Chapter 355
Chapter 355
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 355
Chapter Title: Battle at the Red River (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Damn...’
Gwak Beom’s face twisted in dismay as he reached the Qin army’s main camp.
The deputy general shouted.
“The palisades are too sturdy! They’ve even surrounded every path leading inside!”
“This makes it no different from a siege.”
“That’s right.”
Tremble...
Gwak Beom’s face twitched with spasms.
When the enemy was this committed to defense, there was little that could be done. It was an eternal truth across history that the attackers in a siege needed several times the enemy’s strength to claim victory.
It was then.
“Commander! Look over there!”
The deputy general pointed to one side of the Qin camp. There stood a structure like a watchtower, and atop it was Crown Prince Yang Mu.
“Oh ho! So the renowned general of the realm, Gwak Beom, has personally led his troops down here!”
The voice, infused with inner energy, rang clearly in the ears of Gwak Beom and his officers. Gwak Beom glared sharply at Yang Mu, who sneered mockingly.
“Have you come for my head? Then by all means, come at me with everything you’ve got!”
Gwak Beom stared with rage-filled eyes at the thousands of banners fluttering beyond the palisades. And at the thousands of archers lined up on the rear palisades, even taller than the front line.
“Commander! If we’re attacking, it has to be now! Any delay, and we’ll have to face the Qin reinforcements coming from the rear!”
Crunch.
Gwak Beom bit his lip hard.
Then, a command that stunned everyone slipped from his lips.
“We’re withdrawing.”
“...!”
“We’ll charge at full speed and strike their rear! Hurry!”
“Yes!”
Gwak Beom turned his horse first.
Thud thud thud!
* * *
“The enemy is retreating!”
“Bye-bye, you cowards!”
“Uahaha!”
As the Zhao army turned tail, mockery and jeers erupted from the Qin ranks.
Yang Mu smiled faintly and shouted to those around him.
“I’ll bestow a great reward on the first to spot the enemy. Go bring them here!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Yang Mu watched Gwak Beom’s unit kicking up dust as it headed north, then issued his next order.
“They might circle around to hit our rear, so send out couriers at once to warn them. Brother, take ten thousand elites and pursue them. If they move to attack our rear, you strike theirs in turn.”
“Me... Your Highness?”
“What? Are you scared?”
“No, but...”
Snap!
Yang Mu placed a hand on Yang Yi-cheon’s shoulder.
“Go. Show them the imperial dignity, just like Yi Hwan of Yeon.”
“......Understood.”
Yang Yi-cheon descended the structure with a deep breath.
He was afraid, but ambition stirred within him too.
Show them the imperial dignity, like Yi Hwan of Yeon—that phrase set his blood boiling.
‘Yeah, why can’t I do it too?’
* * *
A wave of war tension had loomed and then dissipated.
It was tension in name only, as not a single arrow had been fired before repelling the foe, leaving Yang Mu deeply satisfied.
“When will the reinforcements from the rear arrive?”
“At the latest, by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Then we just need to hold for today and tomorrow. Of course, Zhao will have reinforcements coming too, but the distance means they’ll take a few more days.”
“Exactly. One more day, and they’ll be pounding the ground in regret!”
“The surprise attack was a clever ploy, but your Zhao army lacked the strength to back it up, Jo Gwang-mu. That’s why you should’ve known to hold your temper, no matter how angry. Heh heh heh.”
Yang Mu saw this incident as fallout from the success of his own strategy.
“We’ll have lunch here today, so make it known.”
“Yes, Your Highness! We’ll bring it up shortly!”
Soon, the meal arrived, and Yang Mu began eating with wine. Dining atop the watchtower in the cool breeze added a touch of elegance, making it a delicacy among delicacies.
But some officers watched with quiet sighs.
‘Warriors are dying on the battlefield, yet His Highness is so carefree.’
None dared step forward.
The meal was nearly finished when—
“Oi! Look over there!”
One officer pointed west. Everyone’s heads turned naturally.
Dust was rising. And soon, Gwak Beom’s unit—which they’d thought had gone north—came charging down like a gale.
“It’s the Zhao army, Your Highness!”
Clatter!
The startled Yang Mu dropped his chopsticks and shot to his feet.
“......A feint?”
Bwoooong!
A horn blared through the camp. Warriors scrambled to their positions.
“Battle stations!”
Boom boom boom!
With horns and drums together, the Qin army plunged into tension.
Yang Yi-cheon had left with ten thousand elites, leaving only ten thousand behind.
Worse, the camp gate left open for his departure hadn’t been closed yet.
“Seal the gate! Hurry!”
“Hurry!”
Yang Mu’s nearby officers rushed down from the watchtower. Left with one retainer, Yang Mu trembled as he watched the Zhao army charge like a storm.
“I thought he was just a brute with brute strength...”
Zhao’s top general Gwak Beom was known not as a strategist, but as a brave warrior.
His renowned valor warranted caution, which was why Yang Mu had opted for defense without direct confrontation.
