Chapter 1160: How Could I Tolerate You!

The Wei defenders had actually surrendered?

With the situation reversing so completely in an instant, the cultivators secretly sent by the other states could hardly be expected to keep risking their lives for Wei.

One after another, they leaped into the air and fled the danger zone as quickly as possible, desperate to avoid being trapped in an encirclement.

The few Wei cultivators left behind were even more isolated and unsupported. With the greater tide already lost, they too had no choice but to withdraw in haste.

Only a few exceptionally unwilling, grief-stricken roars lingered behind...

Under the night sky, Shao Pingbo stood on the mountaintop, his expression taut as he stared toward the firelight at Xiping Pass.

Shao Sansheng and a group of Blackwater Terrace personnel stood around him, all watching the same direction in complete silence.

They all understood that no matter how thoroughly they had prepared before the battle, a true battlefield was filled with variables.

Whether this crucial battle succeeded would ultimately depend on the commander-in-chief's ability to adapt on the spot and deploy his troops.

"My lord!"

A Blackwater Terrace operative suddenly appeared, overflowing with joy as he made an urgent report.

"Everything went smoothly! General Yin has successfully occupied Xiping Pass. The Wei troops either surrendered or fled. Excluding those killed in battle and those who escaped, nearly half of the three hundred thousand defenders surrendered!"

Two women had come with him as well: Noble Consort Chang and Noble Consort Sang.

They stepped forward to pay their respects.

Shao Pingbo had no attention to spare for the women. He immediately asked, "What are our losses?"

The operative replied, "We do not yet have detailed figures. The preliminary estimate is more than ten thousand killed or wounded. The main body of the army remains intact!"

Shao Pingbo lifted his face to the sky and released a long breath.

The tension seemed to drain out of him all at once. His body swayed unsteadily.

He had not closed his eyes for two days and two nights.

"Eldest Young Master!" Shao Sansheng cried out and caught him first.

"My lord!"

Everyone around them was startled. A cultivator hurriedly used spiritual power to regulate Shao Pingbo's breathing and qi.

Shao Pingbo raised one hand weakly. "I'm fine! Taking Xiping Pass is not the final victory. We still have to hold it."

"Facing the reinforcements from Qin and Qi, there is nothing more we can do from here. The rest depends on General Yin. The true hard battle is still ahead..."

At Xiping Pass, firelight illuminated the night.

A group of cultivators and soldiers were urgently extinguishing one blaze. Before fleeing, Wei cultivators had started fires in an attempt to destroy supplies.

But by then it was already too late.

The fires had been set in haste, and before long the soldiers and cultivators working together put them out.

Yin Chu walked through the fire-damaged area, then called Chen Changgong over to accompany him while he inspected the stockpiled supplies throughout Xiping Pass.

At the sight of bag after bag of grain, Yin Chu excitedly slapped the sacks again and again.

"Good!"

When he saw mountains of bundled arrows, his reaction was the same. Other than saying "good," he did nothing but praise Chen Changgong's contribution.

Yin Chu's army had traveled light in order to maximize speed. It had brought very little baggage and few heavy supplies.

If he wanted to hold Xiping Pass, he would have to rely on the pass's own stockpiles.

With enough grain and enough arrows, he now had confidence he could complete the defensive task entrusted to him by Jin.

He did not need to sally out and fight everywhere.

He only needed to hold.

As long as he held long enough, as long as he held until Jin's army defeated Wei's main forces and opened the supply route, victory would be theirs.

Under those circumstances, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Chen Changgong had earned the foremost merit of this battle.

Normally, even if the defenders could no longer hold Xiping Pass, the commander would still order all military supplies burned or destroyed before withdrawing, preventing them from falling into enemy hands.

But because of Chen Changgong, the supplies had suffered very little damage. Nearly everything had been preserved.

How could that not count as a great achievement?

Although Xiping Pass had fallen into his hands, Yin Chu did not dare rest.

Qi's forces were nearly there.

Redeploying the army and rearranging the defensive lines went without saying. Yin Chu also ordered caves excavated into the mountains so grain and other easily destroyed supplies could be buried underground as much as possible, guarding against enemy fire attacks.

He was already preparing for a prolonged defense.

At the same time, soldiers worked through the night carrying and stacking stones, accumulating large quantities of rocks that could be rolled down the slopes in preparation for the enemy's coming assaults.

As for the surrendered Wei soldiers, Yin Chu honored Jin's promise to Chen Changgong.

They would not be mistreated.

Those willing to remain could stay. Those unwilling to remain could leave after laying down their weapons. Each departing man was even given one day's ration and severance money.

Jin paid no small price for this. To a certain extent, it was also a way of preserving Chen Changgong's standing before his old soldiers.

Many chose to leave.

