Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 281 Win

Linhai County is located in northern Fujian, separated from the Jiangdong region by mountains and rivers.

Within the territory of Zhang'an, at the foot of Jin'ao Mountain, the two armies formed fortifications and faced each other.

A banner with the character "Sun" was planted on the east side, and a banner with the character "Liu" was planted on the west side.

However, the two armies were vastly different in size. One army in the northeast stretched for twenty or thirty miles, resembling a long dragon that partially enclosed the camps in the southwest.

For many days, Liu Yu remained inactive during the standoff.

This made Sun En restless. "Liu Laozhi is dead. Apart from that brat Liu Yu, who in this world can stand against me?"

Lu Xun said, "Only by defeating Liu Yu can our army march south to Jiaoguang to recuperate and then launch a northern expedition!"

The Three Wu regions were plunged into famine, and many Taoist followers starved to death. The strength of the Celestial Masters sect was greatly diminished; its former hundreds of thousands of troops had dwindled to less than forty thousand, and they were all starving.

Sun En was always thinking of heading south, but Liu Yu was relentlessly pursuing him from behind.

"I still suggest taking the sea route, rather than confronting Liu Yu head-on." Xu Daofu's face had become much more weathered, and he had long lost the scholarly air of his youth.

Lu Xun said, "The sea route is too risky, we don't have that many ships left, and we don't have much food either."

Taking the sea route meant abandoning 70% of the troops.

By traveling overland, they could also plunder and coerce others along the way, thus increasing their influence.

"We can avoid that brat Liu Yu by sea. While we still have eight thousand veteran brothers at our disposal, why not fight that scoundrel Liu to the death? Once we defeat him, the south will be ours to command!"

Sun En's face was bulging with veins.

For the past few years, he had been enduring humiliation and was unwilling to accept defeat. He always felt that as long as he made a little effort, he could crush Liu Yu.

Now, Liu Yu on the other side also seems to be on his deathbed, as no food supplies have been delivered for half a month.

Sun En looked at his two capable generals and said, "The Sima family is finished, the Northern Army is finished, Huan Xuan is a mere child and cannot hold the throne. The only one standing in our way is Liu Yu."

"If we don't kill Liu Yu, we're not worthy of being called sons!"

More than a hundred armored soldiers stepped forward, each with a headband stained with blood tied around their forehead.

The others also looked on with hatred.

However, Xu Daofu was still full of doubts. Liu Yu was like a mountain, making it hard for them to breathe.

Since the rise of the Celestial Masters Sect, they have not made any strategic mistakes. Xie Yan could not stop them, nor could Liu Laozhi. Yet, they were repeatedly defeated by an unknown young general from the Northern Army.

This can be attributed to fate.

“Liu Yu is no ordinary general; he is blessed with good fortune. We must not act rashly.” Xu Daofu was well-versed in metaphysics and had been saved by Liu Yu several times. He could only attribute the cause to Heaven.

“If you are unwilling, then postpone it. I will lead the vanguard in this battle!” Sun En had already made up his mind.

Aside from being unable to swallow my anger, I simply couldn't walk any further.

The Celestial Masters sect is now at its wit's end; if he doesn't step in, the people's hearts will collapse.

As the group was still discussing, the sound of war drums suddenly rang out from the opposite side.

dong dong dong...

The booming war drums and the orderly footsteps blended together.

Everyone was taken aback. Looking around, they saw the entire Jin army emerge from their camp, forming a wedge formation, and slowly charging towards them.

Although the troops were few in number, 30% of them were wearing iron armor.

The leader was a tall, imposing man, clad in black armor, standing out from the crowd. He carried two long-handled broadswords, exuding the aura of a tiger descending a mountain, and his entire body was shrouded in a menacing presence.

It was as if he alone was an army.

Their imposing presence was like a mountain and a sea. The Celestial Masters were completely silent, all craning their necks and staring at the approaching army with fear on their faces.

"Liu Yu!" Sun En gasped, also intimidated by the Jin army's imposing presence.

He had just expressed righteous indignation, but when he actually faced Liu Yu, a chill ran down his spine.

Instead, Xu Daofu roared, "Things have come to this, we have no choice but to fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death..." Sun En raised his longsword, but couldn't take a step.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Jin army on the opposite side quickened their pace, turning into a jog.

At intervals of fifty paces, arrows flew like locusts, piercing into the Celestial Masters' army, eliciting screams of agony.

The Celestial Masters sect had reached its limit, having even run out of crossbows.

"Liu Yu is here! Why don't you rats run for your lives? Hahaha—" Liu Yu roared, and his long sword flew out, hitting a Taoist priest in the face.

He then wielded his sword with both hands and leaped into the chaotic army. His sword flashed and blood splattered, as if he were in an empty field, and no enemy could stand against him.

In a single encounter, the morale of the Celestial Masters sect was shattered.

With this shift in momentum, the Jin army's morale soared, and they became even more fearless, following behind Liu Yu and hacking away with bayonets, leaving corpses strewn across the ground.

A leader of the Celestial Masters sect gathered a dozen armored soldiers and attempted to resist, but they were driven back by another fierce general wielding a large axe. In just three rounds, the leader was struck in the forehead by an axe, his brains splattered, and he died...

The gruesome manner of his death further terrified the surrounding Taoist priests.

No one dared to step forward to resist anymore.

The camp of tens of thousands of people was attacked and slaughtered by four thousand Jin soldiers.

