Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 209, Section 101: The human heart is the dirtiest thing.
The spoils from the battlefield were plentiful, especially nearly two thousand wildebeest, which was a valuable treasure. Yun Ce didn't care much for the armor on the dead, but selling it for money would be a good option.

Under the coercion of the chestnut horse, the sixty-seven wounded soldiers who had survived by sheer luck had no choice but to help the chestnut horse remove the armor from the dead and collect the weapons they had discarded.

When the chestnut horse saw that the armor of the corpses on the ground had not been stripped off, it angrily panted. Cao's hundred men cried out, "These are our own people!"

The chestnut horse didn't recognize many of its own men; these dead Cao cavalrymen were definitely not considered its own.

Despite the threat of the chestnut horse's hammer-like hooves, Cao's wounded soldiers obediently cleaned up all the corpses. Finally, they carried their armor and weapons on the back of the large horned horse and watched as the chestnut horse escorted a large number of horned horses away from Xiangcheng and back to Jingkou Pass.

They wanted to go back, but Yun Ce wouldn't allow it; they had to continue attacking Xiangcheng.

When Zhou Cheng returned to Xiangcheng, he was still alive, but it was no different from being dead. Gouzi's control over the human body had become extremely subtle.

Zhou Cheng was clearly beyond saving, but his heart was still beating, albeit very slowly. When the Thunder Smoke Beast delivered him to the gate of Yan Fei's City Lord's Mansion, Zhou Cheng's heartbeat finally stopped. The moment his body fell off the Thunder Smoke Beast, the beast went berserk and eventually crashed into the wall, breaking its neck and dying.

Yan Fei's hand brushed across Zhou Cheng's pale face, which was tinged with blue. The death of his good brother had caused him great pain.

Long ago, when he was just a child, Zhou Cheng was his playmate. When the children played war games, Zhou Cheng was his horse, carrying him and fighting against the enemy. At the most intense moments of the battle, Zhou Cheng could even stand upright like a horse, using his chest to shield him from the sticks thrust at him by the enemy...

Now, his brother, who was willing to die for him at any time, has died on the battlefield, and has also taken two thousand well-trained cavalrymen with him.

Yan Fei examined Zhou Cheng's body. The cause of death was unclear. Apart from some small bumps that looked like mosquito bites, there were almost no wounds on his body. Looking at Zhou Cheng's face, which showed signs of excessive indulgence, Yan Fei said to Tan Boming, the chief clerk sent by Tan Shou, "I sent him out to fight, but he went out and acted recklessly, treating the battle between the two armies as a game, which led to the defeat of the entire army. The fault lies with me."

Tan Boming sighed and said, "Two thousand elite troops against five hundred fierce soldiers of the Cao family, General, you have already left enough room for maneuver. Moreover, before General Zhou left the city, you had already made a plan. As long as General Zhou acted according to your plan, even if you did not win, you would not have suffered such a great defeat."

This is not the general's fault. It was Zhou Cheng's stubbornness and self-will that led him to disobey the general's advice and act recklessly after leaving the city, ultimately making him an easy target for the enemy. It has nothing to do with the general. I will certainly report this matter clearly to the governor.

In front of all the generals, Yan Fei demanded that Zhou Cheng be given a proper burial. The soldiers did as Yan Fei instructed, providing Zhou Cheng with a fine coffin and burying him on a sunny slope.

The war is not over yet, and the final investigation results regarding the Battle of Zhoucheng will not be available anytime soon. Chief Secretary Tan Boming said that the governor will not mistreat the generals who died in battle, regardless of victory or defeat.

Yun Ce continued to challenge them outside the city, but Yan Fei decided to ignore him.

Yun Ce challenged them to a duel again the next day, but Yan Fei still felt that he didn't need to pay attention.

On the third day, before challenging the enemy, Yun Ce wanted to set up his camp in front of the city gate, but Yan Fei forced him to move away with crossbows and catapults.

On the fifth day, Yun Ce stopped calling for battle and instead lay on the hillside basking in the sun, just like the wounded soldiers of the Cao family, showing no concern for the affairs of Xiangcheng.

Yun Ce felt that Tan Shou was finished.

Yan Fei, a general transferred from the front lines by Tan Shou to guard the rear, was now blocked from leaving the city by Tan Shou with sixty-odd wounded soldiers, leaving him with no strength to save other cities on the verge of collapse.

Dogzi guessed that Yan Fei had already been bribed by Cao Kun's family, but was still hesitant and was currently watching the tigers fight from the sidelines. As long as the Cao family occupied the six cities in the north, Yan Fei would definitely surrender to the Cao family.

Yun Ce also felt that there must be something hidden in this matter. According to Zheng Tianshou's personality, he would not let Cao Kun, the most perfect lord in his mind, take the lead until he was 90% sure of success.

This is one of the reasons why Yun Ce agreed to go on the expedition with Cao Kun. No matter what, going on the expedition with Cao Kun would surely result in victory, and he would definitely be on the winning side.

