Chapter 1524 – Attacking Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Sword Aimed at the World (Sixty-Three)
He should have stayed at home to enjoy his old age, but due to the incompetence of his descendants, the old general had no choice but to don armor again, begging Yang Tao for a chance to fight. Yang Tao was a nostalgic man; not only was the old man once Yang Jian’s martial arts master in his youth, but he had also shielded Yang Jian from fatal injuries multiple times, serving him loyally for over twenty years. Unable to refuse out of respect, Yang Tao reluctantly agreed.
Unfortunately, that treasured sword had long since grown old.
He often relied on his old age and past ties with Yang Jian to pressure others, but Yang Tao, being easy-going, didn’t take it to heart.
This old geezer loved to drink in his youth and was quite the ale enthusiast, but back then, he at least knew to maintain military discipline.
Yang Tao was aware of this; he thought as long as the old man could control his drinking at critical moments, it was fine.
Now, however, things were different. After living at home for a few years, his temper had gotten spoiled, leading to foolish and reckless actions.
During such an important campaign, instead of staying alert, he was drunkenly reveling on the front lines, resulting in the enemy’s voluntary retreat. A group of soldiers stood there, bewildered and unsure whether to pursue or what to do. Without orders from their commander, they didn’t dare act on their own.
The Vice General could only go shout at the old man, eventually getting so fed up that he splashed him awake with a basin of river water.
But it was too late; they hurried to chase after the enemy, only to find their ships had already fled far away at full steam, making it impossible to catch up.
Thus, aside from a few ships that ran aground and sank at the beginning, the navy suffered no further losses.
In the other two naval routes, one was ambushed and caught completely off guard, while the other encountered a battle where the enemy had double their numbers.
Both naval routes collectively lost over ten thousand men and hundreds of ships.
This battle wasn’t a total failure, but anyone with eyes could see that according to Yan Lin’s calculations, the enemy’s losses were even greater!
If they had performed slightly better, completely annihilating the enemy’s twenty thousand strong navy wouldn’t have been a problem; instead, they let ten thousand slip away—talk about a blunder!
Opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting; missing this chance means who knows when the next will come.
Yan Lin wasn’t one to throw tantrums or blame innocent generals haphazardly; he calmly inquired about the situation on the front lines. After a short while, he noticed a critical issue. Whether it was the ambushed route or the one directly encountering battle, the enemy was forcing their way out with sheer brute force. A navy that dared to be this reckless usually had one main support — their ships.
Post-battle investigations confirmed Yan Lin’s suspicions: the enemy’s ships had unique advantages. When two ships collided, the enemy’s vessel barely swayed while theirs reacted violently. If they collided a few more times, the enemy’s ships could hold up, but theirs were already damaged and taking in water.
As everyone listened to this analysis, they all recalled prior intelligence.
【The Mountain Spirit granted the secret shipbuilding technique.】
Looking at one another, they exchanged silent glances.
“Isn’t that all nonsense?” someone finally exclaimed, breaking the silence. “What mountain spirit exists in this world?”
They held respect for gods and spirits, but that didn’t mean they believed such things existed.
“There’s no mountain spirit, but the ships they crafted undoubtedly excel in naval combat.”
Thanks to their sturdy ships, they brazenly broke through the blockade and ambush, watching a hefty portion of the spoils slip away.
This battle couldn’t be dubbed a great victory; to leave over ten thousand enemies alive came with losses of both ships and personnel on their side.
Although Yang Tao didn’t suffer as severely as Jiang Pengji, he was still not in a comfortable position. With limited supplies, each additional loss was a painful blow.
Someone couldn’t help but mutter, “Looking at their ships… I really wonder when Liu Xi started plotting against Zhangzhou…”
Yan Lin scoffed coldly.
When?
She was just a lowly county magistrate back then!
Who would have thought that the aid Jiang Pengji borrowed during the Huangshui Alliance—Qi Kuang—would lead to the development of such an elite navy?
They should have never let her borrow him!
Reflecting on this, Yan Lin resisted the impulse to settle scores with his little partners.
Jiang Pengji borrowing Qi Kuang was still Yang Tao’s foolish agreement!
Who knew it would lead to raising a tiger to trouble him?
Once everyone dispersed, Qian Su furtively slipped a report to Lord Yang Tao, with Yan Lin standing by.
“What’s this?”
Qian Su replied, “News that just came in a few days ago, Liu Xi is putting significant pressure on the Nie Clan.”
Curious, Yang Tao opened it to find his brows tightly knitted. After reading, he passed it to Yan Lin.
“Nonsense!” Yan Lin said, “Are they really brave enough to send such absurd news back?”
The letter described how hundreds of arrows had been halted in midair by a golden light, failing to harm Jiang Pengji.
Yang Tao noted, “Good thing this didn’t get around; otherwise, it would further confirm the ‘mountain spirit aiding Liu Xi’ nonsense.”
Qian Su added, “I harbored similar concerns and discreetly hid this report. If Liu Xi solidifies that heavenly favor, this battle will be tough. With the Nie Clan’s forces so formidable, and Nie Liang having such thunderous methods, to be caught by Liu Xi is a real cautionary tale.”
Given the high illiteracy rate, many ignorant common people could be easily misled and provoked.
Yan Lin commented, “It probably won’t stay hidden for long. Luckily, our army just scored a small victory, which should help mitigate the impact of the rumors.”
If they’re truly favored by the heavens, how could they lose to mere mortals?
Qian Su smiled, “This battle came just in time; otherwise, our army would be in a very passive position.”
Yan Lin, however, couldn’t manage a smile. He oversaw the entire army and was acutely aware of their current situation.
All things considered, the losses from the Nansheng War were too great; they hadn’t even had time to recover before facing off with Jiang Pengji again, leaving them weak for the next conflict.
These details couldn’t be allowed to spread, lest they affect the stability of troop morale.
Yang Tao’s camp was a mix of joy and worry, while Feng Zhen’s side was like thunderclouds, resembling a Daoist about to ascend.
The Zhao Clan was detained, and the Zhao Clan Leader, who had presented the flawed map, stood before everyone looking utterly baffled.
“You presented a fake map, costing the lives of over ten thousand soldiers. You scoundrel deserve to die!”
Fu Wang ground his teeth, drawing his sword and steadily placing it against the clan leader’s neck, drawing a thin line of red.
The Zhao Clan Leader was nearly scared out of his wits, hastily exclaiming, “What do you mean, General? How could you wrongfully accuse me?”
Feng Zhen hurled the flawed map at his face, his expression icy.
“This is the map you presented!”
When had the clan leader ever been humiliated like this?
Given that a sword was held to his neck, he could only swallow his indignation, trembling as he unfolded the map to scrutinize it.
“This… this is indeed the flawed map I submitted.”
“The map is false.” Yang Si scoffed beside him, “Tsk, you conspired with Yang Tao to use a fake map to harm us, truly a loyal dog.”
What kind of grudge existed between the Zhao Clan and Yang Tao, such that they could completely cast aside their previous animosities?
For him to go mad, to be reckless, to audaciously crash against walls, and even risk the lives of his entire clan—what else could you call that but true love?
