Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 209 Falling into the water
The icy river water instantly submerged Zhu Wen.

Water being poured into the mouth and nose caused a strong feeling of suffocation.

Zhu Wen's heart raced, and he coughed loudly, causing even more river water to rush into his trachea.

Tears and snot immediately welled up in his eyes.

The instinct for survival drove Zhu Wen to struggle desperately, while the physical memories from years of martial arts training gradually brought his struggles in sync with the rhythm of the surging waves.

The river is swift; one wrong move and you could swallow a bellyful of water and sink to the bottom.

But as the waves washed over him, Zhu Wen gradually rediscovered the feeling of swimming in the river in his hometown.

He tried his best to keep his head above the surface of the waves, drifting with the current as he struggled to get closer to the riverbank.

The so-called riverbank is actually composed of towering cliffs on both sides.

But if they can find a foothold, they can end their dangerous drifting.

A surging wave crashed in, nearly knocking Zhu Wen directly to the bottom of the wave.

He held his breath and swam straight down.

But beneath the river, there are also unpredictable undercurrents.

During the summer floods, Zhu Wen's swimming skills were insufficient to withstand the raging waves for long.

Several bubbles popped out, followed by Zhu Wen's soaking wet head.

His hands finally reached a protruding rock on the cliff face.

Zhu Wen discovered a hole above the rocks, just slightly above the water level.

He breathed a sigh of relief and leaped up.

Looking around, a faint light emanated from inside the cave.

It's probably because there's a sinkhole above, and the sunlight is refracted by the stalactites in the cave.

This also means that there is most likely a way back to the surface inside the cave.

Zhu Wen was suddenly overjoyed.

He then saw people falling from the cliff top like dumplings. They were not as good swimmers as Zhu Wen, and some of them were even wearing iron armor. They were instantly swallowed up by the waves and disappeared without a trace.

At this moment, Zhu Wen finally understood the cold reality, as icy as the river water.

I'm still alive, but it's all too late.

Because of his fall into the river, his comrades in the Grass Army are now leaderless and in dire straits.

Zhu Wen instinctively reached for the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword, only to find it empty. He realized the sword had already sunk to the bottom of the river. If he had been holding onto the sword, how could he have swum to the cave entrance?

Some discard their swords as if they were nothing, while others cherish them for life. Since acquiring this sword, Zhu Wen has spent more than two years with it day and night.

Now, in order to survive, he instinctively abandoned it, leaving Zhu Wen feeling lost and disappointed.

He's still alive; in the future, we can find some skilled swimmers to retrieve the precious sword.

But the brothers who died in that battle would never return.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen suddenly felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

After the Battle of Qizhou, he mocked Shang Rang for not being able to recover from the crushing defeat.

Only when you are in that situation do you understand the pain of being powerless.

Just when I thought I was closest to victory, my hopes vanished like bubbles in an instant. One by one, familiar faces and figures disappeared before my eyes, and I could do nothing about it.

On the cliff are Zhu Cun, Zhu Wen's second brother; Tian Jun, his lover; Duan Hongyan, his junior sister; Zhu Zhen and Ge Congzhou, whom Zhu Wen relied on as his confidants; and six thousand bandit brothers.

Zhu Wen clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm until blood flowed.

He couldn't imagine losing them.

He didn't know that even if Huang Chao spared him after he returned, how could he possibly spare himself?

He even wished he could be swallowed up by the river.

Before he could grieve for long, he saw a fiery red figure fall from the high bank into the water.

Without thinking twice, Zhu Wen plunged into the water.

The riverbank was over twenty zhang high, steep and without any foothold, even monkeys and apes would find it difficult to climb. Zhu Wen wanted to quickly return to the top of the cliff to salvage the situation, but it was too late.

Risking one's life to save those one might be able to save can alleviate some of the immediate pain.

At that moment, Zhu Wen suddenly felt that struggling in the rapids was not so difficult after all.

As Zhu Wen approached Duan Hongyan, he suddenly felt a pair of arms, like water snakes, wrap around him.

When rescuing someone in the water, the moment when the drowning person is struggling in panic and clings to the rescuer is more terrifying than the current itself.

Zhu Wen punched Duan Hongyan on the head, knocking her unconscious.

Even so, saving lives is no easy task.

Zhu Wen himself could hardly recall the struggle he went through to drag Duan Hongyan to the edge of the cave.

He brought his finger to Duan Hongyan's nose and found that her breathing had become very weak.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhu Wen untied Duan Hongyan's battle robe and began pressing down hard on her breasts.

This is something he has never done to Tian Jun.

There was no other choice at that point.

Streams of water, like small fountains, gushed from Duan Hongyan's mouth and nose.

Her breathing gradually returned to normal, and she began to cough loudly.

Before Duan Hongyan could open her eyes, Zhu Wen promptly removed his hands. Duan Hongyan slowly awoke, her eyes clearing from confusion as she understood the current situation.

"Thank you for saving me." Duan Hongyan wiped the water off her face. Although her hair was disheveled, her expression was quite dignified, like a well-mannered young lady from a prominent family, without a trace of her usual playfulness.

She appeared calm and composed, as if she knew nothing about Zhu Wen pressing on her chest earlier.

“But I can’t save the others. If anything happens to them, it’s all my fault.” Zhu Wen lowered his head, his words filled with despair.

“Fewer people have fallen.” Duan Hongyan pointed towards the river: “You have to trust your brothers. They can hold their ground even without you.”

Having just recovered from drowning, she displayed an unusual calmness.

