Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 252 Sacrifice

Older gingers are more spicy.

Murong Chui's actions had an immediate effect. He broke through the Qingling Mountains, stormed into Dai County, and utterly defeated the Wei army. He beheaded Tuoba Qian, the King of Chenliu of Wei, and more than 30,000 households in Dai County surrendered directly.

The fall of Dai Commandery left the Wei capital, Shengle, directly exposed to the iron hooves of the Yan cavalry.

Murong Chui's 120,000 troops entered Pingcheng.

The people of Wei were shocked. Tuoba Gui was both grieving for the death of Tuoba Qian and terrified by the military might of Murong Chui.

Dai County was no ordinary place. Tuoba Gui had been managing it for several years and had deployed elite troops and generals. He thought he was invincible, but when Murong Chui arrived, everything vanished.

In just half a month, Dai County was gone.

The death of Tuoba Qian in battle gradually caused the Wei state to harbor disloyal intentions.

When Tuoba Gui raised an army at Niuchuan, he received strong support from Murong Chui, and many of his followers had unclear and ambiguous relationships with the Yan state.

Even Tuoba Gui's grandmother was a woman from the Murong family.

Murong Chui occupied Hebei, thus becoming the legitimate ruler of the Northern Kingdom. His formidable military might over several decades ensured that no tribe in Liaodong, south of the Gobi Desert, dared to disobey him.

Now that Murong Chui has personally led an army of over 100,000 to defeat Tuoba Qian, these tribes have changed their tune and secretly colluded with the Yan state.

After the Yan army captured Pingcheng, they did not massacre the city and kill the surrendered people like Tuoba Gui did, but instead gave these tribes hope.

The rule on the grasslands is to follow whoever is stronger.

"The signs of defeat for that brat Tuoba are already evident. All I need to do is send my troops to Shengle, and the Wei Kingdom can be destroyed!"

Perhaps it was the joy of the great victory that diluted the sickly look on Murong Chui's face, making him radiant, no longer coughing when he spoke, and his back straightening considerably.

"Father's military tactics are unpredictable and beyond human comprehension. How could that little Tuoba boy be a match for him?" Murong Lin flattered him repeatedly.

After the defeat at Canhebei, Murong Bao ordered him to cover the rear, but he was the first to flee.

This led to the complete collapse of the Yan army.

Upon their return, neither of them was punished; Murong Bao remained the Crown Prince, and Murong Lin remained the Prince of Zhao.

After all, they were his own flesh and blood. The older Murong Chui got, the deeper his paternal love became. "Ku Gou, this time you will be the vanguard to attack Sheng Le. E Nu and Chang Nu, you two will each lead elite troops to assist the Crown Prince!"

He now sees that among his descendants, only Murong Nong and Murong Long are truly capable, and crucially, they have no ulterior motives. They can become Murong Bao's right-hand men in the future.

Over the years, the Yan state has actually been supported by the two of them and Murong De.

Unfortunately, they were not direct descendants of the Duan family and were not destined to ascend the throne.

Murong Chui's mind drifted to the image of his eldest son, Murong Ling. If he were still alive, perhaps he wouldn't have so many troubles.

"I obey!" Murong Bao was overjoyed; this was practically free military merit.

With Murong personally leading the charge, no one doubted the outcome of this battle. News from Shengle City indicated that Tuoba Gui was restless after Tuoba Qian's defeat and was preparing to abandon the city and flee.

Murong Nong and Murong Long exchanged a glance, knowing that their father was entrusting them with his final affairs. They both knelt before Murong Chui, saying, "Your sons obey!"

Murong Chui nodded in satisfaction. "We must not give that brat Tuoba a chance to catch his breath. Issue the order to advance!"

In this battle, as long as they capture Shengle, even if they cannot kill Tuoba Gui, the Yan Kingdom can still turn the tide.

There are three key areas in the heart of Wei: Dai Commandery, Yunzhong, and Wuyuan. These three commanderies were Tuoba Gui's granaries. Without them, Tuoba Gui would not have been able to support his hundreds of thousands of followers.

