Chapter 655
Chapter 655
"Charge! Open the gates!"
Nangong Ao roared the command, his face contorted with rage, but the gates remained shut. They had already been barred from the outside.
"Charge. Break into the city."
Nangong Ao commanded again, but his orders could not be carried out. At such a short distance, it was impossible to spur their horses into a full charge against the enemy lines. Moreover, the Great Southern King's soldiers had already unleashed a volley of arrows, felling their mounts. Hundreds of horses lay dead or wounded on the ground, creating a massive obstacle to their advance. Furthermore, earthen barriers had been erected inside the city, trapping the cavalry where they stood, unable to charge forward.
Just then, the Great Southern King appeared and spoke.
"General Nangong, I have killed all the Yue defenders within the city. However, I wish to spare the cavalry under your command. Are they not mostly your personal knights? Will you surrender to me?"
Surrender to the Great Southern King? Nangong Ao had never once considered such a thing in his entire life. He was already a subject of the highest standing in the State of Yue; there were no higher titles or positions for him to attain. Surrendering to the Great Southern King would not bring him greater honor than he already possessed in Yue. Besides, wasn't the Great Southern Kingdom a nation of barbarians? But now, Nangong Ao had no choice but to consider it. The Great Southern King did not press him, waiting quietly for his answer, offering neither threats nor persuasion. Nangong Ao had to make a decision of life and death.
If he didn't surrender? His entire army would be annihilated. He would die, and so would his son, Nangong Xie. Even his family would be exterminated. Nangong Ao held the post of Grand General of Zhenbei in the Northern Sky Province, but his family resided in the Southern Sky Province. As mentioned before, when the New Policies were about to be implemented, the Jin Clan had sought shelter under the great tree of the Nangong family to avoid the brunt of the reforms. Although Nangong Ao was a marquis, he had been promoted later in his career, so his family's fief was not large, nor did they have many private soldiers. Therefore, the Nangong family's foundation was entirely in the Southern Sky Province.
With defeat in the Southern Region Kingdom now a foregone conclusion, the Southern Sky Province would soon be left undefended, and the Great Southern King's army would sweep through the southern lands of Yue. When that time came, the Nangong family's estate would not escape misfortune. If he surrendered, he could preserve his family. But if he didn't? His family would be annihilated when the Great Southern King's army marched north. But to surrender meant the end of the reputation Nangong Ao had built over a lifetime.
'But what is reputation compared to the survival of my family? If I, Nangong Ao, surrender, can I save them? It seems likely. The Great Southern King must be a man of great magnanimity. The very fact that he entrusted his main army to Su Nan shows the scale of his ambition. He would surely have a place for someone like me.'
The Great Southern King's kingdom needed balance. The power of the Four Barbarian Tribes was too great; Su Nan alone was not enough. Still, surrendering was a truly shameful act. Nangong Ao dismounted from his warhorse, knelt on both knees before the Great Southern King, and raised his sword above his head with both hands.
"I surrender!"
The Great Southern King nodded.
"Very well. I accept your surrender."
Hearing this, Nangong Ao glanced at Zhu Dang beside him. In that instant, Zhu Dang fell to his knees, kowtowing.
"Your Highness, I can be of use! I can be of use!"
It was no use. Nangong Ao stepped forward and cut him down with a single strike. Zhu Dang's head fell, and he died a wretched death.
"That is not enough. Cut off one of Ning Yi's arms."
Hearing the Great Southern King's words, Ning Yi was stunned and spoke with a trembling voice.
"Great Southern King... brother-in-law... why are you doing this?"
Ning Yi believed that as the Crown Prince of Yue, he held immense value.
'I thought my life would be safe if I surrendered to the Great Southern King! But now he wants to cut off my arm? Is he truly so fickle?'
