Chapter 55: The First Year of Shenwu, Spring.

March 15th.

7-9 am sharp.

Today there wasn’t a breath of wind; atop Koujian Pass, the tiger banners of Southern Zhao hung limply against the flagpole, as if hinting at the fate of this small country on the southwestern border.

Before the pass, red armor stretched like a mountain range, spears and halberds like a forest, as one hundred thousand Soldiers of Great Wu stood silently in the morning mist.

Only the slight clinking of armor plates and the sound of warhorses breathing could be heard.

At 7:15 am, the Wu Army began its first wave of offensives against this final barrier before the capital of Southern Zhao.

Suddenly, the sounds of killing shook the heavens, and the buzzing of bowstrings was incessant.

This time, Ding Suian was still just a spectator.

The primary duty of the Qiaodao Local Army was to build roads in the mountains and bridges over rivers; they needed to carry heavy supplies, so during wartime, they were basically assigned to the very rear of the main army.

Unless something unexpected happened, for the duration of the southern campaign, it was unlikely they would be called upon to charge into battle.

Lin Dafu pulled up a folding stool and sat on high ground within the camp, looking toward the distant battlefield as if watching a play.

Because of the morning mist, Koujian Pass, several miles away, was reduced to a blurry, massive shadow, and the battle situation could not be seen clearly.

“Young Master Ding, look, that is Duke Xia. Beside him are the seven sons of the Xia family.”

Lin Dafu gestured vaguely to the front. Having no sons of his own, he drooled with envy when mentioning the’seven sons of the Xia family.’

In the thin mist, the command banner with the character ‘Xia’ stood in the center of the army. An old general with white hair and a white beard sat upright on the command platform, with seven military officers of varying ages standing beside him, each as steady as a pine tree.

This was also Ding Suian’s first time seeing this legendary figure of the Great Wu military world up close. It was said that more than a decade ago, this man had entered the third of the six Martial Artist Realms, the Protective Aura Realm. Having served in the military for forty years and experienced nearly a hundred battles, large and small, he rarely knew defeat and was the number one person in the Great Wu military.

He held the esteemed title of “Xia the Invincible.”

If judged solely by merit, Xia Jiye might not be so beloved by the entire army.

When a Martial Artist Cultivates, besides absorbing Protective Aura and advancing in their Realm, they also need corresponding techniques for blades, spears, and hand-to-hand combat.

However, most martial experts guarded their secrets jealously, rarely showing them to outsiders.

Many years ago, Xia Jiye had condensed a set of blade techniques based on his battlefield combat experience, consisting of eight continuous stances, and taught it to the entire army.

It was known as the ‘Xia’s Eight Blades,’ or ‘Xia’s Eight Chops.’

Every Soldier in Great Wu without a background benefited from his generosity.

Xia Jiye’s figure gradually blurred.

Ding Suian withdrew his gaze and looked around, unable to help but ask, “It is already mid-March, why is there still such heavy fog in Southern Zhao?”

“Southern Zhao is mountainous, and water vapor gathers easily; it’s not strange.”

No sooner had Lin Dafu finished speaking than the surroundings suddenly dimmed.

Looking up, thick banks of fog slowly rolled down, like milk poured into clear water, slowly yet evenly diluting into the air.

After just a few dozen breaths, visibility in the surroundings was less than a hundred paces.

“Something is wrong.”

Lin Dafu also sensed the abnormality.

Even if the mountain country of Southern Zhao was foggy, it shouldn’t have such heavy fog in mid-March.

“Commander Lin, listen!”

Ding Suian frowned, looking ahead. The command banner and the platform had gradually disappeared into the heavy fog. But since the siege Soldiers had already been deployed, it was impossible for them to withdraw in a short time.

At this moment, one should still be able to hear the sounds of roaring and fighting.

However, the front was completely silent.

This sudden heavy fog had not only blocked their sight but seemed to have blocked the sound as well.

“I’ll go to the front and take a look!”

Lin Dafu stood up and walked toward the command platform.

After walking only twenty steps, his figure disappeared into the increasingly thick fog.

Ding Suian felt a vague sense of unease.

More than ten breaths later, the fat figure returned, those short, fat legs moving exceptionally fast. Ding Suian hadn’t expected someone as rotund as a ball could run so nimbly.

A second later, Lin Dafu’s face became clearer in the fog, wearing an expression of extreme panic, even bordering on despair.

“Quick… quick, horses…”

The red-faced Lin Dafu wanted to say something, but because he was panting so hard his lungs felt like they were coming out, he couldn’t form words.

Before Ding Suian could ask what was happening, earth-shattering sounds of killing suddenly erupted from the thick fog on the left. It was so close, it felt like it was right in his ear.

“???”

On the left flank, General Huaihua Qin Shou was stationed with thirty thousand Soldiers from the Local Army. How could a battle suddenly break out near the center?

