Empire

Qinghe Army, Central Army Tent.

Zhang Bao followed Chief of Staff Li Qiye to the heavily guarded Central Army Tent.

""Brother, please tell them that Li Qiye and Zhang Bao are here on orders."

Li Qiye said humbly and politely to a guard at the entrance of the military tent.

The guard saluted Li Qiye and his men with his fists crossed across his chest, then stepped aside to make way.

"Chief of Staff, the general has ordered that you can go in directly when you arrive."

"Thank you very much."

Li Qiye nodded slightly, and then he took Zhang Bao into the military tent.

In the military tent, Chen Ziang was bending over the desk to review the map drawn by the scouts.

The map of the Far East Dynasty was drawn more than a hundred years ago, and due to various limitations, there were many loopholes.

Chen Ziang wanted to draw a detailed map, so every time he arrived at a place, he asked the scouts to draw a simple map of the surrounding mountains, rivers and cities, and then asked the military team to collect and organize them, and he would make the final review.

Hearing the footsteps, Chen Ziang looked up and saw Li Qiye and Zhang Bao walking into the military tent.

""Greetings, General."

Li Qiye and Zhang Bao both saluted Chen Ziang.

"No need to be polite, take a seat.

Although Chen Ziang was a general, he was approachable in private.

""Is it because you haven't eaten yet? Brother Qiye, please ask the kitchen to prepare some side dishes. We will eat together later." Chen Ziang said.

Li Qiye knew that Chen Ziang wanted to talk to Zhang Bao alone, so he responded and turned to leave the military tent.

Only Chen Ziang and Zhang Bao were left in the military tent. Chen Ziang lowered his head to review the map, while Zhang Bao sat there looking a little uneasy. He looked up and glanced at Chen Ziang from time to time. The atmosphere seemed a little depressing.

"General, if there is nothing else, I will go back first."

Zhang Bao really couldn't stand this atmosphere, it was simply a torture, and finally couldn't help but break the silence.

Chen Ziang raised his head and saw Zhang Bao fidgeting, and took a sip of tea.

"What? Are you still resentful towards me?" Chen Ziang stared at Zhang Bao and asked.

Zhang Bao turned his head away, not daring to look at Chen Ziang, and replied in a muffled voice:"I dare not"

"I think you just have a grudge against me." Chen Ziang closed the map and stood up.

"You followed me through life and death, and you have been through the gates of hell several times. I am afraid you can't even remember how many knife and arrow wounds you have on your body."

Chen Ziang held the steaming teapot and personally poured tea into Zhang Bao's cup.

Hearing that Chen Ziang still remembered these, Zhang Bao's nose was a little sour, and his hatred for Chen Ziang was reduced a lot.

"We can still sit here and drink tea peacefully, but many of our old brothers have become piles of bones in the wilderness."Chen Ziang sighed.

Thinking of the brothers who once fought side by side and now died one by one, Zhang Bao felt bad.

"You followed me, Chen Ziang, through thick and thin. Even if you have no merit, you have worked hard. I, Chen Ziang, remember all of this in my heart."

"I know that I have dismissed you from your post and demoted you to a soldier today. You must be cursing me in your heart for crossing the river and destroying the bridge."

After hearing Chen Ziang's words, Zhang Bao's face also turned red, because he really cursed in his heart

"You can scold me or hate me, I don't blame you, we are brothers after all." Chen Ziang sat back in his seat.

"We are fighting against the imperial court simply because we cannot survive and want to fight our way out of death."

"We have won many battles, and many of our brothers have become unruly and disobedient, thinking they are invincible. But who has ever thought that everything we have now was earned with the lives of countless brothers?"

"Let's not talk about the past. Do you think you are worthy of the nearly 1,000 brothers who died in the battle?" Chen Ziang looked at Zhang Bao and asked.

Zhang Bao lowered his head in shame, because if he hadn't acted on his own, nearly 1,000 brothers wouldn't have died.

"I asked you to lead your troops to stop the Black Cavalry who were trapped in the encirclement, but you were only busy killing for pleasure. Not only did you cause the death of countless brothers, but you also allowed a part of the Black Cavalry to escape. Do you think I should punish you?"

"If I don't punish you, I will not be able to face those brothers who died, because they were killed by the Black Cavalry, which was several times larger than yours, because of your mistake."Chen Ziang suddenly raised his voice.

"General, please kill me. I feel sorry for the brothers who died." Zhang Bao said, and fell to his knees on the ground with a plop, feeling guilty.

"No one is perfect. I make mistakes too. It doesn't matter if we make mistakes. The most important thing is that we recognize our mistakes and correct them."

"As the saying goes, it is a great help to admit one's mistakes and improve them. The reason why I demoted you to a soldier is that I want you to reflect on your mistakes. Do you understand my intentions?"

"General, I have wronged you."

After hearing this, Zhang Bao realized that Chen Ziang was not really going to destroy the bridge after crossing it. He was just trying to make him reflect on himself and correct his mistakes.

"A real man should kneel to heaven, earth and parents. How can he kneel to others easily?"Chen Ziang waved his hand and said,"Get up, don't kneel to others easily."

"You are my right-hand man, but you are too impatient. Now you are leading thousands of soldiers and only care about charging into battle alone, ignoring the overall situation. Do you think I will be able to let you lead tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops in the future?"

"General, I betrayed your trust."

"It's good that you can recognize your own shortcomings."Chen Ziang nodded with satisfaction.

"You must always remember your identity. You are no longer an ordinary soldier who only needs to charge into battle. As an officer, you must consider the overall situation and be responsible for your brothers."

"As a senior military officer, the most important thing is not to charge into battle, but to plan and command. I hope you understand this."

"And you have to set an example, obey orders and consider the overall situation, otherwise if everyone acts on their own, it will be a mess."

In Chen Ziang's earnest words, Zhang Bao also realized the serious mistake he made this time, and realized that he was no longer a soldier charging into battle, but an officer responsible for command and dispatch.

"You are my brother. I hope you can get up from where you fell and seriously reflect on your mistakes. I hope you can kill the enemy, establish meritorious service, and return to the ranks of officers as soon as possible. Don't make me wait too long."

After a long talk, Zhang Bao cleared up his misunderstanding of Chen Ziang and deeply realized his mistakes.

"General, don't worry! I, Zhang Bao, will never let you down again! I will kill the enemy well!" Zhang Bao patted his chest and promised

"By the way, our army is now made up of scattered soldiers from various units. I don't know much about the brothers at the bottom. I will give you a task here. Help me find some brave and combat-savvy brothers. At the same time, if you have any ideas, please report to me in time. Then I will give you a commendation."

"General, rest assured, I promise to complete the mission!"

After his heart knot was untied, Zhang Bao also understood Chen Ziang's painstaking efforts, so he no longer had any hatred.

"You must have waited a long time. Come on, it's time to eat."

At this time, Chief of Staff Li Qiye opened the tent and walked in with a food box. The aroma of the food aroused Chen Ziang's taste buds, and he also felt hungry.