klisemfg Chapter 483 Ye Xiaoying fights desperately to break through the encirclement; Wen Luoyu, dressed in
Chapter 483 Ye Xiaoying fights desperately to break through the encirclement; Wen Luoyu, dressed in
He took a deep breath as he warmed the wine in the pot.
He seemed to see that scene: Ye Xiaoying, covered in blood, was carried back to the camp; the surviving soldiers of the Double Blade Battalion, their eyes glazed over, were describing incoherently how those "inhuman, invulnerable, and unkillable" monsters had tortured their comrades in the Double Blade Battalion like dogs and pigs...
Fear will spread like a plague among the Northern Army until morale collapses and morale crumbles!
"You mean..." Wen Hujiu's voice trembled, "to use this battle to scare the Northern Li army into submission?"
"It's not just being scared out of your wits." Wen Yanzhao stopped and turned to look at him, a purple glint in his eyes.
"I want Xiao Ruofeng to know that the drug-man has been made and is invincible."
I want him to worry that every step he takes will make him fear that the monsters of Ironthorn Ridge will suddenly appear behind him.
I want to force him to divide his forces, make him hesitate, and burden him with a heavy psychological load for every decision he makes.
He looked north, towards the direction of the northern camp:
"War is not just about troop strength, supplies, and terrain. It's also about people's hearts, morale, and the commander's determination. What Ye Xiaoying brought back tonight was not just news of defeat, but also inner demons."
Wenhu Jiu remained silent.
He looked at his nephew's young yet aloof profile and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
When did this child, whom I've watched grow up, become so... cold and calculating?
“But Zhao’er,” he whispered, “if Ye Xiaoying survives, he will surely become a major threat in the future. Releasing a tiger back into the mountains today…”
“Release the tiger back to the mountain, and you'll lure the wolves into the trap.” Wen Yanzhao interrupted him, his tone resolute. “Uncle, what we want is not just to kill Ye Xiaoying, but to win the entire war.”
What use is killing one general to Xiao Ruofeng's 200,000-strong army? What I want are the remaining tens of thousands, who will cower in fear and surrender before the battle even begins!
After Wen Yanzhao finished speaking, he turned and continued walking:
"Let's leave this battlefield as it is for now... Perhaps in a day or two, the vanguard scouts of the Northern Army will come to investigate, and let them see what's going on."
Wen Hu Jiu did not accompany his nephew; he simply stood on the edge of the cliff, the night wind ruffling his gray robe.
He looked north, but Ye Xiaoying and the hundred or so remaining soldiers had long since disappeared. Only the faint sounds of suppressed groans and staggering footsteps could be heard in the darkness.
He looked down at the battlefield below, where corpses littered the ground.
The bodies of nearly three thousand soldiers of the Double-Blade Battalion lay scattered across the ridge pass in various gruesome poses—
Some were torn in half, some had their skulls shattered, and some had their chests hollowed out; severed limbs and broken arms covered the entire ridge.
The dark brown blood gleamed eerily in the moonlight, and the air was thick with an overwhelming, pungent, and putrid stench.
Meanwhile, the medicine-using people silently lifted the seven completely destroyed medicine-using bodies one by one and walked towards the cave.
Their movements were stiff yet orderly, as if they were simply moving ordinary goods.
The warm pot of wine made his stomach churn.
He suddenly remembered something his father, Wen Lin, had said many years ago:
"You must remember, poison is a knife; a knife can kill, but it can also save. But there is something more poisonous than poison—the demon in the human heart. Once the human heart becomes a demon, then there is truly no hope."
At the time, he was puzzled and asked, "Father, how can a human heart turn into a ghost?"
Wen Lin stroked his young son Wen Hujiu's head, looked into the distance, and after a long while said:
"When a person feels that they can do anything for a certain goal... then a ghost takes up residence in their heart."
The night wind grew colder.
Wenhu Jiu shivered, took out the wine pot from his pocket, tilted his head back and took a big gulp.
The liquor was very strong, and it burned my throat.
But he needed this pain to suppress the inexplicable unease in his heart.
He glanced one last time at the north, then turned and followed Wen Yanzhao.
Ironthorn Ridge has returned to its deathly silence.
Only the night wind whistled through the treetops, making a mournful sound, as if it were singing a lament for the countless dead souls scattered on the ground.
Thirty miles away, Ye Xiaoying was being supported by two bodyguards, staggering forward.
His left arm was a bloody mess, and his right leg had a cut more than a foot long that was still bleeding profusely. Every step he took left bloody footprints on the ground.
