Hot flashes

Zhou Heng's words about the "Mandarin Duck Formation" were like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating unexpected ripples in the heavy and oppressive military tent.

Many of the generals in the tent scoffed, and Mr. Du also bluntly stated that this description of the battle formation was not a remedy for the current predicament.

However, Xiao Jue did not deny it as easily as others.

He listened silently to Zhou Heng's rambling and flawed description, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his iron wrist guard, his deep gaze fixed on a certain point in the void, as if he were rapidly dismantling and reassembling the fragmented information.

As Zhou Heng lowered his head in shame due to the doubts of the crowd, Xiao Jue suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but instantly suppressing the slight noise in the tent: "'Specializing in defeating scattered soldiers or fierce but loosely organized enemies'... Break them down into smaller units, coordinate closely, and specifically attack their weaknesses in coordination..."

He slowly repeated the fragments of Zhou Heng's words, his eyes growing sharper as if he had caught a glimmer of light in the darkness.

"The Qiang and Hu tribes' siege was successful due to their ferocity and numbers, but they were defeated because of inconsistent commands and disorganized formations. The city walls were narrow and densely populated, and our army's formations were indeed unable to operate smoothly in some places."

His gaze swept over the generals. "This approach—not bound by a complete formation, but using elite squads to flexibly fill gaps and specialize in eliminating scattered enemies who have not yet settled down after scaling the city walls—maybe it is worth a try."

The tent fell silent. The generals exchanged glances, pondering Xiao Jue's words.

Zhao, the adjutant, clasped his hands in greeting: "Your Excellency is wise! This humble general led the scouts, and small-scale raids do indeed require extreme coordination."

Following this line of thought, training several elite squads specializing in mobile ambushes and attacks, equipped with swords and shields, spears, and crossbows, and granting them the authority to make on-the-spot decisions, might indeed alleviate some of the critical moments on the city walls!

Mr. Du stroked his beard and pondered, "My earlier concern that it was not the right approach stemmed from my rigid adherence to the original description of the formation. Your Excellency has refined it, pointing directly to the essence of 'using spirit to overcome dispersion, and using density to break sparseness,' which is indeed a brilliant interpretation. This line of thinking has great potential."

Xiao Jue immediately decided: "General Zhao, you will take charge of this matter. Mr. Du will assist you."

"Without being bound by the name 'Mandarin Ducks,' let's follow this line of thought, limiting ourselves to twenty men, selecting quick-witted and courageous soldiers from each battalion, and quickly drafting training regulations and tactics. I want to see usable troops in the shortest possible time."

"The last general (the old man) takes the order!"

After the deployment was completed, Xiao Jue's gaze returned to Zhou Heng, who was still uneasy. His eyes were deep and unreadable: "You were able to propose this idea amidst the chaotic battle reports and conventional thinking. Regardless of its origin, it shows that your mind is not rigid. If this proposal succeeds, you will be rewarded. For now, please make sure you take notes."

Zhou Heng felt somewhat relieved and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble servant obeys."

In the days that followed, General Zhao and Mr. Du acted swiftly and decisively.

They completely broke away from Zhou Heng's vague "Mandarin Duck Formation" framework. Instead, based on Xiao Jue's refined ideas and combined with the actual situation of the Northern Liang army and the characteristics of Wuwei's city defense, they quickly designed several "wandering squad" tactics, with sword and shield bearers as the core, spearmen for thrusting, and archers and crossbowmen for cover.

From personnel selection and equipment allocation to simple flag signals and joint attack drills, everything is based on actual combat and is carried out efficiently.

Zhou Heng was still in charge of the relevant documents and records. Occasionally, he would be called in to ask about the details of his vague impressions from back then, but he would still stammer and say that he knew very little.

But Zhao and his comrades no longer dwelled on this. They explored the right path on their own and soon achieved results.

When the first three "guerrilla teams" were deployed to the city wall defense, their effectiveness surprised even the original designers.

These squads, like nimble daggers, precisely insert themselves into the most chaotic and vulnerable points after the Qiang and Hu people have scaled the city walls. They can often quickly eliminate the entry points at minimal cost and stabilize the defensive line.

After several successful counterattacks, the soldiers on the city wall praised the elusive "repair" squads, and their morale was boosted.

During the reward ceremony following the successful repelling of a major enemy attack, Xiao Jue affirmed the effectiveness of the new "Wandering Strategy" in front of all the generals and generously rewarded General Zhao, Mr. Du, and the outstanding soldiers.

The next day, a member of the Imperial Guard came to the side room where Zhou Heng was handling documents and announced in public: "Clerk Zhou Heng, who previously offered a thoughtful suggestion, the method of 'playing chess,' has now proven effective. He is hereby specially rewarded with: one hundred taels of silver, four bolts of brocade, and a fine iron waist badge. His monthly salary is also increased to that of a lower ninth-rank official."

The generosity of the rewards and the speed of his promotion drew the attention of the surrounding clerks and military officers.

A hundred taels of silver was enough to make an ordinary military family comfortable for several years, and brocade was an even more precious commodity. Moreover, the salary level of "lower ninth rank" was exceptional for someone of Zhou Heng's background and experience. Not to mention the fine iron waist tag that represented some kind of recognition or convenience.

Zhou Heng himself was a little confused, and accepted the reward amidst the complicated gazes of the crowd.

He knew that the reward was mostly due to the source of that "idea," and that he had only stumbled upon it by chance.

But receiving tangible benefits made him feel much more at ease, and even Xiao Jue's cold face didn't seem so scary anymore—as long as it was useful, this Marquis was generous with his rewards.

However, the generous reward brought not only envy, but also some unexpected attention.

Zhou Heng gradually realized that a young squad leader surnamed Wang in the camp had been appearing in his sight at an abnormally high frequency lately.

Whether he was handing over documents or just passing by the drill ground, he always managed to "coincidentally" run into the other person.

The squad leader, Wang, was tall and handsome, but Zhou Heng always felt that his gaze was too intense. He would often find excuses to strike up a conversation, asking trivial questions, his eyes lingering on Wang's face and body.

Zhou Heng assumed that the other party was just curious or that he was attracting attention because of his sudden reward. Although he found it annoying, he politely dealt with it.

That evening, Zhou Heng returned home late because he was checking a batch of urgent military equipment accounts.

Pushing open the door to his simple barracks, a strong smell of alcohol hit him. There sat Squad Leader Wang, his face flushed and his eyes glazed over.

"Brother Zhou! You're finally back!" Squad Leader Wang swayed as he stood up, grinned, and approached with unsteady steps.

Zhou Heng frowned and stepped back: "Squad Leader Wang? What are you doing here? And you've been drinking?"

"I'm so happy! I won first place in today's drills! So...so I had a few too many drinks!" Squad Leader Wang hiccuped as he staggered toward Zhou Heng, his gaze lingering on his face and body with increasing intensity. "I'm so happy, so...so I wanted to come and talk to you! Brother Zhou, I felt an instant connection with you the moment I saw you! Let's...let's treat each other like brothers from now on, okay?"