Chapter 75

Although the "Lu" character flags were flying back and forth, in fact, Lu Yao did not participate in this battle. The battlefield commander was Xue Tong, who merely continued to use the "Lu" character flag.

Due to the wound on his left side splitting open several times during the night's repeated galloping, the massive blood loss made Lu Yao's face frighteningly pale. For this reason, his subordinates used a lot of cloth to bandage the wound, wrapping it so tightly that he could not even bend over, feeling as if he had turned into a mummy escaping from an Egyptian pyramid.

Lu Yao repeatedly objected to this, but the soldiers ignored his opinions, ultimately wrapping him up like a precious treasure and forcing him to abandon the desire to re-engage in battle.

Clearly, a commander like Lu Yao, who could bring victory, had gained increasing support from the soldiers. However, Lu Yao himself felt a constant sense of vigilance.

Leaving aside the decision he had to make while trapped in Qiao Xi's camp, let's just talk about after joining forces with Xue Tong and others. At that time, even with the reinforcements led by Xue Tong, the Jin army's numbers were only one-tenth of the Xiongnu's. Moreover, they were all extremely fatigued from the long march. However, Lu Yao believed that the key to victory lay in taking the enemy by surprise, not in numbers. The enemy would never expect the Jin army to launch another attack so quickly, and this was an opportunity that must not be missed. Besides, although the Jin army was fatigued, were the Xiongnu not equally fatigued? Therefore, he overruled the objections and led the troops to march through the night, advancing to the enemy camp at dawn. Before the attack, he also dispatched soldiers to create straw men and straw horses, spreading them throughout the mountains and forests to create the illusion of a larger force.

The situation indeed unfolded as Lu Yao had planned. The Jin army's counterattack clearly took the enemy by surprise, and the decoys in the mountains and forests had a significant effect. The disorganized Xiongnu could not mount an effective defense and were routed by the Jin army. The battle had lasted less than half an hour, but the Xiongnu's casualties probably already exceeded a thousand.

In the soldiers' minds, this clearly added to Lu Yao's reputation for making flawless plans. However, Lu Yao himself knew that the heavy pressure of planning and strategizing for several hours had almost overwhelmed him.

Lu Yao took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. He pressed his knuckles, making them crack, as if the heavy pressure would gradually diminish with these subconscious actions.

At this moment, he was surrounded by a dozen bodyguards, standing on a hill in the northeast, overlooking the battlefield, silently watching the dense figures of soldiers charging and fighting. From this vantage point, the movements of every squad and every warrior's struggle were clearly visible. The routes and patterns of the Xiongnu's retreat and regrouping were also clearly visible.

Since regaining his memory in the mountains of Shangdang, this was the first time Lu Yao had independently commanded a real battle. This was different from the fierce fight at the Funiu Fort, where a single man's anger led to bloodshed, and different from the certain victory in the attack on the Guo family's stronghold. This was a major battle where the lives of countless soldiers hung in the balance.

Lu Yao almost knew and understood each of his old subordinates, the remnants of the Bingzhou army who had pledged their loyalty during the reorganization in Jicheng, and even the mixed ethnic warriors who had been incorporated into the Jinyang army at Banchiao. The vast majority of them had been forced into the military by the harsh realities of the world. They sought only a full meal, but what they paid was the constant threat of war and death. And so many lives were completely in Lu Yao's hands.

When only Lu Yao himself was involved in the battle, he believed he could become a ruthless and merciless killing machine. Killing the enemy or dying with them was such a simple choice that it would not cause any hesitation. However, when his judgment could determine the life or death of hundreds or even thousands of soldiers... Lu Yao felt a deep sense of responsibility.

Yet, the human heart is so unpredictable. Overlooking the battlefield, Lu Yao also felt a strong sense of being a high-ranking chess player, using thousands of troops as pawns and the fate of the world as the stakes. The worries and self-reproach over the casualties of the soldiers vanished, replaced by a sense of satisfaction in controlling the lives of countless people. This was a unique feeling he had never experienced before, one that was so captivating.

With responsibility comes power. Indeed, this was the intoxicating feeling that power brought.

Lu Yao suddenly realized he had been distracted. He collected his emotions and smiled bitterly. In such a dangerous and bloody battle, where people were dying every moment, he was still thinking about abstract concepts like responsibility and power. Was he really unable to change his scholarly habits?

At this moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from the southern end of the battlefield.

It was Xue Tong leading his troops in pursuit of a group of Xiongnu who were fighting while retreating. He galloped and wielded his saber, charging into the enemy's center like a bolt of lightning, cutting down the heavily guarded flag with one stroke, then dispersing the surrounding enemies and riding out. His armor and horse were almost entirely stained with the enemy's blood. From a distance, he looked like a blood-soaked lion, tearing and trampling through the enemy ranks.

Under Xue Tong's repeated assaults, the Xiongnu could not even organize an orderly retreat. They could only repeatedly gather and flee, only to be scattered again, even to the point of trampling each other to escape. The northern Xiongnu, known for their bravery, had never been so disorganized and desperate, which was hard to imagine.

Seeing this, even the bodyguards following Lu Yao showed eager expressions, wishing they could charge down the hill and join the battle. Especially the young men like Chu Kun and Yang Ruo, who were in the prime of their lives, their courage undiminished despite the previous night's battle. They exchanged glances behind Lu Yao, hoping to nominate someone to request permission to fight.

Suddenly, Lu Yao let out a surprised exclamation: "Hmm?"

In his line of sight, a small Xiongnu unit appeared, perfectly organized. Initially, there were only twenty to thirty men, but they skillfully avoided several Jin army attacks, gradually increasing to over a hundred. Instead of retreating, they began to advance slowly and steadily, integrating and reorganizing the scattered soldiers along the way, eventually occupying a Xiongnu camp that had been abandoned.

Xue Tong soon noticed this Xiongnu unit and mobilized his forces, first with infantry and then with cavalry, to test their defenses, but they were all firmly repelled. Xue Tong, enraged, roared and quickly gathered the scattered Jin army into a larger unit to advance on the enemy. However, this allowed more of the previously scattered Xiongnu to catch their breath.

Lu Yao suddenly felt a sense of admiration for the leader of this Xiongnu unit. A few months ago, after the battle at Dalin, had he not done the same, gradually gathering and reorganizing his forces amidst the chaos of a total defeat, and repelling one wave of pursuers after another?

Although the Jin army still held the absolute initiative in the overall battle, Lu Yao was very clear that the key point of the battle had changed due to the efforts of this Xiongnu unit.

After all, the Xiongnu still had a significant numerical advantage. No matter how hard the Jin army fought, they could not annihilate them. Once the Xiongnu recovered from their initial confusion, they would easily see through the small ruse in the mountains and forests. They would realize that they were not being attacked by the main force of the Jin army and that a counterattack would surely bring victory.

For the Jin army, the difference between a favorable situation and defeat was a thin line. And the Xiongnu seemed to be about to find that line.

"The Xiongnu have smart people... We should withdraw. Remember, too much is as bad as too little." Lu Yao waved his hand and ordered, "Sound the retreat!"

******

Today, a friend reminded me that asking for clicks, red votes, and collections at the end of each chapter is in poor taste and lacks integrity. Okay, even though I still really want to, I won't include those requests. Thank you all...

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