Chapter 122: Let the Turks Experience What It Means to Be Ambushed!

Noticing Wei Shining’s excitement, the military strategist couldn't help but ask, "Marshal, has something good happened?"

Wei Shining carefully took out the "thousand-mile eye," peering through it as he replied, "It's something my younger brother sent over. It’s a new invention of his—he calls it a 'thousand-mile eye.'"

Upon hearing the name, the strategist asked, "A thousand-mile eye?"

Wei Shining nodded. "He says that even if the distance is vast, with this, one can clearly observe the enemy's movements."

The strategist’s eyes lit up as he looked at the device in Wei Shining’s hands. "Can it really see that far?"

If it were truly that powerful, they could anticipate enemy maneuvers in advance. In the context of military campaigns, this would grant them a natural, immense advantage. The frontier had always been restless; the Turks were constantly stirring, with minor skirmishes occurring periodically, and there was no telling when a minor conflict might escalate into full-scale war.

Wei Shining had great faith in Wei Shi'an. "My brother may be impulsive in other matters, but when it comes to the study of physical objects, he never speaks a falsehood."

"Marshal, let us test this thousand-mile eye!" the strategist urged, eager to witness its power.

After checking the instructions once more, Wei Shining nodded. "Let’s go outside."

They stepped out of the room. Wei Shining held the device to his eyes and laughed heartily. "Remarkable! From here, I can clearly see General Li drilling the soldiers."

"I can even see the water flask hanging from General Li’s waist!"

Wei Shining’s voice brimmed with excitement. What an incredible object! He hadn't expected his little brother to actually perfect such a powerful tool.

The strategist was visibly impatient. "Marshal, Marshal, may I have a look?" Could such a miraculous item truly exist in this world?

"Wait a moment, let me try it a bit more," Wei Shining said, reluctant to let go. He shifted his gaze to a different direction, fascinated by the view.

The strategist stood by, burning with impatience. If it weren't for the fact that the person holding it was the Marshal, he would have snatched it away.

"Marshal, are you finished? I want to try it too!" The strategist stared at the device, not even blinking.

Urged by the strategist, Wei Shining finally handed it over after a long while. "Be careful, don’t break it. There is only one of these."

Shi'an had mentioned in his letter that this was the only one in existence; a second one had yet to be crafted. Such a magnificent invention would surely take a great deal of time to produce.

The strategist handled it with extreme care. Following Wei Shining’s example, he held it to his eyes and gasped in disbelief. "It’s too miraculous! It is nothing short of a divine wonder!" He continued to marvel at it as he peered through the lens.

Wei Shining felt a swell of pride. The strategist looked through it for a long time, completely unwilling to put the novelty down, though eventually, Wei Shining reclaimed it.

The next day, when the strategist spoke of the wonder of the thousand-mile eye to the other generals, General Li scoffed, "Strategist Cen, surely you were dreaming last night?"

The others burst into laughter. "Strategist Cen, the thousand-mile eye is a fine thing to imagine, but it doesn't exist in reality."

"Am I the sort of man who cannot distinguish between dreams and reality?" Strategist Cen retorted indignantly.

"Then tell us, where is this thousand-mile eye?" General Li teased.

"It is, of course, with the Marshal!"

General Xu spoke up, "Strategist Cen, do you think we wouldn't dare go and verify this with the Marshal?"

Strategist Cen inwardly cursed their ignorance. Of course, had he not seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it either. He turned to General Li. "When you were drilling the soldiers last night, there was a red string tied to the water flask at your waist."

General Li replied dismissively, "Everyone knows about my flask. That doesn't prove anything."

General Xu nodded. "That's right. He only has that one flask, and the red string was woven by his wife for protection. He brags about it every few days; who among us doesn't know?"

Strategist Cen then turned to General Xu. "You bumped into a pillar last night."

General Xu’s eyes widened. "How did you know that?" He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't paid attention and walked right into the pillar. He had looked around at the time and seen no one. How could the strategist possibly know?

"I saw it with the thousand-mile eye, of course," Strategist Cen said proudly. "You can go and ask the Marshal; he might be willing to let you have a look."

"Is there really a thousand-mile eye? You aren't lying to us?" General Xu asked.

Strategist Cen nodded firmly. "Come, I will take you to the Marshal. You can try it for yourselves." He also hoped for another turn himself.

General Li and General Xu followed Strategist Cen to find Wei Shining, half-skeptical. Wei Shining was currently engrossed in the device, and he spotted them approaching from afar.

As they reached him, Strategist Cen whispered, "Do you see what the Marshal is holding? That is the thousand-mile eye!"

General Li and General Xu widened their eyes. It was real?

"You move so slowly," Wei Shining remarked with a frown.

The generals looked confused, so Strategist Cen quickly explained, "Marshal, it is not that we are slow; it is that when the thousand-mile eye saw us, we were still quite far away." He turned to the bewildered generals. "General Li, General Xu, they also wish to try the thousand-mile eye, don't you?"

They nodded in a daze.

"Very well," Wei Shining agreed.

After both men tried the device, they were filled with shock. The device eventually passed back into the hands of Strategist Cen, who wore a satisfied smile as he scanned the horizon.

"Strategist Cen, you have been using it for too long," General Li and General Xu complained.

Suddenly, the strategist’s expression turned solemn. He continued to peer in a specific direction, his tone urgent. "Marshal, I have spotted Turkish soldiers!"

Wei Shining’s expression shifted, and he reached out his hand. The strategist immediately passed the device to him.

"They are acting suspiciously. General Li, take a squad of men; we will launch a surprise attack," Wei Shining commanded.

"Yes!" an excited General Li replied.

"Take the thousand-mile eye with you. Find their exact position and wipe them out." It was time to let the Turks experience what a true surprise attack felt like.

The Turks had never expected their clandestine movements to be discovered; they had completely failed to evade the gaze of the thousand-mile eye. With the device in hand and excitement in his eyes, General Li rushed to the barracks, gathered his men, and slipped out of the city under the cover of the operation.