[Transmigration] The War God's Consort

Chapter 49

Those were all soldiers he had personally trained. They were loyal to their country and their families, yet they were used as cannon fodder by their own country's monarch, who vowed to destroy them completely. How could he not feel pain in his heart? Thinking of the countless casualties that must have occurred in the previous battle, the usually carefree and elegant Qingli felt as if her heart had been pierced by a sword, and she felt an indescribable pain.

Qingyuan must have known that Feng Xinglie and Qingli had escaped together, and understood that Qingli's army could no longer be allowed to remain. Therefore, he devised this treacherous plan to completely deplete Qingli's 600,000 troops, while simultaneously inflicting a blow on Feng Xinglie's and Ling's armies, forcing them to recuperate and temporarily rendering them unable to wage war again. If either side questioned him, he would simply state that the army belonged to Qingli, handing over Qingli to dispel the two major powers' pretext for attacking, thus eliminating this thorn in their side—a triple win, a truly brilliant scheme!

Feng Xinglie slapped him on the shoulder, his face grave: "Stop complaining. This ceasefire still depends on you. We must travel through the night and reach the border before the two armies clash! With your prestige in the Qing Army, I believe the soldiers will heed your words. My only fear is that Bai Zhongyan might order these loyal soldiers to their deaths beforehand. Moving faster now will save more lives. Let's go!"

Qingli nodded. Youdao couldn't delay any longer at this moment, so he could only look at Feng Xinglie with apologetic pain: "Your injury..."

"It's alright, Lie knows the bigger picture is more important," Ling Yuxiang answered for her, lifting her onto his horse and holding her tightly in his arms. He also understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately ordered, "Ling Tian, immediately notify all Flying Feather Cavalry to return to the border. This time, Qing Kingdom dared to scheme against us, largely hoping for internal strife within our Ling Kingdom. Ye Piao and the others should start making their moves now. Since Qing Yuan is determined to stir up trouble, let's see who the ultimate winner is!"

A cold smile appeared on his handsome face. The internal strife in Lingguo had injured Feng Xinglie, and now the border war was about to settle scores!

Yao Tianlin remained silent, then asked for a horse to ride to the two of them: "I'll go too."

Feng Xinglie glanced at him helplessly and sighed, "Can I stop you?"

"Even the emperor can't stop me!" Yao Tianlin let out a wild laugh as unrestrained as the wind, his incomparably handsome face instantly becoming dazzling.

"Xiao Lie, I'll go with you." After instructing the group of men in black, Feng Xingying stepped forward and said, "The best way to get Qingli and the Nan family involved is for us to appear together on the battlefield."

"That's true." Qingli had no other thoughts at this moment and anxiously reached out to her: "Get on the horse!"

Feng Xingying glanced at him indifferently, and finally handed over her hand.

It was the dead of night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the silvery moonlight bathed the earth. Several fast horses galloped swiftly along the road, and from the distant horizon where heaven and earth met, a mournful and chilling horn seemed to sound.

Chaos in Qingqiu, Chapter 87: The Great River Flows East and West

The surging Nanjiang River, with its swift currents, rushes downstream with the force of a thousand horses galloping down mountains and forests. The turbulent waters and the biting wind form a natural barrier between Fengcheng and the territory of Qing Kingdom.

A long river connects three kingdoms, and the Nanjiang River is part of the Nanfan River, though its name differs due to different locations. The Nanjiang River is unparalleled in its width, stretching for thousands of miles, the best both within and outside the country. Now, it straddles four major powers, and after this battle, it will surely be remembered for eternity!

Autumn's chill has passed, and winter is approaching. A chilling atmosphere pervades the world, even more so than the approaching cold of winter! On the west bank of the relentlessly surging river, countless soldiers are now struggling to tie themselves together with ropes, enduring the bone-chilling cold of the river water, step by step into the river, trudging through the mud, risking being swept away by the current at any moment, their faces pale with cold, to build one narrow, pitifully narrow pontoon bridge after another.

