Chapter 247 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Twenty-Three): How to Become a Super Strategist...
"General, judging from the state of decomposition of these corpses, this incident must have happened at least three months ago!" Zhang Liuliang said with shock and grief, "Leixu City is only a few dozen miles away from here. Why didn't the garrison in the city report such a serious incident that happened in this village?"
Meng Tianxi abruptly stood up, his fingernails almost digging into his palms. Staring at the hellish scene before him, he let out a suppressed growl: "Yan army! Yan army! It's the Yan army again!"
He had long heard about the frequent harassment by the Northern Yan cavalry on the border of Qin Prefecture, but he never expected them to be so ruthless as to commit such crimes of burning, killing, and looting in his Qin Prefecture!
Meng Tianxi gritted his teeth, his anger burning even more intensely than when he lost Heyang and Pingzhou!
Although he disliked Song Ce, Song Ce possessed a certain pedantic gentlemanly demeanor. After taking control of the two cities, Song Ce not only refrained from abusing the captured civilians but also comforted and treated them kindly. Therefore, although Song Ce resented losing two cities, he was not overly angry—because he always believed that one day he would rightfully reclaim Heyang and Pingzhou!
But these Northern Yan people... these damned Northern Yan people!!
"General, could it be that the Lord of Leixu City has secretly defected to Northern Yan? Otherwise, how could he dare to turn a blind eye to the massacre of villages in Qinzhou?"
Meng Tianxi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger in his heart, and said fiercely, "Whether this person has defected to the Yan army or is just a coward, once we get to Leixu City, we will definitely tear him apart by five horses and expose his body to the elements for ten days as a warning to others!"
The group dared not delay, suppressing their grief, they bypassed the barren field and hurried towards Leixu City.
After walking for about an hour, Meng Tianxi and the others finally saw the outline of the border town.
As they got closer to Leixu City, the scene along the way became increasingly tragic—corpses lay strewn on both sides of the flat official road, and occasionally a few surviving people from Qinzhou could be seen, all of them emaciated and dressed in rags.
The refugees were terrified of Meng Tianxi and his group, hiding away one by one.
When the group arrived at Leixu City on horseback, they were met with a terrifying sight – the city gates of Leixu City were wide open, and the flag of the Northern Yan was flying straight up on the city wall!
"This...it's over! It's over! Leixu City has been occupied by the Northern Yan army!" A trusted confidant slid off his horse, knelt down, and muttered to himself.
When Meng Tianxi dismounted, he swayed and almost fell to the ground. His carefully cultivated Qin Prefecture in the west, built up over many years, had been completely divided up like this? No, he didn't believe it! He didn't believe it!
"General! General!" Zhang Liuliang rushed forward to support him, his eyes red, and said, "You must take good care of yourself!"
"No...no! An Xiangkun, the garrison commander of Leixu City, is a former subordinate of my Meng family army. How many heads does he have to dare betray his master and surrender to Yan?"
With that, Meng Tianxi shoved Zhang Liuliang aside, mounted his horse, drew his sword, and pointed it straight at Leixu City. "Gentlemen, follow me and charge in!"
"General, you mustn't!" A trusted aide hurriedly grabbed the reins, his eyes bloodshot as he pleaded, "Leixu City has already been occupied by the Yan army. We now have less than a hundred men left, and they are all wounded and exhausted. If we rush into the city now, it will be no different from sending ourselves to our deaths!"
"Yes, General! Even if I die, I will never surrender to the Northern Yan people!"
Upon hearing this, someone quietly chimed in, "General, in my humble opinion, we...we should turn back and surrender to the Dali court! Although Song Ce is an enemy of our Meng family army, he is a strict disciplinarian and treats surrendered soldiers well. If we surrender to him, perhaps we can still..."
Before the man could finish speaking, Meng Tianxi suddenly interrupted him sharply: "Shut up! Even if I, Meng Tianxi, die in battle, I will never surrender to the Dali court or Song Ce! He used a scheme to occupy Heyang and seize Pingzhou, causing us to fall into this state. And you want me to bow down to this man? What are your intentions?"
The confidant trembled at Meng Tianxi's shout, shrank back and stopped talking, but the fear and resentment in his eyes could not be hidden.
The confidants around him all lowered their heads, and no one spoke up—now, with the Northern Yan army guarding Leixu City in front and the Dali court occupying two cities behind, there was no way to retreat. These people had followed Meng Tianxi in his escape, and had long lost their former vigor and confidence in regrouping.
Perhaps surrendering really is their only way to survive.
Looking at everyone's expressions, Meng Tianxi felt both sorrow and anger. As the commander-in-chief of a region, he naturally knew what these people were thinking, but he simply refused to admit defeat, nor could he admit defeat.
The Meng family army has been operating in Qinzhou for many years, spanning three generations. How could it be ruined in his hands?
"All of you, raise your heads!" Meng Tianxi roared. "We are an elite army, not cowardly rats who fear death! Even if only a hundred or so men remain, even if death lies ahead, we will die standing! We will die with our heads held high!"
Zhang Liuliang sighed and stepped forward to persuade him, "General, I understand your ambition, but... but our brothers have followed you through thick and thin, and we don't want to lose our lives in vain! Now that Leixu City has been occupied by the Yan army, we have no food or reinforcements. If we continue to hold out, it will only lead to the needless sacrifice of our soldiers!"
