Chapter 982 – Battle for the Northern Border (Nineteen)
The Northern Border soldiers fled in defeat, and Fu Wang, taking a brief rest, led the pursuit, herding them like little chicks to the Mai Nu tribe by the banks of the Chuan River.
Worried about a counterattack and ambush from the enemy, Fu Wang decided to retreat after a while, gathering plenty of spoils along the way.
The Northern Border army was in such a panic that they trampled each other, dying like flies along their escape route—bodies littered the ground.
Amidst the chaos, Dai Wang was accidentally struck by a stray arrow in the shoulder, causing him to turn pale and howl in pain.
“Dai Wang—it’s safe now, the pursuers haven’t caught up—”
Halencha seemed to have aged considerably; this death-defying escape had left him looking quite disheveled.
“Didn’t… didn’t they catch up?” Dai Wang looked at Halencha with a white face, his heart pounding like a drum, a storm of anxiety flooding his chest. Hearing Halencha’s words eased his sense of impending doom just a little, “Send someone—someone to check if they really haven’t followed?”
He was terrified of Jiang Pengji’s cunning tactics, afraid that as soon as he relaxed his guard, enemies might spring up from the shadows.
Halencha replied, “I’ll take my leave to investigate.”
As he stepped away, a piercing cry rang from the sky; looking up, he saw several agile eagles battling through the air.
“Ah—are the Liu Thieves chasing us again?”
The shrill cries of the eagles pierced through his eardrums.
Dai Wang, already on edge, nearly jumped from the carriage at the sound.
Halencha reported, “To inform Dai Wang, just now several eagles flew over us…”
Upon hearing this, Dai Wang recalled his earlier embarrassing display, and his face flushed with shame.
He wearily waved his hand and dismissed Halencha.
For a while, he did not want to see Halencha’s face—who would want to be reminded of their most humiliating moments?
As dusk approached, the fleeing Northern Border soldiers began to trickle back to their ranks.
After sending someone to account their numbers, a chill ran through everyone, and Halencha let out a heavy sigh, his brow clouded with sorrow and weariness.
The Northern Border army boasted of a mighty force of five hundred thousand troops, but in reality, only eighteen thousand remained—one hundred thousand elites and eighty thousand hastily conscripted militiamen.
After accounting for the losses from Wu Libai’s nighttime raid, they were left with one hundred and seventy thousand.
Now, upon counting, they barely had sixty thousand left; the others were either dead or captured.
“Heaven is trying to doom the Northern Border—”
Wu Libai had barely escaped with his life; upon learning this result, he wept, his eyes filled with tears.
“General, do not say such things—if this reaches the ears of someone with a grudge against you, it could spell trouble.”
The guards escorting Wu Libai assisted him, preventing him from collapsing under the weight of despair.
Wu Libai’s wounds were painful, his complexion ashen and lifeless.
Swallowing down his rage and sorrow, he clenched his sword tightly, fingers trembling.
“You’re right; I can’t fall yet—”
A fierce glint flashed in Wu Libai’s eyes as he asked a soldier, “Where are we now?”
“Mai Nu tribe,” the soldier replied.
“Mai Nu tribe?” Wu Libai stammered, “So this is where we are—”
The Northern Border boasts many rivers, but lush pastures are few and far between.
Only the strongest tribes can dominate the most fertile lands and the clearest waters.
The Mai Nu tribe occupied the vastest pastures along the Chuan River and was among the notable tribes in the Northern Border.
Most importantly, the Mai Nu tribe was the maternal clan of the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince!
Wu Libai was the tutor of the Third Prince!
Instead of allowing Dai Wang to drag the Northern Border into despair, it would be better to seize this chance to ally with his pupil and stage a coup to oust Dai Wang.
This audacious thought lingered in his mind, refusing to dissipate.
Fighting on an empty stomach and fleeing for a day, the Northern Border army had lost a significant amount of supplies.
Now, they were hungry, exhausted, and cold.
In stark contrast, Jiang Pengji’s side had lit bonfires, roasting meat and singing and dancing merrily.
While the Northern Border soldiers were scattered in retreat, Jiang Pengji had cheerfully accepted all their logistics and supplies.
They captured healthy warhorses, while the limping or heavily injured ones were directly slaughtered for meat.
The entire camp was awash in a red glow, filled with a spirited atmosphere.
Outside, soldiers rejoiced, and the central tent hosted a not-so-small celebration feast.
About the feast, everyone felt both happy and uneasy.
For a glutton like Yang Si, who cared only about the food, this celebration was perfect, but for normal folks, it was a bit uncomfortable.
Although providing entertainment to liven things up was good and brought everyone closer, seeing large men awkwardly shake their hips was not exactly thrilling.
Little did they know, today their leader had surprisingly chosen a dancing girl to spice things up—
A dancing girl, folks!
“Did the Lord really say that?”
Feng Zhen was the first to brighten up, his whole face lighting with excitement.
Don’t think he was being frivolous; he was the one who fit the bill to ask such questions among everyone present.
Li Yun was already in the grave of marriage, having a wife who was also the Lord’s protected little sister, Shangguan Wan. He wouldn’t dare look at the dancing girl.
Qi Guanrang was also married and kept to himself, even if he was dying to see the dancing girl, he would maintain a gentlemanly facade.
Sun Wen was hard to say; being a grandpa, he had to set a good example for his grandson, and so he remained indifferent toward the ladies.
Wei Ci—well—
Hmm, he had unspeakable feelings for the Lord, and Feng Zhen knew this guy wouldn’t jump forward.
Fu Wang seemed to be deeply enamored with Huiniang, a big man who hasn’t touched meat for years wouldn’t dare jump into such a topic.
As for Jiang Xiao Wei—
Ahem, she was a woman; even if the dancing girl had a stunning figure, she felt nothing.
Looking through the crowd, only Feng Zhen had the “right to speak.”
Jiang Pengji smiled, “A gentleman’s word is harder to chase than a horse-drawn carriage. I mean what I say. The Northern army fled too quickly; not only did they lose a large amount of supplies, but they also abandoned many ‘burdens.’ During our search of their main camp, we discovered dozens of uniquely styled dancing girls. Of course, besides the dancing girls, there were also several who claimed to be Dai Wang’s concubines; they could sing and dance as well—now that we’ve won a glorious victory, we ought to reward ourselves properly. I ordered them to prepare song and dance performances to ease our spirits—”
Everyone watched with indifference.
Feng Zhen was mistaken.
Among those present, their leader was indeed quite interested in the dancing girls.
“They’re incredibly beautiful—I’ve heard Northern Border girls can sing and dance, and well-trained dancers are extraordinarily graceful—”
Feng Zhen was so overjoyed he nearly grinned ear to ear.
These dancers originally belonged to Dai Wang’s careful nurturing; now, they were easy pickings for Jiang Pengji and the others.
A wave of exotic music filled the air, and dozens of scantily clad, incredibly sensual dancing girls entered the tent, moving like graceful fish, seamlessly gliding through the curtain gaps, their bare feet stepping on the soft animal hide mats.
The Northern Border’s exotic features were distinct, fueled by a passion and freedom often absent in Han women, akin to a raging flame.
Feng Zhen couldn’t help but be captivated; his eyes nearly popped out.
