Dragon Boat Race Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Making a Living

Epigraph: A life like duckweed, sunk by the rain, a sick frame weakly propped, sighing in the gloom. Do not say the road ahead holds no allies, a single word can shatter the doubt within the tent.

After Wu Ge left, a heavy silence returned to the tent, broken only by Qin Gong’s labored breathing and the faint clink of the ceramic bowl being placed on the wooden table.

“Strategist, please lie down and rest? Your body can’t handle this strain,” the young boy Ah Sheng leaned over, his face etched with worry.

Qin Gong shook his head. Although every breath pulled at the dull ache in his chest, and his limbs were weak and sore, the fierce will to survive and his chaotic thoughts prevented him from lying down peacefully. “Ah Sheng,” he tried to keep his voice steady, mimicking the tone of the ancient people he imagined, “I… during the days I was unconscious, were there any major events in the army? Commander Wu… what is his temperament like?”

He needed to gather information quickly, to understand his environment, especially concerning the man who held the power of life and death over him—Wu Ge.

Seeing that the Strategist was willing to speak and seemed somewhat lucid, Ah Sheng relaxed a little. He lowered his voice and said, “The three days you were asleep, the camp was quiet. It’s just… General Zhao and a few others have been gossiping about how much the Commander… values you.” He chose his words carefully, glancing cautiously at Qin Gong. “The Commander… governs the army strictly. His word is law, and he is fair with rewards and punishments. He’s not bad to the brothers, but if anyone breaks military rules, he shows absolutely no mercy! However,” his voice dropped even lower, “the Commander treats you differently. He personally ordered the best medicine for your wounds and told us to attend to you carefully…”

Qin Gong listened silently, analyzing quickly. Wu Ge was authoritative, there were factions in the army, and the original owner seemed to have gained Wu Ge’s favor for some reason, but this favor also brought jealousy and risk. His current situation was precarious, a path fraught with danger.

“How… how was I injured before?” Qin Gong asked the crucial question. He needed to understand the original owner’s experience to avoid exposing any inconsistencies.

Ah Sheng’s face showed indignation. “It was those damned Northern Di scouts! A few days ago, you were inspecting the forward outpost with the Commander when you encountered a small band of Di cavalry. During the skirmish, your horse was startled and threw you off, and your head hit a rock… Fortunately, the Commander was heroic, drove back the Di cavalry, and personally brought you back!”

Thrown from a horse? Head injury? This was a perfect excuse to explain his “abnormalities” upon waking—memory loss and behavioral changes. Qin Gong felt a slight sense of relief.

The next two days were spent in pain and agony. This body was far too weak; the slightest movement brought dizziness, blurred vision, and cold sweats. The bitter herbal decoction was difficult to swallow, and every time he drank it, his stomach churned. The food was coarse, mostly millet rice and vegetable broth with little oil or salt, a huge trial for a stomach accustomed to modern, refined food.

But he forced himself to eat and drink the medicine. He had to recover, at least enough to have basic mobility. When Ah Sheng was absent, he tried to walk slowly inside the tent, moving his stiff, weak limbs. The original owner of this body was clearly a complete scholar, physically weak, with muscle strength that was negligible. Compared to his previous life’s vibrant athlete’s physique, the difference was like heaven and earth. This feeling of powerlessness made him anxious.

During this time, the old army physician came for a follow-up visit. Stroking his graying beard, he expressed surprise at Qin Gong’s speed of “recovery,” repeatedly saying that “the Commander’s medicine truly has miraculous effects,” and prescribed a few more tonics to strengthen his foundation.

Qin Gong also pieced together more information from Ah Sheng. This was the “Great Sheng” Dynasty, bordering the powerful nomadic tribe, the “Northern Di,” and warfare was frequent. Wu Ge was the commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army, young, promising, and highly decorated. As for Qin Gong, his current identity was that of a down-on-his-luck scholar whom Wu Ge had “chanced upon” in a border town during an outing. Because of his insights into the current situation, Wu Ge brought him back to the army to serve as a strategist. The original owner’s personality seemed to be introverted and silent, disliking interaction, and he had no foundation in the army.

On the afternoon of the third day, Qin Gong felt his strength had recovered by perhaps ten or twenty percent; at least he could walk slowly while leaning on the wall. He was contemplating how to acquire more information next, or even how to “casually” demonstrate some value, when the opportunity arrived in an unexpected way.

A commotion erupted outside the tent, seemingly soldiers arguing, mixed with the sound of objects falling and Ah Sheng’s tearful defense.

Qin Gong’s heart tightened. He motioned for Ah Sheng to go out and check.

