Chapter 80: Game
A moment later, the Marquis of Jiuse arrived as expected, surrounded by a throng of soldiers. He had very few men with him, however—only several dozen Personal Guards.
Moreover, the Marquis of Jiuse was grievously wounded. The other injuries on his body were too numerous to mention.
His chest had been pierced through by a spear, and blood trickled from his mouth.
Half of the spearhead was still lodged in his body.
His face was as white as a sheet.
Upon seeing him, everyone immediately stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Marquis."
The Marquis of Jiuse nodded.
Zheng Tong hesitated for a good while before speaking. "Marquis, the Northern Barbarian pursuers behind us show no sign of stopping. The strongest among our troops are all severely wounded. I suggest we head to the Central Army; it’s the closest to our position."
The Marquis of Jiuse shot him a cold glance. "You might be able to save your life if you go see the Marquis of Yundu, but would the rest of us survive?"
No matter how you looked at it, the Marquis of Jiuse was responsible for this defeat.
With tens of thousands of soldiers dead, the higher-ups were bound to find someone to be the scapegoat.
And the Marquis of Jiuse was the perfect candidate.
As a powerful Merit Marquis, the Marquis of Yundu was naturally well-informed about the sentiments of the higher-ups.
If he went, he would likely be denied any chance to defend himself. A single order from the Marquis of Yundu, and the Marquis of Jiuse would probably be beheaded and his head put on display.
As the commander-in-chief carrying His Majesty’s Imperial Sword on this campaign, he wielded absolute authority within the army.
Therefore, the Marquis of Jiuse could not go to the Central Army. He had to return to seek a personal audience with the Emperor and fight for his one chance at survival.
Zheng Tong’s expression changed.
Then, he cupped his fist and said, "Since you are unwilling to go to the Central Army, Marquis, then I must go on ahead to pay my respects to the Marquis of Yundu."
At a time like this, he naturally had no intention of being hunted down alongside the Marquis of Jiuse.
"As you wish,"
the Marquis of Jiuse said coldly.
Then, he let Zheng Tong leave.
Zhou Hongling and the others, however, remained gathered around the Marquis of Jiuse.
In this battle, this Border Marquis and the Border General’s Mansions had clearly been made sacrificial pawns.
"Everyone, we must leave as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it won’t just be the Northern Barbarian army; I fear the Marquis of Yundu’s Cloud Concealment Army will catch up before long," Jiuse’s weak voice sounded.
However, he immediately continued, "If anyone else wants to leave, I will not stop you. And I guarantee no one will hold it against you in the future."
’He had struggled his entire life, clawing his way through blood and fire to get to where he was today.’
’But under the crushing weight of such supreme power, he faced the threat of losing it all overnight.’
’This was the tragedy of a general who had risen from nothing. If he were a Merit Marquis with a powerful family and an old ancestor to back him up, no one would have dared to plot against him like this.’
Watching all this unfold, Lu Yuan truly felt for the first time just how vicious the games played by the higher-ups were.
’But as a minor figure, all I can do right now is watch from the sidelines.’
But as he turned his head, he noticed many people looking his way. It was obvious that Lu Yuan was the only one left with enough strength to leave on his own. After all, he was uninjured, and he still had a number of his men with him.
If he chose to leave, his chances of escaping with his life were high.
As if he knew what everyone was thinking, Lu Yuan simply tightened his saddle and ordered his men to protect the several generals and begin an orderly retreat.
Seeing this, many of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let’s go, then," Zhou Ming called out, mounting his horse and riding forward.
The Zhou Family would most likely be implicated this time. Though they wouldn’t be as unfortunate as the Marquis of Jiuse, suppression was inevitable.
Lu Yuan nodded, rallied his men, and continued the advance.
Although Zhou Hongling was now on her own horse, Lu Yuan was in front, leading it by the reins.
The two of them remained very close to each other.
Among the several hundred people in their current group, Lu Yuan’s fighting strength was arguably the most well-preserved.
Everyone else was grievously wounded. If they encountered the enemy, they would have almost no combat ability.
What followed was a period of tedious travel.
No one knew where they were headed next. They had set out merely to earn some merit, never imagining they would end up in such a sorry state.
Among them all, Lu Yuan was the one with the fewest worries.
’My rank is low, so I won’t be implicated even if we lost a battle of this scale. All that matters is that I keep earning military merits. I can exchange them for rewards when I get back.’
So, he was rather at ease. Aside from traveling, he also focused on improving his cultivation.
「Two days later.」
In those two days, the injuries of the Marquis of Jiuse and the others had not improved. In fact, they had grown worse due to the lack of medicine and timely treatment.
