Chapter 691
Chapter 691
“For a hundred years, not a single member of our Ning royal family has died on the battlefield, leading many to suspect that our clan has lost its fiery spirit. Especially after my brother Ning Yi surrendered, the whole world came to think of our Ning royalty as nothing but fools. Before I left for this war, my Royal Father told me he would never be a king who lived to see his nation fall. The moment the enemy captures the capital will be the moment he dies.”
Ning Zheng’s voice was a little hoarse, but he no longer stuttered. The eight thousand guards raised their heads and looked at him. Ning Zheng continued slowly.
“If a king dies with his kingdom, it is best for his son to die on the battlefield! Excellent! Even if our State of Yue falls, we will prove to the world that our Ning royal family is still passionate! My men, today you will die with me on the battlefield! For me, Ning Zheng, to die here today is a worthy end! To die in battle!”
As Ning Zheng raised his voice, it was as if the heaven-sent man who had electrified the audience at the Grand Heavenly Ceremony had returned.
“To die in battle!”
Ning Zheng’s voice grew louder, penetrating deeper into the soldiers’ hearts. Even without any mystical art, his voice stirred the hearts of men.
“To die in battle!”
Mu Lie, Han Nu, and the two hundred other female warriors shouted in unison.
“To die in battle!”
Then, the eight thousand guards roared with fervor. The hot blood in their veins ignited once more. A quarter of an hour later, Su Nan’s trebuchet assault ended, and the forty-thousand-strong main army prepared to storm the city. Ning Zheng stood at the forefront, ahead of his soldiers, atop the city wall. Gou Duhuan, the Ten Lan Brothers, Mu Lie, Han Nu, the two hundred female warriors, and the eight thousand guards all took their defensive positions.
“Attack the city!”
At Su Nan’s command, twenty thousand Saman warriors charged forward like madmen once again, and an incredibly fierce siege battle commenced anew. The sounds of clashing and killing pierced the heavens, and enough blood was spilled to form a river.
* * *
An hour later, countless bodies were piled up at the base of the city wall, and Su Nan couldn't help but be astonished.
‘Hadn't the effects of the Golden Dragon's blood already worn off? The guards' morale should be at rock bottom. Why are they still so fearless of death?’
The last time, the guards’ bravery had been a frenzied rampage, but this time, they were calm and resolute, clearly determined to die. The one-sided slaughter Su Nan had anticipated did not happen; instead, the Saman warriors also suffered numerous casualties. However, it was clear that the guards' combat strength had waned. This was evident because the stones they threw were smaller, and it now took two men to heave a log over the edge. Even the large cauldrons of oil required two men to be thrown. Yet, their will to fight seemed undiminished. Ning Zheng, a prince, fought on the front lines, slaughtering the enemy, his entire body drenched in blood. Su Nan sighed and said.
“A general is the courage of his soldiers!”
An army determined to die was still a strong army, even if its combat effectiveness had declined. The casualties in this battle were too high, but Su Nan had no way back either.
“Continue the assault! All troops, advance!”
The sky-shaking sound of war drums echoed, and the Saman warriors once again surged towards the city like a tidal wave. A quarter of an hour later, the Saman warriors finally scaled the city walls, and a fierce hand-to-hand battle began.
With about seventy percent of the Golden Dragon’s blood effects gone, the guards' strength and speed had significantly decreased. Their combat power was far inferior to that of the Saman warriors, barely compensated for by their equipment. Although they burned with endless fighting spirit, they were inevitably at a disadvantage. As more and more Saman warriors climbed onto the walls, the number of casualties among the guards rose sharply. Su Nan felt a sense of relief. Although this battle had not gone as he had expected, he would ultimately be victorious, albeit at a great cost.
Ning Zheng was formidable. But even he was now covered in wounds, and Gou Duhuan could no longer protect him from the side. The expert sent by Ning Yuanxian to protect him was also grievously injured. Ning Zheng gasped for breath, watching as more and more Saman warriors swarmed over the walls. They could hold out for an hour at most before their army would be annihilated and Yangguo City would fall.
“Royal Father, I have not disappointed you. I have fought to the very last moment! I have won the final honor for the Ning royal family, even if it is an honor found in death!”
At last, Ning Zheng roared.
“Kill!”
Dragging his battered body, he charged even more frantically to kill the enemy. But just then, a black crow swooped down and landed directly on the arm of Su Nan's wife. Su Nan's wife fed the crow a piece of meat, stroked it affectionately, then opened the small message tube tied to its leg, took out the secret letter, and handed it to her husband. Su Nan opened it to find a letter handwritten by the Queen, stamped with Prince Gong's seal. It was written in a specialized script and code, but Su Nan easily deciphered it.
It was a royal decree from Prince Gong. Prince Gong was a genius; every time he wrote a secret directive to a commander, he used a different script and code. Besides him, the Saman Queen, and each respective commander, no one could decipher them, making his directives impossible to forge. Su Nan's heart trembled as he read it. In just two more hours, he could take Yangguo City and annihilate Ning Zheng and his guards. And at such a time, he was ordered to stop the siege? He was truly unwilling. He had dreamed of destroying the State of Yue and witnessing Ning Yuanxian die before his very eyes.
