Chapter 233

Chapter 233

As they were unsure if there were any more Liang soldiers behind, it wasn't until Zheng Qian led over three thousand men in pursuit that Tong Sui finally revealed herself from the cliff.

Zheng Qian was already shocked by Feng Yun's corpse when he suddenly spotted Tong Sui. Seeing her standing on the cliff, where she could fall at any moment, his heart pounded with fear. He quickly led a group of soldiers to line up at the foot of the mountain and looked up, saying, "General Tong, be careful!"

The cliff was sheer and treacherous—how had she managed to scale it?

Tong Sui secured her bow, used one hand to grip a ledge for leverage, and plunged a dagger into the cliff with the other. Within moments, she leaped down in front of Zheng Qian.

Zheng Qian and the over three thousand Great Yu soldiers behind him were awestruck.

Tong Sui signaled with a whistle for the eight hidden guards ahead to come forward, then asked Zheng Qian, "How is the Emperor?"

Remembering the old master's words, Zheng Qian replied happily, "Both the Emperor and General Feng Yun are safe. General Feng Yun said to let you lead us to rendezvous with General Zhao Jin and push back the ten thousand Liang soldiers at Jianmen Pass. Only chase, do not kill, and then withdraw back to Bullhead Mountain."

Tong Sui looked at him and confirmed, "Are they truly safe?"

Zheng Qian: "The Emperor has an arrow wound on his shoulder, and General Feng Yun has a knife wound on his left arm, but neither is life-threatening."

Tong Sui pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, and then pointed at Feng Yun. "Cut off his head," she ordered. "We leave now."

The Liang army to the south of Bullhead Mountain, seeing the head of Feng Yun in the hands of the Great Yu reinforcements, was filled with grief and anger but had no choice but to retreat.

Tong Sui and Zhao Jin led over thirteen thousand Great Yu soldiers in close pursuit.

After chasing for a few miles, the mountain path on both sides was scorched earth.

After chasing for over ten miles, bodies of Great Yu soldiers began to appear on the mountain path.

The further south they went, the more bodies of Great Yu soldiers there were.

A few days ago, a wildfire had swept through, driven by northwestern gales that brushed the treetops. The Great Yu soldiers on the mountain path were not directly touched by the fire. However, the seventy thousand infantry and the mules and horses carrying supplies were all suffocated by the thick smoke that filled the mountain path.

Tong Sui and Zhao Jin, leading a group of archers on horseback, chased at the front. When they saw the Liang soldiers attempting to set fire to the grain carts, they all shot arrows simultaneously. The Liang soldiers fell from the arrows, and those ahead had no strength left to attempt arson again.

The Great Yu soldiers mourned their fallen comrades on the ground, and the Liang soldiers, looking at the carts of grain and military supplies, felt the same grief. The general had planned to gather these supplies and weapons after defeating the Yu Emperor, but now the supplies remained, the general was dead, and the seventy thousand Liang soldiers were lost.

——

The Liang army retreated into Jianmen Pass, and the Great Yu soldiers began to withdraw as well.

Tong Sui led three thousand soldiers to guard the rear, while Zhao Jin led ten thousand soldiers to gather the grain, supplies, and weapons on the mountain path and cremated the seventy thousand comrades.

By noon on the tenth, they returned to Bullhead Mountain.

Tong Sui and Zhao Jin commanded over thirteen thousand soldiers. Xiao Shouyi and Xiao She returned with two thousand after escorting the Emperor. Qi Ling had three thousand under his command. The fortress held one thousand soldiers and four thousand wounded, while the Jiameng Pass garrison had three thousand soldiers and two thousand wounded, bringing the total to twenty-eight thousand.

How many were there at the start?

When the Xingping Emperor captured Guangyuan, he still had eleven thousand troops remaining. Xiao Mu led seventy thousand troops to Bazhong. An additional thirty thousand troops were dispatched before and after Yuan Lou Mountain, and an additional ten thousand troops were dispatched to the Southern Camp, totaling two hundred and twenty thousand soldiers.