Of the roughly one hundred fifty thousand surrendered soldiers, nearly one hundred thousand departed.

Some left because they despised what had happened. They had surrendered only because the situation forced them to or because they had not understood what was happening.

Others had wives and children at home and feared implicating their families.

Not everyone was Chen Changgong, important enough for Jin to spend an enormous price rescuing his household.

Chen Changgong wept as he personally saw them off.

He promised, "If Wei is defeated and brothers have nowhere left to go, come find me!"

After laying down their weapons and removing their armor, the soldiers disappeared into the night.

By the time all these arrangements were complete, dawn had already broken.

Only then did Yin Chu go to pay his respects to the Seventh Princess.

Facing the tearful Taishu Huan'er, he pressed his lips into a hard line and dropped to one knee.

"Is the General satisfied?" Taishu Huan'er asked.

Those were the only words she spoke to the kneeling Yin Chu.

Yin Chu had no answer.

He silently withdrew.

As he left, he looked back and saw Chen Changgong staying behind in the room and closing the door.

Yin Chu raised his face toward the sky, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh.

That afternoon, Qi's fifty-thousand-man cavalry vanguard arrived and gathered below the mountains.

Learning that Xiping Pass had already fallen, they did not immediately launch a forced assault. Instead, they withdrew to a safe distance and waited for the rest of the army to arrive.

In truth, even before news came that Xiping Pass had fallen, the Wei court had already realized something was wrong.

For commanders stationed at strategically vital passes, the court claimed to be giving preferential treatment to their families.

In reality, those families were hostages in another form.

Chen Changgong's wife and children were suddenly abducted by a group of experts willing to pay any price.

For something like that to happen at such a moment, how could the Wei court fail to become suspicious?

When news finally arrived that Xiping Pass had fallen, the court was shaken.

Xuan Wei was so furious and grief-stricken she nearly coughed blood. Naturally, she cursed Chen Changgong savagely.

Jin had abducted only Chen Changgong's closest family members and ignored the rest.

At Xuan Wei's command, everyone else was seized.

She ordered Chen Changgong's nine clans exterminated as a warning to others!

News that Xiping Pass had fallen shook every state.

Jin rejoiced.

Emperor Taishu Xiong rejoiced.

The route for Qin's reinforcements had been cut. Jin no longer had to fear enemies converging from every side.

Grand Marshal Gao Pin, commanding Jin's overall war effort, finally dared loosen his restraints and commit himself fully.

The fall of Xiping Pass had an obvious impact on all the factions inside Wei.

Military morale had already been unstable. Now, with Qin unable to reinforce them and Jin's wolf-and-tiger assault pressing harder, the signs of defeat became even clearer.

Standing silently before his map, Huyan Wuhen stared at Xiping Pass for a long time.

After drawing a deep breath, he revised his battle plan.

Most of the eastern army that had been heading toward Yin Chu altered course and moved toward other parts of Wei, preparing to concentrate the bulk of its strength for a decisive battle against Jin's main army.

Only a smaller force remained to attack Xiping Pass.

Calling it an attack was almost too generous.

Its true purpose was harassment—constant, repeated harassment.

Huyan Wuhen's objective was simple.

He would deny the defenders of Xiping Pass any peace, keep them exhausted, and wear them down until Qin's army arrived to launch the main assault.

He knew that after taking Xiping Pass, Jin would defend it at any cost.

Qi's forces were not particularly skilled at mountain warfare. Taking the pass would be extremely difficult.

Rather than bleed away his strength at Xiping Pass, it was better to concentrate his forces against Jin's main army.

Otherwise, if Jin were allowed to sweep through Wei too quickly, the situation would become unfavorable for Qi's army.

The change at Xiping Pass altered the posture of the entire war and forced many people into situations they had never wanted.

Qin's main army finally reached Xiping Pass.

It was late.

Had it arrived earlier, the war might have taken on an entirely different shape. Jin might already have been forced into a humiliating retreat.

But late or not, Qin still had to fight.

No matter the cost, it had to take the pass.

Qin's grain lifeline lay on the other side of those mountains.

Supreme General Tian Zhengyang ordered the army into a furious assault.

Attack at any cost!

Under that savage offensive, Xiping Pass—easy to defend and difficult to attack—nearly fell.

Xiaoyue Pavilion's Heavenly Mechanism Aura-Breaking Arrows were simply too formidable. They inflicted enormous losses on Jin's cultivators.

But the Heavenly Mechanism Aura-Breaking Arrow was an extremely intricate weapon, difficult to manufacture and available only in limited numbers.

It was not suited for the consumption of large-scale warfare. It was better used in smaller clashes.

Eventually, Qin's stock was exhausted.

