Chapter 342
Chapter 342
Night fell.
Only one thousand people would take part in this operation.
They all wore black clothing that blended into the darkness. Grappling hooks hung at their waists, along with sharp daggers and compact crossbows.
Jiang Yunsui did not sleep. She watched Ji Yan’an lead the men away.
“Milk Tea, follow them. Make sure you all protect yourselves.”
After she fed the eagles some meat, they all spread their wings and flew toward the cliffs.
Everyone waited in the darkness for news from Ji Yan’an and his men.
About half a shichen later, screams and battle cries rang out from the cliffs.
Despite the distance, everyone heard them.
With thunderous crashes, objects fell from above.
They were rocks.
Time passed quickly during the agonizing wait, and soon dawn arrived.
Milk Tea and the others returned around noon.
The moment Jiang Yunsui saw them, joy surged through her.
It was over!
She whistled, and the eagles landed nearby.
“How did it go?”
Jiang Yunsui hurriedly asked. Nanshu, Shen Qingzhu, and the others were waiting beside her.
Jiang Yunsui quickly learned the outcome from Milk Tea and the others.
“They succeeded!”
Her eyes shone.
“Ji Yan’an told us to bring the army through Eagle Beak Ravine at once.”
Song Jin laughed heartily. Although no one had slept all night, the good news filled them all with energy.
“Pass down the order. Form ranks and move out!”
The Ji Family Army advanced toward Eagle Beak Ravine.
Along the way, they found countless shattered rocks that had fallen into the ravine.
It was impossible to imagine the carnage if those rocks had struck people below.
The main force soon joined Ji Yan’an and his men.
“Ji Yan’an!”
Jiang Yunsui saw him across the ravine, sitting on horseback with a bloodstained black spear with a red tassel in his hand.
Blood covered him, staining his hair and face. Jiang Yunsui could even see several wounds on his face.
It was clear how brutal the previous night’s fighting had been.
Under the sunlight, Ji Yan’an truly looked like a young general who had emerged drenched in battlefield blood.
In the end, he had inherited the will of the Ji Family.
“You’re hurt.”
Injuries were unavoidable on the battlefield.
Ji Yan’an said, “Nothing vital was hit. They’re all minor wounds.”
“Then hurry and wash up so we can apply medicine.”
Even she felt uncomfortable seeing him covered in blood, let alone Ji Yan’an and the others who were actually wearing it.
The group found a stream and washed the blood from themselves, then went to have their wounds treated and bandaged.
Jiang Yunsui bandaged Ji Yan’an herself.
He had several wounds on his arm and a few on his face, but none were serious.
His body was completely unharmed beneath his armor.
The final count was one hundred and seven dead and one hundred and twenty severely wounded. Everyone else had only minor injuries.
The logistics troops retrieved the bodies of their fallen comrades.
When they eventually returned to Beizhen City, they would bring those bodies home.
As for the enemy dead, the soldiers dug a large pit and buried them too.
They were all people of the Central Plains, after all. They bore no deep personal hatred toward one another; they merely stood on opposing sides.
After lunch, the army continued onward.
Two days later, the Ji Family Army finally confronted the Imperial Court’s forces led by Old General Song.
Jiang Yunsui did not go to the front line. She stayed in the rear and helped with whatever she could.
She understood her own limits. She could flee, but fighting a battle was another matter.
If she went to the front, Ji Yan’an would have to worry about her. Then she truly would become a burden.
Although the two armies faced each other with weapons drawn, Old General Song was reminiscing with Ji Yan’an.
“Who would have imagined it? You were only a child back then, but now you’ve grown enough to face this old man in battle.”
Ji Yan’an said, “Uncle Song, years have passed. I’m no longer a child.”
Old General Song sighed. “Indeed.”
“Who could have imagined we would come to this?”
“Yan’an, can you truly not turn back?”
Ji Yan’an’s black eyes calmly met the old man’s gaze.
“Can Yang Yan bring back my grandfather, my father, my uncles, and my elder brothers?”
“Every member of the Ji Family was loyal and heroic. We gave so much to Great Liang, and what did we receive in return? Turn back? How exactly do you expect me to turn back?”
“The Ji Family never betrayed Great Liang. They are the ones who betrayed my family!”
Old General Song opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.
The words loyalty to the ruler and love for the realm sounded somewhat absurd to Ji Yan’an.
Telling a child whose entire family of men had been driven to their deaths to remain loyal to the ruler and patriotic was shameless beyond reason.
Old General Song himself knew that such a demand was brazen.
“Then we fight.”
There was no room left for reconciliation.
Old General Song was too ashamed to keep trying to persuade him, yet he also refused to abandon his loyalty.
Battle was their only choice.
Ji Yan’an fought Old General Song directly.
The man was old, but he was still a veteran forged through countless battles.
He and Ji Yan’an traded blows on even terms.
The battle lasted an entire day.
Both sides suffered countless casualties.
Only when everyone had exhausted their strength did the fighting pause.
Ji Yan’an lowered his gaze toward his chest.
Old General Song had just struck at him with a sudden backward spear thrust.
He truly lived up to his reputation as an old general.
Without the armor beneath his clothes, the spear might really have pierced his body.
But…
Ji Yan’an looked in the direction Old General Song had left.
Uncle Song seemed to have deliberately aimed slightly off course.
The strike landed close to his heart, yet would not injure it.
Old General Song was in no better condition.
When the army stopped to rest, he suddenly laughed.
But as he laughed, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“General!”
Old General Song waved a hand. “In the end, I’ve grown old…”
“Not a single son of the Ji Family is a coward.”
“Give Ji Yan’an another two years to grow, and even his grandfather will be surpassed.”
Complex emotions filled Old General Song’s eyes. “Back then, I lost to Elder Brother Ji. Now even his grandson is about to surpass me.”
After resting for a time, the two armies resumed fighting.
The battle continued for nearly a month.
In the end, Old General Song’s body could no longer endure, and he finally collapsed on the battlefield.
Ji Yan’an shouted, “Kill!”
With their commanding general gone, the enemy’s morale collapsed. In the end, some were killed, some captured, and others fled.
Ji Yan’an brought Old General Song back with him.
Shen Qingzhu used acupuncture to preserve his final breath.
The moment he woke, he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Ji Yan’an walked to his side.
The old man reached out with a trembling hand and grasped Ji Yan’an’s.
“Ji women… danger.”
Ji Yan’an abruptly tightened his grip. “You…”
Old General Song’s voice was weak. “This old man… asks nothing else. Only… do not implicate… the Song Family.”
Ji Yan’an nodded solemnly. “Uncle Song, rest assured. As long as the Song Family behaves itself, I will not make things difficult for them.”
Old General Song finally relaxed. His gaze lost focus, and at last his final breath faded away.
He had to die.
Whether for his own loyalty or for the sake of the Song Family.
This was his only possible end.
Ji Yan’an’s emotions were complicated. He ordered a coffin prepared and had Old General Song placed inside.