasn’t a real battlefield, his orders were military commands that must be obeyed. Those who violated them would be killed no matter if they were in battle or not. Zhang Qilan turned to Ye Li with a smile and said, "Mr. Chu, these unruly young men are your responsibility."

Ye Li smiled and replied, "It’s my honor to have the general’s trust." Satisfied with her reply, Zhang Qilan nodded and stood up as he glared at those still bristling young officers solemnly. “What Mr. Chu says represents my command. Anyone who defies it will be executed!”

With his senior subordinates dealing with Lu Jinxian’s troops ahead, the group of junior officers was held back by Ye Li and couldn’t move an inch. They watched as soldiers came and went in the camp every day but were not included, which made them increasingly irritable. On the third afternoon, they finally approached Ye Li to argue.

Outside Ye Li’s tent, she looked at the young men with a gentle smile that seemed like spring wind. She said amicably, "What do you have in mind" The leader of the group said, “We want to fight on the front lines, but why are we being held back”

Ye Li leisurely played with her fan and replied airily, "I’m the military advisor. I am under General Zhang’s orders. And I don’t allow it." Such a light dismissal was an enormous provocation to these young men, who all looked at Ye Li as if they wanted to punch her right then and there. Qin Feng and Wei Lin standing behind Ye Li glared coldly at the few young officers.

Ye Li continued looking at the young people with a smile. "You want to join the fight What use are you in battle These past two days, General Zhang’s troops fought just fine without your help; not once did he need to send reinforcements. Even if your brains aren’t up to par, even as a belligerent general who relies on brute force, do you think you can beat the ordinary soldiers It would be better for you all to wait behind."

The young people’s faces turned red with anger, and one impatiently stepped forward, pointing at Ye Li and said furiously, “You’re just a scholar without any strength. What right do you have to say such things about us”

Ye Li looked at him with a faint smile and slowly said, "Because..."

The fan was suddenly swung open like a sharp knife, aiming directly for the young man's throat. The man was startled and quickly bent over to avoid it, only to find that his lower body had been kicked into an acupoint by someone else before he could react. His entire body swayed as he fell onto the ground, raising dust all around.

Ye Li waved her fan a couple of times, then calmly continued, "You can't even defeat a scholar who is incapable of catching a chicken."

The crowd was speechless; they had truly been struck by this. In recent years, the Black Family Army had placed great emphasis on cultivating young officers, so these young officers were all in their early twenties but already held positions like Deputy Captain or even Commander.

However, most of them had not seen actual combat before, which was exactly what Ye Li feared most. The battlefield is an enormous meat grinder that doesn’t care if you are plain or brilliant; once caught up in it, the one who ends up achieving the greatest success isn't necessarily the smartest or strongest, but rather the one who survives.

Ye Li seemed oblivious to everyone's shocked expressions and said with a smile, "Don't say I'm bullying you. These two were trained by me. If you beat them, don’t even mention going against General Lu; if you want to go westward to destroy the Southern King right now, I won’t stop you."

The crowd exchanged glances but had no words in response. As if she wanted the fire of their humiliation to burn even higher, Ye Li added, "If single combat isn't your thing, fighting together is also an option."

Qin Feng and Wei Lin naturally understood what Ye Li meant; Wei Lin coldly snorted and said, "There's no point wasting time. Let’s fight as a group."

This clearly contemptuous tone finally snapped the last thread in everyone's minds, and without warning, several young men rushed at Qin Feng and Wei Lin. Of course, Wei Lin, who had just incurred their enmity, was their main target.

Ye Li stepped back and leaned against Qin Feng and Wei Lin as they skillfully dealt with the group of young men. It might have seemed like a gang fight, but it looked more like two people playing with a bunch of enraged kittens. Compared to their peers in the Black Family Army, these young men were indeed inferior; however, when compared to Qin Feng and Wei Lin—both born under the sign of Qilin and among the best—this inadequacy was even more apparent.

