Chapter 88: Escape from Death

"Brother Li, this road is so quiet!" The surroundings were eerily quiet.

Li Ding, riding at the very front, felt something was amiss, but after observing his surroundings and finding nothing there, he irritably tugged at the reins and scolded, "Isn't quiet enough?"

After saying that, to prove his idea was correct, he quickened his pace and ran towards the end of the road.

At the end was a wide open space, probably never before set foot there, overgrown with weeds that were more than half a person's height.

The river blocking Li Ding's path caused him to pull back and stop, his mood instantly brightening.

"I told you this place was safe. Follow me and I'll guarantee your survival—"

A crossbow bolt pierced the air and accurately struck his companion, who was only a step away from him, in the throat.

The man's eyes were filled with terror. He groaned in pain, trying his best to cover the bloody hole in his neck, but he died before he could put his hand over his neck. Before he died, he looked at Li Ding with eyes wide open in horror.

In an instant, Li Ding felt the hairs on his body stand on end, and cold sweat poured down his face like rain. He was frozen in place, not daring to make a move.

There was an ambush, but the enemy was hidden while they were in the open. Even the crossbow bolt seemed to appear out of thin air, making it impossible to discern its origin or deduce the enemy's location.

While he was distracted, another person next to him was shot through by a crossbow bolt and died on the spot.

The successive deaths of their companions dealt a heavy blow to everyone, and unparalleled fear gripped their entire being.

Some people immediately ran back like madmen, but just as they were about to enter the intersection, they were riddled with arrows, convulsing and collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Li Ding's jaw was chattering. What should he do? He was still young, and he didn't want to die!

Perhaps it was the prayer in his heart that worked, and his muddled mind finally regained a sliver of reason. He turned his horse around at the crossroads and raised his hands high: "I surrender."

So the others followed suit, raising their hands and shouting surrender.

Whispers arose from the bushes, followed by a young voice speaking in broken Lichao: "Why are there only a few of you? Where are the others?"

The number of people has changed from three hundred to just over ten. Even if there were errors in the intelligence, it wouldn't be this outrageous.

Li Ding dared not reply immediately. He was thinking, trying to figure out how to say something so that the other party would not kill him.

Just as the enemy was getting impatient and preparing to order the arrows to be fired, Li Ding had a sudden inspiration and hurriedly shouted, "We are scouts sent by the captain to explore the way."

To add some credibility, he added, "Our captain saw two roads and felt that both were suspicious, so he ordered us to split into two teams to scout them out. If we encounter trouble, then it must be a trap."

The other party seemed to have truly believed it. After exchanging words for a long time, the young man who spoke the Li Dynasty dialect spoke again: "In that case, you should go back and tell them that there is no treachery ahead."

“If you dare to cheat, we will not hesitate to shoot you through the throat.”

Li Ding was stunned. What should he do? From the other party's words, it was clear that they did not trust him at all. If they found out that there was no large force at the crossroads, he would definitely not escape death.

But what if he only manages to fool them briefly and then runs away? Perhaps there's a glimmer of hope, even if it's extremely slim, he should try his best to fight for it.

After making his decision, Li Ding said, "You can rest assured, sirs. I will go back and inform them right away."

He gave a fake smile that was even uglier than a grimace, one hand still raised high, the other holding the reins and turning the horse around.

Qian Dazhuang's horse clung tightly to him, his voice trembling: "Brother Li, where are we going to find Commander Li and the others?"

Li Ding glanced at him quickly, his expression impatient: "You really want to look? Let's find an opportunity and run for our lives."

"Oh, oh!" Qian Dazhuang immediately nodded to indicate that he understood.

Li Ding waved his hand: "You stay behind me, don't ride next to me, or it will be hard to run away later."

Li Ding didn't expect them all to escape alive. He rode at the front, and even if they were discovered to have lied, he would shoot from behind first. Even if two of them died, there were still nine human shields behind him to create more time for escape.

The fork in the road ahead was faintly visible in the bend, and a low, incomprehensible curse came from somewhere.

They found it!

Li Ding acted decisively, lashing his whip across his horse and starting to gallop.

Arrows rained down again, followed by a series of screams, but Li Ding seemed deaf to them. He could only hear his own heart pounding as if it were exploding. Only one thought occupied his mind: he had to get out of here alive, no matter what.

As the fork in the road drew closer, Li Ding finally smiled. As long as he could get out of the fork, the other party would certainly not dare to make any rash moves in order to hunt them down.

The horse's speed suddenly stopped for a moment, and alarm bells went off in Li Ding's mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qian Dazhuang about to overtake him at an extremely fast speed.

No, he absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen. There was no one behind him anymore. If Qian Dazhuang rode in front of him, wouldn't he become the last shield?

Evil thoughts, like venomous snakes, instantly eroded his heart and devoured the few remaining good thoughts within him.

Li Ding gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and the next second he reached out without hesitation and lashed the eye of the warhorse beneath him with his whip.

The horse was startled and couldn't see the road, so it briefly lost its footing. By the time Qian Dazhuang hurriedly got back on track, it had already fallen behind Li Ding.

