Chapter 2700: First Victory

State Duke Zhao first captured Gaimu City, quicker than the emperor had expected, taking only five days.

Morale was high, and even the common people and tribes of Liaodong gathered in groups, kneeling to beg the emperor to recruit them into the army to attack Goguryeo together.

The emperor, though touched, declined their request and, after comforting them, sent them back home.

However, this further boosted morale, which is a mysterious thing; when one aspect improves, it tends to positively affect others.

Conversely, morale on the Goguryeo side was somewhat low.

Once Gaimu City was taken, reinforcements for Liaodong City were cut off, and over twenty thousand were captured, along with more than a hundred thousand units of grain, directly easing the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.

The emperor, pleased, sent more troops to surround Liaodong City.

The other students of the Imperial Medical Bureau also followed the main army up.

Liaodong City was in danger, and upon receiving the news, Goguryeo dispatched forty thousand troops to rescue it; they needed to pass through Gaimu City. The emperor ordered State Duke Zhao, Li Si, and others to ambush them, capturing all forty thousand before they reached Gaimu City.

Afterward, forces combined and State Duke Zhao and General Ashina captured Liaodong City together.

With Liaodong City taken, Goguryeo’s gates were wide open, and at the same time, good news came from the south: Minister Feng had captured Pisha City and was heading toward Liaodong City.

The emperor led the grand army and stationed at Liaodong City.

He looked at the displayed map in deep thought.

State Duke Zhao said, “Your Majesty, winter is coming soon.”

The emperor clasped his hands without speaking, and General Ashina said, “Your Majesty, we fear neither cold.”

State Duke Zhao and Generals Li Si glanced at him without speaking.

Of course, he wasn’t afraid; the foreign soldiers he led were adept at fighting in severe cold, but the troops of Great Jin were not, and warfare consumed a lot during this time.

State Duke Zhao said, “Your Majesty, we can only fight for another month at most. After a month, it will snow, and the roads will become impassable.”

The emperor frowned and said, “If we cannot capture Goguryeo, this campaign cannot be considered a victory.”

The emperor felt a bit anxious; his time was running out. He had fought for many years for the ministers’ consent for this campaign, and after this, there might be no chance.

Moreover, the war was costly; after this, it would be difficult to wage a large-scale campaign against Goguryeo again.

The emperor squeezed his fists and asked, “No news yet from Baekje and Silla?”

State Duke Zhao, face full of helplessness, said unhappily, “They are still fighting each other. Baekje is unwilling and keeps delaying, while Silla is willing and ready to send a troop northward.”

The emperor, displeased, said, “Didn’t I tell them not to fight?”

State Duke Zhao said, “The two countries are suspicious of each other. Baekje is unwilling to cease fire first, and Silla doesn’t trust Baekje and keeps stalling.”

These two vassal states could not be counted on, and the furious emperor let out a breath.

Governor Niu, with his head bowed, was even angrier. Things had been going well, with all three parties acting simultaneously. Silla and Baekje had occupied a lot of territories, as had he, but who knew Silla would be so shortsighted and, seeing chaos in Baekje, decide that Goguryeo’s territory was hard to conquer, promptly turn to seize what Baekje had taken.

The hatred between the two countries couldn’t be resolved anytime soon. He stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, why not invite the Mohe people to join in the attack on Goguryeo?”

The emperor’s eyes brightened and asked, “Do you have connections with the Mohe people?”

Governor Niu didn’t dare claim so, only said, “I’ve interacted with them. The Mohe have had conflicts with both our Great Jin and Goguryeo, but as long as there is money, they are willing to send troops.”

That is to say, they could be enticed with benefits.

The emperor rubbed his chin and said, “It’s worth a try. Send emissaries to take a trip to the Mohe.”

The people below quickly agreed.

The emperor considered that if Goguryeo couldn’t be captured before winter, the cavalry would be relied upon most, so he said to General Ashina, “Reorganize the Turkic army, and I will dispatch more troops from other tribes to you?”

Currently, the foreign soldiers under General Ashina were mostly Turks, who were excellent in cavalry warfare.

General Ashina thought for a moment and nodded, believing that another two thousand troops could be added.

Saw the emperor ordered a thousand cavalry from Yunzhou and Shuozhou, respectively, for reinforcement.

Manbao also moved into the city, though she spent most of her time at the medical tent, feeling her way back to her room in the dark.

Xi Bing, holding a lantern, saw a shadow ahead and was startled, softly asking, “Who?”

Lost in thought, Manbao was taken aback and looked up, intending to ask who Keke was, when a figure stepped out, “Manbao?”

Xi Bing sighed in relief and told Zhou Man, “My lord, it is my lord.”

Manbao stepped forward and saw Bai Shan standing by a side door of a house, not alone but with three others beside him.

Hearing the voice, they all turned to look, then withdrew their gaze and lowered their heads upon seeing Zhou Man.

Manbao glanced at them and curiously asked, “What are you doing here?”

Bai Shan, a bit embarrassed, said, “We’re getting some fresh air here.”

Beside him, Lord Fang, who was more familiar with Zhou Man, murmured, “Isn’t it? The inside is filled with the scent of cosmetics, so we came out for fresh air.”

Bai Shan: …

Upon hearing this, Manbao perked up and, attentive, could faintly hear the sound of music and singing coming from the residence.

Manbao became slightly more spirited, less sleepy now, and with bright eyes, asked, “Is the emperor inside?”

Bai Shan tapped her forehead, making her stand upright, and whispered, “Don’t get too excited. You’re meeting the emperor tomorrow, so curb your curiosity.”

The emperor would hold a small court meeting the next day to mainly discuss the next steps in the warfare and review all aspects, so Zhou Man had to attend too.

Manbao, itching with curiosity, glanced into the residence and, after a moment, sighed and asked him, “Are you going back?”

Bai Shan hesitated for a moment and then turned to Lord Fang, saying, “Lord Fang, I’m not good with alcohol, so I’ll head back to rest first.”

Lord Fang: …

Other officials: …

How annoying, is it so great to have a wife?

Do they think we don’t have one?

They’re just not here.

Bai Shan went back with Manbao.

Their rooms were actually separate, but of course, they could be together.

Bai Shan and Lord Fang were staying together, and Manbao had her own room, but he went directly to Manbao’s room.

Xi Bing immediately went down to have the servants fetch hot water for the two officials to wash up, then turned to find Daji to get Bai Shan’s clothes.

After washing up, Bai Shan sat on the bed, took off his shoes, folded his legs, and rubbed his legs. Seeing Manbao hugging a quilt with her eyelids drooping, he reached to massage her neck and asked with a smile, “Are you very tired?”

“Mm,” Manbao said, “Exhausted. Whenever there’s a battle, we’re busy behind. The students here are still too few.”

Manbao moved her head, hugged the quilt, found a better position, and had him press her shoulders. She said, “We’ve added twenty-nine people, plus two military doctors, making a total of thirty-one, and it’s still so busy. Just imagine when there were only two military doctors before. I’ve always thought, should we establish a separate department in the Imperial Medical Bureau after this to specifically train military doctors? But just adding surgeons would suffice; adding more might be superfluous.”

Bai Shan said, “Unless there’s warfare, military doctors are rarely needed. Usually, two doctors are enough in one army, so the military cannot support so many doctors.”