Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey

Chapter 820: National War Side Story (Part 4)

The Nanyang Guard Camp surged into the Rouran Army Camp like a torrent.

They rode relentlessly forward, trampling the tents, and countless Rouran Barbarians were trampled by the warhorses. The responsive Rouran Barbarians, realizing defeat was imminent, seized horses to flee desperately, trying to carve out a path of survival for themselves. Some others waved their weapons frantically, shouting as they fought.

The guards, having been well-rested, well-fed, and brimming with vigor and intent on battle after more than half a month of preparation, wielded their long spears, lances, and knives continuously, blood splattering everywhere, accompanied by incessant cries of agony.

Soon, a fire broke out in the northeast corner of the Rouran Army Camp.

A Rouran Barbarian cried out in distress, "The provisions are burning!"

The Rouran Barbarians turned their heads in panic and terror, looking over. The storage area for the provisions was indeed ablaze. For the Rouran Barbarians, this was an undeniably fatal blow, and the military spirit collapsed instantly. More and more Rouran Barbarians began to flee in panic.

Some guards, their eyes red from the killing, spurred their horses to pursue.

Liu Hengchang was prepared in advance and suddenly blew the bamboo whistle in his mouth. At the sharp and high-pitched sound of the whistle, the guards, whose heads were filled with hot blood, stopped one by one, turned their horses, and came back to continue slaying the enemy.

It was only then that Liu Hengchang breathed a sigh of relief.

The Rouran had over a hundred thousand cavalry. Some of their forces had already been worn down by the border army, and even more by the Left General. Tonight, their camp was broken, and countless were trampled under the hooves of horses. How many managed to escape, no one knew. In any case, those remaining in the camp still numbered significantly.

If the thirty thousand elite of the Guard Camp could kill all these Rouran Barbarians in the military camp, it would be a great achievement. Surely they should not, and could not, be greedy for more, nor would it be wise to divide their forces.

"Commander Liu," loyal personal soldier Huang Xin dashed over and whispered urgently, "the Rouran Khan has also escaped. Should we pursue?"

Chasing down the Rouran Khan would truly be a great merit.

Liu Hengchang remained unmoved and said in a deep voice, "Proceed according to the plan we previously established, no one is to pursue escaped soldiers."

Although a bit disappointed, Huang Xin dared not defy military orders, nodded, and went to convey the orders.

Liu Hengchang did not display reckless bravery. Under the guard of his personal soldiers, he kept overseeing the entire situation, continuously issuing military orders. Meanwhile, Qin Zhan and Meng Dashan, each wielding long knives, were passionately engaged in battle.

The places on fire within the Rouran Army Camp grew increasingly numerous, like a gigantic fireball illuminating half the night sky.

The sounds of slaughter were carried by the night wind for miles.

Twenty miles away, the soldiers who had lain in ambush for a day and a night stared ahead, restraining their excitement and fervor as they quietly waited for the Rouran Barbarians to walk into their trap.

"They’re here!"

"Brothers! Follow me! Slaughter all the Rouran Barbarians!"

"Kill!"

The Rouran Cavalry, fleeing in a sorry state, galloped over twenty miles only to run into the ambushers. On one side were panic-stricken troops without any fighting spirit, fleeing in disarray, and on the other were ambushers waiting at ease for the enemy to step into the trap. The outcome of such a collision is self-evident.

At dawn, reports of victory continuously reached the Left General.

"Reporting to the Great General, a large group of fleeing Rouran soldiers were found where the Heroic Guard Camp lay in ambush. Our brothers stood valiantly and perished to leave the Rouran Barbarians behind."

The Left General, who hadn’t slept all night, relaxed his brow and gave a slight nod.

"Reporting to the Great General, military reports from the border army indicated they intercepted the fleeing soldiers, killing more than two thousand Rouran Barbarians, capturing none."

The Left General raised his eyebrows, grinning widely: "What’s the use of prisoners? Kill them all!"

An hour later, another victory report came from the Brave Camp.

There was no activity in the area where the Divine Martial Camp lay in ambush. It seemed the Rouran Barbarians hadn’t fled in that direction. It was just the misfortune of the Divine Martial Camp not to catch the biggest credit.

In any case, the Left General was clear of conscience.

"Where did the Rouran Khan escape to? Have we caught him yet?" The Left General inquired of the messenger.

The messenger replied, "Reporting to the General, no news for now."

The Left General nodded: "Relay the order from this Great General. Whoever can kill the Rouran Khan, Fu Mingdun, will have earned a great merit. I will personally write a memorial requesting a commendation for him!"

Even if the Left General did not issue this order, the soldiers already knew that slaying the Rouran Khan was top merit. Yet, despite their efforts, they had not found the Rouran Khan’s trace.

...

"Khan! The situation is lost, we must hurry and escape back."

"You’re right. Why has the Khan stopped here?"

The Rouran Khan, Fu Mingdun, in his fifties, did not appear particularly imposing or powerful. At this time, he looked much like a homeless dog, left with only over two thousand elite trusted cavalry.

The army camp was raided last night, provisions burned, and troops scattered. In the chaos of the defeat, Fu Mingdun fled the camp, initially with nearly ten thousand soldiers behind him. After escaping, he dispatched some to handle pursuers and continued splitting forces to confuse the ambushers. They avoided major roads, specifically choosing small paths or the mountains and woods, indeed encountering no pursuers.

Just that, in such an escape, they were getting further away from the border.

The cavalry anxiously urged their Khan to find the right direction to rely on their swift horses to flee back to the grassland.

Once on the vast grassland, it would be their domain. Despite this defeat and heavy losses, they could retreat deep into the grassland, recuperate for several years to over a decade, and the new generation of Rouran Warriors would rise again. They would still be a formidable force in the world.

"Khan, let’s go back!"

Fu Mingdun’s face twitched, looking quite grim: "How do we go back?"

"We’ve been utterly defeated, left with just this few people. As soon as we head towards the border, our whereabouts will be discovered. That Zuo Feng will sniff us out and hunt us down. Our lives will be lost here. We simply can’t make it back to the grassland!"

"We will head south, avoiding major county towns, find a village in the mountains, and slaughter it completely. We’ll hide in the village for a month or two. Once the court withdraws their troops, we’ll seek another chance to return to the grassland."

The cavalry reluctantly complied with the order.

Over two thousand cavalry made quite a commotion. They hid their tracks deliberately, but they still had daily needs. Following Fu Mingdun’s instructions, they specifically sought out a mountain village, rushed into it with their over two thousand strong men, slaughtered all the several hundred villagers, leaving no children alive, only sparing a few decent-looking village women. After some abuse, those were also killed.

The stored grain in the village was all found and would barely suffice for a few days. They also hunted some wild game in the mountains, enough to endure for about a month.

This village was isolated, and since the border was at war, nearby county towns and State refused to open their gates, unaware that a village had been entirely slaughtered and the fierce Rouran Khan was hiding in such a small place.

However, human plans cannot match heavenly calculations.

There was a hunter in the village who happened to be hunting in the mountains for a few days and narrowly escaped disaster.

The hunter just descended from the mountain when he noticed something was wrong and quietly fled back into the forest.