Chapter 861 The Final Battle! (Two Updates)

After losing hundreds of men in the forest, Xie Xingzhou's face also turned grim.

If his previous bandit suppression was carried out under orders and not really motivated by revenge for Min Hongyi, then now he truly wants to drag out and kill those cunning guys one by one!

How dare they fool Xie Xingzhou? They're asking for trouble!

He then strengthened his defenses and brought in soldiers skilled in divination and military tactics from the city.

The Bagua formation in the forest was broken, and the army finally passed through this treacherous place and arrived at the entrance to the village.

A stream connects the canyon and the village, but the wooden bridge over it has been cut down.

However, the river was not very wide, so it wouldn't be a problem to cut down trees again and build a temporary, simple wooden bridge.

"I'll have to trouble Elder Lu," Xie Xingzhou said.

"Hmph!" Elder Lu, still on horseback, turned his head slightly and made a gesture to the two disciples behind him.

The two disciples understood, drew their swords from their waists, and with lightning speed, cut down the two large trees, splitting them in two with a single stroke.

Jie Xingzhou's deputy general summoned several capable soldiers who used ropes to tie the timber together, embedding the curved parts downwards into the dug mud pits, and securing the sides with long spears to prevent the wooden bridge from tipping over.

This entire operation took only 15 minutes, which was incredibly fast.

The Jin army's warhorses refused to cross this unreliable "dangerous bridge," unlike the Black Wind King who could simply step across it. Xie Xingzhou and his group had no choice but to dismount and walk across the bridge.

One of the lieutenants flattered, "I've heard that the Black Wind Cavalry of Yan is extremely powerful. Once we defeat them, I'll capture the Black Wind King and hand him over to General Xie."

Xie Xingzhou didn't respond outwardly, but he was actually a little tempted.

The Black Wind Cavalry are the most powerful cavalry in the six kingdoms. In addition to their excellent combat skills, their warhorses are also one in a million, especially the Black Wind King, which can be called the god of war among horses.

When he was young, he had the opportunity to witness Xuan Yuanli's Black Wind King once. He was so frightened that he couldn't sleep for three days. Even now, the feeling of fear he had when he thinks about it still lingers.

Now he certainly wouldn't be intimidated by a horse anymore, but if he could conquer such a warhorse, it wouldn't be a disgrace to his reputation as a fierce general over the years.

...I wonder if my lord is interested in the Black Wind King. If he is, then I basically have no chance.

In just a moment, Xie Xingzhou had already begun planning the fate of the Black Wind King in his mind.

The Jin army entered the village.

The lieutenant remarked, "This village isn't small; it could probably house several hundred people." He then ordered his men, "You, search every house!"

"yes!"

The soldiers received their orders and split into two teams: one team searched the villagers' dwellings, and the other team searched the ghost soldiers' camp.

The result was disappointing; apart from finding a few wild boars they couldn't take with them, they didn't see a single person.

"They escaped?" Xie Xingzhou frowned, summoned two scouts who had stayed behind last night, and asked, "Did you find anything last night?"

The scout reported: "Reporting to the general, we two were lying in ambush at the entrance of Ghost Mountain last night and confirmed that no one came out of Ghost Mountain."

Xie Xingzhou casually entered a kitchen and put his hand into the stove to feel it.

It's cold.

He instructed, "Check the other stoves."

"yes!"

The soldiers checked each stove, but none of them had any heat inside. Given the weather, if the fire had been lit earlier, there should still be some residual heat in the stove by now.

Suddenly, another soldier strode over, clasped his hands in salute, and said, "General! We've made a discovery on the eastern hill!"

Xie Xingzhou led his subordinates to the location indicated by the deputy general.

Surrounded by green mountains, the lake ripples gently, stretching to the horizon. Ghost Mountain is surrounded by water on three sides, with only one entrance, which is the southern peak.

Meanwhile, on the shore of the eastern hilltop, everyone discovered numerous footprints and traces of ships that had docked, as well as some scattered items such as shoes and purses.

There was also a small boat moored on the shore. The bottom of the boat was leaky, and it was freshly cut open from the broken planks.

Combined with the evidence that the stove had not been lit in the morning, everyone couldn't help but imagine the scene of the villagers fleeing in the dark, unable to see the road, with things scattered all over the ground, and even accidentally damaging the small boat.

Everything makes perfect sense; there's no other explanation.

If Min Hongyi were here, he would definitely lead his troops to take a detour to the other side of the lake to capture people, but Xie Xingzhou is not that simple-minded.

"Zhong Cheng," he called to his deputy, "what's on the other side of the lake?"

