DDT - Chapter 53
Chapter 53: General × Little Emperor (8)
The soldiers lined up in neat rows, their warhorses beside them. "All troops, listen to my command! Mount your horses!" Vice General Wei Long's voice rang out. Upon receiving the order, the soldiers skillfully swung themselves onto their horses. The vanguard soldiers held long spears, with swords strapped to their backs. The soldiers in the rear pulling small carts held longswords. The horses, sensing the murderous aura, began to neigh restlessly.
"Da-da-da," the sound of hooves echoed from the direction of the camp. The only one who could be arriving now was General Chi Luo.
The soldiers looked back and, by the moonlight, were surprised to see two people riding on the approaching horse.
Looking closely, the person sitting in the back was none other than General Chi, while a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth dressed in soft armor sat obediently in front of the general. The youth was about half a head shorter than the general. When a strong night wind blew, it looked as if the youth was nestled in General Chi's embrace. The two men "nestled" together didn't look out of place in the slightest. Several soldiers' eyes widened in astonishment.
General Chi had always been aloof, showing no interest in men or women. He would even scowl angrily if someone so much as touched him. Normally, he wore a cold expression, a look that warned everyone, friend or foe, to keep their distance. Yet now, he was allowing another man to lean against his chest! How could this not be shocking?
Not to mention, General Chi currently wore an expression as gentle as a spring breeze, a truly indescribable sight.
As if sensing the soldiers' gazes and understanding their meaning, Chi Junluo's face darkened again. She shot a fierce glare at them, and the soldiers fearfully averted their eyes.
That must have been an illusion! That gentle person just now couldn't have been General Chi! They must have been seeing things!
"All of you, sharpen up!" Chi Junluo reined her horse to a stop before the soldiers and began to give her instructions. "In a moment, on my signal, you will dismount and sneak into the enemy's supply camp at the rear. Make sure you have your cloth sacks ready! When you see supplies, stuff them into your sacks! Especially the meat! However much you can carry is how much you'll eat tonight! When I give the order to retreat, you retreat. Don't linger."
The soldiers stared straight ahead in unison, not daring to let their gazes fall on the youth in front of the general, afraid of accidentally offending the youth with the incredibly delicate features, but in truth, they were even more afraid of offending the general.
"Are you ready?" Chi Junluo asked.
"Reporting to the General! We are ready!" came the resounding, powerful reply. Chi Junluo nodded in satisfaction. "Move out!"
General Chi, with the young emperor Yi Han, turned her horse and headed toward the northern enemy camp under the cover of darkness.
Vice General Wei Long remained behind. He still had to arrange for their reception and prepare for the bonfire feast later.
The force of about two hundred men advanced toward the Northern Kingdom's camp to the sound of "da-da" hoofbeats. Chi Junluo chose a small mountain path to the west. A few hundred feet from the enemy camp, Chi Junluo ordered the soldiers to dismount. Leaving a few soldiers to watch the horses, Chi Junluo led a hundred-man team, carefully circling around from the west side of the enemy camp toward the rear.
The Northern Kingdom's soldiers were already resting in their tents. Four consecutive days of high-intensity attacks had exhausted their bodies. Today, the return of Great Chang's Zhenbei General had scared them witless on the battlefield. The Northern Kingdom's general was also frightened, and they had decided not to harass Great Chang for the next few days.
But their thinking was too optimistic; it never occurred to them that the people of Great Chang might come to harass them instead.
It was now the hour of Hai, and the Northern Kingdom's camp was silent. Even the patrolling soldiers looked careless. They looked so listless, it made one wonder if they had suffered inhuman abuse during the day.
Chi Junluo took the lead, stealthily creeping to the side of the supply camp. The side was lined with a fence taller than a person. Through a gap in the fence, Chi Junluo saw two Northern Kingdom soldiers not far away, leaning on their long spears and dozing off.
There were no other soldiers around. There might have been patrols, but few of them circled around to the supply camp. For a long time, the army of Great Chang had never launched a surprise attack on the Northern Kingdom's camp, so the Northern Kingdom's generals and soldiers had all let down their guard. After all, in their view, Great Chang's Zhenbei Army was also exhausted. Everyone was busy recuperating, so who would have the energy for a sneak attack?
But Chi Junluo was determined to defy their expectations. She reached out, grabbed the top of the fence, and with a push, vaulted over it lightly. Immediately, several soldiers vaulted in after her. Chi Junluo led the way, tiptoeing and crouching like a cat, nimbly circling behind the two sleeping soldiers. She raised her right hand, revealing a dagger. Covering the soldier's mouth, she viciously slit his throat. Blood splattered on the spot. Chi Junluo supported the soldier's body and gently laid him on the ground.
A Zhenbei Army soldier behind her also crept up behind the other Northern Kingdom soldier. Imitating Chi Junluo, he cleanly and efficiently slit the soldier's throat. A few of them dragged the two bodies and hid them behind a pile of grain. Then, a steady stream of Great Chang soldiers poured in, opening their sacks and beginning to plunder the supplies.
The young emperor Yi Han witnessed Chi Junluo's clean and decisive killing method from his vantage point through the gap. He also wanted to vault over, but after glancing at the fence that was several heads taller than him, he gave up the idea.
