Chapter 122: Bloody Battle at Rongshan

Inside Longhu Pass.

The entire army was celebrating.

A long-awaited victory had finally brought out their spirit and vigor, allowing them to vent the frustration that had been bottled up in their hearts.

"Hahahaha, delightful! Cheers!"

Crown Prince Xie Fang, his face full of excitement, raised his cup and said.

The others hurriedly raised their cups to echo him, and the Third Prince, Xie Ling, also smiled as he raised his cup and spoke a few words of congratulation.

Xie Fang said proudly, "General Zheng is truly a War God, a role model for us all! This battle has displayed the majestic spirit of our Longyan Dynasty! We must drink a large cup to this!"

The crowd roared in agreement.

Zheng Yuxing managed a forced smile and had no choice but to drink another cup.

Crown Prince Xie Fang suddenly stood up, his fighting spirit soaring as he said, "The Xiongnu have been soundly defeated and their morale is shattered; our army should immediately launch a counterattack and reclaim our lost territory!"

The crowd was shocked and began to dissuade him one after another.

Zheng Yuxing was also terrified: "Your Highness, this must not be done! The Xiongnu have only suffered an initial defeat; we must not pursue them, but rather plan for it gradually!"

Xie Fang's smile turned to anger: "What does General Zheng mean by this? Could it be that the lost territory of our Longyan Dynasty should not be taken back?"

A single victory had caused Xie Fang's self-confidence to explode. He hoped even more to gain greater military merit in this campaign against the Xiongnu. Although this victory was directed by Zheng Yuxing, after returning to the Capital, all the credit would be recorded under Xie Fang's name—why wouldn't he want that?

If he accumulated enough military merit, wouldn't inheriting the throne become a natural progression?

He did not want to give up such an opportunity!

To achieve great things and establish a career, the time is now!

He could not wait even a moment longer!

Zheng Yuxing said urgently, "Crown Prince, this must not be done! The Xiongnu Army has not been dealt a fatal blow, and their combat strength remains. Having been defeated today, they did not break formation while retreating; I fear there may be an ambush!"

The others said the same.

Crown Prince Xie Fang slammed his hand on the table and rose in anger: "You cowards, how can you uphold our national prestige?"

The Third Prince, Xie Ling, also sighed, stood up, and cupped his hands: "Imperial Brother, this matter truly requires further discussion. I believe that since the Xiongnu often rely on War-Nourished Warfare, their grain and supplies must be insufficient. We should plan for it gradually, and the Xiongnu will surely be defeated!"

The generals nodded one after another, supporting the Third Prince's point of view.

Since ancient times, whenever the Xiongnu invaded Zhongyuan, they would plunder wherever they went. They were already short on grain, so how could they have so much military provisions? War-Nourished Warfare, coming and going like the wind, was their style. A Protracted War was what they disliked the most.

Under these circumstances, planning gradually was the best Method!

However, Crown Prince Xie Fang had lost his head by this point, especially seeing so many people supporting Xie Ling's strategy; he felt even more resentful and shouted, "Are you all planning to defy military orders?"

Zheng Yuxing said coldly, "Crown Prince, I am the Pingdi General appointed by the Emperor; in terms of rank, I am even above you!"

"You, you, you..."

Xie Fang's face was full of rage.

That Lieutenant of the Crown Prince also glared at Zheng Yuxing: "General Zheng, are you going to defy the Crown Prince?"

"Do not forget the hierarchy!"

"Defying the Eastern Palace is a heinous crime!"

The generals on Zheng Yuxing's side also stood up one after another and said in unison, "Military orders are like mountains and must be executed by one person! We subordinates follow the lead of General Zheng!"

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense.

Xie Fang's expression changed several times in an instant: "Fine, fine, fine! You all truly do not hold me, the Crown Prince, in your eyes! With cowards like you in Longyan, why wouldn't the Xiongnu be arrogant? General Wang!"

"Subordinate is here!"

"Assemble the troops and follow me to battle!"