Small boats floated on the water, but there weren't many of them. Where the boats couldn't reach, even in the deepest parts of the river, manpower had to fill in the gaps. No one had expected such a sudden military order to put them in the position of attacking Fengcheng, let alone that it would turn into this unprecedented naval battle!

"General Shang, let me do it." A soldier whose face was already deathly pale from the cold stubbornly took a wooden plank from a young general with a solemn expression.

"I've let you all suffer, we...we're truly useless!" Shang Rong, the fiercest general of the Qing Camp, paused, his face clouded with worry. He was a hero of the battlefield, yet now he seemed so incompetent. He forced a bitter smile and said indignantly, "If General Qing Li were here, how could those bastards be allowed to swagger around like that! A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. Our Qingqiu Kingdom's most iron-blooded army has now become cannon fodder to be sacrificed! I truly..."

"General Shang, please don't say that. We are indeed in dire straits. Although I, Li Yue, am just a lowly soldier, I believe we can definitely wait for General Qingli's return, we definitely will!" The soldier shook his waterlogged armor and gave a strained smile. "Once General Qingli returns, we won't be so controlled anymore. General Qingli will surely bring us hope; he won't abandon us! Right now, General Qingli must be worried about us too, so we can only try our best to survive and wait for him to return and see us alive and well!"

Shang Rong was taken aback, then nodded with tears welling up in his eyes: "That's right, General Qing will definitely come back, so... brothers, you must hold on!"

Li Yue waved his hand with a bright expression, tightened the rope around his waist, and walked step by step into the icy river again.

As Shang Rong watched his retreating figure, he suddenly felt indignant at the injustice of the world. He wanted to roar to the heavens and ask why the heavens were so blind!

General Bai Zhongyan had only mobilized their army a few days ago, and before the camp could be firmly established, an order to start the war was issued, and they immediately set off to plunder all usable ships in the surrounding area, both merchant and civilian vessels, causing a great deal of screams and cries of agony. This angered everyone in the army. They were soldiers! Why were they engaging in such banditry?

General Qingli taught them to be upright and honest in their conduct, but can they still be considered upright and honest now? It is understandable for two armies to use their wits and courage to fight each other, but what could they possibly do to ordinary people?

But what good is forgiveness if no one dares to speak out?

On the first day, a lieutenant general who refused Bai Zhongyan's military orders was ordered to be beheaded and his entire family was branded with a crime from which they could never recover! General Qingli was accused of treason, and that's why General Bai took over the camp. Who believed it? Who believed that the general they regarded as a god would betray the country? But who dared to say it?

They may not care about their own lives, but what about their families? What about their entire extended family? What can they do to avoid implicating them?

Military orders are absolute, and now those who disobey them are branded as traitors. They only have two shoulders, and they cannot bear this heavy burden of guilt.

Da Ya Yan then launched an attack on the city without regard for casualties, making the soldiers realize their current predicament even more. This man was not like Qing Li, who cared about his soldiers; he didn't care about their lives at all! Shang Rong sadly realized that they might have become Qing Kingdom's pawns, cannon fodder, just waiting for the Qing King to exhaust their last bit of strength.

Six hundred thousand people! These are six hundred thousand brothers! Several officers who understood the situation felt their hearts bleed. They had fought together for many years and had developed feelings for every soldier under them. These people were their brothers and comrades. They really wanted to ask those in high positions how they could be so heartless as to carry out a disguised massacre of all six hundred thousand people.

How could the fierce and powerful armies be easily dealt with? They were also iron-blooded armies led by war gods. Although General Qingli was famous and well-known, the other two were even more renowned. Although fame may not be a sign of strength, how could they not have real talent and ability under such a great reputation?

That night, they were confident that they could secretly cross the river in small boats and launch a surprise attack, but just as a group of troops reached the other side, the city walls were suddenly brightly lit, and countless ambushes emerged from the dense forests on both sides of the riverbank. The dense crowd of heads and the deafening sounds of battle terrified everyone!

