Vol 9 Chapter 72 (2/2)

“… Tell the flag-bearers to relay the order to the rearguard. Tell them to try and a.s.sist the cavalry to escape.” It was very difficult to say this but I had to, “But tell them not to push themselves. If they find that it is impossible then just retreat as soon as possible.”

“Yes!” She replied and hurriedly ran back. Soon, the heavy thuds of various pieces of plate armour hitting the floor could be heard.

When I heard these sounds, I felt gloomy inside. Heavy plate armour was not cheap or easy to manufacture yet now we had to abandon these to our enemy. I was very unhappy about this but if we want to make it out alive, we must do so.

Hu… I gave a long sigh, “Well then, next is–”

“Are we not returning by our original route?” Just as I was about to give the next order, Lu Xiang voiced out what my thoughts. I looked at her and she returned my gaze with a serious one of her own.

“Yes, they know our original route and there might be another ambush waiting for us there so we will take a long route and circle around.” I continued, impressed at Lu Xiang’s growth after this battle.

Putting down our camp equipment and siege weaponry turned out to be a boon for our escape as it made for a nice diversion while we escaped. They would undoubtedly search for our encampment if they lost sight of us and by then, we would have made it back to the city.

That said, the losses we suffered in this battle are far too great. Not only did we have a great number of casualties, we lost about half a month of supplies and equipment for almost 10,000 men.

“Jia, jia!” I yelled out as I swung the reins down.

I looked ahead but what filled my eyes were not the vegetation, the dirt road, the river or the hills. It was all obscured by what just happened in the battle before. In my mind, all I could see was Lu Kuang’s death, Lu Xiang’s look of despair, the pincer attack, my broken spear and our desperate escape from the surround.

I have to admit that the battle before was the worst, and the most difficult one, I have ever fought. From pre-battle plans, the decisions I made during the battle to the escape plan, I did not do a single thing right.

There is much more room for improvement for me. With regards to my progress on the path of the warrior, I can only give myself 5 points of so. However, because of my poor mastery of being a warrior, I lost many things during this battle that can never be regained. All that is left to me are painful and unforgettable memories.

By now we have been travelling at a frantic pace towards Fan city for about 2 hours since our escape. Along the way, I left behind a small unit to scout things out. Since there was no news of pursuers, I decided to take a risk and let everyone take a break.

At the same time, I decided to bite the bullet and take stock of the remaining troops before doing a re-shuffle of troop formation if necessary.

Haa… I sighed as I dismounted and sat on a rock.

Wu!

I am not a spoilt brat and am accustomed to riding for long distances but I have been on horseback the entire time since we began marching for Xinye city. When I finally dismounted and sat down on a flat surface, I could feel an aching burn in my inner thighs and pelvis area. Looks like I have been clenching my legs on the horse from being tense for too long.

I instinctively reached up to touch my hat only to remember that it had already been cut in half and was left on the battlefield. All that I felt was an aching wound. I inspected my body and found that apart from some mud, there were no serious wounds and merely come shallow cuts here and there.

I also lost my spear. This was merely a skirmish and not a decisive battle yet I have been thoroughly humiliated this far. I have to say that I was thoroughly played the fool from the very beginning. I wonder which strategist devised their plans. I have no idea at all but it’s certain that this strategist is a dangerous element. At the same time, it does not feel like the work of the Xu state administrative officials.

Perhaps it might be the work of a newcomer, like that man with a longsword and a barbarian headdress.

“Ah…” Lu Xiang winced and groaned as well when she sat down beside me. This groan, however, was not the sort from relief but merely the realisation of pain.

Neither of us spoke but soon, she could not hold it in and her head drooped down.

*s.h.i.+ku*~

She sniffles and looked up as she nodded. This cycle repeated itself over and over but she did not seem to look better at all. I know that Lu Xiang wants to cry but it seems like she does not want to let anyone else see, or hear, her crying.

“Lu Xiang, if you want to cry, do it.”

But I know that nothing short of a good, long and hard cry can relieve the torrent of emotions inside. The more one tries to hold back, the more sorrowful one feels and the more one feels like crying. It is a vicious cycle that will lead to a terrible urge to cry whenever one thinks of the cause for sorrow.

Which is also why we never ever bring up Dian Wei in front of my lord. My lord would never cry in front of us but her expression would be terrible if she heard of Dian Wei’s name and there was no doubt that she cried later on when she was alone. So after Lord Cheng Yu instructed us, none of us raised Dian Wei’s name ever again.

*s.h.i.+ku*… *s.h.i.+ku*… However, contrary to what I suggested, Lu Xiang sniffled and took a deep breath.

<script>