841 Seeking Help (1/2)
After riding through a vast area of open space, Shangguan Ru and the female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance realized that they were lost.
The wind had slowed slightly by now, but the sun in the sky seemed very peculiar – it seemed to be in the wrong position. It should be in the west, but it was actually in the east.
”What time is it now?” asked Shangguan Ru.
All of the female soldiers, including Red Bat, shook their heads. The battle had started in the morning, and it felt like it had lasted a long time. However, it also felt like it had just started.
”Stay here and wait.”
Shangguan Ru spurred the Flame Foal to gallop forward at full speed, and her figure soon disappeared into the dusty air. Red Bat didn't have enough time to stop her. But her worry was abated when the Instructor soon appeared in another direction.
After glancing at the female soldiers receding into the distance, Shangguan Ru dashed into the dusty air again, searching for signs of battle.
The female soldiers felt restless and uncertain, as if there were enemies lurking all around them. Also, there were only fifty of them. When compared to the average Norland cavalryman, they were like children who had just learned how to walk.
The Instructor was their only source of comfort. They became depressed when Shangguan Ru disappeared out of their sight, and they only regained their composure when she reappeared again. As their moods vacillated back and forth, their nervousness began to peak.
Finally, when Shangguan Ru appeared for the fifth time, she waved her hands at them. This meant that she had found the right direction.
And Shangguan Ru had indeed found a battleground. The yelling that was specific to grasslands men sounded like the howl of a pack of wolves, which suggested that this was a vast battleground.
A couple of arrows were shot at them. Shangguan Ru hurriedly cried out, ”We're subordinates of the Dragon King!”
If the opposing side was Luoluo's troops, then Shangguan Ru's declaration would bring lethal danger to them.
But she was very lucky.
”The Dragon King? Did the Dragon King lead his army here?” An excited voice came from the opposite side. A couple of Norland cavalrymen rapidly rode over. But after seeing that there were only a couple dozen of female soldiers, they appeared disappointed.
Red Bat was about to speak up, but Shangguan Ru raised her hand and stopped her. The Dragon King was clearly not here. Her question would only further disappoint these soldiers who were fighting hard.
”The Middle Corps won their battle. I'm here to deliver this message.”
”The Middle Corps won?” The soldiers could scarcely believe their ears. One of them immediately turned his horse around and started retracing his steps to report this godsend to his commanding officer.
”The Middle Corps will soon and reinforce us soon, right?” Another soldier asked, looking past Shangguan Ru and the others into the space behind them. It was as if he expected an army to miraculously materialized and rush over in the blink of an eye.
”Kind of. There was only a small group of enemies left when I set out,” Shangguan Ru lied. Under Dugu Xian's command, the Middle Corps were currently advancing towards Luoluo's headquarters, and it would be impossible for them to spare any troops to reinforce the left wing.
The soldiers ignored the Shangguan Ru's vague remarks and drew their own conclusions that reinforcements would definitely come.
An officer rode towards them from the distance, yelling, ”General Liman has requested to meet with you, Instructor Shangguan.”
Liman had been struggling to hold the enemy back, and he knew that his army wouldn't last long. The three 10,000-men armies had already been defeated, and these 10,000 men under his command were the only troops left. Additionally, they were facing at least 50,000 enemies if not even more.
He had sent a couple of small contingents, scattering in several directions. Under the cover of the dusty air, they were supposed to bluff the enemies into believing that they had met a formidable force. However, this ruse wouldn't last long either.
At this time, some soldiers suddenly brought some unexpected good news. Like the common soldiers, Lima was also looking toward the south in anticipation.
And Shangguan Ru appeared, riding that conspicuous Flame Foal.
Regular horses would run with their heads down when faced with strong wind, but this unique steed that was the Flame Foal ran with its head up. As if it had been running under some kind of restriction and hadn't been fully enjoying the feel of the wind, it suddenly picked up its speed after seeing Liman.
