137 Defeat the Enemy

before Ye Li, dressed in plain garments unlike her usual seductive attire. Ye Li raised a hand to signal Qing Luan to help her up and said calmly, "No need for formalities. When you reach Yunzhou, don...137. Retreat the Enemy

137。 Retreat the Enemy

The black army surged like a tidal wave from the end of the street, quickly rushing towards those fighting at the city gates and on the streets. Just fifteen minutes ago, the city gate had collapsed in a thunderous crash, but it was soon closed again. The Xiling soldiers who had rushed into Jiangxia City ahead of others to claim military merit were terrified to find themselves trapped like fish in a barrel, caged beasts. The black-clad soldiers moved methodically towards their assigned positions. On the walls that were already filled with the gray figures of Xiling soldiers, countless black-clad men suddenly appeared, and the fighting resumed.

Far away, Prince of Southern Peace watched as black-clad soldiers suddenly appeared on the city wall, his expression changing dramatically. Soon after, he saw a flamboyant red figure appear on the city wall, moving like a dragon unstoppable in its path.

"Your Highness, that is Feng Zhiyao. In Chu Capital, he's known as Young Master Feng Third. He’s the second son of Chu Capital's wealthiest family and was expelled from home at a young age. Since his teens, he has been accompanying Mo Xiuyao on campaigns, and is one of Mo Xiuyao's most trusted men. His presence here definitely means reinforcements from the Mo Family Army have arrived," said Prince of Southern Peace with a grim expression, his voice deep: "Continue the attack!"

The drums thundered as gray figures clashed fiercely with black ones. But Jiangxia City’s gates were never opened again. When countless black-clad archers appeared on the city walls and sharp arrows rained down upon those below like a sudden storm, a slender white figure calmly walked up onto the wall. Standing beside her was Marquis of Southern Peace Mu Yang and Zhuo Jing. Despite the bloody chaos around them, the pure white robe remained untouched by even a drop of blood, its pristine purity giving an eerie coldness.

Ye Li stood on the city wall, gazing far into the distance at the banner of the Xiling army behind the enemy forces. Although she couldn't see their faces clearly, she could sense the overwhelming aura and visible anger emanating from them. A faint smile curled her lips, as she coldly ordered: "Leave no Western Lining soldiers alive who have entered Jiangxia City. Throw all bodies outside the city walls!"

Zhuo Jing nodded, "I will comply."

Ye Li turned and gave a taunting smile to a certain spot far away.

"Is that the Consort of Ding Kingdom" Prince of Southern Peace asked in a deep voice.

The general following him glanced up at the elegant lady in white atop the city walls and hesitated before saying, "She appears to be Queen Consort Ding." In fact, not many people had actually seen Queen Consort Ding. But a woman who appeared with the Black Warriors on the Jiangxia City Wall now had to be Queen Consort Ding without doubt. Southern Prince Wang looked for a long time before suddenly bursting out laughing and said, "Excellent! It’s interesting… is she Queen Consort Ding They say that Eastern Chu women are weak, but this Queen Consort Ding must even surpass our Western Li noblewomen in strength. No wonder the Princess Lingyun was so frightened of her back then."

The general beside him smiled stiffly and did not know if he should agree with Southern Prince Wang’s extravagant praise for Queen Consort Ding. After all, it was this Queen Consort Ding who had destroyed their plan to capture Jiangxia today. And the soldiers who had charged into Jiangxia earlier were likely already dead or captured by now. As such, the losses they suffered in manpower during the battle of Jiangxia far exceeded those sustained over recent months. This無疑對西陵大軍的士氣造成了沉重打擊。

"My lord, the soldiers who charged into the city…"

Southern Prince Wang waved his hand and shook his head as he said, "It’s too late now; attack the city with all your might! Capture Queen Consort Ding alive and reward him with a marquisate!"

"Yes."

As dusk approached, Western Li finally sounded their retreat. It would not be wise to continue attacking incessantly without knowing how many reinforcements the Black Warriors had received. If both sides were evenly matched, they might end up destroying each other in the process. Furthermore, this was Eastern Chu’s home turf; Eastern Chu could replenish its army and supplies endlessly. After failing to achieve their expected results at Xinyang, they must be extra cautious or else they would only end up in a worse situation. Seeing Western Li troops withdraw quickly after sounding the retreat, everyone on the city wall heaved a sigh of relief. The remaining Jiangxia soldiers could not help but cheer.

Yuan Pei, wearing blood-soaked clothes and covered in injuries, came to report to Ye Li, "This humble officer, Commander Yuan Pei of Jiangxia City, greets Your Excellency!"

Ye Li hurriedly reached out to support him so he wouldn’t kneel down. She said solemnly, "General, you have worked hard. This is all my fault for coming too late and putting you through this."

The expression on Yuan Pei’s face changed as tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes. He loudly declared, "I dare not claim that I’ve suffered. If it weren’t for my incompetence, Jiangxia would never have been threatened by Western Li troops."

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "It was the situation’s fault; this is not your mistake. There’s no need to dwell on these matters any longer. General, please take a break with your men for now. I will leave Jiangxia in your hands temporarily." Yuan Pei nodded heavily as Feng Zhiyao smiled from behind Ye Li and said, "General Yuan, don’t worry; Feng San won’t let Western Li troops cross past Jiangxia."

Yuan Pei did not refuse the offer of help. He clasped his hands together respectfully and said, "Then I shall trouble you, General Feng."

Only after Ye Li had reassigned the city defenses did she turn back down from the city walls with her troops. As soon as they left the city walls, she saw Leng Qingyu standing below with a bloody sword in hand, looking blankly ahead. Ye Li thought for a moment and stepped forward to ask, "General Leng, are you alright"

Leng Qingyu raised his head and looked at Ye Li before smiling bitterly and saying softly, "I am a defeated general; what’s there to be good or bad about me"

Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Victory and defeat are common in warfare. This is not entirely your fault. Take care of yourself, General."

