Chapter 1

“A hundred thousand troops camped on the south side of Heique Mountain, with Yanliang Pass less than a hundred miles behind.

Shen Zhong’an’s leading army acted as a shield, cutting through between the Xijue people and the locals inside the pass.

Shen Yu followed behind the troop, a group of people marching to a temporary muster ground, standing in a wide area.

Shen Yu, tall among the women, stood out, but among the men in the military camp, she wasn’t as prominent.

The person in front was half a head taller than her; he glanced back at her, then turned back after a while.

Shen Yu touched her face; she had deliberately darkened it and thickened her eyebrows when she sneaked in, making herself look rougher.

As the person in front turned back for the third time, Shen Yu’s hand hanging at her side was already prepared. If he shouted, she would be exposed. If the man made a move or spoke, she would have to knock him out first.

The man frowned at her for a while, pointing at her with his index finger, “You’re… you’re that mountain gunner, right?”

Shen Yu: “…” You’re a mountain gunner, your whole family are mountain gunners!

But with a smile on her face, she said, “Yes, it’s me.”

“You’ve been assigned to us?”

Shen Yu nodded.

“Why are you standing here? Come up front.” The man pulled her and pushed her to the front, taking her place.

There were numerous people coming and going in the military camp, with casualties every year, and conscription every year. After each battle, the troops would be reorganized, and the casualties would be replaced.

Some people just exchanged glances one day, and the next day, they were gone, so it was common not to remember people.

Just two days ago, they had just clashed with the Xijue people, with thousands dead and injured. The casualties on the Xijue side were even worse. Shen Zhong’an ordered a pursuit for ten miles before setting up camp.

After such a battle, even the most cowardly men would be full of fighting spirit.

The shouting on the muster ground was deafening as soldiers lined up to count the numbers. When they reached Yang Bang, the man behind him shouted, “Here!”

The shout was so loud that it almost pierced Shen Yu’s eardrums.

She rubbed her ears and saw a man riding a tall horse, slowly pacing between the formations. On the horse, Shen Zhao’s sharp eyes swept slowly through the vast army.

From this distance, Shen Yu was blurry to Shen Zhao. Knowing that he couldn’t see her, Shen Yu instinctively lowered her head. If Shen Zhao caught her, he would definitely tie her up and send her back to Shengjing.

Shen Zhao stopped on the high platform, turned to the deputy beside him and said something. The deputy nodded, and Shen Zhao then rode down from the platform.

Shen Yu’s gaze followed Shen Zhao all the time, not even noticing the movement of the formation. The man behind her pushed her and whispered, “Hurry up, move.”

He muttered again, “Why are you so frail? You’ll fall down with a gust of wind. How did you even think of joining the army?”

Shen Yu moved with the formation absentmindedly, replying, “My family couldn’t eat, so if I didn’t join the army, I’d starve to death.”

Yang Bang said, “That’s similar to me. Everyone in my family is dead, leaving just me. I thought I might as well go to the battlefield and kill a few Xijue people. If I die, I’ll drag a few Xijue barbarians down with me.”

In the time it took to say these words, Shen Yu lost sight of Shen Zhao.

Shen Zhao rode all the way to the main tent, dismounted and entered the tent carrying his whip.

In broad daylight, the tent was still lit.

Shen Zhao sat down and said, “Looks like it’s going to snow.”

Shen Zhongan asked, “Hasn’t the grain and supplies been delayed by ten days?”

“It’s been eleven days,” Shen Zhao took a sip of hot tea, the last bit of stale tea in the army, not tasting particularly good but enough to refresh him.

His brows furrowed tightly, “I don’t know what those supply train people are doing. I counted this morning, and the remaining grain and fodder will only last for two more days.”

The saying goes: when the army has not yet moved, provisions move first. Ever since departing from Shengjing, the Ministry of Revenue had begun to allocate provisions and supplies, but apart from the first batch arriving on time, there had been no news of the subsequent ones.

Shen Zhong’an frowned in worry, “Perhaps something happened on the road. If this snow falls, the supply route will be even more difficult to traverse. Send a team of soldiers to meet them, and dispatch a scout to investigate.”

Shen Zhao tossed his whip aside, saying, “I’ve borrowed another batch of provisions from Ganzhou Prefecture; they should arrive tomorrow. However, this is the last batch. This year hasn’t been a good harvest year, and their granaries aren’t plentiful either. They also need to consider saving seeds for next spring’s planting. The borrowed grain will only last us an additional five days at most.”

Ganzhou Prefecture was located within Yanliang Pass, the largest city near the pass. If the granaries in the prefecture were not plentiful, ordinary households would find it even more difficult.

Shen Zhong’an sighed, “I hope the supply train arrives soon.”

Shen Zhao had been restless these past two days. He said, “General, we need to make contingency plans. If within seven days, we cannot force the Xijue to retreat, and our provisions are insufficient, we will be in a very difficult position.”

Though they were father and son, they maintained their official titles in the military camp.

“What are your thoughts?” Shen Zhong’an asked.

…

Today’s training was not extensive, mainly focused on taking attendance and allowing the entire army to rest.

As the formation dispersed, Yang Bang hooked his arm around Shen Yu’s shoulder and walked towards the tent. “Our tent has few people. We lost two brothers the other day, so now, with you, we have seven people.”

He said, pulling back the curtain.

Inside the tent, there were already four or five people sitting, thankfully it was winter, so no one had taken off their shoes due to the cold.

Shen Yu had once entered a tent during the hottest days of summer, where soldiers were shirtless and barefoot, the smell was so overwhelming it could make one burst into tears on the spot.

Yang Bang introduced each one, “This is You Dazui, this is Ah Hu, this is…”

After the introductions were done, he patted Shen Yu’s shoulder, “This is Mountain Cannon.”

“Who gave you this nickname?” You Dazui asked.

True to his name, You Dazui had a mouth large enough to swallow a person whole.

Shen Yu also wanted to know why Yang Bang insisted on calling him Mountain Cannon.

“Where are your things?” Yang Bang asked.

Shen Yu’s bundle was still hidden under the tent next to the main tent. They were just daily necessities, inconvenient to bring over. Besides, she wouldn’t be staying here for long. After five days, once the battle from her past life was over, she would withdraw.

“I don’t have much,” she replied.

Ah Hu looked her up and down, “With you being this thin, can you handle a knife?”

Shen Yu looked at him, “I can handle you just fine.”

You Dazui burst into laughter at that, his large mouth widening even further, showing all thirty-two teeth, as if ready to swallow the heavens.

Pointing at him, Yang Bang said, “Stop laughing, you’ll scare the new recruit.”

Yang Bang was a kind-hearted person; he even went to help Shen Yu get a bedsheet and some clothes.