Chapter 244 |
Chapter 244 The Unsurpassable
Mounds of yellow soil covered the bodies of the young, drowning the remains of the fallen soldiers in the earth. The surviving three hundred soldiers, supporting each other, fell to their knees in the dirt, breaking into uncontrollable sobs.
Lin Wanrong took a jar of wine from Xu Zhen's hands, pouring the aromatic liquor slowly onto the ground. As he watched the crystal-clear liquid seep into the soil, he clenched his teeth. A sudden wave of sorrow hit him, bringing him to his knees and triggering a flood of tears, like a child.
The cavalry soldiers in the distance watched in silence, their gazes fixed on the weeping of more than three hundred soldiers. No one dared to speak. A few hot-blooded thousand-man commanders took the lead, and five thousand soldiers followed suit, raising their fists in a distant salute, paying their respects to these brave warriors.
Lin Wanrong lifted his head, downed the remaining wine, and with a 'pop', he smashed the jar onto the ground. The crisp sound echoed far and wide.
"Stand up, all of you stand up!" He wiped his face haphazardly, shouting aloud.
At General Lin's call, the more than three hundred survivors of the camps struggled to their feet. His eyes sweeping over them, he roared, "Straighten your backs, stand like men—"
The wind blew harshly, and each of the three hundred remaining soldiers stood tall, heads held high, their eyes filled with a determined glow.
"Our fallen brothers, they died standing, they never fell. Regardless of whether they were from Zhejiang or Shandong, young or old, they are all heroes of our Great Hua. The soldiers under my command, not one of them was a coward. Remember this, it's better to die standing than live kneeling."
Hu Bugui, Du Xiuyuan, and Li Sheng, bare-chested against the cold wind, carried a large stone from the foot of a distant mountain and placed it in front of the soldiers' graves. A craftsman from the Divine Machine Unit, hands trembling and eyes filled with tears, delicately carved the familiar names onto the stone. Lin Wanrong, expressionless, looked at each of those names, his cheeks twitching involuntarily.
"Dammit—" He roared, striking a tree beside him with his sword. Amidst the rustling sound, the tree slowly fell. All the soldiers looked at their young general, feeling that serving such a compassionate and righteous general, even death was worth it.
A few thousand-man commanders from the cavalry came over on foot. They raised their fists to Lin Wanrong and said, "General Lin, please allow us to pay tribute to our fallen brothers."
Lin Wanrong returned the salute, "Thank you."
One of the leading thousand-man commanders sighed, "General Lin, your bravery is unmatched, and your loyalty is unquestionable. You are truly a role model for us all. We admire you greatly. We shouldn't bring this up, but we came here today following General Zhai to reinforce your army. Now that General Zhai is unconscious with broken legs, how should we report this to the Marshal?"
Seeing the sincerity in these commanders' demeanor, Lin Wanrong understood they were not ill-intentioned. He saluted everyone around him, "Please be assured, the events of today are my responsibility alone. It has nothing to do with my brothers, and I will not make things difficult for you all. In front of Master Xu, I will reveal everything truthfully. I, Lin San, have no other requests, I only hope that you all will report what you saw today to Marshal Xu as it is."
"General Lin, your righteous spirit reaches the heavens. We admire you greatly," said the commanders, saluting Lin Wanrong in unison. Seeing Lin Wanrong shoulder all the blame, the commanders couldn't help but admire him even more.
The three hundred soldiers at Lin Wanrong's side were unable to continue fighting. To prevent another attack, the cavalry of five thousand settled there, waiting to set off with them to Feng County at dawn to meet with Marshal Xu.
As the thousand-man commanders departed, Du Xiuyuan voiced his concerns, "General Lin, Deputy General Zhai Canghai of the cavalry is a student of Deputy Minister Tie from the Ministry of War. Today you beat him; how are you going to explain this to Marshal Xu? Will there be trouble?"
"What's the big deal about hitting him? In my opinion, even beheading him would be too lenient," Hu Bugui scoffed. "If things really escalate, count me in. I'll take that dog down. See what he dares to do then. You, Du Xiuyuan, always so timid and afraid after reading some books."
Despite his scholarly nature, Du Xiuyuan had proven himself in battle, commanding effectively and fighting at the front lines. His face turned red at Hu Bugui's words, "Old Hu, what are you talking about? When did I show fear? Is it only you who can stand up for the General? If anyone dares to harm the General, I, Du Xiuyuan, am ready to give my life to protect him."
"Always being so cautious, how can you achieve great things?" Hu Bugui retorted.
"And you, always acting recklessly, how will you ever achieve greatness?" Du Xiuyuan shot back.
Seeing the two bickering again, Lin Wanrong shook his head and smiled helplessly. The two of them were a perfect match, yet they were always at odds.
Gao Qiu, who had fought side by side with Lin Wanrong and shared life-and-death situations, couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry, brothers. Who can outsmart Brother Lin? He's always the one tricking others, no one can trick him—"
‘What kind of statement is that? Am I that bad? I only occasionally play tricks on others.’
After burying the three hundred brothers, as the sky started to brighten, Lin Wanrong stood by the lake in silence, his sleepless eyes reflecting the cold glow of the water. Du Xiuyuan and the others stood behind him, watching his contemplative silhouette, no one dared to speak.
Finally, after hesitating for a long time, Gao Qiu asked, "Brother Lin, what's the matter? This doesn't seem like you."
Lin Wanrong turned around and smiled, "Brother Gao, I'm still the same, it's just that the battle last night was heartbreaking. I feel uneasy."