With preparations in place, a sneak attack is no longer just a sword strike; the lightly armored soldiers who launch sneak attacks become sitting ducks! Large numbers of soldiers were trapped at the river mouth with no way to escape, fighting desperately until they were wiped out! That night, the Nanjiang River was stained red with blood, and at dawn, the sight of a pile of corpses was shocking.

The Ling Kingdom's army somehow reconciled with the Lie army and opened up Fengcheng. As for the east bank of the river in Fengcheng, the two sides jointly defended the east bank of the river. The Qing army suffered a complete defeat in that battle and then realized that even if the two war gods were not there, Xi Suifeng, the commander of the Lie army, was not an incompetent person.

The setback did not stop Bai Yayan from making repairs. Instead, she immediately ordered them to build a pontoon bridge and attack again, without giving them a chance to catch their breath. In such cold river water, she made these soldiers do the work of laborers. How could soldiers whose hands and feet were frozen stiff in the cold water go back to the battlefield to fight?

A sudden gust of wind swept in from the river, and the current quickened abruptly. Amidst the soldiers' exclamations, Shang Rong looked up, grabbed a soldier who had run back in a panic, and asked urgently, "What happened?"

The soldier, wrinkling his nose and crying, said, "General! The river god has acted cruelly! The river has suddenly accelerated, and the ropes we were tied to were not strong enough. Many of my brothers have been swept away!"

"What!" Shang Rong disregarded the river water and strode into it, frantically searching everywhere, causing a chorus of exclamations from those around him.

"General! What are you doing, General?"

"General, don't do anything rash!"

The river was indeed much faster. Shang Rongyi Zhong lost his balance and almost fell. In his panic, he grabbed a rope that had already broken off a section, which helped him regain his footing.

Looking closely at the half-stranded rope in his palm, the soldier beside him cried out, "That's what Li Yue was tied up with! He was such a fine young man, not even married yet, and now..."

Shang Rong was struck dumb, standing there speechless. The biting wind swept away all the grievances in people's hearts.

The strong man who was smiling at him just a moment ago is gone; the man who was comforting him just a moment ago, promising to wait together for General Qingli's return, is gone just like that; the young man who said he would be lively and energetic just a moment ago will never come back! Shang Rong gripped the rope tightly, roaring in his chest, "General Qingli! Come quickly! Come back soon! Don't let these men who fought for their families and country be sacrificed so unjustly! Don't let our brothers die so pathetically!"

Overwhelmed with grief, he could only blame his own incompetence. Now leaderless, who had the courage and ability to lead these soldiers in rebellion? It wasn't that he didn't want to, but besides General Qingli, who could command the troops? If the entire army didn't respond, it would only lead to infighting within their own ranks. All they could do was wait, watching their brothers lose one life after another…

"Stop crying! The sacrifice of the brave does not need tears!" Shang Rong roared angrily, shaking the crying soldier.

"General...you're crying too..."

Shang Rong was taken aback. He touched his face and found that his fingers were wet.

On the west bank of the river, a mighty tiger-like general silently sheds tears.

In contrast, on the east bank of the Yangtze River, there was a majestic and imposing army. The camps were neatly set up, and the ranks were solemn and orderly. Two large banners, one black with the character "烈" (lie, meaning fierce) and the other fiery red with the character "凌" (ling, meaning fierce), fluttered in the fierce wind, exuding an imposing aura.

On the river embankment, Xi Suifeng's white hair fluttered in the wind. He wore the same black robes as the Lie Tan cavalry, and his handsome and resolute face had a cold and solemn expression. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance at the pontoon bridge built in the river. A cold smile appeared on his sharply defined lips.

"Bai Zhongyan and the Green King are utterly shameless!"

