Chapter 699
Chapter 699
Were there casualties during such a grueling march? Of course, there were. Dozens of warriors from the Savage Tribe were too careless, paying no mind when their shoes tore, and ended up with frostbitten feet. By the time Shen Lang discovered them, their flesh had already turned black and necrotic, leaving amputation as the only option. After their feet were amputated, they all died. From then on, the army checked their shoes several times a day for wear and tear.
However, the greatest number of casualties came from the blizzards and fierce winds. Over three hundred men went missing overnight, and when they were found, they had all frozen to death. But the bravery and morale of this army were a rare sight in the world. Despite the dangerous march that claimed lives, not a single person flinched.
The Nirvana Army even seemed to brighten up in the Great Snow Mountains, more so than on level ground, becoming completely entranced by the scenery. These deadly perils felt like a trial bestowed upon them by the heavens. Marching at the highest point in this world, their perpetually suppressed natures seemed to clear up, and with the high sky full of clouds, their hearts felt wide open.
Unlike them, the sharpshooters of the Savage Tribe shouted and screamed like madmen every day. This was because their hearts were filled with the romance of men from a primitive tribe—the desire to conquer the world. Every time they reached a high peak, they would kneel and pray to the spirits. Then, they would draw a totem at the very summit of the snowy peak. Of course, within a mere hour, the totem would be erased by the wind or buried under the snow. Nan Yi blurted out, asking them why they bothered drawing the symbol when they knew it would disappear. In response, a sharpshooter from the Savage Tribe retorted.
"When you sleep with a woman, do the traces you leave inside her body all disappear after she bathes?"
It was such a valid point that no one could argue, but unfortunately, Nan Yi was a virgin. Unable to hold back, he asked the Savage Tribe sharpshooter if he had ever slept with a woman. The sharpshooter raised one finger.
"One?"
"A hundred!"
In that moment, Nan Yi was so jealous he nearly coughed up blood. He felt an urge to change his nationality.
'If I had known, I wish that crazy Brother Nan had taken us to the Savage Tribe. Then I, Nan Yi, might have taken a dozen women as wives and been running around with many children.'
* * *
The grand army did not fear the arduous expedition, and crossing countless mountains and rivers was no great matter to them.
After eight long days, the ten-thousand-strong army led by Shen Lang finally crossed the entirety of the Great Snow Mountains, which spanned over a thousand li. An army that originally numbered ten thousand seven hundred was now only nine thousand five hundred strong. One thousand two hundred men were now in a deep slumber within the snow-covered peaks. Some bodies were recovered, but others were not. When they passed the last peak of the Great Snow Mountains, what spread before their eyes was no longer pure white. At last, this journey through the mountains, which had been both heaven and hell, had finally come to an end.
Everyone wept with joy. It had not been an easy journey. All their eyes were bloodshot. The pure white snow reflected the light, irritating their eyes, and after staring at the snowy mountains for days and nights on end, it felt as if their eyes were being pierced and they would go blind. Shen Lang had provided everyone with sunglasses, but during the march, not only their packed luggage but also their sunglasses were lost to the fierce winds. Moreover, it was common to lose belongings after an accidental fall. Thus, by the latter half of the march, they were short about a thousand pairs of sunglasses and had to take turns wearing them. As a result, some soldiers inevitably suffered varying degrees of damage to their eyes.
After exiting the Great Snow Mountains, Shen Lang and his army of over nine thousand bowed deeply toward the towering peaks. The grandeur of nature was truly awe-inspiring.
'Oh, Great Snow Mountains, we dare not say we have conquered you. You were simply in our path, and so we have passed through!'
Even Shen Lang felt as if he had survived a catastrophe.
'To think we actually pulled off a miracle. To think we actually crossed the highest snow mountains in this world.'
"I am so incredible. This grand history must be told to our children. That their father crossed a thousand li of the Great Snow Mountains and passed over the highest peaks in the world."
Shen Lang was so moved his voice trembled. The Savage Queen beside him remarked.
"Shen Lang, aren't you shameless? Did you walk even a single day?"
Shen Lang wrapped his arm around Mulan's neck, gave her beautiful face a light kiss, and spoke as if unbothered by the Savage Queen's words.
"My wife carried me on her back through the Great Snow Mountains. What's the difference between that and me walking it myself? Besides, is this the only miracle I've performed? Do I really need to list them all out for you?"
'For example, I, Shen Lang, did the deed with Mulan at an altitude of seven thousand meters. Did I ever boast about such a great accomplishment? Of course, after we were done, Mulan had to give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but when you think about it, wasn't that just a deep kiss? And I even barked like a dog on a snowy mountain seven thousand meters high, but I never bragged about that either.'
