Chapter 1503: Lu Wushuang Returns

The generals exchanged uneasy glances. Though they felt a great sense of difficulty, they grit their teeth and ordered their subordinates to bring out chevaux de frise and form human walls and nets to plug the massive breach in the south city gate. Fortunately, the Bega army's chain of command was highly efficient, allowing them to form ranks and prepare their defenses before the Yuheng army could storm the city. The two sides immediately began fighting for control.

While the main army held the front line, engineers and mages behind them could quickly work on repairing the wall. There was no time to rebuild brick by brick. They had to rely on mages to cast battle formation earth wall spells, first patching the breach and only then considering its durability. Neither side yielded an inch, and the battle quickly escalated to a fever pitch.

Just as the earth wall spell was half-formed, several more colossal explosions reverberated. It was unclear which array device had been delayed, but the series of ten consecutive blasts echoed once more. Amidst the rising smoke, the north city gate collapsed as well.

Now, Beifucheng had two collapsed sections of wall, one to the south and one to the north. If the wind was strong enough tonight, it could howl straight through the city.

When the news reached Baimoji, he froze for a long moment, feeling as if the north wind had blown straight into his soul. Had only the south city wall collapsed, the Bega army might still have held out. But with the north also fallen, it was clear that the Yuheng army would divide their forces and attack from both sides. While the Yuheng army's equipment was inferior to Bega's, they were utterly fearless. Baimoji had no confidence whatsoever in simultaneously defending two broken walls.

What could he do? He was momentarily lost, repeating the question to himself.

"General!" his deputy pleaded again, "Please make a decision!"

Baimoji glanced towards the riverbank. More than half of the main camp had already been dismantled, leaving the bare riverbank with no natural defenses. He let out a long sigh, knowing there was only one course of action left: "Retreat from the north gate, and cross back to the east bank."

If they couldn't hold the city or remain, their only option was to retreat. They would return from whence they came. He uttered the words with immense difficulty, for the tide of battle had decisively turned.

It must be said, compared to defending dams or capturing cities, this Bega army was far more experienced in retreating by boat. The Yuheng army, naturally, pursued them relentlessly to the riverbank, seeing no reason to hold back. After more than twenty days of practice, the Bega army's retreats were coordinated, with both offensive and defensive elements, allowing them to minimize casualties. This time, however, their retreat was far more chaotic, forcing them to abandon more personnel and supplies. The Yuheng army readily seized everything left behind and then showered them with arrows as they departed across the river.

To make matters worse, an arrow struck Baimoji in his left eye! During the retreat, he personally fought back several enemy generals, but was unfortunately struck by a stray arrow and fell backward. His protective artifacts had been expended during the explosions at Beifucheng and the earlier phases of the withdrawal. The military doctor dared not remove the arrow on the spot; instead, he sealed the surrounding acupoints, administered an anesthetic, and advised Baimoji to have it dealt with back at camp.

Before they had fully crossed the river, the soldiers on the boat began clamoring once more. Baimoji used his good eye to follow their pointing fingers, and he couldn't help but stand up abruptly—their main camp at the Jintao front line was also engulfed in fierce flames, with smoke billowing towards the sky!

"Damn it, damn it!" Baimoji gritted his teeth, unsure if the feeling was from rage or pain. While he had been busy capturing Beifucheng, the enemy had seized the opportunity to raid his main camp. That 'He' fellow was truly cunning; he wouldn't tolerate even the slightest loss. But he had stationed two thousand guards at the main camp. How many men could Yuheng City have possibly sent to launch a successful sneak attack?

"Row faster!" he urged. "Beifucheng on the opposite bank is lost; we cannot lose our own main camp too!"

When they finally carried Baimoji ashore and hurried closer, they saw that the Yuheng raiding party had already been repelled. The camp was bustling with people—all Xiluo soldiers—carrying water, searching for survivors, and moving supplies!

Why were they Xiluo soldiers? Regardless, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

In the flickering firelight, a figure emerged from behind the main camp's palisade, holding a tasseled spear. Wherever the spear tip pointed, the flames instantly extinguished. It was Lu Wushuang, accompanied by two or three personal guards.

"General Bai!" she exclaimed, startled the moment she saw Baimoji. "What happened to your eye?"

Lu Wushuang gestured over her shoulder, and a guard carrying a medical kit immediately rushed forward to attend to Baimoji's eye. This was a doctor she had brought with her from Qing Palace.

"No, there's no need!" Baimoji, though having taken painkillers, was still trembling from agony. The pain from his injured eye was unbearable for an ordinary person. "How did you...?"

"The rebellion within Jintao has been quelled, so I brought my troops back. We happened to arrive just as two thousand Yuheng soldiers were attempting to raid the camp." She had returned with twenty thousand Xiluo troops, who, combined with the main camp's original garrison, were sufficient to drive off the Yuheng raiders. "Is that the Yuheng army's Beifucheng, where the thick smoke is billowing on the opposite bank?" she asked, cupping her hand over her eyes as she looked at the distant fires. "Judging by the flames... did the General finally capture it? Congratulations!"

She had just returned from outside and had spent half a day dealing with the Yuheng raiding party at the main camp. It was perfectly plausible that she knew nothing about what had happened on the west bank of the great river.

Baimoji, already gravely wounded, felt a surge of rage upon hearing her words. He took two steps forward, about to speak, when his vision suddenly went black, and he lost consciousness.

The generals behind him cried out, "General!"

Lu Wushuang pointed to the commander's main tent. "Quickly help the General inside for treatment, and no one is to make a sound!"

Only after Baimoji had been carried away by his guards did she turn to the other generals and ask, "What exactly happened on the opposite bank?"

She was merely the Xiluo army's supervisor, yet her presence, as she turned, was commanding. Two generals instinctively replied, "We had captured Beifucheng, but we didn't realize the Yuheng army had set explosives within the city, destroying both the north and south walls. The Yuheng army then launched an immediate counter-attack, General Bai was struck in the eye by an arrow, so we..." They trailed off.

Observing the boats docking on the riverbank and the troops disembarking, Lu Wushuang's expression remained grim. "Do they know General Bai is wounded?"

The generals exchanged glances. "Just as we reached the river, General Bai was hit by an arrow and slipped from his horse. We helped him onto the boat."

"Then we cannot relax yet. We must prepare for the Yuheng army to cross the river and attack this camp!"

A staff general under Baimoji couldn't help but interject, "Supervisor Lu, for the past twenty days, the Yuheng army has never dared to cross the river and attack us head-on!"

"Circumstances have changed," Lu Wushuang replied, pointing to the main tent. "General Bai is severely wounded, and this place is currently leaderless. Do you truly believe the Yuheng army's commander won't seize such an opportunity?" What she actually meant was that the Yuheng City commander had previously been content to wage a slow, drawn-out battle at the Jintao front, avoiding a direct, arduous river crossing. But with tonight's sudden turn of events, there was no longer any reason for He Lingchuan to hold back! If they were going to fight, they should make it decisive. If she were He Lingchuan, she would certainly capitalize on Baimoji's severe injury to lead her forces across the river and press their advantage.

The staff general fell silent. He wouldn't concede that Yuheng City's army was stronger than their own, but it was undeniable that their commander's strategic prowess was exceptional. He was about to retort that this was none of the Xiluo Supervisor's concern, but at that very moment, someone pointed frantically towards the west bank and shouted, "Boats are coming! Boats are coming!"

Everyone turned to look, and sure enough, indistinct shadows dotted the river—one hundred forty to fifty boats were approaching the east bank.

Those were not Bega's ships!