At that moment, even Nangong Ao's heart trembled. He could kill Zhu Dang and still potentially return to the State of Yue one day. But if he cut off Crown Prince Ning Yi's arm, he would be burning his bridges forever, forced to pledge eternal loyalty to the Great Southern King. The Great Southern King was magnanimous, but he was not the least bit naive. However, Nangong Ao had no other choice. Besides, deep down, he resented Ning Yi.
'Crown Prince, if you weren't so incompetent, things would never have come to this.'
"Nangong Ao, you dare... you dare...!"
Seeing the look on Nangong Ao's face, Crown Prince Ning Yi screamed at the top of his lungs. His words seemed only to fuel Nangong Ao's anger. He immediately raised his sword and advanced. As soon as he saw this, Crown Prince Ning Yi tried to flee like a madman. But could he possibly escape from Nangong Ao? Nangong Ao caught up to him in a few strides and severed his arm with a single slash.
"Aargh!"
A wretched scream echoed as Ning Yi's left arm was cut off. Bright red blood spurted wildly from the stump, and the prince looked as if he was about to faint. Two physicians from the Grand Calamity Temple rushed forward to staunch the bleeding, ensuring he wouldn't die from blood loss. Everyone watched the scene in silence. The cavalrymen behind Nangong Ao, who had surrendered with him, let out a quiet sigh of relief. In fact, when Nangong Ao cut off the crown prince's left arm, the two thousand cavalrymen showed expressions of considerable satisfaction. They clearly resented the crown prince for betraying them at such a critical moment.
After the great battle, the two thousand or so cavalrymen, thoroughly crushed by the Great Southern King, had no confidence left. Having been repeatedly outmaneuvered by his schemes, they had even begun to develop a sense of reverence for him. Thus, they had no psychological barrier to surrendering to him. Following a true hero like the Great Southern King seemed far better than serving a man like Crown Prince Ning Yi.
The Great Southern King looked at Nangong Ao and nodded.
"Your soldiers will remain under your command. Rest well. Food has been prepared, and there will be no more fighting for you. Take your ease."
"This servant obeys your command!"
Nangong Ao knelt and kowtowed once more. The Great Southern King gestured, and his thousands of soldiers withdrew. Nangong Ao was stunned by the sight.
'He isn't disarming my troops, nor is he breaking up their command structure, or even trying to integrate my cavalry into his own army.'
Nangong Ao said to him.
"Your Highness, this servant has a son named Nangong Xie. I wish for him to follow and learn at Your Highness's side."
A veteran courtier was indeed different. He had voluntarily sent his son to the Great Southern King's side as a hostage to demonstrate his sincerity. The Great Southern King nodded, and Nangong Xie left the cavalry ranks to stand by his side.
"Go and take your place for now. We will dine together shortly."
With that, the Great Southern King's forces in Fallen Leaf City reached ten thousand.
* * *
With the crown prince and Nangong Ao having surrendered, only two generals remained of the State of Yue's main army: Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhao. At the capital of the Southern Region Kingdom, Zhang Zhao commanded fifty thousand troops to cover the rear, while Su Nan attacked with the thirty-thousand-strong main force of the Four Barbarian Tribes. A battle of thirty thousand against fifty thousand ensued. Zhang Zhao was incredibly brave, but it was all for naught. The disparity between the two sides was too great, not only in combat strength but also in morale. After just four hours, Zhang Zhao's army was completely routed. His forces suffered immense casualties, and countless soldiers fled. Zhang Zhao's remaining ten thousand troops hastily retreated to rejoin Zhu Lin's main force.
Now, only one hundred and ten thousand soldiers of the State of Yue's main army remained in the Southern Region Kingdom. But the nightmare had only just begun. The path to Fallen Leaf City spanned hundreds of miles through deep mountains and dense forests. Su Nan's thirty thousand tribal warriors pursued them relentlessly from behind, not like they were fighting a duel, but as if they were hunting ducks. Moreover, whenever a skirmish broke out, they killed without hesitation, leaving the hundred and ten thousand Yue soldiers anxious whether on the march or at rest.
