Blumen pflücken und lächeln

Kapitel 51

Just then, the boy suddenly brought his outstretched hands together. Instantly, the infantry behind him moved in an orderly yet swift manner, a small number of them surrounding the boy, while the rest, some holding torches, surrounded the messy camp, and others rushed forward to help the cavalry kill the remaining Fire Feather soldiers.

The surviving Fire Feather soldiers gradually gathered together. Although they had been fighting for almost a night, and a group had escaped with Qian Cheng, there were still as many as 30,000 to 40,000 remaining. Moreover, the remaining men looked disheveled but showed no fear. Each of them held a finely crafted crossbow, from which arrows were constantly being shot. They could kill one person and still have enough power to pierce through and endanger a second.

Qin Wu frowned and said, "It seems that what remains here are the 30,000 most elite archers under Liu Cenfeng's command, whom he lent to Qian Cheng. I heard that each of them carries a small crossbow with a range of up to 100 meters and hits the target every time. Moreover, these 30,000 archers are not only good at archery on horseback, but also at military operations, so they can be easily distinguished from ordinary soldiers on weekdays."

Qin Li nodded: "Liu Cenfeng is indeed extraordinary. With such astonishing combat power, I'm afraid only our Dark Camp's Li Luo Army can barely contend with him. It's just a pity that there are too few of them. I'm afraid they will all be wiped out here today."

Qin Wu said thoughtfully, "I wonder what decision you will make, young master?"

"Zheng—" Just as the two were engrossed in their discussion, a stirring and powerful zither melody suddenly rang out from the heavens and earth without warning.

Chapter 35 Snow Shadows and Golden Spears

Chapter 35 Snow Shadows and Golden Spears

I was extremely unsteady on my horse, and I had to keep looking up at the coded messages on the banner that Zi Mo had displayed before I could follow them. If Yi Han hadn't held me firmly, I probably would have fallen off and died a thousand times over.

I was protected by three thousand infantrymen, each of them glancing at the battlefield from time to time, and then looking at me with extreme admiration. I automatically passed their gazes to Zimo, which made him both amused and exasperated.

This battle, planned for three months and accomplished in a single night, was about to come to an end. Zi Mo, suspended in mid-air, gazed at the 30,000 archers and cavalry slowly wearing them down without losing any troops, and suddenly asked, "Galan, have you thought through every single step of this plan?"

I was startled and looked up at him. He smiled faintly at me: "Galan, you must remember, from the beginning of this battle, every move I've made, every strategy I've devised, may not be the best, but it's definitely the most suitable for you. You must try to observe, try to learn, so that even if I'm not by your side one day, you can handle things on your own." (Forgive me, I really love SAI's line: "Ah Guang, look carefully, every move I make from now on is for you" (I forgot the exact words). I plagiarized this way of teaching him.)

My heart skipped a beat. Not by my side? I couldn't help but want to say, "Silly, you're not by my side anymore, what am I doing still in this world? Who am I fulfilling my dreams for?" But he naturally knew what I was thinking; I didn't need to ask, I could tell just from the slight ripples in his eyes. I nodded: "Okay, I understand."

Gazing at the battlefield, I began to mentally rehearse Zi Mo's plan. This time, due to the floods in western Hunan, the Huo Ling Kingdom ordered Qian Cheng and Meng Zhao to lead an army of 800,000 to launch a surprise attack. Meng Zhao, with 300,000 troops, was intercepted by Lü Shaojun at Hulu Bay in Chixia Valley, which is on the other side of the Talakan Desert, near Jingu, the left flank of Binsheng. Lü Shaojun was a renowned general in defending cities, and Jingu had the fertile town of Pingquan for supplies, so it was not afraid of a siege. Thus, it clearly became a protracted war in Jin Yao's favor. I was puzzled at the time as to why Meng Zhao would wage such a foolish protracted war. Only after Zi Mo explained did I understand. Meng Zhao and his men were using a slow and steady attack outside Jingu to prevent Lü Shaojun from sending reinforcements to western Hunan. Once western Hunan fell, Qian Cheng and Meng Zhao's armies would join forces, and even if Lü Shaojun had great abilities, he would be unable to resist.

