Chapter 23

Tightly tensing his body, he slowly sank down, allowing the withered leaves and decaying soil to bury him. After a moment, in this dense forest, there was no trace left of any human presence. Qin Feng, hugging his iron saber, quietly hid in this ancient forest that had not been visited by anyone for who knows how many years.

The sound of rustling footsteps echoed, passing by his hiding place. It lasted for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick before the sounds finally disappeared. Suppressing his urgent feelings, he waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before Qin Feng finally crawled out from the ground. His expression grew even more solemn.

This was the fifth day since he left the Death Corps. He had not encountered a single soldier from the Great Chu Western Border Army, but since yesterday, he had discovered one team after another of Western Qin troops heading towards Jingjing Pass.

Including today's group, it was already the eighth batch in two days, with the total number exceeding twenty thousand. These Western Qin troops were orderly and disciplined, with strict military rules. It was almost impossible to hear any talking, and the occasional sounds were mostly orders from officers. This was not the Qin border army; it must be the Thunder Army from Yongdu.

The Qin border army did not have such strict discipline and style.

Not seeing any of his own troops, not even a single straggler, how could a battle be fought to such an extent that not a single straggler could be seen? In a battle, even a complete annihilation would not result in such a situation! Qin Feng could hardly believe that everything he encountered was real, but the reality was right before his eyes. He did not encounter the expected Great Chu Army, not even a straggler or a deserter, but he found wave after wave of Qin troops heading towards Jingjing Pass.

Perhaps, General Zuo's army was only cut off from their retreat. To completely and thoroughly eliminate an army of tens of thousands was not so easy. General Zuo and his men might just be surrounded, still struggling, which is why there were no stragglers or deserters. With a glimmer of hope, Qin Feng continued to move forward cautiously.

Now he had to be extremely careful. It was clear that this area was now under Qin control.

On the sixth night, Qin Feng arrived at the First Line Gorge. Here, he finally saw the Great Chu Army, but they were not alive.

In the long, deep gorge, Chu Army corpses were scattered everywhere, layer upon layer, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was evident that the Chu Army had fought a fierce battle with the Western Qin Army here. They wanted to break through the First Line Gorge to open a retreat route, but they failed. The Western Qin Thunder Army, which was now heading towards Jingjing Pass, must have blocked this Chu Army here before moving on.

His hands trembling slightly, Qin Feng entered the gorge. A tattered military flag fluttered in the wind. Seeing that flag, Qin Feng's heart trembled. He leaped to the flag like the wind. This was the flag of the Thunder Corps, and the captain of the Thunder Corps was Wolf Tooth, who had come from the Death Corps.

Under the flag, hundreds of corpses lay in a ring. Moving aside the central few, Qin Feng was shocked to see Wolf Tooth's body. A wine glass-sized hole pierced his chest, a fatal shot.

Looking at Wolf Tooth's unblinking eyes, Qin Feng lowered his head in sorrow. Wolf Tooth did not die in the Death Corps but in this meaningless battle, dying without any value.

A loud noise came from a distance. Qin Feng suddenly looked up, his body not hesitating for a moment. In a few leaps, he climbed up the cliff, using the protruding rocks and vines, like a monkey, until he found a dense patch of weeds to hide his body. He crouched in the weeds and looked into the gorge.

About a thousand Qin soldiers were cheering as they rushed into the gorge. This was the Qin border army he was familiar with, each one ragged and emaciated. Seeing the countless Chu Army corpses in the gorge, they cheered and swarmed in, beginning their plunder.

Armor, clothes, even headscarves and foot bindings were not spared. With their skilled hands, the Chu Army corpses in the gorge quickly became naked, exposed to the daylight. The Qin border army, who looked like beggars, transformed. If Qin Feng had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have believed it was a Great Chu Army.

Gripping the rocks tightly, Qin Feng struggled to suppress his anger. He could only endure and remain silent, unable to act for the sake of his fallen comrades, even if his martial arts were higher, he could not face a thousand Western Qin soldiers.

The plunder lasted for about an hour, which was a kind of unbearable torture for Qin Feng. Apart from Wolf Tooth, he did not know the others in the Thunder Corps, but they were all his comrades. For years, they had lived and fought together in these mountains, but now, he could only watch their bodies being desecrated.

The Qin soldiers in the gorge took the Thunder Corps' flag and piled the naked corpses together. Soon, they brought countless logs and stacked them on the corpses. Smoke rose, and a fierce fire burned in the gorge. The smoke and the smell of burning soon filled the entire gorge. Qin Feng stood up from the weeds, bowed to the burning bodies of his comrades, and climbed to the top of the gorge.