"Come and face your death!" the Jin army shouted in unison.

Seven or eight fierce generals lined up in a row, each leading over a hundred armored soldiers. They transformed from a wedge formation into a goose-wing formation, slashing forward like harvesting rice. No matter how many Celestial Masters soldiers came up, they could not withstand them.

“Kill…” Sun En’s face trembled.

But he was so shocked by the fierce battle that he couldn't move his legs, and the repeated defeats he had suffered before lingered in his mind.

Losing too many times will make you lose the courage to take a gamble.

They shouted threats and cries for violence, but their feet involuntarily moved backward.

Previously, even with over 100,000 troops, they couldn't defeat the enemy's mere 1,000 or so. Now, with only 40,000 or 50,000 old and weak men, they are even less of a match.

Liu Yu attacked without any warning, instantly unleashing the hidden fear within the Celestial Masters. Coupled with chaotic command and poor mobilization, the camp descended into chaos.

"Master!" Lu Xun shouted, about to rush forward to fight for his life, but unexpectedly his hand was grabbed. He turned around and asked, "Why is this?"

The chaotic army surged in, engulfing Lu Xun's figure, and he disappeared from sight...

The battlefield gradually turned into a one-sided massacre.

Not only was Liu Yu as fierce as a tiger, but his generals and officers were also brave and fearless, with blood splattering everywhere.

Less than half an hour into the battle, the Celestial Masters sect collapsed completely.

Sun En's last shred of courage vanished, and he turned and ran.

But the Jin army seemed to have identified him, relentlessly pursuing him all the way to the sea.

The ships anchored on the sea had long since sailed away, and no one cared about him, the master.

Even Lu Xun was nowhere to be found, and the armored soldiers around him had long since disappeared.

Sun En sat on the beach, dumbfounded, gazing at the vast sea.

The Taoists preferred to drown rather than turn around and fight.

On the sea, a large ship happened to pass by. The banner with the character "Sun" on it had been replaced with the character "Lu" at some point. A dozen or so cargo ships followed behind it, heading south together.

Sun En was taken aback, then suddenly realized something, threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Enough, enough! I was defeated by Liu Yu and should not live in this world. My time has come, and I shall dissolve into water and ascend to immortality!"

Having said that, he plunged headfirst into the waves...

Gushu.

Huan Xuan was trying on a black imperial robe in front of a bronze mirror, but his obese body made him look utterly lacking in majesty.

At this moment, Yin Zhongwen rushed in and said, "My lord, General Jianwu Liu Yu has utterly defeated the demon bandits! Sun En drowned himself in the sea! The demon bandits have scattered!"

"Huh?" Huan Xuan was taken aback at first, then his face twitched. "Four thousand old and weak people defeated fifty thousand demon bandits and even forced Sun En to his death?"

The initial imperial edict urging war was intended to use the rebels to weaken or eliminate Liu Yu.

I never expected we'd actually win...

"This is all thanks to the great fortune of our lord! Everyone in Jiangzuo praises the might and virtue of our lord."

"Is it praising me or Liu Yu?" Huan Xuan plopped down on the soft couch, and two pretty maids immediately came over to massage his shoulders.

Yin Zhongwen looked embarrassed. "Of course it's my lord, but I also want to praise General Liu..."

Huan Xuan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Liu Yu... has already gained power, there's nothing we can do..."

With such great merit, Huan Xuan could no longer touch him.

Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a mutiny in the Northern Army, but a mutiny in the entire Jiangzuo region.

"In my opinion, this is a great joy. Our lord has just taken office and has already quelled the rebellion. Who in the world would not be convinced? His promotion to Duke of Chu is a matter of course!"

Yin Zhongwen is handsome and has a pleasant voice.

Huan Xuan was taken aback. This reasoning seemed to make sense. Without his order to urge the battle, Liu Yu would not have seized the opportunity to decisively defeat Sun En.

In any case, the destruction of the demon bandits is a good thing for Huan Xuan, and he no longer needs to worry about the west.

The most urgent task at present is to replace the Sima family. After that, it will not be too late to fight with the Liu brothers, Liu Daogui and Liu Yu.

"If my lord is wary of Liu Yu, why not transfer him to the Western Palace and suspend his service? Firstly, it would threaten the Huai and Si regions, preventing them from acting rashly. Secondly, it would be a way to show favor and gain a powerful general. I have heard that Liu Yu's mother and family are in Jingkou. What is there for my lord to worry about?"

During the Jin Dynasty, the country was governed by the principle of filial piety. Those who were not filial were abhorred by both gods and men and were intolerable to Heaven and Earth.

Liu Yu's family members were hostages.

Unexpectedly, Huan Xuan's expression changed. "If word gets out that we're using his mother to hold his son hostage, who will be willing to serve me in the future? Such a plan is absolutely unacceptable!"

"I misspoke..." Yin Zhongwen quickly apologized.

"Issue the order to promote Liu Yu to the position of Military Advisor in the Western Army, and to serve under my command. His troops will be rewarded according to their military merits, and he will be allowed to retire and return to his hometown."

There's nothing we can do about Liu Daogui of Huaisi for the time being, but dealing with Liu Yu is easy.

As long as he remains in Jiangzuo, he won't be able to cause any trouble.

By controlling Liu Yu, one controls Liu Daogui...

"The Grand Commander is wise!"

"Still called Grand Commander?" Huan Xuan shook his imperial robes.

"Greetings, Lord Chu!"

(End of this chapter)