Chapter 1 No Turning Back

No one expected that after one battle, the Xiling army, originally considered the greatest threat to Yunzhou, would actually collapse. The Eastern Peace and Yunzhou allied forces, who had only wanted to gain a meaningful victory over Jiang Xujing, suddenly saw an opportunity to launch a decisive battle and resolve the Western Front issue once and for all.

After a day of fierce fighting, Ye Tao had already achieved the victory he desired. While sending the battle report to Ye Tao and Xu Jingtao, the Xueqi Army (Blood Kirin Army) assessed its strength and losses, continuing to advance step by step. In the face of the combined assault by Zhao Li and Ni Sigui's troops on the first day, the Xueqi Army unbelievably suffered only 274 deaths and 755 injuries. Compared to the Xiling army's crushing defeat, these losses were negligible. The reason for such an astonishing disparity in casualties was the Xueqi Army's incredibly powerful equipment and their extremely extravagant tactics.

The meticulousness of the armor protecting the heavy infantry, who consistently stood at the front line against the Xiling army's onslaught, was once again proven. For the heavy infantry, the most troublesome opponents were not the soldiers wielding swords, but the incredibly strong officers and adjutants using wolf-tooth clubs and hammers, as well as large siege weapons like trebuchets and ballistae. When heavy ordnance battalions cooperated in combat, they didn't even need to worry about the ballistae and trebuchets. Zhao Li's unit deployed twenty trebuchets, which were targeted and destroyed almost immediately. The various heavy ordnance pieces equipped by the Xueqi Army typically had a range advantage of one hundred to one hundred and fifty paces compared to those used by the Eastern Peace army, let alone the Xiling army, which was not very advanced in weapon technology and had mainly relied on imitating Eastern Peace in recent years. Meanwhile, the longbowmen and light crossbow squads behind the heavy infantry line closely monitored the enemy in front of the heavy infantry line. They would generously provide "firepower coverage" to even slightly conspicuous enemy officers and adjutants. Those who managed to reach the front of the heavy infantry formation intact would already need to burn incense and pray. And even if they did reach the front, facing the shield wall formed by tower shields almost as tall as a person, facing the forest of spears and the two-handed long-handled blades that occasionally thrust out from the gaps in the shield wall, most soldiers felt helpless.

In the first day of combat, the Xueqi Army consumed approximately 3,500 fire oil bombs and spark bombs. They didn't even bother to calculate the number of ordinary and special arrows used. The cost of just the 3,500 fire oil bombs and spark bombs was about 15,000 taels of silver or more. Their consumption left the Yunzhou side, which had always fought conservatively and frugally, speechless. But for the Xueqi Army, using heavy infantry to resist impact, and using archers and heavy ordnance battalions to annihilate the enemy, was the core of their tactics. Although the Xueqi Army had recognized the significant weaknesses of their equipment and was planning to establish two battalions of six thousand lightly armored melee infantry, that would be after the Yunzhou campaign. Their current tactics were almost unsolvable in field battles.

During the first day of the campaign, the troops that suffered relatively heavy losses were not even the heavy infantry who had been dealing with the impact, but the cavalry. Qiu Haohui allowed the cavalry to enter the stage when the Xiling offensive weakened, to give the heavy infantry a chance to catch their breath. While breaking through the Xiling lines, which were already showing signs of collapse, a small number of cavalry inevitably lost speed in the flow of people in the center of the battlefield. Because the cavalry armor's protection was far less impressive than the heavy infantry's armor, the longbowmen's care for them couldn't reach the same level as for the heavy infantry. In any case, the losses suffered in the first day's battle were not crippling at all.

After the battle, Jiang Xujing understood that the Mengnan Banner camp was bound to be lost. And annihilating the Xueqi Army seemed impossible for now, but since the army had already moved, it was impossible to retreat back to the Zijing Valley main camp. He then considered attacking Suiyuan City. Unexpectedly, just as he retreated dozens of miles to reorganize his army and boost morale, the Xueqi Army relentlessly advanced in sync, setting up camp in front of them. This time, the Xueqi Army's camp location made Jiang Xujing even more uncomfortable. Jiang Xujing's troops, Suiyuan, and the Xueqi Army formed an unequal triangle. The Xueqi Army used this method to declare: if you dare to bypass us to attack Suiyuan, don't even think about your flanks and rear. Jiang Xujing had no choice but to muster his troops and engage in a second decisive battle with the Xueqi Army.