“I haven’t been there either,” Zhong Cheng said. He was a spy planted in Pucheng by the Jin state and was extremely familiar with the terrain of Pucheng, except for Ghost Mountain, which was like a forbidden area.

Xie Xingzhou said, "Repair the boat and send two people who can swim to row over and search."

"yes!"

Shangguan Qing had actually anticipated Jie Xingzhou's decision long ago, so he wasn't worried.

Because there is only one small, dilapidated boat here, which can only seat two or three people at most, while the lake is very large, and if you walk a little further ahead, both banks are lined with green mountains.

At the end of the green mountains lies a very steep waterfall; most people who haven't been there never return.

Of course, Xie Xingzhou wouldn't just make one plan.

As expected, Xie Xingzhou immediately instructed the remaining lieutenants: "Search the surrounding area thoroughly, covering every hilltop. Pay attention to hidden caves, entrances, and other clues. Don't overlook any trace."

The crowd obeyed and dispersed.

Gu Jiao sat at the cave entrance. She already knew that the Jin army had entered the mountains and had also heard the commotion of Shangguan Qing leading the villagers to evacuate. At this moment, the Jin army was conducting a large-scale search, and she wondered if they would find any clues.

Two Jin soldiers pushed aside the bushes outside the crevice, which appeared too narrow for anyone to enter from the outside. They poked it with their swords and left, quite disappointed.

The Jin army came wave after wave, but none of them could find the cave behind the crevice.

There are trees and grass outside the cave, and food and water inside, so there's no worry about going hungry.

Gu Jiao glanced at Xuan Yuanqi, who was still in a meditative state beside her, and continued to meditate and guard him.

...

The Jin army's search continued until evening; they searched almost the entire Ghost Mountain, but still found nothing.

Inside the large cave with its babbling brook, three hundred ghost soldiers stood guard by the stream, with more than five hundred villagers behind them.

Several ghost soldiers who had returned from the various passages reported the situation on the ground to Shangguan Qing.

"They seem to have stopped searching."

"But Xie Xingzhou did not immediately order a retreat; he seemed to be waiting for the Jin army that had gone to search the lake to return."

"Those two Jin soldiers are most likely dead; he won't live to see them."

Shangguan Qing nodded upon hearing this: "If they can't wait, he only has two guesses: either they had an accident, or they were killed by us. Xie Xingzhou might guess the latter. There are no other boats here, so he has to go to the city to transport them. In addition, the search of the lake and the shore can delay them for several more days."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, looked at the nervous and anxious villagers sitting on the ground, and said, "Don't be afraid, everyone. We are safe now. If they can't find us, they will naturally believe that we have successfully moved."

"Then... then what will happen then?" a villager asked.

"Then the imperial army will come!"

The speaker was Tang Yueshan.

He stepped forward and said to the villagers, whose eyes were filled with longing, "Today, the imperial army is attacking the Liang army. After they finish fighting, they will come to Pucheng to deal with the Jin army!"

Shangguan Qing translated it once, and everyone assumed it was some kind of dialect and didn't think much of it for the time being.

The villager exclaimed excitedly, "So...we'll all be saved?"

Tang Yueshan said, "Of course! The imperial army will arrive in five days at most!"

Attacking Liang's army, capturing the Nangong family, and reclaiming Xincheng—five days would be enough for Lao Xiao at his speed.

Old Xiao's daughter-in-law is still here. If she doesn't return in five days, Old Xiao will definitely guess that he and his daughter are in trouble and will speed up the offensive against Pucheng.

Shangguan Qing repeated his words in the Yan language.

“How did you know?” another villager asked.

"I..." Tang Yueshan opened his mouth, pondering how to explain his identity.

With his hands behind his back, Shangguan Qing calmly said, "He is the Grand Marshal Tang, sent by the imperial court."

Everyone present was a native of the border region and did not know much about high-ranking officials of the imperial court. However, upon hearing that he was the Grand Marshal, they immediately believed his words and their hopes were rekindled.

The group exchanged smiles, each putting their minds at ease.

Tang Yueshan whispered, "Isn't it a bit... a lie to you like this?"

Shangguan Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "I didn't say which country's marshal or which dynasty."

Tang Yueshan: "..."

He was about to say something when he suddenly noticed the movement above him, so he quickly made a shushing gesture.

The villagers were very cooperative; even little Ying, who was just over a year old, covered her mouth with her little hand at her brother's prompting.

Xiaoying, be good, Xiaoying won't say anything.

The cave fell completely silent in an instant.

"Alright, let's camp here tonight!"

They heard the sounds of the Jin army.

