Green Mountain
Chapter 343 - 283, Stone from Guyuan

Chapter 343: 283, Stone from Guyuan

In the black night, the cries of battle roared through Guyuan City. The border army of the Ning Dynasty and the Heavenly Strategy Army of the Jing Dynasty had turned the city into a blood-soaked battlefield, where smoke and ash rose from the ruins like whispers of departed souls ascending into the heavens.

Chen Ji and Li Xuan were marching with the army, but because they were tasked with escorting prisoners, their pace was slower than other members of the Heavenly Strategy Army, gradually falling behind the rest.

Chen Ji observed his surroundings silently, intentionally slowing his pace even further, planning to "fall behind" later on.

Yet, as soon as he slowed down, a Battle Commander from ten or so paces behind barked coldly, "Slackers in battle are to be executed."

A chill swept through Chen Ji’s heart. Hearing the sound of hundreds of iron horse hooves behind him, he immediately quickened his pace once more.

Li Xuan moved closer to Chen Ji and whispered, "Will the border army prevail or the Heavenly Strategy Army?"

If the border army wins, they could quietly retreat and lay low. If the Heavenly Strategy Army wins, they’d have no choice but to fight their way out with everything they had.

Chen Ji didn’t answer hastily. He didn’t know if Yuan Zhen still had hidden cards left to play, but he did know that Bai Long held one last trump card that hadn’t yet surfaced.

After pondering for a while, Chen Ji replied softly, "Pyrrhic victory."

At that moment, the Heavenly Strategy Army began accelerating, resembling a sharp and narrow lance thrusting toward the border army’s defenses.

A lance measures one zhang and eight chi long.

To make a lance, the first step is to select the wooden shaft, with zhe wood being the finest choice.

Craftsmen weave bamboo strips to wrap the shaft, then soak it in tung oil, apply raw lacquer, cover it with kudzu cloth, let it soak for a year and a half, then air-dry for another year and a half.

To make one lance, the process alone takes three years.

And this "lance" of the Heavenly Strategy Army had been trained under Yuan Zhen’s command for far more than three years. Yuan Zhen had declared they would pierce through the northern defense line, and so, for all these years, they had delivered, never disappointing him.

...

...

The Heavenly Strategy Army’s main force charged northward, moving from Qie Mo Street to Gumo Street, and then from Gumo Street to Xuwei Lane, their speed increasing with every step.

They were nearing the defense line.

The Divine Bow Camp moved into formation, their armored soldiers gripping bows in their left hands and drawing three arrows with their right, clutching them in their palms. Once within fifty paces of the defense line, within the span of three breaths, the soldiers of the Divine Bow Camp unleashed a rapid volley of arrows from their hands.

After their arrows had rained down relentlessly, the Divine Bow Camp split into two as though floodwaters parting at a crossroads, revealing the Ma Shuo Camp right behind them!

The armored soldiers of the Ma Shuo Camp clamped their two-person-long lances under their right arms, while their left hands drew short knives from their waists to slash into their horses’ flanks, spurring the mounts into a berserk frenzy.

"Kill!"

"Advance without retreat!"

The charge began.

Arrows descended upon the border army like a black rain. The first arrow struck the dirt wall and created only a small hole; the second arrow pierced through to create the second hole... By the time the twentieth arrow hit, the dirt wall collapsed in a deafening crash.

This time, even the mud houses that the border army had relied upon for cover were destroyed.

The Ma Shuo Camp surged forward on horseback, their armored soldiers clamping their lances under their arms and shoving aside chevaux-de-frise and border soldiers alike. The tide of the Heavenly Strategy Army’s main force scattered the shield-bearing armored soldiers who stood in their path, trampling them into bloody pulp!

Just as the nearby armored infantry tried to form a new defensive line, the Divine Bow Camp, now flanking from both sides, had already regained their composure, drawing three more arrows from their quivers and again unleashing another rapid volley!

The border army, starving for three days and fighting from noon till the hour of the pig (9 to 11 PM), were utterly spent; the main force of the Heavenly Strategy Army, refreshed and sharp-edged, seemed almost cruelly unequal in their advantage. The Heavenly Strategy Army gave the border forces no time to react, piercing through their defenses with just one charge, racing toward the North City Gate.

