Chapter 408: Old General Han is Trapped

The sound of metal clashing and battle cries... came in waves.

Han Guiying wore light armor, holding sharp battle-axes in both hands, and engaged the enemy troops.

The Northern Frontier Army around her was also locked in fierce combat with the Imperial Court Army.

The ground was covered in corpses, some from the Northern Frontier Army, others from the Imperial Army.

Han Guiying let out a roar and decapitated an enemy soldier with one axe stroke; her hair was disheveled and her armor was covered in blood, but only her eyes still shone brightly.

A soldier rushed over, reporting in a panic.

"General Han, the enemy's forces are simply too numerous; we cannot break through."

Han Guiying panted, raising her head to look ahead.

The pass ahead was narrow, and the two armies were squeezed together, locked in a chaotic slaughter.

She gritted her teeth, "If we cannot break out, retreat."

The Military Order was issued, and the Northern Frontier Army retreated one after another.

The Imperial Army did not pursue, instead withdrawing to the rear to guard the road junction.

Han Guiying moved with a flurry of activity, ripping open the cloth curtain of the temporary command tent.

Inside the tent, the Old General had a cloth bandage wrapped around his arm and was sitting by the window looking at a sand table, his graying eyebrows tightly knitted together.

Hearing the commotion, he looked up.

"Guiying, how is the battle situation?"

"Father, we cannot break out." Han Guiying plopped onto a chair, wiped the blood and sweat from her face with force, and cursed through gritted teeth, "The Imperial Court's troops are guarding the pass firmly; they want to trap us to death here at Shizi Ridge and win without a fight."

The Old General's expression was grim, "The provisions are gone; the Northern Frontier Camp's supply convoy was intercepted and killed halfway by the Imperial Army, and they cannot be brought in."

"The army has run out of water and food." The Military Supplies Officer nearby said with an anxious face, "The nearby grass roots and tree bark have already been mostly eaten; the soldiers have been hungry for two or three days and don't even have the strength to hold their Long Swords."

"No, we must break out." Han Guiying gritted her teeth, pacing back and forth while clutching her battle-axes, "Otherwise, everyone will die here."

At this moment, a female soldier limped into the tent, her face anxious.

"General Han, there are over a dozen wounded female soldiers in the infirmary; their wounds are infected and they have high fevers, and the Military Doctor says the medicine is gone."

The female soldier had also injured her leg and was leaning on a tree branch as a crutch.

Originally, the female soldiers were all archers, but now facing the siege, they had also picked up blades and swords to fight alongside the male soldiers, and many had been wounded.

Now without medicine, everyone's injuries had worsened.

Han Guiying gritted her teeth and, in a fit of rage, slammed an axe into the table.

"That dog of an Emperor, don't let me catch an opportunity, or I will surely hack him into pieces..."

As she said this, her stomach suddenly let out a hungry growl.

Everyone looked at her in unison, but no one laughed; their eyes were filled with desolation, like trapped beasts.

The Prince of Northern Suppression was not here, and the Goddess was not here.

This time, no one could help them.

The night grew deep.

The hungry soldiers gathered in twos and threes; someone untied the leather quiver for arrows and placed it over the fire to roast.

"Eat what we can; who knows if we'll still be alive tomorrow."

"The infirmary buried over a dozen people today; among them, several weren't even that badly wounded, they just died of thirst."

"Three days without water, even an iron man would die of thirst."

Suddenly, a faint singing voice drifted from afar.

It was a Northern Frontier folk song, a dirge for the dead.

The hungry soldiers raised their heads one after another, looking in the direction the singing came from.

The desolate singing made many feel even more desperate.

"We are going to die here."

"We can't break out; the Imperial Court wants us dead."

"Sob, sob, sob, I don't want to die here; even if I die, I want to die in my hometown."

Han Guiying rushed out of the tent and roared.

"Do not listen! This song is being sung by the Imperial Court's troops for us to hear; they just want to shake our morale and crush everyone's spirit..."

But even if she issued the order, she could not control all the soldiers.

The army was out of water and food, and an atmosphere of despair permeated the air.

"Nobody listen!" Han Guiying roared like a madwoman, swinging her battle-axe, "Whoever dares to shake the army's morale, I will execute them..."

Suddenly, a cold and steady voice rang out.

"General Han, you have worked hard; leave this to me."

Han Guiying was stunned, and the battle-axe in her hand clattered to the ground.

She turned her head in disbelief, looking at the tall figure standing behind her, and muttered.

"Prince?"

Xiao Moting's tall frame slowly emerged from the night mist, his entire body draped in the chill of the night.

The bright red bonfire was reflected in his dark, shining eyes.

"Yes, I have arrived."

"Junior Brother, why did you only just arrive?" Han Guiying let out a wail and threw herself at him in excitement, "If you hadn't come back, Father and I wouldn't have been able to hold on any longer!"

The Northern Frontier Army all around also stood up one after another, filled with immense excitement.

"The Prince is here?"

"That's great, the Prince of Northern Suppression has returned; we are saved."

"With the Prince here, we have hope! Everyone, come quickly!"

The decadent atmosphere in the army was swept away in an instant.

The excited Northern Frontier Army soldiers gathered around, crowding beside Xiao Moting, their eyes all burning with hope.

Xiao Moting raised his eyes, scanning the soldiers around him.

The soldiers had been trapped for many days and had fought bitter battles for days on end; they were all haggard and covered in blood and filth.

Among them were many wounded soldiers, walking with a stagger.

A flash of heartache crossed Xiao Moting's eyes.

He turned his head, "Qin Zhan, distribute the rice and grain we brought to everyone."

"Where is Shennü Daren?" Han Guiying poked her head out, "She didn't come back with you?"

Xiao Moting hesitated for a moment, "Bai has returned."

"What?" Han Guiying was startled, but immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "It is good that the Goddess has returned. Now that Beijiang is surrounded, I would worry about her encountering danger if she stayed here."

The water and grain brought were distributed.

The starving Northern Frontier Army soldiers scrambled and fought, eating ravenously.

"Prince, the supplies we brought are not enough," Qin Zhan came to report.

Xiao Moting took out a note, "I will write a letter to Bai."

He wrote the note and sent it via Teleportation.

A moment later, he received a reply from Bai Wei.

"Alright, I understand. Clear an open space, and I will transport the supplies over."

Xiao Moting looked up and shouted loudly.

"Everyone, do not be anxious! Bai will immediately transport water, grain, medicine, and equipment for us! The Imperial Court cannot trap us. Once everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, we will fight them again."

In an instant!

A mountain-toppling, sea-draining cheer erupted all around.

"We are saved! The Goddess has come to save us again."

"It really has to be Shennü Daren!"

"What do those dog thieves of the Imperial Court amount to? Once Shennü Daren arrives, I am full of energy."

Watching the seething Northern Frontier Army, Xiao Moting could not help but fall silent in his heart.

When he personally returned to Beijiang, the soldiers were not that enthusiastic, yet Bai Wei just sent one note, and the entire camp was in an uproar.

It seemed that Bai Wei's prestige in the army was even higher than his own.

"Clatter."

A large pile of cardboard boxes appeared out of thin air on the open ground.

The boxes were filled with bread, cakes, biscuits, canned goods... and other convenient foods.

Immediately following, several hundred twenty-five-liter barrels of water appeared.

Han Guiying also perked up and hurriedly shouted.

"Everyone line up to receive food, do not crowd!"