Pucheng had a thriving border trade. Before the outbreak of war, there were many shops in the city run by merchants from the State of Jin. The people here could basically speak a little bit of both the State of Jin and the State of Yan.

The Jin army actually set up camp on top of them, which was a lucky accident.

Shangguan Qing gestured, "Everyone, just keep quiet, don't worry."

Everyone nodded. It was getting late, so they decided to take a nap. By the time they woke up, the Jin army should have already broken camp and left.

"Those who snore, don't go to sleep yet," Shangguan Qing whispered.

Tang Yueshan had just lain down with his bow in his arms when he sat up with a dark expression.

...

At night, everyone, both above and below ground, fell asleep, and Ghost Mountain fell into silence.

Tang Yueshan dared not sleep too soundly, so he found an open space to sit down with his bow in his arms, leaning against the wall, and dozing off every now and then.

Around midnight, he heard unusual noises, which sounded like very unbearable groans.

He frowned and looked strangely toward the source of the sound. By the light of the luminous pearl on the wall, he could see that the person groaning in pain was a pregnant woman with a large belly.

Tang Yueshan remembered that she was the mother of the little girl (Xiao Ying).

Her husband was killed by the Jin army in Pucheng, and she was rescued by Shangguan Qing and taken back to Guishan with her two children.

The ghost soldiers on duty had gone to patrol elsewhere, and the only person still awake at this moment was Tang Yueshan.

Tang Yueshan stared at her blankly, not understanding what was wrong with her.

The next second, Tang Yueshan saw her pull out a dagger and grit her teeth as she slashed at her own neck!

Tang Yueshan's heart skipped a beat. He quickly moved forward, grabbed her wrist, and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing!"

The moment she pulled out the dagger, he almost mistook her for a spy, but little did he know she was about to commit suicide.

The woman's surname was Zhang. She was drenched in cold sweat, and her face was deathly pale.

Tang Yueshan vaguely realized something, looking at her pained expression and then at her prominently swollen belly: "You...you're not going to give birth, are you?"

"What's going on?"

Shangguan Qing woke up with a start and walked over.

He glanced at the water stains under the woman's skirt, frowned slightly, and calmly said, "Her water has broken; the baby is about to be born."

Ms. Zhang was only eight months pregnant and had not yet reached her due date. Perhaps the stress caused her to give birth prematurely.

Zhang endured a wave of terrible contractions, her eyes reddening as she choked out, "I can't give birth... I can't..."

The Jin army was on the ground, and once her child was born, the crying would reveal where they were all hiding.

Her eyes were filled with tears as she cried out in anguish and despair, "We'll die... Xiaoying will die... Xiaohui will die... you... you'll all die..."

She couldn't sacrifice the lives of her two children and the entire village just because of a fetus in her womb.

Shangguan Qing glanced at Xiao Ying, who was snoring softly beside her, then looked back at the sleeping villagers, and made a decision in his heart.

He said seriously, "I'll take you to another place to give birth. Just bear with it for a little while."

Zhang choked up and said, "Won't we be exposed?"

Shangguan Qing said, "Many premature babies don't cry very loudly. If we go a little further away, we might not be discovered. If... I mean, if it really comes to that, I'll take care of him myself."

Tang Yueshan was shocked.

He actually understood.

He looked at Shangguan Qing in disbelief, unable to believe that such words could come from the child's mouth.

For him, cruelty was a more difficult choice than kindness.

However, if we don't do this, thousands of people will lose their lives.

Rather than have Zhang's hands stained with the blood of children, he would rather do it himself and spend the rest of his life bearing this indelible shadow.

Zhang nodded with tears in her eyes.

Shangguan Qing woke up an old woman in the village, then summoned several ghost soldiers and gave them some instructions. The ghost soldiers found an emergency stretcher prepared in the cave and carried Zhang away.

Shangguan Qing woke up an older woman and asked her to look after Zhang's two children so that they wouldn't feel uneasy or scared when they woke up and found their mother missing.

"What happened?" the aunt asked.

Villagers gradually woke up as well. Because they were trapped in the cave, everyone was on high alert and would be terrified at the slightest sound.

Standing in the cool, pearly light, Shangguan Qing calmly said, "I'll handle this. Everyone, go to sleep."

He exuded an aura that inspired faith, and the others didn't ask any more questions. They nodded and went to sleep obediently.

Tang Yueshan accompanied him to the place where Zhang gave birth—a small cave at least a hundred feet away, originally used for storage.

Zhang lay flat on a stretcher on the ground.

The old woman wasn't a midwife, but she did have some experience in childbirth compared to a man.

She stayed inside to accompany Zhang during childbirth, while Shangguan Qing and the others all stayed outside the cave.

