Chapter 135: The Grand Preceptor Arrives

Upon seeing that Zhao Laixi, Zhao Hu, and the others were all safe and sound, Xiao Ding set his mind at ease. He left the militia's main camp and headed once more toward the county government office, as he wanted to hear the next steps arranged by Huang Wenlong, Magistrate Yang, and Fei Wen.

When he arrived at the main hall of the county office, the leaders were still discussing troop distribution. Upon seeing Xiao Ding arrive, both Huang Wenlong and Magistrate Yang greeted him courteously and offered him a seat.

Fei Wen, however, found Xiao Ding an eyesore. Unaware of Xiao Ding's previous exploits, he could not fathom why Huang Wenlong and Magistrate Yang would be so polite to a mere private.

"We are discussing critical military affairs. What are you, a lowly soldier, running in here for?" Fei Wen glared at Xiao Ding with a cold gaze.

Noticing Fei Wen's hostile tone, Huang Wenlong hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Lord Fei must not underestimate this Tian Xiaoding! He is truly a military commander of exceptional talent. Our few recent minor victories were all indebted to Tian Xiaoding's contributions! I am actually preparing to report his achievements to the Governor, so that the Governor can submit them to the imperial court and see if we can secure him a general's rank."

"Oh? He has the talent of a general? Isn't he still just a private? Our meetings are restricted to officers of the rank of captain and above; what qualifications does he have to be here?" Fei Wen curled his lip, cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Ding, and sneered.

"Very well. Tian Xiaoding, I hereby appoint you as the Military Commissioner of Xinquan County, commanding all troops within Xinquan County." Seeing that Fei Wen was unrelenting, Huang Wenlong appointed Xiao Ding to the post on the spot.

In the Great Song Dynasty, a Military Commissioner was the equivalent of a county-level military officer, typically serving as the supreme commander of the armed forces within a county. As the Military Commissioner-in-Chief at the prefecture level, Huang Wenlong's authority had its limits; the highest ranks he could independently confer were roughly those of commissioners and captains.

"Many thanks to Lord Huang for the promotion!" Seeing Huang Wenlong stand up for him, Xiao Ding quickly cupped his fists in gratitude.

With this appointment, Fei Wen no longer had an excuse to drive Xiao Ding out.

Guessing that Huang Wenlong and Xiao Ding shared a close relationship given the former's staunch defense of the young man, Fei Wen decided it was unwise to offend Huang Wenlong over a mere soldier, especially since they held equal rank. Moreover, Huang Wenlong had already handed over supreme operational command of the troops to him.

The leaders resumed their discussion on troop deployment, yet after much deliberation, they still reached no conclusion. Growing somewhat impatient, Xiao Ding spoke up, "My lords, since the barbarians are not attacking the city, why don't we take the initiative and attack them instead?"

Hearing these words, Fei Wen's face turned nearly pale green; he assumed Xiao Ding was deliberately mocking his previous military defeat.

Huang Wenlong and Magistrate Yang also fell silent, well aware that Fei Wen had been thoroughly terrified by the barbarians and dared not wage war against them ever again.

"Commander Tian, are you unaware that the barbarians excel at mounted archery? Our army consists entirely of infantry, while the barbarians are mostly cavalry. Do you truly believe we stand a single chance of winning if we use infantry against cavalry?" Having suffered a bitter loss, Fei Wen finally understood the wisdom in Magistrate Yang's earlier warning, and now he threw those very words back at Xiao Ding.

"Of course I am aware of that," Xiao Ding replied unhurriedly. "However, by taking the initiative, I do not mean leading our troops to clash head-on with the enemy's main force."

"Commander Tian, could it be that you have a brilliant strategy to defeat the enemy?" Hearing Fei Wen address Xiao Ding as "Commander," Magistrate Yang adopted the title as well.

"A brilliant strategy might be overstating it, but I do have an idea," Xiao Ding said slowly.

"Out with it, let's hear it," Magistrate Yang said, his interest piqued.

"I have heard from scouts that the barbarians' grain supplies are stockpiled at Tuhe Town. We might as well dispatch a force to Tuhe Town to burn their provisions. Once the barbarians lose their food supplies, chaos will inevitably erupt in their ranks, and only then shall we march out to attack them..." Xiao Ding laid out his plan.

