Since the beginning of the year, when Qi State fought a battle against the barbarians, suffering heavy casualties, they began to recuperate and had no intention of attacking Qi State anymore.

However, their situation had not improved.

They had lost too much in that battle, and now Qi State was still watching them closely.

As soon as the barbarians made any movement, Qi State would sound the war drums, causing great anxiety among them.

More importantly, their food situation this year was also quite dire.

If things continued like this, they would have only two choices: surrender or migrate.

As a result, problems began to arise within the barbarians.

Originally, they were composed of multiple tribes, and within the tribes, their primary concern was their own tribe.

Thus, it was normal for issues to emerge now.

Some supported surrender, some advocated for perseverance, and some favored migration.

With various differing opinions, they managed to hold on for half a year.

During this half-year, some tribes had secretly contacted the Duke of Yonghe to inquire about the arrangements if they chose to surrender.

The Duke of Yonghe rarely came to the military camp; he was in a semi-retired state, and the camp was mainly managed by his son, the Duke’s heir.

This time, the Duke’s heir called all the generals and captains to a meeting, filling the main tent with dozens of people.

The Duke’s heir said, “Today I received a letter from the barbarians. Currently, the tribes among them have differing opinions. Some tribes that wish to surrender have taken the lead. The letter mentions how they will arrange things if they surrender. What are your thoughts?” As he spoke, he passed the letter around for everyone to read.

Thus, everyone began to read the letter and discuss it.

“I’m just afraid their surrender might be fake. If it is fake, bringing them in could lead to war, and the consequences are unimaginable,” said one guerrilla general. The 50,000 troops of Yonghe were divided into five teams.

“That makes sense,” agreed the guerrilla general from the second team.

General Ao, the guerrilla general from the fourth team, said, “But what if their surrender is genuine? If we refuse, that wouldn’t work either.”

The Duke’s heir responded, “That’s why I called you here to think of solutions. Whatever ideas you come up with, I will report to the Emperor. If their surrender is real, then we need a real plan. If it’s fake, then we need a fake plan. Think carefully.”

Not only were the guerrilla generals whispering among themselves, but the captains sitting behind them on the ground were also murmuring quietly.

Seeing that they were discussing without voicing any opinions, the Duke’s heir said, “You each speak up one by one, starting with the first team.”

The guerrilla general from the first team said, “I think we should monitor them for a while to see whether their surrender is real or fake before making plans.”

The Duke’s heir nodded without offering his opinion, “What about the captains of the first team? Do you have anything to add?”

The captains had nothing to add.

The guerrilla general from their team was not easy to get along with; he had a somewhat gloomy personality and tended to suppress his team, liking to take credit.

Thus, they dared not oppose his opinion.

The opinion of the first team’s guerrilla general was relatively reasonable.

In essence, he didn’t put forth any effective suggestions, but he also didn’t remain silent.

Therefore, his opinion was neither wrong nor particularly helpful.

He himself preferred stability; although he seemed impulsive, he was actually calculating inside.

A captain from the first team said, “We have no objections.”

Many people were satisfied with such a state of life where there were no mistakes.

Moreover, each captain received a monthly salary of eight taels of silver.

Even if they went to the battlefield, as long as they made no mistakes and took care to preserve their lives, they could work towards “retirement.”

After decades, saving a sum of silver was not a problem. In fact, many captains held this mindset.

The Duke’s heir asked the guerrilla general from the second team, “Old Chen, do you have any opinions? Share them with everyone.”

The guerrilla general from the second team said, “I agree with the opinion of the previous team: monitoring is the best course of action. However, since they are willing to surrender, we can give them a chance to express their sincerity in surrendering.”

The Duke’s heir nodded, “That is indeed something to consider. Cheng Qian, make a note of that.” Cheng Qian was the Duke’s heir’s trusted aide, the chief bodyguard.

Cheng Qian: “Yes.”

The heir of the Yonghe Marquis looked towards the three division generals.

The third division general said, “My opinion? It’s the same as the previous two. As for anything else, I haven’t thought of anything yet.” He was a straightforward man, only skilled in warfare and following orders from his superiors.

He truly couldn’t come up with more complex ideas.

The heir of the Yonghe Marquis said, “So, you have no opinion. Agreeing with the previous opinions doesn’t count as your own. If you don’t have any other thoughts, it means you have no opinion.”

The third division general awkwardly replied, “I really don’t have any opinions, I’m just not that smart.”