Now that we have Dai County, Shengle is indefensible. We only need to send our troops westward to push through, and Yunzhong and Wuyuan will certainly not be able to hold out either.

On the battlefield, Murong Chui had absolute confidence.

Even after suffering a crushing defeat, the Yan state's national strength was still far superior to that of the Wei state.

The potential of Hebei Province far exceeds that of southern Inner Mongolia.

Moreover, Tuoba Gui's victory at Canhebei was mainly due to his clever exploitation of internal strife within the Yan army, rather than his victory through actual battles.

The army immediately set off, with Murong Bao, Murong Nong, and Murong Long leading elite cavalry ahead, followed by Murong Chui with 100,000 infantry and cavalry, marching in a mighty force towards Shengle. Shengle was located west of Dai County, and Canhepo was less than seventy li north of Dai County.

The army could avoid the Canhe Slope, but Murong Chui, always a man of deep affection and loyalty, couldn't overcome the hurdle in his heart. "Let's go and pay our respects to the fallen soldiers..."

"His Majesty has ordered us to proceed to Canhe Weir!"

The messenger rushed away.

In less than two days, the army arrived at Canhebei.

As the sun sets at dusk, a pungent, putrid stench can be smelled from afar.

Last year's battle left the bodies unclaimed, frozen into ice sculptures. When the ice and snow melted in the spring, the stench of decay intensified.

On the mound, a tattered banner bearing the character "燕" (swallow) fluttered in the wind, while vultures, wolves, and wild dogs fought over the carcass, dragging bones everywhere.

With a "thud," Murong Chui's warhorse broke a bone, and he suddenly froze.

In the ground before him, arms stretched out, their flesh devoured by insects and ants, leaving only bare bones.

Two more landscape features are piled up on either side of the road.

A series of distorted faces turned toward Murong Chui, their eyes vacant, their expressions filled with pain, their gaping mouths seemingly trying to tell him something.

Murong Chui's decision not to punish Murong Bao and Murong Lin does not mean the matter is over.

Many of the dead Yan soldiers were former members of the Murong family, who had followed Murong Chui in his campaigns. It would have been one thing if they had died on the battlefield, but to be buried alive after surrendering was a terrible disgrace. The dead could not rest in peace, and the living felt even more humiliated.

Murong Chui, in particular, was the emperor of Yan. He had dominated the world for decades without ever being defeated. He was proud and arrogant, and also sentimental.

In this situation, I felt even more distressed.

The valley suddenly became extremely quiet, with only the heavy breathing of the soldiers and their horses.

Murong Chui took off his helmet, his full head of white hair flying in the cold wind.

"Ugh--"

A sigh came from beside me.

Murong Chui turned around, only to see an old soldier with gray hair staring blankly at the skeleton on the ground. Noticing Murong Chui's gaze, he looked back, his eyes already glistening with tears.

For a moment, Murong Chui dared not meet his gaze, lowered his head, and looked away.

The further they went in, the more tragic the scene became. Many Yan soldiers had their heads nailed to wooden poles, their dark eye sockets staring at Murong Chui.

Some of the soldiers were constantly sobbing.

The noise grew louder and louder, affecting more and more people.

Murong Chui's once straight back had slumped down again, the color draining from his face, and his body swayed in the cold wind.

It's hard for someone who's been winning their whole life to accept such a humiliating defeat.

Even more tragically, this crushing defeat came from his chosen successor…

At this time, the Yan army set up an altar, and the sound of wailing filled the wilderness.

Murong Chui walked to the altar, feeling ashamed and guilty. He felt as if the gazes of the soldiers around him were like sharp arrows piercing his heart.

And the excavated skeletons were piled up like mountains.

Murong Chui looked up at the sky, which was clear and cloudless, but his body began to shake violently, and his white hair trembled with the wind.

The guards around him noticed something was wrong and rushed over to help him up, but Murong Chui suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood mist and fell backward.

"His Majesty--"

The cries of the Yan soldiers grew louder and louder...

(End of this chapter)