Chapter 676
Chapter 676
This was less a battle between two armies and more a clash between two packs of wild beasts.
For every sword swung on one side, a sword swung back on the other.
The guards' armor was truly formidable; a single slash wouldn't kill them, and they would immediately cut down the Savage Tribe warriors in one blow.
The warriors of the Savage Tribe had never encountered an army like this in their lives.
'Damn it all. This feels just like being surrounded by a pack of wolves while out hunting. But those wolves weren't wearing armor!'
The ten thousand guards were equipped with the finest gear, possessed boundless strength, moved with agile speed, and had nerves of steel. Even when facing a numerically superior enemy, they were not at a disadvantage; instead, they were able to slaughter the enemy forces in droves.
More and more Savage Tribe warriors swarmed onto the city walls. The stench of blood filled the air, and corpses piled up everywhere.
In the end, a shadow of dread fell over the hearts of the Savage Tribe warriors, who feared not even death.
The battle with the guards was too shocking, too brutal.
The Savage Tribe army suffered only fatalities, no wounded.
The madmen in armor were only satisfied when they had cleaved an enemy in two. Even if struck by another foe, they were obsessed with cutting down the one before them.
As a result, not a single Savage Tribe warrior was left with an intact corpse.
The Savage Tribe warriors were incredibly brave and continued to charge madly onto the walls, but as time passed, fewer and fewer made it to the top. The number of casualties was staggering.
This battle was a crushing defeat for the Savage Tribe.
"Sound the gongs! End the battle and recall the troops!"
As the gongs rang out, the main force of the Savage Tribe retreated with strict discipline, like a receding tide.
Even their retreat was impressive.
They leaped directly from the top of the walls. Despite jumping from a height of five meters, they landed without a single injury, as agile as monkeys.
In the blink of an eye, the main force of the Savage Tribe vanished from the walls, leaving behind only scattered corpses.
Not a single intact body remained among the corpses littering the ground. The top of the wall was stained red with blood from the severed limbs.
Shen Lang's guards did not pursue the enemy.
They had already had their fill of slaughter.
After days of holding back, they had finally unleashed their fury, and the release was exhilarating.
"So satisfying! So satisfying! Awooo!"
* * *
Inside the Savage Tribe's barracks.
A rough tally revealed nearly thirteen thousand casualties.
Two-thirds of them had died at the base of the walls, all within less than two hours.
Tens of thousands of rocks and logs were thrown from the walls, along with countless buckets of oil and golden liquid (urine).
The remaining five thousand were killed after climbing to the top.
Of the more than ten thousand who had charged the walls, nearly half were dead. The combat prowess of Shen Lang's guards was nothing short of explosive.
Su Nan had deployed a total of twenty thousand troops for this siege. Only seven thousand survived to retreat; the rest were all dead.
Previously, in the battle in the Nanguo region, their thirty thousand men had faced the State of Yue's main army of two hundred thousand, and even by a generous estimate, they had suffered only around ten thousand casualties.
But this time, twenty thousand Savage Tribe warriors against Shen Lang's ten thousand had resulted in thirteen thousand deaths—a truly devastating number.
Su Nan once again felt a familiar sensation.
The kind that made his hair stand on end and a chill run down his spine.
'It's only been two years, yet Young Master Shen Lang has grown strong enough to suffocate his opponents. Having someone like you as an enemy is truly a nightmare!'
However, deep down, Su Nan wasn't overly shocked.
Two years ago, he had experienced an even greater shock.
Especially when he heard the news of King Kang Arot'ai's army being annihilated and the Su Clan's forces being wiped out at White Night City, it felt as if he had used up a lifetime's worth of shock.
Even before the battle began, he had instinctively felt that Shen Lang would be a difficult opponent, but he had never imagined it would be this difficult.
'I knew you were strong, but couldn't you have surprised me just once? Couldn't you have lost for a change? Young Master Shen, must you single-handedly embody the might of the State of Yue?'
While Su Nan could stomach the shock of defeat, the Savage Tribe's great general was questioning his entire existence.
The barracks fell into a dead silence.
'Why? They're all armies of Yue, so why is the difference in skill so vast? One is as weak as a pile of dung, while the other is as fierce as a rabid dog. I've never seen an army like that in my life. I thought our Savage Tribe's army was the craziest, with the Qiang Kingdom a close second. But Shen Lang's army takes the prize for being the absolute craziest. It's not that they don't fear death, it's that they're completely...'
The Savage Tribe's great general, with his limited vocabulary, couldn't find the right word.
"Weren't the State of Yue's guards supposed to be the most useless army?"
one of the Savage Tribe generals asked.
Su Nan knew better than anyone that the city guards were a trash army.
But he never imagined that this trash army could become so powerful under Shen Lang's command.
"How many casualties did they suffer?"
"I don't know the exact number, but it won't be few. Their armor is so incredible that they can withstand several blows without dying, whereas our men are killed with a single strike. So they likely have many wounded, but not many dead."
"Why didn't our great Savage Tribe army wear rattan armor in large numbers?"
"We were worried the enemy might use fire attacks. Shen Lang is full of tricks and is exceptionally good with fire, isn't he? It seems that pretty boy is truly formidable."
"True. Our Prince is also a pretty boy, and isn't he strong?"
"So, who do you think is stronger, Shen Lang or the Prince?"
