Chapter 62: Great Wu is Sick

The afternoon of the twenty-fifth day of the third month.

As they drew closer to Huaifeng Prefecture, the small groups of Wu Army Soldiers they encountered on the road became more numerous.

Some were as ragged as they were, others bore wounds, and even those unharmed had lost half their armor and weapons during the retreat.

They all looked dejected and lost.

Moving further ahead, the scene gradually devolved into chaos.

Centering on Huaifeng Prefecture, the area spanning several *li* was filled with newly gathered remnants of the army.

Some officers had managed to rally their subordinates and maintained some semblance of order.

But the majority—small bands of routed Soldiers who had not yet reformed—were difficult to control.

Defeated armies historically lacked discipline. Huaifeng Prefecture, perhaps fearing the routed Soldiers would enter the city and cause trouble, kept all four gates tightly shut.

This, however, brought misery upon the villages surrounding Huaifeng Prefecture.

Along the way, Ding Suian and his group witnessed at least four or five farces of routed Soldiers robbing food and money from villagers.

When they encountered such incidents, Ding Suian and his men could quickly drive the robbers away, but in the distance, fires had already begun to rise in some villages.

Seeing the chaotic situation, Ding Suian immediately decided to remain on the outskirts and not venture further in.

“Yuanxi, you wait here. I will enter the city first, then send someone back to fetch you.”

Despite the four gates being tightly closed, Chen Fuchen spoke as if entering was simple.

At *Weishi* time (1-3 pm).

Outside Huaifeng Prefecture, the air was thick with smoke and deafening with noise.

Due to the large influx of routed Soldiers in a short period, Huaifeng Prefecture’s organizational capacity could not keep up. Some Soldiers who had still not received their rations gathered together and demanded entry into the city.

This was probably the first time Zhao Yan had been in such close proximity to so many people; she was a little scared and kept clutching Ding Suian’s sleeve, following closely behind him.

At *Weike* time (1:15-1:30 pm).

A thin, haggard woman walked unsteadily, yet she was still cradling an infant. As she passed by Ding Suian and the others, perhaps sensing they looked kind and noticing the woman among them, she hesitated repeatedly before timidly approaching, “Military official, spare us some food, please.”

Ding Suian searched his entire body but couldn’t find a single bite of food. He could only ask the others, “Does anyone else have anything to eat?”

Li Baicheng and the others all shook their heads.

They truly had nothing left to eat. Even Lin Dafu had lost a considerable amount of weight.

“Sister-in-law, how did you end up in this state?” Li Meimei asked.

The woman swayed slightly, sighed, and said, “My husband was conscripted as a laborer some days ago and went with the army to Southern Zhao. Now, I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

It was a deeply sorrowful matter, but the woman spoke with a slightly numb expression, her attention entirely focused on the child.

“Waa wu waa wu~” The infant in her arms suddenly began to cry loudly at that moment. The woman ignored the men present and immediately pulled open her clothes, bringing the baby to her chest.

The infant’s cries immediately stopped.

But her shriveled chest hung down like a piece of torn, slack cloth; there was no milk left at all.

“Is there no food left at home?” Li Meimei asked again.

“None. On the evening of the seventeenth, the main army came to our village to requisition grain and took away all the village’s provisions. The men in the village fled as refugees. I, a woman with a child, couldn’t walk far, so I could only wander nearby.”

The woman’s gaze was unfocused, her calmness bordering on dullness, as if she were speaking of something inconsequential.

“…”

Ding Suian and the others were greatly astonished. The great defeat at Koujian Pass occurred on the fifteenth.

And routed Soldiers were already near Huaifeng Prefecture by the seventeenth.

Whose troops were these? They ran so fast, and their discipline was truly terrible!

Just then, Gao Gan, who had entered the city with Chen Fuchen earlier, returned with a detachment of men to escort Ding Suian and the others into the city.

Ding Suian deliberately walked over to the woman and urged her, “Sister, wait here for me a moment. I will fetch some food to bring to you later.”

“Thank you, military official,”

The woman managed a weak bow.

Ding Suian opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but ultimately said, “Please, wait for me.”

At the end of *Shenshi* time (3-5 pm).

Ding Suian and his group entered the city. Chen Fuchen had actually arranged for them to rest in official quarters.

Hot baths and delicious meals were already prepared.

Seeing this, Lin Dafu kept giving Ding Suian meaningful glances, essentially saying, See? I wasn’t wrong, was I?

Chen Fuchen definitely has a very high background!

Ding Suian paid him no mind. He grabbed a steamed bun to chew on, packed some of the food, and borrowed some silver from Chen Fuchen before heading out of the city again.

He returned to the spot where he had met the woman, but she was nowhere in sight.

He searched the vicinity until dusk but couldn’t find her. Ding Suian had no choice but to return.

