Chapter 698
Chapter 698
"Royal Father, after nearly a month of fierce fighting, the State of Yue's army has suffered over forty thousand casualties, while our own forces have lost more than sixty thousand."
The King of Chu nodded, showing his satisfaction with the numbers. It was normal for the attacking side to suffer more casualties than the defenders, so the current figures were quite reasonable.
"After three rounds of reinforcements, our army on the Zhenxi Province battlefield still maintains a force of around three hundred and twenty thousand. Yet, Zhong Yao's army numbers less than eighty thousand, a mere quarter of our own. We possess a vast arsenal of siege equipment and have ample provisions. If Bian Wu's army does not march south, our chances of winning this war are high. In terms of morale, our troops far surpass those of Yue!"
The King of Chu walked to the front of a large map, lifting it. The map weighed dozens of pounds, but the king enjoyed lifting it to display his martial prowess. He smiled and said,
"I hear the King of Yue's tremors have become so pronounced that he now fiddles with two walnuts in his hands every day?"
"Yes! Ning Yuanxian's health deteriorates by the day, and with Ying Ji's relentless pressure, it may not be long before the extravagant and unrestrained King of Yue loses his grip on power."
The King of Chu sneered at this.
"He must be a delicate man, to be fiddling with jade and curios every day, unlike myself, who keeps a sword by my side."
"Your Majesty is truly magnificent! As long as you lead us, the State of Chu will undoubtedly triumph in this war!"
The King of Chu's gaze fell upon Zhenxi Province at the center of the map. He had initially thought he had ample time. He expected to besiege the city and, once Zhong Yao's army was at its lowest morale, attack to achieve a great victory with little effort. But now, the situation had changed abruptly. The Gong army had withdrawn, and the King of Wu had not advanced an inch. This meant the King of Chu had to press the attack more swiftly. He needed to eliminate Zhenxi Province in the shortest possible time and push his army to the gates of the Yue capital. Only then could he begin negotiations with Ying Ji. Although he might not accomplish everything at once, if his plan succeeded, it would be a magnificent victory, and no one would be able to stop the State of Chu from becoming the hegemon of the south.
*Ning Yuanxian is so far beneath me. The man is all style and no substance.*
However, a shadow of doubt crossed the King of Chu's mind.
*But what are the intentions of His Majesty, the supreme Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty? For him to personally pressure the King of Wu... what did Ying Ji promise him? Can it be that I, the King of Chu, have not been reverent enough? I, too, had a hand in the destruction of Jiang Li over twenty years ago. Did I not stab him in the back at the crucial moment?*
Of course, this was merely the King of Chu's way of glorifying himself. Due to his cunning and fickle nature, His Highness Jiang Li had never liked him, always keeping him at a distance and never truly bringing him into his fold. Yet, the King of Chu had secretly flattered the Yan Emperor on one hand while desperately writing letters to Jiang Li expressing his admiration on the other. He sought to win favor with all sides, hoping to profit from his shrewd machinations.
Then, after His Highness Jiang Li's sudden death and the betrayal of the Great Qian Kingdom's commander, the King of Chu immediately switched his allegiance and dispatched hundreds of thousands of troops to attack the kingdom's territory. Because of this, he had always believed he deserved credit for Jiang Li's destruction. From the Emperor's perspective, however, this man was merely a cunning opportunist who had ruthlessly seized over a hundred thousand square kilometers of land, a man who had snatched food from the tiger's mouth.
The Crown Prince of Chu said,
"Royal Father, when will we attack the city? If we delay, the tide of the war may turn. There have been unsettling rumors from Yan Capital recently!"
The King of Chu sneered.
"His Majesty the Emperor desires neither a powerful State of Yue nor a powerful State of Chu. However, our state does not share a border with the Great Yan Dynasty, and I have shown nothing but the utmost reverence for His Majesty's authority. The Great Yan Dynasty cannot forcibly intervene in our war with Yue by dispatching its army."
The Crown Prince of Chu said,
"The very reason the State of Chu is forced to be passive in this situation is Shen Lang."
"That damned scoundrel!"
The King of Chu's hatred for Shen Lang ran bone-deep. In the previous border battle, Shen Lang had subjected him to immense humiliation. The recent withdrawal of the Gong army was also directly related to him, and Aronana's attack on Chu's Pingnan Pass was his doing as well. The King of Chu truly felt it would be the regret of his life if he couldn't kill that pretty boy and flay him alive.
"That damned scoundrel would harm others even if it brings him no benefit. Does he think his actions are helping Ning Zheng? He's only helping Ying Ji! If Ying Ji successfully takes the throne, Shen Lang will die without a grave, and the Jin Clan will be exterminated."
The Minister of Rites of Chu, standing beside them, ground his teeth and said,
"That rampaging clown may have clever tricks, but he has no strategic foresight whatsoever. If he is killed by Ying Ji, I will drink until my nose is crooked."
In the last border battle, it was this very Minister of Rites who had lost the most face because of Shen Lang. Of course, the Minister of Ceremonies had suffered an even more tragic fate—the man whose vital parts were so severely injured that he had to be castrated immediately after.
"Let's ignore that damned scoundrel for now. He is but a nuisance, like a boil or a rash—not a fatal affliction! Capturing Zhenxi Province and destroying Zhong Yao is our most urgent priority!"
