TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY, I CULTIVATE USING QI LUCK

Chapter 880: Chapter 373: Besieging the City

The next day, as the morning light began to brighten, the Ning Army awoke from their slumber.

Worn out and exhausted, despite having slept through the night, many still felt fatigued, even sore, and didn’t want to get up.

But everyone knew that now was not the time to sleep, for the Chu Army was still nearby, and the situation remained dangerous; thus, they forced themselves up, crawling out of their tents.

The Fire Head Camp had already prepared breakfast, distributing it to each unit in advance so that the soldiers could get up and queue for their food in an orderly fashion by platoon.

In the early morning, tinged with the chill of night, to have a hot meal, feeling the warmth fill one’s stomach, was a very happy thing.

Especially on this brutal battlefield, it was the only thing left for everyone to look forward to with satisfaction.

Marquis Wuan Bai Yian also mingled among the soldiers, eating the standard military rations with them without putting on any airs of his rank as a marquis or commander.

He instead heartily consumed the food, which was meant to fill rather than to be flavorful, blending in with the soldiers.

Such an approachable attitude naturally moved the soldiers; their affection for their commander grew, and they increasingly ceased to see him as an aloof member of the aristocratic families, beginning to think of him as one of their own.

After letting go of their reverence, finally, after taking a sip of the wild vegetable rice soup, someone couldn’t help but ask, “General, Ruichang City lies ahead, which is part of Ning Country’s territory. Once we get there, does that mean we are safe and can successfully return home?”

The questioner was a young man who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old.

However, based on the conversation they had just shared, he had already been in the army for three years, participated in four battles, large and small, and had taken two heads personally—he was a true veteran.

In such a chaotic world, even in Ning Country, which had been relatively stable for over a decade, there were still many people who couldn’t survive and had to either starve or flee.

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Compared to this, the young man, who had joined the army to earn his food, was considered very lucky according to his own words.

Some people wished for the opportunity to risk their lives in battle but couldn’t get it and ended up being the ones others leeched off, which was even more tragic.

Thus, the young man who had emerged from hardship had simple thoughts: to survive.

He wanted to live to be forty; doing so would mean surpassing the oldest villager, the head of his village, and becoming the oldest person there.

If possible, he wished to use the rewards from his military achievements to buy some land in his hometown, build a mansion, marry a wife, and have a couple of chubby children. Then, he would have no regrets in life.

The young man had already calculated it.

To accomplish these things, he needed to kill at least ten people. Only then would he have enough military merit to be promoted to company commander or even deputy platoon leader, earning more money.

Now he had already killed two people; all he needed was to kill eight more to achieve his goal.

However, with Ning Country’s defeat, the young man also knew that if the fight continued, it would be more likely for him to die on the battlefield before achieving his dream.

Therefore, he no longer hoped to kill the remaining eight people; he just wished to survive and return home alive, even if it meant being poorer.

Upon hearing the young man’s words, the other soldiers also couldn’t help but look expectantly at Bai Yian.

Survival, the simple desire to live, is the purest wish of all beings, and the most primal need, genuine and straightforward.

However, facing the many sincere gazes, Bai Yian found himself temporarily at a loss for words.

What could he say?

Say that they could no longer return?

Not only that, but he also planned to lead them to their deaths, wanting to use their lives to buy time for Ning Country.

This reality was too cruel; no one would accept it.

In the end, Bai Yian could only smile with feigned confidence, assuring them, “Of course, we can definitely get back. Once we pass Ruichang, we will be back inside our country. There we’ll have sturdy walls, abundant grain, and countless comrades. The Chu people wouldn’t dare to attack. Naturally, we will be safe.”

“Really?”

“That’s great; I knew the general would be able to take us home, he said so himself.”

“I trust the general.”

Hearing Bai Yian’s words, the soldiers around him couldn’t help but feel overjoyed and excited.

In their eyes gazing at Bai Yian, it was as if they saw their faith and light, equally pure.

Faced with these pure spirits, Bai Yian felt almost overwhelmed, so he stood up, dusted himself off, and said with a laugh, “Don’t worry, I won’t deceive you. Am I not here with you as well?”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers believed.

The general was here, the emperor was here, so many ministers and high-ranking officials were here, so how could they possibly move forward if they couldn’t go home?

Their lives were so precious!

Because last night’s deed was done covertly, and there was always class segregation in ordinary times, the soldiers had not noticed that the emperor and many ministers had already left the army camp.

The one who truly remained was only the Marquis Wuan Bai Yian in front of them, who talked and laughed closely with them, asserting that he was also here.

Unaware that they had been betrayed, when the soldiers thought of this and looked at their commanding officer’s smile, they were immediately filled with confidence.

Bai Yian knew he was being hypocritical, disgusting, and shameless at this moment, yet he still did so.

He allowed himself to be hypocritical, disgusting, and shameless, becoming the person he once hated the most.

Because this was the only way to deceive these soldiers who trusted him into going to Ruichang, into dying for Ning Country in battle, to die for their ideals and beliefs.

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