Chapter 379: Lively Celebration Banquet
After a whole night of bloody fighting, the battle under Leshan City came to an end.
The enemy's flags fell one after another, and the enemy soldiers threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender. The cheers on the battlefield gradually drowned out the sounds of fighting. In the end, the sounds of swords and guns clashing completely disappeared, leaving only cheers.
Every coalition soldier raised his weapon high and shouted loudly.
Shen Yuexi was so happy she almost flew. Xiao Beiheng's army of over 100,000 couldn't be assembled easily; he was already completely defeated. Whether he could turn the tables wasn't her immediate concern; she just wanted to find Xiao Zhuo and celebrate her victory.
She galloped toward where the cheers were loudest.
Xiaobai darted past Qi Shengjue, who had just removed his helmet and was wiping sweat and blood from his face with his sleeve. Beside him lay hundreds of enemy soldiers kneeling on the ground, their heads in their hands, guarded by border cavalry.
Xiao Beiheng fled, and the enemy troops had lost their will to fight. Even with only a few dozen soldiers guarding them, they didn't want to resist. But everyone was worried about being killed, and many of them were trembling.
"General Qi, those who surrender will be spared." Shen Yuexi only had time to shout before Xiaobai carried her over like an arrow.
Qi Shengjue looked at Shen Yuexi's back, smiled and nodded, and said to the surrendered soldiers around him: "You have all heard what Princess An said. Those who surrender will be spared. If you all behave yourself, you won't be harmed."
An enemy general in the crowd looked up in disbelief, saying, "Isn't the coalition army commanded by King An? I heard he was brutal and bloodthirsty during his campaigns against the Northern Di, never taking prisoners. Can we really survive?"
Qi Shengjue said: "That was the Prince An of the past. He has changed a lot now."
After saying that, he turned his head to look at the beautiful figure. Although the white horse had carried her far away, the morning breeze still brought her pleasant and melodious sound.
"General Wei, they have laid down their weapons and are no longer enemies. I will be furious if anyone kills the surrendered soldiers."
"Princess, go ahead. I'll leave it to Wei Liang."
"General Qiu, why are you sitting down... Are you tired? That's good. Where is my husband?"
Shen Yuexi ran and asked all the way until she finally spotted Xiao Zhuo among a group of cheering soldiers. Xiao Zhuo also saw her riding towards him and immediately ran out from the crowd, arms outstretched, and ran towards her.
"Yuexi, Yuexi." He shouted as he ran.
Shen Yuexi rushed forward, jumped off the horse, and the two hugged each other tightly. Shen Yuexi immediately pushed Xiao Zhuo away and looked him up and down.
"Husband, there is so much blood on your body, are you injured?" she asked nervously.
Xiao Zhuo shook his head and smiled, "I was wearing the inner armor you made, but I was shot by a few arrows and stabbed twice in the back, but neither of them hurt my skin."
Shen Yuexi was still worried, so she turned around and looked around again before she breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Xiao Zhuo again.
"Husband, I'm so afraid I won't make it in time... I've been so nervous the whole way."
She was originally filled with joy, but after she breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly wanted to cry, and tears flowed down her face, unable to stop.
Xiao Zhuo stretched out his hand to touch her hair, but when he saw that his hands were dirty and covered in blood, he rubbed the top of her head with the clean part of his sleeve instead.
"Don't cry, look, I'm fine," he comforted Shen Yuexi softly, "This battle is thanks to you, otherwise we would have lost."
Shen Yuexi wiped her tears and said, "I really didn't do anything. I just gave some ideas. It was all thanks to my husband leading everyone in the fight that we won."
She truly felt she hadn't made much of a contribution; after all, offering advice was just using her brain and her mouth. She felt the truly respectable people were the soldiers fighting on the battlefield.
Xiao Zhuo smiled and said, "Even if we fought desperately, we would be wiped out without reinforcements. The fact that we are all alive is of course your credit. I am very curious about how you defeated Tiefutu."
"Haha, this is a long story," Shen Yuexi leaned on Xiao Zhuo's arms and walked towards Leshan City. "Actually, the Iron Pagoda is really powerful. I didn't know what to do at first, until I thought of the magnet."
"Ah, that thing you mentioned to me before...like repels like?"
The two returned to Leshan City amidst deafening cheers. Shen Yuexi had already seen the scattered Tiger Crouching Cannons on the battlefield, and now, seeing the collapsed city walls, she was still terrified. It felt like a close call. If she had been any later, her husband might have failed.
When they entered the city, Chen Lan came out to greet them. The sisters hugged each other and cried, lamenting that they could hardly see each other.
Shen Yuexi looked around but didn't see Mei Dai in the crowd celebrating their victory. She asked Shen Lan, "Where is Sister Mei? Where is she?"
Everyone was celebrating the victory, but Mei Dai was nowhere to be seen, which made her worried again.
Shen Lan said: "The queen is fine, but she is still in a coma. Xia Lan is taking care of her. I will take you to see her now."
