L'hibiscus comme peinture - Chapitre 9
He had been preparing for this battle for a long time. The past two months of rest and recuperation had been for this very purpose. Moreover, today he had risked his life to infiltrate Luoyun City and conduct a thorough reconnaissance. And now, the heavens were on his side, sending such a heavy rain. He now possessed all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support. This battle was inevitable, and he was determined to win decisively. The people of Luoyun City were subjects of his Longxuan Dynasty. That damned Yelü Ying—he would not allow anyone to harm the people of the Longxuan Kingdom, not a single one.
"Your Highness..." The general wanted to say something, but Jinxuan interrupted him.
"General Chen, this matter is settled." With that, he slowly stood up.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey." General Chen clasped his hands in a fist salute. He could not and would not disobey the prince's orders, for the prince was a god, a faith, to them, the military generals. Although they did not understand why the prince would make such a decision, they believed that the prince's decisions were always correct, and this time was no exception.
"Good, General Wei, General Zhao, have you prepared what I asked you to prepare?"
"Ready." The two generals closest to the head of the table replied respectfully. They were the same two who had fallen into deep thought after hearing the decision. They were the most trusted confidants of Prince Jin. The one on the left, with a scholarly appearance, was General Wei Ziqi, known as the "Confucian General," the son of the powerful minister Wei Zhongxian, who had plotted to usurp the throne. The one on the right, with a rugged appearance, was General Zhao Zhiyang.
"Alright, all generals, listen to my command!" Jin Xuan announced loudly.
"Yes." The voices were in unison.
"General Wei and General Zhao, you two will proceed according to my plan. Once you enter the city, immediately give the signal. General Chen and General Wang, you two will lead 30,000 troops to attack from the east gate. General Li and General Bai, you two will lead 30,000 troops to attack from the south gate. General Zhou and General Hong, you two will each lead 20,000 troops to attack from the north and west gates respectively. Remember, only act after you see General Wei's signal." Jin Xuan issued the orders to everyone one by one.
"Your humble servant obeys." The voice resounded through the sky. They had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Under the cover of the wind and rain, a group of soldiers dressed in black, led by Wei Ziqi and Zhao Zhiyang, evaded the sight of the Cangliao soldiers and hid beside a narrow stream near Luoyun City. The upper reaches of this stream were within Luoyun City, but due to the dry border climate, it had dried up from the middle section and was extremely narrow, cut off from the upper reaches and hidden by nearby trees; it would be impossible for anyone unfamiliar with the terrain to spot it. Seeing the once-dry river now filled with rainwater and connected to the upper reaches within the city, Wei Ziqi smiled, waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him leaped in one after another. In a short while, the river returned to calm.
Half an hour later, as the smoke bombs pierced the night sky and flashed with dazzling light, the four gates of Luoyun City were opened almost simultaneously. The Cangliao soldiers huddled in the corners were killed with a single blow before they even knew what was happening. The silent night was suddenly filled with the sounds of clashing swords, cries of agony, the thud of horses' hooves, and the frantic footsteps of those fleeing in panic… the sounds lingered for a long time in this stormy night.
"What happened?" A man in brocade robes asked, a wicked smile playing on his lips as he sat half-upright on the bed. His deep tone clearly showed his displeasure at being woken up.
"Your Highness... Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Longxuan soldiers have broken in!" The lieutenant swallowed hard, his voice trembling. He dared not look into the unusual red eyes of their crown prince.
"What? They've broken in? What have you been doing? How is this possible?" Yelü Ying stood up in disbelief. How could this be? His defenses were impregnable; how could Ouyang Jinxuan have broken in so easily without his knowledge? No, it couldn't be. He couldn't possibly have lost to Ouyang Jinxuan.
"Your Highness, this humble general also... does not know how they infiltrated the city, killed the guards, opened the four city gates, and allowed the Longxuan army to attack without any effort." The deputy general lowered his head more and more as he spoke, his legs trembling incessantly.
"Don't know? Effortlessly? Hmph..." Yelü Ying still had a wicked smile on his lips, his arms crossed, but his already red eyes were now even more dazzling and terrifying, like burning flames.
"Crown Prince..." This kind of Yelü Ying frightened him more than a beating.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened, Your Highness..." Just as the temperature in the hall was rising, a man dressed as a general rushed in, looking disheveled and scrambling.
"What is it?" Yelü Ying didn't even glance at the newcomer, his sinister face still bearing a chilling smile.
"Your Highness... Your Highness, the army of Longxuan Kingdom has occupied the entire city of Luoyun. Our army... Our army was caught off guard and has been... has been completely wiped out." The person who came was Shen Tu Chufei, a general of Cangliao, who was a renowned general on the battlefield. However, when facing their prince, he could not even utter a complete sentence, let alone raise his head.
"Say it again. What do you mean by 'total annihilation'?" Yelü Ying roared. His smile was gone, replaced by raging fury; the speed at which he changed his expression was unparalleled in the world.
Shen Tu Chufei and his deputy dared not reply. They rarely saw the Crown Prince so furious. No matter what happened, their Crown Prince always wore a smile, a wicked smile, a confident smile.
"No one's saying anything now? Fine, you've been wiped out, haven't you? Even if I were to fight alone, I, the Crown Prince, could take Ouyang Jinxuan's head. I, the Crown Prince, would never lose to Ouyang Jinxuan. I, the Crown Prince, will prove to the whole world that I, Yelü Ying, am the true strongman." As Yelü Ying spoke, he picked up the 'Fire Cloud Sword' hanging on the wall and was about to rush out.
