Chapter 1253 - 1089: Feint to the East, Strike to the West
Chapter 1253: Chapter 1089: Feint to the East, Strike to the West
Prefect Qiu’s heart pounded like thunder as he tightly grasped the city wall, his nervous demeanor catching Gu Chengyu’s attention.
The two fought for another quarter of an hour. Ming Mo’s sword swept across Liu Meng’s neck, sending a head flying into the air, nearly causing Prefect Qiu to collapse to the ground in fright.
"Lord Qiu, why are you so nervous?"
Hearing this, Prefect Qiu looked behind him, not knowing when Gu Chengyu had gotten so close. Staring at the other’s flawless and beautiful face, he forced out a fake smile.
"I’ve never seen such a scene, it’s inevitable to feel anxious!" Prefect Qiu’s face still carried a hint of fear, seemingly very uncomfortable with the scene.
"The head of your commander Liu Meng is here!" Ming Mo, holding a bloody head, flew onto the city wall, shouting down at the enemy troops.
Prefect Qiu glanced at the head in Ming Mo’s hand and shivered immediately. He looked at the sky again, his heart finally calming a bit.
"You turtle grandson, come down if you have the guts and fight me fairly, you took advantage of others’ misfortunes, an unworthy victory!" A few junior officers below, seeing their commander decapitated, were dumbfounded.
By the time they came to their senses, Ming Mo had already jumped onto the city wall with the head.
"What do we do?" A junior officer panicked, unsure if they should continue the siege. Even their commander was decapitated, how could they continue the fight?
Without a commander, the soldiers lost their backbone; their previously high morale now sunk to rock bottom.
Never underestimate the importance of a commander. If morale is lost, the battle is most likely to end in defeat. On the contrary, our side’s morale soared.
Hundred Households Wang admired Ming Mo’s martial prowess to the extreme. He brandished his sword, shouting loudly, "The enemy commander’s head is here, charge! Leave none of them standing!"
Gu Chengyu twitched his mouth, unable to see the young man was quite idealistic.
"Go bring back General Yuan, he can’t hold on for much longer." Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Mo, casting his gaze towards the staggering Yuan Bin.
Ming Mo responded and flew down the tower. Suddenly, a signal arrow sounded in the east, drawing Gu Chengyu’s attention.
"Retreat! Hurry and retreat!" A junior officer clad in bronze armor and a red cloak suddenly shouted.
Gu Chengyu frowned, looking over, "Do you recognize this person?"
This question was directed at Hundred Households Wang, who stepped forward and shook his head, "I don’t know him!"
However, upon hearing the call to retreat, he immediately cheered, "They’re retreating! We’ve saved Wujun Prefecture!"
As soon as he finished speaking, cheers erupted around him.
The enemy’s retreat was swift. Gu Chengyu carefully observed their retreat formation, further confirming his thoughts.
"Have we won a major victory? It’s all thanks to the expert beside you! Otherwise, with our haste today, who knows if we could have held Wujun Prefecture. Mr. Gu, today’s victory, you are truly the hero!"
Hundred Households Wang’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at Ming Mo with admiration, though he retained some sense. Knowing Ming Mo was merely Gu Chengyu’s follower, he included Gu Chengyu in his praise.
Gu Chengyu was speechless, it seemed Ming Mo had successfully gained a little admirer.
"My lord, General Yuan has fainted; I suspect he’s been poisoned!" Ming Mo set down Yuan Bin, who he had carried on his back. Gu Chengyu glanced at the unconscious Yuan Bin and noticed his lips had turned black.
"Indeed poisoned, give him a Detoxification Pill first, and send someone to get him a doctor!" Gu Chengyu assessed Yuan Bin’s body, noting the many wounds, the bleeding from his leg wound being the most severe.
"Yes, Mr. Gu, but are we just going to watch those enemies escape? If we pursue while victorious..."
Hundred Households Wang was somewhat unwilling, but the enemy was numerous, and they lacked a capable military commander. How could they pursue the victory?
Hundred Households Wang’s suggestion was simply pinning hope on Ming Mo. If Ming Mo could keep going, kill those few junior officers, then the remaining soldiers would be much easier to handle.
This way, not only would the enemy get nothing, but they could be annihilated.
After all, General Yuan was severely injured, and it was unknown when border reinforcements might arrive. If the enemy changed commanders and counterattacked, they wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Mr. Gu’s follower had such good martial arts—Liu Meng wasn’t even a match for him, and those junior officers were even less so. Logically speaking, Mr. Gu, as a court official, naturally had to do his part for the court.
After all, if Wujun Prefecture were overrun, it would greatly boost enemy morale. This could only be considered the first step.
However, after all, this person was still Mr. Gu’s follower. If Mr. Gu didn’t agree, he wouldn’t say more, as he still had favors to ask of him.
"Hasn’t Hundred Households Wang heard, ’Don’t chase a defeated enemy’? With your fifty thousand soldiers, even General Yuan is uncertain alive or dead and unconscious, do you dare hope for more? We’ll talk once he’s awake, don’t worry! They won’t be returning, at least not in the short term!"
Gu Chengyu glanced at the suddenly silent Prefect Qiu, thinking that this Prefect Qiu surely had some scheme planned. It seemed that later they would have to start with Prefect Qiu.
"My lord! Isn’t that our homing pigeon, Ah San?!" Ming Mo looked at the pigeon with a tuft of green feathers painted on its back. This green was painted by the lord himself.
"It’s news from Ming Yan!" Gu Chengyu’s spirit picked up. Today’s battle had lasted more than half the day, and now the sky had grown dark.
Ming Yan was rushing to Zifeng Prefecture; at this speed, the horses would be worn out.
Ming Mo retrieved the small bamboo tube from the homing pigeon, "My lord!"
Gu Chengyu wasted no time with words, spreading open the note, and his expression grew increasingly solemn upon reading it.
"Hundred Households Wang, quickly send someone to Huadong Prefecture to gather information, I suspect Huadong Prefecture has been breached!" Gu Chengyu tucked the note into his sleeve, pondering that Prince Gong’s strategies were truly not to be underestimated!
This was all carefully planned, a diversion tactic making everyone dance in circles.
Having just arrived at the border, he still didn’t have a grasp of the situation. It seemed he had to understand it quickly—too passive!
"What? You mean Huadong Prefecture? By whom?" Hundred Households Wang was still a bit dazed, unable to wrap his mind around it.
"Why did the enemy retreat so swiftly? I observed that their familiar retreat must have been rehearsed, otherwise, it wouldn’t be so clean and neat. Do you truly think that without a commander, they would retreat so easily? Prince Gong’s men are full of experts, without Liu Meng, there are still other fierce generals. Wujun Prefecture isn’t far from Zifeng Prefecture, temporarily assigning a military general could easily be done!"
"Then, then what do you mean?" Hundred Households Wang stammered, his mind a blank.
"We’ve fallen into Prince Gong’s scheme. He not only used a feint, but also simultaneously employed a diversion, do you understand now?"