Now is the time for Cao Kun to build up his prestige. Following him will at least bring some reasonable returns. However, it is essential to withdraw quickly at the right time, otherwise, you will become a victim of Cao Kun's internal purge.

Yun Ce's glorious achievement of annihilating two thousand cavalrymen of Zhou City in one battle began to spread in the north. He also received a reward letter from Cao Kun, but there was no further movement of the troops that Yun Ce needed.

Although Cao's centurion's surname was Qian, he was a penniless pauper. At first, he was very worried about being killed by Yun Ce. Later, Yun Ce saved him no less than six times on the battlefield, so he was no longer afraid of Yun Ce killing him. If Yun Ce wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have bothered to save him six times, right? Later, Qian Tong realized that every time Yun Ce saved him, the situation he faced next time was even worse. The first time, he could hold on for half an hour, but the time he could hold on for later was getting shorter and shorter. The last time, if Yun Ce hadn't pushed away Zhou Cheng's meteor hammer, he would have been smashed into a pulp.

Now, although they have survived countless battles, the sixty-seven of them are facing a fortified city, several thousand well-trained cavalry, and countless garrison soldiers.

In his despair, he could no longer talk about being afraid of Yun Ce.

"General, when will our reinforcements arrive?"

Yun Ce handed the document Cao Kun had given him to Qian Tong. After reading it, Qian Tong sighed and returned the document to Yun Ce. He then turned to Yun Ce and said, "Actually, I used to be the bodyguard of the Second Young Master Cao Zhen. The Eldest Young Master thought I was a promising person and promoted me to the rank of centurion."

Now, General, do you understand why someone like me was sent by the eldest son to follow you?

Yun Ce laughed and said, "I know, and I also know that the other hundred generals are not the eldest young master's men, but the men of the other young masters of the Cao family. Am I right?"

"So, General, you intend to follow the eldest son's wishes and have all of us die on the battlefield?"

Yun Ce nodded and said, "Cao Kun did not actually do anything wrong. The most worrying thing about a family growing up is that many people die during the growth process, and those who die in the early battles are all very useful talents."

At this point, deciding who needs to be sacrificed and who needs to be kept is a huge problem for the person in charge of a family.

Cao Kun's choice to use his own people protectively and to use the people under the control of his potential enemies in a destructive manner was correct, and it was a choice that a large family must make.

From the moment you pledged allegiance to the Second Young Master, the First Young Master had already deemed you a disposable talent within the Cao family. This is your fate; you must accept it.

Qian Tong nodded and said, "The general is right. My identity cannot be changed. My mother was a maid brought into the Cao family by the second young master's mother. This position cannot be changed."

"Yeah, you're right. Just accept your fate. Cao Kun isn't the kind of person who would sacrifice his own people easily. In his eyes, even the excrement in the latrine is his asset. When faced with assets that can bring wealth and power, Cao Kun is still very rational."

"General, please have pity on us and let us at least survive. Your martial prowess is unparalleled; you don't need us at all and can handle Xiang Cheng Yanfei all by yourself..."

Yun Ce looked at Qian Tongdao in surprise: "Don't get me into trouble. If I appear too handsome or too powerful, I'll be the next person your young master will have to deal with."

"When your eldest son arrives, it will be most pleasing for him if my last soldier dies in battle. Then, I'll share some of my credit with you. That way, it will seem like I'm not as capable as I thought, and that your desperate fight was crucial in trapping Yan Fei at Xiangcheng."

Qian Tong looked sadly at the bright sun in the sky and said, "Does this mean that we are destined to be pawns that can be manipulated by others?"

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Don't be sad. In fact, more than 99% of people in this world are just pawns in other people's games. The fact that you have this understanding is already better than many people. Besides, you don't dare to run away. It's all in vain to say anything."

"General, you see things so clearly, why are you still willing to be driven by my eldest son?"

This time, Yun Ce did not answer, but instead turned his gaze to what was behind Qian Tong.

A cold light flew from afar, skimming the ground. The arrowhead gleamed in the sunlight. Yun Ce had originally intended to shoot it down and save the centurion from the clutches of death for the seventh time, but upon seeing the centurion's angry eyes, he abandoned the plan.

There are many people like him caught between life and death, and he can't save them all. Besides, even in his rage, this guy still addressed Cao Kun as "my young master." Since he said that, it means there's no need to save him. Even if he were saved, Cao Kun would still send him to his death next time.

By the time Yun Ce finished thinking, the arrow flying close to the ground had already pierced through the back of Qian Tong's head, the arrowhead protruding from his wide-open mouth, making him look even angrier.

A black thunder beast appeared from the horizon. Because it was backlit, Yun Ce could not see who the person was. He could only judge from the bow and arrow in the person's hand that this person should be Yan Fei, who was known as a wise general.

(End of this chapter)