Chapter 165

Chapter 165

After Meng Jingye fell in battle, the nearly two thousand soldiers who had escaped the ambush with him were all annihilated by Xiao Yan and his troops.

Xiao Yan selected fifty men to ride the captured warhorses back to the camp to check on the situation, while Tong Sui and Xiao She led the infantry to clear the battlefield.

The valuables on the enemy soldiers, the armor that could still be worn, and the scattered weapons and horses were all spoils of war.

The dead lay motionless, while the living rejoiced.

Tong Sui stood under the shade of a tree, watching her troops busily at work.

Whoever found the valuables got to keep them, and the chief clerk only reported the numbers of armor, weapons, and horses, as their own troops had suffered almost no casualties due to the ambush and subsequent battles where they outnumbered and outmaneuvered the enemy.

Dead horses were butchered for meat, and the dead bodies were burned in one place, except for Meng Jingye's corpse.

After resting and regrouping, they returned along the same route.

On the way, a messenger from the old general arrived to report the battle outside Tai Yuan the previous night to Tong Sui.

The first wave of sneak attacks led by Meng Xi was killed by arrows, losing over twenty thousand men, leaving fewer than thirty thousand. Meng Jingye then brought in forty thousand reinforcements, but he took away twenty thousand when he broke through the encirclement, leaving about fifty thousand Tai Yuan soldiers without a commander to fight against the sixty thousand right-wing army.

The right-wing army gradually annihilated these fifty thousand soldiers, with the help of fierce generals like Xiao Shouyi, Xiao Ye, and Qi Yun, whose morale soared and fighting became more intense.

Including the ambush by Tong Sui and her group, this battle cost the right-wing army fifteen thousand lives in exchange for the complete annihilation of ninety thousand Tai Yuan soldiers.

On the afternoon of July 14th, when Tong Sui and her group returned to the camp, the battlefield had already been cleared. To avoid the area where the heat had intensified the strong smell of blood, the camp had moved five miles closer to Tai Yuan. Qi Heng also returned with the thirty thousand troops who had lured the enemy from Qu City.

A night battle left eighty-five thousand of the ten thousand right-wing army remaining, while inside Tai Yuan, only ten thousand soldiers led by Meng Jitang remained.

Generals like Xiao Shouyi and Xiao Ye had some injuries, but on the battlefield, unless it was a serious injury like a broken limb or a vital organ, other wounds were not worth mentioning. For example, during the siege, Xiao Yan had several burns, but if not for Tong Sui urging him to see the military doctor, he would not have taken those minor injuries seriously.

At the victory banquet, Qi Heng laughed heartily and toasted Xiao Mu, saying, "What a great feeling! Although I didn't participate in the battle, just thinking about how that old bastard finally fell for our trap makes me feel so good. The general's fishing tactics were truly brilliant. You even set up a net behind them, not letting a single fish escape. I am utterly impressed!"

Xiao Mu smiled and replied, "I only guessed that Meng Jingye might try to break through to Yuxian because the general repeatedly emphasized how cautious he is. With the terrain maps provided by General Zhao, we knew we could set an ambush at Qipan Ridge. Of course, this plan succeeded thanks to the genuine bait you set, and our coordinated efforts led to a resounding victory."

Qi Heng shook his head. "No, it's not quite over yet. That little bastard Meng Jitang is still holding the city. Only by capturing him will it be truly satisfying. General, we still have over eighty thousand troops, and they have only ten thousand left. Can I lead the attack now?"

Xiao Mu said, "An attack would result in too many casualties. It's better to use a clever strategy."

He gave the credit for the clever capture of Tai Yuan to the thirty thousand troops led by Qi Heng, who had not participated in the battle.

Tong Sui and the young generals like Xiao Yan followed along.

The strategy was simple: provocation.

Qi Heng ordered two long poles to be erected outside the city walls. One pole held Meng Jingye's corpse, and the other hung Meng Xi's head. He then had some loud-voiced soldiers taunt the city, insulting Meng Jingye and his son and boasting about how their own generals had heroically slain them.

On the city wall, the twenty-year-old Meng Jitang looked at his grandfather's and father's corpses and heads, tears streaming down his face, his heart bleeding.

Tong Sui watched and listened in silence.

The Meng family had already died, and using their bodies to insult them was dishonorable, but war was a matter of life and death. If they continued to waste time here, what if Han Zongping's side lost due to insufficient reinforcements? What if Lu Gong, Xiao Zhen, and Zhao Jin's left-wing army crossed the Yellow River alone and was surrounded by the capital's twenty thousand troops?

To avoid unnecessary losses, they needed to capture Tai Yuan quickly and simply.

When life was on the line, who cared about honor?

"Second Sister-in-Law, can I go and provoke him?" Xiao Ye observed Tong Sui's expression and asked after holding back for a long time.

He and his second and third brothers had fought for six years, seeing life and death countless times. War was about winning, but he feared that his second sister-in-law, being kind-hearted, would not tolerate such tactics and would be unhappy if he participated.

Tong Sui glanced at him and nodded.

Xiao Ye rode forward alone. Instead of insulting Meng Jingye and his son, he said to Meng Jitang, "Little brother of the Meng family, let me tell you the truth. I was the one who cut off your father's head! I know you want revenge, but you're afraid of losing the city if you rush into battle. How about this: come down and fight me. If you kill me, it proves that the Meng family has the ability to avenge your father. If you lose, it proves that three generations of the Meng family are inferior to the Xiao family. All your claims of being a noble warrior clan are just empty boasts!"

Qi Heng signaled to the thirty thousand troops, and they all shouted in unison, "Empty boasts, inferior!"

Meng Jitang clenched his fists, tears blurring his vision as he looked at the two deceased relatives.