Upon returning to the official quarters in Huaifeng Prefecture, he immediately heard explosive news.

“The Duke of Zhenguo has died in battle?”

“Yes.”

Chen Fuchen, who had just learned the news, sat in his chair, his single remaining right eye slightly red.

Xia Jiye not only held extremely high prestige among the common Soldiers but was also renowned as the ‘Great Wu Military God.’

The fall of a major general might impact the State of Wu even more severely than this disastrous Southern Campaign.

“According to the mid-army vanguard Soldiers who managed to flee back, when the Duke of Zhenguo saw the entire army routed, he personally led his seven sons to cover the rear. That Soldier did not see the Duke of Zhenguo die in battle, but he personally witnessed the Duke of Zhenguo…” Chen Fuchen paused briefly, masking his emotional fluctuation by taking a sip of tea, then continued, “…use ‘Raging Zhang’.”

Raging Zhang was a technique only attainable in the Yugang Realm, a technique of mutual destruction!

It demanded the price of one’s own vital energy to temporarily boost combat power significantly.

Once exhausted, even an immortal could not save him.

A commanding general, seeing the inevitable defeat and collapse of his army, personally staying behind to cover the retreat—it could be called tragic.

“Third Brother…” Beside him, Gao Gan, whom no one had noticed, had tears welling up in his eyes at some point. He asked, “Is there any news of Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother?”

The Sixth and Seventh Brothers mentioned now were naturally the sixth and seventh sons among Xia Jiye’s seven sons.

Judging by Gao Gan’s expression, he must have been very close to the two Xia brothers.

Chen Fuchen slowly shook his head. “Currently, we only confirmed that Second Brother Xia exhausted his strength, fell from his horse, and was trampled to death by the panicked horses. Fifth Brother Xia was struck by a Broken Gang Arrow and died. There is no news of the others for now.”

Gao Gan’s lips trembled. He bent over, covering his face with both hands.

His body, crouched on the ground, shook incessantly, emitting no sound, yet the tears couldn’t be stopped as they seeped out between his fingers, drop by drop.

“How exactly was this battle lost?” Li Meimei voiced the confusion of everyone present.

Silence filled the room; no one answered.

After a while, Chen Fuchen suddenly stood up, walked over to Third Young Master Gao, gently patted his shoulder to offer comfort, and instructed, “I have already inquired for you. Your father led the main contingent and retreated safely. They are currently stationed five *li* north of the city. Your elder brother was trapped at the front lines. You should leave for the north of the city immediately.”

Chen Fuchen continued, “In this battle, the mid-army suffered the heaviest casualties. The Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise armies have no structure left. We do not need to return to our formations.”

Having ‘no structure left’ essentially meant the entire mid-army was wiped out.

The atmosphere was heavy, as if frozen.

Chen Fuchen looked around at everyone, his voice measured and firm, “When the nation is in extreme peril, loyalty shines through! You must know that victory or defeat cannot be foreseen; only by knowing shame and striving forward can we not fail our duties as men of seven feet!”

Having said this, Chen Fuchen clasped his hands in salute to everyone one by one. “I originally intended to let you brothers rest and recover in Huaifeng Prefecture for a day or two, but given the current situation, that is impossible! We must set off for Central Heaven early tomorrow morning. I apologize for the hardship, everyone!”

The group rose one after another, returning the salute. The somber atmosphere eased slightly.

Even Ding Suian had to admit that his nominal Third Brother possessed considerable leadership presence.

The next day, at *Chenshi* time (7-9 am).

Ding Suian and his party left the city of Huaifeng Prefecture.

Compared to yesterday, they were now accompanied by a detachment of armored guards specifically assigned for escort.

Lin Dafu’s gut could tell this escort was for Chen Fuchen’s protection.

After leaving the city, they sped northeastward.

Less than five *li* from the city gate, Ding Suian’s peripheral vision suddenly caught a dark shadow in the ditch beside the official road.

“Hoo~”

A strange premonition struck him, and Ding Suian pulled his reins, halting his horse.

“Hoo~”

“Hoo~”

Seeing him stop, the others simultaneously reined in their horses.

“Sixth Brother, what is it?” Li Meimei called out loudly.

Ding Suian didn’t answer. He walked several paces to the edge of the ditch.

The spring breeze of the third month was soft and gentle.

The coarse cloth skirt was lifted by the breeze, just covering the face.

Ding Suian slowly bent down and lifted a corner of the skirt that had flipped upwards.

“…”

A woman, cradling an infant.

Mother and child were curled up in the ditch, already stiffened.

Even in death, the infant’s small mouth was still latched onto the shriveled breast.

It was the woman they had met outside the city yesterday.

Ding Suian slowly let the skirt fall back down.

Great Wu is sick.

Thanks to: 202102011041020015184, for the tip~