Chapter 447 Recapture

Chapter 447: Retaking

Burning their own camp and abandoning their own men to save their leaders—Nanyan was truly ruthless.

This move was within Yu Zheng and Zhou Boxu’s expectations, but witnessing it firsthand still troubled them.

Setting the military camp ablaze was one thing, but the wounded soldiers left behind were human lives.

"What do we do now?" The injured troops looked at each other nervously, their faces filled with terror and despair.

"Let’s fight them to the death!" One soldier growled defiantly.

"The generals have already abandoned us! Why should we still fight for them?" someone snapped back.

"We’ve been abandoned, but we still have families. If not for anything else, for the sake of our families’ safety, we should defend Nanyan with our lives!"

That shut everyone up.

After a moment, the wounded soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, turned to face the advancing Daizhao army, and let out a battle cry.

"Fight them to the death!"

"Kill!"

The abandoned twenty thousand wounded soldiers were like a cornered mother wolf driven to a cliff by hunters. Knowing death was certain, they fought desperately to buy time for their young to escape.

Against Nanyan’s battered remnants, the powerful Daizhao army claimed an easy win.

But as they watched Nanyan’s camp turn into a raging fire, Yu Zheng and Zhou Boxu devised a different strategy.

"Nanyan retreated in haste—they must have left their provisions behind. Rush into the camp quickly and locate their food stores," Yu Zheng ordered calmly after analyzing the situation.

"Yes, sir!" The general saluted and left.

Provisions were the lifeblood of an army.

Nanyan, with its ruthless strategy to exhaust Daizhao, must have stockpiled ample supplies.

Even if most of their provisions were stored in Shuncheng, the daily consumption of a hundred thousand troops was enormous—there had to be significant reserves in the camp as well.

If they could salvage them from the fire, it would be a major advantage for Daizhao.

Who’d say no to free supplies?

The Daizhao troops pushed ahead desperately, but Nanyan’s wounded soldiers fiercely held their ground at the camp entrance, refusing them entry.

As the fire grew fiercer, the Daizhao soldiers panicked as the flames spread, attacking with even greater ferocity, fighting madly.

One by one, the Nanyan soldiers fell, and at last, the Daizhao army fought their way in.

The remaining Nanyan troops tried to resist but were quickly overwhelmed by Daizhao’s forces.

"You go there, you search here… Report immediately if you find the food stores, then extinguish the fire," the general commanded urgently, sending his troops out.

The Daizhao soldiers obeyed, quickly splitting up to search.

After days of clear, dry weather, aided by the fire oil and a light breeze, the flames spread with terrifying speed.

In just fifteen minutes, the tents were reduced to smoldering frames, collapsing to the ground yet still burning fiercely, snapping and hissing.

The Daizhao troops, undeterred by the scorching flames, darted through the military camp, searching for hidden food stores and other useful supplies.

"A voice suddenly rang out in excitement, "Found it, over here!"

Nearby soldiers immediately rushed over and verified excitedly, "It's grain! Quick, put out the fire!"

The Nanyan people had soaked the grain in oil, and the top layer had already turned to black ash, but the grain beneath was still edible if saved.

The soldiers worked together, using what little water they had, and when that ran out, they cut down trees to use the green, wet foliage to smother the flames.

However, the blaze was too fierce, and the thick smoke blotted out the sky, making the soldiers cough uncontrollably.

One sergeant muttered, "If only it would rain."

"But this is grain. Rain would ruin it."

"True..."

"Stop chatting and hurry up and put out the fire."

Despite the fire's intensity, the Daizhao troops' numbers won out. Within half an hour, most of the flames were extinguished, leaving only a few lingering sparks.

Their efforts to control the fire had dual goals: to salvage the grain and to protect Changling Mountain.

The Nanyan camp was adjacent to Changling Mountain. If left unchecked, the fire would spread to the mountain, which was also part of Left Wing General's strategy.

With the Daizhao army busy fighting the fire, they had no time to pursue the retreating Nanyan forces. By the time the fire was under control, the Nanyan army had already withdrawn too far to pursue.

"My lord, the fire is out, and the troops are now taking stock of the usable supplies," the General reported to Yu Zheng.

Yu Zheng nodded and looked up at Changling Mountain.

"Shall we ride the perimeter?" Zhou Boxu asked.

Since arriving in Yicheng, the two had scouted all other sectors except Changling Mountain, which had been occupied by Nanyan until now. Today's recapture presented a perfect opportunity.

"Agreed," Yu Zheng replied solemnly, and together with Zhou Boxu, they led a team of guards to inspect Changling Mountain.

Before mounting their horses, Yu Zheng remembered something and instructed a sergeant, "Inform Lady Jiang that the battle is over, and the army will return shortly. Tell her not to send provisions."

It was nearly noon, and Jiang Shu, unaware of the battle's outcome, might send food if not informed.

"Yes, sir," the sergeant acknowledged.

"Hyah—" Yu Zheng spurred his horse, galloping alongside Zhou Boxu along the slopes of Changling Mountain.

Changling Mountain towered impressively, evergreen throughout the year. It served not only as a natural barrier for Daizhao but also as a vital resource for the people of Yicheng.

The mountain was rich in medicinal herbs, wild vegetables, and various game, providing abundant sustenance for the city.

Ren Dong had long relied on gathering herbs from Changling Mountain to eke out a living.

The terrain at the foot of the mountain was level and expansive. Yu Zheng and Zhou Boxu rode from one side to the other, finally stopping at a high vantage point to gaze into the distance.

A cold wind blew against their faces, causing their dark hair and robes to flutter freely.

"Over there lies the land of Nanyan," Zhou Boxu remarked, looking at the rolling foothills in the distance.

The mountains of Nanyan and Daizhao look no different, even the people of Nanyan appear identical to those of Daizhao, indistinguishable.

Yet, though the mountains and people may be the same, their hearts are not.

Nanyan has always hungered for Daizhao, never once considering peaceful coexistence.

Yu Zheng looked away, focusing on the ground nearby.

On the road leading to Nanyan, clear tracks of carriages and horses remained, left when they retreated recently.

Those marks served as a reminder to Yu Zheng—Nanyan had just invaded Daizhao.

*Pat—* A raindrop landed on the back of Yu Zheng’s hand.

"It’s raining. Let’s return to the city," Yu Zheng said, tugging the reins to turn his horse around.

As the two rode past the army camp at the foot of Changling Mountain, they saw soldiers rushing to gather supplies.

"Grain first—move it now!"

"These items can handle the rain, we’ll sort them later..."

Under the light drizzle, the soldiers hurriedly searched and carried usable materials.

Nothing celebrated victory like looting the enemy’s camp.

"Prince, Minister, the rain is getting heavier. You should head back first. I’ll oversee things here," the General said, wiping raindrops from his face, grinning.

Evidently, he was more than happy to take on this task.

Yu Zheng shot him a look, telling him only to return to camp early before riding back to the city with Zhou Boxu.

After seeing them off, the General turned and shouted, "Move faster, unless you fancy a soaking!"

"Hahaha..." The soldiers burst into laughter, utterly unbothered.

Out of eighty thousand troops, they’d lost only a thousand or two. Aside from the cavalry, who had already transported grain on horseback, the remaining soldiers each carried back supplies, cleaning out Nanyan’s camp.

Even the firewood chopped by Nanyan’s men didn’t escape them either—every man hauled back a bundle to use in their own camp.