"Commander Xi is right! They dared to launch a sneak attack while our generals were away! If we hadn't received Commander Xi's notification, even if our Ling army had been scouting the situation, we would have been caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties! Those Qing Kingdom bastards are too hateful! If my marshal were here, he wouldn't be afraid of them!" Han Ruo glared angrily, his eyes bloodshot, as if he wanted to rush over and tear the Qing Kingdom soldiers to shreds. Another Ling Kingdom general, Ma Zhiyun, cheered him on from the side, also showing a strong desire to join the fray.

"I'm not talking about this sneak attack, but about the intentions of the Green King." Xi Suifeng glanced at the two men with amusement. No wonder Ling Yuxiang's letter instructed him to take good care of them if there was any fighting. These two fierce generals were all brawn and no brains, so it was only natural that Ling Yuxiang didn't trust them.

“We’re all roughnecks, and we’re not very smart, Commander Xi, so please stop keeping us in suspense.” Ma Zhiyun scratched the back of his head and laughed, his face flushed with embarrassment. “His Highness also told us brothers that if war breaks out, we must obey Commander Xi’s orders. I know I’m not very bright, so please don’t expect me to figure out these battles of wits and courage on my own.”

Xi Suifeng smiled calmly: "General Ma, you may not know this, but the actions of the Qing King and Bai Zhongyan are clearly intended to exhaust the 600,000 Qing troops, and also to take advantage of the fact that our two commanders are losing more soldiers, so that we will be completely defeated."

"Wasting out 600,000 troops? Commander Xi, are you joking? 600,000 is no small number. How can the King of Qing just abandon 600,000 troops like that?" The two men stared in disbelief.

“Qingli’s crime is the same as my Feng Shuai’s crime: his merits overshadow his lord! Presumably, the Qing King has not been able to get rid of General Qingli as he wished, so he has decided to eliminate this group of loyal soldiers to prevent him from raising a banner of rebellion. These 600,000 men will be his death warrant. How could he be reluctant to part with them?” Xi Suifeng sneered, as if recalling the scene at Zijin Mountain, where Feng Xinglie’s face was full of resolute grief. His heart tightened, and his cold tone was tinged with indignation: “The Qing King even doubts his own son, and even abandons and sacrifices loyal soldiers. He is truly ruthless.”

Han Ruo and his companion were rough men, stubborn and uncompromising in their sense of right and wrong. Hearing what he said, and thinking about how their comrades who had risked their lives for them were going to die in vain, they gritted their teeth as if they were the ones being abandoned.

"Damn it, that Green King is a real bastard!"

"He better not run into my hands, or I'll crush his bones inch by inch!"

Shaking his head and sighing softly, Xi Suifeng, with his far-sighted vision, could naturally see the desolate scene at the bridge-building site in the river. The bridge-building battle line of more than 10,000 people was underway. Today, the river was even more turbulent, and with each wave, soldiers were submerged and swept away. The surging river water submerged their heads, and only one hand was unwillingly stretched out of the river surface, trying to struggle and call for help. Downstream, on the pontoon bridge, this scene was everywhere, truly a heartbreaking sight.

Ma Zhiyun and the other looked over together. Even they, who were used to seeing battles, couldn't help but frown and angrily curse, "Is Bai Zhongyan stupid? Isn't he deliberately trying to make them die!"

"Given the lack of boats for crossing the river, building a bridge was the only feasible method. His strategy wasn't wrong in itself, but he completely ignored casualties when it came to manpower. He can easily shirk responsibility for this, claiming it was simply necessary to expedite the siege, and the soldiers had no excuse to resist." Xi Suifeng raised an eyebrow and sneered, "However, I'm afraid the King of Qing has miscalculated. Does he think my Lie Army is still the same as it was a year ago? He underestimates me, Xi Suifeng! Now, Fengcheng has a million-strong army, strong and well-equipped. He wants to weaken my Lie Army? Hmph! I'm afraid he's not qualified!"

This arrogant tone was exactly like Feng Xinglie's, causing Han Ruo and the other two to shrink back, as if they were seeing that fierce and powerful princess again. When they first learned that Feng Xinglie was a woman, they almost bit their tongues off! Thinking of Feng Xinglie's terrifying methods, they felt both admiration and fear. Now that Xi Suifeng was speaking in this tone, the two of them couldn't help but feel a deep respect.

