0p0 Chapter 394 [Extra Chapter] The War to Destroy the Western Chu Kingdom and the Unknown Secrets
Chapter 394 [Extra Chapter] The War to Destroy the Western Chu Kingdom and the Unknown Secrets
Northern clouds press down, black armor collapses, beacon towers reach the sky, banners obscure the sun.
The Blood-Clad Divine Marquis, renowned throughout the land, was a one-man army capable of taking on a thousand men, his banners fluttering in the wind.
A single arrow pierces the sky, striking the great banner; the three armies lower their flags and cease their battle cries.
How laughable is Lu Lang's desperate journey, yet he alone can break through the winds of Zhuolu.
— Xie Xuan, son of a high-ranking official
Many years later, the country was finally unified.
The young master Xie Xuan, carrying a book box, traveled the world. One day, he happened to pass through Snow Moon City and learned from the people there the legend of how Marquis of Zhenxi, Baili Luochen, defeated the Yunzhou army with a single arrow. Inspired by this, he composed this poem.
This seven-character quatrain was also collected by the Luo River and engraved on the Tongtian Pavilion for future generations to comment on; but that's another story.
……
End of Yin hour.
It's a pity that Lu Ting'en's reputation, earned over a decade of battlefield exploits, has been destroyed in a single day.
Baili Chengfeng drove the scattered Yunzhou army from left to right and Ye Dingzhi from right to left, like wolves among sheep, to the open space in front of the west gate of Xueyue City.
The soldiers of the Yunzhou army, upon first seeing their commander-in-chief Lu Ting'en, appeared ready to die for him, but upon seeing the legendary Marquis of Zhenxi, Baili Luochen, they were so frightened that they lost all fighting spirit.
Even Ye Dingzhi was somewhat curious as to why the usually cheerful old man on horseback possessed such a formidable aura.
Only after Baili Chengfeng had ordered his subordinates to collect the weapons, flags, and armor of the Yunzhou army, and then rode up to the dazed Ye Dingzhi, glancing at the slightly puzzled Ye Dingzhi, did he say:
"Are you wondering why this old man is so terrifying? Those Yunzhou border troops, who are known for their bravery and fierceness, all become lambs to the slaughter when they see him?"
Ye Dingzhi remained noncommittal, only muttering, "My father said that Uncle Baili was a very good person, and he never heard him talk about what happened to my uncle on the battlefield..."
Upon hearing this, Baili Chengfeng burst into laughter, nearly doubled over: "..."
He then took a sip of water from the water bag under the saddle and said, "Him? He's good to his friends and brothers, but he's a different story when it comes to me, his son..."
After suppressing his laughter, Baili Chengfeng glanced at the endless line of surrendered soldiers from Yunzhou, his expression complex.
"It has been a very, very long time since I have seen so many ambushes."
Ye Dingzhi scratched his head: "Before Emperor Tai'an ascended the throne, Beili was not stable. It was surrounded by enemies on all sides, and war was raging everywhere. It was all thanks to Uncle Baili and my father that it was conquered."
"After they pacified the world, there were naturally no more major battles to fight, so you wouldn't see so many prisoners."
Baili Chengfeng smiled wryly, then relaxed a little and said, "Well... that's good too. At least these prisoners are flesh and blood, living people who know fear."
Ye Dingzhi stopped and looked at Baili Chengfeng, somewhat puzzled: "What do you mean by 'flesh and blood,' 'a living person who knows fear'? Does that mean Uncle Baili led you to fight demons and monsters?"
Baili Chengfeng chuckled and shook his head: "Hehe... those things are no less than demons and monsters! I wasn't much older than you that year, Emperor Tai'an of Beili hadn't ascended the throne yet, and this old man was in his prime..."
At this point, Baili Chengfeng looked into the distance and his voice suddenly became low: "That was an earth-shattering battle. Even now, thinking about it still sends chills down my spine!"
Ye Dingzhi perked up upon hearing this: "Are you talking about the Battle of Losang City sixteen years ago when Western Chu was destroyed?! I've heard my father talk about that battle. Master Dongjun, the Confucian Immortal Gu Chen, and his brother, the Sword Immortal Gu Mo, joined forces and gave Uncle's Breaking Wind Army a lot of trouble!"
"However, in the end, my uncle was victorious. After this battle, the Western Chu kingdom was destroyed and its people perished. All the surrendered soldiers were buried alive by my uncle, and from then on, the name of the Western Chu kingdom was forever forgotten... Is there anything to fear?"