A moment later, Ah Sheng returned with red eyes, a clear slap mark on his face, and dust on his clothes. “Str- Strategist, it’s nothing. It’s… it’s the logistics camp distributing firewood. They said our tent took too much and wanted to deduct today’s share. I argued a bit, and they…” He choked up, afraid to look up.

Qin Gong frowned. Withholding supplies? Bullying him, the “patient”? This was probably not just a logistics issue, but more likely a test from certain people in the army who were unhappy with him, the parachuted “Strategist.”

He took a deep breath, suppressing his physical weakness and rising anger. He couldn’t hide, and showing weakness would only encourage them. He had to do something.

“Help me outside,” Qin Gong told Ah Sheng, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable authority.

“Strategist! Your body…” Ah Sheng panicked.

“Help me outside,” Qin Gong repeated, his gaze firm.

Ah Sheng dared not disobey. He carefully helped Qin Gong, moving step by step out of the tent.

Outside, several burly men in logistics uniforms were laughing as they prepared to leave. A few pieces of firewood that belonged to their tent were scattered on the ground. Seeing Qin Gong being helped out, the men froze, then their faces showed a mixture of surprise and mockery.

The scarred man leading them offered a false smile and cupped his hands. “Oh, Strategist, why have you come out? Do you have any instructions? Your body is precious, don’t catch a chill. If the Commander blames us, we can’t handle it.” The sarcasm in his words was palpable.

Qin Gong ignored his snide remarks. His gaze swept over the firewood on the ground, then fixed on the scarred man. He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly audible to everyone. “I ask you, is there a fixed regulation for distributing firewood in the army?”

The scarred man hadn’t expected this question. He hesitated, then stuck out his neck and said, “Of course! It’s allocated by headcount and by tent!”

“Then how many people reside in this tent?” Qin Gong continued to ask, his tone steady.

“Naturally, it’s you, Strategist, and this servant boy, two people.”

“If that is the case, why are you withholding my firewood quota? Do you think that I, Qin, am gravely injured and about to die, and thus have no need for it? Or do you think the Commander’s orders can be arbitrarily discounted?” Qin Gong’s voice suddenly turned cold. Although his face was pale and his body swayed, his eyes were sharply fixed on the scarred man.

The scarred man felt a chill in his heart from the stare. He forced himself to remain calm. “Strategist, you exaggerate! It’s just… today we are short on firewood, and every camp needs to conserve…”

“Oh? Short on firewood?” Qin Gong interrupted him, a faint sneer playing on his lips. “I just heard you say that it is allocated according to fixed regulation. Since the regulation is based on actual circumstances, why would there suddenly be a shortage? Is the logistics camp mismanaging the allocation, or is someone pocketing public funds and withholding military supplies? I shall have to consult with Commandant Sun, who oversees military discipline, about this matter, or perhaps, report directly to the Commander and investigate thoroughly!”

He spoke without a single vulgar word, yet every sentence was damning. He directly leveled serious accusations of “mismanagement,” “pocketing public funds,” and “withholding military supplies,” even invoking the military discipline officer and Wu Ge. He was gambling that these logistics soldiers would not dare to escalate the matter, and that Wu Ge’s authority was enough to deter these petty criminals.

Sure enough, the faces of the scarred man and the men behind him instantly changed. They had only intended to bully this seemingly weak and sickly Strategist, but they hadn’t expected his words to be so sharp, immediately grasping the core issue.

“You… you are slandering us!” the scarred man shouted, his bravado masking his fear.

“Whether it is slander or not will be known once it is investigated.” Qin Gong stood his ground. Although the arm supporting him on Ah Sheng was trembling slightly, his gaze remained resolute. “Now, pick up the firewood and return it to my tent. Otherwise, we will go to the Commander’s tent right now and discuss this!”

He made a move to walk forward, and Ah Sheng quickly held him firmly.

The scarred man looked at Qin Gong, who seemed ready to collapse at any moment yet was abnormally unyielding, and heard the word “Commander.” In the end, he backed down. He gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Qin Gong, and waved his hand at his subordinates. “Pick it up! Send it back to him!”

The logistics soldiers sullenly picked up the firewood, tossed it back in front of Qin Gong’s tent, and slunk away.

The surrounding soldiers who had been watching showed expressions of surprise. Clearly, they hadn’t expected this usually silent and sickly Strategist to possess such a forceful side.

Ah Sheng watched the men leave, almost crying with excitement. “Strategist! You are amazing! They often withheld supplies before, and I never dared to say anything…”

Qin Gong sighed in relief, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him, almost unable to stand. He leaned on Ah Sheng and whispered, “Help me back.” That confrontation had nearly exhausted the little strength he had accumulated.