Zhu Wen suddenly felt a surge of hope.

Even though he had just rescued Duan Hongyan, those words made him feel like he had grasped the last straw.

“But it’s hard to stay on such a mountain path for too long.”

“I think…” Duan Hongyan wiped the water from her forehead: “The brothers will break through and find a mountain hollow or similar terrain to hold their ground. If they eat their food sparingly, plus slaughtering horses for meat, they can last for another ten days or half a month.”

“In the meantime, we need to bring reinforcements over,” Zhu Wen interjected.

He was clearly the strategist of the rebel army, but at this moment he felt his mind was in complete chaos, and it was only Duan Hongyan's words that brought him back to his senses.

He was still young, and it was rare for him to lead an army alone, yet he suffered such a crushing defeat. It was inevitable that he would be overwhelmed and unable to bear it.

"Then let's hurry and find the exit." Duan Hongyan stood up and pointed to the faint light inside the cave: "When using troops, it's like putting out a fire; speed is of the essence."

……

On a high cliff.

"Break forward, don't surge backward. Pushing backward now will only create more chaos," Zhu Cun commanded coldly.

At this moment, his large face exuded an indescribable majesty, as if he were the undisputed leader of the entire army.

Zhu Cun's personal guards, armed with crossbows, shot and killed several fleeing soldiers, adding to the intimidation of Zhu Cun's words.

After Zhu Wen fell off the cliff, the soldiers of the rebel army were panicked and lost their composure.

Gao Yan and Qian Liu seized the opportunity and launched a fierce offensive when the morale of the peasant army was in turmoil.

The peasant army went from the brink of victory to a state of utter collapse at the mere sight of the enemy.

Duan Hongyan and the others also lost their footing in this offensive and were pushed into the river.

At the critical moment of life and death, Zhu Cun decisively launched a counterattack against the enemy, killing dozens of barbarian tribesmen and buying the defeated army a moment to catch their breath.

"But there are no supplies in the deep mountains... and besides, General Huo Cun is also..."

A general standing nearby said awkwardly.

Huo Cun, worried about Zhu Wen's safety, took it upon himself to lead the remaining troops and some elite retainers from Chaozhou gentry, and rushed over, only to encounter this situation.

Zhu Wen left Huo Cun behind as a precaution, and this move can be considered a convenient one.

The enemy was caught off guard and their attack was delayed for a while.

Otherwise, after Zhu Wen fell into the river, his army was thrown into chaos, and Gao Yan should have driven them all into the river long ago.

"Yes, General Zhu Cun, if we do as you say, can we really turn the tide for the entire army?" another officer asked, his face filled with anxiety and fear.

"Xiao Huo's small force can't break through the enemy's blockade from the rear." Zhu Cun made a fairly calm judgment: "Those gentry's retainers are unlikely to fight to the death either. We can't rely on Xiao Huo; the only way to survive is to break through the encirclement."

Zhu Zhen agreed with Zhu Cun's opinion: "The world is on our side, and we will be fine. Once he gets out of the Han River, he will surely bring reinforcements to come into the mountains and rescue us."

“Sanlang is tough, he won’t die.” Zhu Cun seemed quite confident about this.

"When the general returns with his troops, we'll wipe out Gao Yan and his gang of scoundrels, chop them into mincemeat, and feed them to the fish!" Zhu Zhen shouted, raising his arm.

"That's all after we broke through the encirclement." Zhu Cun patted Zhu Zhen on the shoulder: "You really think you can get through such a crushing defeat without paying a price?"

Zhu Zhen was taken aback, but then Zhu Cun said, "Xiao Huo's forces are insufficient. If he doesn't want to be routed by the enemy, he will definitely retreat in a short time. If he breaks through without leaving anyone to cover his retreat, how can he possibly break through?"

"Your subordinate is willing..."

Zhu Zhen had only uttered three words when Zhu Cun covered his mouth with his large, fan-like hand.

"Why don't you take a piss and see what kind of person you are? With your qualifications and status, how can you possibly bear the responsibility of covering the rear?" Zhu Cun rebuked angrily.

Zhu Zhen was stunned, but realized that what Zhu Cun said made a lot of sense.

He had only been promoted by Zhu Wen for less than a year, so how could he have the prestige to command the rear guard?

Zhu Cun spat and looked around the entire army: "There are hardly any left who can hold their own, so I'll have to be the one to pay the price. If I can't save this army, how can I face Sanlang!"

He moved the hand that was covering Zhu Zhen's mouth to her shoulder and pressed down hard: "Besides, my wife and I ran off with someone else, and my older brother is helping to raise the kids, so I have nothing to worry about. You have a wife and kids, so keep your life!"

This seemingly rough and uncouth man spoke with great eloquence, seemingly eager to face death as if he were attending a grand feast.

Zhu Zhen was present, and all the generals wept.

Zhu Cun laughed heartily and selected some men to accompany him to the rear.

"Everyone here has been with women, but none of them are virgins, right?" Zhu Cun said with a smile. "Having lived this life, it's not a wasted trip, is it?"

These words immediately boosted the morale of the soldiers.

Everyone burst into laughter, shouting, "You've already tasted the flavors of women, what more could you want!"

Zhu Cun nodded and ordered a group of the bravest men to act as suicide soldiers, locking their feet to the chevaux-de-frise to show their determination to fight to the death.

The enemy surged in again like a tide.

Zhu Cun looked at the enemy soldiers covering the mountains with disdain.

It's like looking at a swarm of insects.

(End of this chapter)