Chapter Twenty-Six: A Restless Night

  In the Qin army's central camp, Hu Yang angrily split the desk in front of him into two halves with one sword.

  The entire army was silent as a cicada, and all high-ranking officers above the rank of colonel hung their heads in shame, not even daring to breathe.

  Wang Xun carefully walked into the big tent, and before he could speak, Hu Yang had already opened his mouth.

  "General Wang, how many casualties did our army suffer in this battle?"

  "Reporting to the General, the entire 10,000-strong cavalry regiment from Sima Xin, the Colonel of the Cavalry, down to the lowest ranks have all been killed in battle! The vanguard suffered 6,532 deaths, with 1,256 missing or captured, and only 2,212 men managed to escape back to the main camp. Our total losses amount to 17,788 men."

  Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Hu Yang was still shocked by the detailed casualty numbers. For decades, the Qin army had never suffered such a huge defeat. Regardless of the outcome, Hu Yang's reputation would be thoroughly ruined. If he couldn't thoroughly defeat the armies of Zhao, Wei and Han, Hu Yang's crime would be unforgivable even if he died a hundred times.

  The next moment, Hu Yang's face turned iron blue.

  "Where is General He who was in charge of attacking the city?"

  "From the five hundred strong men above to the school lieutenant Han Xiao, a total of twenty people are waiting outside the account for the general's disposal."

  "Good! Good! Good!"

  Hu Yang coldly said three good sentences in a row, and ordered: "Pass on the order of Ben Zhang, Han Xiao and twenty people below him, who were derelict in their duties and caused our army to suffer a great defeat. Behead them immediately! Display their heads to the public for three days!"

  "The cavalry camp is brave and kills the enemy, and they are buried thickly. Orders are given to the rear army's cavalry camp to take on the task of guarding the entire army. Tomorrow, the whole army will break camp. I will personally direct the battle, if we do not capture Ye Wang, I swear not to rest."

  Chen Yong, Huang Biao.

  "The end is near!"

  "Order you two to set up an ambush ten miles east of Ye Wang City after dark. Today's battle, Ye Wang has less than 5,000 soldiers who can fight, and I have determined that Ye Wang will definitely ask for help from Cheng Gao. If there is a relief army coming from Cheng Gao, the eastern gate is the only way to go. Your mission is to repel the reinforcements from Cheng Gao! If you miss this opportunity, I will not forgive you lightly."

  "Ah!"

  The two of them hastily took their orders and left.

  "Denko!"

  "The end will be there."

  "I hereby order you to immediately gather and collect our army's remains. Tonight, all officers and soldiers will wear mourning attire and pay respects to the fallen heroes."

  "Ah!"

  Tian Wu led his troops of 10,000 men to sweep the battlefield.

  "The rest of you will follow orders."

  "The end is near!"

  "Tonight's patrol will be doubled. Every movement within a twenty-mile radius must be crystal clear, understood?"

  "Ah!"

  The Yeowang Castle is another scene.

  The crown prince was inspecting the entire city under the escort of many generals. The city was bustling with activity everywhere. More than 2,000 new civilians entering the city needed to be settled, the wounded needed to be treated, and the fallen soldiers needed to be registered and cremated. One thing after another.

  Although the Han army achieved its greatest victory over the Qin army in decades, it also suffered significant casualties. The city needs manpower everywhere, and with the tiger riding, the current available force of the Han army is only more than 4,700 people.

  "Has Tianhu, the messenger sent to Chenggao for reinforcements, set off?" asked the Crown Prince.

  "I have informed the Crown Prince that we have set out. I think General Bao will send troops to reinforce us tonight."

  "It's all sent out. The Qin army has suffered a great defeat, and tomorrow will inevitably be furious. Tomorrow will be very difficult!" The crown prince sighed, without any joy of winning.

  Tian Hu said, "Your Highness needn't be so pessimistic. If the Qin troops dare to attack the city tomorrow, I'll lead the Tiger Cavalry again and we'll defeat them, making their men and horses fall."

  The prince threw away the troubles in front of him and laughed, scolding: "You must not be proud of winning one game. Today, the tiger riders killed a Qin army by surprise. If it weren't for the Qin army cavalry being divided into small teams, if it weren't for the Qin army being too close to the city gate, this battle would have been unpredictable!"

  Tian Hu knew this all along. The previous words were purely to amuse the prince, and now it seems that the goal has been achieved.

