Chapter 313 - 95: Fierce Battle (Part 2)

Chapter 313: Chapter 95: Fierce Battle (Part 2)

The Western Liang Soldiers had been on a rampage lately, appearing from all sides. It was clear they’d not only heard of Chu Ling’s death, but also of the standoff between the King of Zhongshan and the court—Great Xia was in chaos from within.

Zhong Changrong, the acting commander-in-chief, was deeply anxious. If the court and the King of Zhongshan continued to clash like this, the Border County would be in grave danger.

It wasn’t just the Western Liang Soldiers’ relentless attacks. Commanding and deploying the Border Army had also become a struggle. Morale was unstable, and the generals all had their own agendas.

Thankfully, he had Xie Yanlai. The kid seemed impetuous and unreliable, but he always managed to complete his missions without a hitch. Plus, his status as a scion of the Xie family could keep many of the self-serving generals in check.

He just wouldn’t listen.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he saw Xie Yanlai climbing onto his horse and calling to his soldiers—

"What do you think you’re doing now!" Zhong Changrong snapped.

Xie Yanlai shot him a look that seemed to say, ’How can you be so dense?’ He frowned. "There’s an ambush at Sandaogou. That’s where we were headed. We may have taken out their main force, but the bandits are still there. So of course we’re going to finish them off."

He was right. Zhong Changrong glared at him, his eyes flicking to the blood seeping from the young officer’s arm. He opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately held his tongue.

"Men—" He turned to rally his troops.

At that very moment, a Scout galloped in from the front lines. "The bandits at Sandaogou have been eliminated!"

Zhong Changrong breathed a sigh of relief. "Which unit was it?" he asked quickly.

"The vanguard of the Left Wing Army," the Scout replied. "It was Xiao Liang General."

’Ah, Xiao Liang General.’ Zhong Changrong’s expression grew complicated. The Five Road Generals of Yunzhong County commanded hundreds of named, high-ranking officers, all of whom Zhong Changrong knew personally. But he didn’t necessarily know the junior officers who led troops at the lower levels. Yet, with just the mention of "Xiao Liang General," without even a name, Zhong Changrong knew exactly who it was. He wasn’t the only one—by now, everyone in the Border Army knew.

Liang Qiang.

The reason he was called Xiao Liang General was because his father was also in the army: the Left Wing Army Chief Historian.

After the Left Wing Army’s General Guo was dismissed for a previous mistake, Mr. Liang had stepped in as the acting Great General of the Left Wing Army, earning him the title "Great Liang General."

The Liang father and son were now rising in fame within the army. As the family of a convicted official exiled to guard the border, they had seen the country in its time of crisis and cast aside the scholar’s brush for the sword, hoping to atone for their past through meritorious service.

Father Liang, a Confucian Scholar, was a man of remarkable strategic insight who had unraveled the Western Liang Soldiers’ battle plans on several occasions.

Mr. Liang, his son, was valiant and martial. Since joining the war, he had been undefeated, rising from a mere foot soldier to the rank of junhou purely through battlefield accomplishments.

As they spoke, the thundering of hooves shook the ground. A column of riders galloped in from the twilight horizon. There were fewer than a hundred of them, each man looking as though he had been steeped in blood, his armor battered and broken.

The young general at their head held a long saber in his hand. He dismounted as he drew near and saluted, "Liang Qiang of the Left Wing Army pays his respects to General Zhong."

Though there was some friction between the Liang Family and the Chu Family, Zhong Changrong would never give a hard time to a warrior who fought for their cause. He gestured for him to rise. "General Liang, that was bravely done. What’s the situation?"

Liang Qiang rose to his feet, his gaze seeming to drift unintentionally toward Xie Yanlai, who stood off to the side.

In the heavy twilight, the tall, slender young officer, draped in blood-splattered clothes, was talking to a few soldiers. But in the next instant, his gaze shot toward them, sharp as a blade.

Liang Qiang lowered his eyes.

"Our scouts tracked a Western Liang detachment, so I led the vanguard in pursuit. We were ambushed en route, but thankfully, we fulfilled our duty and broke out of the encirclement, then continued our advance—" he said, his eyes sweeping over the grim battlefield. "My congratulations to General Zhong for securing a great victory."

Zhong Changrong let out a hearty laugh. He took a long stride and threw an arm out to pull Xie Yanlai into a comradely embrace, but the boy slipped away like an eel. His arm closed on empty air, and he froze, a little embarrassed.

