Chapter 34: Battle Conference

What? He wants me to speak directly? Wei Wuji was afraid he had misheard.

This was his first time attending such a meeting—what could he possibly have to say?

But since his father had called his name, Wei Wuji had no choice but to step forward, whether he was ready or not.

As for the war with the Chen army, Wei Wuji had experienced most of it firsthand, so recounting it wouldn’t be too difficult.

He rose to his feet, walked to the center of the command tent, and bowed respectfully to everyone present.

Fortunately, he had previously sought advice from Wang Xiu; otherwise, if he made a fool of himself at a meeting of this level, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

After completing all the formalities, Wei Wuji cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

“Your Highness, I was ordered to garrison Dashiyi, to defend our army’s flank,” he said carefully after some thought.

In Wei, during formal occasions, only the roles of lord and subject existed—there was no father and son in public.

While Wei Wuji spoke, the tent was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

He knew well enough that this silence was not because of him, but because of the man seated at the head of the tent—a man whose quiet presence radiated overwhelming authority.

Therefore, Wei Wuji’s voice grew even softer and more measured. “Five days ago, not far from Dashiyi, a large force of Chen cavalry suddenly appeared, numbering over ten thousand riders.”

At these words, some among the assembly began to murmur inwardly, “Ten thousand cavalry? That must be the entire mounted force of Chen.”

Wei Wuji, of course, was unaware of such things—he had little concept of the military strengths of other states.

He continued, “Ten thousand cavalry—my three thousand men could not possibly withstand them. So I took it upon myself to abandon Dashiyi.”

At this, Wei Wuji felt a cold sweat. He would have to take the blame for this retreat. He certainly couldn’t admit to fleeing Dashiyi because he had believed slanderous reports and valued his own life.

At this moment, a general stepped forward. “Your Highness, I have something to say!” Clearly, his words were directed at Wei Wuji.

“Speak freely! If any of you have questions, do not stand on ceremony—ask them directly,” Wei Hongyi said calmly from the main seat.

The general who had stepped forward cupped his hands to Wei Wuji. “I am Du Ji. May I ask the young lord for clarification.”

Wei Wuji nodded—what else could he do, with his father’s approval?

Du Ji said, “Young lord, how could you be certain that after withdrawing from Dashiyi, our flank would not be attacked by the Chen? Do not forget, Dashiyi is our only stronghold south of the Ling River. If we lost this place…”

Before Du Ji could finish, Wei Wuji interrupted, “General Du, the walls of Dashiyi are low and dilapidated, long in disrepair, and can’t even provide for the army’s supplies. My three thousand men could not hold it.”

He added, “So it was better to abandon Dashiyi and wait for another opportunity. You say Dashiyi is the only shield south of the Ling River, but I must tell you, you are mistaken!”

“Isn’t the Ling River itself a far more perfect barrier than Dashiyi?” Wei Wuji’s words left Du Ji speechless.

He continued, “After abandoning Dashiyi, I led my troops to the Ling River. Just as I was about to order the destruction of the wooden bridge, we encountered the vanguard of the Chen army.”

Thereafter, Wei Wuji recounted in detail how his troops had shown tenacity and indomitability in the skirmish with the Chen, and how he himself had commanded with wisdom and valor.

At that moment, he had only one thought: damn, making up stories is exhausting.

“Chengze, the fifth son says he had only three thousand men at Dashiyi. How did that happen?” From the main seat, Wei Hongyi turned slightly to a young man behind him.

“Your Highness, I was just about to report. When Qin suddenly marched into Chen, I ordered a partial withdrawal to secure the central camp, leaving only my fifth brother’s regiment at Dashiyi.”

“I thought that the Chen could not possibly attack from that direction, so my fifth brother should be quite safe. I did not expect things to turn out this way—I am at fault.”

As Wei Chengze finished, he made as if to kneel, but was stopped by Wei Hongyi’s gaze. He had no intention of pursuing the matter further, not even to ask any more questions.

