Chapter Thirty-Seven Departure

  On the fourth day, Du Shantiger finally returned, his red armor making him look fierce and intimidating, but his exhaustion was also evident. Following him were less than three hundred men, all of whom were blood-soaked cavalrymen, as well as a sparse and scattered group that seemed to stretch on forever. This group consisted of a bunch of Western Qin soldiers who were dressed in tattered clothing and covered in wounds. Although they looked weak and feeble, with many of them being supported by others as they walked, and some even falling to the ground as they moved, as they gathered together, the horizontal blades, broken wooden clubs, and even stones in their hands seemed to give off a fierce aura. The blood-red eyes that gleamed in the crowd made them seem like a pack of wild beasts on the hunt, and the air itself seemed to carry a faint scent of blood.

  As Du Shantiger returned, he also brought back a mutilated corpse. The corpse's head was chopped off halfway, with only one left hand remaining, and the body had countless scars. It seemed that the corpse had been dead for some time, as there was no fresh blood flowing out, but it emitted a strong stench. However, Du Shantiger treated it like a treasure, tightly binding it to his back. As he arrived, the crowd silently parted to make way for him.

  Finally, Du Shantiger came before Li Jinhua and others, kneeling on the ground with a hoarse voice, "The remaining troops of Xuanfeng Army may be just these people... General Zhang died in battle, Deputy General Wu died in battle, Proclamation Envoy Zhang Fulu died in battle, Proclamation Deputy Envoy Duan Tiande died in battle... We have investigated that the Western Xia army has retreated towards Qingyang... I disobeyed the military order of the adults and brought back the body of General Zhang with my brothers. I am willing to accept the military law of the adults."

  What could Li Jinhua say after hearing this? She comforted him with kind words and immediately ordered people to prepare food and water, welcoming the remnants of the Xingfeng Army into the camp.

  After investigation, it was found that the remnants of Xianfeng Army still had 2,844 people left. Except for two lieutenants who were seriously injured and rescued by their subordinates, there were no other seriously wounded personnel among them. It can be inferred that those who were seriously injured must have been left behind. The commanders of Xianfeng Army suffered the heaviest casualties due to their continuous responsibility for leading the army's retreat. Among the officers above lieutenant rank, only two were left, both of whom were seriously injured, excluding Du Shantiger. If it weren't for the Western Xia army's voluntary withdrawal and Du Shantiger's rescue, it is estimated that 90% would have been annihilated, and another 10% would have starved to death during the retreat.

  With the addition of these people, the camp was once again bustling with activity. Now, nearly ten thousand people were stationed on this small hill. Fortunately, there were three grain transport teams that had enough food and grass to last for half a year. There were also tents and clothing available. With food and drink, they could get plenty of rest. Looking at these soldiers who had barely escaped with their lives but were exhausted to the extreme, Zhao Shi silently estimated how much physical strength they would recover in two days, taking into account the impact of defeat on morale. Some soldiers did not collapse during intense battles but suffered permanent psychological damage and eventually went mad. Such examples were not uncommon. However, he had a high opinion of the warriors of this era. These mostly low-born Western Qin soldiers had physical strength and tenacity that modern people could not match. Especially these border town soldiers who returned, they showed discipline, unity, and crazy fighting spirit, which made Zhao Shi feel deeply surprised. They dragged their wounded and exhausted bodies, still spontaneously forming teams, crawling forward to receive their share of food and water, pulling up comrades who couldn't bear the fatigue, using hoarse voices to scold them, driving them to eat something, even muttering things like "kill all Western Xia dogs" while eating...

  The next day, inside the great tent.

  "We set out tomorrow for Qingyang."

  When these words came out of Li Jinhua's mouth, they were bound to cause a stir and controversy among the crowd.

  "Sir, with just this many men, going to Qingyang is simply suicidal. Not to mention the Western Xia people, there are also tens of thousands of bandits..."

  "General, the Commander's order is for us to stay put and guard this place. Going to Qingyang would be disobeying military orders. I hope you will reconsider, sir..."

