Qin Hu and Qin An, shrinking their necks and hunching their shoulders against the wind, ran out of the camp and trudged forward through the deep, heavy snow.
The frail Qin An was caught off guard by a sudden gust and knocked flat onto the ground.
The two guards changing shifts watched them come out, exchanged grim smiles, scooped up handfuls of snow to put out the warming bonfire, and ducked back into their tent.
Dammit, even the low-ranking soldiers have been bought off. They are trying to freeze me to death!
This was a very small encampment consisting of about twenty tents, ringed by supply carts. There were no caltrops or chevaux-de-frise deployed along the perimeter, and the surrounding terrain was flat and utterly devoid of natural defenses—a clear sign that they had no intention of staying here long.
According to Qin Hu's memories from his past life, about two hundred men were stationed here, making up the Vanguard Battalion under Northern Expedition General Li Qin of the Dayu Dynasty.
The target of Li Qin's army of twenty thousand this time was the Dayu Dynasty's long-standing enemy on the border, the Liaodong State.
"Cough, cough... Young Marquis, do you think we'll make it back alive?" Qin An curled his entire body against the snowy ground. His lips and face were pale blue, and his voice was so weak he sounded as if he could die at any second.
Qin Hu sighed inwardly. Qin An was suffering purely because of him, and if things kept going this way, the two of the…
Chapter 416