Pei Rumo thought that his question would stump Bai Luochu, but he received an unexpected reply. She pointed to a spot on the map and said, “Here.”
Pei Rumo and Lu Wenshu turned to look at the location but they couldn"t notice the peculiarity. They a.s.sumed that Bai Luochu had already made earlier arrangements and simply asked, “It seems like Divine Physician Bai has already made some arrangements?”
Bai Luochu laughed and shook her head helplessly, “How can I possess such magical powers? I observed the map and came to a conclusion that this should be the most thriving area in the entire Desolate Region.”
In response, Pei Rumo and Lu Wenshu immediately observed the location that Bai Luochu pointed out on the map.
With rivers and forests, if there was anywhere they could stop for a resupply, that would be their best bet.
Pei Rumo glanced at Bai Luochu and lamented, “Like father like daughter. If you were born a man, your father"s legacy would remain eternal.”
Bai Luochu laughed in response without saying anything else. In Pei Rumo"s opinion, she was merely being modest.
But Lu Wenshu was sneering in his heart. It seems like Pei Rumo doesn"t understand Luo Chu as well as I imagine. In her previous life, Bai Luochu was proficient at the Book of Changes and had a rather good understanding of military formations. In fact, she wouldn"t be weaker than reputable generals when comparing knowledge on warfare. The former general has nothing to do with this. She gained all her knowledge from her extensive reading in the temple"s library.
“You should let the soldiers know of our plan. We will head out towards the east of the Desolate Region first thing tomorrow morning.” Pei Rumo said to Bai Luochu.
Bai Luochu was startled at first but quickly understood Pei Rumo"s intention... he was trying to help her establish her authority in the army. Bai Luochu originally wanted to refuse, but Lu Wenshu stepped in to persuade her.
“Divine Physician Bai was the person who suggested this. The two of us can"t possibly seize your credit.”
“No rush. We merely decided on a place to go. We didn"t discuss the number of people we should send.”
“You"re saying that we shouldn"t move the entire army?” Pei Rumo asked.
Bai Luochu didn"t give a direct answer. Instead, she replied with a question of her own. “Does Your First Highness remember the scene when we first stepped into the Desolate Region?”
Pei Rumo muttered for a moment before racking his brains. “Severed limbs, some bones, some remnant body parts, and the stench of blood.”
Bai Luochu nodded and asked again, “Does Your First Highness remember the state of the blood and the remains?”
Pei Rumo pondered for a long time before he shook his head.
Bai Luochu smiled and she continued, “The corpses had yet to completely decay and the blood had yet to fully dry up. With the hot and dry weather in the Desolate Region, the blood should have dried up a long time. The battle definitely happened right before we entered and in my honest opinion, we are not the only ones who have entered the Desolate Region. Since we are currently unsure of the situation, it is better to be cautious.”
“Is this the reason we are going to send out a small team?” Pei Rumo asked.
Bai Luochu nodded, “That"s right. We can"t remain here forever. However, we can"t charge blindly as that is pure stupidity. We should send out a vanguard team to scout for information, leaving the rest of us behind to reorganize our ranks.”
“It seems like you have thought it through.” After Pei Rumo listened to Bai Luochu"s proposal, he felt that Bai Luochu had indeed thought things through.
“Have you thought about who we should send out? Members of the vanguard team should be stronger than regular soldiers. Moreover, a leader needs to stay behind to command the troops.” Pei Rumo thought about the management issue of the military camp and raised his question.
Bai Luochu muttered for a moment before speaking her thoughts, “The hundred-men captains cannot join the vanguard team as they need to stay behind to lead the soldiers. It will be best if the members of the vanguard team are scouts. They must also be able to adapt to the unusual weather here. We should let the soldiers volunteer to join the vanguard team. What do you think”
“It seems like there are no better methods. Since that is the case, we shall do as you say. Since this is a last-minute decision, I shall go along with you to relay the order.” Pei Rumo spoke and turned to leave the tent.
“Everyone, please gather and listen to the command.” Once Pei Rumo walked out of the main tent, he yelled out.
When Pei Rumo made the announcement, everyone formed up in front of him in the blink of an eye.
“I discussed our next course of action with Divine Physician Bai and she gave me excellent suggestions. She shall now brief you of our plan.” Pei Rumo addressed everyone before handing his authority to her.
Even though the soldiers knew that Pei Rumo was treating Divine Physician Bai with some bias, his current actions right now made it obvious he was trying to help her establish her authority in the army. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that listening to Divine Physician Bai was the right thing to do.
They realized that even though Divine Physician Bai was a woman, her vision and judgement was comparable to His First Highness. Moreover, the emperor himself pa.s.sed down an imperial decree to order Divine Physician Bai to follow them during the campaign. Even though she was following them under the guise of a military physician, she was more like the vice commander of the army. It was because of her gender that the emperor couldn"t give her an official position.
Everyone straightened their backs and awaited Divine Physician Bai"s orders.
After all, strength ruled supreme in the military. She was able to climb to her current position without outside help and the soldiers respected her for it.