Chapter 413: Chapter 348: Xiao Mo, What Do You Think?
With the main force of the Northern Wilderness Army joining the battle, the tide turned in an instant.
Furthermore, the arrival of the Northern Wilderness Army at Yanmen Pass meant that the Eleven Southern Cities had all been lost.
This was an absolutely unacceptable outcome for the Wei Kingdom’s army, and their morale plummeted.
"Retreat!"
Even if Guo Xin had only risen through the ranks thanks to his connections, he knew the situation was hopeless. He decisively ordered a retreat.
Xiao Shi personally led the army in pursuit for twenty li before returning to the city in victory.
After the Northern Wilderness Army’s great victory, Xiao Shi ordered a search of the battlefield for any surviving soldiers.
Anyone still breathing was to be given medical treatment with every possible effort.
Inside Yanmen Pass, the arrival of the Northern Wilderness Army’s main force also brought much-needed provisions.
Xiao Shi ordered the distribution of grain, allowing every household to once again eat their fill.
Furthermore, in accordance with their prior agreement, the Northern Wilderness Army compensated the wealthy merchants whose grain had been requisitioned, paying them in either silver taels or grain.
As for Yanmen Pass’s City Defense Array, Array Masters were already hurrying to repair it; they even planned to reinforce it.
The high command of the Northern Wilderness Army unanimously decided to pour all available resources into turning Yanmen Pass into an iron fortress, a truly impregnable stronghold.
Then, if future campaigns by the Northern Wilderness Army took an unfavorable turn, they could fall back and hold Yanmen Pass.
Three days later, the casualty count for the Northern Wilderness Army soldiers who had defended Yanmen Pass was finalized.
Of the ten thousand Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry Xiao Mo had originally led, only 420 remained.
As for the infantry—including the surrendered soldiers Xiao Mo had recruited and the men conscripted from Yanmen Pass—the total force had numbered sixty thousand.
Yet after the battle, only 2,720 were left alive, and that number included those pulled from the piles of corpses on the battlefield.
According to the military law of the Qin Kingdom, if a soldier’s body could be recovered, it was to be sent back to their hometown.
If not, their personal effects would be collected and returned to their families instead.
The Qin Kingdom would also grant each family a substantial death benefit. They would receive continued support and aid, ensuring the families would not have to worry about their future.
Furthermore, at Xiao Mo’s request, a monument would be erected on a mountain near Yanmen Pass. The names of all the fallen soldiers would be carved upon it to commemorate their heroic deeds.
Five days later, the monument was complete.
Xiao Mo and all the surviving soldiers stood at the foot of the mountain. Holding bowls of wine, they sent the heroic souls of their comrades on their final journey.
Once the aftermath of the battle for Yanmen Pass was settled, it was time to reward the soldiers.
Because Xiao Mo was already a Prince, Xiao Shi could only write a report of his merits to be sent to the Imperial Court. His official rewards would have to wait until their return, to be bestowed by Your Majesty. Thus, his status remained unchanged for the time being.
However, after this battle, Xiao Mo’s prestige within the Northern Wilderness Army was now nearly on par with that of veteran generals like Fang Weiming and Zhang Kui.
With a grand gesture, Xiao Shi also placed fifty thousand Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry and two hundred thousand Northern Wilderness Infantry under Xiao Mo’s command.
Xiao Shi even went so far as to commission fifty thousand masks identical to the one Xiao Mo wore, signifying that all the Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry under his command could now fight with their faces concealed, just as he did.
On the surface, this gesture seemed insignificant.
But to generals like Fang Weiming, it was a clear signal. They knew the Prince had fully recognized Xiao Mo’s capabilities and was now intent on grooming him as his true successor.
The fact that Xiao Mo’s fifty thousand cavalrymen could wear masks set them apart from the other Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry, effectively marking them as Xiao Mo’s personal army.
As for the other soldiers who had defended the city:
Common soldiers were rewarded according to their performance with promotions, monetary rewards, or both. All were credited with great merit, marking them for priority consideration in future promotions.
Mid-level commanders were each promoted one rank within the Northern Wilderness Army; for instance, men like Xiao Gui and Sheng Xia were raised to Thousand-Man Commander.
The merits of high-level commanders like Zhao Guang and Li Jing would have to be judged by the Sovereign of Qin himself. However, after this battle, it was all but certain that Li Jing and the others would be granted noble titles. The specific rank of their peerage, however, would depend on their performance in the coming campaign against the Wei Kingdom.
The soldiers who had participated in the city’s defense all chose to remain under Xiao Mo’s command. They were more than willing to keep following the general who had faced life and death alongside them.
During the days the army spent resting and reorganizing, Xiao Mo also learned the details of what had transpired with the Eleven Southern Cities.
The Northern Wilderness Army had defended Mati City, which Xiao Mo had previously captured, to the death, refusing to relinquish it.
The Northern Wilderness Army then attempted to use this opening to gradually expand their advantage.
But Xiahou Nan was no fool; he knew exactly what Xiao Shi was planning.
Xiahou Nan’s countermeasures regarding Mati City were both timely and precise.
However, just as the Northern Wilderness Army and the Southern Realm forces reached a stalemate, something unexpected occurred.
The City Lord of Luoxia City discovered that his wife was having an affair with his deputy.
The deputy killed the City Lord and then surrendered Luoxia City to the Northern Wilderness Army.
The fall of Luoxia City was so sudden that Xiahou Nan had no time to react. The Northern Wilderness Army immediately seized this new opening to break the stalemate.
In the end, unable to hold his position, Xiahou Nan knew the cause was lost. He had no choice but to lead his army in a breakout, cutting laterally across the border between the Qin Kingdom’s Northern Wilderness and the Wei Kingdom’s Southern Realm.
Pressed for time, Xiao Shi did not give chase, instead hurrying his main force to relieve Yanmen Pass.
It was a pity they hadn’t managed to kill the great threat that was Xiahou Nan, but the complete loss of the Wei Kingdom’s Southern Realm was a devastating blow. It was as if a huge chunk of flesh had been carved from the Wei Kingdom—a wound that would never heal, but would instead bleed endlessly.
"So it’s decided. In ten days, we attack Yue Tong Pass. Once it’s taken, we’ll divide our forces into five columns and advance on the Wei Kingdom’s capital."
In the main hall of the City Lord’s Mansion at Yanmen Pass, Xiao Shi, Xiao Mo, and the other generals finalized their strategy after their discussion, deciding to let the army recuperate for another ten days.
"Yes, sir."
Xiao Mo and the others clasped their hands in a salute and filed out of the hall.
Just as Xiao Mo was walking back to his personal courtyard, he stopped, sensing something.