Meanwhile, Qian Cheng led an army of 500,000 across the Red Gorge. Zi Mo instructed me to first send men to fight them in the Red Gorge, as the Li Luo army was mixed in with the soldiers, greatly increasing our strength. Furthermore, I ordered the soldiers to double the number of stoves, leading Qian Cheng to believe that my entire Xiangxi garrison was attacking. After several fierce battles over a month, I ordered the Li Luo army to quietly withdraw and hide near the Red Gorge. Our forces, lacking sufficient strength, were naturally forced to retreat into Xiangxi City.

Originally, to cross the Red Gorge and launch an attack, we must have secured our retreat, or at the very least, cleared our rear. However, firstly, after days of fierce fighting, Qian Cheng's 500,000-strong army was reduced to only 30, and they were exhausted; secondly, he firmly believed that Xiangxi City was already empty and powerless to resist, and I had spread rumors that Lü Shaojun was about to send reinforcements, which forced him to disregard everything and cross the Red Gorge in pursuit. Meanwhile, the Li Luo army, waiting in the rear, easily cut off their supply lines.

Zi Mo said that if the Li Luo army were not exhausted, its strength greatly depleted, and it was not in danger of being discovered, he could have easily won a great victory by having the Li Luo army and the Xiangxi garrison attack from both sides.

Another reason, which is rather amusing, was that he believed there was no strategy involved in such a campaign, and I wouldn't learn any tactics. Therefore, he took a roundabout approach, utilizing Qin Wu's suggestion from Qian Cheng's entourage to transport grain by water. He then intercepted the grain supplies halfway through the fog, replaced them with Jin Yao soldiers, and took advantage of their unpreparedness to penetrate deep into the enemy camp. With a pincer attack from both inside and outside, how could the enemy not be defeated?

I shook my numb arms, oblivious to the lingering smell of blood in my nostrils: "There's something I don't understand. Why didn't Liu Cenfeng come to help Meng Zhao and Qian Cheng when he was clearly nearby, especially with his own 30,000 trusted men here?"

Zi Mo nodded and smiled, "Galan, after nearly half a year of training, your thinking is starting to look quite professional. There are three reasons why Liu Cenfeng didn't come to help Qian Cheng. First, who is Liu Cenfeng? He's second only to Huo Ling. Unless Jun Wuhen comes in person, it's fine to let him take command or supervise the army. But asking him to advise Qian Cheng is definitely not something he would condescend to do. His trip to the Jin Yao border this time is probably only for you."

"Secondly, Liu Cenfeng once fought five great victories against General Lü's father, Lü Lin, but in the past two years he has had few opportunities to lead troops. This shows that either Jun Wuhen is wary of his excessive power, or there is criticism of his status in the court that prevents him from leading troops into battle. However, this time, the two famous generals, Qian Cheng and Meng Zhao, led an army of 800,000, which is a huge undertaking. If they are defeated by you again, then the Fire Feather Kingdom will begin to wonder who else besides Liu Cenfeng can stand against you. In that case, he may very well regain military power."

"Third, and most importantly. As the saying goes, the onlooker sees most of the game, while those involved are often confused. Liu Cenfeng is clearly quite wary of the forces under your command, knowing a little about them but not quite. So, he is in western Hunan, but he is sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, hoping to gain a clear understanding of your secret agents and spies through this battle."

I nodded: 'So, have all of Lin Yu's forces been exposed now?'