In truth, this could hardly be considered an original strategy conceived by Xiao Ding. Before his transmigration, he had read numerous novels and watched countless television dramas such as *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* and *Water Margin*, where this stratagem was a perennial favorite.

Although, in Xiao Ding's view, such a cliché tactic had been flogged to death by characters in countless books and shows, one had to admit that it proved exceptionally effective in wartime. In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Cao Cao secured a decisive victory precisely because he burned Yuan Shao's grain stores at Wuchao.

Today, Xiao Ding wished to employ this very stratagem to burn Li Daocheng's supplies.

"Commander Tian, I truly did not misjudge you!" Hearing these words, Huang Wenlong felt the clouds part and the fog lift; it was as if cold water had been poured over his head on a hot day, instantly clearing his mind.

Fei Wen's eyes also lit up at the proposal. He was a man driven solely by profit, and his eagerness to win glory was the underlying reason why half his army had been lost the moment he arrived at the front lines. Having marched grandly to the vanguard expecting a resounding triumph that would bring him rewards, high office, and wealth, he had instead suffered a disastrous defeat. Hearing Xiao Ding's plan, he too judged it viable. If this scheme was successfully executed, the day of defeating the barbarians would not be far off—an opportunity for glory he certainly would not let slip.

"A brilliant plan! A brilliant plan! Commander Tian's plan is marvelous!" Magistrate Yang praised him repeatedly.

With all the leaders in agreement on Xiao Ding's strategy, the next step was to dispatch troops and assign generals. How to deploy forces was itself a profound science: who should execute the mission, who should provide backup, how many men to take, and how to carry out the operation upon arrival—all these factors required careful consideration, putting a commander's leadership abilities to the test.

The task of organizing the deployment naturally fell upon Fei Wen. He instantly decided that he would execute the mission personally. That very night, he would lead ten thousand troops, carrying firewood, sulfur, and other incendiary materials, to Tuhe Town to burn the barbarians' grain stores.

Upon hearing Fei Wen's intentions, Xiao Ding instantly realized that this commander was a fool. If he were the commander, he would have first sent scouts to survey the terrain around Tuhe Town, ascertain the exact number of enemy troops guarding the provisions, and locate every single sentry post. Only after completing this reconnaissance work would he dispatch troops.

Furthermore, he would never take ten thousand men all at once. The mission was to burn grain, not to charge into a pitched battle; a few thousand light cavalry would have more than sufficed. Bringing ten thousand soldiers made the target too large, easily alerting the enemy's sentries. Moreover, Fei Wen had made no arrangements for backup forces or interception units to block barbarian reinforcements. One had to remember that the barbarian main camp was not far from Tuhe Town; if they discovered the town was on fire, the camp would inevitably send reinforcements. Under such circumstances, escaping unscathed would be utterly impossible for Fei Wen.

While the leaders in Dingbian City discussed how to burn the barbarians' grain, inside the central command tent of the barbarian camp, Li Daocheng was likewise conferring with military strategist Mao Yansun and various generals on how to deal with Dingbian City.

"I reckon His Majesty should have received the First Prince's letter by now, and reinforcements ought to arrive very soon," Mao Yansun calculated the days on his fingers.

"The strategist is right. A messenger riding a fast horse to Xingqing City would only take about two or three days," Li Daocheng chimed in.

Xingqing City was the capital of the Great Xia Kingdom, merely a few hundred miles away from Yongzhou.

At that moment, a soldier entered to report, "Reporting to Your Highness the Prince, a carrier pigeon message has arrived from Xingqing City."

"Quickly present it for me to read," Li Daocheng said eagerly.

The soldier presented a slip of paper. Li Daocheng unfolded it and read: "Have dispatched the State Preceptor to lead thirty thousand troops to your aid. The army is already underway, do not fret!" There was no signature, but the imperial seal was stamped upon it. Knowing that his imperial father had sent the pigeon post simply out of fear that he would be anxious, Li Daocheng felt a surge of joy and immediately burst into hearty laughter.

Seeing Li Daocheng laugh after reading the note, Mao Yansun knew it must be good news and asked, "Why is the First Prince laughing?"

"Strategist, my imperial father says he has already dispatched the State Preceptor to lead an army of thirty thousand to reinforce us."

"Ah, the State Preceptor is coming!" Mao Yansun was equally overjoyed.

"What? The State Preceptor is coming? Splendid!" The generals rejoiced as well, their spirits soaring.