Chapter 411
Chapter 411
Ning Yuanxian shot up from his seat and walked over to a large map. The Kings of Wu and Yue had now amassed over two hundred thousand troops, stretching them along the border defense line. With one hundred fifty thousand under the King of Wu and eighty thousand under the King of Yue, the confrontation had become even more perilous.
Ning Yuanxian spoke.
“I underestimated him, I truly did. That young tiger, barely weaned, is both reckless and unafraid of risk. And despite being constrained by the many conservative old ministers in the State of Wu, he shows considerable mettle at critical moments. He wasn't even frightened when Bian Wu launched a surprise attack on Wu, and instead of recalling his main army from the western front, he had them continue their eastward advance. Even I am overwhelmed by his audacity! Incredible, truly incredible. It has been a long time since I've met a worthy opponent!”
Ning Yuanxian felt a burning heat rise through him. He wrung out a towel and splashed the cold water on his head.
“Once White Night Commandery and the southern part of Tianxi Province fall, and the Su and Jiang forces unite, I will be forced to negotiate with the Five Clans. By then, he will open his mouth wide like a beast, not only demanding sovereignty over the Leizhou Archipelago but also forcing me to cede several commanderies. What a vicious, savage little tiger.”
Ning Yuanxian’s gaze fell upon the State of Jiang on the map, and he stared intently.
“What of Shen Lang, that scoundrel?”
Eunuch Lü quickly replied.
“The latest report states that Shen Lang led two hundred men into the State of Jiang and entered Queen Aronana's tribal settlement. King Aruotai's army of forty thousand attacked Aronana's settlement and achieved a great victory in half a day. Aronana's settlement is no more.”
“Then Shen Lang must have fled. And he must have taken Aronana’s army with him. How large is the queen’s army?”
“Three thousand.”
“Only three thousand?”
Three thousand men would not be enough to defeat Aruotai's forty thousand.
“Where did Shen Lang flee with Aronana’s army?”
“It is likely the Great Calamity Palace.”
“Has that bastard lost his mind? That place is a dead end. Fleeing there is a death sentence.”
Then, as if a thought struck him, Ning Yuanxian’s eyes flashed.
“No! That villain Shen Lang is not one to die so easily. He must have some vicious scheme up his sleeve. Didn't Ning Jie mention in her secret missive? Shen Lang's plan was never to just contain Su Nan, but to completely eliminate the Su Clan and uproot Su Nan's entire army.”
“Indeed, she did.”
Ning Yuanxian’s breath hitched. At the time, he had thought Shen Lang's words were utterly preposterous. For Shen Lang, with only a few hundred men, to eliminate the King of Jiang's forty-thousand-strong army was nothing but a pipe dream.
*I clearly told you to contain Su Nan's rebel army for a month or two, so why do you keep insisting you'll wipe him out? Do you think the world is full of three-year-olds to be fooled by your bluster?*
And yet, Ning Yuanxian's heart pounded wildly, a strange sense of anticipation for Shen Lang rising within him.
*No, no! Shen Lang may be mad, but I am not. Is such a thing even possible? Shen Lang alone, destroying the Su Clan? Utter nonsense. I must not pin my hopes on Shen Lang. It would be remarkable enough if Shen Lang managed to escape from King Aruotai with his tricks. But for him to reverse the situation in White Night Commandery City and Tianxi Province? Impossible! Absolutely impossible. I must not indulge in such fantasies!*
The king spoke.
“Issue a decree to the Third Prince, Ning Qi. Have him lead thirty thousand troops to Lang Commandery. He must stop Su Nan's rebel army west of Lang Commandery.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Grand Eunuch, Lü Jun, began to draft the decree. The king considered it a foregone conclusion that most of southern Tianxi Province would fall to Su Nan, so he set the strategic line of last resort at Lang Commandery. Zheng Tuo, this was all because of Zheng Tuo.
“Draft another decree. Posthumously appoint Zhang Chong as the Grand Master of the Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon, and Zhang Shun as the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.”
This decree was issued because the Blackwater Terrace had sent a report that experts sent by the Su Clan had, at great cost, abducted Zhang Chong’s son and grandson. At that moment, the king believed that Zhang Chong's family of three would not survive. Since three generations had died for the sake of the nation, the entire household had sacrificed themselves with loyalty and valor.
“I have failed the Zhang family.”
Ning Yuanxian sighed inwardly.
*Zheng Tuo might as well have killed Zhang Chong himself; that man is a traitor to the nation. Alas, there is no one in this world to save Zhang Chong.*
***
Dawn was breaking over White Night Commandery City. Having slept for a mere three hours, Zhang Chong awoke. His entire body was burning with fever. The wound on his chest had originally scabbed over, but the intense battles of the past ten days had added several new injuries, causing the old wound to reopen. Moreover, he hadn't slept properly for days, the longest stretch of rest being less than four hours. As a result, his body's immunity had plummeted, and the wound had become infected again, causing inflammation.
The chest wound had started to fester again, and he was running a fever of over forty degrees. Of course, Zhang Chong had no concept of bacterial infections. In this world, the more profound one's martial arts were, the less likely they were to fall ill. However, some ailments could not be prevented even by powerful martial arts, such as appendicitis or infections.
