Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 121 The Devastation of the Government Army
No matter how stunningly beautiful you are, or how captivating you are in the world, in the end you will all become nothing but a skeleton; no matter how powerful and influential you are, or how you roam the world, you will eventually turn into a handful of dust.

As the song "Atsumori" sung by later generations of the Fusang Kingdom goes: Fifty years in the human world, compared with the eternity of heaven and earth, is like a dream and an illusion; within the sea and sky, is there anything that is eternal and immortal?
"A woman as beautiful and powerful as Yan Shuai died just like that; it's truly a sad state of mind," Tian Jun suddenly said.

If Tian Jun felt a little jealous of Zhuoying's beauty, she could only admire Yan Shuai's demeanor and bearing.

Duan Hongyan put her arms around Tian Jun's neck, but her voice suddenly became serious: "Yan Shuai is already forty-eight years old. Even if she takes excellent care of herself and has the secret to maintaining her youthful appearance, if she lives another six or seven years, that flawless face will still develop wrinkles."

"As a warrior, she chose to die on the battlefield. And to preserve her beauty at its peak, this ending is quite good."

Tian Jun was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Sister Tian Xiang had suffered so much, yet she still lived on strongly. But because of the torment she had endured, her appearance had begun to fade, which was why she had begged her to give her a release.

For beautiful women, aging is often more terrifying than death.

"General Duan, you are right."

Duan Hongyan chuckled softly and whispered in Tian Jun's ear, "When you're giving orders, you call me General. But Sister Jun, you don't need to be so formal in private. Just call me Sister Hongyan."

She produced a jade hairpin from Khotan from who-knows-where. The hairpin was shaped like a dragon, with a perfectly round yellow crystal in its mouth, as if a green dragon were spitting out a pearl. Its design was extremely exquisite. At the end of the hairpin, a small character "珺" was also engraved.

"I specially commissioned a master craftsman to make this for you. Sister Jun, do you like this Little Dragon Girl?"

Tian Jun's eyes immediately lit up.

Her name, "Jun," means beautiful jade.

Such a piece of Khotan jade, so vibrant and flawless, is quite valuable just for its jade quality, not to mention the exquisite craftsmanship it is made with.

Huang Chao and his family were all like a pair, generous and magnanimous in their dealings with others.

"Should we put the red smoke in Sister Jun's ear right now?" Duan Hongyan teased Tian Jun by breathing hot air into her ear, making Tian Jun's ear canal itch.

"The military situation is urgent, and with a helmet on, there's no place to put a hairpin in my hair," Tian Jun said. "After I finish fighting, you can help me put one in my hair, little sister."

When Zhu Wen raided the Songzhou camp, Tian Jun only had a few pearls pinned to her hair. When Zhu Wen slashed her helmet and hair bun, the pearls were swept off. If such a precious jade hairpin had been hidden inside the helmet, it would have been shattered to pieces with the slightest impact.

"Alright, then let's wait for my sister to return in triumph!"

Duan Hongyan patted Tian Jun's shoulder familiarly, her eyes filled with eager anticipation.

Ding Hui and Deng Xuan, as excellent horse archers trained by Duan Hongyan, used the same fighting style as Duan Hongyan when she fought with Meng Kai.

Tian Jun, a fierce general, charged ahead in battle. Ding Hui and Deng Xuan, on horseback, drew their bows and arrows, ready to shoot any threats missed by Tian Jun's spear.

This kind of coordination greatly enhances the charging ability of fierce generals. Tian Jun galloped out on horseback as if entering an empty field, and quickly defeated the troops of Lü Qingchen and Bo Chulong who were receiving supplies, seizing a large amount of government troops' food and supplies.

The government troops trapped on the mountain road were suddenly caught in a predicament of insufficient food and provisions.

Wang Jian strongly advocated reducing food consumption and establishing a fortified camp in place. He believed that within ten days at most, Xue Shuai Qi Kerang would lead a large army to reinforce them. At that time, a pincer attack from both inside and outside would surely inflict a heavy blow on the bandits and avenge Yan Shuai.

