Chapter 123: Watching the Rise and Fall with a Cold Eye

Qin Qiong, wearing a strange expression and dancing with excitement, laughed and said, "The sudden silence of the strange sounds, combined with the army's arrival but refusal to attack, suggests they are setting up formations to lure the Sui garrison into a trap! Am I analyzing this correctly?"

Li Dong nodded happily, fully agreeing with his assessment. Qin Qiong was a man of great intuition; with just a little guidance, he could grasp the underlying complexities.

Li Dong smiled and added, "This means the enemy will surely send a small detachment to engage us first. And they will certainly end up defeated. By the time General Lai Hu'er sends troops to pursue them, their main force will be ready to perform their real act."

"Then I must go quickly to report to General Lai, tell him the true situation, and urge him not to pursue them recklessly, but to quit while he is ahead!" With that, Qin Qiong hurried out of the boat.

"Wait!" Li Dong quickly stopped him. "What is our status? We are blacksmiths! Our words carry no weight! Why would the General listen to the advice of a blacksmith?"

"That is where you are wrong!" Qin Qiong retorted, dissatisfied. "If we can see through the enemy's treacherous schemes, how could he, a general who has fought a hundred battles, fail to see them? I am going!"

Having said this, Qin Qiong ignored everything and stepped out of the boat, laying down a wooden plank to hop onto other vessels to find General Lai and deliver the message.

Watching his departing back, Li Dong shook his head and sighed. Knowing the enemy but not knowing oneself—Qin Qiong was still a bit too impulsive. However, this was not entirely a bad thing. Letting him suffer some setbacks would stir his heart and ignite his fighting spirit, potentially yielding twice the result with half the effort.

At this moment, the garrison troops on the various ships received orders and began preparing to attack the city. Calls and responses echoed—"I'm here," "Coming," "Can't find this," "Need to sharpen the blades"—fragments of conversation drifted into Li Dong's cabin.

The surface of the water suddenly became restless.

After about the time it takes to finish a meal, a "thud" sounded outside the boat. Li Dong knew this was Qin Qiong returning, the sound of him jumping back from another ship.

Judging by the time, it was faster than Li Dong had expected. He raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself, "Could he have actually persuaded General Lai Hu'er? No, that's impossible!"

Qin Qiong ducked into the cabin, crestfallen. Having suffered a major blow, he looked completely dejected and hopeless.

"Fine, you win. The General truly wouldn't listen to my advice. He even told me to just focus on hammering the iron and repairing the weapons, and not to worry about anything else."

"But—" Qin Qiong looked up, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt, and stared into Li Dong's eyes. "How did you calculate that he definitely wouldn't listen to my advice?"

"Did he hit you? Did he inflict any punishment?" Li Dong did not answer Qin Qiong's question, but instead asked a baffling one. He continued, "Tell me, how did you try to persuade him? What did you say?"

After leaving the boat, Qin Qiong hopped from vessel to vessel until he reached the large ship where Lai Hu'er was stationed. People were coming and going constantly, their expressions grave, as if facing a formidable enemy.

After the garrison soldiers announced him, Lai Hu'er met with him as an exception.

At this moment, Lai Hu'er was the busiest man of all, receiving rapid reports on the preparations of each camp and unit. He commanded with steady confidence, assigning his two sons as vanguards for the left and right wings, and Fei Qingnu as the central vanguard, ready to land and engage the enemy in a decisive battle.

When soldiers reported that Qin Qiong requested an audience, Lai Hu'er would not have granted it to anyone else, not even Dou Jiande.

A month earlier, in the arena, Qin Qiong had been wounded by Lai Hu'er. He had not visited him since, so if he was requesting an audience at such a critical moment, he must have had something important to say.

Lai Hu'er made time to see him, to see if his wounds had healed completely and if he had recovered.

Upon seeing Lai Hu'er, Qin Qiong bowed and asked, "General Lai, with all this activity, are we about to go to war?"

"Hmm," Lai Hu'er replied softly, asking, "You look well. Have you recovered? I've been so busy lately that I haven't had the chance to visit you."

"Answering the General, I have a tough hide and thick flesh. With the medicine you provided, I recovered quickly. It’s nothing to worry about," Qin Qiong replied.

Just then, Zhou Fashang entered the cabin. Seeing Qin Qiong, he glanced at him and asked the General, "They have all been made vanguards. I wonder what orders the General has for me? Please instruct me!"

"I am taking forty thousand elite troops to land and engage the enemy. You are to lead the remaining soldiers to guard the ships and remain on high alert. You must not land with me under any circumstances. Do you hear me?" Lai Hu'er ordered sternly.

"Understood!" Zhou Fashang bowed and retreated outside.

The General looked at Qin Qiong and asked, "This is a critical moment. If you have something to say, say it. I am about to head ashore."

"I personally believe that since our army has just arrived at Sa River City and is not yet familiar with the environment, we should be cautious and not advance too rashly. Especially since the enemy has been defeated, we must not pursue them blindly!" Qin Qiong did not dare to look up, staring at his own feet as he cautiously advised.

"Hmm, I see. Thank you for your concern!" Lai Hu'er said dismissively. "If there is nothing else, you should return to your boat so you don't get hit by a stray arrow and get injured again. Repairing your weapons and hammering the iron is a great contribution to this battle. Leave the rest to me."

Qin Qiong wanted to say more, but another officer arrived to report military matters, and Lai Hu'er left him standing aside, ignoring him entirely.

After waiting for a while, finding it meaningless and realizing he was just in the way, Qin Qiong bid farewell and returned.

"Why would the General want to punish me? I didn't do anything wrong!" Qin Qiong asked Li Dong.

Li Dong smiled silently. He stood up, paced twice, looked out at the vast, indifferent water, and with his back to Qin Qiong, said, "This is your luck, and also the General's misfortune."

"Think carefully. An army of tens of thousands, marching thousands of miles—what for? Would they easily believe a word from you? Sa River City is but a tiny city, yet its position is vital, and it has few defenders. Why does he not attack?"

"But he didn't have to hit me just because I gave him advice!" Qin Qiong now understood why the General wouldn't listen. A long-distance raid, exhausting both men and treasure—regardless of victory or defeat, a battle was inevitable. This was truly something he could not control.

"Because the battle is imminent, and you were tactless enough to try and dissuade him, disrupting the military’s focus and affecting morale. If he didn't punish you, who would he punish? The lucky part is that his other generals weren't around. Perhaps he had already made his arrangements, and you arrived just a little too late."

Qin Qiong suddenly realized the profound meaning of "know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Under Li Dong's guidance, he had understood the "enemy," but had not grasped the "self." No wonder the General would not listen.

The battle was necessary, regardless of victory or defeat; it was about morale and the spirit of the army. This was more important than anything else. Tens of thousands of elite soldiers bypassing a city without attacking would inevitably lead to gossip. Once morale was lost, the consequences would be even more terrifying.

"From now on, you are not allowed to step out of this cabin," Li Dong suddenly turned around, looking at Qin Qiong's face, and ordered coldly.

"Oh..." Qin Qiong replied, then asked, "Are we just going to sit by and watch General Lai get defeated?"

Li Dong fell silent, not answering. In his heart, how could he not want to prevent this tragic disaster? But to do so would mean revealing his true identity, and the glory of victory would be monopolized by Lai Hu'er, leaving nothing for him.

The timing was not ripe! The best opportunity had not yet arrived!