You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 52 The First Battle
Chen Shao's money was always in Liu Guanglie's hands.

He didn't suspect his cousin, and Liu Guanglie was also upright and honest, never taking the initiative to offer to return the money.

Because keeping so much money in Chenjiazhuang is both unsafe and a complete waste.

Now that he needs to get things done, Liu Guanglie can simply go and withdraw the funds.

To achieve great things, the most important thing is to use people effectively.

This person could be your subordinate, or even someone who is temporarily in a higher position than you.

You can use benefits, emotions, or schemes to get this person to work for you.

Because if one wants to accomplish great things, there are too many things that need to be coordinated and managed. If one does everything personally, it cannot last long.

I'm so tired.

Fortunately, he made the right bet again. When Chen Shao returned to the village with Da Hu, the supply train had already set off.

Two weeks later, at dawn.

The first supply train arrived, and Chen Shao and Han Shizhong came out of the tent together and walked over.

Han Shizhong untied the grain sack, grabbed a handful, and laughed loudly, "It's rice! There's no moldy rice!"

The northern troops were self-sufficient, and the land they cultivated mainly consisted of millet and wheat, which were processed into dry rations such as fried noodles and wheat flour.

As for rice, it was collected from the south and transported to the northern front by canal. It was all in Tong Guan's hands and was generally not given to their local Western Army.

After sampling and inspecting the grain in the other trucks, Han Shizhong was very satisfied; not a single bag was moldy.

Another cart contained pickled "salted soybeans," "pickled vegetables," and other similar products.

He then went to check the horse feed, which included black beans in addition to the basic hay.

"Good!" Han Shizhong clapped his fists together and said to Chen Shao, "Great! I, Han Shizhong, have been in the army for so many years and have never seen such good supplies and provisions."

Chen Shao chuckled. "How could it not be good? The camp you used to be in was for ordinary, low-level players, while I'm a whale (player who spends a lot of money)."

The Song Dynasty was not short of money and grain, especially after Cai Jing's reforms.

What's lacking is a way to use money and resources in the right way.

This time, Emperor Huizong of Song was quite determined to expand the territory.

He firmly refused the Western Xia's repeated attempts to make peace, and continued to increase his troops in the northwest, hoping to completely pacify the Western Xia.

Unlike the Liao Dynasty, the Western Xia had already established the Liao Dynasty before the founding of the Song Dynasty. After the Treaty of Chanyuan, it was explicitly acknowledged that the Song and Liao were equal brotherly states.

The Western Xia were originally part of the Song Dynasty, but they were considered rebels.

With the money and supplies, Han Shizhong built a watchtower at each of the three fortified villages.

The banners of the Great Song Dynasty were raised, fluttering in the wind, guiding the way for countless defeated soldiers on both sides of Hengshan Mountain.

The fleeing Song soldiers could see it, and so could the Xia soldiers, so this was a risky move.

Finally, ten days later, a commotion was heard from the watchtower.

Chen Shao hurriedly came out, donned his armor, and went outside. Han Shizhong had already arrived.

Seeing Chen Shao arrive, he pointed into the distance and said, "Commander, the Xia traitor is here!"

Chen Shao quickly looked over and saw a dozen cavalrymen across the river opposite the village.

They were spying on the village; they were likely scouts from the Western Xia cavalry.

These people pointed and gestured at the village, then looked down and drew the layout on a piece of parchment.

This was the first time Chen Shao had seen the Western Xia soldiers. He felt that they were generally more robust than the Song soldiers. The Qiang people had always been known for their martial prowess and fighting skills.

Chen Shao asked, "How is it?"

Han Shizhong waved his hand boldly and said, "They're just Xia bandits, Commander, don't worry. With these three strongholds, even a thousand men can't do anything to us. Replenish our provisions, weapons, and supplies as soon as possible, and we'll conquer Xingqing Prefecture for Emperor Zhao!"

Chen Shao pursed his lips and gave him a disgruntled look.

Infected by his heroic spirit, the fear on the faces of the surrounding Song soldiers lessened somewhat. Chen Shao swallowed, whether out of nervousness from facing the enemy for the first time or to bolster his own morale, he muttered to himself, "Kill these traitors!"

The Western Xia army, led by their son-in-law, had just won a great victory and was riding high on their momentum.

Soon, a large group of people arrived, and in front of them was a group of fleeing Song soldiers.

Among them were some ordinary people, and in this place, it was impossible to tell whether they were from the Song Dynasty or the Western Xia Dynasty.

In fact, these poor people are more likely to be ordinary citizens of the Western Xia Dynasty.

However, the Xia soldiers completely ignored this and rode their horses to drive and kill, which was simply to intimidate the Song army in the fortified village on the opposite bank.

Once war breaks out, whoever captures these border people will be considered a prisoner of that side.

They also didn't know how many troops had gathered in these three villages.

The Song soldiers in the village were somewhat numb to their atrocities, and few of them showed any hatred.

Even Han Shizhong watched them kill with great composure.

After finally finishing the killing, they set up camp on the opposite bank.

Chen Shao had been observing from the lookout tower. He was excited and completely focused. Even the howling north wind blowing on his face did not make him feel cold. Instead, his blood was boiling.

Phosphorescent flames rose slowly from the opposite bank, and black smoke drifted in the air.

Xia Bing piled the corpses together and set them on fire. Several Xia Bing soldiers were talking and laughing quietly around the fire.

Chen Shao was on edge, but when he turned around, Han Shizhong seemed very relaxed.

Seemingly sensing Chen Shao's gaze, he chuckled and said, "Commander, there are only eight hundred men on the other side."

"What about us?"

Chen Shao was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Han Shizhong laughed and said, "The three villages have a total of 1,500 soldiers and 3,000 people."

Han Shizhong had a sense of ease, much like a natural enemy seeing its prey, towards the Western Xia army.

In his eyes, the only use of the Western Xia soldiers was to exchange their heads for bounties.

Sometimes, even killing ten or so wouldn't be enough for him to spend one night with his lover.

Seemingly wary of the well-constructed fortifications of the village, the Western Xia troops on the opposite bank did not choose to launch a direct attack.

After setting up camp, they cut off the Song people who came to seek refuge, and continuously hunted and killed them.

Standing on the high platform, the dark mountain shadows resembled a crouching giant beast.

Mountain roads wind and twist through the hills, hidden from view. The trees on the mountain are dense and shadowy.

For over a century, the Song and Xia dynasties were locked in a standoff. Along the Hengshan front, except for a few roads, trees could not be cut down and rivers were allowed to overflow, all to prevent Xia cavalry from charging in.

In addition to these fortified villages, even if cavalry broke through, they would be attacked from both sides.

More than twenty warhorses, in the darkness-shrouded village, spewed out white steam.

Han Shizhong glanced at the twenty people he had carefully selected.

He intended to use these twenty men to launch a night raid on the enemy's camp.

Chen Shao originally disagreed, but Han Shizhong persuaded him to agree with just one sentence.

"The battle merit you bought, Commander, was done by me alone. Today I have men and horses, so what do I have to fear from him!"

Back then, Han Shizhong's night raid targeted a very well-built fortress, while today it is a hastily constructed camp by the Western Xia people.

During this time, Han Shizhong had thoroughly familiarized himself with the terrain of the surrounding area.

He led twenty men to the northwest corner of the village to seek shelter from the wind and conceal their presence. On the slightly tidied hill, the shadows of the trees moved slowly, resembling a flowing stream under the moonlight.

"Draw your bow! Draw your sword!"

(End of this chapter)