Xiao Ru Di gave a sinister smile, "Father, what are you talking about? Our Xiao family's eldest grandson is getting married, and of course, we must inform you, the head of the family."
"Hmph, eldest grandson?" Xiao Xiang closed his eyes in despair, "I am not fortunate enough for that." Xiao Xiang was weak, and after a moment's pause, he said, "You never showed such wolfish ambition from childhood. When did you become... like this?"
As he spoke of regret, Xiao Xiang's breathing grew more rapid. He tried hard to recall the past, but he couldn't pinpoint when his eldest son had become this way.
Was it after he was injured?
No, Feng'er was already gone then.
It must have been a long time ago.
Xiao Xiang's body was at its limit, and his memory had worsened, making it difficult to recall many things. Yet, even in this state, Xiao Ru Di would not let him go, even forcefully feeding him tonics to prolong his life.
He vaguely knew that Xiao Ru Di wanted him to witness something, but he didn't want to dwell on it.
Xiao Ru Di seemed to know what he was thinking, "Father, soon, good news will arrive, and then you will be freed..."
I will make sure you cannot rest in peace.
On the city walls, Li Man'er was looking into the distance with her binoculars. The binoculars she held were a discarded, old piece of equipment. Judging by the era she came from, their production could be traced back to the 1920s or 1930s. They were considered good back then, but as technology advanced, even the outdoor gear ordinary military enthusiasts bought was far superior to what she had.
This was the worst equipment she could find. She couldn't even find a simple spyglass from the Qing Dynasty!
"Hmph hmph, the barbarians are still up to no good." Li Man'er tucked the binoculars into her pocket and turned to run into the temporary command post office. However, her peripheral vision caught the curious glances of many soldiers on the wall, as if she were carrying a treasure.
Oh, right, she was carrying a treasure. Binoculars, these people had never seen them, so they probably thought she was crazy, seeing her holding a tube and muttering to herself.
"Ah Si, I'm curious?"
Ah Si's expression was a bit unnatural, "No, it's just that you were holding that..." Ah Si gestured with his hand to the item in Li Man'er's pocket, "People haven't seen it before, so they probably find it strange."
Li Man'er smiled, "This is a good thing, it can see things thousands of meters away."
"Thousands of meters away?" Ah Si was startled, "Miss, is that true?" If it could really see that far, then this thing would be invaluable for reconnaissance.
Wouldn't that make it a pair of千里眼 (qian li yan - eyes that see a thousand li)?
"Of course, it's true. I'll let you see it when I have a chance."
Ah Si nodded repeatedly and followed Li Man'er towards the command post.
The room built on the city tower was very small. The two rooms on the left were for Xi Hu to recuperate, and the guards attending him were resting there. The two rooms on the right, one was a conference room, and the other was for the officers to rest.
The first thing Li Man'er did upon entering was to examine the sand table.
Ah Si followed behind her, not daring to breathe.
Soon, Zhang Jingfeng, Lu Liang, Lu Fang, and Yang Yitian also arrived.
"General!"
"General."
Li Man'er nodded, "Please sit."
The four of them had no intention of sitting; they were all waiting for her to make a decision.
Luo Sheng seemed to have changed his ways, spending his days eating or sleeping. He used to hold meetings in a perfunctory manner, but now he kept to himself, as if he couldn't even be seen.
And regarding the new city, although they had received their request for rescue, they pretended not to see it. For the past few days, they hadn't sent anyone, nor had they sent any supplies. If this continued, even if the barbarians didn't drive them to death, they would run out of firewood and food, and freeze or starve to death.
"Beyond the city lies the barbarian army, stationed about two li east of Xiashi Beach," Li Man'er snorted, "Arrogant and conceited."
"What are the General's plans?"
"Two of their trebuchets are broken and are currently being repaired with extra manpower. Those things were almost reduced to scrap, and they are not that easy to fix! However, I suspect their reinforcements will arrive soon. Once reinforcements arrive, defending the city will likely become difficult."
Li Man'er mused that if she could build two fortifications in front of the city gate and pile up sandbags, she could set up machine guns, and she wouldn't fear any number of attackers.
She did have machine guns, but she couldn't take them out.
What about crossbows? That could be tried, but if the rotten apples weren't removed, she wouldn't feel at ease using them.
Li Man'er looked at Lu Fang and the others and asked, "I suspect the barbarians want to preserve their strength and wait for reinforcements. Tonight, they will certainly not attack the city. This is a golden opportunity for us."
Lu Fang's eyelids twitched. For some reason, he felt that Li Man'er's words were pointed, as if directed at him.
"What does the General mean?"
"Take them by surprise, attack them unprepared."
Zhang Jingfeng's eyes lit up, "You want to raid their camp?"
This was a bold idea.
"General, I believe it is not feasible."
As expected, the first person to object was Lu Fang.
"Why not?" Li Man'er frowned slightly, as if surprised by the objection.
Lu Fang was inwardly pleased and quickly said, "The barbarians have over ten thousand cavalry. Even if they have suffered some losses before, their combat effectiveness has not diminished. If we rashly raid their camp, I fear we will gain nothing. You must know that in open terrain, the barbarians' horses are far superior to ours. If the barbarians set an ambush, we might not return."
"I said, we'll strike by surprise. The barbarians would never expect us to raid their camp," Li Man'er pointed to the terrain on the sand table and said, "Since this place is open and not suitable for cavalry raids, we will change our method and play to our strengths."
"Change method? Not by horse?" Zhang Jingfeng looked confused. How could they fight without horses?
"There are many ways to fight a war. Just use your brain a little?" Li Man'er said, "I want to organize a small team of elites to march rapidly under the cover of night. Upon reaching the barbarians, the first priority will be to conceal ourselves and locate their food and supplies."
Several people exchanged glances, "General, you mean to burn their food?"
"Since it's a raid, it can't be as simple as burning food," Li Man'er said, "We should at least make their camp explode a little. It's New Year, after all, we need to make some noise!"
Several people simultaneously thought of Li Man'er's divine artifact that destroyed the barbarian trebuchets, and their eyes gleamed, "General, you still have those rare items?"
"Yes, but not many. Each one must be used strategically," Li Man'er said, "Scout first, then attack. This time, I will make them suffer heavy losses!"