Fengcheng is now in a good state. Choosing this place, a trading hub between the three kingdoms, its economy is developing extremely rapidly. It has amassed more than a million soldiers, and there is no exaggeration in the numbers. With such a force, even if Ling Yuxiang takes advantage of Feng Xinglie's absence to attack, he probably won't gain any advantage.

"Brother Suifeng, I have already ordered the catapults and crossbows to be brought here." Another handsome and gentle man in black walked slowly towards us from afar. He was Luo Yun, the second-in-command of the Flaming Cavalry. He smiled and said, "In addition, our strategist has also come to inspect the area."

Behind him came a stunningly beautiful woman in white, accompanied by a man who was constantly giving her instructions. The woman stood against the wind in her white dress, her gentle and lovely smile sweeping across the camp. Even a group of highly disciplined soldiers couldn't help but stare in amazement, their breath catching in their throats.

"Miss Lianji." Ma Zhiyun and Han Ruo immediately greeted her. They had already witnessed this woman's abilities. Half of the military formation that Xi Suifeng had deployed that day was her doing. The reason they were able to win easily with few casualties was entirely due to the exquisite skill and ingenious layout of Lianji's formation. Such an extraordinary woman had been buried in obscurity before, which was a complete waste of talent and an injustice!

Thinking of this, the two straightforward and fierce-looking people glared at the man next to her who was fawning over her.

Qin Yue was trying to cheer Lian up when she inexplicably received two such gazes, and couldn't help but feel annoyed: "Lian Ji, am I that annoying?"

"I wouldn't say I dislike it," Lian Ji said with a faint smile, her bright eyes flickering slightly, exuding a leisurely air. "However, it's not that I don't dislike it either."

"You...you...Oh my god! Oh my god! Where did my gentle and tender Lian Ji go?" Qin Yue pounded her chest and wailed to the heavens.

Lian Ji ignored him, glancing at the river surface, her slender eyebrows furrowing slightly on her fair, jade-like face.

"We must not let them build the pontoon bridge! Although they have suffered heavy losses in manpower, it is still far less than when the two armies are fighting each other. Bai Zhongyan intends to exhaust his 600,000 troops. He will not stop until every last soldier is dead and only his elite troops remain. Moreover, once the fighting starts, it will be a bloody battle, and it will not be easy to stop them in a short time."

“I understand.” Xi Suifeng smiled confidently, then waved his hand. Luo Yun behind him signaled Fang Yu and the others to send the catapults and crossbows forward. “With these, we don’t need to worry about them building a wooden bridge halfway through for now.”

"What are these?" Tianjilou was always well-versed in mechanical arts, numerology, and divination. Upon seeing such an exquisite structure, Lianji couldn't help but become very interested.

"Our lord said, 'A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wants to do his work well.' Since our Fengcheng is the first piece of meat among the three kingdoms, and we don't know when we'll face war, we naturally need some way to protect ourselves. Xing Lie said that 'gunpowder' is too powerful and could easily cause the world to develop abnormally. Although I don't understand it, I know the consequences of its power in war. Therefore, she didn't leave us gunpowder, but gave us blueprints to make these things. She had us hire a group of craftsmen to forge various parts, and we assembled them ourselves, which became these defensive weapons." Luo Yun touched a large, rapid-fire crossbow cart that was as tall as a person beside him, quite excitedly: "These crossbow carts have an extremely long range, and the catapults are even more powerful. Don't even mention destroying these pontoon bridges, even if warships come, they'll be beaten to a pulp!"

"Oh? Is it possible to hit it at this distance?" Han Ruo and his companion were filled with excitement. It was the first time they had seen this novel device, and they were like children who had seen a toy, touching and stroking the crossbow cart.

