Chapter 279 - 77: Falling Rocks (Part 2)

Chapter 279: Chapter 77: Falling Rocks (Part 2)

At the mention of the General, Zhong Changrong’s heart ached.

"She’s so ruthless. We don’t owe her a thing."

Chu Zhao opened her mouth but swallowed her words.

’That wasn’t actually what I meant.’ The reason she didn’t publicize Mu Mianhong’s identity wasn’t for the sake of reputation, but for her own private interests.

In her past life, Xiao Xun had hidden Mu Mianhong’s forces from her and used them for himself. So in this life, she would hide them from the world, saving them for a rainy day.

In truth, she was the ruthless one.

Zhong Changrong excused himself to let her rest properly, leaving behind the register of Mu Mianhong’s merits and rewards. Chu Zhao lowered her gaze to it for a moment, then picked it up and tossed it into the brazier. She walked to the bed, collapsed onto it, and fell into a deep sleep.

...

...

Warfare knows no day or night, and at the wartime posthouses, posthouse soldiers would burst in at all hours.

In the dead of night, several posthouse soldiers rushed into the posthouse.

"Victory report—"

Their shout was met with cheers as they burst in.

The Posthouse Minister and posthouse soldiers all ran out, thanking all the gods and buddhas. "Finally, a victory report!"

A posthouse soldier, exasperated and amused, said, "What are you talking about? We’ve had a steady stream of victory reports, you know."

The Posthouse Minister sighed. "But General Chu is gone now, isn’t he? It’s had us all on edge."

The other posthouse soldiers nodded in agreement. "The common people are terrified, too. The State Mansion and city have been fortified, and the surrounding fields cleared."

The posthouse soldier could understand. For the commander-in-chief to die at a critical point in a battle was truly terrifying.

Thankfully, even though the commander was dead, the victory reports kept coming.

"This public victory announcement has come at the perfect time! It’s sure to calm the people’s hearts," the Posthouse Minister exclaimed happily. "Go! Make the silk flag bigger so everyone can see it. And assign ten fine horses and ten men to it. Spread the news across the land with great fanfare!"

Joyful laughter filled the posthouse.

The posthouse soldiers only stopped for a quick meal and a short rest. Then, they set off with the larger silk flag and bigger retinue the Posthouse Minister had prepared. They passed through cities and towns, spreading the news of the great victory. They would let everyone know that even without General Chu, the Border County was still triumphant, and the country was still secure.

They rode all night. As dawn broke, they were passing through a mountain valley.

"There’s a city ahead," the lead posthouse soldier said, looking back and pointing to a few of his men. "You go into the city to announce the victory. Have the government spread the word throughout their jurisdiction."

The posthouse soldiers responded in unison.

"The rest of you, with me—" the lead soldier continued, but his words were cut short. He shuddered violently, his eyes bulging as he stared at the men behind him.

The other posthouse soldiers stared back at him, at the arrow shaft protruding from his throat.

In the next instant, the soldier vanished from their sight, tumbling from his horse.

A moment later, countless arrows rained down from the mountain pass. The soldiers fell from their horses, struck before they could even cry out.

The sound of arrows slicing through the air and the frantic neighing of horses echoed through the valley.

A short while later, silence returned. All that remained were the scattered silk flag and the bodies of men and horses.

A group of black-clad figures slid down from the cliffside. Several carts rushed in from outside the valley. The figures loaded the bodies of the men and horses onto the carts and hauled them away, then set the scattered silk flag on fire.

Flames rose in the morning mist, only to be swallowed by it.

The sporadic crackle of firecrackers echoed through the villages and towns.

The Fifth Year of Yongning had finally passed. A new year had arrived, and a few days prior, the new reign title was announced: Xingping.

Although the war with Western Liang was still ongoing, victory reports had been frequent. People took advantage of the New Year to pray for good fortune and a fresh start, and celebrations were planned everywhere. But they never expected that bad news would follow so closely on the heels of the holiday.

The commander of the Border Army, General Wei Chu Ling, was dead.

He had died a heroic death, fighting a great battle against the King of Western Liang and forcing him to retreat before the end.

But no matter how bravely he died, it was no use. The man was dead, gone. What would happen now?

The people grew panicked and restless. Once again, they packed up their families and flooded toward the cities, the New Year’s festivities all but forgotten.

Of course, not everyone fled to the cities or deep into the mountains. Some couldn’t bear to leave their ancestral land, while others simply weren’t concerned.

A few elders stood at the edge of their village, watching several children light a bonfire. The children were tossing bamboo tubes into the flames to hear them pop.

"There’s no need to panic at all," one of the elders said. "Just because General Chu is gone, does that mean our Great Xia is doomed to fail? What a joke that would be."

Another elder nodded. "That’s right. The young folk haven’t seen enough of the world. General Chu defended the Border County for so many years. Do you think he didn’t have a plan?"

"General Chu was so brave and skilled; the soldiers and officers he trained are naturally formidable as well," the first elder said to the children around him. "There’s an old saying: a cowardly general leads a den of cowards, but a capable general leads a den of capable men."

The other elders laughed along with him, their expressions confident. "Just you wait. It won’t be long before new victory reports arrive. Even without General Chu, the Western Liang people can’t hope to gain any advantage."

The children all laughed, tossing more bamboo tubes into the bonfire and jumping around it.