Chapter 493: A Hundred Thousand Soldiers, A Hundred Thousand Death Warriors!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A hundred thousand soldiers, regardless of their wounds or injuries, whether they were resting or on duty, followed the singing in unison.
"Brothers we are at home, comrades we become in war…"
The song was led by Fu Baoguo while the others chorused sonorously – how could a choir of a hundred thousand people be any less resonant and majestic?
All of Yutang's militants could feel their blood boiling at that moment. The heavens and the earth were shaking, vibrating from the singing of Yutang's army!
Their singing echoed far into the clouds.
Their readiness to face death and their vehement spirit to fight to the last moment were absolutely resolute; their certainty was unshakeable and nothing could have diminished them.
Their loud, vocalized determination was even heard clearly by Dongxuan's base on the opposite side.
The ardent motivation that was carried out there stopped automatically. Plenty of Dongxuaan generals walked in silence to the highest point which overlooked the dark mountain on the other side and listened to the resounding singing that came from there. In spite of themselves, an instinctive sense of respect flowed from their eyes.
Zhan Ge was also listening from the far end in equal silence, his gaze complicated.
Only Han Sanhe was still in his tent, not observing what was happening in Yutang's base. He stood with arms placed behind his back as complex emotions swam across his sculpted face. After some time, he finally exited his tent with arms still on his back and walked towards the top of the mountain.
Zhan Ge had been standing there, overlooking Yutang's base. When he saw Han Sanhe coming, he turned to him immediately.
"Teacher, you…"
There was hesitation and respect in his tone, but more importantly, an underlying sense of contradiction that came from within him.
"Looks like you're aware of it too?" Han Sanhe asked faintly.
The singing from opposite was still echoing around their location, reverberating through the mountains around Dongxuan's base.
Zhan Ge swallowed with difficulty and said, "Yes, I can feel that tomorrow's battle will be the most devastating one I'll encounter in my life and I'm… doubting whether we can actually win this war!"
A bitter smile hung on Han Sanhe's bony face as he said, "Your feeling is right. Tomorrow's battle will be unexpectedly crushing but it is destined that Dongxuan will win except that it's a pyrrhic victory. We will win this war, but the cost will be great!
"Even throughout my entire military career, I've only met a massive army such as this only once before." Han Sanhe spoke slowly, "It's a hundred thousand of soldiers, one hundred thousand warriors of death! It's horrible!"
"Once before?" Zhan Ge asked.
"Years ago when we were against Shangguan Lingxiao, we set up an early ambush and planted agents. The siege was formed, trapping Shangguan Lingxiao in the Caterwaul Valley, seven hundred miles away from the Fortress of Resilience. Our side deployed one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, firmly besieging Shangguan's twenty thousand soldiers. This battle was similar to that one."
Han Sanhe's voice carried a reminiscent tone.
"What was the result of that battle?" Zhan Ge asked respectfully.
"Our one hundred and fifty thousand men army was commanded personally by me. We were going against twenty thousand men and even had the upper hand by setting ambushes and traps; our archers were standing by too. Essentially, it was an impeccable coordination of timing, location, and people. The victory was given, there wasn't any reason for us to fail." Han Sanhe exclaimed, "And the result of the battle was indeed a total annihilation of Shangguan Lingxiao's twenty thousand militants! All wiped out!"
"When the battleground was cleaned up afterward, of Shangguan Lingxiao's twenty thousand men army, there weren't more than five hundred bodies that could be found intact," Han Sanhe said grimly.
Zhan Ge suddenly felt goosebumps on his skin as his hair began to rise, and asked anxiously, "What about ours?"
He was familiar with his teacher's habit. For his teacher to state all their advantages and even the final result, he was paving the way to describe their loss. Thus, their casualty must be a number far exceeding his expectation.
Han Sanhe answered faintly, "Of our one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, only seventy-six thousand and three hundred people returned alive!"
