Chapter 430

In the end, the three Western Liang generals, under the desperate fighting of their personal guards, successfully escaped from the battlefield.

Bai Ting looked at the enemy generals fleeing in a sorry state, a cold sneer hanging on the corner of his mouth: "Rather than killing you, it's better to keep these pieces of trash to serve as generals."

That's right, the three generals being able to escape successfully was actually done on purpose by the Bright Army!

According to Jiang Jinshi's words, having annihilated so many enemy troops, even if the generals were still alive, the blow to the enemy's morale was already very great.

And keeping these pieces of trash was actually more useful; after all, they were defeated, and they would inevitably be punished by the King of Western Liang after returning.

If the King of Western Liang killed them, it would make his subordinates feel the taste of "slaughtering the donkey after the mill is finished," which would affect internal unity.

But if he didn't kill them, it would be difficult to convince the public.

So Jiang Jinshi guessed that the King of Western Liang would definitely punish the three, but would also keep them to continue leading troops.

The temperaments of these three had already been explored by the Bright Army; they had ability, but compared to the Beijiang generals, they were not enough to look at.

Keeping their lives would make it much easier when facing them later.

Inside the Western Liang Royal Palace in Luoyang, there was a dead silence, and three blood-stained military reports were spread out on the purple sandalwood imperial desk in front of Wei Wenlie.

"Qishan Gorge... Murong Ke's thousands of elites... the entire army was wiped out..."

Wei Wenlie's voice was hoarse, his fingers pinching the edge of the military report, his veins bulging. "Han Xiao... what a good Han Xiao!"

He suddenly raised his head, his red eyeballs sweeping over the officials who were silent as cicadas in winter under the hall, and finally stopped on Murong Ke, whose face was pale.

This fierce general, known for his bravery, was currently in tattered armor, his left arm hanging in a blood-stained cloth strip, his helmet missing, his hair disheveled, his face covered with traces of smoke and fire and deep arrow wounds, kneeling there in a sorry state.

"Murong Ke!"

Wei Wenlie's voice was mixed with anger. "Where are your soldiers? Where is your iron cavalry? Just like that... gone?!"

Murong Ke kowtowed violently, his voice carrying humiliation: "The end general... the end general is guilty! The end general underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, falling into Han Xiao's ambush!

That gorge... that gorge is a dead end!

The cliffs on both sides were steep as if cut, our army was crowded at the bottom of the valley, unable to advance or retreat... Beijiang archers were high above... fire oil jars were smashed down, people and horses were burned... the end general... the end general fought to the death to bring out only a hundred personal guards..."

"Trash!"

Wei Wenlie grabbed a jade paperweight on the desk and smashed it fiercely on the floor tiles in front of Murong Ke, fragments splashing everywhere!

"Underestimated the enemy? This King ordered you to launch a surprise attack on Micheng and cooperate with Tufa Yan to pincer attack Chang'an! Not for you to go and die! Eight thousand elites! That is the family foundation I have saved for how many years!"

Although Wei Wenlie still had many soldiers under his command, those were ordinary soldiers, not elites, and certainly not heavy iron cavalry.

This loss made Wei Wenlie feel extremely heartbroken, and more importantly, the blow to morale was fatal.

They had already suffered two major defeats against Beijiang, and every major defeat would shake the military heart, while the Beijiang Bright Army's morale was getting higher the more they fought.

Wei Wenlie's chest heaved violently, and his gaze turned to Tufa Yan, who was also kneeling on the other side.

This fierce Western Liang general was even more miserable, his right arm broken at the shoulder, wrapped in thick, blood-seeping gauze, his face gray like a dead man.

"Tufa Yan!"

Wei Wenlie's voice rose sharply. "Chencang Ancient Road! Bai Ting's trap-breaking camp! Where is your light cavalry? Ah?! Being chopped like melons and vegetables by a group of infantry?! Where is your usual prestige? Eaten by dogs?!"

Tufa Yan supported the ground with one arm, his voice very hoarse: "King... Your Highness! Bai Ting... Bai Ting is not human!

He... he calculated our route!

Horse-trapping pits... dense!

The brothers charged too fast and couldn't stop at all... the front team fell in, the rear team crashed into them... it was all in chaos! It was all in chaos!"

"Then... then it was arrow rain! Arrow rain that covered the sky and the sun!

Shoot the horse first to shoot the man... the horse fell, and the man became a living target... Bai Ting's heavy infantry... pressed over like an iron wall... spears... all spears..."

His eyes were full of fear, not knowing whether he was afraid of Bai Ting or Wei Wenlie.

Wei Wenlie was shaking with anger, and finally looked at Helian Bobo, who was almost curled into a ball in the corner.

This Qiang chieftain, who was good at mountain raids, was currently like a bird startled by the twang of a bow, his face and hands covered in blisters and water bubbles, his hair and eyebrows mostly scorched.

"Helian Bobo! Shangluo! Zhang Honghong!"

Wei Wenlie laughed in extreme anger. "Five thousand Qiang soldiers, experts at climbing mountains and crossing ridges, were led into a crematorium by you? Burned quite cleanly, right? Not even a messenger escaped?!"

Helian Bobo was streaming with tears and snot, kowtowing repeatedly: "King... Your Highness, spare my life! Zhang Honghong... that woman is too ruthless!

She... her people were hidden on the mountain ridge, looking just like the rocks! We just climbed to the mountain ridge... she... she pushed fireballs! Fireballs all over the mountains and plains!

Rolling down... it was all fire! When the wind blew... the whole valley caught fire... the brothers... the brothers were burned alive... scalded to death... I... this life of mine was exchanged by the lives of my personal guards, Your Highness!"

"Enough!"

Wei Wenlie slapped the imperial desk violently, then stood up abruptly, pacing anxiously in front of the throne.

"Three routes! Three armies! All elites!! Just like that, they're gone! Not even a splash was made!"

He stopped abruptly, his blood-red eyes sweeping over the officials who were silent as cicadas in winter in the hall, and finally locked firmly onto Cui Yan, who was standing in the front row of the civil officials!

"Cui! Gong!"

Wei Wenlie gritted his teeth. "You tell this King! Is this the 'perfect strategy' you planned for this King?! Is this the 'inside-outside cooperation' you guaranteed with certainty?! 'Luo Feng is wavering, Chang'an is within reach'? Hmm?!"

Western Liang's strategy was based on the foundation of Luo Feng's defection, and as Cui Yan, who was responsible for contacting all of this, he naturally had to be held accountable.

Cui Yan was already pale, cold sweat soaking his back.

He knelt on the ground with a thud, his body trembling uncontrollably: "King... Your Highness, calm your anger! This old minister... this old minister..."

"Calm my anger?!"

Wei Wenlie stepped in front of him, looking down from above, his tone full of anger. "What should this King use to calm my anger?!

Should I use the bones of my Western Liang sons?! Use the elites my Western Liang has accumulated for many years?!

Cui Yan! Raise your head! Look into this King's eyes! Tell this King! Where is Luo Feng?!

Where is that Luo Feng whom you praised to the skies, saying he had 'different intentions' and 'could be used by me'?! Where is he?!"

Cui Yan trembled all over, burying his head even lower: "Your Highness... this old minister... this old minister is guilty! This old minister failed to recognize the person!

I was... I was deceived by that traitor Luo Feng! He... he was just pretending to waver, but in reality, it was a poisonous scheme set by Jiang Jinshi!

He and that Fu Qingshuang... performed a double act! Luring my army into the trap, Your Highness!"

His voice was shrill, carrying a crying tone, desperately pushing the responsibility onto Luo Feng's "disguise."