By this time, Wei Wuji had finished all his boasting, and his acts of bravery on the banks of the Ling River had been embellished with extra flourish.

What he could not have guessed was that the one person he most wanted to hear his words—Wei Hongyi—had not listened to a single word.

What a waste of his wits! Worse, his words were picked over by all the generals, and he barely managed to parry their questions.

After describing the battle at the Ling River bridge, Wei Wuji had to keep spinning his tale.

He went on to describe how he rallied his men with stirring words, inspiring them to stand firm and launch a fierce counterattack against the Chen.

“May I ask, young lord, how did you enable Captain Zheng to locate the Chen army so precisely in the dark?”

“May I ask, young lord, with so many Chen troops, how were you certain they wouldn’t launch an all-out assault?”

…

Wei Wuji’s account invited a barrage of questions, leaving him quite at a loss.

Fortunately, his thick skin served him well; he could say anything with a straight face. For example, to the first question, he simply replied that it was luck—what could anyone say to that?

After fielding everyone’s queries, Wei Wuji finally breathed a deep sigh of relief, thinking to himself that these old generals were as gossipy as a flock of women.

He patted his chest and, after catching his breath, continued, “After fighting the Chen at night, I led the surviving troops twenty li back under cover of darkness and hid them.”

“Later, I received news that the Chen were retreating. At the time, I could hardly believe it.” At last, Wei Wuji finished his narrative.

“Young lord, there is one thing I do not understand: why did you not report these events immediately?” The question came from Du Ji, the first to speak earlier.

Uh-oh! This really stumped Wei Wuji. Could he say that he had been fleeing for his life the whole time? Who would have thought of that? Not even Wang Xiu had noticed this problem—how could a newcomer like him have anticipated it? Wei Wuji began to feel some resentment toward Du Ji—what was the point of asking that?

Nevertheless, he forced himself to answer, “Chen’s cavalry had scouts everywhere. I fear… any messengers I sent out were intercepted by them.”

After hearing this, Du Ji stepped back. Whether the explanation was true or not, he had no way to verify it.

Seeing that no one else came forth to question him, Wei Wuji breathed a silent sigh of relief and saluted the Lord of Wei. “Your Highness, that is all.”

Wei Hongyi nodded, signaling him to step aside, and so Wei Wuji withdrew to one side.

Only then did he notice that, in the entire tent, apart from his father and the two pillar generals, no one else was seated. Even though there were empty chairs, none were for him.

Wei Wuji cursed himself inwardly—his earlier foolishness now seemed utterly ridiculous. No wonder so many people had looked at him so oddly.

“Strategist, let us hear your thoughts.” Wei Hongyi spoke again from the main seat, and as his words fell, a middle-aged man stepped forward from behind him.

Wei Wuji recognized him from Wang Xiu’s description—this was Lü Qingliang, the chief advisor at the Lord of Wei’s side, and reputedly the mastermind behind the campaign against Chen.

“Strategist, can you now see where the crux of the problem lies?” Wei Hongyi continued.

Lü Qingliang smiled slightly. “As I anticipated—no major deviation.”

His confidence radiated outward as he spoke, and Wei Wuji almost felt it splash over him.

“In today’s battle, the Qin refrained from fighting. Most likely, it was because the young lord blocked the Chen reinforcements.”

“My estimation is that the Qin wished for a head-on clash with our main force, and at the critical moment, they would use those ten thousand Chen troops to shift the tide.” Lü Qingliang paced the tent as he spoke, at ease and unhurried.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Lü Qingliang’s tone grew solemn. “But who would have guessed that, because the fifth young lord delayed the Chen army, they failed to reach their position on time, forcing the Qin to abandon their plan.”

So that was it! This was the realization that dawned on most in the tent, including Wei Wuji.

Before, he had only known, from Wang Xiu’s analysis, that the Chen army had intended a surprise attack on the Wei forces, but not why. Now, at last, he understood everything.