Zhan Ge felt his heart jerk strongly; for an instant, he even felt a bit faint. Their army had gotten all the advantages like location, ambush, and planted agents, but they had still paid such a high price of one to four lives!
"How is this possible?! How could our casualties be so high when we had all the advantages? How can this be? How can it be right?" blurted out Zhan Ge. He thought he had been mentally prepared for this news but his face was in open disbelief.
"Why not? I was there during the war. It was my personal experience, I have witnessed it myself. Even to this day, the memory is fresh in my mind!" Han Sanhe replied.
"Do you know, some soldiers of theirs suffered from dozens of slashes and lay unmoving on the ground, but they were actually waiting for Dongxuan soldiers to pass by. When the opportunity presented itself, they sprung up to bite the target's throat with the last of their strength. When we picked up the corpses, there were more than thirty soldiers who had died from this disguised attack."
"In addition to that, after that battle, of Dongxuan's seventy-six thousand and three hundred people, only about two hundred people suffered from light injuries. There were basically no wounds on that small group, or rather I should say, that there were none who were severely injured among those who survived!"
Zhan Ge was a proficient general and immediately understood Han Sanhe's implied meaning at once. His face grew pale.
How brutal must the battle have been that those who were lightly injured were not the majority?! Nor were there any who were severely injured among the survivors. This meant that all who had been seriously injured had died.
"That battle was also Shangguan Lingxiao's last war, the Shangguan Family of Generals' last war too. It's also this old man's last time going against the Shangguan Family."
Han Sanhe breathed in deeply. "After that, my respect for Shangguan Family of General surpassed anyone else's. If I could, I wouldn't want to meet any descendants of Shangguan!"
He turned and looked at Zhan Ge.
"Zhan Ge, what you're facing tomorrow is very possibly another Shangguan Lingxiao. Moreover, Fu Baoguo is much stronger than Shangguan Lingxiao from back then; he's more fearless! Most importantly, the total number of men he has is five times more than Shangguan Lingxiao!"
"And the current morale boost now has far exceeded Shangguan Lingxiao's."
"Facing such high morale, no matter how high their casualties turn out to be, their spirit won't be reduced. Unless all of them are defeated and killed, there's no victory yet." There seemed to be a ball of fire flickering in Han Sanhe's eyes. "Lastly, if you win, you won't ever forget Fu Baoguo for even a moment. He'll become the most important person in your life!"
"But if you lose…"
Han Sanhe closed his eyes. "Then all is lost!"
"Are you ready?"
Zhan Ge felt his heart thumping wildly, his eyes suddenly sparkled, "I'm ready!" he cried.
If he, who had millions of soldiers, were to lose to Fu Baoguo's one hundred thousand remaining troops, nothing needed to be lost at all as he would just behead himself first. What else was there to live for?
"As a general, there must always be such a battle in your life that you have to face, at least one that you must go through. Only when you've experienced such a battle can you truly be on your way to becoming an unrivaled marshal!"
Han Sanhe spoke almost nonchalantly, "This may be your biggest opportunity but also your doom!"
The singing from the opposite army had yet to stop; in fact, it was growing even more fervent.
In spite of it, Zhan Ge's gaze turned sharper. He took in a deep breath and said, "Teacher, don't worry! Tomorrow, I shall win this battle!"
Han Sanhe nodded.
Quickly, Zhan Ge asked in a humble voice, "Teacher, what strategy should I apply tomorrow?"
Han Sanhe's eyes squinted as he answered, "I have helped you in all the past warfare but in this battle tomorrow, I cannot.
"All my suggestions, whether they benefit you or not in the end, will obstruct you and drag you down."
Han Sanhe said slowly, "I only have one last thing to tell you."
"Do speak, teacher. This disciple is ready to accept," Zhan Ge replied carefully.
Han Sanhe spoke very clearly, "Facing such a troop with such high morale, and such a marshal… if you don't have the same passionate determination to fight to your death, then withdraw your army immediately."