Chapter 37: Forgetting Schemes (IV)

This was clearly a surefire deal!
Since it was a surefire deal, why not go for it?
After making up his mind, Zheng Shanglun handed over all his family’s wealth to the rebel general Tian Chengsi, who was overjoyed.
On one hand, the rebels were eager to win over people’s hearts by giving these surrendered aristocratic youths a sense of certainty; on the other hand, after numerous battles, the military commanders had suffered heavy losses. In any case, Zheng Shanglun eventually became a centurion quite unintentionally.
Thanks to his cunning and skill in navigating politics, he soon achieved “remarkable military exploits” and was given command of a battalion. Tian Chengsi knew Zheng Shanglun’s true capabilities—aware that he lacked true military talent—he simply assigned him to lead the puppet troops recruited in Xingyang, Luoyang, and other places. Even so, Tian Chengsi remained uneasy and sent a few trusted men to serve as deputies in Zheng Shanglun’s camp.
Zheng Shanglun was fully aware of this, but under Tian Chengsi’s pressure, he had no choice but to play along and pretend to be obedient. He had long wanted to get rid of the spies in his camp but hadn’t had the chance. Now, with the arrival of the Tang army, it was an excellent opportunity—he couldn’t miss it!
Using others to kill would surely keep his own hands clean!
“General Zulur, I assign you a hundred elite soldiers to stop the Tang invaders!”
Zheng Shanglun narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at his subordinate with a mocking smile.
The Hu general, whom he called Zulur, frowned and bowed, saying, “General Zheng, there are so many Tang soldiers. With just a hundred armored soldiers, how can we stop them?”
Zheng Shanglun sneered, “Even the armored soldiers at my side number only three hundred. Do you expect me to give them all to you? Military orders are absolute. Do you, General Zulur, intend to defy them?”
“You!”
Pressed by Zheng Shanglun, Zulur was momentarily speechless. He angrily waved his arm and said, “Fine, I’ll go. I only hope General Zheng will live up to General Tian’s efforts in nurturing you! Brothers, let’s go!”
With that, Zulur drew his curved sword from his waist and rushed toward the Tang army first.
“Fight me!”
Watching Zulur’s figure gradually disappear, a cold smile curled on Zheng Shanglun’s lips. …
He raised his arm, swung his sword, and slashed!
Dou Qing swung his sword again, knocking down a soldier who tried to attack him from below. He didn’t even glance at the rebel soldier struggling in the bloodshed, continuing to move forward.
Kill, kill, kill! After years of fighting on the battlefield, he had long become numb. But so what? He was fighting for the Tang Dynasty, and he had no regrets!

Even if he were destined to bear many grudges and the wrath of the dead in this life, he would fight on without hesitation.
The commander had said it was a Tangman’s responsibility. Since he enjoyed the honor of being a Tangman, he had reason to take on that responsibility.
That responsibility was to protect his homeland!
Anyone who dared to destroy Chinese civilization should be killed, and anyone who tried to invade their homeland must die!
Only when such people were all eliminated could they live in peace again, free from the suffering of war.
When war became inevitable, it was justified.
All they desired was peace after this battle!
“Puh!”
Dou Qing thrust his sword deep into the chest of a rebel soldier. When he saw the soldier’s face, he frowned.
The soldier didn’t resemble the Hu people from Fanyang or Pinglu; instead, he looked more like a commoner from Xingyang or Luoyang.
How could a commoner of the Tang Dynasty be among the rebels?
Dou Qing was utterly puzzled.
While he hesitated, the rebel soldier he had stabbed laughed loudly and tightly clung to Dou Qing’s legs.
Panicked, Dou Qing tried to kick the nearly dead soldier. But no matter how hard he kicked, the rebel refused to let go. Now, Dou Qing’s body was pressed tightly against the rebel’s, and his sword, still embedded in the soldier’s body, prevented him from pulling it free.
Dou Qing was sweating profusely, not knowing what to do.
“Puh!”
He felt a sharp pain in his back and turned to look behind him.
Another rebel soldier, also dressed like a Tang commoner, was wielding a broken sword and stabbing at his back, with a cold smile on his lips.
“You… you…”
Dou Qing felt his blood surge, his vision darkened, and he lost consciousness…
Night gave way to dawn.
Li Kuo stared at the corpses scattered throughout the Yan army’s camp and said only one thing, “Burn the bodies of our brothers and put them in pottery jars. I promised to take them home, and I can’t break my word now.”
In this night battle, although the soldiers of the Second Shock Troop successfully captured the camp, they paid a heavy price. Over 300 soldiers died in battle, and more than 500 were injured, including Brother Dou himself, who was seriously wounded.
The accompanying military doctor said the wound was extremely dangerous, very close to the heart. If it had been off by just half an inch, it might have taken his life.
Of course, the rebels suffered even greater losses. Aside from a few dozen who escaped, all the rebels in the camp were killed. Unfortunately, the enemy’s commander managed to flee in advance.

