diskusbooks Chapter 316 Carelessness
Chapter 316 Carelessness
Xu Sheng brought Nianyao all the way to Jiangxinzhou not so that she could fight, but to bluff and tie down Yan Zeyu's energy and troops.
An Liangchen only realized this after the various generals of Nanyue crossed the river and headed north.
Nan Hua asked nervously, "And now?"
An Liangchen said, "They were naturally careless when they crossed the river smoothly, and even more careless when they went north. Naturally, they didn't think about the danger of going deep into enemy territory alone. Zhou Yan led his troops to Shenzhou, hoping to directly threaten Bianjing."
I sent my uncle and a group of veteran generals, including Fu Chi, to reinforce them. Fu Chi lived up to his reputation, leading his troops in a night-and-day raid on the Tongbai Mountains, inflicting a major defeat on the Nanyue army and killing Zhou Yan.
Underestimating the enemy is a cardinal sin in warfare. The Battle of Xiling went too smoothly, and Xu Sheng inevitably became careless.
After the Battle of Nanquan, Xu Sheng, under the pretext of rest and reorganization, sent boats to patrol and defend the entrance to the Xiang River, without making any plans to move north. On the other hand, reports of victories kept coming from the various armies that were moving north by land.
When news of Zhou Yan's death reached Jiangxinzhou, Nianyao was packing her things to return to Qinzhou.
Nianyao placed the package on the table and said to Xu Sheng, "Since you don't expect me to lead troops into battle, nor do you plan to send troops to seize Xiangshui, then I'm of no use here. I'll go back to Qinzhou first, and leave after Qi Yang's wedding, and I'll never come back."
Xu Sheng stared at her, seemingly deep in thought.
Nianyao said impatiently, "You can settle your grudges with Luo An yourself. Don't drag me into this. I'm nothing now, just consider me a useless person."
Xu Sheng slowly pushed the letter in his hand in front of her, indicating that she should read it herself.
Nianyao thought Xu Sheng was up to his old tricks again, so she snatched the letter and tore it open. She was shocked to see a short line of text: "Defeated in Dongyang, Tongbai Mountain, with 20,000 soldiers lost and Zhou Yan killed in action."
Zhou Yan is dead!
Nianyao's pupils widened: Zhou Yan was killed in action, Uncle Zhou is dead?
Nianyao slowly looked at Xu Sheng, then suddenly threw the letter at him and jumped off the table as if she wanted to fight him to the death.
Xu Sheng reacted quickly, leaping from the chair and jumping out the window.
Just as Nianyao was about to chase after him, Xue Yunfan grabbed her from behind and hugged her tightly: "Sister, calm down."
Xu Sheng said from outside the window, "You were the one who decided to divide the troops into three routes. The right route army marched north from Shenzhou to Bianjing, and now you're blaming me."
Nianyao hissed, "It was my decision, but shouldn't Uncle Zhou be stationed in Jiangxinzhou? Why did he personally lead the troops north? It's all because of you."
Seeing that Nianyao was emotionally agitated, Xu Sheng realized that reasoning with her would be pointless, so he simply turned around and left.
Nianyao kicked the chair away and struggled fiercely: "Xue Yunfan, let me go."
Xue Yunfan slowly released Nianyao. Nianyao did not continue to chase after Xu Sheng, but slowly squatted down, cupped her face in her hands and buried it in her knees.
There were no cries, but it was precisely this silent sorrow that made it all the more heartbreaking.
Xue Yunfan squatted down next to Nianyao, at a loss for what to do, not knowing how to comfort her.
After an unknown amount of time, Nianyao tried to stand up, but her legs went numb and she fell to the ground.
Xue Yunfan quickly helped her up and sat her down in a chair: "Sister, are you alright?"
Nianyao pressed her head against the table, tears streaming down her face: "It hurts so much, my leg is broken."
Xue Yunfan said nervously, "I'll go get the army doctor."
When Xue Yunfan arrived with Doctor Sun, Nianyao was no longer in the hall.
