Chapter 59: How Could It Not Be Exhausting?

The wind stirred through the mountains, shadows moved everywhere, yet not one of them deterred Wei Kegu from his determination to storm the fortress and capture Li Chong.

At the core of the camp—Li Chong’s command tent—a long wall of rammed earth and stone had been erected, surrounded by wooden palisades on the outer perimeter.

The camp wall was low, barely over two meters tall. Li Shuang climbed atop it and saw that Wei Kegu was already dangerously close on the battlefield.

Wei Kegu was no doubt the foremost warrior under Po Liuhan Baling, his frame like that of a wild ox.

Among Li Shuang’s men, only Gao Ang could match him in physique.

He led the charge personally, radiating unmatched momentum, like a sharp dagger that shattered through several of Li Chong’s defensive works in succession.

The imperial guards of Luoyang had lost their courage by now; they dared not advance, lacked even the bravery to face this elite force, and merely circled uselessly, crumbling at the slightest touch, as if waiting only for the command tent to fall so they could flee.

The two hundred personal troops under Li Chong were his most trusted and loyal force—the only reliable strength left—and he had placed them all under Li Shuang’s command.

Yet this force, compared to Wei Kegu’s thousand armored soldiers, was far too small.

Li Shuang drew an arrow from a nearby quiver.

The fletching was vivid, the three-pronged arrowhead gleaming darkly under the sun.

The military equipment used by Li Chong and his troops was unquestionably top-grade, and since Li Chong himself was an expert, no one could deceive him.

Li Shuang took a deep breath, nocked the arrow, and drew the bow in one fluid motion.

In the mountains, Li Shuang’s most refined skill was archery.

The arrow shot forth!

At eighty paces, it struck Wei Kegu squarely.

This single shot halted the momentum of the advancing army.

The arrow pierced his armor; Wei Kegu felt the pain—and was enraged.

He snapped the arrow shaft in fury and quickly spotted the one who had fired it.

Easy to spot!

On the camp wall ahead stood only one man.

“Boy, who are you!”

His question was answered by another arrow!

But this one was blocked by the shields of Wei Kegu’s armored bodyguards.

Archery is hard to master; hitting a target accurately at eighty paces is already divine skill.

Now, Wei Kegu dared not advance as boldly as before—he ordered his bodyguards to hold shields ahead and moved forward slowly.

The Luoyang imperial guards beyond the wall continued retreating, while Wei Kegu’s forces pressed forward, closing the distance to just fifty paces.

The situation was clear; Wei Kegu looked down at the trembling ranks beneath the wall, the soldiers slipping away in droves, and felt nothing but contempt.

The young commander atop the wall stood alone, yet in contrast to the Luoyang imperial guards, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

“Boy, when I break through this camp and capture the old traitor Li Chong, will you join me?”

Wei Kegu roared—and was met only with laughter.

“Join a coward who hides behind his shield?”

Wei Kegu was brave, but not foolish; at fifty paces, he knew if he showed his head, the boy’s arrow would fly.

“Boy, don’t try to provoke me—I’m no green recruit fresh off the battlefield.”

“I think you’re about the same!”

“What do you mean?”

“You lead your elite troops forward, yet leave He Ba and Yuwen’s forces behind—aren’t you afraid they’ll turn on you?”

“I’ve besieged Wuchuan for over half a year. The Wei army refused to come to their aid; the people of Wuchuan have long lost heart. Now I’ve sworn oaths with He Ba, Yuwen, and others to jointly overthrow the Tuoba clan—why would they betray me?”

Though Wei Kegu kept speaking, his troops never ceased their advance.

The front-line soldiers held shields and drew hooked claws from behind their backs, waiting until they were close enough to scale the wall.

Yet atop the wall, Li Shuang acted as if he saw none of these maneuvers, continuing to speak:

“Is that so? But I see them looking like they’re about to leave.”

Wei Kegu frowned—just then, a large group of mountain bandits and fugitives stormed into the Wei army’s camp.

Most were poorly dressed, wielding ancient weapons, many rusted.

They stared at the scattered armor and weapons on the ground like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden—everything looked new and strange.

As they charged, they grabbed whatever they could; the throng surged forward, each man now carrying weapons and armor clearly not their own.

“You think these bandits can stop me?”

Though he spoke boldly, his body was honest.

Wei Kegu’s army shifted from a flat formation into a circular one.

“Seeing you surrounded, where are the brothers you claimed to have?”

Wei Kegu’s heart began to tremble.

Logically, Yuwen and He Ba’s forces, seeing this situation, should have rushed to support him long ago.

Together, they should have seized the Wei camp and captured Li Chong—that was the only path forward!

He Ba Dube and Yuwen Gong were not men so foolish!

Unless something more important had tied them down.

“Boy, what have you done?”

“General, you’ve come from afar and marched so swiftly—your provisions must be plentiful.”

Wei Kegu realized it—and shouted in horror.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

“How could these bandits and fugitives find my hidden grain stores?”

The surrounding bandits and fugitives burst into laughter.

Their laughter held pride, triumph, and a hint of disdain—as if to say, you know nothing of our strength.

“Boy, in these mountains, where the water flows, where the game hides, where troops can be concealed, where grain can be stored—what can you hide from us?”

At that moment, Li Shuang raised his hand.

The final two hundred elite troops, armed with bows and crossbows, climbed onto the wall and took their positions.

Gleaming armor, brilliant weapons—delivered the final blow to Wei Kegu’s army.

Emboldened, the remaining Luoyang imperial guards, who had been scattered before the wall, now held their ground.

“General, if what they say is true, we should retreat now!”

Wei Kegu still had the will to fight, but his armored soldiers had already lost their courage.

“Once we capture Li Chong, we’ll have everything—why worry about provisions?”

“General, even if we take Li Chong, we’ll suffer heavy losses. These bandits and thieves surround us like wolves—if we weaken, they’ll pounce. And we don’t even know what’s happening behind us. In the end, men’s hearts are unpredictable—better to be cautious.”

At twenty paces, the arm-crossbow’s killing range was perfect.

Even armor could not guarantee full safety.

The cold wind blew, dousing the heat of battle.

Wei Kegu ultimately dared not gamble.

As Wei Kegu led his troops away, the camp gate slowly opened, and Li Chong walked out with a smile.

“Brave men, thank you for coming to our aid—it must have been exhausting!”

Li Shuang stood beside him and said:

“Not exhausting! Not exhausting!”

Li Chong chided him:

“How could it not be exhausting?”

“They didn’t come for free!”

“...”

Li Chong looked at the sea of people around him—and his face turned pale.