Zi Mo's lips curled into a rather smug smile: "He is a capable general, but I am no pushover either. He wanted to see your strength, so I simply unleashed the entire Li Luo army to show him. The Li Luo army's sharp edge attracted all his attention, so he naturally couldn't notice the activities of the other factions in the Dark Camp, nor did he expect that I would use the supply transport to encircle and annihilate these 300,000 Jin Yao soldiers, instead of forcing them to retreat. At Bin Sheng, he forced the Night Division to suffer heavy losses and drove us into the desert, where we narrowly escaped death. Today, I will make these elite soldiers he personally trained pay with their lives."

Just like Zimo's personality. I smiled, surprised that I didn't care about the lives of those 30,000 people at all, as if I were just tearing up 30,000 pieces of paper, rather than killing 30,000 people.

"Clang—!!" A loud bang suddenly rang out from the mountaintop on the left, and in an instant, the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses, along with the stirring music of a zither, spread throughout the entire world. Yi Han, Zi Mo, and I were all startled and looked up.

The hill on the left, though not high, is very famous, named Crimson Clouds. It is covered with red maple leaves, and in autumn, the mountain seems to be ablaze from the inside out, reflecting a crimson glow onto the sky above.

As dawn broke, the distant hills slowly revealed their true colors as the night faded. Red maple leaves drifted down, forming lines and a tapestry, as if the mountains themselves were a world unto themselves, a continuous, dense rain of crimson. It was truly breathtakingly beautiful and vibrant. Ordinary people would never dare venture into those mountains. Not only was the overwhelming red dazzling, but the sheer beauty—a blend of allure and exquisite elegance—would make most people feel ashamed and hesitant to disturb it.

Yet, at this very moment, a man stands proudly atop the mountain, seated beneath a maple tree, amidst the leaves, playing his zither with serene grace. The mountain scenery at dawn is breathtakingly beautiful, but his presence surpasses even that beauty; the red maples are vibrantly red, but his figure is more striking than their crimson hue. Amidst the myriad reds, the white is even more captivating. The morning mountain breeze tousles my hair and scatters countless maple leaves; even standing here, I can almost hear the rustling of the leaves as they whisper through the trees.

I touched my chest, somewhat dazed, a familiar tingling pain washing over me, yet my eyes dared not stray from the crimson expanse. The red petals danced and swirled in the air, seemingly controlled by the music, sometimes scattering, sometimes spiraling together. Finally, the music softened and deepened, and the red maple leaves drifted down, until finally, the figure with black hair and white robes slowly appeared before me. I took a deep breath, gazing at the otherworldly silver-white light, the radiance beyond human comprehension, repeatedly reciting the phrase: "The fiery maple leaves fade, the snow's shadow appears… the fiery maple leaves fade… the snow's shadow appears."

We were too far apart; even with Lin Yu's excellent eyesight, he couldn't make out his appearance or expression. Yet, I knew clearly that he was watching me, Zhi Ge Xie Qin, quietly smiling at me. That enigmatic, half-smiling expression, like a spell, swirled in my mind.

Suddenly, the music resumed! It changed from the original clanging of swords and spears to a sharp and smooth melody. The archers, who had been exhausted from the encirclement, were suddenly invigorated and began to break through the encirclement at all costs.

Although the Golden Radiance cavalry were well-trained and numerous, their movements were hampered by the music, and due to a moment of carelessness, they were actually able to break through the encirclement. The shouts of battle immediately filled the air; those on horseback yelled, and the soldiers standing by cheered, but such loud voices could not drown out the subtle, pervasive strains of the music. Just as the Fire Feather soldiers were gaining momentum and about to break through, our army was thrown into disarray.

"Galan! Take out the jade flute!" I was taken aback, and Zimo's voice rang out again, "Take out the jade flute that Li Mu brought you."

Seeing his solemn expression, I had no choice but to comply, but said, "Zimo, you don't want me to suppress his music, do you? You know I'm tone-deaf, and I don't have his internal energy to project sound over long distances."

Zi Mo suddenly appeared beside me: "I'll teach you. As for internal energy, let Feng Yihan hold it for you for now." I was shocked when I looked closer. Zi Mo's smile was also ambiguous and unfathomable, exactly the same as Liu Cenfeng's expression in my mind.