  "I report to Your Highness, I have organized the young and strong to defend the city as per your instructions." The voice of Wei Wangtao echoed in Prince Ranzhen's ear.

  "Mr. Han has arrived. Please hurry up and greet him."

  The crown prince hastily pulled up ** who was paying respects.

  "Han Taishou, tonight will be a hard night for the people of Xinwang."

  "The prince is talking nonsense. Guarding the castle of Yeowang is the responsibility of the people of Yeowang. Moreover, today, our great Korean army rescued thousands of people from Yeowang amidst a sea of enemy soldiers, this is a great kindness! Tonight, let the army rest easy and we, the people of Yeowang, will take care of defending the castle."

  "It's all right then. Thanks for your concern, Officer Han."

  "I don't dare! I don't dare!"

  That night, the Qin army's camp again echoed with the old Qin people's military song. The desolate and vast melody resonated all around, although Han had won a great victory, but due to heavy casualties, the citizens guarding the city were also infected and felt sorrowful in their hearts.

  Listening to the military song of the old Qin people, the uneasy heart of the crown prince slightly calmed down.

  What he was most worried about was the Qin army's night raid, now it seems that the Qin army will be busy mourning their dead generals. This is great! Once reinforcements arrive tomorrow, what is there to fear from the Qin army?

  At three o'clock in the morning, twenty miles east of Ye Wang City.

  A South Korean army of about 10,000 men is slowly approaching Yeolwang.

  After hearing the result of today's battle at Ye Wang, Bao Yi was greatly relieved. Bao Yi did not expect the Qin people to be so ruthless and cruel, nor did he expect Prince Ran to be so wise and decisive.

  Since the Battle of Hwangyang, no one has brought more surprises than Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is truly a lucky star for Korea! Bokyeong exclaimed.

  After receiving the distress signal from Prince Yan, Bao Pi couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself. He had stationed his 50,000-strong army fifty miles west of Chenggao, roughly a day's march for infantry, in order to provide timely reinforcements to Ye Wang. This way, whether it was retreating to defend Chenggao or rushing to reinforce Ye Wang, both options would be extremely convenient.

  What originally took two days of forced march can now be done in one day. Bao Pi considered the rescue troops to be like putting out a fire, and immediately dispatched 10,000 soldiers to march overnight to Ye Wang.

  If everything goes smoothly, before dawn tomorrow, this rapid corps mainly composed of cavalry and infantry will arrive at Ye Wang sixty miles away.

  In the letter, Taizi repeatedly warned to be careful of Qin's ambush, but Bao Ying had some disregard for it. The Qin army was newly defeated and their morale was low. Moreover, the main general of the Qin army would not have expected that their own reinforcements would arrive so quickly.

  After all, Ye Wang is one hundred and ten miles away from Cheng Gao, and the fastest cavalry in the reinforcements will take at least a whole day to arrive.

  Only a messenger who conveys urgent military information and doesn't care about his horse's strength can travel 100 miles in half a day. What Bao Jia wants is to catch them off guard, taking advantage of this time difference. As soon as the reinforcements arrive, the morale of the Qin army will surely decline further.

  Unbeknownst to them, the news of the Great Bandit Army setting up camp fifty miles outside the city had already reached Hu Yang's ears.

  In the past, Hu Yang was not afraid of the violent and numerous Bird Army. Now that they have just suffered a defeat, if the Bird Army dares to advance hastily, Hu Yang will not let go of this opportunity.

  Zheng Wen was the main general supporting the rescue of Huayang army. Although he was only thirty-five years old, he was trusted by Bao You as his confidant. The reason is simple, because he was solid, diligent, and a man of the same kind as Bao You.

  Such a person may not have any brilliant ideas, but they will also never make any unforgivable low-level mistakes.

  His caution saved his life just like now.

  After a long and arduous journey, the Wild King was about to arrive. Zheng Wen did not relax his vigilance. He carefully divided the army into three armies: front, middle, and rear. The central army consisted of 5,000 chariots, while the front and rear were agile light infantry.

  Although the vanguard scouts repeatedly indicated that they had encountered no enemy situation, Zheng Wen still ordered a slowdown in the pace of the march.

  The disaster struck almost in an instant.

  Innumerable crossbow arrows shot down the defenseless Han army, and the Qin army surged up from all sides. The Han army, which was originally reinforcing Ye Wang, suddenly fell into a precarious situation.