Liman used to be an animal caretaker whose sole duty was to groom the Flame Foal. To the Norlanders, this was an admirable and respectable identity, and Liman had always been proud of it.
The precious horse itself, rather than the rider on it, had given Liman hope for the first time since the battle had started.
”The Middle Corps won?” Liman was even more nervous than the troops beside him because he was the only one who knew about Prince Duodun's overall plan. In his mind, there was no way for the Middle Corps to win even if only half of Duodun's plan had been successfully enacted.
Shangguan Ru nodded. She knew that Liman was one of the insiders of the conspiracies, so she didn't fill him in on the entire situation of the overall battle. Instead, she asked somewhat abruptly, ”Where's Prince Duodun?”
Liman didn't answer directly, and instead briefly introduced the current situation that the Left Corps was in, and he especially emphasized the part where the Naihang Tribe had made way for Luoluo. But soon, the situation revealed itself.
The Second Consort had led all her troops here, and she had even armed all of the servants of the rear encampment. It was only because of the fact that there weren't enough horses that she hadn't turned all of them into soldiers.
She had managed to rally an army of around 15,000 to 16,000 men, and as a result, the encampment was now nearly empty. The remnant servants leftover in the camp were the ones who had been lucky enough to not be assigned to any horse because there weren't any left. After realizing that nobody was watching them, they immediately fled in the opposite direction.
But the Second Consort didn't care. She would regain everything if she won, and she would lose everything if she lost. Thus, she would rather die on the battlefield than become an ordinary grasslands woman with no power.
Duodun was right beside her, riding the same horse as Mo Lin. He had come around from the coma, but the look on his face was cold, as if all this had nothing to do with him.
”The Middle Corps won?” The Second Consort's first question was the same as that of the others.
Shangguan Ru nodded again. ”General Dugu directed the operations himself.”
”What about the Right Corps?”
”They should have engaged the enemy by now, but I don't know any details about their specific situation.” Shangguan Ru told the truth this time.
The Second Consort raised her head and exhaled deeply, ignoring the sand that entered her mouth due to the wind. ”When will the Middle Corps come to back us?”
”I'm only responsible for delivering this message. I don't know much about the other news.” Shangguan Ru thought there was no longer any need for her to lie more.
The Second Consort moved closer to Shangguan Ru, signaled Liman and Mo Chu to come over by waving her arm, and then said in a muted voice, ”Tell me the truth.”
”The Middle Corps did win. Under the command of General Dugu, they're now attacking Luoluo's Middle Corps.”
Hope had come and gone even quicker than the sand in the wind. The Second Consort nearly went went. Clenching her teeth, she asked, ”The Left Corps can't hold on any longer. Is the Dragon King not going to do anything?”
Shangguan Ru responded coldly, ”The Dragon King thinks that the Left Corps is standing by and merely enjoying the show.”
The Second Consort's face flushed. Had Duodun's plan succeeded, the Left Corps indeed would have been watching the battle as if they were enjoying a show with the Naihang Tribe right now.
”I'll explain in the future. But once the Left Corps is defeated, we'll lose the war. The Middle Corps will be under attack from both the front and the rear. What's the point of defeating Luoluo by then? Mo Chu! You're the Commander-in-chief, so give the command.”
Mo Chu said with a wry smile, ”Second Consort, General Dugu's choice… was right. If he manages to capture or kill Luoluo, the enemies will-”
Nobody supported the Second Consort. She turned her head and said to Shangguan Ru, ”Where's my army? I have 10,000 men in the Middle Corps and I want them back now.”
The Second Consort's tone was aggressive. And Red Bat couldn't help herself from responding, ”Second Consort, you handed over your army to the Middle Corps yourself. When troops are on the battlefield, the commander is the only one who can command them. You can't just demand for them to return.”
The Second Consort knew that she had misbehaved, but she was still unwilling to publicly apologize. So she instead just said in a gentler tone, ”Liman, the army I brought here will be under your command. Hold the enemies back for as long as you can. Instructor Shangguan, let's have a word in private.”