Chapter 1093: Chapter 1087: The End
The Xiliang army, already forced into a situation where they knew not where to turn, were without the formidable reputation of Yun Poxing... Experienced and seasoned generals had already caused them to fall apart.
At this moment, the Xiliang army, upon hearing the retreat order, followed General Zhai’s direction... They fought towards the weakly defended area of the Zhou army, only to encounter Wang Qiulu’s forces.
Wang Qiulu had not forgotten Bai Qingyan’s words; once they came, there was no escape. He charged at the forefront, with a determination to take Li Tianfu’s head, feeling that only then could he justify the trust the Emperor had placed in him!
Xie Xun was struck on the horse’s hoof by the desperate resistance of the Xiliang army, causing him to fall from horseback. As he pierced a Xiliang soldier’s chest with his sword, he kicked away a Tianfeng soldier who had rushed at him with a knife.
Before he could withdraw the sword from the Xiliang soldier’s chest, he sensed a flash of cold light rushing towards him. Just as he was about to dodge, he felt the gust of wind whistle past his ear. A muffled sound of a blade piercing flesh came from behind. Upon turning, he saw a silver spear straightly embedded into the Xiliang soldier’s chest, the one who had been about to ambush him, with a look of shocked disbelief still adorning his lifeless face.
A frenzied horse came galloping, neighing and leaping past Xie Xun with a thundering momentum.
On the horse, a man wearing a half-face silver mask, with an upright and clear demeanor, rode. His red cloak billowed like an eagle spreading its wings, gripping the reins with one hand and leaning down to seize the silver spear with a crimson tassel.
The silver spear was withdrawn from the Xiliang soldier’s chest, spraying blood mist...
The steed landed, and the Xiliang soldier fell in response.
From atop his horse, the silver-armored man turned the horse’s head, holding the reins with one hand. His silver armor was stained with blood, and in the light of the fire, he appeared like a formidable hellish presence.
As their eyes met, Xie Xun experienced a sense of familiarity. The intense and fiery look in the silver-armored general’s eyes was daunting, but before he could discern who this Zhou commander might be, he felt a cold shimmer approaching. Reacting instinctively, he swung his sword, the sound of blade colliding with metal piercing the air.
Xie Xun kicked away a Xiliang soldier who swung a knife at him, and soon after, that Xiliang soldier succumbed to the blades of the Yan army.
Bai Jinzhi, having had her dislocated arm reset by Doctor Hong, climbed the tower and shouted loudly, instructing the archers to aim carefully before shooting... Avoid shooting their own people.
She stood atop the city wall, aiming downward with a bow and arrow, yet her sight... fell only upon Zhou soldiers and Yan troops. Frustrated, she lowered her bow, regretting that if not for her dislocated arm, she could have joined her fifth brother in clearing the Xiliang soldiers and Tianfeng army without leaving a trace.
From a distance, the sounds of fighting were everywhere, the clashing of metal echoes throughout, with fires springing all around, illuminating the snow-covered earth which had turned crimson with spilled blood, melting the snow and then freezing it into ice in the biting wind, creating an expanse as red as a sea of blood.
Outnumbered, the battle of Pingyang City ended even before reaching midnight.
The Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince Murong Yan entered the city with Murong Li and several main commanders from the Yan Kingdom, while the Zhou soldiers cleared the battlefield outside.
Of the more than six thousand Xiliang soldiers, nearly all were annihilated, with less than fifty escaping.
As for Tianfeng Kingdom’s thirty giant elephants, twelve fled, six were injured and unable to fight in the short term, eight were killed, and four were captured alive.
This battle was unprepared by Tianfeng Kingdom, and less so by Zhou and Yan, yet... due to the advantage of time, location, and unity, Zhou and Yan emerged victorious, although... it was a bitter victory.
The giant elephants, with a single charge, had nearly knocked the gates of Pingyang City loose, as well as warped the wooden bolts, making Zhou and Yan understand the power of these giant beasts.
They further realized that if this war couldn’t end in winter and dragged into summer, then... Tianfeng Kingdom would gain the advantage of time and location, leaving Zhou and Yan at a disadvantage.
The thirty giant elephants, along with the forces of over six thousand brought by Xiliang and Tianfeng Kingdom, surrounded the Xiliang army and the Tianfeng elephant army on all sides. Even when Zhou could entirely dominate the Xiliang army with its advance forces, it suffered a loss of at least over three thousand soldiers. As Yan rushed quickly to join the battle, Zhou had already commenced fighting, and also suffered significant losses of not less than fifteen hundred.
Inside the main hall of the Pingyang City Governor’s residence, the charcoal in the brazier crackled and popped.
Servants carried basin after basin of hot water inside and then carried basins of bloody water out from the main hall.
Yue Shi knelt beneath the porch, with his head lowered, like a child who had committed an error.
Besides Bai Qingyan, Shen Kunyang, and Bai Jinzhi, there was Minister Shen Jingzhong who had not descended into the walls for battle, and was without any bloodstains. However, whether it be Murong Yan or Bai Qingyu... Cheng Yuanzhi, Wang Qiulu, Xie Xun hadn’t yet washed away the blood from their armor, only having used hot water to clean their faces and hands.
Bai Qingyan also used a hot towel to wipe her frozen red face and hands, and instructed Wei Zhong to bring some bowls of hot soup brewed for the soldiers to them.
Murong Yan wanted to assist Bai Qingyan to sit, yet feared being too intimate would invite suspicion, he said: "The Emperor is with child, after experiencing such a great battle must be tired, it’s best to rest first."
Bai Qingyu, still smeared with blood, refrained from approaching his sister, wary that the blood scent might trouble her: "Rest first, Your Majesty."
She nodded, sat down, and addressed Murong Li and Xiao Rongyan: "This time... much thanks for Yan Kingdom’s aid."
"Da Yan and Da Zhou already have an alliance, we are bound to advance and retreat together, coming to aid is our duty." Murong Yan solemnly nodded to Bai Qingyan, accepting the hot tea handed by Wei Zhong, and nodded in gratitude to Wei Zhong.
Seeing his own Prince seated, Xie Xun followed suit and took a seat beside the brazier.
Cheng Yuanzhi and Wang Qiulu rubbed their hands and moved away from the brazier, taking a seat next to Shen Kunyang.
"Having never faced Tianfeng Kingdom before, those enormous creatures indeed instill fear. Yet, upon confronting them for the first time... we realized the giant elephants are not invincible. However... although we won, our losses are severe." Bai Qingyan spoke, her expression steady, her hands tightly gripping the porcelain teacup, "If we can’t send Tianfeng Kingdom back across the snowy mountains during winter when the giant elephants fear the cold, once summer warms the land... the battle then will be arduous for us."
Xiao Rongyan nodded in agreement: "As the Tianfeng elephant army remains within Xiliang borders, if we take the initiative to strike, the battle... will be fought on Xiliang soil, sparing our Yan and Zhou people. But, should others wage war on us... the fight will be at our doorstep."
Bai Qingyu glanced at Xiao Rongyan and strongly agreed with his perspective. The location of war determines which people suffer, particularly given Xiliang’s history of massacring cities, and Tianfeng Kingdom’s custom of enslaving foreign citizens.
"The matter of opening war should not be delayed..." Bai Qingyu then turned to his sister, "Now it’s the twelfth lunar month, we must end this before spring arrives."