An arrow struck his mount, causing the horse to collapse to its knees and wail, unable to stand. Qian Dazhuang was also thrown to the ground as a result.

"Brother Li, save me! Save me!"

Qian Dazhuang's desperate cries for help chased after Li Ding like a death warrant, but he paid no heed until he stepped off the side road. At that moment, he heard all the wails behind him disappear along with the whistling of arrows piercing the air, and he finally revealed a victorious smile.

As dusk fell, another round of fighting had ended.

The soldiers were busy clearing the battlefield, as their comrades who had died in the war needed to be taken back and properly buried.

Sun Kan turned over the still somewhat warm corpse of a southern barbarian, pulled a large sword from the man's tightly clenched hand, admired it for a moment, and praised, "It's a good sword." At least it couldn't compare to the thin iron swords with dull blades used by his men.

Both he and Xie Pei's swords were provided by their families. When the others first joined the army, they didn't even have a usable weapon. Later, a batch of thin, iron-like broadswords were brought in from somewhere. The blades were full of nicks, and some were even rolled up. It was said that they were discarded by the Jingzhong Guard Army. If General Guan hadn't made several requests to the court, this batch of rotten swords would not have been available.

He handed the knife to the soldier next to him, saying, "Keep it safe. The Southern Barbarians always have good stuff in their hands."

Everyone knew that this battle was not easy. Although the two sides were evenly matched in numbers, there was a huge gap in weaponry. Some of their soldiers did not die because they were less skilled in combat, but because their weapons were inferior.

Anyone who observes the battlefield closely will find that all those with broken swords are their soldiers.

Sun Kan walked to Xie Pei's side and whispered, "Sir, this battle was won by our brothers with their lives on the line. Could we ask General Guan to reward us with these captured weapons?"

Xie Pei squatted beside a Southern Barbarian corpse and replied calmly, "He won't want it."

Sun Kan opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.

Xie Pei is right; General Guan probably wouldn't want these spoils of war. Or rather, if he had any conscience at all, he wouldn't have asked for them.

If it weren't for Xie Pei leading the charge, anyone else would have faced a near-certain death. Anyone with a discerning eye in the army could see this was no easy task, and no one dared to volunteer.

However, General Guan issued a military order assigning this task to their captain. To put it bluntly, to outsiders, this was no different from ordering them to their deaths at the hands of the southern barbarians.

Whether they die outside Jizhou City or return alive, General Guan will feel guilty and will not hold it against them for embezzling the spoils of war they risked their lives to win.

Xie Pei gently pulled an arrow from the quiver on the corpse's back.

"This is..." Sun Kan asked in confusion, "We don't need it, do we?"

But then he thought, whether they need it or not, it's all good stuff. He'll take it all back, and if they don't need it later, he can give it to the archers as a favor. He remembered that the soldier who had been rewarded by the captain for delivering a message for his family was from the archers.

Just as he was about to make a suggestion, Li Zhengyang and Zhong Hui hurriedly came over.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, my subordinates and eleven of Zhong Hui's men, including Li Ding, Qian Li, and Qian Dazhuang, have all disappeared." Li Zhengyang felt a deep unease in his heart.

If it were just other people who went missing, he might not be so worried, but Li Ding happened to be among them. He knew that guy; he was always one to cause trouble.

Xie Pei frowned slightly. "They ran away?" It's not uncommon for soldiers to desert in the face of battle.

“That’s quite possible.” Zhong Hui was extremely annoyed: “I know Qian Dazhuang a bit. He looks intimidating, but he’s not very brave.”

Li Zhengyang was even more puzzled: "But where did they escape to? At the fork in the road, I saw them still in the group. When they came back, there was only one road. It couldn't be..." His voice grew softer and softer, and he became less and less confident.

Zhong Hui finally realized what was happening and angrily cursed, "A bunch of idiots!"

Sun Kan sighed, rubbing his forehead: "Those two roads are suspicious in every way, yet they still dared to disobey orders and stay there on their own."

Xie Pei remained silent, coldly watching the distance.

The three of them also turned their gazes in the direction he was looking.

A black dot lingered suspiciously in that spot, seemingly still observing, but in no time at all, it sped over.

"Li Ding!" Li Zhengyang exclaimed in surprise after recognizing the person who had arrived.

After dismounting, Li Ding immediately knelt down, clenched his fists, and said to Xie Pei, "Your subordinate has not failed in his mission."

"He successfully completed his mission?" What orders did Xie Pei give him? Even Sun Kan cast a questioning glance at Xie Pei.

However, Xie Pei merely looked down at him coldly. Li Ding dared not raise his head, but felt as if there were ice spikes hanging above his head, and these ice spikes seemed capable of easily taking his life.

Li Zhengyang understood Xie Pei's attitude, stepped forward and kicked Li Ding to the ground: "Li Ding, I'm asking you, where are the others!"

Li Ding knew that the interrogation was finally coming. He calmly explained with the words he had prepared in advance: "I saw that you seemed helpless with these two roads and knew that there was probably a trap. So when Qian Dazhuang came to me and tried to persuade me to go deep into the road with them to explore it for you, I agreed."