‘But now I have to give up? What on earth has happened? Could Ning Qi and Prince Gong have signed a new truce? No, that’s impossible!’
Su Nan knew Prince Gong. Even if he were to negotiate a truce with Ning Qi, he would do so only after completely destroying Tianyue City; he would never stop the war before even taking Yangguo City. Wouldn't that make the Great Southern Kingdom look incompetent?
‘Shen Lang? Could it be because of Shen Lang? Yes, it must be him. It must be. Master Shen, if this is truly your doing, just how formidable are you?’
Su Nan could not defy Prince Gong's decree. He took a deep breath and shouted loudly.
“Sound the gongs, recall the troops!”
The sound of the gongs rang out, and Su Nan began to withdraw his soldiers. The situation left everyone bewildered. The Saman warriors, more than anyone, were dumbfounded.
‘We're about to win, why are we retreating? No. We will never retreat. We're going to kill all the people of Yue and destroy this city.’
The Saman warriors pretended not to hear the gongs. Su Nan, enraged, roared with all his might.
“Prince Gong has issued a royal decree! Halt the siege temporarily and withdraw the troops!”
The Saman warriors instantly froze. Su Nan bellowed.
“All of you, return here now!”
In the eyes of the Saman warriors, Prince Gong was like a god. Hearing that it was his royal decree, they could no longer disobey the order. Reluctantly, they looked at the guards of Yue with a hint of admiration.
‘You are truly remarkable. The only army our Saman people can respect.’
At last, the Saman warriors retreated like an ebbing tide. Just as before, they leaped from the top of the city walls as they withdrew, a truly impressive sight. Within a short quarter of an hour, the Saman warriors on the walls had vanished without a trace, leaving the few thousand remaining guards baffled by the sudden turn of events.
‘What just happened? We were prepared to die in battle. Why did they suddenly leave?’
Ning Zheng and Gou Duhuan looked at each other, their gazes first filled with suspicion, then gradually with elation and joy.
“Shen Lang succeeded!”
“Master Shen has succeeded!”
Gou Duhuan suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Long live Master Shen!”
“Long live Master Shen!”
Han Nu suddenly cried out.
“Master Shen, I love you!”
The Ten Lan Brothers were startled.
‘Ugh! My goodness! Is our brother, the Madman Lan, really going to be cuckolded?’
Then, over a hundred female warriors shouted in unison.
“Master Shen, I love you!”
This was the love of a fan for their idol—make no mistake.
* * *
On the twenty-third day of the second month. Nanguo City began a new phase of redecoration. Perhaps even the heavens had taken pity. Since Prince Gong had entered Nanguo City, he had never bothered to adorn it, and it had remained dusty all along. But now, at this moment, lanterns were hung and red paper was pasted up. For what important guest were they going to such lengths?
Prince Gong, accompanied by his wife, went outside Nanguo City to personally greet the guest. He wore a constant smile, but his wife Saman's beautiful face was filled with annoyance. In the afternoon, the important figure finally appeared. He was, unexpectedly, a pretty boy. His entrance was most peculiar. Big Dummy was carrying a rattan chair on his back, and Shen Lang was sitting in it, holding an umbrella to shield himself from the sun. The sun in the Southern Kingdom was too fierce; one had to be mindful of UV protection. He had gotten a bit tanned over the past half-month. A handsome man must take care of his skin. First, sun protection, then other maintenance.
“My husband, is that Shen Lang?”
Queen Saman asked. Prince Gong replied.
“It must be.”
“For some reason, the moment I saw him, I felt the urge to beat him to death.”
“Then I can rest assured. He is far too handsome.”
Big Dummy ran up to Prince Gong and set Shen Lang down.
“Shen Lang pays his respects to the Lord of the Great Southern Kingdom!”
“Sa Gong pays his respects to my worthy younger brother, Shen Lang.”
Shen Lang held up the wooden sword he had obtained from the ancient ruins with both hands. It was the proof of Prince Gong's defeat.
“I return this to its owner.”
“Then I shall give this to my worthy brother as a memento.”
“The sun here is too harsh. I'm dying of heat, let's hurry into the city. Brother Gong, do you have any ice in Nanguo City?”
Prince Gong was surprised and shook his head.
“My apologies, not yet… no.”
Prince Gong did not lead a luxurious life. Though he was the Lord of the Great Southern Kingdom, he lived more frugally than even a minor noble in the State of Yue.
“But I have a deep well with water as cold as ice. I prepared some melons for my worthy brother and left them in the well for half a day. Would that help you cool down?”
“Excellent!”
* * *
Two hours later.
Shen Lang, having bathed and changed, had returned to his usual handsome and dashing self, and was eating a melon.
‘Wow, this is so sweet. The melons of the Saman people are the best. Where did this come from?’
Shen Lang was not only eating melon but also various other fruits with great relish.
“Brother Gong, do you have any idea how hard these last twenty days have been for me? I've been jostled around for thousands of miles, I think I've lost weight.”
Shen Lang contentedly took a sip of wine. Prince Gong noted that he had said "jostled around," not "busily running around." Didn't that mean he wasn't walking, but was being carried the whole time?
“You've suffered, you've suffered! Try this honey wine. It's brewed with lychee honey.”
Shen Lang took it and drank it in one gulp. It was indeed delicious and exquisite.