The young man who had been kicked down by Ye Li was still sitting on the ground and hadn't joined in the fight. Observing from outside, he clearly saw how far he fell short compared to Qin Feng and Wei Lin. Finally looking at Ye Li with a deflated expression, he said nothing.

Ye Li prodded him curiously with her foot and asked, "Why don’t you try it" The young man shook his head without getting up from the ground, saying, "I'm not stupid. We can't win against them. Do we have to embarrass ourselves further" Ye Li nodded with a smile and said, "You are indeed no match for them; that's beside the point. They aren’t your kind of people; high fighting skills are great, but if you can't compete, there’s no need to force it. General Zhang might not be their match either."

The young man complained, "Then why did you make them fight"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and said, "Because General Zhang is obviously smarter than all of you; while he possesses a clever mind, you think you have everything without having anything. I believe your minds need the same polishing as your bodies."

The young man’s eyes widened in anger as he glared at Ye Li, shouting, "We are not stupid!" They were up-and-coming stars of the Black Family Army; who wouldn’t praise them for their promising future Ye Li nodded seriously and said, "You’re right, you aren’t stupid. Stupidity can't even begin to describe how wrong you are. Have you ever seen a fool go looking for his death" The young man flushed with anger again as he realized this meant they weren’t even worthy of being called fools.

Ye Li looked at the young people in front of her and couldn’t help but smile. A twenty-something-year-old whose emotions were still so volatile was indeed quite rare in an era where people matured early. Seeing Ye Li’s seemingly teasing smile, the young man angrily said, "What are you laughing at!" Ye Li coughed lightly and covered her mouth with the fan, saying, "Nothing much; just felt like smiling."

As they were talking, Qin Feng and Wei Lin had already laid a group of overly confident young children on the ground. No matter how much they held back,無奈雙方的實力差距實在是太大，the original well-dressed young warriors now lay pitifully on the ground like dead dogs.

Ye Li looked down at everyone from above with a smile and asked, "How is it Are you convinced now"

"We are convinced..." Although the young warriors were still somewhat disappointed, the way they looked at Ye Li and her companions was vastly different from before. In the military, strength reigns supreme; these youths may be arrogant but they also respect the strong. The recent fight made them realize their差距 with their opponents.

"But Mr. Chu, can't we always hide behind others for protection" Although they knew they were weaker, they were now on a battlefield where all thoughts had to be put aside and focused on眼前的戰事.

Ye Li asked them with a smile, "Do you really want to go to war"

The group immediately sensed there was a chance for something exciting. Six or seven pairs of eyes stared at Ye Li expectantly. This made Ye Li feel some pressure as well. Smiling faintly at the enthusiastic young people before her, she said, "It's not impossible. Go back and choose two hundred elite soldiers from your troops to wait on standby."

"Mr. Chu, what do we need to do"

Ye Li replied solemnly, "This is a secret. Remember, everything must be done discreetly without attracting any attention, including General Zhang's. If someone gets caught, they will have to stay behind and reflect."

The young people loved mysterious and exciting things; Ye Li’s words made them even more excited. Frowning slightly, Ye Li said seriously, "Also, although this is an act, there are real dangers involved. This mission can be considered one of the most dangerous ones; I cannot guarantee that no one will get injured or killed."

"Understood!" The group responded in unison. For them, what Ye Li mentioned was nothing unusual; after all, where on a battlefield would there be no injuries or deaths

Ye Li nodded and said, "Good, go prepare yourselves and meet at the second watch."

"Yes!"

"My Lady, these young men are too reckless. Why should you bother with them" Wei Lin said somewhat discontentedly; if this behavior were to happen in the王府, they would have died a hundred deaths.

Ye Li replied coolly, "They're all young and rather cute."

Qin Feng and Wei Lin exchanged a glance and decided not to spread Ye Li’s evaluation lest the王爺 find out; these youngsters would indeed die a hundred deaths then.eets, some groups had attempted to forcefully break through them despite being driven back; another attempt would lead to close combat. Qilin used up all his bombs and moved elsewhere to kill enemies....