Chapter 444 - 372: Waiting for Young Master to Return
Chapter 444: Chapter 372: Waiting for Young Master to Return
The morning sun rose, painting the sky with a red dawn.
In the distance, the white of the horizon was faintly visible.
In the main courtyard of Prince Shuang’s Mansion, a woman in a nightdress lay in bed, her breathing steady.
Even the blanket couldn’t hide the curves of her figure.
"Xiao Mo..."
"Can you..."
"Can you let me look at you for a lifetime?"
The man sitting on the edge of the bed recalled the woman’s words from last night. Remembering the smile that appeared on her face after he answered, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
After one last look at her, Xiao Mo tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, pulled her blanket up snugly, then stood and walked out of the room.
"Young Master Xiao, you’re leaving already? Does the Princess truly not need to see you off?"
Outside the room, Hua Sheng was already awake, waiting in the courtyard.
"There’s no need..." Xiao Mo shook his head and glanced back at the room. "The last time Siyao saw me off, she cried her eyes out. This time, let’s just let Siyao get a good sleep. My Technique will automatically dissipate after noon. By the time she wakes up, I’ll be long gone."
Hua Sheng’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end, she just sighed. "This servant understands."
"Sister Hua Sheng, while I’m away, I’ll have to trouble you to take good care of Siyao."
"Taking care of Her Highness the Princess is this servant’s duty. More importantly, I hope you will take care of yourself, Young Master. Her Highness the Princess and I will be waiting for your return."
"Mm," Xiao Mo nodded and gave a bow. "I’m leaving."
"Farewell, Young Master." Hua Sheng curtsied, seeing Xiao Mo off.
Xiao Mo left Prince Shuang’s Mansion and then went to the Xiao Mansion to bid his mother farewell.
When Xiao Mo arrived outside the Imperial Capital City, Xiahou Nan, Lian Li, Xiao Yang, and the others were already waiting for him.
"Let’s move out!" Xiao Mo said, looking at the assembled group.
The men cupped their fists in a salute. "Yes, General!"
「 ... 」
「Half a month later.」
Xiao Mo and his men arrived at Fengyu City, on the border between the Qin Kingdom and the Nanshan Kingdom.
Before Xiao Mo’s arrival, Fengyu City had already clashed with the Chu Kingdom’s army several times.
Although the City Lord of Fengyu City had held the city, each defense had been a bloodbath. Moreover, the City Lord always felt that Fengyu City could be breached at any moment.
If even the City Lord felt this way, how much confidence could the soldiers under him possibly have?
Given the morale of Fengyu City’s soldiers, if Xiao Mo had arrived just two days later, the city would likely have been lost.
So when the City Lord of Fengyu City saw Xiao Mo, he was so moved he nearly burst into tears. To him, Xiao Mo was dearer than his own father at that moment.
The City Lord of Fengyu City immediately transferred military authority to Xiao Mo.
When the soldiers of Fengyu City heard that the ever-victorious Frost King had arrived, every one of them was reinvigorated.
After the war that annihilated the Wei Kingdom, the name "Frost King" was known in every household. Xiao Mo’s story had even been adapted into various tales.
In the hearts of these soldiers, Xiao Mo was practically a god.
At the same time, Li Jing and Zhao Guang of the Northern Wilderness Army arrived, leading 200,000 Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry and 500,000 Northern Wilderness Infantry.
Including the original forces of Fengyu City and the soldiers mobilized from nearby prefectures, Xiao Mo now commanded a total of one million men!
The next day, the Chu Army attacked the city again.
Xiao Mo did not remain behind the city walls to defend.
With an army of a million, they wouldn’t just be defending the city.
Otherwise, it would be far too cowardly.
The Sovereign of Qin wanted Xiao Mo to annihilate the Nanshan Kingdom, then conquer one or two major prefectures of the Chu Kingdom.
But Xiao Mo wanted more!
Just as the Chu Army’s assault was at its fiercest, the gates of Fengyu City swung open.
The Chu General, Dragon Abyss, saw a man holding a white Long Spear, wearing an Asura Mask, and riding a Snow-Trampling Horse, charge straight out.