“Xiao Chun, leave 500 men behind to cover our retreat and take good care of Brother Dou. I and the men from other camps will continue onward,” Li Kuo ordered in a firm voice, his hands behind his back.
“Commander, but I…” Wang Xiao Chun clearly wasn’t happy with the task of covering the retreat and tried to argue.
“That’s an order!” Li Kuo replied decisively. “We’ve already paid such a heavy price to reinforce Suiyang. If we don’t arrive in time, how can we face the fallen comrades?” Wang Xiao Chun lowered his head and said nothing more.
“Right now, Brother Dou needs rest and can’t travel quickly. I’m entrusting this task to you. Xiao Chun, I trust you!” With that, Li Kuo fell silent and strode forward…
Yin Ziqi stared at the black-gray city, engulfed in blood, a few hundred steps away, his brows tightly furrowed.
A hundred thousand troops had besieged Suiyang for seven or eight months yet still failed to capture it. If word of this reached other generals in the Great Yan court, how could he ever hold his head high?
“General, in my opinion, the Tang forces in Suiyang are already at their limit. With just a little more effort, we can capture the city in one fell swoop,” Linghu Chao said, bowing to Yin Ziqi with a sly smile. “From what I know, Zhang Xun is nothing but a stinky, hard stone in a cesspool. It’s unlikely you can persuade him to defect to our Great Yan. It’s better to be ruthless and order our troops to attack the city with all their might. Once Suiyang falls, whether Zhang Xun lives or dies, he’ll end up in your hands. Then, it’ll be as easy as saying the word to decide what to do with him.”
Hearing Linghu Chao speak so casually, Yin Ziqi felt slightly displeased.
Suiyang was about to fall!
Suiyang was about to fall!
He had heard those words no less than ten times over the past few days. But what was the result? Wasn’t the Tang army’s flag still flying over Suiyang?
Linghu Chao had no real skills other than being good at talk. If he hadn’t let Zhang Xun go when besieging Yongqiu, that stinky stone wouldn’t have ended up in Suiyang, and he wouldn’t have wasted so much effort on this man!
The more Yin Ziqi thought about it, the more he disliked Linghu Chao. He simply said coldly, “Oh? So General Linghu means Suiyang will fall soon?”
Linghu Chao hurriedly replied, “Yes. I observed the stars last night, and a meteor streaked across the sky. It must be…”
“Good. Then I order General Linghu to lead the assault and capture Suiyang within three days!” Yin Ziqi waved his hand to cut Linghu Chao off and issued the order directly.

Linghu Chao was momentarily stunned and took some time to realize that Yin Ziqi wanted him to take the lead. He quickly said, “General, that’s not what I meant. What I meant is…”
Yin Ziqi cut him off sharply, “General Linghu, military orders are absolute! Since I have given the order, why are you hesitating and refusing to comply? Could it be you’re in collusion with the Tang people?”
“Ah, General, please understand! I am utterly loyal to Great Yan and to you. Although I once served as a puppet official for the Tang Dynasty, I have since sincerely turned over a new leaf—things you are well aware of.”
Yin Ziqi said coldly, “If that’s the case, why still refuse to obey? I give you three days to capture the city. If you still can’t take Suiyang within those three days, well, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Linghu Chao instinctively shuddered and reached for his neck.
“Get out of here!”
Yin Ziqi glared at him fiercely and ordered.
“Ah, ah, I’m leaving now. I’ll go right away.”
With a dejected expression, Linghu Chao retreated.