War is a gamble that uses lives as stakes.
Wang Yuepi stood by the dilapidated wall, gazing at the blood-soaked city, and for some reason, this phrase came to his mind.
His commander had said this, but Wang Yuepi didn’t quite understand its meaning, nor did he care to ponder over it. All he needed to know was how to win.
"General, the situation is under control," a soldier reported.
Wang Yuepi stroked the stubble on his cheek. He sounded a bit uninterested. "So quickly?"
The soldier half-kneeled on the ground and replied solemnly, "Aside from some disturbances at the southern gate, there was no resistance."
"The southern gate?" Wang Yuepi raised an eyebrow. "What happened there?"
"Some martial artists attacked the guards at the south gate, but they didn’t cause much trouble before they were quickly suppressed..." The soldier hesitated.
Wang Yuepi glared at the soldier, "Say whatever needs to be said."
The soldier gritted his teeth and confessed, "Someone... someone escaped."
Wang Yuepi's interest was piqued.
"Was there an expert hidden within this small city? Is that why so many of you couldn’t stop him?"
"N-no... not exactly."
The soldier’s forehead was damp with cold sweat.
"He disguised himself as one of our own, and while everyone was occupied with the martial artists breaching the gate, he... he escaped in the chaos. And also..."
Wang Yuepi frowned. "That person certainly has guts... and also what?"
"And..." The soldier seemed reluctant to speak, pausing for a moment before he continued, "He... while escaping on horseback, he startled the other horses and ended up freeing dozens of ours as well..."
Wang Yuepi narrowed his eyes, and fixed his cold gaze on the soldier, saying nothing.
The soldier felt as if two steel blades were at his neck. He did not dare to move lest he anger the bear of a man before him.
"Hmm..." Wang Yuepi took a long breath and asked, "Who’s in charge of the south gate?"
The soldier’s voice trembled slightly. "It’s... battalion captain Wei Duo of the Wild Tiger Battalion."
"Wei Duo..." Wang Yuepi muttered the name softly, then instructed, "Have him come tonight to receive his punishment."
By the time the moon was high in the dark sky, the city had gradually quieted down from that afternoon’s bloody carnage.
There was no sign of any survivors left in the city. Even if some had somehow managed to evade capture, they would not reveal themselves now.
Wang Yuepi’s force of about five thousand was merely the vanguard, and camped outside the North Watching Pass.
Under the full moon in the sky, bonfires were lit one after another. The sound of whips striking flesh echoed throughout the camp.
Within the command tent, Wang Yuepi sat on the open ground, with a lamb roasting over the fire in front of him, its rich aroma filling the air. He would occasionally slice off a piece with his saber and pop it into his mouth, his lips glistening with golden, dripping grease.
"Wei Duo, do you know why you’re being punished?" Wang Yuepi asked, his voice slightly muffled by the meat he was chewing. Not far in front of him knelt a shirtless man. Two strong men holding whips stood on either side of him, occasionally dipping the whips into a bucket at their feet.
The shirtless man’s back was already raw and bloody, and he showed signs of exhaustion, yet he hadn’t let out a single groan, enduring it all with gritted teeth.
"I... I understand," the battalion captain replied breathlessly, struggling to answer Wang Yuepi’s question.
"The eagle of the grasslands should have the sharpest vision. Not even a mouse in the tall grass can escape its claws. But you..." Wang Yuepi looked coldly at the man kneeling before him. "Wei Duo, son of the grasslands, what clouded your vision? You let a mangy Ruen Dynasty jackal escape right under your nose and even let our horses run away!"
"Wei Duo... tell me, what use are your eyes?" Wang Yuepi crushed a lamb’s leg bone in his hand.
A sharp blade was tossed in front of Wei Duo.
Wei Duo picked up the knife, his hands trembling. He raised his head, gritting his teeth as he looked up at the towering Wang Yuepi.
"You know what to do," Wang Yuepi said solemnly.
"I..." Wei Duo swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty, "I understands."
The shirtless man’s hands trembled violently, yet he resolutely gripped the knife handle... pointed it at his own eye and plunged it in!
There was a gushing sound, like a bubble bursting.
The knife fell to the ground.
Wei Duo pressed his hand tightly over his right eye, and clear and red fluids oozed from between his fingers. He bit down hard on his lower lip, nearly biting it off, whimpering softly in unbearable agony. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
But one thing remained unchanged... his gaze. His one remaining left eye was fixed on Wang Yuepi above him, like that of a wounded wolf.
"Heh heh..." Wang Yuepi chuckled softly, and then burst into hearty laughter, as though he’d witnessed something amusing.
"Good!" Wang Yuepi suddenly bent down, eyes wide as he looked at Wei Duo. "Now that’s more like a proud son of Northern Qiang!" With that, he sliced off a lamb leg with his curved blade and tossed it in front of Wei Duo.
"This is for you, warrior," Wang Yuepi grinned, his smile a bit menacing.
"Ha..." Wei Duo, the battalion leader, panted heavily, but grinned widely. "Thank you for the reward, General!"
Vast desert, endless plains.
Fang Dingwu had trekked through the desert nonstop for two days already.
Today was the third day, and his horse had collapsed on the road the previous night. Although he had expected this outcome when he’d escaped amid the chaos, it didn't change the fact that he had no more supplies.
He’d even had to abandon the pack he’d painstakingly prepared in order to disguise himself as a Northern Qiang soldier. The army horse that had run day and night without rest and collapsed from a combination of exhaustion, thirst, and dehydration. He felt that he was not far from that either.
Fang Dingwu felt his vision blur. Although he hadn’t been injured during the fight at the North Watching Pass, it had drained much of his strength, and he’d had no time to rest before fleeing. Those damned Northern Qiang soldiers had chased him for dozens of miles before finally giving up.
Even with his extensive experience from his years as an escort guard on the road, Fang Dingwu couldn’t withstand everything that was happening in succession.
His legs felt weak, and it seemed he might collapse at any moment. Now, only his fierce will to survive was keeping him going.
Just as he thought he might not make it out of this desert, he saw a few faint silhouettes in the distance.
Fang Dingwu’s eyes widened, and he shouted with all the strength he had left.