Chapter 131: Rescue (Second Update)

Li Guang and Qin Cheng walked up to the ramparts together, their brows furrowed. As they walked, Li Guang said, "The situation is grim. After several skirmishes over the past few days, although we managed a few small victories at the start by relying on the sharpness of our heavy cavalry, we failed to inflict significant damage on the Wuhuan army. After all, they have thirty thousand men. Our heavy cavalry is formidable, but few in number, and I cannot afford to let them charge recklessly. In the subsequent engagements, both sides suffered losses, but since my Shanggu garrison has only seven thousand soldiers, the casualties have been disproportionate. The war is now at a stalemate, and the situation is very unfavorable for us."

After finishing, Li Guang let out a sigh that seemed to linger in the air.

Qin Cheng pondered for a moment and asked, "What are our current casualties?"

Li Guang glanced at Qin Cheng. "The cavalry has lost over a thousand men, mostly light cavalry. The infantry and chariot troops have lost nearly four hundred. Fortunately, since we implemented the military medical system you suggested, not many have actually died in battle; most are wounded, but our combat readiness in the short term has certainly been compromised."

Qin Cheng drew a quiet breath, thinking to himself that it was a relief the cavalry losses weren't even greater. If they couldn't even muster three thousand cavalrymen, then this battle would truly be beyond hope.

"Beyond holding the city, I cannot think of any other way to break the enemy. Since you have returned, tell me, do you have a plan?" Li Guang sighed again. Trying to defeat an army of nearly thirty thousand with only six thousand men was nothing short of a pipe dream. He looked at Qin Cheng, and before the latter could speak, he suddenly asked with surprise, "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, I ran into some bandits on the way back. Just a few scrapes, nothing serious." Qin Cheng replied nonchalantly. The wounds on his face had been treated and were no longer very striking; besides, Li Guang had been so preoccupied with the camp that he had only just noticed.

As the two reached the ramparts, Qin Cheng looked out. The Great Wall was faintly visible in the distance. Beside it, the Wuhuan King's encampment stretched for miles, a truly daunting sight.

"Why is the Wuhuan army not besieging the city?" Qin Cheng didn't answer the question about strategy immediately, but instead asked, looking at the Wuhuan camp with some confusion.

Li Guang sneered, his tone sharp. "The Wuhuan King wants to lure us out for a decisive battle so he can crush us in one stroke. Yesterday, I nearly fell into his trap. That old scoundrel knows we cannot remain cooped up in the city forever; he is waiting like a hunter for a rabbit."

Qin Cheng gave a helpless smile, thinking the Wuhuan King was a sly old fox. He wondered why the King would commit such a foolish act as attacking Shanggu—was he not afraid of the Han Empire's retaliation?

Qin Cheng and Li Guang discussed the situation on the ramparts for a long time, but as night fell, they still had no viable strategy.

Just then, a cavalryman galloped from outside the city and headed straight for the central command tent.

"General! Battalion Commander Ji is surrounded at Langyin Gully! Please send reinforcements!" The rider was covered in blood—he was Jiang He, a deputy commander under Ji Zhu. He rushed into the tent and knelt before Li Guang, speaking urgently.

"How many Wuhuan soldiers are there? What was the situation when you left? Tell me in detail!" Li Guang was surprised but remained composed. He stood up and questioned the rider.

"Reporting to the General, there is about a company of Wuhuan soldiers. When I left, Battalion Commander Ji was leading two squads to break through, but the enemy was too numerous. He couldn't break out, so he ordered me to be shielded while I returned to report. I do not know their current situation!" Jiang He poured out the information, sweat and blood mixing on his face and dripping onto the floor.

"Go and rest," Li Guang told Jiang He, then turned to Qin Cheng. "I sent Commander Ji out to scout. I never expected this."

"General, there is no time to lose. I will lead men to rescue them. If we are late, it may be too late!" Qin Cheng requested.

"Very well, be careful!" Li Guang said. "I will have Li Gan accompany you."

"Understood!"

Qin Cheng and Li Gan left the tent, mustered a thousand cavalrymen, and slipped out of the fortress under the cover of darkness.

To provide cover, Li Guang specifically ordered Ma Dashan to lead another thousand cavalry out first, holding torches high and charging toward the Wuhuan camp, creating a massive display of a night raid.

Qin Cheng and his five hundred cavalry followed closely behind Ma Dashan. Once outside, the two groups split up; Ma Dashan’s troops continued to feign a full-scale assault, while Qin Cheng’s group moved silently and swiftly toward Langyin Gully.

...