Behind him were renowned generals such as Xiahou Nan, Lian Li, Zhao Guang, and Li Jing.
Under Xiao Mo’s command, the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry charged first, shattering the battlefield, followed by the infantry who surged into the fray.
The moment Xiao Mo swung his Long Spear, phantoms of the Ten Ancient Fiends—Taotie, Qiongqi, Xiangliu, Chaos, and others—leapt from it, pouncing on the Chu Army.
Xiao Mo slaughtered his way across the battlefield. Wherever he went, not even the bones of his enemies remained.
The Ten Ancient Fiends acted like guardian deities, protecting Xiao Mo.
Xiahou Nan, Lian Li, and the others each led a unit of Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry to strike the Chu Army’s central command from different directions.
The Northern Wilderness Infantry followed close behind in formation.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Northern Wilderness Army had seized a massive advantage.
As for the soldiers from Fengyu City and the other prefectures, they might not be good at fighting a losing battle, but how could they not handle a fight with such an advantage?
Spurred on by the valor of the Northern Wilderness Army, they too charged forward, afraid that the Northern Wilderness Army would claim all the military honors for themselves.
The unprepared Chu Army’s morale was on the verge of collapse.
Dragon Abyss sensed things were going badly and immediately sounded the retreat.
Xiao Mo led his army in pursuit for twenty *li*, slaying another 70,000 men before returning to the city.
The more Dragon Abyss thought about it, the angrier he became, and the angrier he became, the more he thought about it.
As a veteran general of the Chu Kingdom, Dragon Abyss knew he wasn’t invincible, but he’d be damned if he was going to be pushed around by some wet-behind-the-ears brat!
Dragon Abyss wanted to regroup his forces and have a proper battle with Xiao Mo.
But who would have known that on that very night, Xiao Mo would lead his army to charge his camp.
Dragon Abyss could only lead his remaining forces to retreat to Liaocheng in the Nanshan Kingdom.
In less than three days, the roles of attacker and defender had been reversed.
The Chu Army’s Commander-in-Chief, Gongsun Shi, had anticipated that Dragon Abyss would be no match for Xiao Mo, but he hadn’t expected him to be defeated so quickly.
But it didn’t matter.
The Chu Army was advancing along three routes. Could Xiao Mo split himself into three?
Gongsun Shi sent reinforcements to Dragon Abyss, asking only that he hold Xiao Mo down. Meanwhile, two other armies, long prepared and led by renowned Chu generals, would bypass Fengyu City to attack the border cities of Xiacheng and Celestial Thought City.
Xiao Mo reacted immediately, sending Xiahou Nan with an army to meet that renowned Chu general named Zhaoyang.
But the other Chu general, a man named Wu Qi, was even more formidable, and Xiao Mo was momentarily undecided.
"If the General trusts me, I, your subordinate, will take Wu Qi’s head within thirty days and present it to the Prince!" Li Jing declared loudly in the tent, cupping his fist.
"Why trouble General Li? I only need 50,000 Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry and 100,000 infantry to crush Wu Qi!" Zhao Guang also shouted.
"This subordinate is willing to face Wu Qi. I will not fail the General’s trust," Lian Li also volunteered.
Xiao Mo looked at them, but still felt it wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t that Xiao Mo thought they would definitely be crushed by Wu Qi. Rather, he felt that while they might be able to hold Wu Qi off, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to repel him.
Finally, Xiao Mo’s gaze fell on Bai Qi, who was standing at the very back of the tent.
After only a year of military service, Bai Qi had already become a Thousand-Man Commander. Looking at the entire history of the Qin Kingdom, his promotion speed was second only to Xiao Mo’s. Moreover, his promotion to Thousand-Man Commander had been personally approved by Prince Zhenbei.
Noticing Xiao Mo’s gaze, Bai Qi seemed to understand something, and a glimmer of excitement shone in his eyes.
"Bai Qi," Xiao Mo said, having made his decision. "You will be the lead general. Lian Li and Zhao Guang will be your vice generals. You will go and deal with Wu Qi."