General Wei also had his own considerations. Taking advantage of the much - talked - about victory celebration banquet today, he thought the Southern Border would relax their vigilance. Moreover, the decision to take over the grain and forage camp had been made when Marshal Su was around. They couldn't afford to miss it. Once they took it over, they could save half of their troops on the battlefield in the future. After all, the Southern Border army was mostly made up of new recruits. If their grain and forage camp was taken, there would surely be chaos. The Yuwen family would lose the hearts of the people, and a large number of their soldiers would flee.
Gu Jingtian wanted to stabilize the morale of the army, but he never expected that everyone's criticism seemed to be directed at him. It was as if the long - pent - up grievances were finally being unleashed.
"Marshal Gu is still too young. He made such a reckless decision. Just now, he led so few troops to attack so many elite soldiers. Isn't he just sending us to our deaths?" Several junior officers, like battalion commanders, shouted.
"Yes, Marshal Gu is really hot - headed. He doesn't care about our lives at all," many soldiers echoed.
"Perhaps it's better for us to choose an elder to assist Marshal Gu today."
"I hold the marshal's seal by imperial edict. Who dares to disobey?" The imperial court will issue orders. What are you all so impatient about?" Gu Jingtian felt that this matter was very strange. Why did they keep insisting on choosing an elder?
"Even if we need to choose an assistant, it would be best if it's someone from the Su family. Let General Wei take over the marshal's seal instead of me. I admit that I didn't think things through today. I'm willing to step aside." At this moment, this seemed to be the only way out, but he was afraid it would cause dissatisfaction.
"That won't do. It's obvious that General Wei acted on her own today, and Marshal Gu covered for her. Moreover, General Wei is still young. Although we won this battle, we were ambushed."
This was exactly what Gu Jingtian was afraid of. Today, Su Wan'er had clearly gained the upper hand and returned victorious. But somehow, they were ambushed. He had lost his cool and rushed to rescue her, resulting in the loss of over a thousand troops. Naturally, this had caused dissatisfaction among the soldiers.
"Well, let me say a few words. Young people have their advantages. Our army's morale is still high, and our combat strength is sufficient. The Southern Border is nothing to be afraid of. Let's just forget about this matter. Don't cause any more trouble for the marshal," General Han suddenly stepped out of the crowd to support them.
Su Wan'er wanted to give him a grateful look, but to her surprise, there were high - pitched voices in support of General Han in the crowd.
"Maybe General Han should take the position of deputy marshal to assist Marshal Gu. Only then will we brothers feel at ease."
One person proposed it, and several others echoed. Soon, the voices in the army grew louder and louder. Su Wan'er finally realized that this was clearly a scheme.
"It seems that you all have great trust in General Han. But this is the Su family's army after all. I wonder if you're being worthy of my father and brother by doing this?"
Su Wan'er's words were like thunder. After she said this, there was complete silence. The crowd seemed to come to their senses. The Su family's army had always been led by the Su family.
Su Wan'er now thought these people were a bunch of ungrateful wretches. No wonder her elder brother always wrote to remind her that everyone in the army was ambitious. They risked their lives in battles, so they were willing to do anything. There was no one whose heart could be easily won over.
"Since that's the case, gentlemen, I have an idea. Since you all think General Han is more reliable than me, let's divide our troops into two groups tonight and fight this battle right away! Let's have a competition and see who is truly worthy of leading the Su family's army."
"Wan'er..." Gu Jingtian was very worried. She had just returned from the battlefield, exhausted. How could she rashly participate in a competition at this time?
"I'm fine. I have to fight for my pride." Su Wan'er seemed to be very determined, with red - rimmed eyes. She had never thought that her Su family's army would be used by outsiders to rebel against her.
"Don't, don't. Girl, if you really want this position, I'll give it to you." General Han pretended to be very kind at this moment. Su Wan'er had already seen through his true face, so she replied bluntly, "Give it to me? This position is originally mine. Uncle Han is so good at winning people's hearts. I wonder if you're also more skilled than me in military strategies. Since everyone is so enthusiastic and our combat strength must be very high at this moment, let's have a competition."
"Since you put it like this, then I'll have a competition with you." Although General Han kept refusing on the surface, Su Wan'er knew that this was exactly what he wanted. He would surely use all his skills to compete with her. If she won, she would naturally become the leader of the Su family's army.
"Wan'er, you just led the troops back. Isn't this a disadvantage for you?"
Ignoring his dissuasion, Su Wan'er shouted to the soldiers, "Today, let Marshal Gu be the witness. We'll divide our troops into two groups. Leave two groups to defend the position. The rest will be divided into two parts. I'll lead one part, and General Han will lead the other. We'll attack two camps of the Southern Border from the left and right respectively. We'll retreat before dawn, regardless of the outcome, to avoid excessive losses. Let's see who can capture more Southern Border camps. Whoever does will be the winner. Isn't this fair?"
The soldiers had been stationed here for months because the two great generals of the Su family were injured repeatedly. They had been itching for a battle. Now, hearing Su Wan'er's bold call, they were all excited.
"Miss, are you sure you're okay? You've been tired all night," Qingcao said as she helped her change into a pair of softer boots.
"Wan'er, I'll go with you," Gu Jingtian knew very well how tiring a battle could be.
"There's no reason for a referee to participate in the competition. Brother, please stay here today. I still have two groups of troops. If either General Han or I are in danger, you can come to our rescue."
"I've long suspected that old traitor has evil intentions. Today's incident was probably planned by him. Maybe the news of your expedition was also spread by him. Do you still remember the person who was eavesdropping outside the tent that day?"
"Have you found out who it was?" Su Wan'er suddenly remembered this incident. Indeed, when they were discussing the attack that day, there seemed to be someone eavesdropping outside the tent. The ambush today was really strange. There must be someone who informed the Southern Border.
"I'm just suspicious, but when General Han stepped out today, I knew it must be him. Think about it. Who else could it be in the depths of the camp? We saw him as soon as we stepped out of the tent." Gu Jingtian was almost certain that it was General Han who had eavesdropped outside the tent and that he was also the one who had arranged the ambush. Was this person really a traitor?
"Is it really him?!" Su Wan'er gritted her teeth in hatred. Even if he wanted to seize power, he shouldn't have colluded with the enemy and made a joke of the soldiers' lives.