271: Factional strife

“This humble general believes that only by making them truly suffer can we achieve lasting peace!” Zhao Ben said in a deep voice.

He had been biding his time, waiting for Touman to arrive so he could earn merits. Now, being told to defend the city, he was naturally unwilling. All the glory would go to Wang Li’s Hundred-Battle Armor-Piercing Army, so what was he even doing here?

He could play a supporting role, but he couldn't always be a supporting role, could he?

After Great Qin unified the six states, the Xiongnu had always been a major threat. It could be said that the merits of this northern campaign against the Xiongnu were no less than those of conquering a state.

Wang Jian and his son had conquered five states in total, and now even Wang Jian’s grandson, Wang Li, wanted to seize this merit. This could be said to have angered all the Generals.

The Generals in the main tent were all waiting for this military achievement to earn them titles and ranks. If Wang Li took all the benefits, it might be acceptable on an ordinary day.

But this immense merit, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if missed, was missed forever. Who could back down from that?

“This humble general believes General Zhao Ben makes sense,” Yang Wengzi said with a smile, agreeing.

“This humble general also believes that what he said is true,” Dong Zhuo said with a cheerful laugh.

“This humble general thinks it’s inappropriate. When we can achieve victory with the smallest cost, why must we waste the precious lives of Great Qin’s Soldiers?” Although Wang Li knew he had already incurred the wrath of the Generals, he still refused to compromise. The reasoning remained the same: who would give up such immense merit?

He had always carried the title of a third-generation general, and even his noble rank was an extra bestowal from The First Emperor, given in recognition of his grandfather’s achievements. He also wanted to prove himself.

To prove that he was a true scion of a military family, surpassing his father and grandfather, just like General Meng Tian, who stood before him!

“Great General, I think we should split our forces. Let General Wang Li defend the city himself, and we will attack,” Dong Zhuo said with a rather playful smile.

“Nonsense.” General Meng Tian shook his head, somewhat speechless, but Fusu watched with great interest.

Having lived in Xianyang for a long time, such scenes of conflict between military Generals were rare.

The dispute among these Titled Generals, who were skilled in warfare yet had their own varied intentions, was a living example. It seemed there was conflict everywhere, and imperial strategy was about manipulating people’s hearts, which greatly interested him.

Just then, Luo Xi rushed in and whispered a report to General Meng Tian.

General Meng Tian’s expression changed, a rare sight, and after a few whispered words with Fusu, he stood up and walked out with Fusu.

“Rest first, we’ll continue shortly.” General Meng Tian left these words and disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Seeing General Meng Tian and Fusu both step out of the main tent, the Generals immediately erupted into a buzz of conversation!

“What’s going on?” someone asked.

“Keep your voice down, what does it have to do with you? Didn’t you see that the other Generals haven’t said anything?” another person whispered.

Soon, the main tent fell silent once more. Lin Yue now understood. No wonder She Jian told him not to interrupt when he arrived. This was a battle among gods, and even if he was a General, he was merely a mortal destined to suffer.

Lin Yue looked again; the four Titled Generals in the main tent were all sitting upright, eyes closed in meditation.

It seemed that no matter how good their relationships were on ordinary days, once military merits were involved, even Zhao Ben, who had the least seniority and usually offended no one, refused to budge or compromise, directly refuting Wang Li. There was no doubt that Wang Li must be having a difficult time right now.

But at this point, even if they weren't fighting for themselves, they had to fight for their subordinates. This was no longer just a dispute among the four of them.

The main tent then fell into a deathly silence. Finally, Dong Zhuo couldn't help but turn to his Generals and say:

“Heh heh, learn from this. We’re all brothers stirring the same pot. If there’s meat, we eat it together. Whether it tastes good or bad, even if it’s shit, we eat it together. Otherwise, how can we call ourselves comrades?

Never do something like eating the meat yourself and letting others drink the soup, then expecting them to be grateful. That just makes you look smart and treats everyone else like fools.”

“Dong Pangzi, what do you mean?” Wang Li asked, though he remained somewhat restrained despite his displeasure.

“I don’t mean anything. My Dong Zhuo family was poor, but when friends visited when I was young, I’d slaughter the only ox we had to entertain them.

If you’re brothers, you should be more generous. Don’t always think about eating alone.” Dong Zhuo said in a rare, stern voice.

“Are you implying I’m eating alone?” Wang Li asked in a cold voice, his tone frosty.

“I didn’t say anything about you, Deputy Commander.” Dong Zhuo reverted to his usual smile, hinting:

“You are from a noble and prominent military family. You might not know that what you consider easily obtainable is something that we, these ordinary Soldiers, fight tooth and nail for and still can’t get.”

“Bang!”

The armrest of Wang Li’s chair instantly crumbled into dust!

This could be said to have touched his reverse scale!

Dong Zhuo and Wang Li remained unmoving, but the Generals behind them instantly stood up, glaring at each other as if facing a formidable enemy!

Lin Yue, still in a daze, was also pulled up by She Jian, and he joined them in glaring at the opposing side.

The situation instantly became tense and fraught with danger!

This sudden turn of events left everyone at a loss for a moment. Finally, Yang Wengzi stood up and said with a laugh:

“Dong Pangzi, what are you saying?

I’m also from a military family. Are you cursing me?”

Yang Wengzi’s father was Yang Duanhe (using this phrasing here), a veteran general of Qin, undefeated in his life. Not just Yang Wengzi, but nearly half of the people in this grand tent were from military families.

After all, military families, in any era, received a better education than commoners.

This is the essence of ‘poor in scholarship, rich in martial arts.’ The various expenses for martial arts training and the daily costs of maintaining one’s body were things ordinary people couldn’t afford. This was not an era like later generations where everyone could eat their fill.

Moreover, when they were young, Great Qin had not yet unified the six states. With their fathers’ illustrious examples, they subconsciously became more martial, and the likelihood of them becoming accomplished increased. Those who became wastrels were, after all, a minority.

In times of chaos, one could risk everything to fight for a chance, turning a bicycle into a motorcycle. But they were in the period when Great Qin had unified the six states, and it was even harder for people like Dong Zhuo and She Jian to climb from the bottom to become Generals.

After all, they started far behind, and to catch up, one would need extraordinary talent.

But most people were just ordinary.

“Oh, General Yang, although we don’t see eye to eye, I wasn’t cursing you.

Everyone knows that this is a merit no less than conquering a state. As the saying goes, blocking someone’s path to wealth is like killing their parents, but some people don’t seem to understand this principle.” Dong Zhuo said with a smile, crossing his hands over his stomach.

Lin Yue knew that they had left out one thing: in their eyes, this might be Great Qin's, or rather their own, last major battle.

This also indicated that military merits would be even harder to come by in the future, which explained why, after Great Qin unified the six states and the older generation of veteran Generals faded, the number of famous Generals in the late qin dynasty rapidly decreased.

Without as many battles, the means to acquire military merits, and thus opportunities for advancement, became fewer. Falling behind now meant falling behind at every step.

When the time came for national celebration and peace across the land, trying to advance further would no longer be solely a matter of ability.

In their view, countless historical events had already told them that killing was much simpler than speculation.

“Dong Pangzi, do you think I’m made of mud?” Wang Li asked, his voice reaching its absolute coldest.