* * *
After crossing the thousand-li Great Snow Mountains, another thousand li of uninhabited, high, rugged mountains stretched before them. However, compared to the treacherous Great Snow Mountains, this was like walking on flat ground. Five days later, the army completed its march through the mountains and returned to the lowlands. Finally, they saw dense vegetation, towns, and villages. They were now only three hundred li away from the capital of the State of Chu.
Shen Lang led his army of nine thousand five hundred men, bypassing the towns and villages, and marched directly toward the Chu capital. This was a strategic heartland of Chu, with endless great mountains at its back, a place with no fear of attack. Moreover, it was three thousand li away from the battlefields of Tianxi Province, so there was no tense atmosphere of war; instead, the mood was quite festive. In every village and town, the King of Chu's edicts were posted, and the common people were reciting news of victories from the front lines. No one doubted that they would win this war and that His Majesty the King of Chu would soon conquer all of Tianxi Province. The State of Chu would soon become the hegemon of the south. At that time, Chu would celebrate this joy with the entire world.
But where there were joyous people, there were also those shedding tears of blood. To wage a war on such a massive scale that it could bankrupt the nation, the King of Chu needed astronomical amounts of supplies and funds. Therefore, he had to increase the tax burden on the people of Chu. In almost every town, officials and bailiffs were collecting taxes. Able-bodied men were conscripted for labor in every town, and endless convoys of food were being transported to the front lines along all the official roads.
The bodies of the conscripted laborers were covered in whip marks, their eyes brimming with tears, while the government soldiers escorting the food supplies cursed and berated them, relentlessly cracking their whips. Was this the scene of 'whether a nation rises or falls, it is the people who suffer'? In comparison, although Ning Yuanxian had squandered his fortune, he had not treated his people so harshly. Even during the previous war with Prince Gong, when he mobilized hundreds of thousands of laborers to transport supplies, he had distributed wages and rations to them. No matter how meager the pay, at least he did not work the laborers for free.
* * *
Half a day later, Chu scouts discovered Shen Lang's army. No longer hiding their movements, Shen Lang's forces advanced toward the Chu capital at full speed. In an instant, the officials in the cities and commanderies surrounding the Chu capital were thrown into a state of profound shock.
'What? An army from the State of Yue, discovered here? A full ten thousand of them? And they came from the south? H-how is that possible? That direction is blocked by a thousand li of the Great Snow Mountains and hundreds of li of rugged mountain ranges. Did they fly here? No, I must be seeing things. Something must be wrong. Perhaps they are bandits disguised as Yue soldiers? Or could it be... the conscripted laborers have rebelled?'
The astonished State of Chu continuously sent out small scout parties to gather information, and the officials guarding the Chu capital could no longer deny the truth. The army of Yue had truly invaded. The Queen of Chu, the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Department of State Affairs, who remained to guard the capital, were all shocked. They immediately dispatched a messenger to report to the King of Chu at the fastest possible speed. They also ordered all surrounding cities and commanderies to assemble all their forces and protect the capital.
In military matters, speed is paramount. After being discovered, Shen Lang's army of nine thousand five hundred marched day and night without rest, pressing onward. In just one day and night, they covered over two hundred li and finally arrived before the capital of Chu.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Deng Ai secretly traversed the minor roads of Yinping to launch a surprise attack on the capital of Shu Han, pressuring Liu Shan to surrender. This is perhaps one of the most famous surprise attacks in history. Deng Ai led his army around Shu's main defensive line, crossing seven hundred li of desolate, uninhabited, and treacherous terrain. In the end, only a few thousand soldiers remained, the number of casualties having been astonishingly high.
The force Shen Lang and Ying Zheng led to the foot of the walls to surround the Chu capital numbered less than ten thousand. The capital of Chu was called Lingdu, the Capital of the Mountain Range, and it was the largest city in the State of Chu. In terms of size, it was comparable to Tianyue City and was one of the most fortified cities in the eastern world. Including the royal city, inner city, and outer city, the total population exceeded several hundred thousand. The outer city had been expanded several times, its walls stretching over fifty li, making it look like a colossal beast crouching on the ground when seen from a distance.
Shen Lang and Ying Zheng's mere nine thousand five hundred men seemed insignificant and tiny before this massive city. Furthermore, the walls of the Chu capital were astonishingly high, about fifteen meters tall, the height of a five-story building. Attacking such a formidable fortress with fewer than ten thousand men sounded like an absurd tale.
So, how many defenders did the Chu capital have? There were twenty thousand capital guards and ten thousand imperial guards, for a total of thirty thousand. Like the State of Yue, the capital of Chu was relatively empty, but it was still in a slightly better state. When the King of Chu went to attack Yue, he had taken the crown prince with him. Therefore, the ones left to defend the capital were the civil officials of the Department of State Affairs and the military officials of the Bureau of Military Affairs, while the Queen guarded the central palace.