Chapter 42
Just as the system cat was complaining, Xiao Liunian swung his sword like a farmer harvesting wheat, one strike after another, and wave after wave of people fell. Under the firelight, the blood on the ground shone with an eerie light, seemingly different from ordinary blood.
——
On the other side, Cen Mo led his elite troops in shifts, ambushing in blind spots of the enemy's sentries, quietly waiting for Xiao Liunian's 'movements' among the enemy.
Upon seeing the deafening roar of artillery fire and the towering flames from the enemy camp, everyone began heading towards the camp, splitting up to infiltrate it.
Learning from past experiences in fighting enemies, it seems difficult to win in a one-on-one battle, so let's fight multiple enemies one by one and kill as many as we can!
Just as they were fighting desperately, some enemies in the camp began to flee in panic. Some ran to the stables to escape on horseback, while others simply ran away without a care in the world. Affected by this commotion, the enemy's fighting spirit and tactics weakened. Cen Mo and the others realized that this was a good opportunity and threw themselves into the battle even more.
In this surprise attack, apart from Xiao Liunian, Cen Mo and the others did not win easily. Among those who came, some were completely killed. In the end, 70% of the enemy were annihilated, and the rest fled in panic.
"General Cen, shall we continue the pursuit?" Kong Er asked.
"Don't pursue, clean up the battlefield!" Cen Mo ordered.
Cen Mo was well aware that there was still a significant gap between the Wuzhou army and the enemy army. He figured His Majesty must have known all along, which was why he had made preparations in advance and personally trained the troops.
Cen Mo squatted on the ground, took a torch, and used it to illuminate the blood flowing from the enemy soldiers' corpses.
"Why is the color of this blood so unusual?" Kong Er asked.
"I'm afraid their bodies have gone through something that makes them different from ordinary people," Cen Mo guessed.
"Have you ever been to the 'Famous Teahouse'?" Cen Mo asked.
"The story of that 'immortal'." Kong Er seemed to have thought of something as well.
"According to that storyteller, anyone who takes the elixir will indeed gain power far exceeding that of ordinary people, but in the end they will all disappear. How could the Yuan Dynasty court do such a thing?" Kong Er continued.
"Could it be that they have been infiltrated? Whether the people manipulating the court now are actually from the Yuan Dynasty is another matter!" Cen Mo speculated.
“If it weren’t for tonight’s surprise attack and the intense firelight, we would have had a hard time discovering the secret of this blood. General Cen, did His Majesty already know all this?” Although Kong Er spoke in a questioning tone, he was already certain of his guess in his heart.
"Let's put that aside for now. Right now, winning this battle and stopping the enemy's advance is the key!" Cen Mo said.
After everything was packed up, Xiao Liunian did not use the system's teleportation function, but instead rode back with the others to the city they were guarding—Xingliang City.
Cen Mo and Kong Er led their men in a surprise attack on the enemy camp. The two generals, Wu Jiu and Yan Liang, were left to guard Xingliang City. Although they were left to defend the city, they dared not relax for a moment. On one hand, they had to guard against the enemy's attack, and on the other hand, they had to worry about whether the surprise attack would be successful.
That night, Wu Jiu and Yan Liang stayed up all night. They went up to the city wall together to keep an eye on the movements in the distance. Just before dawn, they saw a group of people rapidly approaching from afar, kicking up a lot of dust. They couldn't tell whether they were friend or foe.
"All personnel on high alert!" Wu Jiu ordered.
All troops quickly entered battle mode.
Wu Jiu took the binoculars, his nerves on edge, concentrating intently, trying to see clearly who this group of people were.
After a while, Wu Jiu finally saw the banners raised high by the troops in front of him. Wu Jiu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. The surprise attack was a success!
"General Wu, prepare to open the city gates and welcome His Majesty and his entourage!" Wu Jiu said, handing a telescope to Yan Liang. Yan Liang took the telescope and looked inside; the surprise attack had succeeded!
"Prepare to open the city gates!"
"Open the city gates!"
The soldiers defending the city lined up, with Wu Jiu and Yan Liang leading the way, to go out of the city to welcome the victorious and heroic warriors.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! We warmly welcome Your Majesty's triumphant return!" The crowd's voices were filled with joy.
"Gentlemen, no need for formalities. Defending the city was no easy task, and this victory belongs to everyone!"
"Our army won a brilliant victory in this battle, but we also paid a heavy price. More than a hundred of our comrades who went with us lost their lives!"
"General Cen, pass down the order to give the soldiers a proper burial, carve a stone tablet with each soldier's name on it, and then send them off on their final journey!" Xiao Liunian said.
“Yes!” Cen Mo replied.
"Return to camp!" Xiao Liunian ordered.
After returning to camp, those who participated in the raid either received treatment for their injuries or rested, except for Cen Mo and Kong Er. As the commander-in-chief of Xingliang City's defense, Cen Mo still had to arrange post-battle matters.
With Cen Mo in charge and Kong Er and Yan Liang as his assistants, the group quickly set about handling the post-war matters, while Wu Jiu remained in charge of guarding against a sudden enemy attack.
After returning to camp, Xiao Liunian went to his tent first. After the battle last night, both Xiao Liunian and Mao Rongrong were covered in blood and needed to be cleaned up.
At this moment, the system was particularly proud. The one-click cleansing function was perfect for its somewhat obsessive-compulsive host, especially during wartime. Unlike the royal palace, where there was a large bathhouse, this function was just right!
If any other systems were present, they would probably all say something like: "You're a phoenix-like overlord system, not a lazy system for everyday life!" (No offense to lazy systems intended.)
"Comfortable!" Xiao Liunian raised his arm and sniffed. The smell of blood had disappeared. Good system, good cat, worthy of reward. So Xiao Liunian picked up the fluffy cat and gave it a good sniff.