"Your Highness, calm down, Your Highness." Seeing Yelü Ying rushing out with his sword, Shentu Chufei quickly pulled him back.
"Let go." Yelü Ying wouldn't listen to anything at this point, and kicked Shentu Chufei away with all his might.
"Your Highness, Ouyang Jinxuan hasn't come!" Shentu Chufei shouted, seeing that he couldn't stop Yelü Ying. He knew that Ouyang Jinxuan was the reason the Crown Prince had lost control. Although he didn't know the reason, he knew that the people the Crown Prince hated most were the two Ouyang brothers, especially Ouyang Jinxuan. The Crown Prince's insistence on attacking Longxuan Kingdom this time was aimed at Ouyang Jinxuan.
As expected, Yelü Ying stopped upon hearing this. Seeing this, Shentu Chufei continued, "Your Highness, as long as we're alive, we can always rebuild. As long as we leave Luoyun City, we can regroup and start anew. Your Highness, you can't just give up like this."
Chu Fei was right. He hadn't lost yet. As long as he was alive, he was confident that he would defeat Ouyang Jinxuan one day. However, he was truly furious! Ouyang Jinxuan had managed to retake Luoyun City so silently and wipe out his entire army.
"Your Highness, we shouldn't linger here. Let's get out of the city quickly! The Longxuan army is almost here." The faint sound of horses' hooves made Shentu Chufei tense. Seeing that Yelü Ying seemed unwilling to leave just like that, he gave a signal and, with tacit understanding, helped the prince onto his horse with his deputy.
The three of them raced through the rain, followed closely by a dozen or so soldiers from the Longxuan Kingdom, who shouted "Capture Yelü Ying alive!" as they chased. As the distance between them drew closer, Yelü Ying, who was at the front, suddenly pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and galloped toward the Longxuan pursuers.
The Longxuan soldiers were caught off guard by Yelü Ying's sudden turn and were caught off guard. By the time they reacted, the two soldiers at the front had already been killed by Yelü Ying, who was coming straight at them. The remaining soldiers drew their swords, but when they saw Yelü Ying's sinister face and his chillingly red eyes, their hands holding their swords trembled involuntarily, and they dared not step forward.
Yelü Ying smirked and swung his sword, causing several more soldiers to fall. The other soldiers, suppressing their fear, drew their swords and charged forward, but they were no match for Yelü Ying. In no time, they all lay on the ground, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Shentu Chufei and his deputy, who had followed Yelü Ying back, caught up to this scene: Longxuan Kingdom soldiers lay scattered on the ground, while their crown prince stood facing the rain, his pale red hair plastered wildly to his face, his already red eyes now a bloodthirsty crimson, a deep, wicked smile on his face, his brocade robes stained with blood, and his Fiery Cloud Sword dripping blood. The sight made them tremble; this crown prince resembled a demon descended from hell.
"Your Highness, let's hurry. This is the entrance to Mo Family Village. We haven't even left Luoyun City yet, and Long Xuan's army is catching up quickly," Shen Tu Chufei advised.
Upon hearing this, Yelü Ying's deep red eyes became even more bloodthirsty, and his smile deepened: "Mo Family Village, ha, Ouyang Jinxuan, you truly deserve to be called the 'God of War.' If I, the Crown Prince, don't leave you some gifts, wouldn't I be letting you down?" As he spoke, he gave Mo Family Village a profound look and continued to say to himself, "The game has only just begun."
Soon, the silent Mo Family Village was filled with heartbreaking and terrifying screams and desperate cries for help, a sound so poignant it was as if one were in the deepest hell.
The rain continued to fall, as if trying to wash away the sins of the world.
The Strategist and the Princess: Battlefield Chapter Nine - The Annihilation of a Village
After a night of heavy rain, the morning air felt so fresh and sweet that you couldn't help but take a few more breaths.
"The rain has stopped." Ao Jun stepped out of the cave, took a deep breath, and muttered to himself.
He hadn't returned home all night, and his parents must be worried. Thinking this, he quickened his pace and headed down the mountain.
The closer Ao Jun got to the village entrance, the more her heart trembled, and the stronger her bad premonition became, just like when her father left. This realization made Ao Jun unconsciously use her 'lightness skill' (although she didn't know it, she did have the power of her two masters within her!).
Blood, blood everywhere you looked. Villagers lay sprawled on the ground, their eyes wide with terror, their bodies drained of blood, their deaths gruesome… The once peaceful Mo Family Village was now a living hell. People who had been alive and well before her just yesterday were now lying lifeless on the ground. Ao Jun suppressed the churning in her stomach and ran quickly home. "Father, Mother, please be alright!"
When Ao Jun saw the figure lying on the ground in front of his house, his heart ached and his steps faltered. No, it couldn't be.
"Mother!" Upon recognizing that the person was indeed her mother, Ao Jun cried out and rushed over to hug Yu Lian.
"Jun'er?" The person in her arms opened her eyes with difficulty upon hearing the call and reached out to stroke Ao Jun's face. Seeing that Jun'er was alright, she was relieved.
"Mother? How are you?" Seeing her mother respond, Ao Jun burst into tears of joy. It's good that her mother is alright, it's good that she's alright.
"Jun'er..."
"Mother, who did it? Who did it? Who is so cruel? They are just kind villagers, why would they commit such a heinous act?"