That evening, everyone was gathered around a bonfire, eating.
The atmosphere was heavy. Because of all the new arrivals, the rations Zhou He had brought—which should have been enough for the original group to return to Icefield Fortress—were completely gone after only two days.
This was their last meal. After this, there would be nothing left.
Zhou Hongling leaned against a rock, the firelight illuminating her pale cheeks. She looked at Lu Yuan and said in a faint, low voice, "This group has little chance of making it out of the Wasteland. You should take the uninjured men and leave.
"Two days is more than enough time for the Northern Barbarians to scout our route. They must be close to catching up. If you don’t go now, you won’t get another chance."
She had secretly tried to persuade Lu Yuan to do so several times over the past two days.
CLIP-CLOP!
Just then, the sound of hooves echoed from the distance.
A scout they had sent out came galloping back. He dismounted as he neared and yelled, "The Northern Barbarians have caught up! There are about three thousand of them!"
As his voice fell,
SWOOSH!
Lu Yuan shot to his feet.
He yelled to the crowd, "All uninjured men, with me!"
With that, he raised his battle saber.
The azure Crescent Saber glinted in the moonlight.
In moments, more than eight hundred men had gathered behind him.
Every one of them held their weapons aloft.
Seeing this, the Marquis of Jiuse gave a bitter smile. "I never imagined that after a lifetime spent on the battlefield, my very life would depend on a Thousand Men Commander."
’Of course, I understand. At a time like this, as long as Lu Yuan ensures Zhou Hongling’s safety, he could take his men and abandon the rest of us without facing any consequences.’
’Because without him, we injured generals could never make it out of this vast Wasteland on our own.’
’Once he got back, as a mere Thousand Men Commander, he could just push the blame onto his superiors, and no one would say a thing.’
’After all, the entire right flank was shattered. The higher-ups would have to accept any outcome.’
’But he stayed.’
’I owe him a massive debt for this.’
And just as Lu Yuan and his men were preparing for battle...
「Meanwhile, in the Dayong Imperial City.」
Inside a seemingly unremarkable but exceptionally luxurious manor.
A figure, led by a steward, strode hurriedly past pavilions and verandas, heading deeper into the estate.
Upon reaching the rear courtyard, the steward stopped outside a quiet, secluded yard. "Master, the Marquis of Xisai requests an audience."
"Let him in," an old, hoarse voice replied.
The courtyard gate opened at the same time.
The Marquis of Xisai, following the steward, dared not show any disrespect. He immediately bowed and entered with caution.
This Marquis, a man with a rugged face known for his cold, iron-fisted command on the battlefield, could not even stand up straight in the presence of the courtyard’s occupant.
Because the man before him was Dayong’s former Grand Commandant. He, too, had risen from humble beginnings, a journey that had taken him a full century to reach this point.
He was the representative of the Imperial Court’s grassroots generals, and their leader.
However, even though he had once dazzled an entire era, he ultimately could not prevail against the great aristocratic families whose roots were sunk deep into every corner of the Imperial Dynasty. Now, he no longer held a position in the Imperial Court.
He was merely living out his golden years in retirement within the Imperial City.
But still, no one dared to underestimate his influence.
"It’s been some time since you returned to the capital. Is there a reason for your visit?" the Old Grand Commandant’s voice rang out.
The Marquis of Xiguan quickly replied, "Grand Commandant, I returned to the capital to report on my duties. However, I just received some news and had no choice but to come and disturb your peace."
After speaking, he presented a Jade Scroll.
The Old Grand Commandant reached out and took it. As he infused the Jade Scroll with his dense True Essence, his pale eyebrows knitted together.
His eyes widened, their earlier cloudiness gone, replaced by a sharp, piercing glint.
His full head of white hair, which had been resting loosely on his shoulders, began to stir and float upwards.
"These nobles have crossed the line! Do they no longer have any regard for the life of a Border Marquis? Who gave them the audacity to harm a court official for their own selfish gain?"
WHOOSH! The Old Grand Commandant shot to his feet.
The Marquis of Xiguan immediately fell to his knees. "I implore you, Grand Commandant, to seek justice for us Border Marquises!"
"Wait here."
After the rough, hoarse voice spoke,
the Old Grand Commandant called out, "Prepare the carriage. I am going to the palace."
Clearly, this old statesman of Dayong was preparing to seek an audience with the Emperor.
And the Marquis of Jiuse’s insistence on returning to Dayong was precisely because he knew this Old Grand Commandant was there, which was why he believed he still had a chance to survive.