I Have a Date with a Thousand-year-old Female Corpse-Chapter 1950 - 1952: Boss, I Understand Now

Chapter 1950: Chapter 1952: Boss, I Understand Now
The originally somewhat disheartened Zhang Fei, upon hearing this, immediately jumped up on his horse, excitedly patted his chest, and shouted, "Yes!"
Waving your hand, you smiled and said, "Go on, remember your mission this time. Our goal is not occupation, but eradication. Whenever you see any of Cao Army’s military facilities, burn them to ashes for me. You are entering enemy territory without logistical support, so you’ll have to rely entirely on yourselves. Eat Cao Cao’s food when you’re hungry, and sleep in his places when you’re tired. If you’re really capable and even manage to bed Cao Cao’s women, when you return, I’ll throw you a victory banquet!"
The two of them looked you in the eye, nodded solemnly, then each led 2,500 elite soldiers, bypassed Xinwen, and headed towards the direction of Le’an County together.
As your troops were setting up camp, Xiao San stood beside you with a worried expression and said, "Boss, will Zhang Cheng and Hei Zi be alright? After all, they’re heading into enemy territory. Five thousand men might be too few."
"Having more people risks exposing the mission. With Zhang Fei and Zhang Cheng’s temperaments, they’ll surely split up once they reach Le’an County. Their aim this time is to disrupt: cut off Xiahou Dun’s supply lines to Linzi City and sabotage Cao Cao’s infrastructure in Qing Zhou, which will aid in Wushuang City’s future development."
"With us keeping an eye on Xiahou Dun, not even a bird can escape. But what if the troops in Linzi are dispatched to encircle them? Linzi does have nearly one hundred thousand troops, after all."
You looked at Xiao San and, smiling, said, "Do you know why you’re just a head of escorts by my side?"
Xiao San lowered his head. Truth be told, he wished to become a commander of a city like Little Liu. After all, the time he has spent following you is nearly the same as Little Liu’s. Moreover, Xiao San believes his capabilities are no less than Little Liu’s, and he’s definitely stronger than anyone in Xuzhou when it comes to city building and administration.
Putting your hand heavily on Xiao San’s shoulder, you smiled and said, "Sanzi, if you can figure out this question within a quarter of an hour, after this battle, I’ll send you to Jingzhou as the deputy commander!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao San was stunned, as happiness had come so suddenly. Of course, to earn this hard-won happiness, Xiao San must meet the conditions you’ve set. At this moment, his mind became extremely active, and issues he had never considered began rapidly surfacing.
After a short while, Xiao San solemnly said to you, "Boss, I understand now."
"If you understand, then speak. Don’t dilly-dally with me."
"Because they don’t dare." Seeing you didn’t criticize his words, Xiao San continued boldly, "Zhang Fei and Zhang Cheng lead elite troops, with fast movements and equally swift attacks. Although they delve deep into enemy territory, our frontline engagement with the main Cao Army means they can’t dispatch troops to encircle them."
You asked nonchalantly, "Why can’t they dispatch troops? Be specific."
In one breath, Xiao San laid out all his thoughts: "Boss, your renown is great. Your presence on the frontline, even without deploying troops—just riding out for a breeze—forces them to remain on high alert. With our five thousand men infiltrating their rear, even for a search, they’d need at least twenty thousand, or no, more than forty thousand troops. And they can’t spread too thinly, or they’d be bitten back by Zhang Fei and Zhang Cheng. But because they can’t disperse, catching up with the fast-moving Zhang Fei and his men isn’t possible."
Finally, a smile appeared on your face as Xiao San saw he had hit the mark. He continued, "Li Dian, being born a scholar, bears the reputation of a Confucian General. Due to his meticulous and rule-abiding nature, he absolutely won’t dispatch too many troops to encircle them. Because Linzi is Cao Cao’s old base, even in death, Li Dian would defend Linzi to his last breath. So, his only course of action is to hold firm and await reinforcement. This is the safest approach, given Yan Province and Qing Zhou are nearby. Cao Cao certainly wouldn’t stand idly by."
"Very well said. To achieve this understanding is already quite remarkable. It seems you haven’t let these days go to waste."
Patting Xiao San’s shoulder, a look of satisfaction finally spread across your face. What you needed was not just a highly skilled bodyguard, but a leader with both courage and wisdom. You already knew Xiao San well. Back on Lake Heart Island, his city-building skills and mindset impressed you. The reason you kept Xiao San by your side was that you felt he should be in a more crucial position.
Although Cai Mao from Jingzhou has willingly submitted to you, there are still many within Jingzhou secretly in contact with Liu Bei, especially the scholar gentry. To prevent Jingzhou from falling into Liu Bei’s hands, you must send someone skilled in defense and city-building strategy. Now, Cai Mao commands the Three States of Jingzhou, a coveted prize. You know not only Liu Bei is coveting it, but Sun Ce of Jiang Dong also harbors ambitions.
In the face of such absolute temptation, there are no eternal friends nor ’family’ in this world. Although Sun Ce and you come from the same school, he too harbors ambitions to dominate the Nine Provinces. It’s just that he’s currently managing affairs in Jiang Dong and has already gained the support of the major scholar gentry there. Once Jiang Dong is stable, Sun Ce will undoubtedly set his eyes on the Three States of Jingzhou and the Yangzhou City commanded by Li Chong.
The Xiapi and Guangling cities in Xuzhou, under the command of Little Liu and Xu Sheng, are as solid as a rock. Coupled with the natural barrier of the Chang River, for Sun Ce to cross the river and attack would be extremely difficult and self-destructive. Therefore, his only targets now are the recently acquired Yangzhou City domain under Li Chong and the Three States of Jingzhou under Cai Mao.
In short, Xiao San can finally leave your side and establish a domain of his own.
This is what you’re proud of.
These generals that have emerged from your side are virtually all your students, learning and applying a new way of thinking from you. Watching them accomplish things in their respective domains and share the burdens from various challenges is your true pleasure.
That was a digression. You collected your thoughts and then said to Xiao San, "For convenience in marching, we didn’t carry enough provisions before. I just allowed Zhang Fei and Zhang Cheng to take more; the remaining provisions are estimated to last only five days. Quickly dispatch someone to Linzu City to urge them for supplies."
"Yes!"
Linzu City is located southwest of Wushuang City and is very close to Cao Cao’s domain in Qing Zhou, being the only comprehensive city in the north of Dongguan County.
Due to Cao Cao’s military blockade of your occupied Xuzhou and parts of Qing Zhou, merchant caravans from the North or Central Plains can’t enter your domain, with Linzu City being the only exception.
Surrounded on three sides by mountains, especially the west side with its vast, deep mountain ranges extending for dozens of miles, the zigzagging mountainous paths are home to many fierce beasts. The Cao Army hasn’t set up checkpoints within these deep mountains, making it the sole channel for itinerant merchants to ’smuggle’ goods into Xuzhou.
At this time, a group of merchants arrived at the west city gate of Linzu City. The leader was a dark-skinned middle-aged man, who, after paying the necessary entrance ’fee’, slowly led his mule caravan into Linzu City.