Faced with Jin's cultivators fighting as though they had thrown away their lives, and with Qiyun Sect disciples whose bodies were almost impervious to blade and spear, the Qin cultivators opening the way for the army had no choice but to withdraw.

The violent torrent of rolling stones from above likewise drove back Qin's assault.

Jin's cultivator losses were enormous.

If this continued, there would be no way to hold the pass.

Yin Chu's eyes turned red as he urgently sent word back to Jin, demanding that more cultivators be transferred to reinforce him.

Below the mountain, Tian Zhengyang reorganized his forces and gathered strength for the next assault.

Above, the Jin side was likewise clearing away the enormous number of casualties left by the fighting.

During one inspection, Chen Changgong looked upon the dead and wounded everywhere and grew increasingly uneasy.

Again and again, he asked Yin Chu, "We agreed that once this place was handed over to the General to command, this subordinate could return to Jin with the Princess. Why has that promise still not been honored?"

He was beginning to fear.

A single Qin assault had already caused such terrible casualties. He worried that after several more attacks the defense might collapse.

He did not dare imagine what would happen if he, a traitorous general, fell into enemy hands.

At that point, he feared even death would be denied him an easy end.

He knew perfectly well that if Xiping Pass fell again, the cultivators would certainly prioritize covering Jin's principal commanders and other important figures as they escaped.

They might not concern themselves with a surrendered general like him.

Yin Chu merely said there was no problem and told him not to worry.

How could Chen Changgong not worry?

Eventually, he even went to Taishu Huan'er.

Taishu Huan'er was, after all, only a young woman. The savage fighting here frightened her as well, and she too wanted to return to Jin.

Invoking her status as princess, Taishu Huan'er summoned Yin Chu.

Yin Chu had no choice but to come.

Yet this "husband and wife" still raised the same request: they wanted to leave.

Yin Chu listened with his head lowered.

Then he abruptly looked up.

A murderous gleam appeared in his eyes.

Clang!

His sword left its sheath.

He raised it and struck directly at Chen Changgong.

Chen Changgong was horrified. Caught completely off guard, he seized the blade with both hands.

The two men grappled together.

Yin Chu shouted, "Men!"

Two cultivators rushed in and pinned Chen Changgong down on the spot.

Yin Chu drove his sword forward.

The blade pierced straight through Chen Changgong's chest.

Even the two cultivators restraining him froze in shock and instinctively let go.

"You..." Chen Changgong's eyes bulged.

He clutched at Yin Chu in disbelief.

Yin Chu's face twisted savagely. "At a time like this, how dare you keep shaking my army's morale? How could I tolerate you!"

He kicked Chen Changgong to the ground.

Chen Changgong lay twitching as blood poured from his chest.

"Ah!"

Taishu Huan'er screamed in terror.

Seeing Yin Chu approach with a bloodstained sword in hand, she stumbled backward in fright.

Yin Chu held the sword and cupped his hands. "Princess, do not be afraid! If the war goes smoothly, I will naturally honor the promise and send the Princess and her husband away."

"But the war is not going smoothly. If the Princess leaves now, it will be harmful to our army's morale. The Princess must remain here and hold the position with us, so that every officer and soldier can see that the Princess herself is here!"

He turned and summoned men, then gave another order.

Chen Changgong's death was to be concealed. The surrendered Wei troops were not to learn of it.

If anyone asked, they were to say Chen Changgong had returned to Jin to attend His Majesty at court.

The reason Yin Chu had killed Chen Changgong was precisely because many of Chen Changgong's old troops were still present.

He feared Chen Changgong's repeated desire to leave would affect their morale.

At this point, there was only one path left.

Hold the pass to the death.

"What?"

Inside a dilapidated farmhouse, Shao Pingbo sprang to his feet in shock.

The news of Chen Changgong's death had genuinely stunned him.

After confirming it, Shao Pingbo stamped his foot in fury and even smashed a teacup.

Wei's military morale was already wavering.

Under Jin's current offensive, Chen Changgong was supposed to be displayed as proof of how richly a defector could be rewarded. That was precisely why Jin had paid such an enormous price to rescue his wife and children.

It was meant to be shown to Wei's officers and soldiers.

And now Chen Changgong had been killed.

A man who had earned such enormous merit, the husband of an imperial princess, had been killed just like that.

What Wei soldier would still dare surrender after seeing such a thing?

They would fight to the death instead!

But once Shao Pingbo calmed down, there was nothing he could do.

The man was already dead.

What else could be done?

Shao Pingbo could only send word to the Jin court, ordering every effort made to conceal Chen Changgong's death.

He also instructed the court to treat Chen Changgong's family, already safely delivered to Jin, with extraordinary generosity.

If necessary, they should even have someone impersonate Chen Changgong and appear in public...

[End of Chapter 1160]