Before Ding Suian could figure out what was going on, within the thick fog on the left, shadows flickered, and it seemed as if countless people were rushing toward them.

It was like a thousand ghosts walking at night.

‘Clang!’

A Soldier charged out from the side and slashed with his blade.

Wearing leather armor and wrapped in earth-yellow headscarves. Who else could it be but the Southern Zhao Soldiers!

Ding Suian blocked a strike and dragged Lin Dafu back two steps.

Only then did the terrified Lin Dafu manage to say a complete sentence: “Run! The left army is gone!”

Noon.

Outside Koujian Pass.

Behind the heavy fog, the spring rain of the Southern Kingdom fell, and the new mountains were vibrant green.

But on the spring mountains and within the deep valleys, everywhere were Soldiers of the State of Wu in red uniforms running for their lives. To reduce weight, banners, armor, blades, spears, and even wounded comrades were abandoned one by one in the wilderness and mountains.

Behind them, even more Zhao Army Soldiers wearing yellow leather armor sprinted through the mountains as if on flat ground. When they encountered abandoned wounded Soldiers or Wu Soldiers kneeling to beg for mercy, they would, without a word, decapitate them.

Then they would tie the heads to their waists and continue the pursuit. The ferocity of the Southern Zhao Soldiers was evident.

Twenty miles northeast of Koujian Pass.

‘Clatter, clatter, clatter.’

Hooves shattered shallow puddles.

Two warhorses galloped, but the one carrying the fat man was clearly getting slower, its strength gradually failing.

“Ooh-hoo~ Ooh-hoo~”

Behind them, twenty or thirty yards away, a squad of Southern Zhao cavalry let out strange cries, in hot pursuit.

Occasionally, a cold arrow was shot, and the Zhao Army officer immediately shouted, “Stop! That fat man in front, judging by the regulations of his armor, is at least a Commander. The State Preceptor has said, capture anyone above the rank of Dutou alive, and there will be a reward of a hundred taels of silver!”

The conversation behind them could be heard clearly, and Lin Dafu couldn’t help but feel despair. He glanced ahead; they were about to run out of the valley and enter a small plain. Once they reached the open ground with no cover, it would be even harder to escape.

After much hesitation, a rare look of determination appeared on his plump, white face. Finally, gritting his teeth, he said, “Little Ding, if we keep going like this, neither of us will escape. After leaving the valley, we’ll run separately! You go northeast, I’ll run due south!”

Great Wu was to the northeast of Southern Zhao. Lin Dafu was giving up his only sliver of hope.

Ding Suian, hunched over his horse’s back, looked at Lin Dafu in surprise, then looked ahead and replied, “You go northeast, I’ll go due south!”

“Good!”

Lin Dafu agreed crisply.

That old guy!

He tricked him again!

A moment later, the two ran out of the valley entrance. Ding Suian was about to pull the reins south, but unexpectedly, Lin Dafu was the first to pull his reins and turn. However, the direction he fled was not northeast, but due south.

“Commander Lin?”

“Don’t be wishy-washy! Run quickly!”

Lin Dafu said briefly and whipped his horse’s rump fiercely. The horse, already exhausted, sprayed white foam from its mouth, but spurred by the pain, it burst forth with one last bit of strength.

Ding Suian pulled his horse’s reins hard and headed northeast.

Two or three breaths later, the distance between the two widened by dozens of paces. Suddenly, he saw Lin Dafu turn his head and shout, “Little Ding! Treat Consort Su well! Let her burn some paper for me on this day every year, don’t let your father become a lonely ghost. Wuwuwu…”

Having said that, Lin Dafu burst into tears on horseback.

In the forty-eighth year of the Zhengton reign of the Wu calendar, Southern Zhao disrespected the Celestial Empire, and Great Wu dispatched one hundred thousand troops to suppress it.

In early March, the Wu Army entered the territory, capturing four cities in ten days and expanding their territory by three hundred miles.

In the middle of the month, the two countries deployed troops at Koujian Pass.

A decisive battle took place on the 15th.

By the end of 7-9 am, as the fighting was in full swing, a demonic fog descended. The left wing of the Wu Army left its defensive zone without authorization, leaving the flank exposed, and the center was attacked.

The Wu Army suffered a massive collapse, abandoning corpses for sixty miles, and the rivers were blocked by them.

In this battle, Southern Zhao beheaded thirteen thousand, captured over six thousand, and seized countless horses and armor.

When the news of victory reached Yunzhou, Emperor Zhao was overjoyed and issued an edict to the world, declaring that from that day on, they would not submit or pay tribute to the State of Wu.

The whole of Southern Zhao rejoiced and changed the reign title to Shenwu.

PS: No tragedy, everyone rest assured.

I have no more drafts left.