Chapter 424
Chapter 424
Shen Lang led ten thousand cavalry in a frantic pursuit of Su Nan. A day later, Shen Lang received intelligence that Su Nan had already fled the State of Yue three days prior, taking his clan with him. He had left forty-eight hours before Shen Lang, and he had taken only cavalry. The news that Su Nan had escaped forty-eight hours ago made Shen Lang's head spin. A forty-eight-hour head start meant he had traveled at least four hundred *li*, an impossible distance to close. In three or four days, Su Nan's clan would enter the Western Regions. Once there, the Su Clan would be like a flood dragon entering the sea—they would be in their element, impossible to catch or eliminate.
Shen Lang gritted his teeth. It was all because he had become complacent, his greed getting the better of him as he schemed to make Zheng Tuo and Su Nan fight each other. That was what had allowed Su Nan to escape forty-eight hours earlier.
*Am I just going to let Su Nan get away like this, only for him to recover and invade the State of Yue again in a few years? No, absolutely not! I must kill every last member of his clan. Think. What can I do? What can I do?*
Closing his eyes to think, Shen Lang gradually regained his composure.
"No, there's still a chance. There's a chance!"
Then, Shen Lang shouted.
"All troops, turn south, not west! Continue the pursuit!"
Hearing this, Wu Lie was stunned.
"Young Master Shen, Su Nan is fleeing west. If we turn south, the distance between us will only grow."
Shen Lang replied.
"If we pursue them directly west, we'll never catch them. We're turning south to circle around and cut them off."
"That's even more impossible. We can barely catch them now; taking a long detour will make it even harder."
"No. If we chase them closely from behind, Su Nan will remain on high alert and flee for his life. But if we head south, his scouts will report that no one is pursuing them, and Su Nan will relax his guard. Once he lets his guard down, his greed will take over. When he passes the Jiang Royal Palace, he will covet the astronomical amount of gold that the past Jiang kings plundered to decorate it. Su Nan needs a lot of money to establish himself in the Western Regions, so now is when he needs gold the most. And since the Jiang Royal Palace is currently undefended, he can easily seize that gold. He will never be able to pass up such a ripe prize.
If we pursue them relentlessly, he will forsake the gold and flee straight to the Western Regions. We would never catch them then. But if we don't chase them and instead circle south to block their path, he will think no one is coming after him and will confidently go to the Jiang Royal Palace to seize the gold. Su Nan is a man who makes incredibly bold decisions in times of crisis. But when the situation improves, he cannot control his greed."
Shen Lang's mind was already flashing with absolute foresight.
"Immediately dispatch two thousand troops to feign an attack on the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate. The remaining eight thousand cavalry will use the cover of darkness to enter the State of Jiang, detour south without a sound, and avoid Su Nan's scouts at all costs. If my prediction is correct, we will battle Su Nan at the Jiang Royal Palace in four days! That is when we will annihilate his entire clan!"
That would be the final, decisive confrontation between Shen Lang and Su Nan, the perfect moment to bring their long duel to a definitive end.
***
Some bad news was simply unavoidable. A defeat in war could never be good news. One could only hope that the bad news wasn't the worst news. But for the commander of the Wu army, the worst news had arrived. After the shocking explosion inside the fortress, Wu Mu had considered sending his last remaining troops inside to fight, but his innately conservative nature made him ultimately abandon the idea.
When dawn broke, the Jin Clan's forces reappeared on the city walls. Jin Mulan appeared, as did Jin Shiying. Finally, even Jin Zhuo appeared. The appearance of Jin Zhuo, the Marquis of Xuanwu, left everyone stunned.
*Wasn't Marquis Jin Zhuo dead?*
Not only had Jin Zhuo been absent from public view for a long time, but there had also been many signs and reactions that confirmed his death. Yet here he was, the man thought to be dead, standing on the city wall. His appearance dealt a fatal blow to the morale of the Wu army outside. Wu Mu's vision went black, and he felt as if he might faint.
Just then, Jin Shiying tossed a severed head down from above. It was the head of Wu Mu's trusted subordinate, Wu Lian.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Then, thousands more severed heads were thrown down in succession. Human heads rained down from the city walls. The heads of the Wu soldiers all wore vicious expressions of agony, clear evidence of their extremely brutal deaths. Their skin also bore the marks of burns. Jin Shiying spoke coldly.
"Wu Mu, the ten thousand troops you sent into the city have been annihilated. They should all have been killed, but our benevolent lord has taken the remaining seven thousand as prisoners."
Wu You, who had just regained consciousness, saw Jin Shiying on the wall and felt like she was about to faint again.
"Jin Shiying, you tricked me. You tricked me..."
Wu You cried out wretchedly, looking as if she were about to cough up blood. Jin Shiying glanced at her but said nothing. As Wu You tried to charge toward the wall, Commander Wu Mu quickly grabbed her and said loudly.
"Don't. That would be playing right into his hands."
Taking a deep breath, Wu Mu shouted.
"Everyone says the Marquis of Xuanwu is an honest man, but now I see that is not the case."