The King of Chu swung the map, which weighed dozens of pounds, and slammed it fiercely onto the table, roaring,
"In three days, we launch our official assault on Zhenxi Province. We must decide the course of this war with this single battle. In this war that could topple nations, our State of Chu must prevail!"
***
This expedition of several thousand *li* was far more arduous than imagined, especially for Shen Lang. It was a grueling journey. They were in a no-man's-land over six thousand meters above sea level, stretching for more than a thousand *li*. Even on modern Earth with the best equipment, crossing a snow-capped mountain range of this magnitude would be incredibly difficult. The Himalayas, after all, have an average elevation of only about six thousand meters. Moreover, this great mountain had no paths, making their march an unprecedented feat.
Shen Lang led his ten thousand troops, marching only through areas covered in eternal snow, places where not a single footprint or even a flying bird could be seen. Among them all, the one who struggled the most was Shen Lang. He began to suffer from altitude sickness once they passed five thousand meters. His entire skin flushed red as if he were drunk, and his head felt like it was about to explode. Big Dummy carried him for a while, but when it became unbearable, Mulan took over, which seemed to help a little. Mulan's scent was so fragrant that when his headache became too intense, he could occasionally press his lips against her. He just had to be careful not to let them freeze.
The temperature on this great mountain remained at a constant negative twenty to thirty degrees Celsius, and the ultraviolet radiation was particularly intense. But Mulan's body was truly remarkable. She walked across the six-thousand-meter-high mountain as if it were flat ground. Had Shen Lang not been secretly groping her while on her back, she might have moved even more lightly. Furthermore, even in these low temperatures, her body remained warm, just as it had been as cool as ice in the sweltering heat of the Southern Gull Kingdom.
And so, even while suffering from altitude sickness, Shen Lang couldn't hold back and ended up embracing Mulan a couple of times. After it was over, he would scream in agony, complaining that his head was about to burst and that he couldn't breathe. What a man, causing nothing but trouble for others. Each time after they made love, Mulan would have to dig a pit in the snow, boil water, and take a bath.
Seeing how Mulan doted on Shen Lang, Queen Saman finally couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up one day.
"Sister Mulan, why don't you just beat that husband of yours to death? I could introduce you to someone new."
Truly, if Saman's husband were anything like Shen Lang, she would have beaten him to death a hundred times over by now. Mulan, enraged by her words, retorted,
"I'd sooner beat you to death! Don't you ever say such a thing again!"
Queen Saman felt it was a great pity. A woman as strong and peerlessly beautiful as Mulan had fallen under Shen Lang's spell, treating her scumbag of a husband as if he were a precious treasure.
***
The army was forced to halt its march. A heavy blizzard was raging, accompanied by howling, frigid winds. The gale was so fierce it felt as if it could sweep a person off their feet. The army found a sheltered mountain plateau, dug large burrows into the snow, and made camp inside. Big Dummy stood in the midst of the gale, giddy with excitement. The scenery here was just too beautiful.
*It's a pity my wife and child aren't here to see this.*
Big Dummy's stamina was nearly limitless, so after getting permission from Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu, he climbed the highest nearby mountain amidst the howling gale and let out a roar. His voice echoed so powerfully that Shen Lang feared it might trigger an avalanche.
"Husband, don't get any ideas. It's such a hassle to wash up afterward."
Mulan was naked inside a warm sleeping bag.
"Don't worry. I won't go all the way, I'll just touch."
Moments later, Mulan once again had no choice but to get dressed, find a secluded spot, dig a pit in the snow, and boil water for a bath. When she returned, she found that scumbag Shen Lang hiding in the sleeping bag, shivering. After Mulan had left, the sleeping bag refused to warm up, and having spent all his energy, he was now severely lacking oxygen, making his headache even worse.
*I swear. I, Shen Lang, will not do that with Mulan again on this great snow mountain. If I sleep with her again within the next few days, I'm not a man, I'm a dog.*
***
One *shichen* later.
"Woof, woof, woof, woof!"
A strange sound came from within the sleeping bag. How very odd. Was someone raising a dog on this great snow mountain?
The next day, the blizzard stopped, and the sky cleared.
"It's so beautiful!"
Even Shen Lang was mesmerized by the magnificent vista before him. The Nirvana Army began to light fires to cook. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they began to boil water. They had not brought much coal and had to use it sparingly, so they could only have one hot meal a day. What they were boiling now was a chicken soup with chili peppers. Each person was allowed only one small bowl, which the Nirvana Army ate with compressed biscuits. The extremely spicy peppers had previously been brought from the west by the Heaven's Path Society, and Shen Lang had since cultivated them on a large scale, bringing a thousand pounds of the dried peppers for this expedition.
Drinking the chili chicken soup made one's entire body feel as if it were on fire. After eating their dry rations and drinking the spicy soup, everyone filled their canteens with the remaining broth. A sip of it when they felt the chill during the march was enough to lift their spirits. Of course, they had also brought a great deal of strong liquor for the march, but when the Saman tribesmen drank it, their bodies would warm up, but their steps would become unsteady, and they would act drunk. Moreover, drinking too much could numb the body; they wouldn't feel the cold, but in reality, it was freezing, and they could inadvertently freeze to death.
However, adding the strong liquor to the spicy chicken soup reduced the negative effects while significantly increasing the positive ones. Any other army would have perished long ago on such a march, but the Nirvana Army and the Saman sharpshooters marched one hundred and fifty *li* every day, sustained only by spicy chicken soup, strong liquor, and high-calorie military rations.