The origin of the matter was actually very simple. After Gao Xuan had suffered consecutive setbacks, he gave Xie Nandu quite a bit of authority. However, thinking it might not be entirely appropriate, though he was the commander of this war, after careful consideration, he still reported the matter to Great General Ning Ping.
At that time, the military report had just arrived at the General’s Office. Ning Ping happened to be with a group of generals analyzing the situation in the desolate north. Ning Ping opened the report together with the generals, but before he could make a statement, many of the generals started arguing. Almost half of them thought it was improper to allow the young woman to act so freely, though some argued that it was only three thousand soldiers; even if Xie Nandu made a mistake, the worst that would happen would be losing three thousand troops under her command.
Some generals thought that using three thousand lives to give that young woman a lesson in growth was worthwhile, while others strongly opposed it. The most vehement among them was the cavalry commander Li Changling.
However, while the argument in the General’s Office was still ongoing, a second military report arrived. It stated that the young woman had encountered a unit of demon cavalry; roughly three thousand strong.
Both sides had equal numbers, and the generals all knew that Great Liang had no clear advantage. At first, they only wanted to know how many soldiers the young woman would lose before retreating. Yet, as they read to the end of the report, all the generals grew solemn.
The two units of three thousand cavalry each had clashed. In the end, under Xie Nandu’s command, three hundred soldiers died and two hundred were lightly wounded, while the enemy demon cavalry was completely annihilated.
These few lines of text left the generals present stunned. It was not uncommon for Great Liang’s army to defeat demons in equal numbers; this had happened many times, but casualties this low were almost unprecedented.
What did this indicate?
It was very simple.
It indicated that this young woman, who stepped onto the battlefield for the first time, had already applied strategy to a near-perfect level. In front of her, the three thousand-strong demon cavalry was like a group of brainless fools.At that time, people were not only amazed that this female general could display such ability on her first battlefield but were even more shocked that she could use three thousand troops to fight such a flawless battle.
Generals who had long experience on the battlefield knew that achieving a “beautiful” battle, especially one with minimal casualties. It usually required a large number of troops.
The fewer the troops, the fewer the mistakes one can afford, and the harder it becomes.
After this, many generals naturally gained a different impression of Xie Nandu and, in turn, became more lenient. Even though Xie Nandu had not yet displayed much, what she had shown was enough to prove her exceptional talent in commanding troops. Given time, her future seemed boundless.
Yet some generals still believed that even so, Xie Nandu should not be treated specially.
Among them, the strongest opponent was cavalry main commander Li Changling. He had long experience in battle and was always very cautious about such matters.
Especially after Ning Ping approved Gao Xuan’s proposal to increase Xie Nandu’s troops, from three thousand to eight thousand, and eventually granting her a ten-thousand-strong cavalry.
Xie Nandu did not disappoint Ning Ping. Leading the ten-thousand cavalry, she achieved numerous brilliant victories. Afterwards, when the generals analyzed the battlefield situation, they concluded that Xie Nandu would later eliminate a unit of demon cavalry at a place called Greenvine Plain.
But the enemy had as many as thirty thousand.
So, after the General’s Office became aware of this matter, Li Changling made a bet with the generals present: if Xie Nandu could accomplish this, then his entire year’s military salary would be used to treat them all to drinks. If he won, the other generals would pool money to treat him to drinks for a year.
And within these two days, the result should be known.
A moment later, Li Changling came back to his senses, looked at his comrades-in-arms present, and said with a straight face, “Looks like... Your Father will be drinking the northern breeze in the coming year.”
The moment these words came out, everyone widened their eyes.
A moment later, laughter filled the entire General’s Office.
On the battle report, it was written clearly: Xie Nandu, leading ten thousand men, had at Greenvine Plain decisively defeated the demon race. That thirty-thousand-strong demon cavalry had been utterly annihilated, while Xie Nandu had lost only three thousand.
This battle result could be said to be the most brilliant victory in recent years in small-scale engagements.
At this moment, the generals who had not believed it possible were very pleased, while those who had thought they already valued Xie Nandu highly enough now felt that they had still underestimated that female general.
