Chapter 500: First Volume_Chapter 500: The Flatterer Commands the Army

First Volume_Chapter 500: The Flatterer Commands the Army

Xu Qian's smile froze on his face as he stared in disbelief at the scene of a military defeat collapsing like a landslide before his eyes.

Three thousand against two hundred, and before even one Envoy of fighting had passed, they had been routed by the enemy?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Although Xu Qian was not a military man by training and had not studied military texts much, he still possessed the most basic common sense: on the battlefield, numbers meant absolute superiority. Three thousand against two hundred could never lose under any circumstances.

Xu Qian stared at the Supervisor of the Army who had come stumbling back covered in dust, his shame turning to fury: "What on earth happened? Why did you pull back? If you've delayed our chance of victory, I will never spare you!"

The Supervisor of the Army dropped to his knees, nearly weeping.

"My lord, the enemy set countless traps. Before we could even attack up the MountainWaist, our losses were already severe. We did our utmost to rally morale, but the front-line soldiers broke and fled, dragging the rear troops down with them. The blame does not lie with Shu Xi."

Xu Qian's eyes bulged wide, his fury beyond control: "Traps? The enemy has only been on that mountain for a day and a night—how could they have set so many traps? I say you are clearly deliberately deceiving me!"

The Supervisor of the Army felt so wronged he wanted to die.

"If even half of what I say is false, I submit myself to your lordship's punishment. The mountain truly was riddled with traps. First, dozens of Crossbeams came crashing down on our heads, then Massive Rocks weighing over ten thousand jin rolled down. The army had endured the night, men and Horse alike exhausted, unable to react in time. The dead and wounded from the Crossbeams and Massive Rocks were beyond counting."

Although Xu Qian was unwilling to believe it, he had indeed heard the tremendous crashes clearly enough earlier—he had simply not paid them heed at the time. What harm could a mere two hundred enemy troops do? Now that he knew the truth, a chill crept down his spine. Could those Tianji Camp Guards truly have set so many traps in just a day and a night?

And Massive Rocks weighing over ten thousand jin—how difficult it must be to quarry them—how could they possibly...

No matter how he tried, Xu Qian could not work it out.

But morale had already collapsed, and attempting to mount another attack in the short term was no longer realistic. Xu Qian could only grit his teeth and order a withdrawal.

Not far off, Chen Ping had witnessed the entire affair, his gaze exceedingly grave.

"Not even one Envoy..."

"The enemy commander is far more terrifying than I imagined!"

Ma Ning, standing nearby, was amused to see Xu Qian suffer such a great loss and seized the chance to Throwing Stones at One Who Has Fallen: "That dog of an official—does he really think waging war is the same as playing with power? The Enemy Army won't reason with him! Once we return to the Camp at Mingyun Township, let's see how that bastard explains himself!"

The Night Owl leader also felt Xu Qian was getting what he deserved, but this was not the moment to Throwing Stones at One Who Has Fallen—after all, the dead and wounded were all Dadi Army soldiers.

The Night Owl leader looked toward Chen Ping, saw that Chen Ping's face was also grave, and could not help but sigh softly.

"The enemy is holed up on Qingyu Mountain. To completely wipe them out, we must transfer Regular Army troops and press directly forward. Relying on these County City garrison soldiers, who are usually idle and undisciplined, is hopeless—they have no Morale to speak of and will likely collapse at the first contact. Moreover, after this battle, the enemy's Morale will surely soar, and they will be even more determined to fight to the death."

Chen Ping shook his head, helpless: "The Regular Army is all locked in bitter fighting on the Front Line and simply cannot be recalled. Besides, pulling back a large army just to hunt down two hundred men—no one would buy that excuse anywhere. Our Xiongying Brigade excels at Open Field Battle and is worst at Attack on a Fortified City. If our Cavalry switch to Ji Zhan, they won't be able to bring out even thirty percent of their Tactical Advantage, and the outcome won't be any better."

