Chapter 720: Angered To Death
One of the vice-generals’ expressions changed drastically when he saw Ku Shu rush forward like a madman.
Reaching toward the general, he shouted anxiously, "General, be careful! There may be traps—!"
But the warning fell on deaf ears.
Like a madman, the general charged straight ahead, gaze fixed on Fan Wanming.
Realizing that the general had ignored the warning, the vice-general could only clench his jaw and chase after the general and the others.
Standing on top of the city wall, Feng Xiyan calmly ordered, "Sound the war drum. Let General Fan and his team return from the flank."
"Yes, Great General!"
Holding the huge drumsticks, the soldiers standing in front of the war drums began to beat them in unison.
Dum~! Du~dum! Dum~! Du~dum!
When the sounds of the war drums echoed across the surroundings and reached the battlefield, Fan Wanming pointed to the left and right and ordered, "Retreat!"
The second his words fell, the elite soldiers split into two teams and changed direction.
Behind them, the Wen Army’s general and his troops did not have a smooth pursuit because of the holes left by Fan Wanming and his team.
With them delayed, the small team escorting the surrendered soldiers had enough time to return to the city while Fan Wanming and his team attracted the enemy’s attention.
Forty minutes later, the Gate Captain saw them approaching and calmly ordered, "Open the gate!"
At his order, the soldiers hurriedly pushed open the city gate.
Creak~!
Seeing that the city gate had opened from inside, Fan Wanming and his team did not rush back into the city but gathered in front of the city gate and formed a human barrier.
Before long, the small team led by one of the young generals finally returned with the captured soldiers.
Fan Wanming raised his hand, and the elite soldiers quickly parted, opening a wide path for the incoming team and the captured soldiers to pass.
Surrounded by the elite soldiers of the Feng Army, the captured soldiers could only follow them into Xiqiang City.
Sitting on his warhorse, Ku Shu saw everything. He clenched his hands so tightly that his fingers turned white and furiously asked, "Where are our cavalry soldiers?! Where are they?!"
Knowing that he was furious, one of the soldiers who was responsible for scouting the battlefield answered tremblingly, "A–answering the Great General... they have fallen into a trap and lost half their numbers."
At the soldier’s words, Ku Shu glared at Feng Xiyan and roared, "Feng Xiyan! You will pay for this!"
Feng Xiyan lowered his military binoculars, then raised his voice and calmly said, "Ku Shu, you cannot win this war. Surrender, and this general will let you die without pain."
Hearing this, Ku Shu became even angrier, but his generals and soldiers glanced at Fan Wanming and his two thousand elite soldiers standing outside the city gate, looking majestic and powerful.
Just as Ku Shu was about to shout back, one of his generals suddenly rode forward and shouted, "Great General Feng, I surrender to you! Please give me a way to survive!"
Stunned by this blatant betrayal, Ku Shu’s mind went blank for a moment. When he regained his senses, the other generals had followed the first general and surrendered to Feng Xiyan.
"I will also surrender!"
"Great General Feng, please let me join you!"
Behind him, the soldiers exchanged hesitant glances. A moment later, the sound of metal clanging filled the surroundings.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Ku Shu turned his head and saw that almost all of his soldiers had thrown their weapons to the ground and were now kneeling toward the city wall.
At this sight, Ku Shu’s heart finally sank. His face paled, and his body swayed slightly.
Glaring at the soldiers, he shouted furiously, "Get up! Grab your weapons and fight! Get up!"
Lowering their heads, the soldiers ignored him.
Ku Shu kept shouting, but nobody looked at him. Staring at the soldiers, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. A second later, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Cough!"
Losing his balance, Ku Shu fell heavily from his warhorse to the ground.
Thud!
Lying on the ground, blood staining his lips and armor, Ku Shu looked at the bright sky and breathed his last. Even after his death, his eyes were still wide-open, refusing to let go of his unattainted glory.
Witnessing everything from the top of the city wall, Xue Ruhong clicked his tongue and muttered with a hint of disdain in his calm voice, "Useless. He can even die from anger."
Glancing at him, Ding Zhenshun thought, ’General Xue, this general thinks you could also kill him with just your words.’
Although he thought this, Ding Zhenshun did not say it out loud.
Handing the military binoculars to Xue Ruhong, Feng Xiyan calmly instructed, "General Xue, clean the battlefield. Gather the surrendered soldiers in the open field and have General Tan arrange them."
Xue Ruhong and Tan Pengtai clasped their fists and responded in unison, "Yes, Great General."
Leaving those words behind, Feng Xiyan left the city wall and returned to the commander’s tent.
Looking at his lonely back, Xue Ruhong let out a long sigh. Turning to the other generals and vice-generals, he smiled and said, "Brothers, let’s get to work. General Tan, please add a meat dish for dinner later. We should celebrate this."
Tan Pengtai nodded. "Alright."
While they were busy clearing the battlefield and dealing with the war prisoners, news of their easy victory spread across the Western Region, adding even more glory to the Feng Army’s name.
Returning to the commander’s tent, Feng Xiyan did not rest. He sat behind the wooden table and began to deal with the piled-up military affairs.
When he finally placed the last report down, the moon was already hanging high in the night sky.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Feng Xiyan closed his bloodshot eyes and leaned back in his chair.
Outside the tent, one of the soldiers on guard heard the faint sound from inside and glanced at the night sky. After hesitating for a while, he braced himself and lifted the tent flap.