Yuan Zhen gazed at the crumbling defenses of the border army, an air of arrogance etched into his expression. "Were it not for Guyuan City, these battered remnants of the Guyuan Border Army are hardly worthy of being called opponents of my Heavenly Strategy Army."

Yet just then, dozens of blood-soaked veteran soldiers from the border army stepped into the Heavenly Strategy Army’s path. Their bamboo armor was riddled with holes, but they gripped their blades, standing firm and blocking the way like weary curs gasping for breath.

Yuan Zhen’s distant gaze landed on them, and his arrogance gradually gave way to resignation as he sighed, "The Guyuan Border Army is as vile and stubborn as a hard, stinking rock. Disgusting... Crush them underfoot."

As the Heavenly Strategy Army drew near, the border veterans collectively lifted their chipped broadswords.

"Armor! Halberds! Stand guard!"

"Invaders! Heads..."

The border army’s shouts of encouragement hadn’t even finished before they were drowned under the iron hooves of the Heavenly Strategy Army.

Another group of battered border veterans rose from their injuries to block the path, only to be mercilessly crushed again.

They were like the nameless multitude.

History turned another page here, leaving not a single word for them.

Yuan Zhen’s expression remained impassive. "If only these veterans were under my command—they’re wasted in the Southern Dynasty."

His confidant rode up alongside him and inquired, "Commander, where to now? Should we seize Guyuan City while the opportunity lasts? If we take it, the road to Taiyuan Prefecture and Xianyang Prefecture will be wide open!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yuan Zhen replied, "Hu Junxian would not have lured me into the city without having a trick up his sleeve. No prolonged fights—leave the city immediately!"

The confidant obeyed. "Yes... Commander, there’s fire outside the city!"

Yuan Zhen sharply turned his head, staring at the horizon beyond the city walls ablaze with orange light, as if the night itself were burning away. "It’s the direction of the camp—someone is attacking!"

At this moment, the main force, as well as the commander, were away from the camp, leaving the supplies and infantry vulnerable to slaughter by the enemy.

The confidant calculated swiftly, "Our scouts are dispersed across a twenty-li radius, and up to the point of entering the city, no word was sent back... To pierce through the scout ring in such a short time, it must be cavalry—elite cavalry, the best of the best!"

The confidant’s complexion darkened. "Commander, how could elite cavalry appear here? Weren’t they all stationed at Chongli Pass?"

Yuan Zhen’s expression gradually hardened. Warfare is an art of killing as well as an art of intelligence. At times, the lack of one critical piece of information could change the course of the war.

But building an elite cavalry requires astronomical sums of money, as well as years of effort, blood, and sweat. What gives the Ning Dynasty the capacity to suddenly produce such cavalry?

The confidant hesitated and asked, "Could it be Prince Jing’s Thousand-year Army?"

Yuan Zhen frowned. "No, the Thousand-year Army is still in Luocheng City and hasn’t moved an inch!"

The confidant fell into confusion.

Yuan Zhen seemed to have thought of something. "Break through the North Gate—leave Guyuan!"

The Heavenly Strategy Army spurred their mounts, racing toward the North Gate. But as they approached, they saw dozens of border infantry desperately pushing open the city gates!

Yuan Zhen’s heart sank, his gaze lifting sharply to the walls above the gate tower, where a lone figure in azure robes stood. Despite the clamor of battle, the figure exuded an aura of serene poise, like a Banished Immortal.

The figure, noticing Yuan Zhen looking up, raised his hands slowly in the darkness atop the gate tower, bowing with elegant civility.

Inviting the foe into the trap, yet courteous and dignified!

It was Mr. Feng.

As Mr. Feng bent forward in an elaborate salute, a black-clad cavalry force burst through the newly opened North Gate, their faces concealed by masks, wielding iron halberds, brimming with an overwhelming aura of savagery!

Yuan Zhen’s expression finally shifted as he recognized the mask-wearing cavalry. "It’s the Liu Family’s Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry. They’ve managed to bring all six thousand of the Liu Family’s Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry under their command!"

Which meant the armored infantry that had previously appeared in the city were the Elephant Armor Guards from the Yanshi Camp.

The Liu Family had poured mountains of wealth into forging such elite forces, regarded as equals to the capital’s top three military camps. After the upheaval in Luocheng City, their whereabouts had remained unknown, only now revealing themselves here.

