Chapter 1550 – Targeting Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Eighty-Eight)
“Have you heard any news?”
The battle at Zhanjiang Pass ended in a catastrophic defeat for Nie’s army, losing nearly two hundred thousand troops, almost all of their elite forces buried within.
Despite several surviving remnants managing to break through, these scattered soldiers were disorderly, spiritless, and lacking supplies, flailing about like headless chickens. Their luck was abysmal; after toiling to escape, they unexpectedly ran into Jiang Pengji’s victorious troops, leading to another round of beating. After enduring such hardships, these soldiers were nearly completely dispersed. Fortunately, Fan Chen and a few old ministers were still alive, barely able to regroup the remnants.
Only defeated soldiers remained in Nie’s army, and with supplies dwindling, they had to resort to slaughtering the injured war horses to fill their bellies.
After meeting, Fan Chen and the old ministers inquired about Wei Ying and the others, but for two or three days, there had been no news.
In the wake of this defeat, several old ministers, who were not pleased with Wei Ying, shifted all the blame onto him to dodge their own responsibilities.
Fan Chen ignored these voices; after all, this was not the time for infighting.
He sent someone to look into Wei Ying’s whereabouts. Anyway, he couldn’t just vanish off the face of the earth like that, right?
When several days passed without news, Fan Chen almost began to suspect that Wei Ying had been killed in the chaos when specific news finally returned.
“Report! We have found the Military Adviser’s whereabouts, but—”
The soldier, ragged and disheveled, looked like he hadn’t rested properly in ages, with bloodshot eyes.
Fan Chen couldn’t help but grip the soldier’s arm tightly, pressing, “But what? Hurry up and say it!”
Leaving half the sentence hanging like that was almost maddening!
The commotion also attracted the attention of the old ministers sitting nearby, who couldn’t help but perk up and eavesdrop.
The soldier gritted his teeth, tears in his eyes, and said, “The Military Adviser was captured… has already… met with misfortune.”
Fan Chen staggered back a step. During the wait for news these past two days, he suspected that Wei Ying might have been captured by the enemy, but he never expected him to be dead. Thinking it through, this outcome also made sense. Given Wei Ying’s temperament, if he hadn’t committed suicide out of shame, it would’ve been considered a peaceful resolution.
“How did he die?” Fan Chen continued to press, “Was it himself or Liu Xi who—”
The eavesdropping ministers were stunned in place, seemingly taken aback by this outcome, exchanging glances filled with unexplainable emotions.
Though they weren’t fond of Wei Ying, they had to admit that he was a critical pillar for the now shaky Nie Clan. With him gone, the future of the Nie Clan looked even bleaker. Of course, not everyone shared this sentiment.
One person spat and cursed, “He died well! I truly suspect this man was a spy sent by Liu Xi. Ever since Wei Ying took command, has there been even a single smooth operation for our troops? Now look, we planned to go all out to attack Zhanjiang Pass, and instead, we fell into their trap and got wiped out. If it wasn’t for Wei Ying’s betrayal, I wouldn’t believe a word of this!”
The old general yelled loudly, and Fan Chen heard clearly, attempting to retort but ultimately biting his tongue.
The Nie army was already falling apart; any emerging internal strife could risk their return to Zhong Zhao.
Fan Chen’s hands in his sleeves turned into fists, nails biting into his palms.
He took a deep breath, pretending not to hear the general’s insults, and patiently inquired of the soldier.
“I heard that Liu Xi attempted to recruit the Military Adviser, but he refused.” The soldier said through tears, “The Military Adviser was determined to die, and perished by Liu Xi’s blade.”
Fan Chen pressed further, “So… was there no one who stepped up to plead for the Military Adviser’s case?”
Wei Ying’s brother served Jiang Pengji, which was common knowledge throughout the land.
The soldier shook his head, “I only found out this much; the rest is unclear.”
Fan Chen sighed internally, asking, “What about the Military Adviser’s corpse? Did Liu Xi send someone to return it?”
Regardless, since Wei Ying was dead, according to the customary practice of returning corpses after battle, it should have been sent back.
The soldier replied, “The Military Adviser’s body has been retrieved by his brother and sent back to his hometown for burial.”
At this moment, Fan Chen remembered that Wei Ying hailed from the Wei clan of Langya and belonged to a branch of the Bianzhou Wei clan. Since they had separated for two or three hundred years, their ancestral land lay in Langya County. If Wei Ci had helped retrieve him, then Wei Ying’s remains would likely be returned to Langya County, back to his roots.
Thinking of this, an overwhelming pressure washed over Fan Chen, and he nearly blacked out.
The others quickly came to his aid; if even Fan Chen collapsed, there would truly be no one left in the Nie army to take charge.
“What should we do now?”
Fan Chen said, “The news of our defeat is likely unavoidable. We should quickly regroup the remaining troops and return to Bianzhou; the Lord’s safety is the top priority.”
As long as there were still mountains standing, they wouldn’t worry about firewood. They could muster several thousand remnants, plus the forces in Nie Qing’s hands, perhaps stabilizing the situation.
Fortunately—thankfully, the Lord Nie Liang had already taken care of the ambitious sycophants prior to his death.
Otherwise, returning with a defeated army and a bunch of stragglers would leave them picked clean to the bones.
“Liu Xi won’t let this opportunity slip away.”
The Nie clan had lost their foundation; Zhong Zhao was now like a defenceless egg, exposed to enemies.
Fan Chen continued, “Of course, Liu Xi won’t miss this chance, but she also lacks the strength to wage another battle right now.”
The Nie clan suffered heavy losses; Jiang Pengji must be faring just as poorly?
Let’s not forget, she was fighting on two fronts, managing both Nie Liang’s and Yang Tao’s forces, her manpower was too stretched and her supplies pressured.
If she didn’t take some time to recuperate, she might not even last herself.
Though the time might be short, it was still an opportunity to breathe.
Fan Chen was never one to sit idly by; he always wanted to struggle until the last moment before giving up.
His advice wasn’t wrong, but some were reluctant to agree, filled with trepidation.
In Zhong Zhao, the Nie clan could sweep through unopposed, but they constantly stumbled against Jiang Pengji. She had divine protection on the battlefield, and during nighttime sneak attacks, her army benefited from heavenly favor. Clearly, fate had already turned its back on them. They were merely mortals; how could they match up against the “Son of Heaven” who wielded such fortune? Both Nie Liang and Wei Ying had tried to challenge her, and what happened? One died of illness, the other was killed.
Hearing these reasons nearly made Fan Chen spit blood in anger.
The defeat at Zhanjiang Pass could only be attributed to their own misstep, falling into the enemy’s trap; why did they have to blame it on heaven?
Regardless of the opposition voices, they still had to return to Zhong Zhao, or even slaughtering war horses wouldn’t be enough to eat!
Half of the straggling soldiers had already left when news of the army’s defeat reached Nie Qing’s ears.
“You—what did you say?”
Every word from the messenger was understood, but combined, it made no sense.
How could the Nie army…
The messenger succinctly explained the battle conditions of that day, causing Nie Qing’s face to turn pale.
But the bad news did not end there.
