Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 190 The gangster eats the gangster

Yuchi Bodhisattva died in battle, and his 20,000-strong army scattered.

On the battlefield, many of the enemy's soldiers were taken prisoner, numbering as many as six or seven thousand.

Most of those who did not flee were local military households from Jingzhou.

Of the ten thousand soldiers, nearly four or five hundred died in the battle, and more than three thousand were wounded, some seriously and some lightly. The elite force of one thousand soldiers led by Peng Le suffered the heaviest casualties.

The troops that suffer the heaviest losses often receive the most generous rewards; this is how an army maintains its fighting capacity.

As for how to reward them, it's actually very simple.

"Lord, we are willing to offer money to travel to Luoyang!"

The hundreds of rebel generals seemed to sense the danger as well; they were bound together and kept begging for mercy.

"Going to Jingzhou is fine too!"

However, no matter how much they shouted, there was no movement inside the tent.

"You've begged for mercy too late!"

Peng Le stood before a group of generals, his face ashen.

There are nuances to surrendering.

Surrendering before a battle and surrendering after a defeat are treated completely differently.

Moreover, all the generals present had been captured.

This is the most shameless kind of surrender; after being captured because they can't win, they shout that they want to surrender.

Peng Le summoned a group of Jingzhou soldiers and arranged for them to be executioners.

Looking at these generals who were their superiors just a few days ago, the surrendered Jingzhou soldiers hesitated.

"The Duke said that after you become soldiers in the government, you will also receive a portion of the family property these people have in Jingzhou."

Upon hearing this, the group finally stopped hesitating, raised their knives, and prepared to strike.

Before their deaths, the generals were either numb, crying out, or cursing.

Peng Le grew impatient and cursed:

"What's all the noise about? Can't you act like a man? Besides, my lord isn't here."

"..."
-
After leaving the battlefield, Xiao Baoyin rode his horse up the Jing River and arrived at a loess plateau.

It was an unremarkable village, but at the entrance stood a dozen menacing-looking soldiers.

When they saw Xiao Baoyin, they did not stop him or say anything, and simply let him in.

The village on the plateau is mysterious and beautiful, surrounded by vast expanses of cultivated farmland, with hills and valleys scattered around it.

There is also a small grove of trees and a small pond nearby.

Wanqi Chounu was sitting at the village entrance, eating a bowl of pickled beans and drinking several jugs of wine.

Xiao Baoyin found it hard to imagine that Wanqi Chounu, who was already a king, would eat these things.

"Yuchi Bodhisattva has been defeated!"

Upon hearing this news, Wanqi Chounu was not surprised.

"He's a true hero; even if he dies, he'll die on the battlefield!"

Wanqi Chounu, with his rustic, farmer-like demeanor, blended seamlessly into the rural village atmosphere. As he spoke, he poured the wine from his cup onto the ground, as if in a tribute or a remembrance.

"Your Majesty, why do you do this?"

Wanqi Chounu left Jingzhou with less than 10,000 elite troops, but after reaching Gaoping, he secretly returned with 1,000 cavalrymen and hid in a village not far from Anding.

Aside from Xiao Baoyin, no one else was told, not even Yuchi Bodhisattva. Wanqi Chounu's answer was very certain.

"This is the only way I can win!"

Wanqi Chounu downed the somewhat cloudy wine in his cup in one gulp, his eyes resolute.

"Whether I share Lingzhou with Suqin Mingda or turn to Longxi, I cannot win. Only by killing Li Shuang can I win!"

Suqin Mingda failed to conquer Xiazhou, so he turned back to Lingzhou, where he encountered Huli Jin heading south.

Even if Wanqi Chounu returns, the best outcome would be for him to join forces with Suqin Mingda and defeat Huli Jin. Afterward, if the two could reach an agreement, Wanqi Chounu might be able to retain half of Lingzhou and Yuanzhou.

By then, Li Shuang had already recovered Jingzhou and Binzhou, and would certainly extend his reach to Yuanzhou.

With Gaoping and Xiaoguan in our hands, the Guanzhong and Northwest regions can be free from worries.

Wanqi Chounu and Suqin Mingda are trapped in Lingzhou, and sooner or later they will turn against each other.

There can't be two kings in Lingzhou!
If it really came to that, Wanqi Chounu would not want it.

"But you're gambling!"

Xiao Baoyin knew that Wanqi Chounu's plan was very risky because he could not control Li Shuang's actions. If there was even the slightest mistake, Wanqi Chounu would be completely defeated.

He might still be able to escape then, but the troops that continue to advance towards Lingzhou to cover their tracks will definitely be swallowed up by Suqin Mingda.

“But I won the bet!” Wanqi Chounu put down the wine bowl he had been holding. “After Li Shuang won, he led his five hundred cavalry straight to Anding. People are often most relaxed when they are winning a great victory.”

Hearing this, Xiao Baoyin couldn't help but admire him. He had almost forgotten that this man, who now looked like an old farmer, had once killed eight thousand armored cavalrymen in this very area, defeated an army of 120,000, and even killed the general Cui Yanbo.

He has a keen sense of smell and insightful eyes, making him a very difficult opponent.

“An Ding City contains the grain and supplies I’ve plundered over the years, as well as slaves and treasures looted from Chang’an. He won’t be unmoved. It’s pointless to compete with Suqin Mingda for Lingzhou. As long as I kill Li Shuang, Guanzhong will be mine!”

Xiao Baoyin had to admire him; this was a gambler with an audacious spirit. But he still had a question in his mind.

"Why did you choose me to be the one in this secret room?"

"You are a member of the royal family of the Great Qi, yet you would rather see me win than Li Shuang win. Isn't that enough?"

Wanqi Chounu stood up, summoned the cavalry scattered throughout the village, and ordered them to recall the free-roaming warhorses.

With these thousand riders about to depart, Xiao Baoyin, standing behind Wanqi Chounu, asked:
"What else can I do for Your Majesty?"

"Please offer incense to the people of this village for me!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Baoyin walked to the back village and saw a pile of corpses under a banyan tree. They were all rotting and flies were buzzing around them.

Clearly, Wanqi Chounu had murdered everyone in the village to conceal his whereabouts.

Xiao Baoyin looked at the scene, but turned away indifferently, not doing as Wanqi Chounu had said.

"They've already been killed, why show any mercy? They were just a bunch of lowly people anyway, just like Da Yeshuang!"
-
Hou Mochen Chong was very distressed, as this was his first time fighting.

However, they won almost without even fighting a single battle.

Thinking of this, Hou Mochen Chong felt extremely depressed.

Until the cavalry charged out of the valley and the shouts that echoed in our ears.

"Don't leave, Ohno Sou!"

Upon hearing this shout, Hou Mochen Chong trembled all over, thinking to himself: "My lord was right after all; there really is someone double-crossing me."

"I'm Da Yeshuang, come and get me if you dare!"

As he spoke, Houmo Chenchong, dressed in Li Shuang's armor, led his cavalry in a counter-charge.

……

(End of this chapter)