It turned out that when Shen Yuexi arrived with the cavalry, Mei Dai and Shen Lan saw her and were so excited that they forgot that they were in a dangerous battlefield. An enemy general under the city shot an arrow at Mei Dai, hitting her right in the center of her eyebrows.
Hearing this, Shen Yuexi almost jumped up and screamed, "An arrow shot through the eyebrow?"
"Don't panic, sister," Chen Lan pulled her back. "The queen wore her brother's iron mask and blocked the arrow. But she was knocked unconscious. Doctor Hua said she's fine and will wake up soon."
Shen Yuexi was still worried, so she left Xiao Zhuo and the generals to celebrate, and she and Shen Lan went to visit Mei Dai together.
When they arrived at the door of the room, Xia Lan had already come out to greet them, shouting joyfully, "Master, did we really win? This servant was so nervous and worried about you. But that Liuli was so restless, she kept making noises all night long."
Shen Yuexi was thinking about Mei Dai and was about to ask when Mei Dai's voice rang out from inside the room: "Is that you, my sister? Come in quickly."
When everyone entered the house, Mei Dai had taken off her armor and was lying on the bed covered with a quilt, reaching out her hand to them.
"We won, it feels like a dream," Mei Dai tightly held Shen Yuexi and Shen Lan's hands, "I missed the most important scene."
Seeing Mei Dai in low spirits, Shen Yuexi was worried and asked Xia Lan, "Is Sister Mei really okay? What did Doctor Hua say?"
Xia Lan said, "Doctor Hua said the Queen suffered a head injury. Even if she wakes up, she will be confused. This may last for several days, but she will gradually recover. He has already gone to prepare medicine for the Queen. Don't worry, Master."
Shen Yuexi understood now that Mei Dai had suffered a concussion, no wonder she looked dizzy.
The greatest happiness for her is that everyone she cares about is alive and well.
The only thing that bothered her was Su Mo. She heard that she had escaped with Xiao Beiheng. As Xiao Beiheng's wife, what else could she do if she didn't go with him? Thinking of this, Shen Yuexi felt relieved.
She picked up the mask on the bedside table and examined it. Seeing a dent on the forehead, she stuck out her tongue and said, "Luckily I have it, otherwise I really wouldn't dare to think about it."
Mei Dai smiled and said, "Maybe it's my brother's blessing in the dark. Xia Lan, help me up. I want to go see Prince An. There is something very important."
Shen Yuexi stretched out her hand to stop her and said, "Sister Mei, if you're not feeling well, just lie down and rest. Why are you so busy getting up?"
Mei Dai smiled and tapped her forehead with her finger. "Sister, the battle we are facing is indeed a victory, but the Xirong army led by King Duoma is wreaking havoc in your territory. As the Queen of Xiliang, how can I sit idly by and watch?"
Chen Lan also said: "Yes, Xiao Beiheng has another 100,000 troops on the way. One is from Anzhou Governor Su Han, and the other is from Yuzhou Governor Guo Xinyuan."
After being reminded by the two, Shen Yuexi remembered that there were so many things to do. Although she was happy, there were still many enemies to deal with.
She, Mei Dai, and Chen Lan arrived at the Leshan County government office and saw a celebration banquet already underway in the lobby. Xiao Zhuo and a group of generals were gathered around a table, discussing the next steps.
Xiao Zhuo said, "Although my brother has retreated, there are still 100,000 enemy troops to the east. Among them, the army of Governor Guo remains in Zhongzhou. Now that they see my brother's defeat, they will probably protect themselves and not become my enemy."
Qiu Liming said, "But Anzhou Governor Su Han is Xiao Beiheng's father-in-law, and he will definitely not let this go."
Xiao Zhuo said: "That's right. We will rest for three days, reward the entire army, and then march towards the Anzhou army. Only after defeating the Anzhou army can we achieve complete victory."
Having said this, Xiao Zhuo paused, looked at Mei Dai, and said, "There are also the Xirong troops in Xiliang..."
Mei Dai said, "Prince An fought a bloody battle with Xiao Beiheng, and he still remembers the situation in Xiliang. Mei Dai is grateful. This time, the Xiliang army cannot follow Prince An eastward. I must go and drive out the enemy forces in Xiliang."
Shen Yuexi knew that almost all of the Xiliang cavalry had been killed in the battle. If they hadn't stopped Xiao Beiheng's attack, Xiao Zhuo wouldn't have been able to retreat to Leshan. Now Mei Dai had been shot again and was drowsy. How could she possibly fight King Doma?
Mei Dai has given so much for them, and it is time for her to step forward and repay Mei Dai.
She thought it through, raised her hand and said to Xiao Zhuo, "My dear, lend me five thousand black cavalrymen. I will go and help Sister Mei fight that King Doma."
That bastard King Duoma was so lecherous and evil. When she and Xiao Zhuo were trapped before, he had actually suggested to Xiao Zhuo that he send her over. He hadn't even settled that score yet.
Xiao Zhuo looked at her with some distress. When their eyes met, he seemed to understand Shen Yuexi's thoughts and nodded, saying, "Okay, Yuexi, you go with the Queen. I'll let Qiang Lin assist you."