"As expected, we encountered an ambush by the Southern Barbarians, and everyone died from their arrows. Only I managed to escape the danger and rushed to find the captain to expose the Southern Barbarians' plot."

Xie Pei raised an eyebrow with interest: "Then do you know the number of enemy troops lying in ambush?"

Li Ding's palms were sweating profusely. He unconsciously clenched the hem of his clothes and answered with his head bowed, "I don't know."

Xie Pei continued, "Then you must wonder if the enemy is still lying in ambush there."

Li Ding cursed inwardly. How could this kind of trash be a captain and ride on his head? He was already kneeling in front of him, and he still asked him such a stupid question. How could he possibly know whether those southern barbarians were still there? A mocking look appeared in his eyes, but he still honestly said, "I don't know."

Xie Pei curled his lips into a mocking smile: "Since you don't know, how can you be considered to have fulfilled your mission? It's admirable that you have such a loyal heart, so I'll order you to go again."

Li Ding was stunned, his whole body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave. He slowly raised his head, and the mockery in his eyes turned into disbelief.

Xie Pei is stupid? That's the most ridiculous thing he's ever said. Xie Pei is using the stone he's been carrying to shoot him in the foot; he's almost driven him to his death.

But Sun Kan was not about to let him off the hook. His face was serious as he gave him a serious warning: "Remember not to be careless this time. Make sure you know the number of enemy soldiers and their ambush positions."

Li Ding stopped talking, his knees seemingly nailed to the ground, refusing to get up no matter what they said.

Li Zhengyang kicked him hard again: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"

Li Ding finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed unconscious amidst a dizzying sensation.

Li Zhengyang was still angry and kicked him hard, but Sun Kan eventually persuaded him to stop.

Sun Hui angrily said, "He wanted to go and die, so he did, and even took ten brothers with him. In the end, he shamelessly escaped. How could he have the nerve to do that?"

“I know Qian Dazhuang well. He has always been honest and dutiful under my command. If he hadn’t been persuaded, he would never have had the idea of ​​disobeying military orders, let alone actively persuading others.”

Sun Kan sighed, "This guy is dishonest; he never tells the truth."

He turned to Xie Pei and asked, "My lord, how should he be punished?"

Xie Pei: "Anyone who disobeys military orders and acts without authorization will be punished with a flogging." After saying that, he once again carefully examined the arrows in his hand.

Li Zhengyang shouted, "He's a deserter! That's too lenient on him."

Sun Kan thought Xie Pei's punishment was reasonable, but he added, "Then fifty strokes of the military rod."

Li Zhengyang was unwilling to accept this: "I was beaten twenty times for minor offenses in the army, why was he punished so leniently? Don't be fooled by him, he's a deserter! And he caused so many deaths!"

Sun Kan asked righteously, "What evidence do you have to prove he's a deserter?"

Li Zhengyang remained silent; he truly couldn't say anything.

Sun Kan continued, "Only those who go and never return are called deserters. Not only did he come back, but he also gave a reason. What's the use of punishing him for disobeying military orders?"

Li Zhengyang retorted, "But this reason is clearly untenable. Zhong Hui also said that Qian Dazhuang is not the kind of person who would instigate others."

Sun Kan interrupted him: "All that you've said is your subjective conjecture. Those who know the truth are all dead. Whatever they say is right."

Li Zhengyang found it laughable; it turned out that once everyone was dead, the power of discourse would be in the hands of the last remaining person.

Li Ding was physically weak and often resisted training to contradict him, so he was no match for most people on the battlefield.

He couldn't believe that even Li Ding could escape alive while everyone else perished; Li Ding must have been behind it.

He turned to walk in the direction Li Ding had come from, but Sun Kan quickly grabbed him: "What are you doing?"

Li Zhengyang stubbornly insisted, "I'm going to find out for myself."

Sun Kan: !!!

Are you out of your mind?! I already told him there was an ambush, does he really want to go alone and get himself killed?

Zhong Hui also said in a low voice, "Don't be confused. In the end, this is our fault for not keeping a close watch on things. It's already a mercy from the Captain that we haven't been punished."

Sun Kan comforted him, "Yes! And wouldn't it be too lenient to just behead him now for desertion?"

"The army is short of people, so these kinds of people should go to the battlefield and play a role before they die."

Li Zhengyang indeed stopped, persuaded to stay. He glared hatefully at Li Ding, who had fainted on the ground, before throwing himself into cleaning up the battlefield.

They left the city with over three hundred men, but returned with only two hundred and thirty – a considerable loss. However, when they slaughtered all three hundred enemy soldiers and returned with a full load of heads and weapons, everyone in the army was astonished.

The news reached the commander's tent, and a powerful voice rang out: "I knew I hadn't misjudged him!"

Another gentle male voice, tinged with amusement, asked, "Who is this person who can impress the general?"

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but after fighting on the battlefield for decades, I have unexpectedly encountered a genius who is skilled in battle in my old age."