Chapter 647

"We clearly had the advantage, so how did we end up like this?" Chen Wuji asked with a dark face.

Killing twenty thousand enemies, with over ten thousand casualties—is this really the result after unleashing six thousand Shocking Heaven Thunder?

"Night battle, and the Qiang People, in order to break out, stirred up their bloodlust; our outer blockade used too much force!" Xu Zengyi said, "Chen Ruoshui's Sinrong Army suffered over half casualties, leaving fewer than two thousand; Tang Yu's unit suffered over three thousand casualties; when calculated, the casualties of the other armies are actually not that severe."

"Although Hu Bu Gui's unit only had three hundred men, after fighting they have only seventy or so left."

Chen Wuji quickly added up in his mind, "Tang Yu's three routes blocking outside actually ended up with the most casualties? It seems I need to reflect a bit."

The Sinrong Army and Tang Yu's forces together actually suffered over six thousand casualties.

"The Sinrong Army lost over three thousand?" Chen Wuji asked, wanting to confirm that number.

"Yes! Chen Ruoshui fought this battle almost to the death, even fiercer than Hu Bu Gui's fighting."

"How many did Tang Yu's forces lose?"

"One thousand three hundred, with over two hundred seriously wounded, the rest lightly wounded."

Chen Wuji fell silent for a moment, then said, "Change the Sinrong Army's designation number."

"My lord, I think you should ask Chen Ruoshui and the Sinrong Army soldiers what they think." Xu Zengyi said, "This title isn't necessarily bad, and they might not dislike it."

"All right." Chen Wuji readily agreed, "Tang Yu's auxiliary troops are indeed quite willing to sacrifice."

Xu Zengyi gave Chen Wuji a strange look, "My lord, this matter actually has some hidden details; Tang Yu may not be wholeheartedly helping you fight."

"Why?" Chen Wuji raised his head.

"My lord, are you aware that Tang Yu's subordinate officers have been in frequent contact with our army's commanders lately?"

"I know, everyone's been eating from the same big pot lately, so contact is normal." Chen Wuji had known this for some days, didn't think it was a problem, and thus paid no attention.

Xu Zengyi said, "Xie Fengxian once privately told me that Tang Yu's subordinates wanted to lead their troops to defect to our army—not just one or two, but several people had hinted at this to him."

Chen Wuji blinked, "Has Xie Fengxian become a hot commodity?"

"As for the reasons, I'm actually quite clear on them." Xu Zengyi gave a dry laugh.

"In the eyes of Tang Yu's subordinate officers, General Chen Li's central army and General Chen Baoja's right army are both elite forces under our lord; they might not be able to break through, and Lü Ji, in their view, is just average as our lord said, not looked upon favorably."

"They have previously worked together with Xie Fengxian's unit, they are the most frequent contacts, so naturally they see joining General Xie's command as the best choice."

"I see." Chen Wuji nodded thoughtfully, "So you mean Tang Yu is doing this to eliminate dissidents? To suppress this unhealthy trend in the army, prevent his own troops from secretly defecting to us, turning him into a commander with no troops."

"Yes."

Chen Wuji thought for a moment, then ordered, "This matter need not be made public; pretend nothing happened and let Tang Yu handle it himself. When the Qingzhou surrender troops arrive, give him three thousand reinforcements, still following the old rule—entirely voluntary; if no one volunteers, we'll find another way to reinforce him."

"Yes!"

"Are there any survivors left at Wuyang Pass?" Chen Wuji stood up and walked outside, "Move the tables and chairs outside; we'll talk out there—the Qiang people's Camp Tent reeks too much, it's making our heads dizzy."

He had just wanted to rest a bit, but with nowhere to go, he ended up here.

But this strong musky odor, even lingering a moment is torture.

Chen Wuji and the others moved the tables and chairs outside, set out fruit and tea, then retreated to the side, continuing to act as a cold, wooden post.

Chen Wuji sat cross‑legged, grabbed a handful of dried fruit and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing absentmindedly.

"The walls of Wuyang Pass were almost burned to ash—how could there be any survivors? This pass is basically ruined." Xu Zengyi sat down on the west side and began flipping through the papers he brought.

Chen Wuji ate the dried fruit with a cold expression, "Tang Yu's move also gave the Qiang People a harsh lesson. Although he made them lose more than half their forces, after this battle their spirits should have been crushed too; I'd like to let Lü Ji launch a pursuit, but I worry he can't hold the situation."

"Impossible!" Xu Zengyi advised, "The Qiang People still have nearly sixty thousand troops; with only Lü Ji's small force, it's absolutely impossible to shake an enemy several times their size."

"Lü Ji should for now continue defending Wuyang City, adapting to circumstances is more appropriate. After this battle, the courage of the Zhong Qiang unit is surely broken; our lord need not rush this either—give them a heavy blow to the head, let them first ease up, fear this mood, and it won't dissipate just because we wait a few days."

Chen Wuji nodded, "Then let's follow your advice—have we caught any big fish?"

"Yes!" Xu Zengyi flipped out a paper, stood up and handed it to Chen Wuji, "After repeated verification, the big fish we can currently confirm are the leader of the Zhe Tong Clan and the leader of the Duo Mi Department, plus several Qiang Nobles and Elders."

"It's a pity that our troops strictly followed the lord's orders, not leaving a single survivor, so we can't interrogate any details—we can only record this roughly."

Chen Wuji raised his eyebrows slightly, "Not even one?"

"None." Xu Zengyi shook his head, "When cleaning the battlefield, there actually were some, but I discovered them too late, and the soldiers… buried them."

Chen Wuji: ……

"Indeed, everything has two sides."

Muttering under his breath, Chen Wuji suddenly said, "Send a letter to the Zhong Qiang Chieftain or the Shi Bi on my behalf; I need to talk with them. After fighting this long, I actually don't even know who leads the Zhong Qiang forces, or which tribes contributed troops."

"Also, return the Head Trophy of the Zhe Tong Clan and Duo Mi Department leaders to them; this trinket we can discard, let them keep it as a memento."

"From the start of the war with the Qiang People, Chen Wuji never thought about negotiating, so he naturally didn't care about these things. But now he suddenly realizes that if he doesn't learn a bit, he won't even know which tribe he wiped out—this is something he ought to remember."

"If they can't figure it out, it's fine; the Qiang People themselves surely know clearly."

Xu Zengyi asked in surprise, "My lord, are you going to make an alliance with them?"

"Impossible, even if I suffered defeat, I could never ally." Chen Wuji said firmly, "I just want to understand—who exactly did we kill? If we can't figure that out, fighting feels unrewarding."

Xu Zengyi: ……