009
At the city gate, seeing that the forces of the Later Jin southwestern army were gradually weakening and unable to resist, the scarred vanguard became even more agitated.
See? Yu Baizhou is ultimately his defeated opponent.
So what if he's the God of War of the Southwest? So what if the Central Plains are powerful? In the end, Jimu will still trample through the cities, and his name will surely be recorded in the annals of the Wuqi Kingdom!
But accidents always happen at such coincidences. Just as he was about to give the order to attack the city in one fell swoop, someone suddenly came to report.
"General Jimu! General Hunyi orders you to immediately withdraw your troops and return to the main camp."
"Now that we're about to conquer the lands of Later Jin, you want me to sound the retreat?" Jimu rushed forward and grabbed the man's collar. "Do you know how long our Wuqi Kingdom has waited for this day? Has Hunyi lost his mind?"
"No, General!" the soldier said in a panic. "We've fallen into the Later Jin's trap! A large number of Later Jin troops have appeared near our camp, and General Hunyi's side is about to be overwhelmed!"
"Damn it!" Jimu cursed angrily, his face contorted with rage. "Bastard! This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity just slipped away like that?"
"General Jimu, as long as we live, we can always rebuild. If we march back as soon as possible, we can join forces with General Hunyi to outflank the enemy from both sides."
"Withdraw the troops!" Jimu roared, mounting his horse. "Return to the main camp immediately!"
Li, the deputy general in charge of the city defense, was also puzzled by the Southern Barbarians' strange actions, but he became even more vigilant after remembering Song Ling's instructions.
"General, should we press our advantage and pursue them?" the junior officer beside him asked.
"No, reorganize the troops and be on high alert. This could very well be a trap set by the Southern Barbarians." Li, who had been fighting for nearly twenty years, had to be cautious even in the face of such a situation.
Jimu looked back and saw that the Later Jin troops had not caught up. He felt a mixture of contempt and relief. These Later Jin generals were truly cowards, a bunch of reckless brutes with no strategy.
So what if he'd read a few military treatises and learned how to use feints and diversions? Now he's cowering and afraid to send out troops. This only strengthens Jimu's resolve to conquer the southern border and advance northward.
*
"General! General Jimu has already led his troops back. We just need to hold out for a little longer."
"Useless! They're all a bunch of useless people!" Hunyi was incompetent yet domineering and arrogant. He was unwilling to listen to his subordinates' opinions and looked down on their mediocre abilities. He would beat, scold, and kill people at the drop of a hat, causing panic in the military camp.
The staff officers beside them all lowered their heads in worry.
The messenger was trembling so badly he was practically shaking, desperately hoping someone would step forward and share his anger.
"Go find me more men! I refuse to believe that none of my Wuqi warriors are inferior to those of the Later Jin! And you few," Hunyi looked at the strategists beside him, "if you can't come up with a plan, I'll sacrifice you all to the army flag!"
"Yes, yes..."
The soldiers outside kept coming to report on the current battle situation, but each time the Wuqi warriors were at a disadvantage, which made even the usually oblivious Hunyi wonder how the soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty suddenly understood these strategies.
In the past, when the two sides fought, they always started with a brawl. If they didn't have enough firearms, they would fight with weapons; if they didn't have enough weapons, they would fight hand-to-hand. In this way, Wuqi was able to win by a large margin.
"General, we've found a cripple."
The man, carrying a filthy man, threw him into the tent. "I was passing through a prisoner-of-war camp when I heard this man from the Later Jin Dynasty speak our Wuqi language. He also said he understands military strategy... and can help us win..."
When Hunyi, a tall and burly man, squatted down, his shadow loomed over the man on the ground like a small mountain. "Are you from the inner room?"
What an absurd statement, yet it made everyone present hold their breath.
"Pah—" the man spat out disdainfully, "What kind of inner room is this! My whole family was killed by that dog emperor, why would I build him a room?"
Before Hunyi could dispel his suspicions, he was suddenly spat on the face.