"Is that even a question? Prince Ning Zheng, of course. Now, who do you think is more of a pretty boy, the Prince or Shen Lang?"
"Probably Shen Lang, right?"
"Why do you think it's Shen Lang? You've never even met him. Aren't the rumors that Shen Lang is the most handsome man in the State of Yue?"
"Our Prince was also called the most handsome man when he was in the State of Yue. Otherwise, would Princess Ning Luo have willingly slept with him?"
"You heard wrong. The Prince was the greatest gentleman in the State of Yue, not the most handsome man."
"Are you implying our Prince isn't handsome?"
Hearing this, Su Nan could no longer bear it.
'Enough. Your topic of conversation is spiraling into absurdity.'
In truth, leading the great army of the Savage Tribe was both exhilarating and a massive headache.
This army was formidable and incredibly brave, which was thrilling during battle, but they lacked discipline and were fundamentally uncontrollable, from top to bottom, making them a huge pain.
To teach the dozen or so Savage Tribe generals under his command, Su Nan had fought them a hundred times.
Only after beating each of these generals to a pulp did they finally listen to him.
They were truly thoughtless.
Despite suffering such a crushing defeat, they felt no grief and were now debating who was more handsome, Prince Ning Zheng or Shen Lang.
"Ahem..."
Su Nan finally coughed, unable to hold back any longer, but the dozen Savage Tribe generals paid him no mind.
At this, Su Nan clenched his fists, the veins in his entire body throbbing as if they would burst.
In that instant, everyone fell silent.
If they didn't quiet down now, Privy Councilor Su Nan would beat them to death.
Su Nan felt a great sense of pity for himself.
In the court of Yue, he never had the chance to use force, relying only on cunning and political maneuvering.
But with the Savage Tribe? Political tactics were useless; he had to rely solely on his fists.
'Thank goodness I reached the Grandmaster level.'
"Gentlemen, we suffered a crushing defeat in today's battle. What should we do now?"
Su Nan asked, and one of the Savage Tribe's great generals replied.
"What do you mean, what should we do? We fight again tomorrow! Twenty thousand wasn't enough, so we'll charge with fifty thousand!"
In truth, they too were deeply shocked by today's devastating loss and couldn't believe it, but they weren't particularly saddened.
Due to their harsh living conditions, most members of the Savage Tribe didn't even live to the age of thirty.
They experienced death so frequently that they had no tradition of mourning the dead.
So what if they lost a battle and many died today? It didn't matter.
They would just fight again tomorrow, and fight until everyone was dead.
Su Nan gave up on the idea of exchanging opinions with them.
They were fierce warriors, but by no means good commanders.
As expected, he would have to make all the decisions himself.
He left the dozen Savage Tribe generals in the barracks and went outside, gazing at the distant Yangguo City.
'To think that such a small city would decide the fate of the State of Yue today. I thought it would be an easy capture, but instead, we suffered a crushing defeat, leaving us battered and bruised.'
Su Nan considered the situation from a very broad perspective.
Since they had been routed at Yangguo City, there was no need to even mention the battle at the Marquis of Xuanwu's estate.
A man like Shen Lang, who puts his family before his country, would surely have used his most elite troops to defend the Marquis of Xuanwu's estate.
Half of Nangong Ao's fifty-thousand-strong army were surrendered troops, making their combat effectiveness worryingly low compared to the forces here. They must have suffered an even more crushing defeat than us.
The most terrifying scenario now was if Nangong Ao's forces were annihilated, and the elite troops defending the Marquis of Xuanwu's estate marched here to launch a pincer attack with the defenders of Yangguo City.
However, Su Nan had faith in Nangong Ao.
Even if that man couldn't win a battle, he at least knew when to advance and retreat. He would be able to preserve a portion of his army to keep the Jin Clan's elite forces inside the Marquis of Xuanwu's estate in check.
The key now was what Su Nan would do.
Should he, as the Savage Tribe general suggested, risk his entire army of nearly fifty thousand tomorrow?
Forty-seven thousand, to be precise.
Su Nan realized that if he committed his entire army, he could win this battle and capture Yangguo City.
But what would be the cost in casualties?
The Savage Tribe warriors were too precious. Every death depleted his capital.
This army was the Prince's foundation; it must not be squandered.
To sacrifice twenty or thirty thousand men just to take Yangguo City?
The losses would far outweigh the gains.
Besides, if the Great Nan Kingdom was weakened, how would they face the two tiger-and-wolf-like nations of Chu and Wu in the future?
"Husband..."
Just then, a woman approached and began massaging Su Nan's temples.
The woman was very tall, over one hundred and eighty centimeters.
Her figure was full of healthy vitality and fiery, her skin was dark, and her features were decent enough.
She was another daughter of Chieftain Sayan, the older sister of Prince Ning Zheng's wife, and a widow of just twenty-five.
Su Nan had taken her as his wife because of her exceptional innate bloodline and extremely high martial prowess.
That way, the offspring they produced would also be incredibly strong.
Though they had been married for less than two years, she had already borne Su Nan a son and a daughter.
It was truly remarkable.
To become pregnant again just three months after giving birth.
Su Nan was quite fond of this wife and didn't mind at all that she had been married before.
The woman was also quite fond of Su Nan.
Even though he was sixty years old, he was still the strongest man around.