Big Moon Ballad

Chapter 2644 Encountering the Enemy
"Do you think I'm cruel?"

Just as the Former Qin army was marching towards the border of Southern Chu again, Ying Baoyue suddenly asked a question.

Gui Chen rode silently beside her, then suddenly looked up at her, speechless for a moment, "I..."

“You haven’t said a word since you came out of Zijing Pass.”

Chen Zichu eventually accepted her suggestion, leaving a small number of soldiers to guard the city and opening the city gates to allow the remaining people to flee.

Afterwards, he sent a message to his father, Chen Yan, by carrier pigeon, and then reorganized his troops and led the Southern Chu soldiers to join the Former Qin army.

"I don't think you did anything wrong, it's just..."

Gui Chen was at a loss for words. He knew rationally that Ying Baoyue's choice was right. But seeing Ying Baoyue, who had always cared about every life, make that decision without batting an eye, he still felt like a stranger.

"Your Majesty, I dare not have any objections, Your Majesty..."

“I’ve said before that we don’t need to address each other as ruler and subject when it’s just the two of us talking,” Ying Baoyue sighed. “It’s a good thing you’re not used to it.”

"You'll get used to it eventually, but it's a good thing if you don't get used to it yet."

Ying Baoyue looked at the young general beside her.

"Once we're on the battlefield, we can't protect every single life."

"We can only make the choice to save more lives."

“I understand,” Gui Chen said with shame. “I was too indecisive. I’m useless and unworthy to lead the soldiers.”

He is now nominally the Dragon General of the Former Qin Dynasty, but Gui Chen knows in his heart that he is not worthy of this title in terms of experience or military achievements; he is just an empty name.

Ying Baoyue shook her head, "You'll learn it sooner or later, there's no need to rush now."

She didn't think Guichen was too kind or weak. She knew that Guichen would get used to it sooner or later, but it was actually a good thing that he wasn't used to it now.

“But I’m afraid.” Gui Chen took a deep breath. “I’m afraid my soldiers will die in vain.”

Although he led the returning army through the battle in front of the Ganlu Hall of the Epang Palace, he had never actually been on the battlefield. He had not yet encountered the enemy forces head-on along the way with Ying Baoyue. Seeing the tragic scene of the massacre at Zijing Pass, he felt even more uneasy.

“You don’t need to be afraid,” Ying Baoyue looked at him. “If such a thing really happens, you must hold on and not commit suicide.”

Gui Chen stared in astonishment.

Ying Baoyue didn't say much. The path of a military general is a cruel one, and almost every surviving general has to experience the tragedy of sending his subordinates to their deaths in vain.

"I have also caused the deaths of my men countless times."

Ying Baoyue glanced at Li Meiniang, who was leading the Silver Cicada Guards as the vanguard.

"There was even someone who was willing to die in my place so that he could be my substitute."

"I couldn't save her, and she was left alone to be buried by the Great Wall."

Li Meiniang has resumed her womanly attire, wearing a silver hairpin in her hair. Every time Ying Baoyue sees that hairpin, her heart aches.

She knew that this was Li Meiniang commemorating Li Chunlan in her own way.

"All we can do is live to avenge them."

Gui Chen's eyes widened. Just as he was about to say something, Ying Baoyue's aura suddenly became alert.

"Guichen, order the rear to quicken their pace. The supply troops should hide where they are and await orders. The other units should stay close to their respective squads and must not fall behind. Notify all centurions to prepare for battle and summon all the generals."

Ying Baoyue led a Qin army mainly composed of cavalry, with five riders forming a captain, ten riders forming an officer, one hundred riders forming a commander, two hundred riders forming a lieutenant, and one thousand riders forming a general.

Gui Chen was horrified when he heard Ying Baoyue's words.

“Your Majesty…” “Be prepared,” Ying Baoyue said, looking at the vast reeds ahead, “we should no longer need to attack the city.”

They will encounter the enemy for the first time in the swampy area ahead.

……

……

"here it is……"

Gui Chen looked at the distant reed marshland, and a sense of familiarity welled up within him.

"As a general, didn't you look at the map?" Ying Baoyue glanced at him.

"I knew what place it was, but I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence."

Although he was just a novice general, Gui Chen had already studied the map of the Southern Chu border overnight. He knew that ahead was the Yunmeng Marsh border where Southern Chu and Former Qin met.

However, the Yunmengze water area is extremely large, occupying nearly half of the area where the Former Qin and Southern Chu meet. He never expected that he would encounter the enemy army for the first time in this familiar place.

This swamp is the same swamp he passed through a year ago when he took Gui Li and Ying Baoyue to Southern Chu for a marriage alliance.

"Why did you stop here?" Gui Chen frowned. "I thought the enemy had already reached the next fortress."

“I guess it’s difficult to march,” Ying Baoyue said, gazing at the vast expanse of water in the distance. “When the wild horses from the north reach the south, their hooves get stuck in the swamps, and they can’t run as fast.”

Although the cavalrymen of the north were fierce, they would inevitably suffer from acclimatization problems when they arrived in the humid and hot south.

If Ying Baoyue's guess was correct, the Northern Wei rebels and the Western Rong people had lost their way in the vast swampy area after marching to Yunmengze, which slowed down their march.

If the Former Qin dynasty was still in a region where the north and south were at war and had seen the surface of Yunmengze, then the enemy soldiers were all from the north, and many of them probably had never seen such a large lake in their lives.

“Gui Chen, this battle will not rely primarily on cavalry,” Ying Baoyue narrowed her eyes, “Summon all the generals from the south to come see me.”

……

……

"Damn it!"

With a loud crash, Wu Chanlu's head slammed hard against the shaft of the chariot.

"My strategist, the carriage is stuck in the mud again. I'm afraid you'll have to get out and ride a horse."

The panicked voices of messengers came from outside. Wu Chanlu could only curse and get off the chariot, then ride a horse. But the horse's legs sank into the mud again after a short while, and it refused to move. Wu Chanlu whipped it desperately, but to no avail. He had no choice but to dismount and lead the horse on foot.

"Strategist, many soldiers' horses are too heavy to ride. It will take at least two more days to get out of this swamp."

General Zhou rode over from the side. He was a skilled rider and was not thrown off his horse, but his face was pale and he looked no better than Wu Chanlu.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken this route!" Wu Chanlu cursed. "Kill that guide from Southern Chu!"

“If we kill him, no one will be able to lead us out of this swamp,” Zhou Fu said, though his expression was grim but his reason remained. “If Southern Chu soldiers launch a sneak attack, we will be in a disadvantageous situation.”

“The Southern Chu troops won’t be able to catch up,” Wu Chanlu said dismissively. “They’re too busy defending their own cities.”

"If the Southern Chu troops can't arrive, what about the Former Qin people?" Zhou Fu's face was gloomy. Although he hadn't sensed any approaching army, he had a bad feeling all day.

“Not many people from the Former Qin dynasty were familiar with the terrain of Yunmeng Marsh,” Wu Chanlu said, pursing his lips, “except for…”

He suddenly remembered something from the past.

A year ago, under the leadership of his elder brother Wu Chanxu, they sent assassins to hunt down a woman in this area.

Fortune changes every day