Since the battle at the Mengnan Banner had concluded, the main force of the Tieyun Riders (Iron Cloud Riders), now free, had already headed south. The balance of forces and combat power on the battlefield now favored Yunzhou and Eastern Peace. Although Yunzhou still faced the threat of over a hundred thousand tribal iron cavalry, at least on the Western Front, the situation had subtly reversed. In order to completely resolve Jiang Xujing's forces, twenty thousand Tieyun Riders intended to directly descend upon Zijing Valley.

In this situation, Jiang Xujing had to consider how to escape this unfavorable situation. Assuming a posture where a decisive battle was inevitable was one thing, but going all out in such a battle was another. In any case, Jiang Xujing didn't want to lose his two divisions of cavalry. In Xiling, these two divisions of cavalry were his foundation for survival. He was able to lead an army of up to one hundred thousand to conquer Yunzhou as a cavalry general who was not particularly favored precisely because he had these two divisions of elite cavalry. He was able to have the final say in the Zhenbei Military Command also because of these two divisions of cavalry. But now, the problem he had to face was that if he didn't put up his assets to fight, he might not be able to return to Xiling.

"General, Guardian Army Commander Zhu E requests an audience." Just as Jiang Xujing was listlessly eating grilled meat and drinking wine, his personal guard reported. From the time Zhu E had brought the Guardian Army under Jiang Xujing's command until now, although he would inevitably appear at every military council as a senior general, Zhu E had almost never expressed any opinions. He would respectfully obey any of Jiang Xujing's orders, executing them flawlessly. Under Zhu E's leadership, although the Guardian Army's combat effectiveness still hadn't given Jiang Xujing any confidence, at least their performance in terms of obedience, marching, camping, and a series of daily military affairs was impeccable. If all of his subordinates could obey any order like the Guardian Army, perhaps Jiang Xujing wouldn't have to worry about anything.

"Let him in." Although he didn't know what this taciturn fellow wanted to say at this juncture, Jiang Xujing really had no reason not to see Zhu E.

After saluting Jiang Xujing, Zhu E directly asked, "General, is the situation not good?"

Jiang Xujing had always been straightforward. Although he wasn't satisfied with Zhu E's way of asking questions, Jiang Xujing still nodded and said, "I already said it during the military council. Now... we can't afford even the slightest mistake. Speaking of which, we still have over eighty thousand combat-ready soldiers, but whether we can defeat the Xueqi Army, Tieyun Riders, and approximately... approximately fifty thousand of Yunzhou's infantry is still hard to say. Moreover, after all, there are still those twenty thousand Tieyun Riders eyeing us covetously. Although it seems like they are heading for Zijing Valley, it's not impossible for them to suddenly appear on the battlefield while we are entangled in battle. After all... the Yunzhou Dai family's eagle messenger system, although also inherited from the barbarians, has a hint of surpassing its predecessor. The speed at which they transmit information is something we really can't predict."

Zhu E's expression didn't change at all. He continued to ask, "Then what does the general plan to do now?"

Jiang Xujing stared at Zhu E for a long time and said in a tone mixed with mockery, "Zhao Li's unit is already crippled. Ni Sigui and Jia Qingyun are good at taking advantage of favorable winds, but we can't count on them to fight to the death. I was hoping to rely on your Guardian Army of over twenty thousand, almost thirty thousand men. Can I rely on them?"

A hint of madness flashed in Zhu E's eyes. He slowly said, "General, I came today for this very matter." Zhu E suddenly knelt on the ground and said loudly, "Please, General, prioritize the overall situation and allow my unit to cover the retreat."