In this strange terrain, the army could not form proper battle lines. When they made camp, the hundred and ten thousand troops had no choice but to stretch their encampment for dozens of miles. Although this long snake formation was vulnerable to attack, there was no choice, as there were no vast, open spaces.
In truth, Zhu Lin had known this war was lost the moment the State of Yue lost the capital of the Southern Region Kingdom. They were four hundred miles from Fallen Leaf City, but the army could not march even thirty miles a day. At this rate, it would take at least half a month to reach it. Zhang Zhao was still covering the rear, but no matter how many troops he took with him, the result would be just as disastrous. The army dwindled in number every day, with soldiers deserting constantly. Though they were within the borders of the Southern Region Kingdom, they were surrounded by forests and deep mountains; desertion was impossible, as they would surely get lost. But the army's condition was so desperate that they couldn't help but try to flee.
By the fifth day, the hundred and ten thousand troops had been reduced by another thirty thousand. The remaining eighty thousand or so soldiers were on the verge of complete collapse. The only reason they hadn't fled was that they felt a little safer in a large group. This ghostly forest felt like the gaping maw of a demon, a place from which one could never return.
* * *
In the middle of the night, inside the Yue army's encampment, Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhao spoke in secret. Zhu Lin said to him.
"We're finished! Nangong Ao and His Highness the Crown Prince should have reached Fallen Leaf City long ago. It would be normal for them to send a messenger, yet there has been no word at all."
"Any messenger they sent was probably killed. There's only one road, after all."
"Perhaps so. But what do you make of Su Nan? His thirty thousand men could wipe us out in one fell swoop, so why is he herding us like sheep instead?"
Indeed. That was the most terrifying part. It suggested that Fallen Leaf City might have already fallen. Su Nan was likely herding the Yue army into a pen, intending to either slaughter them all at once or capture them. Before the battle, half of Zhu Lin's hair had turned gray; now, it was all white. Zhu Lin gritted his teeth.
"Zhang Zhao, you must leave. Take a few hundred men with you. Take the young men of my Zhu Clan and leave the Southern Region Kingdom. You will take our army's most promising youths."
Zhang Zhao could not help but be shocked by his words. His extreme personality had always made him unwelcome wherever he went, yet now Zhu Lin was entrusting him with their future, telling him to leave. Zhu Lin continued.
"Until now, you have always guarded the rear during our march. This time, our eighty thousand men will cover for you. You will take the seeds of this army with you."
Overcome with emotion, Zhang Zhao immediately fell to his knees and wailed.
"Grand General, why would you do this? You should take the few hundred men and go. I will cover the rear!"
Tears streamed down Zhu Lin's face as he spoke.
"I was the commander of this campaign in the Southern Region Kingdom. After such a devastating defeat, how could I possibly show my face back home?"
"Grand General, as long as there is life, there is hope for the future."
"Zhang Zhao, if I die here, our Zhu Clan can salvage some measure of honor. But if I flee and return, the Zhu Clan will have no place left in the State of Yue. Do you understand? I cannot afford not to die!"
Zhang Zhao trembled, then slammed his head to the ground.
"Grand General, after I escape, where should I go? To the Southern Sky Province? Should I assist Governor-General Zhu Rong and establish a defensive line there?"
Zhu Lin said in anguish.
"No. It's already too late to recover. We were too incompetent, and we've lost nearly all of our two-hundred-thousand-strong main army in the Southern Region Kingdom. The Southern Sky Province must be empty by now, and the forces stationed on its defensive line can't be more than ten thousand. They won't be able to stop the Great Southern King's army. If we can't defend the province's capital, we can't defend the province itself."
A chill ran down Zhang Zhao's spine.
'We can't even hold the Southern Sky Province? Doesn't that mean the State of Yue will lose a quarter of its territory?'