Martial Cultivator

Scouts came and went continuously, like connecting the limbs of a person, running through the intricate network of meridians.

Within half a day, Xie Nandu’s cavalry had already seen three groups of scouts pass back and forth. Xie Nandu knew this was Gao Xuan using this method to subtly remind her not to do anything reckless. She didn’t overthink it; she could understand Gao Xuan very well.

After all, this was her first time commanding an entire army, some worry was understandable.

Understanding aside, Xie Nandu still intended to make certain decisions on her own.

“When were the scouts dispatched?”

Xie Nandu suddenly asked, turning to a middle-aged general beside her. This general was Yuan Ting, who had served in the Northern Frontier Army for over a decade. He had risen from the midst of countless battles, a thoroughly steady and reliable man. The previous Great General, Xiao Hezheng, had once remarked that Yuan Ting was the best candidate to serve as a deputy for a whole army, though unlikely ever to lead one alone.

He said that Yuan Ting was too methodical and disciplined, fighting by the book, rarely making mistakes, but also rarely demonstrating ingenuity. As a deputy general, he was perfect; leading an army independently, not so much.

However, although Yuan Ting did not have the ability to lead an army independent, Yuan Ting had a strong virtue: no matter whose deputy he was, he could always work harmoniously with the commanding general.

In fact, this time, the General’s Office had racked their brains to find a suitable deputy for Xie Nandu. They had painstakingly sifted through all the generals in the Northern Frontier before finally settling on Yuan Ting.

After all, it was Xie Nandu’s first time commanding an army, and being a woman, choosing the wrong deputy could have caused serious complications.

“Two hours ago, according to General’s orders, three groups of people were sent to different directions. However, until General Gao’s side reports back, it’s best that General don’t act on your own.”

In battles between two armies, scouts always move first to probe the enemy’s movements. General Gao was currently formulating the battle plan; if Xie Nandu made any decisions before orders arrived, it could cause problems.

Xie Nandu did not answer Yuan Ting’s question. She simply said, “There is no one backing you up, so others with the same military merit will advance faster, while you move slower.”

Yuan Ting frowned, thinking to himself: What do you mean by this? ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt

Xie Nandu continued, speaking to herself, “They all say you are not suited to be the commander of an army. You are also convincing yourself that you are not suited, but in reality, you want to do it.”

Yuan Ting suddenly smiled. “What is General speculating?”

“I’m not speculating. I’m just telling you that I know what you are thinking.”

Xie Nandu turned to look at Yuan Ting and said calmly, “No one is willing to stay put. Naturally, you want to command an army on your own. It’s just that there is no one backing you up. If you really became the commander of an army and something went wrong, you couldn’t bear the responsibility.”

Yuan Ting had not expected Xie Nandu to speak so directly and so incisively. He indeed wanted to command an army and had never not wanted it, but there were many things he could not let go of his hard-earned status over the years. He did not want to lose it because of a single mistake. In other words, if he remained a deputy, if something went wrong, the responsibility would fall on the main commander, not him.

Xie Nandu said calmly, “Am I wrong?”

Yuan Ting originally wanted to refute a little, but seeing Xie Nandu’s calm expression, he thought for a moment and finally shook his head. “Life is difficult. For someone of General’s background, being able to see this clearly is already not easy, but it’s hard to fully put yourself in another’s position.”

Xie Nandu said, “Fear of loss makes you avoid taking action. If you don’t act, you won’t lose. Your thought process is not entirely wrong, but it also has problems.”

Yuan Ting remained silent.

Xie Nandu said, “I’ll give you a choice. If you agree, I guarantee you a promising future.”

Yuan Ting furrowed his brows.

Xie Nandu asked, “Do you dare to take a gamble?”

Yuan Ting asked, “What kind of gamble?”

“I am the commander of this cavalry. All decisions are made by me. Even if a mistake is made, it has nothing to do with you. But if merit is achieved, I will credit you for it. Your only duty is not to obstruct any of my decisions. Even if you don’t understand, you must obey. Ideally, don’t even ask questions.”

Xie Nandu looked at Yuan Ting. She knew that sending him as her deputy served two purposes: on one hand, they feared that if something truly happened, her subordinates would not follow orders; on the other hand, they were worried that if she acted on her own, no one would be able to stop her.

Yuan Ting gave a bitter smile. “General, if you are going to make a decision that could influence the course of this battle and lead to a total collapse, I don’t think I dare to agree.”

Xie Nandu looked at him, but did not speak immediately. She quietly thought for a moment and said, “I was placed in this position deliberately. Even if we all died, do you really think it would change the overall outcome?”

How Xie Nandu was arranged in this post was the result of careful deliberation by the Northern Frontier General’s Office, absolutely not a hasty decision.

“Even so, I can’t just watch you lead them to die.”

Yuan Ting turned to look at the cavalry. These were veteran soldiers, seasoned in countless battles. They were a precious asset of the army, not something that could be casually discarded.

Xie Nandu glanced at Yuan Ting and asked, “How does this benefit me?”

Hearing this, Yuan Ting paused for a moment, then gradually understood. Indeed, it was true, Xie Nandu was aligned with them. If they all died, how could Xie Nandu survive?

“Here.”

Xie Nandu suddenly took a piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Yuan Ting.

What is this?”Xie Nandu asked.

“This is the arrangement General Gao would make.”

Xie Nandu said calmly, “Scouts are constantly coming and going. You can ask when the time comes. If he really arranges things this way, wouldn’t you believe me?”

Yuan Ting was silent for a moment, then curiously asked, “But the battle hasn’t started yet. How did you determine this, General?”

Having served in the army for many years, he knew well that even if some arrangements were planned in advance, the final execution always depended on the battlefield situation. It was impossible to have everything perfectly arranged before the battle even began.

If Xie Nandu could already deduce General Gao’s arrangements at this moment, then there was only one possibility: she had even accounted for the Demon Realm’s reactions.

This was the final result she had calculated.

But how could this be possible?

Throughout human history, countless war gods had emerged. Whether in internal conflicts or external wars, they had demonstrated unparalleled military talent. Yet for someone to anticipate the enemy’s every move as Xie Nandu did, that had never happened before.

“You’re thinking too much. That’s because not too many are involved. Once the numbers go up, it’s no longer something you can calculate.”

Xie Nandu glanced at Yuan Ting and finally concluded, “In short, I hope you don’t overthink things, and you don’t need to do too much either.

“Leave the planning to me, leave the execution to me. What you need to do is obey, and you will benefit.”

Hearing this, Yuan Ting felt it was somewhat absurd. He thought to himself: the military merit I worked hard to earn, could it ever be the same as what comes from following orders like this?

“You don’t have my ability. Letting me handle it is naturally the better choice. As for effort, didn’t you personally kill those demons? Isn’t that your achievement?”

Xie Nandu seemed to see clearly what Yuan Ting was thinking.

Yuan Ting was silent for a long while, then finally said, “I hope it really turns out as you say.”

Before Xie Nandu could respond, Yuan Ting added, “That way, far fewer people will die.”

No one likes war, because war means bloodshed. It means many familiar faces will die on the battlefield, and many people will be lost.

Yet the Great Liang could not avoid confronting war.

Xie Nandu said, “What I need to do is resolve this war as quickly as possible, once and for all.”

Her youthful dream had been to reclaim the thirty thousand miles of the desolate north and cleanse the shame of the human race. But now, after arriving in the desolate north, she was no longer satisfied with that.

She wanted to achieve something far greater.