"That dog emperor is no good, and you Southern Barbarians are no good either!"
Hun Yi suppressed his anger and wiped away the spittle, surprisingly not throwing him out to feed the wolves. "You certainly have a fiery temper, so why did you say you'd help us?"
"Because my Yun family has served the country and the people for generations, yet our entire clan died because of a frame-up! I want Zhou Chengtian's life, I want all those people to die!" As he spoke, the man's eyes widened in fury, and he even cried out tears of blood, showing just how much he hated the emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty.
After all, based on Hunyi's understanding of the Later Jin Dynasty, the people of the Central Plains had always adhered to the principle of loyalty to the emperor and serving the people, and Zhou Chengtian was the current emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty, yet this man dared to address him by his name directly.
"Then let me see what you're capable of! I'll give you a chance to get revenge then." Hunyi stood up and ordered, "Untie him."
Although Hunyi was not particularly talented, he was unusually quick-witted at this moment. He did not trust him at all. How could he trust a man from the Central Plains who could speak fluent Wuqi language? Such a coincidence was suspicious.
"Go investigate the Yun family and dig into their background," he instructed the man hiding in a secluded spot.
"yes."
*
"General, the number of Southern Barbarians has suddenly increased. What should we do if we don't have enough troops?"
Deputy General Wang stared intently at the Southern Barbarian army formation in the distance, his brows furrowed. What were these Southern Barbarian bastards up to?
"General, we can't hold out much longer!" Suddenly, a wounded soldier rushed over, clutching his arm. "We've detected a large force of southern barbarians approaching from the rear!"
[Deputy General Wang must remain calm, and even calmer.]
[If surrounded and attacked by the enemy, utilize the terrain to quickly divide your forces and launch a coordinated attack.]
As I calmed down, I suddenly heard Song Ling's words of advice.
"Give the order: each captain will lead his troops in separate raids, converge behind enemy lines, and then catch them off guard!"
The military order was issued swiftly, and the army, which had been united as one, immediately dispersed and launched an attack. However, in the eyes of the Wuqi camp, this was just the enemy being driven away and fleeing in all directions.
This man from the Central Plains is indeed quite something; Hunyi temporarily suppressed his desire to kill him.
He then ordered, "Send troops to pursue them!"
"No!" To everyone's surprise, the man suddenly frowned and said, "General, the main force has not yet returned. We cannot guarantee that the Southwest Army is not using a trick. We should stay in the camp and strengthen the defenses!"
"Get lost!" Hunyi suddenly kicked him several meters away. "I can tell you're up to no good! You want to save the army in the southwest, don't you? Men! Drag him away and behead him!"
"A general like you has absolutely no strategy!" The man roared as he was dragged away, his chin covered in blood, "If you don't believe me, you will surely lose this battle!"
"Chop him into mincemeat and feed him to the wolves!"
"Men!" Hunyi drew his sword. "Press the attack! Annihilate all the fleeing enemies!"
But less than fifteen minutes after the order was issued, a soldier suddenly came to report, "Something terrible has happened, General!"
"Our supplies have been burned!"
"Then hurry up and put out the fire!" Hunyi rushed out of the tent and saw billowing black smoke coming from behind the camp, with flames shooting into the sky and turning half the sky red.
"Quickly, put out the fire!"
"A sudden attack by a group of men! We're outnumbered! General... Ah—"
Hunyi drew his sword, kicked the soldier's corpse aside, and roared, "Useless! Order a retreat!"
Jimu, who was leading his troops in the distance, saw the firelight of the camp and finally rushed back.
But it was all too late. By the time Jimu led his troops back, the enemy forces that had raided the supplies had already fled. Although the fire was extinguished, less than one-fifth of the supplies had been saved.
"Hunyi! Well done!" Although Jimu was half a head lower in rank than him, he was so angry that he didn't care anymore. "If you hadn't ordered the troops to retreat, I would have already breached the city of Later Jin!"