Xie Fang shouted coldly.

The crowd knelt on the ground to plead for him to stop.

However, Xie Fang ignored them entirely. At this time, there was still some time before dark. Xie Fang immediately assembled his own fifty thousand troops. Regardless of what Zheng Yuxing and the other generals said, Xie Fang personally directed the expedition. Fifty thousand elite soldiers marched in a grand, sweeping formation toward Qingfeng Gorge.

"This... this..."

"General Zheng, what should we do now?"

"General Zheng, nothing must happen to His Highness, otherwise our heads will not be saved!"

The crowd said.

How could Zheng Yuxing not understand this logic? Perhaps the only person present who hoped for the Crown Prince to die on the battlefield was Xie Ling. If he were to truly die, Zheng Yuxing and the others would certainly be held accountable, and at worst, their entire families would be executed.

Zheng Yuxing gritted his teeth and shouted, "General Luo, assemble the troops and follow the Crown Prince to battle!"

"Yes!"

At this moment, in order to protect the Crown Prince's safety, they could only have the entire army follow behind him, hoping for a miracle. At the very least, when a major battle with the Xiongnu Army occurred, even if they were defeated, they could ensure the Crown Prince returned safely.

For the sake of one Crown Prince, to let hundreds of thousands of soldiers fall into danger—such a thing would absolutely not happen in later generations.

However, this was feudal society.

Crown Prince Xie Fang, seeing the main army following behind, immediately laughed with confidence: "Today, watch me become famous in one battle!"

"General Wang! Lead twenty thousand Cavalry to charge first!"

"General Zhang, have the Crossbowmen cover the Blade Infantry on the left and right!"

"Spearmen..."

He was in high spirits and very carried away; with a wave of his hand, he deployed his forces.

A total of two hundred thousand troops, stretching on endlessly, with an astonishing and grand momentum. He believed that in this battle, there was absolutely no possibility of losing!

Rongshan Pass, although not a natural barrier like Longhu Pass, still had defensive advantages.

At this moment, Rongshan Pass appeared to have no defenses at all. After the Xiongnu Army's defeat, it gave people a feeling of listlessness, and even the guards were only a few people, drinking together.

Xie Fang watched from afar, and upon receiving the news brought back by the Scout, his confidence grew even more. He sneered coldly, "These barbarians of the Xiongnu Army have always been like this—they collapse at the first defeat! And they said there would be an ambush; how laughable!"

The Lieutenant flattered him profusely: "His Highness is valiant. I am willing to serve as the vanguard to take Rongshan Pass and show those cowardly rats!"

Xie Fang laughed heartily: "Good! Attack!"

At the order, war drums sounded intensely; over a dozen large drums were struck simultaneously, full of fighting spirit. The Cavalry of the Crown Prince Army charged first, with the Crossbowmen following from the flanks, and the Blade Infantry and spearmen behind them.

"Kill!"

"Kill these barbarians!"

"Get back to your Grassland!"

Having just achieved a great victory, the morale here was soaring.

Soon, the Cavalry reached the gates of Rongshan Pass. Only then did the Xiongnu army discover the situation and begin to resist with shouts and cries. But this army of fifty thousand was no ordinary force; they launched an unprepared assault on the Xiongnu army, broke through the gates of the Rongshan Pass fortress with the force of a crumbling mountain, and began to hunt down the Xiongnu soldiers.

Xie Fang was overjoyed: "Hahahaha, it was so easy, where could there be an ambush? Take it for me!"

"Yes!"

Seeing how easy it was, Xie Fang kicked his horse's belly, wanting to follow the main force into the city immediately.

"His Highness, be careful! You absolutely must not!"

"Your Highness!"

Zheng Yuxing and the other generals, who had just arrived at this moment, hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

Xie Fang snorted coldly: "What are you here for again? Are you trying to steal military merit from me? Heh, this Crown Prince has already taken Rongshan Pass; I will definitely take back the five fortresses you lost, one by one! Giddyap!"

