Chapter 1301: First Volume, Chapter 1301: Brutal Defense

First Volume, Chapter 1301: Brutal Defense

Just as the Northern Border Generals were urgently arranging the evacuation of civilians, a vanguard unit of the imperial army suddenly ambushed them on the road.

The enemy numbered over five hundred, while the Northern Border Generals escorting the civilians numbered only slightly more than two hundred.

The numerical disparity exceeded two-fold, and with part of their force required to protect the civilians, the actual ratio of enemy to ally reached three or four to one!

Yet even so, the Northern Border Generals hesitated not a moment—they immediately engaged the enemy in battle.

The leader responsible for escorting the civilians was merely a twenty-something Vice Commander named Li Shou.

He was among the first batch of refugees who fled to the Northern Border and were taken in by Qin Feng.

Facing an enemy several times their number, Li Shou did not hesitate—he raised his Chang Mao and roared: "All soldiers, follow me to block the enemy and buy time for the civilians to escape!"

"For the Prince of Qin, for the Northern Border, we die!"

Li Shou knew full well that enemies who had reached this point must be elite troops, and with the overwhelming numerical disadvantage, this battle was likely fatal.

Even knowing death awaited him, Li Shou launched a ferocious assault against the enemy.

Clad in half-armor, wielding his Chang Mao, he charged ahead of his men, impaling one enemy outright, yanking the spear free, and sweeping it horizontally to drive back those around him, then thrusting thrice in rapid succession, killing two more.

As one of the earliest Beixi Soldiers to enter Beixi County and the first to undergo training,

Li Shou, though young, had served in both the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade and the Beixi Light Cavalry, and had fought in the Beixi County Defense Battle and the Beidi Campaign.

Li Shou's bravery, though unmatchable to titans like Ning Hu and Zhao Zhenhai, was unquestionably among the finest in the army.

Since this was an ambush, neither side had any formation to speak of.

Li Shou led his hundred-odd comrades and instantly plunged into fierce combat with the five hundred enemies.

The imperial army's Vice Commander Qian Yun, wielding a Shuangshou Changdao, slashed through the half-armored Northern Border Generals before him while roaring at Li Shou:

"Surrender!"

"You cannot win—surrender now, and you may keep your lives."

"If you resist to the end, you will die on this battlefield."

In response to Qian Yun's plea, Li Shou did not flinch—he struck even more fiercely: "Surrender? Hahahaha! What a ridiculous joke!"

"Open your dog's eyes—I am not just a Northern Border General, I am Beixi!"

"Since the Prince of Qin came here, has any Beixi Soldier ever surrendered?"

"For the Prince of Qin, even if we must bleed upon this battlefield, what do we fear?"

As he spoke, Li Shou thrust his Chang Mao again, killing another enemy.

Not just Li Shou—all Northern Border Generals involved in escorting the civilians let out a thunderous roar.

"Northern Border Generals never retreat—either we charge forward singing, or we return wrapped in horsehide."

"Come on!"

"If you're not afraid of death, come! Even as I die, I'll take at least a few of you with me!"

Qian Yun knew the Northern Border Troops had high morale, but he never expected even this second-line Frontline Combat Unit to be so fierce and unyielding.

He silently marveled—if all Northern Border Generals fought like this, winning this war would be nearly impossible.

Yet this ambush, Qian Yun was certain, would end in his victory.

Since the enemy had already accepted their military death, Qian Yun ceased his words—he roared aloud: "Kill them all!"

Though Li Shou and his men fought with bloody valor, their disadvantage was too great to overcome—their casualties mounted faster and faster.

In the time it took to burn a stick of incense, Li Shou's hundred-odd comrades were reduced to barely thirty.

Qian Yun still had over four hundred men.

Four hundred against thirty—the gap widened further.

Qian Yun gave Li Shou no chance to breathe—he led his troops in the final annihilation.

As his comrades fell one by one, soon only Li Shou remained.

Because he had donned only half-armor for mobility, Li Shou could not withstand the onslaught—he was soon covered in wounds; as he momentarily lost focus, a Chang Mao thrust straight into his left shoulder, piercing clean through.

"Ugh…"

Li Shou grunted, then with shocking ferocity, dropped his Chang Mao, drew a short knife from his waist, and severed the spear shaft embedded in his shoulder.

His eyes bloodshot, he breathed heavily—"huff, huff"—glaring at the surrounding enemies.

"For the Prince of Qin, death brings no regret!"

"Though we die, as long as the civilians escape safely, it is enough—come! Even as I die, I'll take a few more with me!"

Watching Li Shou's fearless, ferocious resolve, Qian Yun was moved.

He raised his hand and said solemnly: "Brother, we serve different masters—this clash of blades is unavoidable."

"But rest assured—you will not die in vain. After you fall, we will abandon pursuit of those civilians."

As he spoke, the imperial soldiers struck simultaneously—over a dozen Chang Mao pierced Li Shou from all directions.

Li Shou's eyes bulged wide, blood spraying from his body; as the spears were withdrawn, he collapsed limply to the ground.

Yet before death, his expression was not rage—but relief.

He had completed his mission—he had successfully ensured the civilians' safe evacuation.

Watching Li Shou's glorious sacrifice, Qian Yun sighed deeply, then turned to the soldiers present and said solemnly: "No need to clear the battlefield—give these fallen generals a dignified rest."

Though this decision broke protocol, no one objected.

All felt this fratricidal slaughter was meaningless—but they had no choice but to obey orders.

Qian Yun turned to gaze at the direction the civilians had fled, his eyes filled with complex emotion—he still could not believe his superiors had issued the "scorched earth" order.

Though he understood the strategic intent—to disrupt the Northern Border's lack of materials and negate its greatest advantage—

Yet…

The people of the Northern Border were still subjects of Shedynasty—how could they turn against their own people?

Qian Yun felt humiliated and heartbroken; he turned again to look at Li Shou, fell silent for a long while, then walked away without a word.

The ambush at Lin Tao Xian was not an isolated case.

Such brutal small-scale battles were unfolding continuously along the southern Northern Border.

The imperial army knew well the Northern Border's weakness, and launched targeted attacks against civilian evacuation convoys.

The people of Lin Tao Xian were relatively lucky; the civilians elsewhere had no such fortune.

They were intercepted and slaughtered by countless imperial Vanguard units, suffering heavy casualties.

The news had long reached Qin Feng; his face was colder than ever, his eyes filled with profound disappointment.

"Zhao Yulong, even if you seek your goal at all costs, there must be a limit."