The reason those with profound martial arts could ward off illness was due to their innate bloodlines. For instance, Qiu Yao'er had been poisoned by heavy metals for years, and the concentration in her body was so astonishingly high that anyone else would have died a hundred times over. Yet, she remained unaffected; her blood pressure was extremely high, but her organs were still healthy. After Grand Master Zhong Chuke awakened the energy in his bloodline, Big Dummy never fell ill again. Even potent poisons that typically seeped into the blood had little effect on him.
Zhang Chong tried to focus all his mental energy, but his head was still spinning. It felt so heavy that his consciousness was hazy, and his legs were so weak that he swayed. Every step felt like treading on cotton, as if he might collapse at any moment. An old servant of the Zhang family pleaded with Zhang Chong, tears in his eyes.
“My lord, please drink your medicine and get some sleep. You can leave the battle to Princess Ning Jie, can't you?”
Zhang Chong shook his head.
“No. If the soldiers don't see me, their morale will plummet, and the city will soon fall. I can sleep all I want after I'm dead. And at this rate, I'll be able to sleep soon enough.”
After speaking, Zhang Chong began the arduous climb up the steps of the city wall. But even the first step was a struggle. It felt as if he would faint if he lifted his foot with any force. Zhang Chong closed his eyes, trying to endure the dizziness and stand straight. Just then, a hand reached out to support him. It was Princess Regent Ning Jie.
“Lord Zhang, won't you rest and leave the battle to me?”
Zhang Chong shook his head. Supported by Princess Regent Ning Jie, he continued his ascent of the wall. Every officer guarding the wall who saw him pass looked at the gaunt Zhang Chong with eyes full of unparalleled respect and admiration. Those soldiers, too, were covered in wounds and utterly exhausted. But they remembered that after every battle, they themselves could rest for ten hours a day.
In contrast, Lord Zhang not only had to climb the wall to fight in person but also had to arrange for supplies and recruit new soldiers. Even when everyone else rested, he never could. This wasn't a man of iron; it was as if he had doused himself in oil, lit a wick, and was burning himself away. Lord Zhang was a third-rank high official. If a man of such high station could pour his heart and soul into the fight, even at the cost of his own life, what right did common soldiers have to be lazy?
With Zhang Chong leading by example, personally attending to matters both great and small, the soldiers under him were united as one, unleashing a formidable power. This was how Zhang Chong, with only three or four thousand troops, had been able to defend against an enemy nearly ten times their size. For a full fortnight, he had held White Night Commandery City firm, but now, he had truly burned through all his oil, and the lamp was about to go out. The moment Zhang Chong fell would likely be the moment White Night Commandery City was breached.
*No, I cannot fall. I absolutely cannot fall! I must hold on until Master Shen arrives. He is not Zheng Tuo. If he said he would come, he will surely come.*
Upon reaching the top of the wall, Zhang Chong said in a hoarse voice.
“All troops, return to your positions and prepare for battle!”
But at that moment, the Su Clan's allied forces did not immediately attack the city. Instead, just two or three hundred meters from the wall, they were erecting a high platform. It looked less like a commander's platform and more like an execution block. Because it had two hollowed-out grooves on top, made for beheading. The moment he saw the platform, Zhang Chong’s heart pounded, and he was seized by a sense of foreboding. Then, two bound figures were brought onto the execution block. One was Zhang Chong’s son, Zhang Shun, and the other was his grandson, Zhang Yun. In an instant, Zhang Chong felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body swayed violently, his vision went black, and he collapsed.
“Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang!”
Princess Regent Ning Jie rushed forward and pressed hard on the philtrum below Zhang Chong’s nose, then applied the ointment Shen Lang had prepared to his forehead and nostrils. A moment later, Zhang Chong regained consciousness, but tears streamed down his aged face.
*One does not usually harm family. Su Nan, you vile beast, my grandson is not even five years old.*
The defenders of White Night Commandery City were already exhausted to their limits, with no strength left. But now, seeing the scene before them, they were filled with rage, their blood boiling. To lay a hand on a child not even five years old—the Su Clan was too despicable, too shameless.
Su Zhan, knowing deep down that what they were doing was dishonorable, did not appear. Instead, another renowned general of the Su Clan, Su Nan’s adopted son Su Jianyan, brought them forward. He was the one who had stormed the Jin Clan's villa to capture Jin Mucong and tried to kill Xiao Bing. Two executioners from the Su Clan stepped forward and raised their massive, ghost-head blades. Zhang Shun and his five-year-old son, Zhang Yun, were forced to their knees, pressed to the ground by soldiers.
Su Jianyan said, “Zhang Chong, your third son, Zhang Jin, is dead. Your eldest son is on the battlefield in the Southern Gull Nation and will surely die in the future. Now, your second son, Zhang Shun, and your grandson, Zhang Yun, are here. If these two are killed, the Zhang family line may very well be severed, cut off at the root!”
Standing on the city wall, Zhang Chong’s old face was streaked with tears. Princess Regent Ning Jie thought it was an act of unspeakable cruelty for the Su Clan to use such a vile method to demand Zhang Chong's surrender.
Su Jianyan continued, “Zhang Chong, we do not want your surrender. To be frank, even if a man like you were to surrender, our Su Clan would have no use for you.”
Su Jianyan raised his hand sharply, and the two executioners took a swig of wine, then sprayed it onto their executioner's blades. They then postured as if to strike the necks of Zhang Shun and Zhang Yun, likely gauging the position for the blow. After measuring their aim, they raised the executioner's blades high. When those blades fell, two heads would roll.