You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 57 Both Sides of Yokoyama
At the Hengshan front, Chen Shao and Han Shizhong occupied three villages and recruited men.

The routed soldiers, who were like headless flies, now had a target. With just two meals of flatbread and wheat soup a day, they could be recruited into our ranks.

However, Han Shizhong also understood that Chage, the commander of Western Xia, would not allow this place to be occupied by the Song Dynasty again.

So he frantically ordered the laborers to dig earth, pile stones, repair fortifications, and set traps.

Within the three fortresses, there are now more laborers than soldiers, so relying on the laborers to repair the defense system is not enough, and the soldiers also have to do it. They are all so busy and tired that they are complaining endlessly.

Han Shizhong walked hurriedly, a coarse cloth robe casually draped over his shoulders, which made his large frame appear even more imposing and dignified.

Although he was very busy, Po Hanwu looked a little thinner, but his eyes were even more bright and piercing.

"I'm completely convinced by the commander. Before, when I was serving under General Liu, asking Tong Guan for supplies was like asking him for his life. Now, the more supplies we have, the more we eat. Is our commander Tong Guan's illegitimate son?"

Han Shizhong turned around and slapped him across the face, scolding, "Bullshit! We are soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty. Fortunately, the wise and enlightened emperor is on the throne, and Commander Tong Xuan is stationed in the northwest. Our commander is brilliant and mighty. If I hear you offend those three again, you're fired immediately!"

He's been following Chen Shao lately and has figured out some of the nuances.

If you want to climb higher, you must never indulge in the pleasures of the mouth.

Han Shizhong had suffered from this before, not only frequently arguing with his superiors, but even hitting them.

He was actually quite intelligent, quick-witted, and had a good political sense. After Yue Fei died, he immediately relinquished his military power, began associating with scholars, and no longer concerned himself with military affairs.

Now, watching Chen Shao rise through the ranks and develop his power, he has gradually come to understand some of the truths.

The soldier who had been beaten smiled apologetically and said, "I was just being sarcastic. Every brother in our camp is grateful to Commander Chen."

Han Shizhong had been a common soldier his whole life, but after defeating eight hundred Western Xia soldiers, he was immediately promoted to military supervisor.

Commander Chen Shao frequently traveled between Hengshan and Yanzhou, Fuzhou and other places, negotiating with officials in the rear to ensure supplies for the front.

The military command at the front was handed over to Han Shizhong, which meant he had nearly three thousand soldiers under his command. He was finally able to hold his head high and was eager to show his ambitions.

At that moment, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the sky. Han Shizhong looked up and sneered, "It's going to rain again."

After the rain, the transportation of supplies on both sides will become a major problem.

However, we have plenty of food and supplies on our side, but the situation is not so certain for the Western Xia.

Han Shizhong had never fought a battle with such abundant resources in his entire life. In the past, his Western Army would run out of food and be forced to retreat.

Back then, they besieged the capital of Western Xia, but in the end, they were forced to retreat because they ran out of food and supplies. They were even pursued and killed, resulting in a major defeat.
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On the muddy road, the heavy rain had gradually subsided.

The rain fell incessantly, like spring rain, chilling and tormenting every laborer who was soaked in the downpour.

West of Hengshan, the roads were congested, and laborers struggling in the mud trampled the road to a pulp with their bare feet in trousers and hemp shoes.

The mud stuck to my shoes, making it feel like I was wearing shackles when I walked.

The mules and horses neighed and thrashed about, but they couldn't pull the cart out of the mud.

The Western Xia soldiers crammed onto the carts, but few got off to help push them. The officers escorting the laborers did nothing; they lay on top of the high piles of grain, needing two soldiers to help them spread out a tarpaulin, while they simply covered their faces with a Fanyang hat and slept soundly.

If it took too long and the laborers still couldn't pull it, the soldiers would brandish their whips and lash out while shouting and cursing.

As the cavalry of the Western Xia commander, Chage, passed by, the exhausted laborers quickly moved aside, watching the scene before them with numb indifference. Most of these laborers were conscripted from the tribes of the Seven Qiang of Hengshan. Although the Seven Qiang of Hengshan shared the same ancestry and clan as the Tangut nobles of Western Xia, they had been fighting each other for hundreds of years.

When the Tanguts established the Western Xia, the Seven Qiang of Hengshan were treated like slaves in the Xia state, born inferior to others.

The mud from the cavalry splashed onto the Western Xia soldiers on the carts, and immediately a chorus of curses and shouts from the various Qiang tribes of the Northwest and the Yin and Xia prefectures rang out as they passed.

Upon getting up and seeing who it was, they immediately fell silent, too terrified to utter a sound.

Chage's face grew increasingly grim. He glanced at the transport team and sighed inwardly.

The Western Xia was too weak; it lacked both resources and the ability to conscript many laborers.

The Song Dynasty could easily employ hundreds of thousands of laborers, while the Western Xia could only rely on this small number.

Originally, the local people, both Han and non-Han, could be conscripted from the border areas, but since the Battle of Hengshan began, most of them have fled to the Song Dynasty.

"These Song dogs run faster than rabbits, making us eat mud! If they have the guts, they should turn back and fight again! They made us end up in this godforsaken place, soaked in the rain, exhausted and worn out!"

"If you ask me, we'd be better off going back than wandering around these mountains and risking our lives."

"What do you know? The Song people are good at defending the city. If we launch a direct attack, who knows how many more people will die."

Listening to his men's complaints, Cha Ge's face turned ashen. Although he had surrounded and killed Liu Fa of the Xihe Army outside Tong'an City, the Xihe Army was a truly elite force, and Liu Fa was a formidable general.

This battle was not easy. Chage's injuries had not fully healed. Although his dislocated wrist had been set, the bruises and swelling had not yet subsided.

The light drizzle soaked me to the bone and left me feeling cold. I just gritted my teeth and endured it all the way here.

Just as he was feeling annoyed, the cursing behind him reached his ears, and Brother Cha's temper flared up instantly.

"Shut up!" Brother Cha, unable to contain himself any longer, snapped, "We've only suffered a slight setback, and you're already complaining and whining! Do you know how difficult it was for our ancestors when they founded this nation? This victory was just a fluke; do you really think we've won? If we don't quickly expand our gains and things get back into a stalemate..."

He didn't finish his last sentence; he swallowed it back down.

The Western Xia dynasty is about to collapse.

If there is no major victory at the front, the Song people will either be worn down or fall into internal strife without the Song army even having to intervene.

Currently, countless nobles within the country are waiting to see the emperor make a fool of himself.

The Western Xia had only two options: either find a way to get the Song emperor to agree to peace talks and for both sides to cease hostilities;

Secondly, he could forge a bloody path for himself, achieve several more victories, and ideally, swallow up several military prefectures on the border of the Song Dynasty to replenish the Western Xia's resources, enhance the emperor's prestige, and suppress the nobles within the country.

However, these Western Xia soldiers lacked the vigor and bravery they had at the founding of the dynasty.

They also lack the indomitable resilience of their ancestors.

With them by my side, can we really continue to win?
No matter what, let's fight another war!
Chage glanced ahead; the road was muddy and the dark forest resembled a crouching beast.

It's heart-stopping.

(End of this chapter)