The sound of footsteps, accompanied by chattering voices, came from not far away. Chi Junluo raised a hand, and the soldiers immediately froze. They hid well behind the grain piles. With a kick, Chi Junluo nudged the foot of a dead Northern Kingdom soldier into view.
A small squad came around the corner. The leading Northern Kingdom soldier saw a leg on the ground. Several of them walked over curiously. Before they could get a clear look, a longsword fell upon the lead soldier's neck, and his head rolled to the ground.
The soldiers behind him were stunned. Before they could react, a dozen burly men leaped out from behind the grain piles. In just a few seconds, they were beheaded by the burly men of Great Chang.
The Zhenbei Army soldiers of Great Chang were efficient and seamless throughout the process. They quickly dealt with the squad. Knowing that this squad had been dealt with, they would have a long period to transport the grain. Chi Junluo returned to the fence and ordered her men to quickly dismantle the western section. Since the Northern Kingdom's camp hadn't been established for long, the fence was only a single row, making it easy for the Great Chang soldiers to tear down.
Soon, the soldiers of Great Chang poured in like a stream of fish and began frantically carrying away the Northern Kingdom's already pitifully small amount of grain.
The young emperor Yi Han also slipped in with the Zhenbei Army. But before he got far, Chi Junluo grabbed his hand and pulled him behind a pile of supplies. "Lincang, stay behind me. Don't get lost."
Yi Han looked at their joined hands, feeling the warmth of Chi Junluo's palm and the calluses from years of martial practice. Without saying a word, he silently followed behind the great general.
The Zhenbei Army soldiers worked together with great speed and coordination. Meanwhile, a squad of Northern Kingdom soldiers finally realized something was wrong. Why hadn't the patrol squad for the supply camp returned yet?
Two squads went together toward the supply camp.
As soon as the two squads arrived, they saw the ransacked supply camp and the dismantled fence.
Northern Kingdom soldiers: !!!!!
The Northern Kingdom soldiers were horrified. A soldier from the back turned and ran toward the general's tent, shouting as he ran, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
The soldiers at the front, however, hesitated, not daring to advance. After all, they were outnumbered and didn't dare to rush forward rashly. Chi Junluo was happily directing her Zhenbei Army to move the supplies when she turned her head and met the eyes of the leading soldiers from the two squads.
In the dark night, Chi Junluo's dark eyes were bottomless pits, glinting with a cold light. The lead Northern Kingdom soldier was so scared his legs trembled, and he nearly fell to his knees. Heavens! Why was Great Chang's god of slaughter here in their camp???
Chi Junluo was very satisfied with this body's built-in enemy-killing artifact. After shooting a couple of death glares, Chi Junluo waved her hand, and the Zhenbei Army soldiers behind her began an orderly retreat. No one got greedy and tried to grab any more meat or dry rations.
Chi Junluo held her long spear, leaning casually against a camp post, exuding the air of one person holding a pass against ten thousand. She let go of Yi Han's hand and gestured for him to leave first. Yi Han understood that without any martial arts skills, he would only be a burden if he stayed. A trace of worry flashed in his eyes, but he still left first with the retreating army through the gap in the fence.
The messengers from the two squads quickly drew the attention of the entire Northern Kingdom camp. Hearing of an enemy attack, the Northern Kingdom soldiers could only curse as they woke from their sleep, hastily donning their armor and grabbing their weapons before rushing out of their tents. When the Northern Kingdom general heard the alarm, he rolled out of bed, quickly threw on his battle robe, grabbed his long spear, and charged out of his tent. A soldier had just arrived outside. "It's bad, General!! The people of Great Chang have raided our supply camp!!"
The supply camp was the lifeline of the Northern Kingdom's army! The Northern Kingdom general was furious with himself for not strengthening the guard and for being too lax, while also hating Great Chang so much that his teeth itched. Those damned Great Chang soldiers, that damned General Chi Luo! Damn them, damn them, damn them!
By the time the Northern Kingdom general sprinted all the way to the supply camp, he was met with the sight of a cold-faced General Chi Luo, long spear in hand, standing at the collapsed entrance of the camp. Across from General Chi Luo was a line of Northern Kingdom soldiers, too frightened to advance.
"A bunch of useless trash!" The Northern Kingdom general kicked one of the soldiers aside and stood facing General Chi Luo.
"You people of Great Chang are truly despicable! To dare launch a night raid on our supply camp!" The Northern Kingdom general was exasperated.
Unexpectedly, the general opposite him showed no reaction. He simply reached out, took a torch from a camp post, and with a rare, wicked smile, said, "Since we can't take these with us, we might as well not leave them behind." Before anyone could react, he tossed the torch into a pile of grain and hay, then turned and ran for the gap in the fence. The sound of hooves came from outside the fence; a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth was riding toward them. General Chi Luo leaped onto the horse, seized the reins, and the horse spun around and galloped away from the supply camp, leaving the crowd with nothing but a cloud of smoke and dust.
"What are you standing there for?! After them!" the Northern Kingdom general finally snapped out of it, ordering furiously. "The supply camp is on fire! You lot, stay and put it out! The rest of you, follow me and give chase!!"
The Northern Kingdom general was the first to run to the stables, mount a horse, and give chase. The Northern Kingdom soldiers also mounted up and followed their general in pursuit. Only a portion of the late-arriving soldiers were left behind to save the pitifully few remaining supplies.
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