Ye Xiaoying's consciousness was beginning to blur, his ears were ringing, and all he could see were those pairs of eerie green eyes—
Those were the eerie eyes of the drug-using man in the night, flashing repeatedly in my mind.
The gruesome sight of comrades being torn apart, the muffled sound of claws piercing chests, the image of those undead monsters walking in pools of blood... haunted me like a nightmare.
"General, hold on... We're almost at Fuzhou..." The voice of the personal guard seemed to come from a great distance.
Ye Xiaoying tried to nod, but only coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
He closed his eyes, and the last thing that came to mind was Wen Yanzhao's cold eyes standing on the high cliff.
And that sentence, like an ice pick, pierced my heart:
"I want Xiao Ruofeng to know... he has become a drug-man and is invincible."
Invincible...
Invincible...
These four words, like a curse, disappeared into the deep darkness along with him.
……
At the north gate of Qiandong City, the stench of blood slowly settled in the night breeze.
Torches flickered atop the city walls, illuminating the soldiers of the Breaking Wind Army who were clearing the battlefield.
The usable arrows were retrieved, the logs and stones were re-piled up, and the ladders and shields abandoned by the Northern Army were piled up in the corner, to be repaired and reused by craftsmen tomorrow.
Wounded soldiers were helped down the city wall by their comrades, while medics carrying medicine chests moved among them, their low groans and suppressed conversations blending together.
Baili Chengfeng stood in front of the city gate tower, the blood on his armor already congealed into a dark brown.
He didn't remove his armor, but simply took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm, letting the night wind blow through his sweaty temples.
His gaze swept across the city—the bodies of the Northern Li army had been dragged to an open space a hundred feet away and piled up, to be disposed of in a unified manner at dawn tomorrow.
In the distance, the torches of the fleeing soldiers disappeared like stars into the northern night. This night raid came quickly and went even faster.
"Your Highness!" The gatekeeper stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "The battlefield has been cleared. Our army suffered 127 dead, 203 seriously wounded, and the number of lightly wounded is not counted. We annihilated 2,742 enemy soldiers and captured over 130!"
Baili Chengfeng nodded, his tone calm: "The list of fallen soldiers should be compiled overnight, and their compensation should be doubled. Prisoners should be held in separate quarters; do not mistreat them. I need these men to live to see their commander again!"
"Yes!"
"Also... Tomorrow at dawn, use my warrant to summon the city's craftsmen to reinforce the city gates, and send out scouts thirty li away..."
Ye Xiaoying has suffered such a great loss; he won't let this go easily. Tonight's failed night raid has left them severely weakened, and I estimate they won't be able to fight again for some time!"
Baili Chengfeng paused, looked southwest towards Tieji Ridge, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes, "As for that place... I wonder how Zhao'er is handling it."
He said no more, turned around and stepped down from the city wall.
The sound of horses' hooves was particularly clear on the empty streets. Baili Chengfeng rode slowly, and wherever he passed, the night patrol soldiers saluted.
Despite the night raid, Qian Dong City remained calm – a testament to the strict discipline of the Po Feng Army.
As they approached the Marquis's residence, from a distance, a hundred li away, they could see the brightly lit torches in front of the gate.
He was slightly startled.
In the square in front of the mansion gate, more than a hundred guards of the Marquis's mansion, clad in armor and armed with weapons, stood in solemn formation.
At the very front of the procession, a figure sat atop a white horse—
She wore a moon-white, close-fitting soft armor, covered by a crimson cloak, her long hair was tied into a high ponytail, and a red headband was tied around her forehead.
A sword hangs at his waist, a bow is on his back, and a delicate, sharp short sword hangs beside his saddle.
In the firelight, the man had sharp features and an imposing presence; it was none other than Wen Luoyu!
Baili Chengfeng reined in his horse, stunned on the spot!
He hadn't seen his wife dressed like this for many years—the last time was twenty years ago, when he single-handedly stormed Lingnan to snatch her away. Wen Luoyu was dressed like this, armored and sword in hand, confronting the Xu family's servants, before finally abandoning everything to follow him west to Qiandong.
She was eighteen years old then, with beautiful features and a spirited demeanor.
Now, twenty years have passed, and she is a mother with fine lines around her eyes, but the way she sits on her horse with such grace and spirit is exactly the same as it was back then!
"Madam...wife?!"
Baili Chengfeng stared wide-eyed at the beautiful figure in front of him, unable to look away.
……