After saying that, everyone in the hall turned around and looked for Qiang Lin.
"Oh, where's Qiang Lin?" Shen Yuexi then remembered that she hadn't seen Qiang Lin since the battle. She had originally planned to go back to the county government office to see Qiang Lin, but she was distracted by Mei Dai's injury and had forgotten about it for a moment.
Everyone called in the soldiers who knew the situation and asked them, only to find out that after seeing Xiao Beiheng break through the encirclement on the battlefield, the Western Rong King Qiang Lin immediately led his Western Rong army to chase him, but did not have time to tell everyone.
Xiao Zhuo said, "He wants to avenge his wife's murder. Let him go, General Wei."
Wei Liang stepped out and asked, "Prince An, what are your instructions?"
"Can you borrow 10,000 soldiers from the border troops to help Queen Xiliang and Yuexi wipe out the enemy forces in Xiliang?"
Wei Liang said without hesitation, "When the border troops were facing dire straits at Jutie Mountain, it was Princess An who saved us. Let alone a mere ten thousand troops, even if the entire army went to help Princess An, it would be no problem."
Shen Yuexi was very touched when she heard this, but she didn't want this to happen. Xiao Zhuo still needed the help of the border troops to deal with the army of the Anzhou prefect.
She said to Wei Liang, "General Wei, please lend me five thousand black cavalry and five thousand archers. The rest of the troops can go to assist my husband."
Xiao Zhuo said, "The Queen has helped us a lot. Now that there are enemy activities in Xiliang... the ten Tiger Crouching Cannons are also being transported to Xiliang to assist the Queen in the battle."
Mei Dai was deeply moved when she saw Xiao Zhuo assigning almost all of the best men in the entire army to her. She thanked him with a moving look and said, "Prince An's righteousness is something Mei Dai will keep in mind."
At this time, the chief clerk in charge of military statistics also reported the post-war results, and Xiao Zhuo made specific arrangements.
Qiang Lin had already led the Western Rong army to pursue Xiao Beiheng and could not participate in the subsequent battle. As the King of the Western Rong, he was not under the command of Xiao Zhuo, so Xiao Zhuo left him alone.
Queen Mei Dai of Xiliang and the Shen sisters led 10,000 soldiers and 10 tiger squat cannons to the west to fight King Doma.
This army seems to have only 10,000 soldiers, but it has cannons and heavily armored cavalry wearing black armor, and can also get reinforcements from Xiliang in Yongwei, Zhangwu and other cities.
Xiao Zhuo's army and the border troops, totaling 40,000, headed east to fight against the army of Anzhou Prefect Su Han.
By the time everything was settled, it was already noon, and the celebratory banquet was ready. Everyone took their seats, and the drummers played victory music. Everyone was in high spirits, toasting each other, and the atmosphere was lively. Even women like Shen Yuexi and Mei Dai had a few drinks to cheer them up.
After three rounds of drinks, Shen Yuexi thought of Zhao Mu who stayed in Jutie Mountain to recuperate.
During this expedition, Zhao Mu, suffering from an abdominal injury, was left at the Jutie Mountain camp, with a dozen soldiers assigned to look after him. Now that the coalition had achieved a resounding victory, the general should be brought over to celebrate. Besides, Zhao Mu was such a heavy drinker, how could he be absent from such an occasion?
She mentioned this to Xiao Zhuo, and Xiao Zhuo said, "I've already sent someone to pick up the general. According to the distance they've traveled, they should have arrived long ago. I don't know why they're taking so long. Let's all have a drink first, and I'll go with you to take a look."
Shen Yuexi agreed, and as the two were about to leave, a soldier ran in from outside, breathlessly saying, "Prince An, we've brought the... the general back, and we're bringing him this way."
Shen Yuexi felt awkward after hearing this. She puffed her cheeks and looked at the soldier and asked, "What are you talking about?"
How can a living person like Zhao Mu be transported back? This is too disrespectful to the general. It sounds as if Zhao Mu is already dead.
The soldier took a long breath before catching his breath and said, "When the general learned of our victory, he insisted on donning his helmet and armor, saying he would come to Leshan in all the glory. But before he left, he suddenly said he wanted to see what a magnet was. We didn't stop him... We didn't know what to do, so we just carried him here."
Shen Yuexi's wine glass fell to the ground. She looked at Xiao Zhuo and quickly ran to the door.
Just as she left the hall, several soldiers from the county government office came in, panting and groaning, carrying a door panel. A person was lying on the door panel, with a pile of iron ingots sucked up from his body, probably hundreds of them, weighing at least 500 to 600 kilograms.
"Oh my god, how did he absorb so much?" Shen Yuexi exclaimed and walked forward, "Is the general okay?"
"Ah...it's Princess An. It's okay, it's okay," Zhao Mu's awkward voice pierced through the cracks in the iron ingots. "I'm just curious...so many of them flew over here...I couldn't move, so I had to let them carry me here."
As a result, the celebration banquet became even more lively.
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