Chapter 1270 – Defeating Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (Part 12)
“Get out—now—”
Yuan Xin had suffered a huge loss at Jiang Pengji’s hands, losing over ten thousand troops in the process. How could he not be furious?
Once his bullheaded nature flared up, he couldn’t contain it; the overwhelming power within him desperately needed an outlet, and wrecking the main tent seemed like the best option.
The vice generals under him didn’t dare to provoke Yuan Xin. After all, he wasn’t shy about chopping down even Huang Song’s confidant, Nie Xun, with a swing of his blade, so what would they stand against?
A group of vice generals exchanged glances, reluctantly clasped their hands in salute, and retreated, eager to avoid being caught in the storm.
As they filed out, Yuan Xin stared at the empty commander’s tent, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot.
This great defeat left Yuan Xin with no way to escape responsibility, yet he couldn’t bear to admit it was his own fault.
Victory and defeat are commonplace in battle; next time, he would definitely surround and annihilate the enemy bandits!
Feeling disheartened, he drowned his sorrows in a night of bitter drinking, until he was thoroughly drunk.
Meanwhile—
After a fierce struggle for survival, Nie Xun finally managed to open his bleary eyes.
“The military—military strategist has awakened? He really woke up!!!”
The military doctor tending to him noticed Nie Xun’s trembling eyelashes and felt a wave of excitement; this was a sign he was about to come around.
If he didn’t hurry over, even the doctor responsible for stitching up the wounds would be in despair, terrified of being held responsible for Nie Xun’s death.
Now that Nie Xun was not only alive but had also successfully regained consciousness, they had more than hoped for; the path to glory lay before him!
“Military strategist, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Are you hungry? Thirsty? Would you like some porridge to settle your stomach?”
The military doctor was so moved that tears filled his eyes; Nie Xun was undoubtedly the patient with the greatest pressure he had ever taken on. After three days of coma, he had been feverishly unwell, his wounds reddening and threatening to fester—they thought Nie Xun wouldn’t pull through and were even preparing for his last rites.
Suddenly, it was unexpected; although Nie Xun seemed frail, his will to survive was inexplicably strong, managing to pull through the toughest of trials.
Nie Xun looked at the military doctor with a pale expression, his cracked lips dry and peeling, his gaze wandering and vacant, as if he hadn’t fully regained his senses.
The military doctor could only suppress his excitement, gazing longingly at Nie Xun’s lips, waiting for something to be said.
If Nie Xun’s mind was clear, it meant he had temporarily escaped danger; if it remained muddled, the peril still lingered.
After a few more attempts to call him, Nie Xun finally responded with a slight movement of his eyes.
He felt as if he had just experienced a terrifying nightmare; stumbling through darkness, he could hear something chasing him from behind, its shape indistinct. He didn’t know what it was, but a gut feeling told him it was dangerous, and he mustn’t let it catch up.
He could only keep running forward, but the footsteps behind him grew closer and closer.
Just as he was about to despair, he heard a crying sound getting louder, as if it were a guiding beacon. A girl’s cries, initially faint and indistinct, soon transformed into the wails of a baby, echoing endlessly, stabbing at Nie Xun’s heart.
Ignoring the thing chasing him, he followed the sound of the baby’s cries, feeling that if there was indeed a child trapped in this dark place, it would be utterly desolate. Nie Xun couldn’t recall how he felt, driven as if by magic, towards that direction.
He didn’t know how long he had walked when a dazzling white light suddenly burst forth, dispelling the surrounding darkness.
At the end of the light stood an enchanting woman, dressed in a peach-pink gown with a bright red shawl, softly cooing to something in her arms. As Nie Xun focused, he saw a small bundle nestled in her embrace. The woman noticed him too and turned to call out.
“Cheng Yun—”
Cheng Yun?
Nie Xun’s heart raced in shock as his eyes widened, a torrent of memories flooding into his mind, painfully jolting him awake.
Just upon waking, Nie Xun remained dazed, confused about his surroundings, until the glaring candlelight brought moisture to his eyes, helping him gradually regain his senses.
“Military strategist? Military strategist?”
The military doctor persisted in calling, wishing he could blurt out Nie Xun’s full name without fearing to offend him.
There’s a saying that calling someone’s name might bring back a wandering soul.
Nie Xun blinked hard, struggling to open his lips, despite the overwhelming dryness.
“Water… water…”
He had been unconscious for three days and nights, with nothing in his belly aside from the medicine the military doctor had forced down, and two bowls of porridge. Now he was both thirsty and hungry.
The military doctor quickly had someone bring warm water, carefully feeding Nie Xun a small bowl. Unfortunately, Nie Xun was so weak now that swallowing was difficult, wasting most of it. After drinking, Nie Xun succumbed to fatigue and fell back into a deep sleep.
The second time he woke up, three hours had passed.
Nie Xun’s mind was much clearer. He asked the soldier tending to him for half a bowl of rice porridge, feeling warmth begin to seep back into his icy limbs.
With his senses returning, Nie Xun lay still on the simple bed, staring at the top of the tent.
At that moment, a vice general, burdened by guilt, came to check on Nie Xun.
Nie Xun had regained some strength and asked the vice general, “What’s the situation with the battle?”
Before he lost consciousness from his serious injuries, the battle situation had already been extremely unfavorable; if Yuan Xin could retreat in time, the losses shouldn’t be too dire.
The vice general’s expression was grave as he stammered, “Our army suffered a great defeat, losing over eleven thousand troops, with thirty percent of supplies gone.”
Upon hearing this, Nie Xun calmly closed his eyes.
The vice general said, “Military strategist, military strategist… I have an audacious idea… Why not secretly write a letter to the lord and quietly replace General Yuan Xin? General Yuan Xin is utterly… unfit to command! The suffering you’ve endured shouldn’t be in vain.”
Nie Xun considered for a long while, so long the vice general thought he had fallen asleep again.
“Changing generals in the heat of battle is a grave taboo,” Nie Xun said indifferently, “Moreover… I fear I might not have long left…”
The vice general was shocked, looking disbelievingly at the military doctor.
The military doctor awkwardly nodded, explaining, “The military strategist’s wounds are too deep; while they haven’t injured any vital areas, he’s lost too much blood, and the wounds are reddening and festering… To truly escape danger, he needs to see how he recovers in the next half month. Any misstep could…”
Nie Xun had survived the toughest battle, but it didn’t mean his life was secure.
During the march, resources were scarce, and the recovery environment was unstable; all these factors posed a disadvantage for Nie Xun.
Before the wounds healed completely, they couldn’t let their guard down. If the injuries suddenly tore open or something untoward invaded, Nie Xun’s life might very well end here. According to the military doctor’s years of experience, Nie Xun had less than a fifty percent chance of survival—
The vice general frowned in distress, and after a while, he let out an angry sigh, wishing he could capture Yuan Xin and whip him thoroughly. With Nie Xun unable to manage military affairs, chaos reigned, and Yuan Xin was merely a reckless brute who only knew how to fight… What was this madness!
Nie Xun weakly twitched the corners of his mouth, bitterly smiling, “I might not be precious, but it’s a pity I haven’t seen our lord’s great plans come to fruition…”