"Sacrifice?" Meng Tianxi sneered. "When my father seized Qinzhou, which battle wasn't a near-death experience? If they were all as cowardly as you, my Meng family army would have been wiped out long ago!"
"General! Think it over!" Zhang Liuliang knelt down with a thud, choking back tears as he pleaded.
"General!! I implore you to reconsider!!"
Looking at the remnants of the army kneeling before him, Meng Tianxi shook his head in disbelief, "You, you all..."
After a long while, Meng Tianxi seemed to remember something, his eyes reddening as he slumped back half a step and said self-deprecatingly, "Everyone, get up!"
"General..."
"Gentlemen, you have worked hard in the battle of Qingfeng Mountain! Just now... I was somewhat out of line, please forgive me!" Meng Tianxi said with a somber expression, blaming himself.
"General, we dare not!" the trusted men said in unison.
“Overnight, my Meng family army suffered a crushing defeat. In the end, it is all because of my incompetence as the commander-in-chief.” Meng Tianxi’s voice was hoarse as he glanced at his trusted confidants who had followed him through thick and thin, filled with regret: “If you want to leave, I will not stop you; if you want to defect to Dali, I will not blame you.”
One of the older confidants suddenly raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, "General, even if I die, I will never abandon you! The world is vast, there is always a place for the Meng family army! After we have rested and recuperated, we will recruit more soldiers and horses and work together to achieve great things!"
"General Zheng is absolutely right! This humble general will not leave either!"
"This humble general is no exception!"
Meng Tianxi looked at the remaining loyal soldiers before him and closed his eyes.
The next moment, his mind was filled with images of the enemy cheering after the fall of Heyang, the towering flames when Pingzhou fell, and the corpses of villagers in the deserted village... He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he could only squeeze out a low voice: "Meng Tianxi is here to thank you all."
“General, we can’t stay here any longer.” Zhang Liuliang stood up, looking towards Leixu City. “This place has been occupied by the Northern Yan army. If they discover us, they will definitely send troops to hunt us down! We need to find a secluded place to settle down first, and then make further plans!”
Upon hearing this, Meng Tianxi immediately mounted his horse with a swift movement, his eyes filled with icy coldness: "Go!"
Without taking a moment's rest, the group urged their horses on and left Leixu City.
After traveling day and night for two whole days, the scouts finally found a secluded, dry, and spacious cave halfway up the mountain.
Two of his more skilled confidants first used their swords to clear away the vines that covered the cave entrance. Then they volunteered to go in and investigate. After confirming that there was nothing amiss inside, Meng Tianxi had everyone lead the horses to the bushes not far away and then led the group inside.
The cave was indeed as the scout had described—very spacious, almost large enough to hold over a hundred people. Zhang Liuliang led his men to light several bonfires, then distributed some dry rations and coarse bread to everyone before returning to stand behind Meng Tianxi, silently guarding him.
The firelight cast the shadows of everyone on the cave wall, flickering and indistinct. Meng Tianxi held the rough flatbread that Zhang Liuliang had baked in his hand and subconsciously looked at the remaining soldiers who had fought alongside him through thick and thin.
Some of them were polishing their swords; others were changing their comrades' bandages; still others had hastily finished their rations and were dozing off in a corner. These were the true heroes of his Meng family army, capable of taking on ten men single-handedly, yet now they were reduced to this state, without even a stable place to live, let alone the cities they had lost because of his arrogance and conceit, and the people of Qinzhou suffering under the iron heel of the Yan army! If he hadn't failed to control the situation in western Qinzhou in time, how could the Yan army have so easily captured Leixu City, and how could countless innocent people have suffered such a calamity?
Thinking of this, Meng Tianxi felt a tightness in his chest.
"General, what are your plans for the future?" General Zheng Chunlai asked with a sigh, handing over a water bag.
Looking at Zheng Chunlai, who had taken care of him since childhood, Meng Tianxi felt a little more relaxed: "Uncle Zheng, let's choose a safe place to settle down first. Once we've recovered, we'll send people out to scout around and see if there are any strongholds of the Northern Yan army nearby, and... also look for any surviving Qin Prefecture civilians."
At this point, he paused subconsciously, a bitter smile appearing on his lips: "The cities of Heyang and Pingzhou were lost in my hands, and fortunately the people did not suffer, otherwise I would have died a thousand deaths to atone for it. But Leixu City... the people of Qinzhou here have suffered such a great calamity, and it is all my fault."
Hearing Meng Tianxi address him as "Uncle Zheng," Zheng Chunlai's expression softened unusually. He stepped forward and patted Meng Tianxi on the shoulder, his eyes filled with relief, saying, "Tianxi, you can't be entirely blamed for this. No one expected the Northern Yan army to suddenly launch an attack and occupy my Leixu City! Right now, the most urgent task is for you, as the commander, to stabilize the situation first, and then plan to recover the lost territory and rescue the people of Qinzhou!"
Meng Tianxi nodded gravely, then stuffed the rough bread that stung his throat into his mouth and sighed, "Uncle Zheng is right, now is definitely not the time for self-pity. Zhang Liuliang!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Tomorrow, you will personally lead a few men to scout the area and see if there are any suitable places to set up a long-term camp, preferably in a secluded location. Also, keep an eye out for any scattered Qinzhou civilians. If you encounter any... you can bring them back to us for temporary shelter."
Zhang Liuliang immediately stood up and replied, "Yes, General! This subordinate obeys!"
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Author's Note: Revisions, revisions, revisions [crying emoji]
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