Chapter 55: A Clean Victory

Geng Chongmei had evidently left behind his most elite and battle-hardened troops to cover the retreat. Under the cover of darkness and relying on their camp's defenses, they still managed to cause some trouble for the Longqi Army attacking uphill.

However, though there were losses, they had little impact on the overall situation. To put it nicely, they were covering the rear; in reality, they were sacrificial pieces. After holding out for a little over an hour, they were finally breached by the Longqi Army. Yet this delay ultimately bought Geng Chongmei and the main body of the Liao army considerable time and space to retreat southward.

This time, without the slightest hesitation, Liu Chengyou gave the order, and all the armies followed the trail in pursuit. During the assault on the camp, the First Army was the protagonist, but there were always those who refused to accept this and wanted to claim Geng Chongmei's head as a merit — Captain Yang of the Fourth Army, for instance.

The only thing that could be counted as unexpected was the burning of Tuanshi Village. When the great fire blazed up, it did divert a portion of the Longqi Army's attention.

When Liu Chengyou set foot on the soil of Tuanshi Village, devastation met his eyes on all sides. The great fire had already been extinguished, and the air was thick with choking smoke. More than half the village had been devoured by the flames, and beneath the tranquil night, mournful weeping rose without cease. It was not only homes that had been destroyed — some villagers had been killed by the Liao army for resisting...

Liu Chengyou walked through the lingering heat to where Geng Chongmei's command platform stood. Though half of his tent had been burned, it still stood there "properly" enough.

"Your Highness, this is the head of a Yan officer!" A soldier carried a bloody head, walked up to Liu Chengyou, tossed it on the ground, and reported with some excitement.

Along this journey, Liu Chengyou had already passed through "mountains of corpses and seas of blood," and all manner of severed limbs were deeply imprinted in his mind. This was his first time experiencing the cruelty of the battlefield up close, yet his heart was strangely calm, as if he were quite accustomed to such bloodshed.

He only gave a faint glance at the head that had rolled a few times on the ground and gathered dust, then asked: "Someone of note?"

The soldier replied: "According to the prisoners, this brute was Geng Chongmei's yabing officer and also a member of the Geng clan. He was extremely fierce, leading the Yan troops in a desperate bid to block our army, wounding several of our brothers before Commander Ma ran him through with a single thrust of his sword and cut off his head."

"A member of the Geng clan — no wonder he fought so desperately for Geng Chongmei." Liu Chengyou remarked indifferently.

"Has any word come back from Geng Chongmei's army?" Liu Chengyou waved his hand to dispel the smoke lingering around his nose, then asked Xiang Xun.

Xiang Xun, standing guard at his side, shook his head: "No word has come back yet — Geng Chongmei did withdraw some time ahead of us. But Your Highness can rest assured, he definitely won't escape."

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou nodded. He was equally certain in his own mind and did not lack the patience. He said lightly: "I leave everything to the generals. I will wait here for the news of victory from the front. I trust you will not disappoint me. However, if Geng Chongmei is captured alive, I would like to have a good talk with him."

Liu Chengyou's bearing at this moment radiated a confidence even stronger than before.

More than three hundred Yan troops had been captured, all blackened by smoke and fire, and were being driven to clean up the Liao camp and carry away the corpses.

Standing in the village with the villagers' mournful cries always ringing in his ears, Liu Chengyou frowned slightly, then beckoned to Xiang Xun and his personal guards: "Come, accompany me to meet the villagers."

Condescending to lower himself, Liu Chengyou received the village elders and expressed his indignation. Afterward, on his own authority, he ordered the remission of this year's "summer tax" for the village. Because of the fierce fighting between the two armies, it was inevitable that most of the farmland around Tuanshi Village had been destroyed. Many of the villagers would not only have to endure the destruction of their homes and the eternal parting from their loved ones, but might also go hungry. If the chaos of war were added on top of that, with the authorities pressing for taxes...

Probably mindful of this concern, after brief consideration, Liu Chengyou gave instructions to Xiang Xun in front of the village elders: "After the Yan prisoners finish clearing the battlefield, leave a detachment of troops to guard them and have them help the villagers rebuild their houses to atone for their crimes. Take some of the grain seized from the Liao camp and distribute it to the villagers!"

"Yes!"

After Liu Chengyou issued these several commands of grace, word spread, and it did somewhat ease the village's grief. Of course, aside from the small measure of sympathy he felt for the villagers, Liu Chengyou did this more for the sake of his reputation. Though in this era force of arms overrode everything, the value of a good reputation was never to be underestimated.

Building his reputation — in fact, ever since Liu Chengyou began actively participating in Hedong's military and political affairs, he had been doing this, in every aspect.

North of Gaoping, a nameless earthen mound.

It was just past noon, and warm sunlight poured down, making the weather pleasant. Around this nameless earthen mound, a killing aura tinged with the smell of blood was quietly gathering.

Though they had fled in advance, it was ultimately hasty. The Longqi soldiers, led by officers of each army, chased with the fervor of chickens injected with stimulant, pressing forward with desperate speed. Before they had even exited the southern foothills of Yangtou Mountain, Geng Chongmei's rear guard was caught.

After a night of pursuit and slaughter, Geng Chongmei led his remaining troops up this earthen mound, making his final desperate stand like a cornered beast.

There was simply no escape!

On Li Wanchao's side, he had kept men watching the movements to the north all along. Upon receiving word of Lady Geng army retreating south, he very decisively led his troops to join the battle.

On top of the mound, a single banner bearing the character "Geng" stood alone. There was no time to erect defensive abatis or palisades. The Liao army simply huddled "bare and exposed" on the mound, trembling as they faced the Hedong army encircling them from all sides.

After a whole journey of fighting and slaughter, still no more than two thousand soldiers remained following Geng Chongmei, though most already wore expressions of despair.

Geng Chongmei, protected by some loyal yabing guards, looked at the Jin army eyeing them hungrily with a grim face, his expression very poor, appearing utterly exhausted in body and mind. His aged hand rested on his precious sword, his lips trembled as they parted, then finally closed. He knew that no matter what words of encouragement he spoke now, they would be useless.

At the foot of the mound, Zhang Yanwei rode his horse in a circle, staring at the enemy trapped in desperation on the slope, a smug smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Even though he had not slept all night and had pursued hard all night, he was still extremely excited. As the "field commander" appointed by Liu Chengyou, another important entry was about to be added to his record.

"Pass the order to attack — give them the final blow!" Summoning his personal guards, Zhang Yanwei gave the order directly.

At the command, the assembled Longqi armies, along with the Surui Army and the Luzhou troops — several thousand men in total — charged up the mound together.

It was a battle that swept away everything in its path; there was nothing much to describe.

The Yan troops under Geng Chongmei offered no meaningful resistance. When the Hedong army charged up, most of them surrendered outright.

As for Geng Chongmei, in his final moments he ordered his men to surrender, while he chose to cut his own throat. In turn, the various camps actually squabbled among themselves over who got to claim Geng Chongmei's severed head.

And Geng Chongmei's hundred-odd yabing guards, enraged that their commander's corpse had been desecrated, rose up in fury to resist and were slaughtered to the last man...