Back inside the tent, Qin Gong slumped onto the edge of the bed, his inner garments soaked with cold sweat. He knew this was just the beginning. In this military camp where the weak were prey, without physical strength, he had to rely on sufficient intelligence and courage to protect himself.

Today, he had borrowed Wu Ge’s authority to temporarily suppress the provocation. But this was not a long-term solution. He had to quickly demonstrate genuine value, make Wu Ge feel he was “useful,” and make others afraid to easily move against him.

And opportunity, it seemed, always favored those who were prepared (or forced to be prepared).

In the evening, Wu Ge unexpectedly came to his tent again. He seemed to have just returned from outside, his armor still dusted with dirt.

He didn’t ask about the firewood incident (perhaps someone had already reported it), but instead tossed a rolled-up parchment map to Qin Gong, his tone flat. “Look at this.”

Qin Gong was startled and unrolled the map. It roughly depicted some mountains, rivers, and camp markings. He couldn’t fully understand it, but he recognized it as a topographical map.

“Is this… the terrain nearby?” Qin Gong tentatively asked.

“Mm.” Wu Ge walked to the table and pointed a finger at a location on the map. “Our army is encamped here. Thirty li north, there is a gorge called ‘Falling Hawk Ravine.’ It is one of the key routes into the Northern Di heartland, but it is also easy to defend and difficult to attack, and often frequented by Di cavalry.”

He looked up, his gaze sharp as fire, fixed on Qin Gong. “If you were the Di commander, and you wished to cut off our supply route, where would you choose to set an ambush?”

Qin Gong’s heart pounded. This was a test! And a very real and dangerous military question!

He didn’t understand ancient tactics, but he understood logic, geography, and basic military common sense. He forced himself to calm down, carefully studying the winding lines on the map, combining it with the information Ah Sheng had mentioned earlier (the Northern Di were skilled archers and riders). His brain raced.

Falling Hawk Ravine… key route… easy to defend… ambush to cut the supply route…

His gaze scanned the map, finally landing on an area outside the mouth of the Falling Hawk Ravine, which was relatively open but had several tributaries flowing into the main road. The terrain there was complex, suitable for concealing cavalry.

“If it were me…” Qin Gong took a deep breath, pointing to that area. “I would not set an ambush inside the Falling Hawk Ravine.”

“Oh? Why?” Wu Ge raised an eyebrow.

“Because it is too obvious. Our army’s supply convoys must pass through the Ravine and will certainly be extra cautious. If an ambush is set inside the Ravine, even if successful, the losses would be great.” Qin Gong organized his thoughts, trying to make his analysis sound reasonable. “I would hide the main force outside the Ravine, here. After our supply convoy carefully passes through the Falling Hawk Ravine and their vigilance slackens, I would suddenly attack. Although the terrain here is not as treacherous as inside the Ravine, it is sufficiently concealed for cavalry and allows the Northern Di cavalry to fully utilize their shock power, catching our army completely off guard.”

He paused, adding, “They could even… send a small detachment to feign movement inside the Falling Hawk Ravine, drawing the attention of our escort, creating an opportunity for the surprise attack outside the Ravine.”

The tent fell silent. Wu Ge’s deep gaze lingered on the area Qin Gong had pointed to for a long time, his finger unconsciously tapping on the tabletop.

Qin Gong’s heart was in his throat. He didn’t know if his “armchair strategy” was practical or if it sounded childishly ridiculous.

After a long moment, Wu Ge slowly raised his head. The look in his eyes, as he regarded Qin Gong, held less scrutiny and more an indescribable depth.

“Do you know,” he said slowly, “three days ago, one of our scout teams was almost completely wiped out by elite Northern Di cavalry in the very area you pointed to.”

Qin Gong’s eyes snapped open, and his back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

He… guessed correctly? Relying on modern logic and a bit of luck?

Wu Ge stood up and walked toward Qin Gong. His tall figure brought a powerful sense of pressure. He looked down at the astonishment that had yet to fade from Qin Gong’s pale face, his tone impossible to read:

“It seems your mind is far more useful than your body.”

With that, he picked up the map, turned, and left without another word.

But Qin Gong knew that something had changed. For the first time, in this strange era, in this military camp full of hidden dangers, he had truly demonstrated a bit of “value.”

Although this value came with immense risk.

He collapsed onto the bed, staring at the rough tent ceiling, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The path back to the modern world seemed impossibly distant. And the path ahead, though covered in thorns, seemed to reveal a faint glimmer of light.