In just over twenty days, the Great Yu lost one hundred and ninety thousand soldiers in the campaign from Guangyuan to Jianmen Pass.

As Tong Sui climbed the mountain path toward the fortress atop Bullhead Mountain, these numbers involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

The old master had opposed the campaign against Liang from the start, saying that the Liang were united in heart and that the Sichuan roads were treacherous.

Tong Sui certainly trusted the old master, but those were all speculations and predictions. Since the Emperor had decided to campaign against Liang, Tong Sui couldn't help but harbor a glimmer of hope. Maybe they could still win? The Emperor was formidable, and the old master was wise. Together, they might yet turn the tide.

Following the elder to Bazhong, everything went relatively smoothly, but as the Emperor entered Jiange Road, the situation took a drastic turn for the worse.

"Be careful."

Zhao Jin supported her from behind.

Tong Sui snapped back to reality, glanced at the plank road beneath her feet, and whispered her thanks.

They had arrived at the fortress.

Seeing Xiao Shouyi guarding the area, Tong Sui forced a smile and said, "Second Uncle."

Tong Sui was already worn and haggard from the march and the grueling battles of the past month. After two more days of chasing Feng Yun and walking on ash-covered roads, her hair, face, and clothes were caked in dust. Xiao Shouyi could hardly bear to look at her, remembering how bright and spirited she had appeared when she had seen them off on horseback in the second month.

Suppressing the ache in his heart, he forced a smile and said, "The elder has been wandering in the mountains for days and is exhausted. He just finished eating and has gone to rest. Go and report to the Emperor first."

Tong Sui vaguely guessed that the elder's injuries were far more severe than what Zheng Qian had described, but she was a general now, and military duties came first.

She went with Zhao Jin to pay their respects to the Emperor.

The Emperor stood by the window, his hands behind his back, dressed in casual clothes with a bandage on his right arm.

Outside the window were endless towering mountains.

Tong Sui and Zhao Jin's eyes were drawn to the Emperor's graying hair.

At just fifty-three, the Emperor had been full of vigor and had jet-black hair when he decided to lead the expedition himself.

The two of them knelt simultaneously.

The Emperor turned around, looked at Tong Sui for a moment longer, and sat down in the chair beside him, his voice tired. "Rise. How are things outside?"

Tong Sui reported the battle situation, while Zhao Jin reported the number of supplies and military equipment they had recovered along the way.

The Emperor turned his head and asked, "Did you encounter any remnants of the previous army?"

Tong Sui closed her eyes; Zhao Jin wept. "A few hundred people escaped the smoke, but... they were killed by Feng Yun’s forces that pursued them."

The Emperor nodded wearily. "I... I understand. Go and see the elder now."

The two generals exited the door, and the personal guards closed the door behind them. Tong Sui immediately ran toward the elder's barracks.

Zhou Gui came out carrying a basin of water. When she looked up and met Tong Sui's eyes, tears fell from her own.

Tong Sui bypassed her cousin, paused to catch her breath, and then pushed the door open.

Zhou Xian was organizing the medicine box, Xiao She was kneeling by the bed, and Xiao Shouyi was sitting beside him. The elder was lying on his side, having been stabbed in the left arm and back.

Seeing Tong Sui and Zhao Jin at the door, Xiao Mu smiled. "You’re back. Any injuries?"

The elder looked much more spirited after changing clothes and cleaning up compared to when he had been hiding in the mountains, but he seemed like a different person compared to the elder who had parted with Tong Sui just half a month ago.

"Grandfather!" Tong Sui knelt beside the bed, one hand resting on the edge, the other reaching to lift the quilt covering him.

Xiao Mu smiled gently. "No, child, I’m not properly dressed. Please don’t look."

Tong Sui cried, "Let me see your wounds."

Xiao Mu chuckled. "Just knife wounds, nothing special. But you can’t see, Fifth Uncle, go get a towel for your second sister-in-law; she’s about to cry her face off."