"As for the garrison troops drafted from the various counties—though they have numbers, their training is poor and their Morale low. Any significant casualties will cause the entire force to rout. They simply cannot handle the ferocious Tianji Camp Guards. The only course now is to lay siege to Qingyu Mountain, advance step by step, and gradually Attrition them—starve the enemy out within the mountain."

The Night Owl leader sighed inwardly. In an Open Field Battle, wiping out these two hundred remnants would never have taken a full Envoy. But the enemy was holed up on Qingyu Mountain and refused to come out—that was troublesome. Just as Chen Ping said, the only option now was to surround without attacking, advance step by step, and gradually Attrition the enemy's area of operations.

So long as the enemy was confined above the MountainWaist, victory was all but assured.

After all, above the MountainWaist was nothing but bare rock—the Guerrilla Warfare the Tianji Camp Guards excelled at would have nowhere to be used.

Chen Ping immediately led the generals away from Qingyu Mountain and returned to Mingyun Township, though he left the Xiongying Brigade behind to besiege Qingyu Mountain and prevent the enemy from rushing down to cause trouble again.

Inside the Camp at Mingyun Township, Xu Qian's face was ashen. After a tally, his side had lost over three hundred men in the assault! As for enemy losses, they remained unknown—only that the fleeing soldiers and the Supervisor of the Army all told the same story: they had never even laid eyes on the enemy.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Xu Qian slammed the table, gnashing his teeth: "The Enemy Army must have suffered heavy losses too—at least fifty dead!"

The Supervisor of the Army beside him hurriedly reminded him: "My lord, the enemy relied on Terrain and Traps—they could not possibly have lost that many."

Xu Qian's eyes bulged wide: "I say fifty are dead, so fifty are dead! Will you record it or not?!"

The Supervisor of the Army suddenly understood: if his side lost three hundred while the enemy lost not a single man, once the superiors learned of this, Xu Qian's career as Prefect would be finished.

Chen Ping strode in. He had long since heard Xu Qian's "false Beidi War Intelligence," but he paid it no mind.

"My lord, what we should do next is..."

Before Chen Ping could even voice his thoughts, Xu Qian roared: "Wait until the Reinforcements dispatched from various routes arrive tomorrow—I will utterly exterminate the Rebel in the mountain!"

Chen Ping could not help but frown: "My lord, what we should do now is..."

Xu Qian cut Chen Ping off again, his eyes bulging wide: "I am the Supervisor of the Army! Chen Ping, mind your place!"

Chen Ping drew a deep breath, suppressed his fury, and turned to leave.

At this moment, cheers echoed across Qingyu Mountain.

The soldiers were more exhilarated than ever. Facing a siege by three thousand troops, they had not only avoided losses but had not even suffered a single wounded man, while driving back the enemy and leaving three hundred corpses behind. Such a feat was worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.

The soldiers looked at Qin Feng with eyes blazing with worship and devotion, believing that as long as Qin Feng was there, they could hold out until the Shedynasty Reinforcements arrived—even if... whether Shedynasty even knew the soldiers were besieged on Qingyu Mountain. No matter! So long as Qin Feng was there, they had confidence!

"Young Master, you are simply divine—every move the enemy made was calculated by you to the last detail."

"Hahaha, that Xu Qian—a mere Corruption—actually dared to personally Command the army up the mountain to besiege us. It's laughable. Our Beixi County's Prince Li Zhang, County Magistrate Lin Quqi, and the young lady Shen Qingci—which of them is not a man of letters? Yet each is a true hero. Even if they Commanded a war, they would not be as foolish as Xu Qian."

"Civil officials overseeing battles is commonplace, but there is a vast difference between a civil official and a Corruption! That Xu Qian probably never dreamed in his sleep that the one he faces is the Young Master who has repeatedly bested even Chen Si, putting him at a disadvantage at every turn—ha!"