Chapter 895 - 895 Progress from all Parties
Chapter 895: Chapter 895 Progress from all Parties
West City, on the other side.
Despite their best efforts to avoid it, the day when Di Yelei and Liu Sisi had to confront Nan Tianzong finally came.
Originally, Nan Tianzong planned to annihilate the forces of Marquis Yongwu in one fell swoop, but unforeseen changes disrupted his well-laid plans, and all his calculations were sabotaged by Di Yelei’s horsemen.
Utilizing the terrain, Di Yelei led his elite cavalry to clash with the enemy troops commanded by Nan Tianzong to the west of Yingchang City.
Di Yelei, with only eight hundred cavalry, attacked the front and both flanks, to resist the enemy’s cavalry. After battling fiercely for most of the day, Di Yelei charged forward courageously, and his troops fought with increasing bravery. The strong crossbows and thunderous explosives played a significant role, slaughtering Nan Tianzong’s forces, who fled in utter disarray, discarding their armor and weapons.
Meanwhile, Marquis Yongwu, who had been fighting desperately at first, took the opportunity to counter-attack but was unable to break through Nan Tianzong’s extensive network of defenses. After several struggles, he retreated into the mountain forest, relying on the natural terrain to play a game of hide and seek with Nan Tianzong’s vast army.
Nan Tianzong, leading his troops while retreating, found himself chased through the mountain forests by the forces of Marquis Yongwu, who was circling behind them. Exhausted from constant skirmishing, he eventually shrunk back to one side of the mountain foothills, making camp and fortifying his position for a standoff.
For the time being, neither side could gain the upper hand.
The flying snow continued to fall.
The cold wind mixed with the fine snow stung the face bitterly, and there were faint signs of light in the sky, the darkness before dawn being the hardest to endure.
Atop a nearby higher mountain range, two figures stood across an unfrozen river, gazing at the enemy troops on the other side.
“Marquis Yongwu truly has some skill! To come up with such a good strategy in the face of adversity.”
Di Yelei felt particularly moved, thinking that one must never underestimate others. “Indeed, he’s worthy of his title, granted for his military achievements over three dynasties—it’s nothing but deserved!”
Tang Ji couldn’t help but smile. “Old Master Marquis, your title was also earned through military exploits. As for being an elder of three dynasties, what you lack is merely a matter of having been born several decades after him!”
That comment was purely flattery.
“I never would have thought that Old Tang would speak such insincere words.”
Di Yelei looked at Tang Ji with a meaningful gaze.
Tang Ji’s expression did not change in the slightest. “Your Honor, you’re being too modest. With just eight hundred cavalrymen, you directly wiped out ten thousand of the enemy’s forces and captured countless supplies and horses. If you say Tang Ji is still flattering, then Tang Ji has nothing more to say.”
Those supplies were still piled up in the rear, having not been moved, purely because of the lack of manpower.
“All of this was the power of the strong crossbows and the thundering explosives, and doesn’t have much to do with me, Di Yelei, personally. You also know the cost of those strong crossbows and explosives. Now, Zhao Heng has suffered because of them, which is why he’s retreated in such a sorry state to the opposite bank, merely reflecting off of our army. Whenever our forces make a move, so will he. At present, wanting to end the battle quickly seems difficult!” Di Yelei also felt deeply moved.
Initially, he had planned to simply meet Nan Tianzong and then leave, but he ended up being deeply embroiled in this affair. After calculating every detail and enduring patiently, and meticulously preparing, he had finally given up the position of commander. Now, it seemed unlikely that he’d be able to withdraw without a scratch!
“You are the commander, and as long as the commander directs properly, it’s a great accomplishment!”
Tang Ji’s words were loaded with meaning. “Old Master Marquis, it’s fate, destiny! Sometimes, when fate decrees, no matter how you dodge or avoid, it only complicates matters further. The heavens will advance according to their predetermined destiny. What we must do is to accept it silently. To forcibly defy the divine will is not something we, mere mortals, can bear.”
“Old Tang, are you telling me to believe in fate?”
Di Yelei was somewhat surprised as he raised an eyebrow. Since when did Old Tang start believing in fate?
“What is destiny? What is luck? The reason it’s called fate is that destiny is fixed while luck constantly changes. If it’s all down to fate, the best outcome is that, through effort, we can kill five thousand people tomorrow; the worst outcome is that we do nothing and end up killing only three hundred. So why should we believe in destiny? Why don’t we strive and resist instead?”
Old Tang was also surprised, then he burst into hearty laughter, “My Lord, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard you talk so much! Since you don’t believe in these things, this old man won’t mention them anymore. However, I’m afraid His Majesty will soon be aware of the situation here, and perhaps the Imperial Decree will arrive by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. What do you plan to do next, My Lord?”
Speaking of this, Di Yelei’s brow furrowed.
“Let’s take one step at a time! We need to break Zhao Heng’s deployment as soon as possible and rescue the horsemen of Marquis Yongwu to prevent any prolonged trouble. If those one hundred thousand soldiers were to all be buried here, I’m afraid… alas!”
The unfinished words of Di Yelei made the two of them feel even heavier as they stared at the gradually brightening surface of the river, remaining silent for a long time.
That was the lives of one hundred thousand people!
It was a pain that no one could bear. Hopefully, there was still time for everything!
–
Dawn had barely broken when Liu Sisi woke up.
Her body was extremely tired, yet she couldn’t fall asleep any longer.
Last night, everyone was on edge, fearing some accident might happen at midnight, but their surroundings remained peaceful without any abnormalities.
The next day’s breakfast was much like the day before, a big pot of coarse grain porridge reflective enough to see your face, plus a steamed cornbread per person, smaller than a fist.
Having drunk half a bowl of porridge last night, Liu Sisi’s stomach growled before dawn, and seeing the same coarse grain porridge this morning immediately made her feel an acid reflex.
The trusted soldiers weren’t as restless as yesterday, but they still gathered quietly, whispering among themselves.
Zhang Peng approached Liu Sisi silently, “Sister-in-law, what do you think about this…?”
Liu Sisi also had a pent-up frustration—giving everyone a glance, she quietly instructed, “Brother Zhang, send someone to discreetly scout outside, see if the others in this hostel are eating the same as us. Also check if we can leave the hostel and take a look at the situation outside.”
“Understood, I’ll arrange it immediately. I believe we’ll receive news soon.”
Once Zhang Peng finished speaking, he waved over two of his trusted soldiers.
The two soldiers quickly approached, and after a brief whisper from Zhang Peng, they went off separately to perform their tasks.
It didn’t take long for both men to return.
“Reporting to Lord Zhang, besides our group, there is a merchant occupying a small courtyard to the west; this merchant seems to be traveling with his family, and he’s been seen spending generously. Subordinate also smelled the fragrance of roasted meat.”
“Subordinate tried to leave the hostel, but was stopped by the hostel guards at the doorway. They said that due to tumult and chaos outside, to prevent accidents, no one is allowed on the streets without a direct order from the Prefecture Governor.”