Xiao She went to wet a towel with red eyes and handed it to Tong Sui.

Xiao Mu turned to Zhao Jin and asked, "How have you two been holding up over the past few days?"

Though worried about the old man, Zhao Jin knew better than to dwell on the negative. Instead, he focused on recounting events that would lift the old man's spirits. He first praised Xiao She's bravery in charging into the Liang soldiers, then heaped praise on Tong Sui's brilliant command in dividing the troops into three groups, and finally shared the thrilling moment when Tong Sui hid on a cliff and shot Feng Yun, as heard from Zheng Qian.

Zhao Jin said, "You deliberately drew a mountain map that even Luo Xiao and I couldn't understand. Were you doubting our ability to rescue you, or did you intentionally leave this first credit to your beloved Tong Sui?"

Xiao Mu chuckled. "Nonsense. If Tong Sui and the others couldn't take the fortress, how could you and Luo Xiao have the troops to rescue us? If something happened to both of you at the hands of the Liang soldiers and the map was found by them, wouldn't that expose the hiding place of the Emperor and me?"

Zhao Jin smiled. "I knew it. No one can match your foresight."

Xiao Mu looked at Tong Sui, his eyes filled with even more amusement. "However, I do trust Tong Sui more, and she certainly hasn't disappointed me."

This rescue mission was entirely commanded by Tong Sui and was executed beautifully.

"Alright, the medicine is kicking in, I'll take a nap first. You two should also clean up; we'll talk later tonight."

Xiao Mu was truly tired and closed his eyes right after speaking.

Tong Sui stared at him for a long while, only confirming he was truly asleep and still breathing before calling her cousin and leaving the room.

Xiao She and his son continued to stay inside and guard him.

Outside, Tong Sui asked Zhou Xian in a low voice, "How is the old man's injury?"

Zhou Xian didn't dare to look into her eyes and lowered his gaze.

Zhao Jin, anxious, urged, "Come on, tell us."

Zhou Xian sighed and shook his head. "At his age, with such severe injuries and having lost a lot of energy these past few days, it's unlikely he'll pull through."

The moment Tong Sui heard this, her vision went black.

Zhao Jin caught her in time and, after sending her back to the barracks, Zhou Xian felt her pulse. He then informed the others who rushed over, "Tong Sui has been exhausted from overwork lately and was already at her limit. Hearing the old man's condition was the final straw; let her rest for now."

Zhou Gui said, "You all should either get back to work or rest. I'll stay here and watch over her."

Given the gender differences, Zhao Jin and the others could only leave.

——

The old man had forbidden them from showing their grief, so Xiao She, Tong Sui, Qi Ling, and Zhao Jin could only suppress their sorrow, hiding it deep within.

The Xingping Emperor came to visit the old man himself, partly to check on him and partly to discuss military affairs.

There were still ten thousand Liang soldiers in Guangyuan.

Xiao Mu said, "With the two thousand troops under General Yuan, Your Majesty now commands nearly fifty thousand soldiers, but six thousand are wounded, leaving only forty thousand combat-ready troops. If we send forty thousand troops to attack the city, we'll lose at least half of them before taking Guangyuan. Moreover, the people in the city are all loyal to the Liang Kingdom. Leaving eight thousand troops here won't be enough to secure the city, and sending a larger force would strain our supply lines through the mountainous terrain."

The Xingping Emperor smiled bitterly; even in such a condition, the old man still tried to save him face. He no longer had a large army to deploy.

"I understand. Order the three thousand garrison troops in Bazhong to retreat to Hanzhong with us, and recall all your southern Bazhong troops to Zigui to join forces with Xie Jian's Jingzhou naval forces and block the eastern side of the Liang Kingdom."

This withdrawal meant that the Xingping Emperor's campaign against the Liang Kingdom had only captured the small city of Zigui.