However, with the death of Zhen Ranyu, the commander of the various armies, and Zang Zimian, the deputy commander of the various armies, in battle, the remaining government troops were leaderless and no one could coordinate the situation. They fell into endless arguments, and the morale that had been ignited by anger quickly receded like the tide.

Wang Jian once again experienced the helplessness he felt when he was in Song Wei's camp, where he spoke at the top of his lungs but no one listened.

The raids by the rebel army intensified, and the shortage of food supplies further demoralized the troops, causing them to lose their will to fight. Furthermore, Huang Chao's strategy of surrounding the enemy on three sides while leaving one open clearly opened a path to escape. Three days later, the generals finalized their plan: taking advantage of the remaining supplies, they would disperse and break out. This was exactly as Huang Chao had predicted; if the supply lines were cut off, the government army would inevitably collapse within three days at most!

The government troops abandoned their baggage and split into small groups, breaking through to various mountain passes.

However, their breakout did not lose its order; they formed a circle, with spearmen facing outwards, archers and crossbowmen in the center, and cavalry concealed within, waiting for an opportunity to launch a counterattack. Even after abandoning much of their armor, the government troops still retained considerable fighting strength. Although the rebel army could concentrate its superior forces to wipe out some of the government troops' breakout squads, it also had to pay a price.

Having acquired a large amount of supplies such as flags, drums, and armor abandoned by the government troops, most of the rebel leaders lost their will to pursue.

In some people's words—that woman Zhen Ranyu is dead, and Alliance Leader Wang has avenged himself. The weather is so hot now, and we'll be drenched in sweat while fighting. After the previous fierce battle, our brothers have suffered heavy casualties. It would be better to stop and rest properly!

Huang Chao did not want to force them, but instead ordered his soldiers to take their spoils and leave the battlefield as soon as possible, saying that they should rest and recuperate in the mountains first.

Qi Kerang's Taining army is about to arrive, and with an exhausted force, there is little chance of victory against Qi Kerang. The only option is to rely on the terrain to force Xue Shuai's army to retreat.

Three days later, Zhu Wen was still unconscious, causing Lan Suting, Huo Cun and others great anxiety, who took care of him day and night.

Even Duan Hongyan was no longer so calm, and a clear look of worry appeared between her brows.

Tian Jun was naturally just as worried.

However, she still remembered Zhu Wen's previous instructions very clearly.

"No matter what happens to me, even if I die, if we can kill Commander Yan and cause the government army to collapse, we can ignore everyone else. We must take off that bastard's head and not leave him as a threat to our army."

When Zhu Wen said this to her, his expression was unusually solemn, as if he were giving his last words.

After saying that, Zhu Wen gently stroked her face and made a pinky promise with her.

This man, who is not open-minded, likes to play pranks, and is lazy and loves to sleep, is in no way inferior to Kou Qianzhi, whom Tian Jun admires, when it comes to important matters.

Looking at Zhu Wen's increasingly gaunt face on his sickbed, which had become thinner and thinner due to not eating or drinking for several days, Tian Jun suddenly felt like crying.

After examining the patient, the doctor said that if he did not wake up within seven days, he would never wake up again.

She could only carry the burden of her promise to Zhu Wen and do everything in her power to hunt down Wang Jian.

"I will definitely bring that bastard's head back to you," Tian Jun murmured, holding Zhu Wen's cold hand.

She could still feel a faint pulse, which calmed her down a little.

"Actually, the thief's head doesn't matter, as long as you're safe."

"Could it be that my greed led you to risk your life for Marshal Yan? As long as you wake up, what does it matter if I give you to Sister Zhizhen..."

She silently said this to herself, secretly wiped her eyes, and then left the tent, mounted her horse, and rode away.

Qin Yan, Bi Shiduo, and others led their cavalry to join Tian Jun. More than thirty armored knights, led by Dong Hou, who had followed Ge Congzhou, also removed their horse armor to reduce their weight and joined the pursuit.

With such a large force chasing after Wang Jian, it seems that the thief Wang Jian has no chance of survival.

(End of this chapter)