Zhu E calmly analyzed the situation on the battlefield. Their one hundred thousand-strong army was the main force of the Xiling Zhenbei Military Command. If they were really annihilated here, then the Zhenbei Military Command would not be able to launch an attack in the next ten years, not even to suppress the people and tribes under the Zhenbei Military Command's jurisdiction. In addition, Eastern Peace would be able to utilize Yunzhou's various deployments within Xiling, and Eastern Peace's own strength could not be underestimated. The entire northern border of Xiling might be restless from now on. For the sake of Xiling, Jiang Xujing must take his two divisions of elite cavalry back. Only with Jiang Xujing present could the northern border of Xiling be stable. As for the so-called agreement between Xiling and the tribes, since there was no longer a possibility of success for Yunzhou, the agreement with the tribes was just a piece of waste paper. Once Xiling's northern military strength was empty, the tribal army would inevitably point its arrows at Xiling. The entire northern border of Xiling really needed Jiang Xujing.

Zhu E also knew that the task of covering the retreat now was basically the same as sending them to their deaths. His Guardian Army of over twenty thousand had less than two thousand cavalry. The Tieyun Riders and Xueqi Army were both units with excellent mobility. Moreover, the Guardian Army's equipment and other things could not compare with the elite units like the Tieyun Riders and Xueqi Army. Even Zhao Li's unit, Ni Sigui's unit, whose equipment and training were not bad, had suffered a big setback in front of the Xueqi Army. It was conceivable what kind of situation the Guardian Army would encounter. If Zhu E really wanted to hold off the enemy for the main force of Xiling, allowing Jiang Xujing to safely return to Xiling, then Zhu E's unit would have to sacrifice the lives of all twenty thousand of its soldiers.

Jiang Xujing had traveled across the northern border of Xiling for many years and had indeed seen many generals who were not afraid of death. However, he didn't see any traits of a brave general in Zhu E. Jiang Xujing had also seen all kinds of troops that could unleash super combat power in desperate situations, but those troops invariably had complex structures and countless troublemakers who caused all kinds of problems on weekdays. Jiang Xujing didn't understand the Guardian Army, and he really couldn't imagine that such a unit, which was usually as docile as sheep, could undertake a battle to the death.

"Do you know... what this means?" Jiang Xujing asked in a deep voice.

Zhu E actually showed a smile that seemed to take everything for granted, and said calmly, "The Guardian Army is carefully selected by the elders of the Holy Sect from among the millions of Holy Sect believers in Xiling. The most basic criterion is loyalty to the Holy Sect and loyalty to Xiling. As long as it is for the Holy Sect, for Xiling, we are willing to die without saying a word. General, please entrust the task of covering the retreat to me. I guarantee that the Guardian Army will never let you down."

Jiang Xujing pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, since you said so, I will entrust this heavy responsibility to you. Do you... have any requests?"

Zhu E's expression was gentle and gratified. He bowed deeply towards Jiang Xujing and said, "General, I have no other requests. Being able to be under the general's command and die on the battlefield is already a great honor for me as a Holy Sect believer. Although the National Preceptor and several adults in the court are defending the Holy Sect, many civil and military officials in Xiling misunderstand my Dao Ming Sect. In the army, they regard my Dao Ming Sect as tigers and wolves… I hope that in the future, when there is an opportunity, the General can say a few words of defense for my Holy Sect.”

After Zhu E left, Jiang Xujing's face was intertwined with several expressions, overlapping and gradually merging into a hint of self-deprecation. What kind of world was this? The Xueqi Army (Blood Kirin Army) of twenty thousand men made his army of one hundred thousand helpless and fleeing in panic. Cavalry could not break through infantry. The main force cherished their lives, while the miscellaneous troops dared to take the initiative to cover the retreat to the death… The most ironic thing was that the situation, which originally seemed extremely good, was instantly reversed by the Xueqi Army's intervention with a beautiful battle…

A little later, the song "The sky is vast, the earth roams in eight directions, the Dao heart does not die, enlightenment is king" came from the Guardian Army's camp. The song was actually full of joy. The song, especially in Jiang Xujing's ears, who was sneering, was particularly grating.