But Yuan Zhen couldn’t understand why the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry and Elephant Armor Camp would now serve the Ning Dynasty.

The turmoil in Luocheng City seemed, at this moment, to finally unveil its full extent to the world.

Prince Jing used his death to create a long-lasting echo. First, he destroyed the Liu Family and gained control of Henan Province; then, he crushed the Heavenly Strategy Army, securing five years of reprieve for the Ning Dynasty.

Silently, Chen Ji watched this scene unfold, his emotions complicated as he gazed at the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry storming into the city. He understood clearly that he, too, was but a piece in this grand scheme. Before dying, the enemy had passed Ice Flow to him—what other unfathomable intents lay behind it?

Yuan Zhen spun his mount around. "Divine Bow Camp at the rear, Ma Shuo Camp at the front—exit through the West City Gate!"

The Heavenly Strategy Army chose to avoid the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry’s assault, not because they couldn’t fight back, but because being trapped here would spell certain doom. If they were bogged down in combat, the Heavenly Strategy Army was as good as finished.

Yet as Yuan Zhen turned his forces, suddenly Hu Junxian and Zhou You rode toward them, followed by blood-soaked border infantry.

The border infantry looked utterly worn down and broken.

Some had one eye caked shut with blood, yet their remaining eye remained fixed intently on the Heavenly Strategy Army. Others spit out a mouthful of blood, then tightened their grip on their blades once more.

Yuan Zhen paused for a moment, then sighed deeply. "Crush them underfoot!"

The Heavenly Strategy Army thundered forward, the Ma Shuo Camp once again pinning their lances under their arms.

Hu Junxian drew his longsword from his waist and beat the flat of the blade against the iron armor over his chest, roaring, "Where is the Guyuan Border Army?"

The border infantry immediately straightened their spines. "Here!"

Hu Junxian spurred his horse forward, bellowing, "Kill!"

"Armor! Halberds! Stand guard!"

"Invaders! Heads! Drink their blood!"

The border veterans saw the charging torrent of cavalry and lifted their broadswords, charging forward from all directions, fearless unto death as they collided with the Heavenly Strategy Army.

One soldier was impaled through the heart with a lance, but his comrade took his place immediately.

Another had his shoulder skewered, yet this border soldier stubbornly pushed forward, allowing the lance to drive through the bloody hole in his shoulder, taking a few steps closer, attempting to slash at the cavalry’s horses. Yet the lance was too long—he couldn’t reach.

But it didn’t matter. With enough deaths, the lances would break, and eventually the speed of the Heavenly Strategy Army would falter.

Li Xuan, amid the ranks of the Heavenly Strategy Army, stared at the scene, stunned. He suddenly recalled the mocking words of a border veteran earlier that afternoon: "Lord Jing still dreaming, eh? On the battlefield, there’s no room for fancy tricks—it’s all about throwing bodies into the fray!"

In that instant, chills ran down Li Xuan’s spine, as if something had shattered and opened up in his mind.

Invaders... heads... drink their blood...

Li Xuan abruptly tore off his helmet, turning his eyes to Chen Ji. "Take action!"

He drew the short knife from his belt, cutting through the ropes binding Xiao Man, before tossing the blade toward Chen Ji. He then unsheathed his longsword and charged into the midst of the Heavenly Strategy Army.

The nearby soldiers of the Heavenly Strategy Army were drawn to Li Xuan’s reckless actions, giving Chen Ji the opportunity to cut Zhang Xia’s bindings. He helped prop the other man upright before placing him behind himself: "Hold tight!"

Chen Ji then threw the short knife toward Xiao Man: "Xiao Man, rescue them!"

In that moment, a lance aimed straight for Chen Ji’s face. He grabbed hold of it with both hands and exerted tremendous force, bending the lance’s shaft until its owner—the Heavenly Strategy Army soldier wielding it—was forced to let go.

Chen Ji seized the lance and swung it left and right, the long weapon cutting down the surrounding Heavenly Strategy Army troops like a whirlwind, sending them flying in all directions.

Suddenly, two Executive Officers from within the chaotic skirmish emerged, momentarily stalling the flood-like advance of the Heavenly Strategy Army. Hu Junxian, always keenly perceptive, immediately raised his eyes, catching sight of Li Xuan hacking his way single-handedly toward Yuan Zhen!