Chapter 1146 – Strike Against Xu Pei, The First Kill of the Lords (Sixteen)
“Be careful, everyone! I have a bad feeling about this…”
Yang Si anxiously scanned the surroundings, his heart filled with an inexplicable shadow, like something bad was about to happen.
Qin Gong replied, “Understood, I’ll relay the order to keep all camps on high alert.”
Cheng Yuan asked, “Has the military adviser noticed something amiss?”
Yang Si said, “Gong Liao, do you think our opponent is just anyone? Han Wenbin is one of Mr. Yuanjing’s most favored disciples; it certainly won’t be easy to gain the upper hand against him. Underestimating the enemy is the greatest taboo in military strategy—if we overlook them, it will surely lead to our downfall. Send the order for the soldiers to remain vigilant and not to slack off. We are near Guxu; we can’t suffer any mishaps here!”
Thanks to Cheng Cheng’s friendship with Mr. Yuanjing, Cheng Yuan was occasionally able to receive his insights.
To Cheng Yuan, it was no surprise that regardless of how talented Mr. Yuanjing’s students were, none of it raised any eyebrows.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a hushed murmur in the woods.
Han Yu, dressed in a dark scholar’s robe, had his long hair tied up, and recent travels had visibly thinned him out – the veins on his forehead were clearly defined.
With hands clasped behind his back, his cold gaze drifted toward a certain direction, where he could faintly discern tens of thousands of soldiers resembling ants, crawling toward Guxu. Upon a closer look, Han Yu observed that these “ants” had transformed from their previous disarray into a formation ready for attack or defense.
Xie Ze also noticed the change, surprised, he exclaimed, “Military Adviser, have they realized something?”
Han Yu replied flatly, “If they had realized, they would have turned back long ago, rather than walking into their own trap. If it were anyone else, upon seeing a chance for escape, they would let down their guard in joy, exposing fatal vulnerabilities. But Yang Jingrong is different; he is cautious and suspicious, and the more tense the situation, the more on edge he becomes. This caution could buy him a little more time.”
Xie Ze blinked, tilting his head to glance at Han Yu’s profile.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the military adviser didn’t truly despise Yang Si as he professed. In fact, he seemed to regard him as a confidant.
However, among the scholars, the customs dictated that the closer you were to someone, the more ruthless the knife you wielded. As a military general, he couldn’t quite grasp that yet.
“If we could capture Yang Si alive, the military adviser could attempt to persuade him,” Xie Ze suggested.
“People of differing paths do not conspire together; Yang Si’s ideology is not in line with our lord’s. Moreover—” Han Yu smirked slightly, the curve of his lips tinged with sarcasm, “For Yang Si, there is no lord more ideal than Liu Lanting. If captured, he would only have death as an option.”
Xie Ze looked confused, saying, “Why is that? Smart birds choose suitable trees to roost; if Yang Si were caught, whether for his future or his life, submitting to a new lord would be the wisest choice. The military adviser also previously mentioned that Yang Si is not someone who clings strictly to the rules. What’s wrong with switching allegiances for self-preservation?”
Han Yu had no intention of elaborating further.
Yang Si was the son of a courtesan, a lineage lower than the lowest. In the eyes of Lord Xu Pei, he was hardly worthy of serious consideration.
Were it not for Yang Si’s extraordinary luck in being taken in by Mr. Yuanjing, who knows what fate would have befallen him?
He would either have perished long ago or ended up as a servant in a brothel, reduced to being scolded and ordered about.
Fighting for control of the realm, assisting the lords?
That was a thought not worth entertaining.
Yang Si’s background precluded him from being valued by Xu Pei, and deep down, he was a sensitive and proud person who could never accept such humiliation.
Han Yu understood him, which is why he would give Yang Si a quick end.
Meanwhile, Yang Si’s foreboding sense grew stronger, making him nearly jumpy.
“Something feels off—”
In broad daylight, Yang Si was sweating profusely, gripping the reins tightly.
“Form up the army, turn back!”
At this moment, half the army had already passed through the Guxu Gorge, with dense forests and hills casting looming shadows.
Yang Si’s gaze fixed on a lone wild goose flying high, a shiver ran down his spine.
Qin Gong, trusting Yang Si, quickly issued orders.
Just as the command was spoken, flags bearing the characters “Xu” and “Xie” suddenly appeared on either side. Yang Si recognized his old acquaintances.
“Now that you’re here, there’s no need to leave,” Han Yu said from a higher vantage point. “Jingrong, it’s been months; I hope you’ve been well?”
Well? What about well?!
Yang Si’s face tightened, but inwardly, he was cursing wildly.
Han Yu wouldn’t give Yang Si any time to react; rolling stones, prepared in advance, rumbled down the mountain paths, arrows raining like a tidal wave.
His intention was to decimate over half of Yang Si’s troops, leaving the remains to be slowly picked off.
According to Han Yu’s plan, with half the army deep within the gorge, an abrupt attack would send the front lines into chaos, causing confusion and congestion in the narrow gorge as they attempted to retreat. The front lines would be unable to pull out, while the rear would be unable to support, leading to certain collapse.
However—
Xie Ze exclaimed, “They truly are elite; at this moment, they’re still maintaining their formation! Didn’t the military adviser say they’d been out of supplies for a day or two, and should be demoralized and ineffective? Now, they don’t appear so weak. What a waste to bury them here.”
While he lamented “what a waste,” Xie Ze showed no signs of holding back whatsoever.
Countless boulders and boiling oil rained down, screams echoed throughout the gorge as Xie Ze commanded archers to shoot at the mouth of the gorge.
The gorge’s mouth became the primary focus for archers, disrupting support for the rear and retreat routes for the front.
“Protect the military adviser—”
Qin Gong knocked aside the arrows aimed at Yang Si, but with only two hands, how could he match the hundreds or thousands of enemy archers?
A dozen shield soldiers raised their shields in formation, using them to block the incoming arrows, creating a makeshift refuge for Yang Si and Cheng Yuan amidst the chaos.
Yang Si appeared disheveled, an arrow embedded in his shoulder; had it been a little higher, it would have pierced his brain.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Yang Si said, “Pfft—spent my whole life as a hawk, and almost got my eyes pecked out by one!”
With a cry of pain escaping him, his face contorted in agony, he ultimately swallowed it back down.
Once Wang Jin ensured the safety of Yang Si and the others, he quickly directed the soldiers to regroup and retreat.
As long as they could exit the gorge, they would still have a glimmer of hope.
The boiling oil splashed, and the boulders and arrows were indiscriminate; they cared not for friend or foe, crashing down on anyone unfortunate enough to be beneath them.
In an instant, countless soldiers were injured by arrows and crushed by boulders, their bodies turning to pulp and blood.
Xie Ze ordered, “Bring me a bow!”
Drawing the bow and nocking an arrow, he aimed at the unsuspecting Qin Gong below.
In the midst of chaos, if their general were to fall, the faltering army would undoubtedly collapse.
The arrow whistled through the air, seemingly guided by some unseen force, homing in on him.
Qin Gong felt a chill race down his spine, an acute sense of danger surging to the surface.
He barely managed to deflect it, but couldn’t evade another arrow; the sharp tip grazed the side of his face, blood streaming into his right eye.
A flicker of surprise passed through Xie Ze’s eyes; he hadn’t expected Qin Gong to dodge the attack.