  Only Du Shantiger loudly said: "Sir, you have a lot of guts. I, Xianfeng Army, am willing to be your vanguard and fight against the Western Xia dogs again." He didn't say this just because he was hot-blooded; it's just that Xianfeng Army had suffered a great defeat, with many generals killed or missing, and when the reinforcements arrived, how could he explain the causes and consequences of the battle to the general? Could the general believe everything he said was true? The Xianfeng Army had lost so many soldiers and generals, while Qingyang was still safe and sound. If this matter wasn't handled properly, all the blame would fall on the Xianfeng Army's head. He had thought it through clearly; for both public and private reasons, the current Xianfeng Army had no other way out, so he might as well follow this astonishingly bold Lieutenant General and fight to the end.

  But his words were not welcome, and immediately someone muttered: "You Xianfeng Army want to go and die, we can't control it, but you still want to drag us, the grain-protecting army, to be your backing board. Where is your conscience?"

  The words came out loud, and Du Shantiger was furious as soon as he heard them. "What did you say?" He took a step forward, grabbed the man's collar, and was about to beat him up. The military men were all hot-tempered, and although he was an imperial martial instructor, he didn't belong to the same unit as the grain protector army. The man wasn't afraid either, and in the midst of loud curses, the two men immediately clashed.

  The crowd rushed forward to separate the two and persuade them, but Li Jin Hua's face had already turned iron-green with anger. The big tent was simple, without even a table, Li Jin Hua looked around, then picked up the chair behind her and threw it out. In the sound of shattering wood, everyone fell silent.

  Li Jinhua sneered, "What? You think that just because I'm a low-ranking officer, I won't be able to enforce military law?" If it were in the past or at some other time and place, as a temporary Fruitful Brave Captain, she indeed didn't have much to boast about. But in this temporarily assembled army, there wasn't a single person with a higher rank than hers. Having gone through the bloody battle of the previous days, the soldiers looked up to her with respect. After discussing with Zhao Shi for half the night, her confidence grew even more, and her imposing manner became apparent. Her eyes, red from lack of sleep, swept across the room, but not a single person dared to meet her gaze. The big tent was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

  Satisfied with the looks of the people around her, Li Jin Hua slowed down her tone and said: "As the saying goes, when the general is away, military orders are not always followed. I have already informed General's camp about the situation here through a fast horse, but due to the urgency of the situation, we can't wait for the camp to issue an order. After this, I will take responsibility for any mistakes, but here...". She paused and her tone turned severe, her thick eyebrows also stood up, "Here, all soldiers must follow my orders, if anyone dares to disobey my military orders, humph, I'm worried that there's no one's head to use as an example to boost the morale of the soldiers. Is there anyone else who has something to say?"

  Everyone who heard this murderous remark was shocked in their hearts, although they were dissatisfied, no one wanted to stir up trouble at this time.

  Seeing everyone was silent, Li Jin Hua continued: "This trip seems perilous, but it's actually as safe as Mount Tai. I won't go into details now, lest it weakens the determination of our troops to fight to the death. Once we lift the siege of Qingyang, I will make sure to record everyone's contributions in the merit book. As long as we work together with one heart, there's no need to worry about achieving great things. At that time, our names will be known throughout the land, and promotion and ennoblement will be easy."

  Although Li Jinhua only said a few words, those with deeper minds didn't quite believe her, but couldn't help being somewhat moved. Afterwards, when Li Jinhua assigned tasks, they were carried out with alacrity and obedience.

  。。。。。。。。。。。。

  On the second day, this motley crew composed of the remnants of Xianfeng's army, the grain-protecting and grain-forbidding armies, as well as the civilian porters pushing carts of grain, set out towards Qingyang. At this point, even Li Jinhua, who had been talking big, didn't have half a grasp on things in his heart, let alone those low-ranking officers who had no idea what their commander was planning. But military orders are like mountains - whether these people were willing or not, the army still moved steadily towards Qingyang.