But he’d never imagined Gwak Beom possessed such cunning too.
Yang Mu eyed the gate. Warriors were hastily closing it, but the Zhao army was already within twenty paces.
‘......Too late!’
Tremble...
Yang Mu’s face spasmed.
The retainer cried urgently.
“Your Highness! You must flee through the rear gate now! If the enemy breaches the camp, it’ll be eternal regret!”
Kwachik!
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
The Zhao army finally burst through the unsealed gate. Qin troops around it spilled blood and collapsed without a chance to fight.
“The Qin Crown Prince is there! Charge!”
Waaah!
Seeing Gwak Beom turn toward the watchtower where Yang Mu stood, the retainer shouted desperately again.
“Your Highness! Hurry!”
Thud!
Yang Mu kicked the table off the watchtower. He glared at the sky, venting his rage, then rushed down. Imperial Guards waited below.
“Get in the carriage, quick!”
“I’ll ride a warhorse.”
Yang Mu mounted a warhorse instead.
‘Today’s humiliation—I’ll repay it tenfold, a hundredfold.’
“Depart!”
At the commander’s signal, the Imperial Guards escorted him south.
Thud thud thud!
Gwak Beom saw Yang Mu fleeing south with his guards. But Qin troops blocking the way prevented easy pursuit.
Gwak Beom decided swiftly.
“Don’t leave a single one! Sweep them all!”
The Qin main camp held about ten thousand.
Gwak Beom commanded twice that, so the outcome was clear.
“Crush them all!”
“Waaah!”
In large battles, momentum in the opening moments was decisive. Once broken, formations couldn’t easily recover.
Kwachakwak!
“You bastards! Chew them up!”
“Kill them!”
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
The Qin army began crumbling helplessly.
The Zhao army’s momentum grew fiercer and more savage. The dying warriors’ agonized screams reached even the fleeing Yang Mu.
Grit!
Yang Mu’s face burned red.
Never in his smooth life had he faced such humiliation.
* * *
News of the Qin main camp’s devastation shifted the tide once more.
Having yielded momentum early but regained it by cutting off the Zhao waist, the Qin army now halted its advance and withdrew south across the Red River, as Yang Mu’s safety was unconfirmed.
One officer’s retreat order sparked it, and the battle rapidly swung to Zhao.
“Push them!”
“The enemy’s falling back! Pursue!”
Waaaah!
Kakang!
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
Baek Woo-kyeong and the warriors held the rear, clashing fiercely with the pursuing Zhao forces.
But even masters couldn’t easily reclaim lost momentum.
“Brother! More Zhao troops are pouring in!”
Baek Yeon pointed north, shouting.
Thousands of Zhao troops leaped into the fray—fresh forces unseen before.
Tremble...
Baek Woo-kyeong’s eyes shook.
“How the hell did their sturdy main camp fall like that!”
Even as he lamented, his sword severed an enemy head. After felling two Zhao warriors, Baek Yeon shouted urgently again.
“We must hurry! More delay, and we’ll be surrounded!”
“Zhao troops are coming down from the west too!”
“...!”
Thousands more Zhao troops emerged from the western woods—also new.
“Everyone, withdraw from here!”
“Hurry!”
Blocking the pursuit was the task of Baek Woo-kyeong’s warriors.
But he chose retreat. It was pointless now, and preserving these vital forces was wiser.
As they pulled out, the Qin rear was massacred by Zhao in moments.
Kwachakwak!
Kakang!
“Kill them all!”
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
Namgung Jang-cheon and Danri Mok, retreating with Baek Woo-kyeong, shed tears. The dying warriors’ screams tore at their hearts.
The other warriors felt the same.
Yet none blamed Baek Woo-kyeong’s choice.
They knew it was to save them.
Rumble!
Thunder cracked far in the sky. Rain began pouring.
Shwaaa!
* * *
Days later, at the Yeon Golden Army headquarters.
Go Mi visited Yi Hwan in his office.
She brought shocking news to Yi Hwan, who’d been researching new weapons with Han Jo.
“The Zhao army has taken the Red River.”
Yi Hwan set down his brush and stared at Go Mi. She continued.
“Zhao Commander Gwak Beom led a surprise raid on the Qin main camp with his unit. Crown Prince Yang Mu escaped unharmed, but nearly fifty thousand Qin troops died, and over ten thousand were captured.”
“They had palisades around the entire camp, fully prepared—yet they still fell. Zhao must have used some brilliant stratagem.”
“It was a stratagem, but Crown Prince Yang Mu was leisurely dining on the watchtower when they attacked. They were badly overconfident.”
Yi Hwan couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
Then, belatedly recalling Yi Seong-ji, his expression darkened.
“Find out everything about the Third Prince as quickly as possible.”
“I’ve already given the orders.”
“Monitor both sides’ responses without gaps.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
After briefly worrying over Yi Seong-ji, Yi Hwan thought of Jo Yun.
‘If he doesn’t curb his ambition here, it could turn into a war of annihilation between Zhao and Qin.’