Chapter 1878: Biting the Pain

"Yes, Fushan Lie was responsible."

As He Lingchuan finished giving instructions to the military medic, Hu Min rushed in. "General Hong has ordered me to tell you," he announced, "the Great Wind Army has arrived at Yan Mountain battlefield. Please proceed there to coordinate!"

General Hong is here? A surge of joy went through He Lingchuan. To the injured soldier, he said, "Hold on, we're almost victorious!"

The wounded soldier tried to nod, but the medic prevented him. Instead, he gripped He Lingchuan's arm tightly for a moment before slowly letting go.

He Lingchuan quickly washed the blood from his hands, then strode out of the tent and led his troops back to the front lines.

In that battle, Fushan Lie was caught completely off guard by the Great Wind Army's sudden arrival, forcing him into a chaotic retreat. He Lingchuan and General Hong pursued the enemy for over twenty *li*, only returning to camp at dawn.

Upon returning to camp, however, the medical officer delivered grim news:

"General Liu's wounds are too severe; there's nothing more we can do."

He Lingchuan had already anticipated this before he left camp, but hearing the confirmation still made his heart sink. He sighed deeply. Fushan Lie's claws carried a corrosive poison that was incredibly difficult to treat, and the wound was, moreover, in a vital area of the neck.

General Hong dismounted. "Liu Lin?" she asked.

"Yes," He Lingchuan replied, walking towards the medical tent. "I sent him to guard the pass at Yan Mountain, but unfortunately, he walked into Fushan Lie's ambush."

He Lingchuan had personally led a rescue party to retrieve him, but sadly, they were still too late.

Inside the medical tent, Liu Lin lay motionless on a bed, his face pale, his chest no longer rising or falling. The bandages around his neck were soaked with dark blood. At just twenty-three, he had been a rapidly rising star among Panlong City's generals in recent years, possessing both remarkable talent and martial prowess.

"The fatal wound was to his neck, almost half ripped away by Fushan Lie," He Lingchuan explained. He had examined the injuries earlier and knew the chances of survival were slim.

General Hong, still wearing her flood dragon mask, instructed, "Allow his troops to come in and say their farewells."

Soon, faint sobs could be heard from within the tent.

The assembled officers and soldiers stood solemnly, their eyes filled with grief, some discreetly wiping away tears.

He Lingchuan had witnessed this scene countless times before.

So many promising young warriors, full of vigor and life, suddenly fell on the battlefield, like brilliant but fleeting meteors streaking across the sky.

Since he began leading troops in the war against the Xianyuan Kingdom, this was the fourth general he had personally bid farewell to in just over a month.

The relentless attrition of war erodes the very flesh and blood of the living.

Panlong City's campaign against the Xianyuan Kingdom had lasted for over three months. Although Beijia had dispatched supporting forces, Xianyuan suffered repeated defeats, with key strongholds falling one after another.

A few days prior, Panlong City's offensive had slowed, even halting momentarily. Beijia had assumed Panlong was deterred by its issued ultimatum and would not dare to attack further.

However, General Hong had secretly amassed a large army, which then suddenly appeared at the capital city!

The Xianyuan capital fell after just a day and a half of resistance, and the Xianyuan King abandoned the city to flee.

The illusion He Lingchuan had conjured for Bai Ziqi using the Grand Evolution Celestial Bead was precisely one of the scenes depicting General Hong's pursuit of the Xianyuan King.

The unfortunate monarch never made it to Baling; General Hong captured him and, rather than bringing him back, summarily beheaded him for all to see!

Only with his death could the Xianyuan people's will to resist truly dissipate.

With Xianyuan's demise, Beijia's fury erupted, and they immediately dispatched a larger army to attack.

These were now regular Beijia forces, unlike the mixed units they had sent previously.

Naturally, Beijia also fabricated a justification for its deployment: "at the earnest request of the Xianyuan Kingdom's second prince."

Indeed, the Xianyuan Kingdom's second prince was in Beijia. Upon "shockingly learning the tragic news of his father's death and the collapse of his kingdom," he implored Beijia to intervene righteously.