"Er—Captain Xie beat you to it," he said, forced to simply point at Xie Yanlai by way of introduction. "He and his men are the ones who bravely wiped out the Western Liang bandits."

Liang Qiang lowered his eyes and saluted Xie Yanlai. "My thanks to Captain Xie for rescuing us from peril. Otherwise, we would have been annihilated."

Xie Yanlai arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "You’re too kind, General Liang. Just chalk it up to good luck."

’You damn brat!’ Zhong Changrong shot him a glare.

Liang Qiang didn’t show the slightest hint of awkwardness. He simply smiled, said his farewells without another word, and prepared to leave and report back to his command.

Zhong Changrong watched the young officer mount his horse. The officer seemed to hesitate, his horse stamping its hooves in place.

"General Zhong," he began, as if wanting to say something more.

Zhong Changrong looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

In the end, however, Liang Qiang simply gave a final salute, retracted his gaze, and spurred his horse away at a gallop.

"That young man from the Liang Family is really something," Zhong Changrong remarked with a sigh, especially as he turned his head and saw Xie Yanlai standing nearby, arms crossed, looking as solitary as a black hawk.

The Xie family was a great and renowned aristocratic clan, but Xie Yanlai was wild and defiant. Even the soldiers who had fought and bled alongside him didn’t dare get too close.

Liang Qiang was also of aristocratic birth. But besides being valiant and skilled in battle, he was unfailingly polite and courteous. He, on the other hand, was always surrounded and admired by his soldiers.

"That mouth of yours," Zhong Changrong grumbled. "We’re all comrades fighting side-by-side. Would it kill you to say something pleasant and make a man feel good for a change?"

’What was all that about "chalking it up to good luck"?!’

Xie Yanlai’s lips curved into a wry smile. "Even if I said something nice, he wouldn’t be happy. He certainly wouldn’t like me any more for it. So why should I waste my breath?"

’That’s true,’ Zhong Changrong thought with a grunt. ’It was the Xie family who got the Liang Family convicted. They’re enemies.’

"And as for whether the soldiers like me—" Xie Yanlai glanced behind him.

The soldiers gathered behind him immediately snapped to attention. A few even flinched back a step, looking intimidated.

Xie Yanlai brought his gaze forward again.

"They aren’t here to be my friends. As long as they can kill the enemy, earn promotions, and survive a fight to the death by following me, that’s all that matters."

He finished with a sharp whistle.

"Muster the men! Form ranks and move out!"

At his sharp command, the very soldiers who had just shrunk away snatched up their weapons and vaulted onto their horses without a moment’s hesitation. Even soldiers who weren’t part of Xie Yanlai’s unit could barely contain their excitement, urging the mustering officers to call their names.

’The kid may not speak elegantly, but he sure knows how to fight a beautiful battle. In this army, he’s like a flower with thorns, drawing bees to him despite the sting.’

’He really is a promising talent. No wonder the Young Lady wanted him to be tempered out here.’ Zhong Changrong grabbed Xie Yanlai. "You can’t get too far from the camp! It’s too dangerous to push deeper into enemy territory." His hand came away sticky. The blood seeping from Xie Yanlai’s arm had soaked through his sleeve. Zhong Changrong didn’t release his grip; instead, he tightened it and yanked him back. "Go get that wound dressed. Immediately!"

Even with his injury, Xie Yanlai twisted free with surprising agility. "My unit has its own physicians. They’ll see to the wound," he said. "You should get back to your post. Keep a clear head, and don’t let those other Great Generals pull the wool over your eyes."

’Ever since Chu Ling’s death, the Great Generals had indeed become harder to control. The only reason I can still hold this position,’ Zhong Changrong mused, ’is firstly because of Chu Ling’s lingering authority—especially since he died in the heat of battle, the soldiers now worship him as a god of war—and secondly, because of Chu Zhao.’

Chu Zhao was the Empress. But his authority didn’t just stem from her title. It was because this Empress had personally fought and killed the enemy right alongside the Border Army.

The soldiers and officers respected her and trusted her, and by extension, they accepted him, Zhong Changrong, as their commander.

’I always thought that with the General gone, the Young Lady would need me to look after her. I never expected that she would be the one looking after me instead.’

Thinking of the Young Lady, however, made Zhong Changrong anxious all over again.

’The Young Lady is in grave danger right now. Her life is hanging by a thread. Should I really not send troops to her?’

"If you send troops over there," Xie Yanlai said coldly, "she’ll just die faster."