Leng Qingyu was taken aback for a moment before he thanked Ye Li.

Farewell, Ye Li left the place. Leng Qingyu looked at the sword in his hand and sheathed it backward. What Dingwangfei said might be right—this failure was not solely his fault. However, only he could take responsibility for this failure now. Fortunately… Jiangxia still existed, and the Mo Family Army had arrived.

"General Leng." As Leng Qingyu turned to leave, Nanhou's voice came from behind him.

Nanhou stood on the side of the street, visibly more aged and fatigued than during their last meeting. This war was just beginning, yet many felt as if they had aged a decade already. After staring at Leng Qingyu for a long time, Nanhou asked in a deep voice: "General Leng, do you know… any news about my son"

Leng Qingyu said mournfully: "On that day when the enemy launched a sudden attack, Shizi led his troops to divert the enemy's attention... They were all wiped out... My lord, I apologize..."

"I understand," Nanhou said softly with a sigh as the faint light in his eyes faded. Without even bidding farewell to Leng Qingyu, he turned and left. Watching Nanhou’s lonely and desolate figure, Leng Qingyu felt an icy chill run through him. Once upon a time, he had yearned for battlefields, believing them to be places of passion and allure for many. But now, after suffering a defeat, he realized the coldness and pain that lay beneath such fervor.

Jiangxia was a small city; Ye Li’s group temporarily stayed at General Yuan Pei's residence. Calling it a general's residence was an exaggeration—it was merely a not-so-big courtyard within Jiangxia City. With veterans like Yuan Pei and Zhang Qilan, any one of them would not be inferior to the Viceroy General or Murong Shen; yet, due to being members of the Mo Family Army, they were endlessly suppressed and could never truly receive their rightful honors.

Due to Ye Li's arrival, Yuan Pei moved his wife and children from the main courtyard to a side room in the back. Understanding Yuan Pei’s intentions and loyalty to Dingwangfu, Ye Li did not refuse; she simply picked a room and settled in without much ado. She hurriedly tidied up and freshened herself before heading to the front hall to discuss military matters with everyone else. When Ye Li stepped into the study, it was already filled with people. They were intensely debating something when they quieted down upon her arrival. Yuan Pei personally invited Ye Li to sit in the main seat himself. Once she sat down, he adjusted his attire and bowed respectfully: "Subordinate General thanks Madam for saving our lives."

Ye Li sighed slightly with resignation and gestured to Zhuo Jing beside her to help Yuan Pei up.

"General Yuan, let’s skip the formalities. Please rise and speak," Ye Li said solemnly.

Yuan Pei sat back in his seat and reported: "Madam, now thirty thousand soldiers from Western Ling are stationed outside Jiangxia City, clearly aiming to capture it. I also heard that the armies coming from both north and south are gradually converging towards Jiangxia. If all three forces unite, we will face nearly half a million troops besieging our city. Although our army is valiant, Jiangxia is small with sparse population and inadequate supplies. We might find ourselves unable to defend against such an overwhelming force. Please make plans as early as possible."

Ye Li nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder, General Yuan. I understand now. As for the issue of provisions, there's no need to worry; the imperial court will naturally send enough supplies over. Marquis Nan, Prince Mu, do you agree"

The Marquis Nan was somewhat dazed and only looked up when he heard Ye Li’s words, smiling faintly, "What Your Consort said is true. We fight on the battlefield for our lives; the imperial court and His Majesty naturally wouldn’t shortchange the soldiers at the front."

Ye Li looked over at Marquis Nan and clearly saw the exhaustion and gloom in his eyes. She didn't know what Cold Qinyu had said to him, but she could guess that something was amiss since there had been no news from Prince Nan yet. She glanced worriedly at Marquis Nan who nodded slightly to show he was fine.

Even though Marquis Nan’s words had given her some assurance, the others' expressions still hadn't improved much. After so many years, the officers and soldiers of the Mo family army had long since given up hope for the person in the palace. Ye Li saw their looks and didn’t want to press them further; instead, she turned around to discuss military matters with the generals.

After everything was settled, everyone started to leave one by one. Marquis Nan remained seated at his position as if in a daze. At first, Ye Li thought he had something more to say but when she saw that it was just him lost in thought after everyone had left, her brows furrowed worriedly and she called out, "Marquis"

There was a blank look in Marquis Nan's eyes as if he only came back to his senses after some time. He still seemed somewhat dazed as he looked at Ye Li for a long moment before slowly saying, "Your Consort, I’m sorry to disturb you. This marquis will take my leave."

Ye Li shook her head and said, "Marquis, the prince’s identity is different. The fact that there's no news yet can be considered good news. There are still many important matters in the army that require your decision-making now. Please take care of yourself." Marquis Nan forced a smile and looked up at Ye Li, saying, "The old Duke once said Your Consort isn’t an ordinary person. This marquis has seen it firsthand on this journey; there’s still much for Your Consort to handle in the army. This marquis… I fear that I may not be capable enough."

"Marquis…"

Ye Li wanted to say something, but Marquis Nan waved his hand and said, "This marquis will take my leave first. Your Consort should also rest early."

Watching as Marquis Nan walked out the door with unsteady steps, Ye Li finally swallowed whatever words she had in her mouth back down. “Marquis, please be careful.”ly placed it near her lips with a spoon. Ye Li couldn't help but open her mouth and eat. As she asked, “Have you seen the baby Nannies Lin and Wei said he looks like I did when I was young. Although…...