Xue Yunfan looked around and said, "Dr. Sun, wait here, I'll go find her."
Dr. Sun advised, "Since you can walk, your leg must not be broken."
Nianyao sat on the riverbank, feeling the cold wind, and thought of her original intention for serving in the army: she originally planned to take back Xiangshui to intimidate Dongyang and use that as a condition to negotiate peace with Dongyang.
Although Luo An didn't say it explicitly, she knew that Luo An didn't want war between the two countries. Regardless of which country won or lost, Luo An would be sad.
Nianyao thought she was well-versed in military strategy and would be more than capable of leading troops into battle. But when she actually went to the battlefield, she discovered that real warfare was far more brutal than anything described in military books and historical records.
More importantly, the world is not lacking in people who are well-versed in military strategy, nor is it lacking in people who are both well-versed in military strategy and have experienced countless battles. She is as narrow-minded and ridiculous as a frog at the bottom of a well.
The cold river wind blew against her face, but Nianyao felt no pain. She looked at the familiar river that she had walked along countless times since childhood and thought of the days of the Great River Gang.
Back then, her father was still alive, as were the uncles who cared for her like a daughter, and the brothers who treated her like a brother. Back then, there were always two people in the tea room, one aloof and the other lively.
The aloof one who ignored her became her husband; the lively boy who always bickered with her, who seemed like he would never grow up, became a general who died on the battlefield.
The wonder of life is that you can never predict how your life's path will take you to places you never imagined.
Every day, once ordinary and mundane, now seems beautiful in retrospect: the sun was brighter then, the rain was more melodious, and the wind was gentler...
But those days will never return. If there's anything to be thankful for, it's that Luo An is still here.
"Remember to write to me when you arrive and let me know you're safe. If you haven't returned by the time the Crown Princess recovers, I'll come find you. We'll take Chenxi on a trip together."
Nianyao wrote a letter to let Luo An know she was safe, as instructed, but Luo An hadn't come to see her yet. Was Nanhua still unwell? Or had Luo An changed his mind?
Xu Sheng, having failed to uncover her origins, will certainly not let Luo An off the hook. War is like a game to Xu Sheng, but not to her and Xue Yunfan.
But she had no bargaining chips to negotiate with Xu Sheng, she had no bargaining chips to negotiate with the King of Nan Yue, and she had no bargaining chips to negotiate with An Liangchen...
She had no bargaining chips to negotiate with anyone! This realization almost drove Nianyao to the brink of collapse: from childhood to adulthood, she had always been incredibly flamboyant and confident!
How did that fearless, outspoken, and daring young man end up like this, utterly useless and incompetent at everything?
Why did she agree to attend Qi Yang's wedding in the first place? What does Qi Yang's marriage have to do with her?
If she hadn't come, she would be teaching swordsmanship to her young apprentices at the Heavenly Palace right now, garnering a huge following of admirers and living a life of blissful happiness.
Oh, and Qin Jiu too. What happened to Qin Jiu? She couldn't control whether he was dead or alive, but she needed some definite news, right?
Nianyao grabbed her longsword, determined to get to the bottom of things with Xu Sheng. She had just turned around when she saw Xu Sheng standing about two zhang away.
Seeing Nianyao gripping her sword tightly and glaring at him, Xu Sheng offered an explanation: "I was afraid you might do something rash..."
Nianyao's nose tingled, and a bellyful of resentment and accusations stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered.
Xu Sheng added, "...If you jump into the river and commit suicide, Luo An will definitely marry a virtuous, beautiful woman. We can't let him get away with this."
Instead of getting angry, Nianyao laughed and said, "I'll go back and immediately find him a virtuous, beautiful concubine."
Xu Sheng said, "Then I happen to have a suitable candidate to recommend."
Nianyao said coldly, "Your sister?"
Xu Sheng said, "That's right."
Nianyao almost cursed out loud. She walked past him and started to walk forward, but after taking two steps, she turned back and asked, "Where is Ninth Brother?"