Suddenly, I noticed a pair of slender, transparent hand shadows on the jade flute. Zi Mo's face was right next to mine, his body appearing and disappearing inside me. A deep excitement and fighting spirit ignited in his brown eyes: "Let's begin!"

Left with no other choice, I turned to him helplessly and said, "Yihan, transfer some of your inner energy to me, just enough to make me a match for him." A look of surprise flashed in Yihan's eyes. He hesitated for a moment, but still nodded slightly. We stood majestically on the horse's back. I held the flute in both hands, bringing it to my lips. He placed one hand on my waist and the other on my back. In an instant, a powerful, pure, and slightly cool inner energy surged into me from behind. Suddenly, my whole body was filled with strength, as if every cell in my body was swelling to its fullest. We stood there, one behind the other, on the horse's back, amidst a thousand people, our robes fluttering and our hair dancing, stunning everyone who saw us.

As I exhaled naturally, my fingers moved slightly in response to Zi Mo's concealment and explanation, and a loud melody, which I myself could not have imagined, soared into the sky, instantly creating a confrontation with the piano music. However, at the beginning, even with Zi Mo's guidance, it was still a last-minute effort, and wrong notes kept popping out, completely suppressed by Liu Cenfeng's piano music.

But slowly, I was shocked to discover that I could play the xiao (vertical bamboo flute). No, not me! It should be said that Lin Yu himself possessed superb xiao skills; that sensitivity to music had almost become an instinct for him. So after the initial discomfort, my hands moved spontaneously, each stroke coinciding with Zi Mo's fingertips, and the force I produced became more and more just right.

My flute playing was neither ornate nor passionate, lacking Liu Cenfeng's current sharpness and his earlier powerful, aggressive style. Yet, it was like a dense rain falling from the sky, enveloping everything completely, leaving no corner untouched; it was both the gentlest and the most resilient.

Jin Yaoguo's cavalry gradually formed an encirclement. Although a few dozen men managed to escape during the chaos, nearly 30,000 elite soldiers were still trapped here, with no second chance to escape.

However, though the outcome was decided, my duel with Liu Cenfeng was far from over. The zither music continued, and naturally, the flute music couldn't stop either. The zither music grew higher and higher, while the flute music grew denser and denser, like two sharp yet completely different sword energies soaring upwards, intertwining in the air, flying higher and higher, growing more and more intense. Until a loud bang rang out from the mountaintop to my left and from my own body, I felt a numb pain in my hands and lips, and my voice abruptly stopped.

Staring blankly at the emerald jade flute fragment in his palm, he couldn't believe he had just been competing with Liu Cenfeng in playing music on the battlefield. On the hill to his left, the white-clad figure, having purified the powder from his stringed instrument, seemed to dust himself off, stood up, and gazed at me silently for a long time before turning and leaving.

I felt the clear, cool internal energy gradually withdrawing from my body until the hand on my back left. I felt all my strength, including my own physical power, vanish instantly, my limbs went weak and limp, and I slowly collapsed.

Yi Han seemed to have anticipated this, so he withdrew his hand, swept me up in his arms, and gracefully leaped off his horse. I slumped weakly in his embrace, asking feebly, "How could this happen?"

Yi Han replied, "Young Master is not in good health. He forced me to inject internal energy into him, which caused his meridians to expand and deplete his true energy, hence his weakness. However, he will be fine after half a day of recuperation."

I nodded. "That's good." Then I looked up at Zimo and saw that he was also staring at me, looking a little dazed. I smiled at him and said, "So, you win today and he wins?"

Zi Mo snapped out of his reverie and sighed, "It's a draw. Liu Cenfeng is truly not to be underestimated; we almost let him turn the tables."

I shrugged, closed my eyes, and leaned against Yi Han's chest: 'Next time, just make sure he can't get away with it at all.'