He could lose his life, but not the Meng family's reputation!

"Uncle Du, I will go down to fight. If I don't return, continue to hold the city for me."

Meng Jitang picked up the long sword beside him, wiped the tears from his face, and firmly instructed his deputy, Uncle Du, whom his grandfather had left in charge.

Uncle Du knelt before him, tears streaming down his face. "Young Master, the Meng family only has you left. You mustn't go!"

Meng Jitang forced a bitter smile. "So, you also think that the Meng family is inferior to the Xiao family?"

With that, he walked past Uncle Du and went down.

Below the city, Xiao She wanted to fight Meng Jitang as well but was scolded back by Xiao Ye. Meng Jitang had already lost two close relatives; tricking him into fighting Fifth Younger Brother would be despicable.

The two armies beat their drums, and Xiao Ye charged forward with his spear.

Tong Sui gripped the reins tightly, watching the duel with a mix of ambition and bloodlust, both sides determined to kill each other.

The midday sun was scorching, and the clash of weapons reflected blinding flashes of cold light.

Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty, then half an hour.

Xiao Yan and the others dismounted and sat on the ground, leaning on each other, commenting on the duel as if watching a play.

Tong Sui remained mounted, and only when Xiao Ye pierced Meng Jitang's shoulder and made him drop his sword did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Do you surrender?" Xiao Ye pointed his spear at Meng Jitang's neck, his face expressionless.

Meng Jitang only looked at his grandfather's and father's corpses, showing a readiness to die.

At that moment, the gates of Tai Yuan suddenly opened, and Uncle Du led the city's defenders out, shouting, "Young Master, don't worry, this old man will accompany you on your journey!"

With the situation hopeless, staying to defend the city would only mean death, and it had already lost its strategic value in restraining Xiao Mu's forces. It was better to fight bravely and die with the General!

Tears welled up in Meng Jitang's eyes again as he suddenly grabbed the shaft of Xiao Ye's spear, trying to wrest it away.

An arrow suddenly flew through the air, piercing his chest armor and embedding itself in his chest.

Meng Jitang still clutched Xiao Ye's spear, struggling to look southward.

Xiao Yan, Tong Gui, the Qiao brothers, the Sun brothers, and Zhang Wengong, who had been watching from the sidelines, leaped onto their horses as soon as the city gates opened, charging forward in unison to block the view of Tong Sui and Xiao She.

By the time Meng Jitang fell from his horse, he never saw who had dealt him the fatal blow.

---

On the sixteenth of July, at dusk.

Han Zongping had just captured Huo Zhou and was advancing further toward Fen Zhou when he received a war report and three heads—the patriarchs of the Meng family—from Tai Yuan. The ten thousand defenders of Tai Yuan were all annihilated, while Xiao Mu's ten thousand right-wing troops had only suffered a loss of two thousand men.

Along with the war report came the records of military achievements from the battle of Tai Yuan.

When Han Zongping saw that Meng Jingye had been killed by the combined efforts of Tong Sui and Xiao She, he felt a pang of sorrow for Meng Jingye's death but couldn't help but praise, "Heroes emerge from the young! These two, both just nineteen years old, have achieved such remarkable feats."

Fan Zhao asked, "What remarkable feats? Let me see?"

He was Han Zongping's confidant and didn't hesitate to lean over. Seeing the list of military achievements behind Tong Sui and Xiao She, his eyes widened. "I knew she could shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces, but she actually hit Meng Jingye?"

Shooting a willow leaf from a hundred paces is one thing; the leaf just hangs there, maybe swaying a bit in the wind. Killing someone on the battlefield is another matter entirely. People run, especially seasoned veterans like Meng Jingye, who can sense danger and dodge even without seeing the arrow. It's not something a marksman can easily pull off.

Wei Qi stroked his beard and praised Song Lan, "A great teacher produces great students. Lady Tong's bravery is partly due to Brother Song's guidance."

Tong Sui's feat of killing Meng Jingye would ensure her place in history, earning her the respect of being called "Lady."

Song Lan humbly replied, "Brother Wei, don't tease me. I only taught her a few articles; it was Old General Xiao who nurtured her well."

Han Zongping sat down again and bestowed special rewards on Xiao Mu, Qi Heng, and the young commanders like Tong Sui and Xiao She.

Moreover, Tong Sui had previously been just a counselor in the right-wing army. Being a woman, Xiao Mu could favor his granddaughter-in-law, but he couldn't openly request a high position for her from Han Zongping. This time, Han Zongping directly appointed Tong Sui as the deputy commander of the right-wing army, putting her on par with Xiao Zhen and above commanders like Xiao Yan and Xiao Ye.

In Han Zongping's view, Tong Sui could discipline the soldiers and lead a separate force into battle, making her fully deserving of the rank of general.

This decision was agreed upon by the strategist Wei Qi and Song Lan, and the generals Fan Zhao and Feng Ji also found it fair. The former had lost to Tong Sui in archery, and the latter had personally witnessed her skill in commanding troops.

The messenger galloped back to Tai Yuan with the General's rewards and new orders.

The rewards were expected, and the orders would be followed. The only surprise was Tong Sui's promotion to "deputy commander."

"Wow, does that mean we can't call you Second Madam anymore? We should start calling you General Tong?"

Sun Dian was the first to joke.

Xiao Ye rubbed his palms together. "If Second Sister-in-law were a man, we'd definitely toss you up in celebration. Now, I kind of want to, but I'm afraid Second Brother would beat me up if he found out."

Hearing this, Tong Sui quickly retreated behind the old man.

Xiao Mu glared at them all. "Behave yourselves. Let General Tong treat you to a drink, and that's enough."

The newly appointed General Tong Sui: "..."