After listening to him finish speaking, Baili Chengfeng nodded: "Your father is right, but there are some shocking things in there. Even the old man Ye Yu, the God of War who is as close as a brother to you, did not tell him everything. Even Emperor Tai'an, Xiao Chongjing, does not know everything."
Ye Dingzhi was clearly intrigued by Baili Chengfeng's words. He dismounted and handed the reins to a junior officer beside him. Baili Chengfeng followed suit and dismounted as well.
The two walked one after the other, circling around the Pofeng Army who were counting the prisoners, heading west.
"Everyone has heard of Baili Luochen's victory over Western Chu and the massacre of 100,000 surrendered soldiers, but they don't know... that most of these 100,000 surrendered soldiers were drug-using people modified by Gu Chen and Gu Mo!"
At this point, Baili Chengfeng frowned and clenched one hand into a fist.
Ye Dingzhi was taken aback: "Medicine people? That thing... I've heard you mention it before. Didn't Dongjun's cousin, Young Master Wen, test a batch of medicine people at the Bo Yue Mountain camp in Qian Dong City a while ago? It's said that the effect was quite good, and many of the embryos were able to have power close to the Earth Realm?"
Baili Chengfeng looked up and sighed again: "The medicine figures that Zhao'er made are indeed very surprising, but do you know that the medicine figures that Gu Chen and Gu Mo made are all bloodthirsty monsters!"
"The destruction of Western Chu was not something the old man intentionally did. He originally wanted to win over the King of Western Chu to save the people of Luosang from the suffering of devastation, but that heartless and insane king actually..."
As he spoke, Baili Chengfeng's eyes turned bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth, saying:
"That beast actually ordered the brothers Gu Chen and Gu Mo to use the drug-human technique to turn most of the good citizens of the city into quick-made drug-humans. He's willing to sacrifice everyone for his throne..."
"We stormed the city walls time and time again, and nearly breached the city gates time and time again..."
"But every time this happens, we are not greeted by soldiers of Western Chu, but by bloodthirsty and crazed drug addicts... They are all dressed in the clothes of ordinary people..."
“Even…even some teenagers! They charged at us like bloodthirsty wolves. Before the brothers who had climbed the city wall could even get a foothold, they were swarmed by them and torn to shreds, hands and teeth, man and armor!”
"The scene was like a nightmare. I slashed with my sword, the blade sinking into its shoulder, but it... it seemed oblivious, with the severed limbs of its brothers in its mouth..."
"Enough, enough... The old man had no other choice but to launch a full-scale attack on the Gu brothers, Gu Chen and Gu Mo, who were controlling the drug-wielding humans. In the end, Gu Mo died from exhaustion, and Gu Chen was seriously injured."
"Later, the old man begged Gu Chen to find a way to cure those drug-impaired people who had gone mad, but Gu Chen was seriously injured and could only render them incapable of moving..."
Ye Dingzhi listened with trepidation: "And in the end? Not a single person survived in the entire city of Lausanne?"
Baili Chengfeng sighed heavily again: "Alas..."
"Of course there were living people: the generals leading the troops, the king's relatives and nobles, and the high-ranking officials in the court. It's a pity that the common people who have lived in Losang for generations... have all become the king's victims!"
"To prevent these drug-using people from committing further murder, the old man had no choice but to order us to lead all the remaining Windbreakers to dig a large pit in a mountain valley four or five miles outside the city..."
“Those drug-impaired people who had lost their ability to move were all buried in the pit. After filling it with soil, we piled huge stones on top of it, and then filled it with soil again. We repeated this process three times.”
As Ye Dingzhi listened, his breathing became heavy: "Damn it! This king of Western Chu truly deserves to die!"
"Then why did you still send Young Master Wen to refine medicine figures? Aren't you afraid of repeating the mistakes of Losang City? Qiandong City is where the Marquis's mansion is located..."
Baili Chengfeng patted Ye Dingzhi's shoulder with a wry smile: "The old man and I had already thought of this. The medicine man that Zhao'er refined is different from the one that Gu Chen refined back then. The medicine man he refined is very stable and controllable."
"If we really want to overthrow this tyrannical emperor Xiao Chongjing, we will have to march all the way north to Tianqi City. In that case, we will not have enough troops to replenish our losses, and if we continue to fight all the way, our chances of winning will be slim!"
"Although Xiao Chongjing is incompetent, Beili is still rich beyond measure. We occupy half of the southeast and southwest, but he still has the other half of the country!"
"Using medicine in combat is the result of careful consideration. The old man has long since disregarded life and death in his life of battle; he only wants to give you, the young people who are growing up..."
"Leave behind a cleaner world!"
……