185: The Spring and Autumn Wars

Lin Yue led the White Horse Righteous Cavalry on a rapid assault, using a simple map to try and avoid tribes on the grassland.

They marched continuously for three days, stopping only for essential food and rest.

The Soldier were exhausted from the continuous march, and their morale was somewhat low. Yet, according to the map, they had only covered a third of the journey, and King Baiyang's Encampment was still far away.

"The Army will rest," Lin Yue said, experiencing the hardship of a forced march firsthand.

Only well-trained and strong-willed warriors could endure such a task.

At the same time, he felt immense respect for the warriors of later generations who fought for their entire nation.

If it were the defenders of Heye City, they might have given up after a day, but his White Horse Righteous Cavalry had already performed exceptionally well.

As he spoke, Soldiers went to each camp to relay the message.

[Troop Type: White Horse Righteous Cavalry

Scale: One hundred thousand

Training Level: 87

Morale: 71]

The higher the Training Level, the greater the Soldiers' tacit understanding, and correspondingly, the higher their combat effectiveness.

Morale encompassed elements like military spirit and cohesion.

With high morale, they could unleash combat power not normally available.

60 was an average. Below 60 indicated low morale.

"My Lord, we only have enough provisions for half a day," Zhao Yun said to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue nodded in response, taking out the simple map to examine it.

The Art of War, in its chapter on warfare, stated: "A skilled commander does not conscript Soldiers twice nor transport provisions three times; he draws supplies from his own country but forages on the enemy, thus ensuring sufficient provisions for the Army."

Simply put, it meant to wage war by living off the land.

If short on men, conscript Soldiers from the enemy's territory to fight them. If short on food, seize the enemy's provisions to replenish his own.

As someone who had mastered the "The Art of War" from the Heaven's General version to perfection, Lin Yue naturally understood this principle.

At the same time, Lin Yue held immense admiration for Sun Wu.

With the single phrase: "All warfare is based on deception."

He opened a new chapter in the history of ancient Chinese warfare!

Only after the traditional military etiquette and battlefield rules of the Spring and Autumn period, which emphasized honorable, arrayed combat, were swept aside, could so many peerless Generals emerge in the land of China!

Before that, there had to be rituals of declaration and challenge before battle, and the campaign had to have a just cause. The challenge letter to the enemy state had to use humble terms, and banquets were held for the envoys who delivered the challenge, where they drank wine, composed poems, and were treated well.

During combat, no deception or sneak attacks were allowed; injured enemies could not be harmed a second time; when taking prisoners after the war, elderly enemy Soldiers with gray hair were to be released and not taken captive.

One could not adapt to local conditions or use dangerous terrain to win; once the enemy ruler died or a natural disaster occurred, the Army had to withdraw.

Now, attacking the enemy halfway across a river was common sense, but back then, it would have invited ridicule and ruined one's reputation.

The rules and etiquette were countless, truly more cumbersome than a wedding in later generations.

Even in the Battle of Bi, when Chu achieved a great victory and Jin retreated, their chariot wheels got stuck in the mud. The Chu Army even helped the Jin Army free their chariots from the mud before continuing the pursuit.

Even more ironically, while receiving help, the Jin Army still mocked the Chu Army, saying, "We are not as experienced in fleeing as your esteemed Army."

The Chu Army was not angered; they merely exchanged verbal barbs, continuing to help the Jin Army with their actions even while bickering, only beginning the pursuit after all Jin Soldiers were freed.

Twenty-two years later, these two states met again, but the situation had reversed. This time, Chu suffered a great defeat, and Jin pursued.

The King of Chu, fleeing in panic, encountered the Jin rear guard.

The commander of the Jin rear guard, Xi Que, upon seeing the King of Chu, immediately pursued him, and then, before the two armies...

He respectfully performed a grand bow to the King of Chu!

And the King of Chu, fleeing in defeat, did not lose his composure, returning the bow and generously bestowing his own bow upon the other party.

Lin Yue mischievously thought that their conversation at the time might have gone something like this:

Xi Que bowed deeply and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, I never expected to see Your Majesty here! I am truly blessed for three lifetimes!"

The King of Chu tidied his appearance and said, "Alas, I am ashamed, ashamed."

Xi Que: "Your Majesty must be weary from your journey. Would you care to eat before you depart?"

The King of Chu: "Never mind, never mind. I see you are quite discerning. I shall bestow this precious bow upon you."

Xi Que: "Thank you, Your Majesty! I shall now return to my ranks. You may flee."

The King of Chu: "I will only depart after you have returned to your ranks. We shall remain exactly where we are. I, the King of Chu, shall not take a single step first!"

Xi Que: "Excellent, excellent! Your Majesty is indeed a gentleman!"

Only after this elaborate exchange of courtesies did the pursuers pursue and the fleeing flee!

Today, people hearing these stories might find them unbelievable and laughable, a farce like children playing house, unimaginable as a Spring and Autumn period national war.

But in an era where reputation and etiquette were more important than life itself, such examples were countless.

No wonder Confucius and even Wang Mang so desperately wished to restore the Rites of Zhou!

Lin Yue closed the simple map, stood up, brushed off the dust, and pointed north: "There, there is an Encampment of one hundred thousand people, and within it is our food!"

Zhao Yun's eyes lit up, then he excitedly said, "Understood!"

"Move out!"

...It wasn't until the afternoon that Lin Yue's Army finally stopped.

Lin Yue stared blankly at the boundless grassland, then took out his map, checking it from every angle to confirm he hadn't gone the wrong way.

He sighed, realizing that the Xiongnu people tribe must have moved. This was an uncontrollable factor, and he couldn't blame anyone.

"My Lord, is there food here?" Xing Daorong asked.

He looked at the tender green grass just emerging in early spring, swallowed with difficulty, and felt a strong internal resistance.

"Have the scouts you sent out found anything?" Lin Yue asked.

Xing Daorong shook his head and said, "Within a twenty-li radius of this place, no Xiongnu people have appeared."

The Generals felt disheartened upon hearing this, understanding that the Xiongnu people tribe must have moved.

On the vast grassland, finding another tribe again would be incredibly difficult.

They were already fortunate not to be lost.

Lin Yue looked at the morale, which had dropped to 68, and couldn't help but feel anxious. If this continued, the morale of the White Horse Righteous Cavalry would become low!

He had an idea!

Lin Yue was overjoyed and immediately used the "Qi Observation Technique"!

When Lin Yue looked up at the sky, he saw a different sight!

To the northeast of this location, there was human qi. With so many people gathered on the grassland, it must be the Xiongnu people's Encampment!

Finding the direction was all that mattered!

Indeed, there were no useless skills in the "Killing God Art"!

Just as Lin Yue was about to announce their departure, his gaze suddenly swept to the west, not far away, and he saw a faint wisp of a General's Star Qi!

That wisp of General's Star Qi was not obvious; he almost missed it!

Comparing the two, the General's Star Qi was clearly closer to them.

"Follow me!" Lin Yue said.

If they encountered a General's Star Qi here and it belonged to the Xiongnu people, he would eliminate him directly, saving future casualties on the battlefield.

As for the Xiongnu people camp, it wouldn't move anytime soon. It wouldn't be too late to go there after dealing with this General's Star!

Then, the one hundred thousand White Horse Righteous Cavalry changed direction, drawing an arc across the grassland.