"Don’t worry, it won’t be long before we hear something." Shangguan Jian reassured, aware that Xue San was Ye Shikai’s lifelong companion. However, given ancient military conditions, once discovered, Xue San was likely facing near-certain death. Stealth sabotage was inherently the assassin’s task, and before departing, the assassin was prepared for the possibility of not returning. It could be said that Xue San and his squad were both assassins and Death Soldiers.

After conquering the front camp, the hundred thousand rebel troops charged forth like untethered wild horses, capturing each of the Qin Army’s strongholds and camps in succession. With absolute superiority, the rebel troops didn’t even need to launch strong assaults; the Qin Army within the camps would surrender and open their gates.

In the afternoon, Mi Wen personally arrived at the front camp, naturally to command the overall situation, and of course, to reward the entire army. Besides the five thousand imperial guards by her side, the convoy brought several hundred carts of gold, silver, jewels, wine, meat, and cloths.

"By the lord’s command, reward the Iron Armor Camp soldiers with four pounds of meat, two pounds of wine, and two pieces of cloth each."

Having won the battle and received so many rewards, the army’s morale was invigorated. Mi Wen seized the opportunity to recruit many of the Qin Army’s surrendered soldiers. Ye Shikai didn’t approve of this behavior, but he didn’t stop it either. Managing surrendered soldiers wasn’t easy; if mishandled, they could become the army’s "tumor." But the rebel troops now needed to amplify their momentum; at least in terms of strength, they needed to "boast" a bit.

"You made a significant contribution this time, how do you feel?" Mi Wen seemed quite pleased, and understandably so, having achieved a great victory, as the lord, she was naturally much relieved.

"I merely fulfilled the lord’s orders." Ye Shikai said blandly.

"Can’t you be less serious when you’re with me?"

Ye Shikai remained silent. Seeing Mi Wen so happy, although he didn’t speak, he was genuinely glad for her.

"Alright, but now the battle has just ended, I’m a General, you’re the lord. If the soldiers see us drinking and chatting, it might not be appropriate."

"Alright, then let’s talk about the upcoming plans."

"You’re the lord, you give the orders."

"Fine, since I’m the lord, I command you to state your plan." Mi Wen smiled slightly, easing their relations somewhat.

"Zheng Lang now has only a bit over ten thousand troops, it’s simply impossible for him to withstand us, especially since these forces are spread across various camps. We can seize the momentum to conquer the remaining Qin Army’s camps. Now that the Nanyang County is relatively empty of forces, after capturing the south of Zhao He, we should quickly cross the river and establish a stronghold on the opposite shore, ideally capturing several cities." Ye Shikai conveyed his plans.

"Hmm, you’re right. We’ve defeated Zheng Lang and crushed fifty thousand Qin troops, this news will soon reach Xianyang. The Qin forces in various central plains counties will act swiftly. We’re now racing against time."

"I’ll assign twenty thousand more troops to you. How soon can you capture Wan City?" Mi Wen queried.

"I already have thirty thousand men, so with twenty thousand more, it’ll be a grand force of fifty thousand." Ye Shikai was somewhat astonished. Fifty thousand is not a small number; even counting the stationed forces in various Chu Territory counties, Mi Wen commands only two hundred thousand troops in total. That she entrusted fifty thousand elite troops to him shows how much Mi Wen values him.

"Now all the Qin forces in Nanyang County combined are just thirty thousand. If you command fifty thousand troops, capturing Wan City within a week should be no problem."

"You’re right, even if the Prefectural Governor of Nanyang County expands their forces, they can’t magically conjure tens of thousands of soldiers in a week. Moreover, quickly organized troops have little combat strength."

"So, you’re agreeing?" Mi Wen suddenly stood up. "Then I’ll have you issue a military warrant."

"Mi Wen, I want to ask you, after seizing Nanyang, what do you plan to do?" Ye Shikai suddenly asked.

"Hold on to the city and resist the Qin forces coming from the central plains. As long as we can hold out for two months, the Qin Army will retreat." Mi Wen answered resolutely; it was clear she had already pondered this matter.

"Perhaps they won’t need two months. They’ll retreat sooner." Ye Shikai murmured, currently, there are rebel troops everywhere. The central plains counties pull so many forces, the rebel factions will surely take advantage of the emptiness to strengthen themselves. However... the Qin Army coming from the central plains numbers no less than a hundred thousand. If it comes to a fight, it will be a battle shaking heaven and earth. The outcome will influence both sides’ future development.

"I give you one week to capture Wan City, can you?"

"Since it’s an order, I’ll naturally accept it." After hesitating for a while, Ye Shikai still undertook this heavy responsibility. Now, Wan City is almost a vacant city, even a pig commanding fifty thousand troops could effortlessly capture it. Mi Wen specifically assigned this task to Ye Shikai and even added twenty thousand more troops. It’s clearly for him to lead forces against the Qin Army advancing from the central plains.

In other words, Ye Shikai will be the commander of the rebel forces in this showdown involving hundreds of thousands.

...............................

"Have you caught Zheng Lang?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"No."

The rebel forces continued capturing the Qin Army camps south of Zhao He, but Zheng Lang was yet to be found. The only possibility was that he had already led the remnants north.

"Forget it, he must have left." Ye Shikai waved his hand, signaling the messenger to withdraw.

"Old Ye, the brothers injured in battle have all been sent to Deng County for treatment. Besides, the troops added by the lord have already arrived; that’s twenty thousand people." Shangguan Jian emphasized.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Old Ye, those twenty thousand are all unfamiliar to us, and twenty thousand is not a small number, accounting for almost half of the forces. In the future, mobilizing them might not be easy." Shangguan Jian’s words were clear to Ye Shikai, having half of the soldiers in a large army as "newcomers" could be problematic if discord arises. If the commander of those twenty thousand decides not to obey, and intends to challenge authority, what would Ye Shikai do? With half the forces, internal conflict could lead to unforeseen outcomes.

"Nobody is born knowing everyone; it’s all about getting to know each other gradually." Ye Shikai wasn’t overly concerned. The general leading those twenty thousand was also one of Mi Wen’s trusted aides. If he had to command the capture of Wan City, he was following Mi Wen’s orders. Those generals likely wouldn’t dare "defy" him.

"How about we replace their leaders with our own?"

"Absolutely not." Ye Shikai immediately refused. Doing so would blatantly reveal he has a narrow mind and can’t tolerate outsiders. With such actions, who would dare to join him in the future?