467 No More Regrets. The Family of Generals Is Here! (1/2)
The white silhouette who had appeared at the very last moment to shield Fu Baoguo was Bai Yixue.
It could only be Bai Yixue, of course.
As he had entered the Fortress of Resilience, Old Marshal Qiu Jianhan had immediately felt the suffocating atmosphere of anxiety, a finely-honed sense of danger developed from years of being at constant war. He had immediately instructed Bai Yixue to scout ahead and assist Fu Baoguo to ensure his safety.
Bai Yixue's current level and cultivation base were still insufficient to change the outcome of the war, but it was more than enough to protect a single person. He had flitted between the pelting arrows to join the battle and save Fu Baoguo.
Bai Yixue's capabilities would have put him among the top ten swordsmen in his generation. It was, however, impossible to compare with him with Jun Moyan; the differences between the two were still significantly vast.
Nonetheless, Bai Yixue, who was already at sixth heaven, was securely at the peak of this world. Despite not being at the pinnacle standard, he was still a paramount, able to go toe to toe with the Five Venerable Lords.
Qiu Jianhan surveyed the ruins of the Fortress of Resilience after the war. Even with his old, gnarly character, he could not help but feel a pang of sorrow which threatened to cajole tears from his eyes.
The word tattered could barely describe the state that the Fortress of Resilience was in; it was absolutely inadequate. The Fortress of Resilience was crushed; everything had been torn and ruined, as far as the eye could see.
Rows upon rows of injured soldiers were asleep, snoring loudly after collapsing on their sides. Their faces were lined with pure fatigue. Their wounds were still bleeding, but they were sleeping so soundly that the newcomers could barely bring themselves to wake them up and treat them.
There were veterans who were still moving about on the road. Walking was a generous term, as they were all dragging their legs, as if their feet were weighed down by thousands of catties, and could not be lifted up at all. Their faces were all filled with unspeakable exhaustion and numbness.
If they were to sit down, they would have started snoring immediately and slept through the next three days!
There was also the buildings scattered throughout the fort, but the majority of them were in a sorry state.
A successful attack against a secure fortification would have utilized all kinds of weapons; the same could not be said for their defensive maneuvers as the best tactic they could resort to was rolling wood and rocks. Otherwise, Fu Baoguo would not have asked the Steel Cavalry to bring the materials back each time they returned to restock rations in exchange for weapons and arrows.
However, the wood and rocks that were needed during defense that had been brought back by the Steel Cavalry were like a drop of water in the ocean; the biggest source of these supplies had to come from the Fortress of Resilience itself. The materials of the buildings inside the fort, the pillars, tiles and roof beams had all been used. As the war stretched on, there were barely a handful of structures that could be found intact in the fort!
”It's all in ruins! It's a catastrophe!”
Qiu Jianhan sighed into the sky, conveying what he had seen and the anguish weighing down on his chest, all by this single sigh.
Fu Baoguo who was drained, both mentally and physically, did not go to rest at once, but was carried to the marshal's hall; his legs were trembling, his face was pale. The slightest bit of human color eluded him. It was best if Fu Baoguo could sleep for three days straight to recuperate, but he insisted on resting only after he reported the current situation to Old Marshal Qiu.
Looking at Fu Baoguo's forlorn state, Qiu Jianhan retrieved the five-hundred-year-old aged ginseng he brought along to boil it into a broth for the former without another word. Only then did Fu Baoguo, who was thoroughly wounded and exhausted, look a little better.
”How do things fare? Report it quickly and then go get some rest!” Qiu Jianhan asked irritably.
Fu Baoguo looked utterly upset. He knew that Old Marshal Qiu would ask this and he had prepared himself for it, but the moment the question was asked, a piercing heartache sliced through his heart again.
He closed his eyes, his voice hoarse.
”When this subordinate came to the Fortress of Resilience, I had a hundred thousand soldiers, one thousand janissaries, three hundred thousand militants from the Fortress of Resilience itself. This makes up a total of four hundred and one thousand, five hundred and three brothers.”
”There was a hundred and eight thousand, six hundred support personnel following the supply trains.”
”Later on, the relief troops that arrived included everyone from martial world practitioners to ordinary citizens who came voluntarily. There were over sixty thousand men who had arrived within these two months and they were all area enforcers, students of schools and sects, passionate martial artists, retired veterans, adults, and youths. They made up sixty-three thousand and a hundred and forty-eight people.”
”When the western border's support came in the form of a hundred and fifty thousand brothers, our total military strength came up to seven hundred and twenty-three thousand, two hundred and fifty-one people!”
”Up until now…” Fu Baoguo found it hard to continue.
”Of the hundred and fifty thousand men of the Steel Cavalry, we are left with ninety-three thousand cavalrymen, while thirty thousand units of our forces have not been used. The remaining forces in the fortress… including all sorts of military personnel… comes up to only a hundred and seventy-nine thousand, four hundred and nine people! This also includes the wounded and sick.”
When Fu Baoguo spoke, Qiu Jianhan and all the relief troops who had just arrived looked aghast.
”Four hundred and twenty thousand people...” Qiu Jianhan's voice cracked and trailed off.
”No... It is four hundred and twenty thousand... eight hundred and forty-two people.” Fu Baoguo appeared stoic, but tears were running down from the corners of his eyes.
The foyer quieted down suddenly, leaving behind a pin-drop silence. Everyone felt like their hearts were being gripped tight, making it difficult to breathe.
”This number... is increasing as we speak.”
Fu Baoguo said, ”Our medicine supplies have been exhausted long ago. Now, every day, every hour, and even in every breath… many wounded soldiers are dying. Some were severely injured, some were incurable and died from blood loss. Some tried to hold on until their last breath, and now that the Fortress of Resilience' crisis has been overcome, they can't hold on anymore. They slipped away with a breath of relief…”
Qiu Jianhan stood up and said with a grim face, ”I've prepared for this. We've brought enough medicine on this trip, a thousand and two hundred carriages of them. At the same time, we've brought three thousand and two hundred physicians. They can start operating now, to save the injured eastern members with all the effort they can muster.”
”Shangguan Lingxiu!”
Qiu Jianhan ordered.
”Here!” Shangguan Lingxiu, whose eyes were moist, stepped out.
”Raise the flag of the Shangguan Family of Generals! Let our warriors and brothers see it. Let them know that the Family of Generals are here and have arrived at the eastern defense line!” Qiu Jianhan uttered solemnly.
”Yes!”
Qiu Jianhan turned to look at Sun Zihu and said faintly, ”Sun Zihu, if you're still alive after this war, go back and tell your Marshal Wang Yunzhu that his soldiers are a tough bunch indeed. He didn't embarrass your father! The reputation of the western elites is well earned; their passion to defend the country and guard the people is second to none!”
It was a very ordinary compliment, but Sun Zihu's tears streamed down his face like a broken dam. He was practically sobbing as he said, ”Thank you, Old Marshal! This subordinate will report to marshal without leaving a single word out!”
”Yes, yes.” Qiu Jianhan hummed and mused for a good while before saying unhurriedly, ”I've spoken anyway, let me say more. Tell your Marshal Wang that after this war, whether this old man is alive or dead, let him kneel in the Qiu Residence when he goes back to the capital. You Sunzi (Grandson), you shall come together.”