"Do you have any wood?" the old woman asked as she came out.

"How big do you want?" Shangguan Qing asked.

The old woman said, "It doesn't need to be too big, just big enough for her to bite in her mouth, so as not to make too much noise and to prevent her from hurting herself."

Shangguan Qing pulled the wooden stopper off the water bag: "Is this okay?"

The old woman shook her head: "This won't do."

"What about this?" Shangguan Qing pulled the wooden hairpin off his head.

The old woman shook her head again: "That won't work either."

Shangguan Qing hesitated for a moment, then took out a very old wooden dagger from his pocket and handed it to the old woman.

The old woman smiled and said, "That should be about right."

After saying that, she took the dagger, turned around, and went into the small cave.

Tang Yueshan noticed a fleeting look of melancholy on Shangguan Qing's face.

Is that little wooden dagger something very precious?

They don't look very valuable. If he likes them, I'll carve ten or eight for him once he becomes my godson!

Zhang's labor pains started during the day, and by this time her cervix was fully dilated, but she just couldn't give birth.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid this isn't good..."

The old woman came out anxiously and said to Shangguan Qing, "Zhang is having a difficult childbirth..."

Childbirth is a life-or-death ordeal for women; if a difficult delivery occurs, it can very likely result in the death of both mother and child.

Tang Yueshan slammed his fist into his palm and muttered, "If only that girl were here!"

"What's wrong?"

A familiar youthful voice suddenly appeared at the other end of the passage, and the two ghost soldiers quickly went on alert.

"It's me."

Gu Jiao said.

Shangguan Qing waved his hand, and the two ghost soldiers stepped aside.

Gu Jiao pushed open a hidden door and climbed out.

She patted the dust off her clothes and said softly, "This place is really hard to find."

Shangguan Qing looked at her suspiciously: "You came from the back mountain?"

Gu Jiao said, "Otherwise? Come from the Jin army's camp?"

Shangguan Qing couldn't hide his surprise: "There's a tunnel in the back mountain too? And it connects to here?"

"What? You didn't know?" Well, she only just found out herself.

She was wandering around Xuanyuan Qi's cave out of boredom when she accidentally triggered a mechanism and fell into a tunnel.

She intended to walk back, but unexpectedly ran into them while wandering around.

Tang Yueshan grabbed her wrist and walked over: "You've come at the right time! A woman is having a difficult childbirth! You should go in and take a look!"

"First-time mother or multiparous woman?" Gu Jiao asked, then, seeing their bewildered expressions, she said "Oh," and corrected herself, "Have you given birth before?"

"I've had two children," Shangguan Qing said.

Gu Jiao: "When did it start?"

Shangguan Qing: "I don't know the specifics, she's been enduring it."

"Okay, I understand." Gu Jiao entered the small cave where Zhang had given birth.

Zhang's face was pale, and she had a small wooden dagger in her mouth.

There wasn't a dry spot on her body, and even the stretcher beneath her was soaked with sweat.

"Do you feel the urge to relieve yourself?" Gu Jiao asked.

She nodded with difficulty.

Gu Jiao examined her and found that her cervix was fully dilated, but the baby was breech.

The conditions for cesarean section are not currently met.

Fortunately, her amniotic sac hadn't completely ruptured, and the fetus was still able to move around in the uterus. It was time to put the fetal adjustment technique she had learned from an old Chinese medicine doctor in her previous life to good use.

"Hope this helps."

...

Time passed by, second by second.

Shangguan Qing and Tang Yueshan stood guard outside the cave. They appeared calm, but their palms were sweating profusely.

Tang Yueshan never dreamed that one day he would be helping a woman give birth.

What... what's going on here?

He paced back and forth in the corridor, muttering to himself.

"It's been so long, could she not be able to give birth anymore?"

"No, no, that girl's medical skills are so superb..."

"How come we never realized before that childbirth was so dangerous for women..."

"My sister-in-law had a tough time giving birth to Ming'er, so we should make it up to her when we get back."

With Zhang's last muffled groan, a baby covered in bruises was born.

It's a baby boy.

Although it's less than a month old, it's already quite big.

"Why... is there no... crying?" Zhang looked weakly at the baby in Gu Jiao's arms.

Gu Jiao grabbed the little guy by the feet, lifted him up, and smacked his little bottom a few times.

The little guy, who hadn't reacted at all, finally moved. He clenched his little fists, opened his little mouth, and burst into tears—

The crying was so loud that it made Shangguan Qing and Tang Yueshan's hair stand on end!

What happened to the premature baby?

Even full-term babies don't cry as loudly as you, do they?