As night deepened, Ji Zhu grew increasingly anxious. The two squads he led had been sent out under Li Guang’s orders. He had been cautious, believing they wouldn't be discovered. Initially, it was true; however, as he finished his mission and began his retreat, he ran into five hundred of the Wuhuan King’s elite cavalry. In the narrow terrain, they clashed instantly without a word.

Seeing the five hundred enemies, Ji Zhu’s heart sank. He led the charge, determined to break through, but the Wuhuan troops were no pushovers. Every time he neared a breakthrough, he was driven back. In desperation, he ordered his deputy, Jiang He, to break out and report to Li Guang, while he continued to fight.

By the time night had fully descended, and after paying the price of nearly an entire squad, Ji Zhu finally broke through the encirclement and headed toward the fortress.

"Commander! These Wuhuan cavalry are relentless! Our men at the rear can't hold them off any longer. I will take some men to hold the line; you take the others and return to the city!" Le Yi rode up to Ji Zhu and shouted.

"No! If anyone stays to hold the line, it will be me! You take the men back!" Ji Zhu shouted back. A blade from a Wuhuan centurion had carved a bloody furrow across his face, and blood streamed down, giving him a ferocious look in the moonlight.

"Commander! Now is not the time to argue! If we hesitate, none of us will make it out. You go first, I will hold them off!" Le Yi no longer cared about protocol. If he returned alone and lost Ji Zhu, he would face execution anyway. Without further ado, he struck the flank of Ji Zhu’s horse with his long blade, turned his own mount, and roared at his men, "Front squad, follow me back!"

"Understood!" Dozens of soldiers shouted, turned their horses, and charged back into the fray with Le Yi.

Ji Zhu’s horse, struck by Le Yi, bolted forward. Ji Zhu pulled on the reins in a panic, but by the time he managed to turn back, Le Yi and the others were already engaged in battle.

"Damn you, Le Yi! You little brat, trying to play the hero in front of me! If you don't make it back, I won't even offer incense at your grave next Qingming!" Ji Zhu’s eyes were bloodshot. He knew that if he turned back now, the sacrifice of Le Yi and his men would be in vain. Despite his agony, he turned his horse back toward the fortress.

"Damn that bastard Jiang He! Is he dead? Why hasn't he brought reinforcements yet?!" Ji Zhu cursed as he galloped toward the fortress with his remaining dozens of men. It seemed as if only by cursing could he stop himself from turning back to die alongside Le Yi.

As he shouted this, as if in response, a ring of torches flared up in the distance ahead.

Ji Zhu was stunned for a moment. When he recognized the cavalry charging toward him, he suddenly let out a wild, manic laugh. He pulled his horse to a halt and roared at his men, "Stop running! Reinforcements are here! Follow me back and slaughter these Wuhuan dogs! Haha!" He shouted, and as he galloped back, he let out a final, thunderous cry: "Charge!"

"Charge!" The men following Ji Zhu, who had been ashamed of abandoning their comrades, turned their horses with decisive precision and roared as they charged back.

Ji Zhu’s horse was fast, but someone was faster.

"Ji Zhu, you bastard! What are you shouting about? Where are my men?" Qin Cheng caught up, seeing Ji Zhu’s manic excitement and the handful of men left. He couldn't help but curse, "You damn fool, you only brought this many back for me?"

Every cavalryman in the Shanggu garrison was a seed for the iron cavalry Qin Cheng intended to build; losing even one pained him deeply.

Stung by the reprimand, Ji Zhu felt a surge of emotion and nearly burst into tears. He steadied himself and growled, "The brothers are in the jaws of the Wuhuan! I am going to smash their teeth, tear open their mouths, and bring our brothers back!"

"Enough talk! Charge!" Qin Cheng roared, digging his heels into his horse, which surged forward with newfound speed.

...

Le Yi and his dozens of men faced a Wuhuan force five times their size. Le Yi ordered his men to close the gaps, denying the enemy space to maneuver, and then both sides collided with a brutal crash.

The impact was followed by the harrowing screams of horses. Soldiers were thrown from their saddles, and those who hit the ground were trampled instantly, their bodies crushed into pulp beneath the hooves.

Le Yi was in the front, and thus among the first to be unhorsed. But at the moment of impact, using the momentum, he leaped from his saddle, thrust his blade forward to cut down a Wuhuan rider, and landed on the enemy's horse. Bracing himself on the saddle, he spun in mid-air, kicking two more Wuhuan riders to the ground before steadying himself.

Several other soldiers managed the same feat, leaping into the enemy formation and seizing new mounts. But this meant they were now surrounded by the Wuhuan cavalry on all sides.