Volume One: Chaos in Yanyun, Chapter One Hundred and Five: Only for Your Sake (Part Three)

"I see." Immediately upon the conclusion of the battle at the West Gate, Yang Wanli was informed of the situation. After a moment of contemplation, he grasped the true nature of these reinforcements.

While it appeared as though there were six relief forces, in reality, only the contingent at the South Gate had come to defend the city. The other five paths were all taken in search of death.

Death for the sake of an unyielding spirit.
Death for the sake of a clear conscience.
Death for the sake of an unshakable duty.

"What tedious loyalty," Yang Wanli remarked with a faint smile once he understood.

No one echoed his sentiment. Even among the barbarians, concepts like mutual devotion and absolute loyalty to one's country remained tied to notions of nobility. While they loathed the soldiers of Yanbei, they could not help but admire their actions. Had it not been for the prestige Yang Wanli had established among them during this time, they might well have retorted with sharp mockery.

Yang Wanli fell silent for a moment before adding, "Admirable, indeed."

It was unclear whether he said this out of genuine feeling or out of caution regarding the delicate atmosphere of the moment.

"The human heart is always an unfathomable thing," Duoma coughed twice, breaking the impasse. "But if this is the case, it will likely have some impact on your plans, sir."

"It matters not. It was merely a casual move," Yang Wanli chuckled. "Besides, I, too, want to see how he will choose."

He seemed to imply something deeper. "They say that when faced with two evils, one should choose the lesser, but both these choices seem rather heavy. Whichever way he picks, there is the risk of collapse... Tsk, tsk, tsk. How difficult."

...

A new emperor brings new courtiers; the Feng family may not be emperors, but they followed a similar practice.

Barring accidents, experts in the Radiant Light Realm typically live between two hundred and three hundred years. The Radiant Light experts of Yanbei, however, were less fortunate. Perhaps due to excessive expenditure of energy, or perhaps because of the harsh geography, most lived for little more than a century.

Yet, this was still enough to station two successive generations of the Eighteen Riders of Yanbei. Most of them, upon retirement, chose to enter the Shenwei Fortress, while a small portion, weary of conflict, opted for seclusion.

The vast, sparsely populated deserts of the northeast naturally became the first choice for these old veterans. As it happened, many soldiers and officers also chose this land. In their daily lives, they helped each other cultivate crops suitable for the region, and during holidays, they would share a little wine and roasted meat with old friends—a life of relative leisure.

Li Lin was one of them. When Feng Changkong was in power, he had served in the Tiger-Leopard Cavalry of Tongguan.

When the war first broke out, he initially thought it was just the usual mischief from the barbarians of the grasslands looking for amusement. Fine, let them look, but to think they would actually dare to send troops across the Eighteen Passes to strike at the heartland?

He encountered a small detachment and, after killing nearly a hundred barbarians, finally extracted some information from a coward among them. The man did not know much, but he was certain that Yanbei was doomed.

Li Lin scoffed at this—until the fall of Yufeng Pass.

He rushed to the nearest city, Tianzhui, and spent his life savings at the Xiaoyao Pavilion to obtain three pieces of information:

The Bohai Kingdom had dispatched twenty armies to march north to suppress the "locusts."
The Xu Sea had gathered under the Kunlun Mountains for the first time in a century.
The various factions of the grassland had already been unified.

They say that when a person is in shock, their pupils lose focus like the tremors of an earthquake. He did not know if that was true of himself, but he could clearly feel a chill running down his spine.

It was as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

After learning these three things, Li Lin traveled between the cities of the northeast and the homes of his old comrades. They spread the word, and finally, they gathered a force of about five thousand.

The number was small, but fortunately, they all possessed at least some vital energy, with cultivation levels ranging from the Initial Essence Realm to the Upper Radiant Light Realm. Having served in the Yanbei Army together, they decided to adopt the battle formation of the Gale Battalion and marched south in a grand, sweeping force to support Yanyun, covering thousands of miles until they saw the barbarian banners.

They had considered various plans, all of which were rejected. Without a Void-Dao expert to anchor them, they dared not attempt to cut off the barbarians' path of retreat. However, to lift the siege of Yanbei with such a small force was nothing short of delusional.

"That is the situation. I don't know what you all are thinking, but I belonged to the Iron Guard Battalion. I have worn armor and wielded weapons, drawn bows and shot eagles. Even if I die, I want to die as a warrior," Li Lin said, looking at the sea of barbarian banners, then at Yanyun City hidden in the distant snow and mist.

"Hm? What does that mean? The Iron Guard dares to die, but the Gale Battalion does not?" an old man retorted in a muffled, gravelly voice.

Li Lin smiled and looked at the others. "This journey is certain death. It is highly likely we won't even reach the walls of Yanyun. Are you still willing to come?"

The others showed expressions of disdain.

One teased, "Are you afraid? Why else would you say so much?"

Another cursed, "If we're going to do it, let's do it! A man dies once, just make sure we take enough of them with us!"

Most did not speak; they simply stared at the distant battlefield, their eyes filled with a luster they themselves could not define.

What general is not obsessed with the battlefield?
What soldier is willing to watch the enemy run amok on his own land?