Jin Zhuo replied.
"Marquis Wu, you misunderstand me. I am honest, but I am not foolish."
The Marquis of Xuanwu's honesty was a deep-seated integrity that came from the heart. It was not a means to gain honor, as it was for others. Jin Zhuo always acted from his convictions, not for the sake of reputation.
"Marquis Wu, what will you do? Will you continue to fight?"
Behind Wu Mu, there was still an army of about twelve thousand, along with Qiu Hu's five thousand pirates. However, looking up at the walls, he saw that two thousand more warriors had appeared on the Jin Clan's side. These two thousand warriors had never shown themselves during the battle, remaining hidden even when the situation was most dire. They did not belong to the Jin Clan but were warriors of the Heavenly Path Society.
The Wu army still outnumbered the Jin Clan's forces four to one, but Wu Mu realized he could no longer take the main fortress, which stood before him as solid as a tortoise shell. That was the nature of momentum. The Wu army had already thrown everything they had into last night's final assault, not only failing to capture the main fortress but also losing ten thousand of their main force. Now, there would be no more chances to take it. In the end, of the thirty thousand troops he had brought, only twelve thousand remained. He had suffered tremendous losses with nothing to show for it.
Marquis Jin Zhuo asked.
"Marquis Wu, will you continue to fight?"
*I can't take the main fortress now. What should I do? Continue the siege? Retreat into the other two fortresses of Raging Tide City? Or fall back all the way to Skywind City?*
As he was lost in thought, Marquis Jin Zhuo asked him.
"Marquis Wu, we have seven thousand prisoners from the State of Wu. Do you want them?"
Wu Mu was taken aback.
*The Jin Clan didn't kill all ten thousand but took seven thousand as prisoners? Of course, I want them back!*
Those seven thousand were Wu Mu's personal guards. If they were injured, they could be treated. As long as they were alive, Wu Mu naturally wanted them back.
Jin Zhuo continued.
"Marquis Wu, those seven thousand prisoners are being held in the cellar. They all have injuries from the explosion and need immediate medical attention. If you want them, there is no time to delay. If treatment isn't administered soon, they will die within days."
Wu Mu shouted.
"Marquis of Xuanwu, do you not pride yourself on your noble character? Surely you won't just stand by and watch seven thousand of our Wu soldiers die?"
"I have never in my life prided myself on having a noble character. What others think of me is not for me to decide. However, showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to one's own side, is it not? I understand that principle well."
Jin Shiying stood up and said.
"Marquis Wu, do you want your seven thousand prisoners? Then let's make a deal. Trading one man's head for seven thousand prisoners is quite a profitable exchange, is it not?"
Upon hearing this, one man in the Wu army was struck with terror. It was Qiu Hu, Lord of Skywind City and the adopted son of the Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei. Had it been anyone else, they would have immediately shouted for Marquis Wu not to do something that would break the hearts of his allies and delight his enemies. But Qiu Hu, a former pirate chieftain, was naturally suspicious. The moment he heard Jin Shiying's words, he quickly backed away.
Jin Shiying continued.
"If Marquis Wu Mu kills Qiu Hu, we will hand over the seven thousand prisoners. This is an extremely profitable bargain!"
Hearing this, the color drained from Qiu Hu's face.
"Let's go! Retreat to Skywind Island!"
Qiu Hu intended to give Wu Mu no opportunity, preparing to retreat swiftly with his five thousand troops. Wu Mu, greatly alarmed, shouted to him.
"General of Jinhai, halt! I, Wu Mu, would never do something to harm an ally."
As Wu Mu moved toward Qiu Hu, the army behind him followed. Qiu Hu was startled. He drew his sword and yelled.
"Marquis Wu, to avoid any misunderstanding, your army will come no closer. Otherwise, we will fight."
Wu Mu felt a surge of resentment toward him. Qiu Hu was truly a dog of a man, changing his attitude with his every whim. However, Wu Mu truly had no intention of killing Qiu Hu. No matter how much he wanted the seven thousand prisoners back, he would never exchange Qiu Hu's head for them. He disliked Qiu Hu, but he knew he must not kill him. If he killed Qiu Hu, who had willingly surrendered to the State of Wu, who would ever surrender to them in the future? Besides, if Qiu Hu died, what would become of their naval supremacy in these waters?
Contrary to Wu Mu's intentions, Qiu Hu believed he was about to be killed. He was a petty man by nature and assumed Wu Mu would surely kill him to get the seven thousand prisoners and then absorb his fleet. Therefore, Qiu Hu would not stand by and take that risk. Seeing Qiu Hu's men draw their swords, Wu Mu quickly halted and continued to shout to him.
"General Qiu Hu, you must not leave. How about this? You can station your troops and defend the western fortress of Raging Tide City. That fortress was originally yours, was it not? I will station my troops in the eastern fortress, and our two armies can continue to pressure and besiege the Jin Clan's main fortress from both sides. The battle for Raging Tide City is not yet hopeless. I will write to His Highness immediately and request reinforcements!"