Inside the tent on the ground, Xie Xingzhou and Elder Lu opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

Both of them had exceptional hearing, but they weren't sure if they had misheard.

The two stepped out of their respective tents.

When Xie Xingzhou saw Elder Lu emerge, he was half certain: "You are not..."

Elder Lu nodded, "I thought I misheard. It seems General Xie heard it too."

Xie Xingzhou chuckled and said, "Could it be ghostly wailing in the middle of the night?"

Elder Lu said calmly, "If General Xie believes in ghosts, then I have nothing to say."

Xie Xingzhou said coldly, "Hmph, even if there really is a ghost, this general will still drag that crying little devil out!"

Elder Lu said, "The sound seems to be coming from underground."

The two of them lay down and pressed their ears to the ground.

Just then, lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

"Waaah—"

The baby's cries were perfectly masked by the thunder.

The two stood up.

Xie Xingzhou asked, "Elder Lu, what do you think?"

Elder Lu said with a smile, "I will follow General Xie's orders as the commander of this operation."

Xie Xingzhou looked up at the lightning that leaped across the dome like a dragon, smiled, and said, "They're really lucky, no, we're really lucky."

Elder Lu's face also revealed a confident smile: "Although the dense thunder drowned out the baby's cries, it's certain that there are people underground. If we dig three feet into the ground, we'll definitely be able to dig them out!"

...

underground.

Zhang had already fainted from exhaustion.

Gu Jiao held the wailing little guy and put his own thumb into his mouth.

He fell asleep after only a couple of sucks.

The people in the passageway breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Yueshan, clinging to the last shred of hope, asked, "You weren't drowned out by the first clap of thunder, so you shouldn't be that unlucky as to be discovered, right?"

Shangguan Qing sent ghost soldiers to investigate the situation, and the intelligence they received was that all the Jin troops on the ground had been awakened by Xie Xingzhou.

"It seems... they've discovered us and are preparing to dig. However, they don't seem to be sure of our exact location; they're starting to dig from the village."

The ghost soldier reported.

Tang Yueshan guessed it from the expression. He closed his eyes. Sure enough, there was no room for luck on the battlefield.

A single misstep could cost you your life.

Shangguan Qing clenched his fist.

Tang Yueshan understood what he was thinking, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, "It's not your fault. This place is actually quite secluded. Ordinary crying sounds can't get out."

This wasn't meant to be comforting; he remembered when Tang Ming was born, he was strong and healthy, but his cries weren't nearly as loud as this child's.

His one child is equivalent to three children in other people.

Seeing that Shangguan Qing remained silent, he asked, "You don't really want to kill this child, do you?"

Shangguan Qing glanced at the child in Gu Jiao's arms, slowly relaxed his clenched fist, and sighed, "It's already been exposed, killing him won't help."

Gu Jiao asked Shangguan Qing, "How long can you hold them off?"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Qing gave Gu Jiao a deep look: "What do you want to do?"

Gu Jiao bent down and took the little guy's finger out of his mouth, saying, "He will still cry when he wakes up. When the thunder stops, the Jin army will be able to easily pinpoint your location. I'll take him away."

Shangguan Qing said, "Where to? The Ghost King's lair? We'll be exposed anyway."

Gu Jiao said, "No, let's go back to Quyang."

Shangguan Qing was startled: "You..."

Gu Jiao said calmly, "I will go back to Quyang to get reinforcements. Give me two days, and the Black Wind Cavalry and the imperial army will surely be at the city gates!"

This will be the final battle!

“It’s no use.” Shangguan Qing turned around. “Even if you get out of Ghost Mountain, you won’t be able to get out of Pucheng.”

Entering Pucheng is easy, but leaving is difficult. Moreover, to capture the people of Guishan, the checkpoints at the city gates must be even stricter.

Even if he personally went, he might not be able to successfully get the person out of the city.

Gu Jiao said, "Whether we can get out or not, we'll have to try to find out. Besides, you'll guard Ghost Mountain, and I'll figure out a way to get out of the city myself. You just need to tell me which passage leads out of Ghost Mountain."

In her dictionary, there is no such thing as giving up.

Shangguan Qing asked, "Are you sure you want to do this? It's very dangerous."

She wasn't afraid of danger, but—

She thought of Xuanyuan Qi.

Even now, she still had that strong intuition: if she left this place, she might never see him again.

Those secrets will be sealed away forever.

A thousand lives, and the truth she wants to uncover.

Without any hesitation, she made her decision in her heart.

Xuanyuan Qi: I heard you want to abandon me.

Jiaojiao: ￣□￣｜｜

*

The battle is almost over; the Yan Kingdom arc is nearing its end.

(End of this chapter)