Chapter 131: The Carefree Princess

Du Ximing, Qin Bo, Han Xiang, and even Zhao Qian, the successor of Zhao Yun—these formidable generals under Zhang Chi’s command—surged out of the valley amidst the roar of war drums. They plunged into the ranks of the Hu army like tigers descending upon a flock of sheep.

The Hu forces, already as skittish as birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, were in no state to fight. In the dim light of dawn, they mistook every tree and blade of grass in the mountains for Jin troops. Regardless of how Yao Shuode shouted and ordered his generals to rally, the soldiers refused to listen, fleeing in terror at the slightest sound.

The night had passed and dawn had broken in the blink of an eye. In that fleeting moment, a situation that had seemed so favorable to the Hu had collapsed into total ruin. The battlefield was ever-changing, and those caught in the thick of it were often blind to the truth; even Yao Shuode himself did not know where he had gone wrong.

The Yizhou troops atop the mountains also charged down in full force. Descending from the heights, driven by a desperate will to survive, they fought with the ferocity of tigers hunting rabbits, their momentum unstoppable. The Hu army’s fate was sealed; realizing that if they did not flee now, they never would, the generals urged Yao Shuode to retreat. Though he was filled with resentment, Yao Shuode knew there was no other choice. He understood that as long as there was life, there was hope for a comeback, and it was his nature to accept defeat with grace when necessary.

A group of his elite personal cavalry shielded Yao Shuode as they fled toward the north. Although the Hu were primarily cavalry and possessed the advantage of mobility, they suffered heavy casualties. After pursuing them for more than ten miles, Zhang Chi saw that only the fastest horses remained, and realizing further pursuit would be futile, he ordered his troops to halt.

Counting from the night raid to the soldiers burned to death in the fires, at least one hundred thousand of the enemy had been annihilated.

It had been a long time since the Battle of Feishui. In the decades of conflict that followed, wars both large and small had been constant, but the Jin army had almost always suffered more defeats than victories against the fierce Hu, let alone a triumph of this magnitude. This victory finally vented the pent-up frustration that had burdened the Jin army for years.

"Damn it, that battle was truly satisfying," even San Tong, who prided himself on being a refined man, could not help but blurt out a curse.

"Satisfying, indeed satisfying," echoed Qin Bo, who had just returned from the front to report to Zhang Chi, his face glowing with excitement.

Zhang Chi nodded with a faint smile, though he said with a touch of regret, "It is only a pity that we did not capture the Hu commander. Letting him escape will inevitably lead to endless trouble."

Qin Bo replied, "Young Master Zhang, rest assured. Has it not been said that the Jingzhou forces have cut off the Bashan line? The Hu are now nothing more than broken remnants; how could they possibly break through the blockade of the elite Jingzhou troops?"

"I hope so," Zhang Chi took a deep breath. Not having captured the enemy commander with his own hands left him feeling uneasy.

While the Hu had been defeated, the Jin army had not escaped unscathed. The heaviest losses were borne by the Yizhou troops. General Fang had been killed by a stray arrow in the chaos, and of the fifty thousand Yizhou soldiers, more than half had fallen, leaving fewer than twenty thousand. The remaining survivors among the Yizhou generals all looked battered and dejected.

Yet, despite their disheveled state, they possessed a new sense of pride. In the heat of the main battle, it was they who had stood against the Hu—they, the soldiers of Yizhou who had once been considered cowardly and greedy for life, even by their own standards.

"The Hu have been defeated; we have won." The thunderous sounds of combat on the battlefield had long since died down, yet the Yizhou generals continued to mutter to themselves, still unable to believe it. In the end, who among them was not a man of spirit when facing foreign aggression? It was only the long-term environment that had caused them to lose their way—as the saying goes, "a reed growing among hemp stands straight without support, and white sand mixed with mud becomes black."

The battlefield, which had been filled with the deafening clamor of slaughter, was now as silent as it had been at the beginning. Having struggled for so many years to defeat the Hu, the soldiers were struck dumb, tears streaming down their faces. A massive army of tens of thousands fell into an eerie, profound silence.

Zhang Chi and his generals exhaled a long sigh. Ding Yizhi was the first to speak: "Brother, what shall we do next?"

If it were up to Zhang Chi, he would have rooted out the evil entirely and never allowed the remnants to cross north of the Bashan mountains, but that was not entirely realistic. "The Hu army is in rout, but with our current strength, can we pursue and annihilate them?"

The answer was clearly negative. Qin Bo replied, "The Hu have fled into the mountains, where it is easy to hide. We have only three thousand cavalry; it is unwise to divide our main force, and pursuit will not be easy."

"Do not pursue a desperate enemy," Du Ximing agreed with a nod. "However, our army has secured a great victory and broken the foundation of the Hu. In their panic, they will not be able to muster another force of hundreds of thousands. We should take this opportunity to expand our gains and recover the six northern commanderies."

Du Ximing was right. Although they had won the battle and saved Pingwu, the six northern commanderies remained in the hands of the Hu. If they did not take advantage of this momentum to reclaim them, the Hu would have time to catch their breath, and the six commanderies might be lost forever.

Zhang Chi was quick to accept good advice, especially in military matters. Qin Bo and Du Ximing were experienced, and he knew he lacked their expertise in this regard. He could not ignore their counsel.

However, it was not the time to march north immediately. The Yizhou troops had suffered heavy losses, and Zhang Chi felt they needed time to regroup. He consulted with his generals: "We are not far from Chengdu; perhaps we should return there first to reorganize before deciding on our next move."

Even before Zhang Chi returned to Chengdu, the news of his great victory had already spread throughout the city. This was a monumental event, and with the exception of a few with ulterior motives, everyone was filled with joy and excitement.

If the Hu had not been defeated, Chengdu would have faced the fate of being razed. Now, not only was the threat to the city lifted, but the long-held anger of the people had been vented. The citizens ran to share the news, and for a time, Chengdu was more lively than it had ever been during a festival.

Even the Prince of Chengdu issued an order to greet Zhang Chi ten miles outside the city walls—a rare honor in the Shu region.

News of this reached Zhang Chi, yet he never expected that the first person to greet him outside the city would be a woman. It seemed this lady was no ordinary figure; a large contingent of guards had already formed an honor guard, waiting for him more than ten miles from Chengdu.

"Princess Wuyou has come personally to welcome the Commander."

"Princess?" Zhang Chi was genuinely startled when he heard the message relayed by the honor guard.

It was no wonder he was surprised; for a princess to travel ten miles out of the city to welcome him was an immense show of favor.

Zhang Chi rode his horse toward the messenger. In the distance, beneath the trees, sat a fragrant carriage; the princess was surely inside. As expected, the messenger knelt before the carriage and said, "Reporting to the Princess, the Commander of the Shu forces who defeated the Hu has arrived."

The curtains parted, a sweet fragrance drifted out, and amidst the tinkling of jade ornaments, a breathtaking beauty stepped down from the carriage. Zhang Chi felt a moment of awkwardness; he did not know how to address her or what protocol to observe. Regardless, since she had stepped down, he could not remain on horseback and quickly dismounted.