At least, the Xingping Emperor wouldn't waste more troops trying to defend those indefensible Liang cities.

Xiao Mu looked at the emperor sitting beside him with a satisfied and encouraging gaze. "Your Majesty, now that the Liang Kingdom's famous generals and elite soldiers are almost destroyed, and with Sichuan's mountainous terrain and sparse population, they won't be able to gather an army of one hundred thousand for at least five years. Meanwhile, our Great Yu occupies six states with a large population and many troops. We have wise ministers and countless capable generals. If Your Majesty can be patient and allow time for recovery, in three years, we will have enough strength to eliminate the threats in Liangzhou and Qingzhou. In another three years, Your Majesty can launch a naval campaign against the Liang Kingdom. Once the Liang Kingdom falls, the Ling Kingdom will be isolated, and the southeastern territories will soon come under our control."

This battle resulted in comparable losses of troops for both Yu and Liang countries. However, Yu still had renowned generals such as Fan Zhao, Lu Gong, Feng Ji, Zhao Liangchen, Yuan Lou shan, Xie Jian, and Meng Jingye, along with 600,000 elite soldiers who were completely loyal to Yu. Liang, on the other hand, was left with only a few thousand defeated soldiers, with no morale left. The people of Liang would now view their emperor as a lamb and Yu as a wolf. In the next conflict between the two countries, the people of Liang would definitely not support their doomed and incompetent emperor with all their might.

With tears in his eyes, the Xingping Emperor held Xiao Mu's hand and said, "How could you forget yourself? You are my greatest general!"

Xiao Mu glanced at Tong Sui and said with a smile, "I am old. All I can do is leave this group of young people I've brought up to you. You may pick and use them as you wish."

——

Leaving behind Guangyuan and its 10,000 Liang soldiers, on December 16th, the Xingping Emperor led 50,000 troops back to Hanzhong.

The Xingping Emperor ordered Qi Ling to guard Hanzhong, leaving him with 30,000 troops, while the emperor's entourage continued on to Chang'an.

On the twenty-fifth of the winter month, Xiao Zhen and Qi Heng led 40,000 cavalry and 50,000 infantry to welcome the Xingping Emperor at a location 30 li south of the city.

Due to Xiao Mu's illness, the Xingping Emperor decided to stay in Chang'an for only one night.

After setting up camp, the Xingping Emperor immediately attended to military matters. He ordered Yuan Lou shan to continue guarding Chang'an, leaving him with the 15,000 infantry remaining by his side. He then transferred the 50,000 infantry from Qi Heng's command to Yuan Lou shan, making a total of 65,000 troops. Afterward, he instructed Yuan Lou shan to recruit enough troops to bring the total to 100,000. Lv Sheng had already led his cavalry back to Liangzhou and would not dare to openly betray the court again in the near future.

"Xiao Zhen, Qi Heng, tomorrow you will lead the Southern Camp cavalry to escort the emperor back to the capital."

"Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed."

After the three generals left the emperor's tent, Yuan Lou shan patted Xiao Zhen on the shoulder, sighed, and went with Qi Heng to reorganize the troops.

After walking a distance, Qi Heng worriedly said, "The old man didn't even show up. Is he really that seriously injured?"

Yuan Lou shan said, "Yes, after you're done, you should go check on him too."

Qi Heng fell silent.

When he was defeated by the old man in Shuozhou, Qi Heng was initially unconvinced, feeling that the Xiao family had only won through cunning. But after following the old man to defeat Meng Jingye in Taiyuan, Qi Heng was completely convinced by him. However, since the old man intentionally kept a distance between the two families, Qi Heng and his eldest son deliberately stayed away from the Xiao family and did not interact with them regularly.

Seeing Yuan Lou shan stop, Qi Heng looked back and saw Xiao Zhen's figure calmly walking towards the old man's tent, as if he didn't know about the old man's severe injury.

He chuckled, "This kid is really steady."

If it were his eldest son, he would have already rushed over, tears streaming down his face.