Hu Bugui smirked mysteriously, "General Lin, you're not still worried about Zhai Canghai, are you? To be honest, I had it all planned when I beat him last night. I put hidden nails in that plank, and I shattered his leg bones. He won't be able to stand again in his lifetime. Let him dare to insult my brothers, let's see how he'll harm others again."
Lin Wanrong grimaced. So, Hu Bugui could play dirty too. He had underestimated him. Du Xiuyuan gave him a thumbs-up, "Old Hu, this is the best thing you've ever done."
"Of course. Today's actions were absolutely thrilling. In my entire life, I've never done something so satisfying," Hu Bugui proclaimed with immense pride.
Lin Wanrong smiled gently and said, "Brother Hu, you and Brother Du should stop arguing in the future. The two of you, one versed in literature and the other in martial arts, make a perfect team. If you cooperate well, it's nothing to conquer territories and achieve great feats. Brother Li, you need to focus on further improving the firearms of our strategic battalion. Once we meet with Marshal Xu today, I will recommend you all for promotion. There's no question about your promotion to the rank of thousand-man commander, considering your contributions in killing Meng Du."
The three hastily thanked him for his mentorship. Lin Wanrong heaved a slight sigh, "Last night's battle resulted in heavy losses among my brothers. However, the phoenix rises from its ashes. Those who survived are the elites. You must take care of them in the future. And Xu Zhen, he's also a talented individual; make sure you cultivate him."
Hu Bugui nodded in agreement, saying with emotion, "We may have won the battle, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. The White Lotus rebels are fierce, but they're also our fellow countrymen. At its core, this battle was a civil war within our great nation. Even though we won, I'm not exactly jubilant. But the idea of driving out the nomads in the North, that's been my dream for many years. I just don't know when I'll see it realized."
Hu Bugui was from Jining, and many of the vanquished White Lotus rebels were his fellow townsmen, so his sentimentality was inevitable.
"I suddenly have an idea," Du Xiuyuan suddenly announced, excitement visible on his face. "General Lin, you're brilliant and full of strategies, a born military leader. The brothers respect and admire you deeply. Could we ask Marshal Xu to submit a petition to the Emperor, assigning you to lead us in resisting the Northern nomads? You treat the soldiers like your children and command them superbly. Everyone's seen it. As long as you're leading, we brothers have a backbone. Then, we can protect our borders, slay the nomads, and make remarkable achievements for our great nation."
"Yes, indeed," Li Sheng and Hu Bugui agreed enthusiastically. "With General Lin's brilliant strategies and cunning tactics, annihilating the nomads would be a cinch. Please lead us, General Lin."
Lin Wanrong was taken aback. ‘Dammit, my so-called ingenious strategies were merely fortuitous accidents. If I used these tactics in a battle against the nomads, it wouldn't matter if I lost my life, but if it led to the deaths of so many brothers, it would be utterly unforgivable.’ He quickly interjected, "Well, I don't particularly enjoy war. Plus, casualties are inevitable on the battlefield. Seeing my brothers fall every day would be more painful than death. If you genuinely care about me, please don't bring up these topics. You're all talented individuals. I'll vouch for you in front of Master Xu, and I'm sure you'll have promising futures. From now on, you must take care of these brothers."
Everyone was startled upon hearing the hint of a departure in his words and quickly started to reassure him. Only Gao Qiu seemed undisturbed, he thought, ‘When you were invited to fight the White Lotus, you were also hesitant, weren't you? Eventually, someone will find a way to persuade you to go.’
Lin Wanrong had formed deep bonds with these brothers, spending days and nights together, sharing life and death. Chatting by the lakeside with the four of them, listening to Hu Bugui's stories about resisting the nomads, inevitably caused his blood to boil once again, especially after the bloody battle they had endured the previous night.
The team set off early in the morning, heading straight for Feng County. Despite their tattered uniforms and the camp full of wounded soldiers, Lin Wanrong's three battalions walked at the forefront with heads held high and faces radiating confidence. No one would dare to believe that, just the night before, this had been a ragtag army.
More than seventy severely wounded brothers were supposed to be lying on the horse carts, but the extreme jostling caused unbearable pain. Seeing this, Lin Wanrong dismounted, his heart burning with concern. He placed one of the severely injured soldiers on a new stretcher made the previous night, and together with Gao Qiu, one at the front and the other at the back, they carried the man forward.
The injured brother struggled emotionally, "I deserve to die, how dare I burden the general?"
Lin Wanrong retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? You're my brother, what's wrong with me carrying you? If you utter another word, I'll toss you off this stretcher."
The soldier burst into tears, "The kindness the general has shown me is as vast as the sky and bright as the moon. My life is in the general's hands."
"You cheeky lad, talking too much!" Lin Wanrong muttered, secretly wiping the corner of his eye.
When Hu Bugui and the others saw General Lin's actions, they finally came to their senses. They quickly dismounted, and everyone helped to put the severely injured brothers on stretchers and carry them forward. The team became scattered, instantly growing in size, but the hearts of the three battalions' soldiers became even more united.
Several thousand-man commanders of the cavalry who were following behind, all seasoned military men, were deeply moved by the scene in front of them. They raised their arms and commanded, "All dismount! Cavalry becomes infantry, we march with our brothers—"
"We march together—" Five thousand cavalrymen roared in unison. When they saw the battered soldiers in front, they saw their own reflections. With tears brimming in their eyes, they willingly dismounted, closely following behind the injured soldiers, not daring to take a single step beyond them.
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