Even setting aside any prior agreements, Beijia could not simply stand by and watch Panlong City decimate Xianyuan.

Everyone knew Xianyuan was Beijia's staunch vassal, far more loyal than Baling. If Panlong City seized Xianyuan without consequence, what face or prestige would Beijia have left?

Panlong City had inflicted such a severe blow to Beijia's prestige that even the Demon Emperor, known for his composure, could no longer tolerate it.

Setting aside how Beijia's army could march such a long distance and arrive so swiftly, this time, three great demon generals were leading a hundred thousand troops in an assault on Xianyuan Kingdom's eastern front.

With Xianyuan Kingdom freshly conquered, two or three regional officials quickly initiated uprisings, coordinating their efforts with the Beijia forces.

Zhong Shengguang was also prepared. He dispatched Commander Zhao Xianhe to suppress the remaining resistance within Xianyuan, while simultaneously deploying General Hong, He Lingchuan, and General Nanke to defend three key fortresses along Xianyuan's eastern border, aiming to keep Beijia at bay.

The fighting over the past half-month had been more bloody and brutal than any of Panlong City's previous campaigns!

On Panlong City's side, casualties surpassed six thousand.

Three years ago, or in a different historical context, such losses would have been unbearable for Panlong City.

With three active battlefields, it was difficult to tally the enemy's casualties, but they were certainly no less than Panlong City's.

While General Hong and He Lingchuan commanded effectively and deployed surprising tactics, direct, head-on confrontations were unavoidable.

Both sides fought fiercely to the death, clenching their teeth, waiting to see who would break first.

These relentless rounds of combat, however, offered He Lingchuan a new opportunity to assess Beijia's regular army:

Strong troops and formidable generals!

His earlier engagements with Beijia's forces in the eastern borders of Yuheng City had been comparatively mild, and the commanders were not seasoned veterans like Fushan Lie.

Through several encounters with Fushan Lie, particularly the Battle of Yan Mountain, He Lingchuan now understood why Fushan Lie would later rise to become a monarch, thanks to his illustrious military achievements.

This man possessed a formidable command of troops in battle, and his personal combat prowess was truly exceptional.

After seeing to Liu Lin's funeral arrangements, He Lingchuan returned to his military tent. He personally brought a chair for General Hong, saying:

"Commander Hong, what brings you here?"

With the eastern front in a precarious state, he and General Hong had fought side-by-side many times, riding back and forth to support each other. Such life-or-death camaraderie had changed their relationship; their conversation was no longer as reserved or unfamiliar as it once was.

There was a thermos on the table, but he didn't pour water for General Hong, knowing she wouldn't drink while wearing her mask.

The tent flap was open, facing towards Yan Mountain.

General Hong did not sit either. With her hands clasped behind her back, she walked to the tent's entrance and gazed out towards the east.

The lamplight cast her silhouette onto the tent's canvas—not particularly tall, yet remarkably resolute.

"News has just arrived from within Beijia," she said slowly. "The Xianyuan Kingdom's second prince died en route to Lingxu City."

He Lingchuan was startled. "Who was responsible?" he asked.

"Lingshan," General Hong replied. "Xin Yi explicitly stated that Lingshan's people carried out this assassination, hoping to assist us."

"That was a precise strike!" Whatever He Lingchuan's opinion of Lingshan, they had certainly done well this time, hitting the snake directly in its vitals.

Beijia was using the Xianyuan second prince as a pretext for war, claiming they were helping him reclaim his homeland. Lingshan simply pulled the rug out from under them by eliminating the second prince.

With the aggrieved party gone, who would Beijia claim to be helping to reclaim their "homeland"? Themselves?

Their justification for deploying troops to Xianyuan and attacking Panlong had vanished.

Panlong City typically couldn't execute such an operation; its reach wasn't that extensive. This was also why it often suffered disadvantages in its struggles with Beijia: the wars invariably erupted within Panlong City's territory, far from Beijia's own lands, ensuring Beijia's homeland remained untouched.

When fighting a war remotely, with no risk to one's own nation, who wouldn't be emboldened?

But with Lingshan's intervention, things were different.