Chapter 00026: The Greatest General in Three Hundred Years
# The Greatest General in Three Hundred Years
Chapter 26
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 26: The Greatest General in Three Hundred Years
"General Hong?" The He father and son exchanged puzzled glances.
"General Hong died before Zhong Shengguang?"
"Zhong Shengguang had many fierce generals under his command, but if we're talking about the greatest on the battlefield, it had to be General Hong," Sun Fuping said with a nostalgic look as he spoke of the legendary general.
"For the next twenty years, the ironclad army of Panlong City was almost entirely forged by his hands. According to the letters left by the people of Panlong City that I obtained, he was a military genius, dominating the battlefield and shouldering most of the pressure for Zhong Shengguang."
"Hmm, did you know that after defending the city for twelve years, Zhong Shengguang was already riddled with injuries and could barely hold on? As the saying goes, 'A general may fight a hundred battles, but he cannot survive them all.' Having an iron will alone is far from enough; you also need an iron body."
"I've heard of that. It's said that General Hong once led a few dozen men on a reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines, only to run headlong into two thousand Xianyou troops. With just a few dozen men, he faced off against two thousand. Most of his followers perished, but General Hong fought with increasing ferocity, eventually turning the tide and sending the enemy fleeing in disarray. He created the legendary feat of a handful of men chasing two thousand. Some even say he might have entered a berserker state..."
At this, everyone frowned, and He Lingchuan quickly coughed to interrupt.
"Anyway, reinforcements arrived in the end, and Panlong City won a great victory. The tales of General Hong are endless in Blackwater City. I could tell you stories for three days and three nights and still not finish."
It was an exaggeration, but people loved these over-the-top, blood-pumping stories.
"That was the Battle of Black Pine Pass," Sun Fuping nodded.
"Do you know in which year that happened?"
"Not exactly," He Chunhua thought for a moment.
"Was it after Xiluo and Xianyou's negotiations fell apart, and Panlong City was besieged again?"
"It was in the same autumn when Xianyou reignited the war against Xiluo, the Panlong Plains became an enclave once more, and Panlong City was isolated again!" Sun Fuping said slowly.
"The wording in the letters is quite interesting too. It describes General Hong as 'emerging out of nowhere,' standing against the tide of enemies from all sides and steadying the morale of Panlong's army!"
As Sun Fuping spoke, He Lingchuan chimed in, playing the role of an attentive listener.
"Indeed. Such an extraordinary hero, the savior of Panlong City—how could he have had no presence at all before this, only to 'emerge out of nowhere' at this critical moment?"
The legends of General Hong were as familiar to him as they were to the people of Blackwater City.
But legends were just legends.
With most of the historical records missing, who would really delve into the details of events that happened over a hundred years ago?
Nian Songyu chimed in, "The Grand Marshal, after reviewing historical records, believes that Zhong Shengguang's prayers to the gods came first, and General Hong's emergence followed. The two must be connected."
He Chunhua asked, "So, aside from the Great Square Pot, the gods' assistance manifested in General Hong?"
To grant two forms of aid at once—this deity was indeed generous.
"At the very least, he was a crucial part of it," Sun Fuping continued.
"The letters from his personal guards also mention that General Hong left Panlong City twice—once to Xiluo and once to Xianyou! The guard regretted not following him, as he might have had the chance to return to his homeland instead of being buried in the wasteland."
The He father and son were astonished.
"General Hong actually returned to Xiluo?"
"Wasn't Panlong City besieged and isolated?" He Lingchuan clicked his tongue.
"And he even went to Xianyou... Hmm, what did he do there?"
"That's unclear," Nian Songyu shrugged.
"When he went, when he returned, and what exactly he did—none of the records we have mention it."
"Even if he was the greatest general in three hundred years, his actions are beyond imagination. Perhaps he was an incredibly powerful mage, further amplified by the fortune of the entire Panlong Plains."
Sun Fuping let out a long breath.
"But I'm more inclined to believe that General Hong was no longer human—he had become a demigod!"
"A demigod?" He Chunhua exclaimed.
"You mean... a divine descent!"
"Exactly, a divine descent!"
The usually composed and steady Prefect He was now both shocked and bewildered, though he quickly regained his composure.
"There are only three recorded instances of divine descent throughout history."
But General Hong's achievements were so extraordinary that attributing them to divine intervention seemed more acceptable.
"It's said that the conditions for divine descent are extremely stringent, which is why there are so few examples."
He Lingchuan immediately searched his memories for the term "divine descent," but after a while, he only found a vague impression.
It was said that the gods existed just three feet above one's head, but in reality, they resided beyond the heavens and could not directly descend to this world.
Though their true forms couldn't come, under extremely limited conditions, they could "descend" by possessing a human body, allowing them to indirectly enter the mortal realm.
Those who underwent a divine descent were also known as demigods.
"Indeed, the gods usually don't interfere in mortal affairs, but there are always exceptions," Sun Fuping said.
"In the spring of the thirty-second year of Panlong City's defense, Xianyou and Balin gathered five vassal states to launch a joint attack. They even sought six hundred demon soldiers from the northern demon kingdom to join them in an unprecedented assault on Panlong City. The battle was so fierce that 'mountains were flattened,' and the entire Yindou Mountain to the north was leveled."
"In that battle, all six hundred demon soldiers and their two leading demon generals perished. Of the five grand mages sent by the seven nations, three died and one was severely injured. The casualties among the soldiers were too numerous to count. It's said that in the five years following this great war, Xianyou's fertile fields were 'eight out of ten left barren,' with not enough able-bodied men to till the land."
Nian Songyu sighed.
"Even Xianyou, as the victorious side, couldn't withstand such losses. Not long after the battle at Panlong City ended, civil war broke out, and the nation split into several smaller states. The conflict continues to this day."
"The letters mention that General Hong fell in this epic battle. Three days after his death, Panlong City was breached, and Zhong Shengguang took his own life."
"So that's how it was," He Chunhua couldn't help but sigh.
"What a pity."
It was a pity that the Panlong Plains, where hundreds of thousands of loyal souls were buried, ultimately failed to defy fate.
"Not just a pity, but also terrifying," He Lingchuan also sighed.
"An army that even seven nations could barely defeat has now become the vengeful spirits we must face. That said, no matter how powerful the Great Wind Army was, it couldn't have succeeded without the Great Square Pot. Yet in the end, Panlong City still fell. Did the Great Square Pot fail?"
"That's unclear," Sun Fuping spread his hands.
"There's no record of it anywhere. We've already deduced as much as we can from the limited information available. These are just glimpses of the truth, like looking at a leopard through a tube. The full picture may never be known."
Nian Songyu stood up and stretched.
"Let's rest early. Starting tomorrow, we might not get a good night's sleep."
The meeting adjourned.
The He father and son shared a small room.
The room was tiny, barely fitting two small beds.
When the two men lay down, their legs almost didn't have room to stretch.
However, the bedding was surprisingly dry, which He Lingchuan guessed was due to the extreme dryness of the desert.
The floor had some sand, but none of those pesky little creatures.
(End of Chapter)