Chapter 334 - The Start of a War (1/2)

Chapter 334: The Start of a War

Yuwen Tong had come and left in great haste. The two of them had only had a few romantic moments before parting.

In the wake of this visit was more frequent pre-war deployment of troops. More than half of the garrison in the headquarters inside the city were drafted out, leaving the rest guarding the border city in the rear.

On the day of the battle, although the infirmary in the city was very far away from the battlefield beyond the city walls, Ling Zhang could still faintly hear the thunderous beat of war drums, the quaking of the ground caused by numerous galloping horses and the battle cries of countless troops. Residents and soldiers in the city had all become used to it, their faces grave but not panic-stricken, appearing much more composed than Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang’s mind had been wandering frequently since morning. What with his sense of hearing which was much sharper than that of a common person, every time he heard something that sounded out of the ordinary, his back tensed and he looked in the direction of the battlefield.

His reaction didn’t escape the notice of people around him, though he maintained a poker face.

“Don’t worry, Childe Ling. The Marshal will surely win. We will surely win,” a wounded soldier before him told him. This soldier’s leg was hurt. There was a very deep slash in his thigh, and he was unable to walk right now, but the look on his face was one of deep faith, and he, surprisingly, offered some words of comfort to Ling Zhang who was changing his dressing and bandaging him.

Ling Zhang pulled himself out of his half-trance. At the sight of the a.s.sertive expression in the wounded soldier’s eyes, he briefly paused. Touched by the unfaltering look in the soldier’s eyes, he thought of something, twisted his head aside to look at the others and found that all those around him were gazing at him with the same expression in their eyes. It was only then that he came to realize the distant look on his face concerned them.

A warm glow slowly rose inside him. These people had an unswerving belief that the army of the Great Yue under the command of Yuwen Tong would win this war. He should’ve had as much faith in Yuwen Tong as they had.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted like this.”

“Ur…” The wounded soldier embarra.s.sedly scratched his head. “You don’t have to say that, Childe Ling. We’re a bunch of boors, but we know you’re worried about the Marshal. What is it they say…”

“That although Childe Ling is here, his mind is with the Marshal!” said someone on the side immediately.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s right. All of us could understand,” said the first wounded soldier.

Ling Zhang’s face, which was somewhat ashen with stress, slowly returned to normal. He gave a little cough. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Alas, don’t be shy, Childe Ling. You and the Marshal get along well. We get it.” The speaker dissolved into chuckle, and so did the others.

Amid the laughter, a pink flush slowly spread over Ling Zhang’s cheeks and to his ear lobes. Faced with these men who talked in a frank and direct way, he was unable to extricate himself out of this situation and could only keep a poker face. Seeing this, the others continued chuckling friendly. When they had enjoyed it enough, they stopped and someone brought up another topic, trying to strike up a conversation with Ling Zhang, who, naturally, wouldn’t ignore him. As the chat went on, his tense back gradually relaxed considerably.

Ling Zhaowu who was not far away saw this and gave a smile. Although on the surface, these soldiers seemed to be uncouth fellows who knew nothing, they actually could be quite considerate sometimes. With some quips, they successfully diverted Ling Zhang’s attention away.

…

Outside the city.

The two armies had engaged. All of a sudden, a contingent of the Great Yue retreated towards somewhere else, leaving Yuwen Tong and his men in front alone. This change happened in a rather peculiar fas.h.i.+on.

Distantly, Dong Gao saw Shao Feng lead his men elsewhere and smacked his hand down onto his lap. “Good! Shao Feng has retreated as promised. Hurry. Send word that all units are to take action as planned!”

“Yes, General!”

The allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom also made their move. Cooperating with Shao Feng, they outflanked Yuwen Tong’s men.

“Trap them to death!” yelled Dong Gao smugly. “Not so c.o.c.ky now, huh, Yuwen Tong?!”

Yuwen Tong’s unit was pinned down by the army of the Wan Kingdom and at the same time outflanked by the Luohai Kingdom’s troops. He was trapped completely and there seemed to be no way out.

Staring at Dong Gao in the distance, Yuwen Tong gave a sneer and ordered, “Jiang Xi, take some men and hold them back. All the others are to come with me. Together we’ll drag Shan Congwen off his horse!”

“Yes, Marshal!”

The large unit quickly split into two groups. The main force, led by Yuwen Tong, charged at the army of the Wan Kingdom. The smaller group stayed with Jiang Xi to defend against troops of the Luohai Kingdom who outflanked them.

At the sight of Yuwen Tong charging at the army of the Wan Kingdom, heedless of the odds which seemed heavily against him, both Dong Gao and Shan Congwen were stunned for a moment. When Dong Gao came to himself, he felt humiliated and cursed loudly. “Yuwen Tong! You snot-nosed brat don’t even have the b.a.l.l.s to face me?!”

“What’s the hurry, Dong Gao? I’m still here. Your death wish will be granted,” jibed Jiang Xi on his horse, eyeing Dong Gao coldly.

“Who do you think you are? You want to stop me? Dream on!” spat Dong Gao.

“What if we give him a hand?” A sonorous voice was heard amid deafening noises coming from behind.

Dong Gao gave a start, jerked his head around and saw that Shao Feng and his men, who should’ve retreated along another route, had returned and were now charging at him. Meanwhile, another two forces were advancing towards him from his flanks, besieging him.

“H–How could you…” Dong Gao was both astounded and furious. “Shao Feng, you’re going back on your word?!”

“This is ridiculous. I’m a general of the Great Yue’s army. Why should I follow the orders of you, a general of the opposing army? You’re soft in the head and daydreaming too much,” replied Shao Feng.

It was at this moment that Dong Gao came to realize what was going on. “You fooled me!” he bellowed.