"Generals die in a hundred battles," the old man who had responded to Li Lin sighed. "I had reached the twilight of my years, content to live out the remainder of my life in the yellow sands, cared for by the grace of the Prince. I never thought my old bones would have the chance to return to the battlefield. This feeling... it is truly nostalgic."

The others exchanged glances, all feeling a sense of melancholy.

Nostalgic?
They were not bloodthirsty monsters; how could they miss blood and chaos?

Yet, they did share a similar feeling. Upon reaching the vicinity of the battlefield, their blood seemed to flow faster, until their hearts ached with the intensity.

Li Lin brandished his long spear, pointing directly at the barbarian cavalry.

"Brothers, the time has come for us to sacrifice ourselves for our country!"

More than five thousand men, mostly veterans.
Veterans paired with old horses.
Fortunately, their weapons were still functional. Fortunately, their broken bodies could still lift a spear and mount a horse.

The five thousand riders surged into the barbarian defense line like a gale.

The Gale Battalion's formation was known for its swiftness. On the battlefield, swiftness often meant sharpness. Like a dagger, they pierced deep into the barbarian camp within just a few breaths!

After breaking through the outer defense, they began to face heavy interception from the barbarians. Unlike the western front, the northern front not only had a greater number of powerful individuals, but the barbarian soldiers were also well-versed in battle formations. To gain an advantage in such a head-on collision was a severe test of their endurance and strength.

...

"That is... General Li!" Feng Muyun stood atop the city wall, watching the dust clouds in the north, when someone beside him exclaimed.

Every city wall was equipped with Heaven's Secret Mirrors, capable of surveying a thousand miles.

General Li... Uncle Li Lin?

It seemed his title as the Prince of Yanbei was truly unearned, if even the Eighteen Riders chosen by his father had to remount their horses in their twilight years for his sake. He had always known the situation in the northeast; after all, those old generals had dedicated their lives to Yanbei, and the honor they were due had to be upheld.

Feng Muyun had never intended to trouble them. If they wanted a quiet life, he was happy to grant it. He had never imagined things would develop to this point.

"General, should we... head out of the city to receive them?" the person who had reported earlier asked.

Feng Muyun shook his head. "The barbarians are waiting for us to do exactly that."

The messenger wanted to say something else, but he suddenly seemed to realize the implications and nodded.

"Your Highness, this is not a good thing," Pan Chen walked to Feng Muyun’s side and said in a low voice.

Feng Muyun naturally knew this was not a good thing.

A thousand-mile rush to the rescue, blood staining the yellow sands—it was a story worthy of praise. But the more worthy of praise it was, the more it would impact the morale of the army. Just like at the West Gate, as the Yanfan army was defeated, how much pain must his old friends and subordinates—all the good seeds he had sown—be feeling?

For Li Lin, it was even worse.

In Yanyun City now, how many high-ranking officers had been trained by them? They were the deputies and disciples of those old generals outside the city; they had received their mentorship and the grace of being promoted by them. When those old generals died in battle, what would their state of mind be?

Would they question the policy of keeping Yanyun’s gates closed, and then turn their resentment toward the high command that issued the order?

If the soldiers harbored resentment, it could lead to mutiny. That was something Yanyun could absolutely not afford right now.

"What should we do?" Receiving no response from Feng Muyun, Pan Chen continued, "Should I notify those hidden among the barbarians to..."

He did not finish his sentence, but Feng Muyun understood his meaning.

"Wait a little longer," Feng Muyun sighed. "Whether it is them or Yanfan, they are all brave generals of their generation; they cannot be unaware that such a rescue effort will only be counterproductive."

"We cannot wait! If we wait until they have charged to a point where we don't need the Heaven's Secret Mirror to see them, it will be too late!" Pan Chen said, feeling a sense of urgency.

Right now, only a small number of people knew the identities of the reinforcements. If they arrived at the gates and the whole city found out, there would be no room for recovery.

Feng Muyun said softly, "Look at how the barbarians are responding... They are deliberately letting Uncle Li and his men reach the city walls."

Pan Chen was startled. Overwhelmed by anxiety just a moment ago, he now calmed down and noticed the peculiarity in the barbarian formation. Although it looked like layer upon layer of obstruction, they had left a path—a path that led the reinforcements directly to the city gate!

What were they trying to do? Pan Chen was baffled.

"They want to see if I will open the gates," Feng Muyun chuckled. "What a... heart-piercing strategy!"

With that hint, Pan Chen instantly understood the barbarians' goal. They wanted to incite resentment within Yanyun City.

The distance was too great, and Yanyun refused to send troops because the disparity in strength was too vast, but what if they arrived right at the gates?

Would you open the gates or not?

If you opened them, it would trigger a second round of the siege from behind the giant race.
If you didn't, even if there were no mutiny in Yanyun, many soldiers would surely lose their will to fight!

Feng Muyun rested his only remaining hand on the snow covering the ramparts. A look of contemplation appeared in his eyes, followed by a sigh.

Sometimes, a strategy played out in the open is many times more dangerous than any hidden plot.

"Your Highness... what should we do?" Pan Chen asked.

Feng Muyun was silent for a while, then broke into a smile. "In that case, open the gates. No need to guard the entrance; invite them in!"