In short, it all came down to just a few words: the young are to be feared.
After that, it was the generals practically lining up, taking turns to mock, ridicule, and tease this cavalry commander. But even so, the great hall was still filled with laughter.
“Gentlemen, this general has an idea. I wonder what you all think?”
Amid the laughter, Ning Ping suddenly spoke, looking at the many generals present.
At once, all of the generals turned their eyes toward Ning Ping.
The great hall immediately quieted down.
Ning Ping stared at the generals before him, thought for a moment, and then said, “For this war, it had long been settled that Gao Xuan would serve as the commander-in-chief. After all, young people need to grow, and Gao Xuan was clearly the most suitable candidate. But as of now, this general feels that a more suitable candidate has already appeared.”
Li Changling was the first to react, asking in astonishment, “Great General wants to change the commander-in-chief in the middle of the war?”
Everyone knew that such a matter had always been a great taboo in the art of war; a heavy blow to morale.
What’s more, since the fighting had already begun, suddenly changing the commander would have even greater repercussions.
“Great General, this matter must be approached with caution, not recklessness. If even the slightest mistake occurs, these young people may never return. Besides, Gao Xuan... if we do this, will it not cause him to fall into ruin?”
The talent Xie Nandu had displayed was real, but Gao Xuan had long shown his talent too. If changing the commander now caused him to collapse, it would truly be a loss outweighing the gain.
These generals had all been in the Northern Frontier for many years, and perhaps they could still remain for some years yet. But the future would eventually need successors, and Gao Xuan was one of the representatives of the younger generation.
“You are all overthinking it. As for Gao Xuan, there is no need to worry at all. This change of commander was proposed by him. He has already written a letter to this general, saying he is willing to serve as deputy commander and lead the army together with Xie Nandu.”
Ning Ping smiled and said, “As for who Gao Xuan is, I think everyone understands. Since he has said so, there is no need to worry about his feelings. But changing the commander is no small matter, so this general still wishes to discuss it with all of you.”
As he said this, Ning Ping rubbed his brows, chuckled softly, and said, “Perhaps you all know that this general has a close relationship with that brat who is now in the limelight. Saying I am half his master would not be wrong. And this girl also has quite a close relationship with him. If you think this general is using power for personal gain, then you can speak out now.”
“This subordinate thinks there is no problem.”
No one had expected that, while everyone else hesitated, the first to speak would be Li Changling, the cavalry commander who had at the start most disbelieved in Xie Nandu. At this moment, he wiped his face and bluntly said, “This subordinate won’t speak any other nonsense. I’ll just ask you brothers one thing - don’t you want to see the demon race get beaten until they run away with their tails tucked between their legs?”
Even if the one who accomplished this matter was not one of them generals with great merits, even if it were not even a man -
It would not matter.
Since Li Changling put it that way, the other generals present had nothing more to say and fell silent.
“Very well, then the matter is decided.”
Great General Ning Ping stood and looked at the generals before him, and said calmly, “If anything goes wrong in the end, it will be on me.”
The generals looked at Ning Ping, and for a moment did not know what to say; in the end they could only remain silent.
“There should have been good news up front and something to celebrate, but since the great battle is not yet over, don’t drink alcohol, have a cup of tea instead.”
Ning Ping rose, took two steps, and suddenly said, “By the way, there is something I seem to have forgotten to tell you: that ill-tempered brat seems to have come to the desolate north.”
Everyone froze.
Who did not know which ill-tempered brat the Great General referred to?
“That brat has a bad temper, wields great authority, and is also petty. The only girl he cares about in his life is this one. If any of you harbour petty ideas, try to pull tricks with military supplies or the like, when the war ends, it won’t be up to the General’s Office to speak; that brat will send a punitive expedition to denounce you for crimes.”
Ning Ping smiled and continued to speak to himself, “I’d like to discipline him. In terms of official rank, compared with that brat I’m a bit lower, and putting other things aside, on this trip to the desolate north he has already killed many great demons.”
“On both grounds of sentiment and reason, this general really cannot say much.”
After saying this, Ning Ping spoke very earnestly, “Gentlemen, when that time comes, people will die.”