Looking across the river, the long pontoon bridge had already reached the center and was slowly extending towards this area. Xi Suifeng waved his black robe with a flourish, his long arms sweeping through the air. Dozens of fierce cavalrymen sprang out from beneath the dense array of battle flags, reaching the riverbank. They each led a set of crossbow carts and catapults, pushing their wheels to slowly roll across, forming a line. Behind them, a small team of elite logistics soldiers was responsible for transporting various boulders and huge arrows. On the river, a majestic and imposing aura was formed.

"You'll see how powerful it is once you see it!"

Sympathy is one thing, but those Qing soldiers on the other side of the river are the enemy! Feng Xinglie once said that being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to oneself! If one is like a clay Bodhisattva crossing the river and can barely save oneself, how can one care about others?

The sacrifices will be numerous, but it's still much better than them attacking! At that time, it won't just be the Liejun and Lingjun who will sacrifice themselves; the Qingjun itself will probably suffer even greater casualties!

Xi Suifeng stood on the riverbank with a cold expression, his white hair dancing wildly, like a demon god from hell. He picked up a huge crossbow, and a black iron arrow, gleaming with a cold light, gathered in his hand. He slowly aimed at a construction supervisor on a boat in the river who was shouting orders.

"Whoosh!"

A long arrow, brimming with power and carrying boundless killing intent, whistled through the air! The foreman, one of Bai Zhongyan's men, was shouting and causing trouble everywhere when suddenly he felt a pang of panic. A sharp, piercing pain shot straight through his chest! Blood gushed out, splattering everywhere, covering his entire body! He looked down in horror to see the cold arrow protruding deep from his chest, piercing right through his heart and lungs!

One glance was enough to freeze the gaze, and the next moment the overseer rolled over and fell into the river, a trail of red blood rising into the water and disappearing in an instant.

Who? Who is it? How could someone possess such terrifying accuracy and power, capable of shooting such a terrifying arrow from the other side of the river?

While the Qing army troops building the bridge were still in a state of panic from the lingering force of the arrow and had not yet come to their senses, the Flame Cavalry, who had received Xi Suifeng's silent military order, had already taken action at the same time!

In an instant, rows of enormous, unusually long crossbow bolts shot straight into the sky from the east bank of the great river with astonishing speed and force, filling the air with arrows! Huge boulders, seemingly propelled by some unknown force, flew madly over an impossible distance and soared into the sky, instantly filling it with dark shadows! They even obscured the entire sky!

"Kill!" With a fierce shout, wave after wave of supplies rushed forward like madmen! The huge repeating crossbows could fire more than ten arrows in sequence at a time. As long as the hands and feet were fast enough and there was no gap between them, those deadly arrows would be released like a flowing stream without any expense!

"What is that?! How is that possible? There's no way an archer could have the strength and range to shoot from that far away!"

"My God! What a huge rock!"

"Run! Run! Are you still standing here waiting to die?"

The powerful arrows were not as weak and powerless as they had imagined; on the contrary, they were terrifyingly strong! Arrows would often pierce two or three people in succession, embedding them in the ground like a string of candied hawthorns—a truly horrifying sight! Not to mention the boulders; anyone crushed by them was certain to die!

The panicked Qing soldiers scrambled to retreat in terror! Every boat on the river was subjected to this barrage of arrows, and screams and cries filled the entire surface! Red blood flowed back into the river, staining a large section of the Yangtze! Heaps of corpses rolled into the river, some with several arrows embedded in their bodies, others crushed beyond recognition by boulders, resembling a large pot of bloody, mangled human flesh soup—a cruel and disgusting sight that made one's heart tremble!

The powerful arrows forced the soldiers back, and the catapults then aimed at the pontoon bridge, which had been built by countless lives but was now standing alone under the barrage of arrows. With their extremely long range, the catapults smashed a large section of the pontoon bridge, destroying most of it, before Xi Suifeng ordered them to stop.

The entire river surface was eerie. The fierce army on the east bank had not lost a single soldier, while on the west bank, the river was stained with blood and the scene was tragic. Such a terrible contrast made all the onlookers stare wide-eyed.