The captain behind him quietly murmured. If agreeing with the previous opinions doesn’t count as one’s own, then the ones who gave the earlier opinions have an advantage, don’t they?

However, the captain only whispered among themselves.

They didn’t dare to openly question the heir—none of them had that courage.

Next, it was General Ao’s turn.

General Ao was also a straightforward man and knew his own limitations.

So, he said, “I don’t have any thoughts either. If the captains behind me have any ideas, they should speak up.”

Qin Fang, who had spent the past year studying military books, indeed had some ideas.

Seeing the heir look at him, he hesitated for a moment before standing up. “My Lord, I have some thoughts.”

The heir of the Yonghe Marquis nodded.

In fact, he had always valued Qin Fang.

Over the past year, the heir’s wife had often mentioned Qin Fang’s household to him.

For example, starting from July or August, the vegetables they ate—like broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and watermelon—all came from Qin Fang’s estate.

Of course, as the heir, they didn’t eat for free; they always paid market prices.

The Marquis of Yonghe’s family was very careful in how they dealt with people, never taking advantage of others.

After all, they weren’t going to put their necks under the emperor’s sword, as the emperor was likely just waiting to find a fault with their house.

When the heir raised this matter, Qin Fang had already thought about it.

He slowly said, “This matter boils down to two possibilities: either the barbarian tribe’s surrender is genuine, or it’s a false surrender. If it’s real, we handle it one way; if it’s false, we handle it another way. We just need to come up with solutions for each possibility.”

The first division general said, “That sounds simple, but what are the specific solutions?”

He didn’t like Qin Fang, as Qin Fang had been in the spotlight this past year.

First, there was the incident on his wedding day when the bride supposedly tried to commit suicide.

Then, there was the matter of the Laba porridge and the introduction of new vegetables.

His own household had even bought quite a few vegetables from Qin Fang’s estate, especially the big fruit called watermelon, which tasted amazing.

But he found Qin Fang stingy, always charging for these things.

Even though he didn’t expect them for free, couldn’t Qin Fang at least make a gesture?

On top of that, one of his Captain mentioned that the soldiers in his unit envied those in Qin Fang’s district.

In his view, someone who liked to be in the spotlight like Qin Fang didn’t belong in the military.

But Qin Fang had repeatedly proven himself, especially last year when he captured barbarians to rescue the little master and then launched a surprise attack on them earlier this year.

His contributions were undeniable.

Qin Fang, of course, could sense the discontent, but he didn’t care.

He wasn’t some new recruit; he knew that as long as he satisfied the heir and General Ao, that was enough.

So, he ignored the division general’s comments and continued, “No matter whether their surrender is real or fake, we have only one solution: surveillance.”

The second division general said, “Exactly, that’s the point.”

Earlier, he had suggested surveillance too, but his suggestion was more general and lacked the detail Qin Fang provided.

Still, it didn’t harm his standing.

The heir of the Yonghe Marquis was very pleased. “So, you have a concrete plan. Surveillance isn’t just a word to you. Do you have a detailed surveillance plan?”

Qin Fang said, “Yes, our focus is on false surrenders. The barbarians have similar numbers to us, but no matter how strong their forces are, it all depends on the unity of the group. If we can divide them, their five or ten thousand troops won’t stand a chance against our fifty thousand soldiers. It would be like throwing eggs against a rock.”

The heir said, “Good. So what’s your plan?”

Qin Fang replied, “We split them into smaller groups.”

The first division general scoffed, “You think this is a battle? Splitting them up like that?”

General Ao wasn’t pleased. “If you don’t understand, then don’t interrupt. You’re just distracting Qin Fang. Do you think he’s a brute like you? If he brought it up, he surely has his own thoughts.”

General Ao and the first division general held equal rank, and Qin Fang was under his command, so naturally, he wouldn’t let the first division general belittle him.

He hadn’t spoken up earlier because it wasn’t appropriate, but now he had the chance.

The first division general stood up immediately, fuming.

He hated being called a brute.

In fact, many military officers disliked the term, as it made them seem crude.

To them, being called a brute was an insult.

He glared at General Ao and said, “What? Are you claiming you’re a scholar? If you’re such a scholar, what are you doing here?”

General Ao replied, “I never said I was a scholar. I’m a brute too. But because I know my own limits, I didn’t interrupt. Unlike some people, who have no self-awareness.”

The first division general drew his sword, “Ao, why don’t we step outside and see who really lacks self-awareness?”