The War Horse galloped away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Zheng Yuxing was anxious: "Quickly go and protect the Crown Prince!"

Although the generals were very reluctant, they had no Method and could only rush to follow behind him.

Soon, the Crown Prince's fifty thousand troops had all entered the fortress. This Rongshan Pass fortress was actually a small city, just that it was entirely filled with garrison troops and had no commerce, so the area and space were still quite large.

As soon as Crown Prince Xie Fang entered the city, he saw the fleeing Xiongnu army looking utterly wretched, and he laughed wildly: "Who can stop me? Watch me trample the Xiongnu Royal Court!"

Who would have thought that his words had not yet faded.

Suddenly, earth-shaking shouts of battle rang out.

Xie Fang's expression changed drastically.

Because large numbers of Xiongnu soldiers suddenly appeared on all the high ground of the fortress; it turned out that the fleeing Xiongnu soldiers from before were just putting on a show! These suddenly appearing Xiongnu soldiers numbered at least fifty thousand, and they occupied every advantageous position in the entire fortress.

"There is an ambush!"

"Protect the Crown Prince!"

"Crown Prince, run quickly!"

However, it was already too late.

"Kill!"

"Hahahaha, let the harvest begin!"

The Xiongnu soldiers laughed wildly and charged over. The fifty thousand troops who had just entered the city were immediately thrown into a panic. Since fifty thousand people had entered the city at once, the space here appeared very small, and whether it was the Cavalry, the Blade Infantry, or the Crossbowmen, they could not maneuver at all. And the Xiongnu soldiers' Long-handled Curved Sabers showed their advantage at this moment. The Xiongnu were inherently brave and skilled in battle, superior to these Han people in both physique and martial strength, and they were invincible in close-quarters combat.

Fifty thousand Xiongnu soldiers swarmed over; how could the Longyan army possibly block them?

In an instant, their formation was scattered by the Xiongnu soldiers.

Screams rose one after another, and the smell of blood began to permeate the air.

Xie Fang's face turned pale: "This, this, how is this possible? They were clearly defeated!"

At this time, Gedan, riding a War Horse, galloped over and sneered coldly: "Are you that Longyan Crown Prince? Hahahaha, take my blade!"

The Curved Saber slashed down, and Xie Fang was so frightened that he fell off his horse; his appearance was as wretched as could be. He had originally wanted to enter first to snatch military merit, but he never expected to fall into an enemy ambush. How could he not be afraid in his heart? Xie Fang, having lost his head in a panic, let alone commanding the battle, was lucky he hadn't wet his pants.

"Crown Prince, be careful!"

"Protect him, be careful!"

Zheng Yuxing, who had just rushed over to provide reinforcements, had long known this situation might occur; he gritted his teeth and shouted a few times, then charged over on horseback.

Clang!

Zheng Yuxing's great sword barely managed to deflect Gedan's Curved Saber, which prevented the Crown Prince from being killed.

Crown Prince Xie Fang wailed and cried; where was his earlier high-spirited demeanor?

"Kill!"

"Save our brothers!"

Although he knew it was impossible to fight, they had reached this point and had no other Method. Zheng Yuxing made a prompt decision; the Liangzhou army began to attack, engaging in close-quarters combat with the Xiongnu soldiers in the fortress once again. But the Xiongnu soldiers actually wished to fight within the fortress. Although they lost the advantage of the Cavalry, the power of their Curved Sabers could be utilized to the maximum extent!

Therefore.

This battle was destined to be a bloody one!

The Longyan army was also destined to suffer unimaginable casualties.

Zheng Yuxing guarded the Crown Prince tightly, his eyes bloodshot from killing. He was a master himself, and almost every swing of his sword took a life.

However, because the Crown Prince of the Longyan Dynasty was here, the Xiongnu soldiers kept charging toward this side.

There were too many people!

Zheng Yuxing soon began to lack physical strength; he could barely swing his sword anymore!

And at this moment, he and Crown Prince Xie Fang had only just retreated halfway to the city gate!