Standing on the mountain top, he clearly saw that within a radius of dozens of miles, there were at least a dozen smoke columns rising into the sky. Seeing this, Qin Feng understood what these smoke columns represented. Each one meant the destruction of at least one Chu Army camp.

It was really over! Qin Feng sat down in despair. He had no strength to move forward anymore. He could not bear to see the scene he had just witnessed. Wolf Tooth and Leopard were dead, and from the Death Corps, only Zhang Xiaomao remained. Initially, he had felt sorry for Zhang Xiaomao, but now, he was the luckiest one. If Zhang Xiaomao had not had that incident, today, on this battlefield, he would have seen another familiar face fall.

Lying on the fallen leaves, he watched the sun gradually set and the moon slowly rise. Tens of thousands of troops had been buried in these mountains because the court had changed its plans. He laughed bitterly. Without this army, the western border of Great Chu was already breached. The western defense line that General Zuo had spent seven or eight years building was now gone. With only the Death Corps and the army in Nanyang City left, it was impossible to defend Nanyang Prefecture. If the Qin Army wanted to take Nanyang Prefecture, it would not be a problem.

Perhaps he needed to think about the future of himself and the Death Corps. Without the western border army and General Zuo, the Death Corps might not have a reason to exist, and no one would tolerate him anymore.

Thinking of General Zuo, he sighed. He was a good general, though a bit too ambitious. But in the political arena, who could be an exception? Even he, if not for his strange cultivation method that could lead to death at any moment, would he not want to be remembered in history and achieve eternal glory?

Lost in thought, Qin Feng slowly fell asleep. The mental anguish and physical fatigue of the past few days had pushed him to the brink of collapse. Now, with the confirmation that the western border army was destroyed, he could no longer hold on.

He slept until the moon was high in the sky before waking up.

He was not naturally awake but startled awake. Even in his exhausted state, the alertness and sixth sense developed from years of battlefield experience still made Qin Feng wake up from the sound of footsteps.

He quickly rolled to the side of a large tree, like a snake, and climbed to the treetop along the trunk.

There were five people, all Qin border soldiers. From their steps and demeanor, they were all skilled martial artists. The leader, judging by his attire, was a deputy captain of the Qin border army.

"Captain Deng, after this battle, we will make a fortune," the Qin soldiers looked extremely relaxed. "A trip to Nanyang Prefecture, and we won't have to worry about this year. We haven't been to Nanyang Prefecture for two years, and now it's perfect. Those Chu pigs must be fat and ready for the harvest!"

"Exactly, I wonder if we will directly take Nanyang Prefecture this time. In my opinion, we should just take it. The Great Chu Western Border Army has been completely destroyed, and Nanyang Prefecture is left with only a few stragglers. If not now, when?" another person said.

Deputy Captain Deng said, "Whether to take Nanyang Prefecture is not our concern. The higher-ups will decide. We should just do our jobs. We are here to search for any remaining Chu soldiers. Everyone, stay alert. Any Chu soldiers who can escape are likely skilled."

"Who else could escape? Our general is too cautious," one person laughed. "We've been out all day and haven't seen a single one."

"Follow the general's orders, no need for so much talk," Deputy Captain Deng scolded.

"Captain, don't be angry. The Chu princess, Princess Zhao Hua, is in the army. She is a great beauty in Chu and of high status. I heard that General Li Zhi's order is to capture her alive. Captain, do you know if General Li has captured her?"

"Probably not yet," Deputy Captain Deng did not scold this time but smiled. "She is a skilled martial artist, and her people are also skilled. After the encirclement, there was no news of her capture. I heard that General Li personally chased after her. Sending us out is also for patrol and vigilance. Princess Zhao Hua is of high status. If we can capture her, it will be a significant bargaining chip in negotiations with Chu."

"Captain, tell us more. Your uncle is a big figure, he must have inside information. Does Princess Zhao Hua really need General Li to capture her?"

"Princess Zhao Hua is a skilled martial artist, and her people are also skilled. Left Lixing is a master-level figure. It's easy to destroy their army, but capturing them alive is difficult. General Li had to personally go. When I left, my uncle said that Left Lixing was protecting Princess Zhao Hua and breaking through the encirclement. General Li personally led people to chase after them."

"General Li will surely capture her easily."

"Of course, we might see that delicate beauty when we return."

Everyone laughed.

In the treetop, Qin Feng was both shocked and delighted. Shocked that the army was indeed destroyed, but delighted that General Zuo and Princess Zhao Hua were still alive. He slowly slid down the tree trunk, deciding to deal with these people, capture Deputy Captain Deng, and get a clear understanding.

(Sorry, I really wrote it by hand. I wrote Gao Yuan for two years, and suddenly changing the main character, I was a bit unaccustomed. But I have already corrected it, hehehe!)

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