chapter 51

The snow in the north was very dry . Every day, vast amounts of snow fall from the skies . In the time it takes several incense sticks to burn, the ground was already coated in a fresh white . The nature of the dry and fluffy snow made it hard to freeze into ice .

It was already quite deep into January, and this is probably the last snow before spring .

Gu Nan sat on a large stone within the camp .

Blackie was standing nearby and raised his neck . His hooves stomped down on the snow twice, making several valleys and impressions in the snow . Gu Nan wasn’t sure why Blackie was throwing a ruckus . Maybe some snow drifted into his nose .

When the Qin army withdrew to the camp, it began to snow .

The snow came very quickly and was a flurry . It blotted out the sun and filled the air, leaving only a gray sky .

The morale of the Qin army seemed to have hit a valley . All of their confidence and numerical advantage still resulted in they being beaten until retreat . Everyone sighed a breath of relief, but it didn’t change the fact that they were beaten back .

Everyone felt exhausted .

The soldiers sat together in groups . They cleared a circle of ground free of snow and set a campfire . This warm fire cleared the cold, and everyone drooped their heads down to rest .

Most everyone had some sort of injury . Using a tattered piece of cloth was considered good enough to cover wounds . Few people in this era placed importance or considered the problem of infections .

Gu Nan’s spear was placed horizontally across her lap . She was using a section of her cloak to rub off the blood on her spear . The blood was frozen into a reddish ice, as the cloak wiped over it, the flakes fell onto the ground .

Her white cloak was also sullied by blotches of bloodstains .

History is different than she imagined . The Zhao army still hadn’t broken after all . Zhao Kuo’s ability, unfortunately, is much stronger than reported in the history books .

Regardless of how profound and sophisticated his strategy was, it’s undeniable that he’s done a great feat for preserving the army’s will to fight until now .

In the ancient battlefield, unless there was an absolute advantage in numbers or a ruthless trap, battles were almost always dictated by the morale of both sides .

“Miss Gu . ” A soldier walked over, bringing a hot bowl of rice soup . “I suggest you eat something . ”

Gu Nan took the bowl and nodded . “Many thanks . ”

The hot steam was quickly dispersed by the cold winds .

…

“Sturdy . ” Bai Qi held a battle report in his hand and nodded faintly as he faced Wang He .

Although he didn’t want to see this result, it was certainly the most reasonable one . Zhao Kuo, from the very onset, was like a fish in a dilemma . To die or to break through the net . There was never any room for retreat .

If the Qin army wants to remaining in fighting shape, this battle cannot be so simple .

Such a determined child . Bai Qi had a slightly troubled look, letting out a sigh . “What were their losses?”

Wang He frowned . “The one battle lasted less than two hours . At least tens of thousands . There was chaos, and it’s hard to definitively gauge it . ”

This battle was much different from the small-scale skirmishes or camp raids . The two armies were in full confrontation . There was no longer any towering walls or limiting terrain . Therefore, it allowed for the largest-scale clash possible .

In just two hours, the casualties on both sides numbered in the several tens of thousands . The blood and bodies almost spread to the banks of the Dan River . The losses on both sides were similar . Perhaps one side had more, but it wouldn’t be by much .

Dealing with the remaining enemies will still be a tricky issue .

“Old Bai, what should we do now?” Wang He’s face was severe . This conflict had continued for two years, and Qin’s military strength cannot be continually maintained too much longer .

“Encircle them . Don’t attack, seal them in . ” Since he could already predict this bad result, Bai Qi would naturally have arranged for a contingency .

“The Zhao army cannot have more than three days of military provisions . After three days, no matter what they eat, they will not last for long . Once the Zhao army crumbles, we can move in from the sidelines . Then, their determined morale will surely be shaken . ”

Bai Qi paused there and narrowed his eyes .

“We must be underhanded . ”

It may be a despicable strategy, but it’s simple enough and will certainly work .

Once the enemy runs out of food, it is easy enough to trick them into surrendering . So long as just a single Zhao soldier surrenders, the entire Zhao army will collapse .

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The Zhao army was encircled .

In the afternoon, after Zhao Kuo and his troops withdrew to camp, several hundred thousand Qin soldiers encircled the entirety of the encampment . However, there were no raids or attacks .

This time, the distance between the two camps was less than a mile . You could almost step out the gates and shout hello to the other side .

Of course, no one would do this .

The two armies carefully kept watch as a peaceful night followed .

The next morning, Zhao Kuo ordered the Zhao army to form up .

Once is energetic, twice is tried, thrice is exhaustion .

This type of morale is a very unstable foundation, and it was now the Zhao army’s turn to feel grief and indignation .

If a couple days go by, it’s unknown whether the Zhao army could still fight . Zhao Kuo isn’t one to succumb to the negative thoughts, he could not let this opportunity slip .

The Zhao army began their continuous assault on the encirclement .

The Qin defenses are undoubtedly sturdier than before, growing accustomed to the crazy antics of the Zhao soldiers . Even after fighting day and night, the Zhao army could not break the solid defense .

The casualties of both armies continued to rise as this war of attrition wore onward .

On the third day of encirclement, the Zhao army completely ran out of food . Just as the Qin felt the vestiges of victory near, the Zhao did something shocking .

They began collecting the corpses of the battlefield .

Heavy snow had fallen; and on the battlefield of immense size, it was littered with half-covered corpses . In this cold weather, bodies didn’t rot quickly and were preserved well .

The Zhao army began to eat these bodies .

The Qin army was petrified by this behavior akin to beasts . If they must resort to eating corpses, why would they keep fighting?

The answer to this is only known to the Zhao army .

Eating their robes and even the bodies of their brothers, all for the singular goal to continue fighting