Chapter 62: 50,000 vs. 200,000

Fearing that Hensheng and the others might not understand, Chunzhi kindly explained it to them.

"When General Huo died in battle, the Northwest Army was already showing signs of defeat. The wisest choice would have been to preserve the main force and retreat. Besides you, there were some brave men who were not afraid of death and wanted to fight to the last moment of their lives. However, due to being outnumbered, many of them were captured alive. At that time, the court sent envoys to negotiate peace, not only sending money and grain, but also handing over Huo's army to the barbarians to deal with, just to appease them."

At this point, Chunzhi's voice became tinged with sadness, "The barbarians are cruel. Not only did they torture people to death, they also cut the corpses into pieces and displayed them on the front lines. The new Northwest Army forbade the people to clean them up, and they all turned into yellow sand from the wind and sun."

Hensheng clenched his fists as he listened, "Is it all true?"

Chunzhi looked past him to the people behind her, "Whether it's true or not, you should tell your master."

Qingshan was dejected, and every time he recalled the events of that year, he felt a painful mix of blood and tears.

General Huo died in battle, and the soldiers held out for several more days, waiting for reinforcements from the imperial court.

But while reinforcements arrived, they also brought peace envoys.

The situation was beyond their control; continuing the fight would only result in pointless sacrifices. The one-eyed old man immediately decided to lead his men to Huzhou to seek refuge with General Hu.

Only these people went with them; the rest were determined to die and were very likely to be captured by the barbarians. Using soldiers' lives to exchange for so-called peace was something the imperial court was capable of doing.

Qingshan looked at the one-eyed old man being carried behind him. He walked slowly, so everyone took turns carrying him.

The one-eyed old man met Qingshan's gaze and sighed helplessly.

Although they knew that the Huo family army left there would not escape death, dying on the battlefield and being tortured to death by the barbarians were two completely different things.

Seeing this, Hensheng knew that Chunzhi's words were almost certainly true. He felt a deep sorrow, and at the same time, he felt that his sins had deepened.

Seeing the pain on Hensheng's face, Su Zhenzhen knew that this silly boy had fallen into a vortex of self-blame again. She patted his shoulder comfortingly, "There's no point in saying anything now. We can't let the blood of loyal ministers and generals be shed in vain."

Hensheng looked at Su Zhenzhen gratefully, "I will do it."

Immediately afterwards, Hensheng looked at Chunzhi and said, "Please inform me of the battle situation at the front lines in Bianzhou, sister-in-law."

This time, Chunzhi didn't play coy and went straight to the point: "It's very bad. We are short of people. All the able-bodied people in the border region have stepped up, but it's far from enough."

Hensheng said earnestly, "We'll head north now."

Although Huo's army has less than four hundred men and lacks even suitable weapons, once the border prefecture falls completely and the barbarians march south, the mountain county alone will not be able to stop them.

When the barbarian cavalry rampages across the Central Plains, who knows how much blood will be shed on this land.

Without saying a word, Chunzhi rode ahead to lead the way, with Hensheng and the others running behind.

Along the way, Chunzhi ordered his soldiers to search villages one by one, and to send anyone who could stand up to the battlefield.

Su Zhenzhen was pleasantly surprised. At this moment, Hensheng did not become a saint and felt that the people were innocent and should not be forced.

But how innocent are the soldiers on the front lines? They are protecting the land of all Han people, and every Han person should do their part for this land.

He hated being born, for that was the beginning of his true growth.

During this forced march, even when soldiers went to villages to search for people, Chunzhi did not allow the troops to rest.

As darkness fell, the group finally arrived at the front-line camp.

The situation of the Northwest Army was very bad; many soldiers were wounded, and the military doctors were extremely busy.

Those civilians who were temporarily brought in had experienced the war firsthand, witnessed their comrades being torn apart, and personally experienced the cruelty of war. They also understood the hardships endured by the soldiers. At this moment, they no longer complained, and everyone shared a common goal.

That is to defend the border region and drive back the barbarians.

Su Zhenzhen noticed a Taoist priest tied up on the command platform and asked curiously, "Who is this person?"

If a glare could kill, the Taoist priest would probably have been sliced ​​into thin slices by Chunzhi.

Chunzhi said irritably, "He's that damned Celestial Master sent over by the imperial court. He said that with him there, we would definitely win the battle, but ever since he arrived, the Northwest Army, which was originally able to hold on, has been retreating one defeat after another."

When the Taoist priest met Su Zhenzhen's gaze, he struggled desperately, but the rope was so tight that it cut into his flesh, and no matter how he moved, it was no use.

"Ahhh—" the Taoist priest tried desperately to open his mouth and shout, but he couldn't utter a single sound.

Su Zhenzhen exclaimed in surprise, "You pulled out his tongue?"

Chunzhi's voice was filled with anger, "This damned Taoist priest has the ability to bewitch people. When he was first tied up, he actually managed to persuade the soldiers to untie him. Luckily, I discovered it in time. I didn't kill him to send a warning to everyone: if you don't fight the barbarians properly, this is what you get!"

Well, Su Zhenzhen originally wanted to ask him whether the matter of offering General Huo's remains as a sacrifice was nonsense or if there was some kind of unknown evil magic involved.

Now we can only think about it; the most urgent task is to drive back the barbarians.

However, Su Zhenzhen thought of another question: "What about the commanders of the Northwest Army? Were they all killed in battle?"

"Commander-in-chief?" Chunzhi sneered. "Since General Huo died in battle, the Northwest Army has been without a commander-in-chief. The barbarians hate their commanders the most; if they capture one, they'll be hacked to pieces. The generals who came after them are all terrified of death. When fighting the barbarians, they try to avoid them. Last time, when the barbarians broke through the pass, they actually tried to bring the people of the border region to surrender. I was so angry that I killed them all."

Hensheng inquired about the current situation, "How many barbarians are there? How many of us are there?"

Chunzhi's expression froze. After a long pause, she gritted her teeth and said, "The barbarians have an army of 200,000, and I've heard they've even brought more from other places. We..."

Chunzhi closed her eyes weakly. "Our soldiers and civilians combined number no more than fifty thousand."

Fifty thousand? Su Zhenzhen was shocked. Where were the people from Bianzhou?

Seemingly understanding Su Zhenzhen's doubts, Chunzhi explained, "When the barbarians broke through the pass, they killed many people, and some even hid in the mountains. Now, no one knows where they've gone. Not to mention how many people would die if the barbarians were driven out and the breach were sealed."

Hensheng's thinking has changed. At first, he thought that Shan County alone could not stop the barbarians. But with 50,000 against 200,000, even if the barbarians were driven away, they would pay an extremely heavy price. By then, the border prefecture would be empty. When the barbarians make a comeback next autumn, all the efforts now will be in vain, and it will only add to the deaths.

"Sister-in-law, let's retreat with the men. We'll go to Shanxian, which has a geographical advantage and is easy to defend. At the same time, send a letter to the general in Huzhou, asking him to thoroughly investigate the deep mountains at the border of the two prefectures and be wary of the barbarians crossing over."