"Now look what's happened! Not only has the siege failed, resulting in the loss of countless warriors, but we've also run into trouble with our supplies. Just wait for the king to hold you accountable!"
Hun Yi's full beard made him look incredibly fierce, but he showed no sign of panic.
Suddenly, a sharp knife was pressed against Jimu's neck. He immediately turned red with rage, shouting, "You want to kill me? I am the vanguard general personally appointed by the king! Hunyi, how dare you!"
"Ha! Jimu's treason led to the defeat of my Wuqi Kingdom! The brave warrior Hunyi slew him on the battlefield!" Hunyi suddenly burst into unrestrained laughter, "Hahaha!"
"You are shameless!" General Jimu and General Hunyi had never gotten along. He looked down on Hunyi for being crude, reckless, arrogant, and superior to him, but he never thought of harming his own people.
At this moment, he was filled with resentment for not acting sooner. Now, if he moved even the slightest bit, the long sword would sever his neck. Was his dream of becoming the greatest warrior going to end today?
Just as Hunyi was about to strike Jimu with all his might to eliminate any future trouble,
"puff--"
Hun Yi froze, staring blankly to one side, then looked down to see a dagger stuck in his neck.
Jimu seized the opportunity to snatch the long knife from his hand and stab it through his chest. Hunyi instinctively grabbed the blade and fell backward to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.
The man with the dagger behind them was revealed. The filthy man forcefully pulled the dagger out, and blood gushed out like a jet of water.
"Who are you? Why did you save me?" Jimu pointed his knife at the suspicious man, squinting as he studied him closely. "You're from the Central Plains!"
Just as he was about to stab the man, he suddenly heard him say, "I can help the general solve his current problem." After saying that, he lowered his eyes and looked at the dead man on the ground.
The tip of the knife stopped an inch from his chest.
"Why should I believe you? I could say that a thief appeared in the camp and killed General Hunyi. Wouldn't that be the same?" Jimu was indeed worthy of having spent so much time with Hunyi; he had even learned all the tricks perfectly.
"On the condition that the king of Wuqi does not blame you, I will make you the commander-in-chief."
Jimu's eyes flickered slightly. He had no connections in the army, and it had been difficult for him to climb up the ranks step by step. If the blame for the defeat were pinned on him now, he would surely face death.
Seeing that Jimu's expression had changed, the man added fuel to the fire, saying, "Just now I helped you repel the Western Jin's sneak attack. If you don't believe me, General, you can ask the people who were in the tent earlier."
Ji Mu, half-believing and half-doubting, sheathed his long sword. "What's your name?"
"My name is Yun Yuzhi." He lowered his head slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
………
"General! Come in quickly..."
After checking several times, Wei Yan carefully helped Yu Baizhou into the tent.
"The supplies are in the caves behind the military camp. Take the same group of men from last time and hide them there immediately!" Yu Baizhou said urgently, clutching his aching chest.
"General, then you..."
"I'll stay here and guard the general. You can go now." Song Ling slipped into the tent and placed the wooden box she was carrying aside.
Seeing Song Ling arrive, Wei Yan felt reassured. "Okay, I'll go right away!"
"Where are Vice General Wang and the others?" Yu Baizhou, who had been lying down after removing his armor, sat up with difficulty.
“Wu Sheng has already led men to meet him, so there’s no need to worry.” Song Ling said, placing her hand on his belt, but was suddenly pressed down by a hot, rough hand.
Yu Baizhou's action was completely subconscious. Realizing his mistake from the way he looked at her, he reluctantly let go of her hand.
"what you do……"
Before Yu Baizhou could finish asking his question, that hand suddenly covered his forehead. The cool and delicate touch, the fair and clean skin, contrasted sharply with the dark dirt on his face.
Song Ling suddenly frowned. "You have a fever. Your wound needs to be treated immediately."
Yu Baizhou now felt the weakness in his body and the burning sensation on his face, but only he knew in his heart that the burning sensation was probably not just due to fever.
"Take off your clothes."
"What?"
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