Xiao Liunian and Maomao took a short nap and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch. The ingredients came from spoils brought back from the enemy camp, including a large amount of beef and mutton and unburnt grain.
"The cooks in this military camp are also very good at cooking," the cat, who has transformed into a gourmet, gave a positive review.
"Perhaps the previous problem was with the ingredients. There's a saying that goes, 'Even a clever cook can't cook without rice.'" Xiao Liunian thought carefully about the reason. It was still a lack of money. If there were money, they could improve the soldiers' meals.
After lunch, Xiao Liunian was looking at the battle reports from the other two routes in his tent, while the system was also squatting on the table with him.
The other two routes, led by Cen Jin and Yang Ying respectively, are blocking the enemy's attack in the Zhuoshang and Chashang areas, and so far it seems to be going smoothly.
"Mumu, the battle report says that some experts came to help, but why haven't their names appeared in the martial arts gossip?" The system looked at the battle report, which stated: "During the battle, we were fortunate to receive assistance from heroes such as Hu Yanshun and Suo Jun."
“Some people prefer to live quietly, while the common people live peacefully. They remain hidden somewhere, but will step forward when the people are in trouble,” Xiao Liunian praised.
"Mumu, you too!" the system said.
"No, I don't have such a high level of attainment," Xiao Liunian denied.
"Okay." The system cat rolled over, revealing its shiny black belly, which looked very soft and cuddly.
"Do you remember when I told you about the invasion of Tianji Star?" Xiao Liunian stroked Mao Mao's belly.
"As far as I know, the Huyan family and the Suo family who came this time should also be two of the families that participated in the great war back then. Currently, it seems that the families that have emerged are the Yang family in the north where General Yang Ying is located, the Shangguan family in the southwest, the Yang family in the northeast, and the Suo family in the northwest," Xiao Liunian summarized.
"So, based on the location, there are still four families that haven't shown up yet, right?" the kitten purred.
“There are five, and one more in the central region.” Xiao Liunian grasped the furry paw and forced the little paw to bloom.
"I really wonder what these heroes are like?" Cat Cat really wanted to see if these heroes who usually lived in seclusion were as ethereal and otherworldly as described in novels.
"Let's go take a look!" After rubbing that furry belly for so long, we have to pay something for it.
"Is it okay? Is it okay? Is it really okay?" A series of meows swept through Xiao Liunian's ears, cute and full of vitality, but he didn't remind her that the system had been communicating with him in meow or purring sounds.
"I am the emperor, where can't I go?" Xiao Liunian picked up the cat and left the tent, heading to the burial place of the fallen soldiers. In this special time, everything was kept simple. Xiao Liunian brought a pot of wine and, together with everyone, sprinkled the wine on the ground, hoping that the wine could carry his respect to the underworld through the cracks in the earth. If there is an afterlife, may everyone have a smooth life.
Many soldiers, watching Xiao Liunian's actions, did not know how to describe their feelings. This current emperor was rumored to be cruel and ruthless. Not long after ascending the throne, she confiscated the property of the former Grand Tutor and silenced him. She also had no rules when it came to using people. She even arranged for the late emperor's concubine to enter the court as an official. Anyone in the court who obstructed her actions was imprisoned, exiled, or demoted on various charges.
Yet this cruel and ruthless emperor actually came to this border region in person. There were no fine horses or carriages, no retinues. In this military camp, apart from having a private tent, everything else about his diet and daily life was no different from that of an ordinary soldier.
However, having such a ruler should be a good thing. Xiao Liunian's aura of being able to kill ten thousand people in these two battles was too shocking, and the stone hanging in everyone's heart slowly fell a little.
Afterwards, Xiao Liunian went to the main council tent, where Cen Mo and the others were still discussing some matters.
"Your Majesty!" The soldiers at the door clasped their hands in salute.
"Hmm!" Xiao Liunian nodded slightly. A soldier lifted the tent door, and several people inside rushed to greet him upon hearing the sound.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The group clasped their hands in greeting.
"No need!" Xiao Liunian walked to the main seat and sat down.
"How are the post-war arrangements going? What are the next plans?" Xiao Liunian asked.
"Your Majesty, we have just finished tallying the casualty lists for these two battles and the ledgers for the pensions to be distributed." Cen Mo presented two ledgers.
Xiao Liunian opened the booklet and flipped through it page by page, then said, "Do it this way! Money is not a problem; someone from the court will send military supplies!"
"Your Majesty, I have another question, and I humbly request Your Majesty's clarification!" Cen Mo said solemnly.
Xiao Liunian glanced at the group and gestured for Cen Mo to ask if he had any questions.
“The blood that the enemy soldiers shed last night was different from that of ordinary people. Is this related to the ‘immortal’ in the story?” Cen Mo asked.
"The 'immortal' or 'elixir' is recorded in books, and it is indeed such a thing. Rather than calling it an elixir, it is more accurate to say that it is a kind of medicine that stimulates a person's vitality and potential in a short period of time, thereby greatly increasing a person's strength, and then causing them to age and die rapidly after a certain period of time," Xiao Liunian said.
"As for how long it will take to die, the book records that it can be as short as three months or as long as half a year!" Xiao Liunian said.
"Therefore, the enemy will definitely seize the time in the coming period and try to quickly break through Wuzhou and move into the heart of the Central Plains," Cen Mo analyzed.
"Therefore, in the time to come, we must seize the time to train. Cen Mo, Yan Liang, Wu Jiu, Kong Er, you will lead the men to guard Xingliang City. I will go to Chashang City later." Xiao Liunian said, and then went to fulfill the cat's wish to see the great hero's aura.
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