Chapter 1597: Chapter 1597: Rage
"Unauthorized."
"Of course, I came here unauthorized. To be honest, I only learned of the lord’s plan after you set out." Ye Shikai sighed. If he hadn’t brought troops on his own to rescue people, Huo Ziqing would have been finished this time.
"General Huo, as soon as Old Ye heard about this plan, he immediately sensed something was amiss. He tried several times to persuade the lord but failed. In desperation, he came up with a plan, capturing Lu Lin Ferry and attacking the camp’s rear gate. Otherwise... with just my troops, it would have been difficult to rescue you from the front."
"I see. I understand now. General Ye is truly a good general, with foresight and strategy. Huo admires you greatly." Huo Ziqing said with a bow.
"Alright, there’s no need for thanks; we’re all on the same side. Coming to rescue you is for the sake of all our brothers." Ye Shikai waved his hand.
"When I return, I will definitely explain the situation to the lord and properly commend General Ye."
"Speaking of which, I do need General Huo to explain to the lord. This time, I led troops on my own accord and lost some as well, so please don’t let the lord blame me." Ye Shikai joked. He knew Mi Wen seemed to have some "prejudice" against him lately; otherwise, she wouldn’t have completely disregarded his advice and insisted on sending Huo Ziqing to attack the Qin Army’s central camp.
"Don’t worry, General Ye. You saved me and so many soldiers; how could the lord punish you?"
"That’s good. General Huo, I’ve already sent people ahead with medicine and bandages. Time is of the essence, so we should treat the injured brothers."
"Very well."
Ye Shikai assigned Shangguan Jian to guide the fleet. News from the Qin Army should not have been disseminated quickly. By the time they returned to Lu Lin Ferry, the chasing army couldn’t arrive, so they were safe for now.
"How is it? Have the losses been counted? How many brothers were lost?" Huo Ziqing asked urgently. He was also a general who loved his soldiers like sons. The troops were ambushed and suffered such losses; how could he not be heartbroken? Frankly, he really dreaded hearing the "casualty report" from his subordinates, but he couldn’t avoid reality.
"Reporting to General, there are over eight thousand brothers on board, and one-third are injured, mostly from arrow wounds and trampling."
"Over eight thousand, over eight thousand. I’ve let those brothers down." Upon hearing this news, Huo Ziqing slumped to the ground. Fifteen thousand brothers, nearly half lost in an instant, who wouldn’t be heartbroken? In fact, not all the soldiers who didn’t board the ship were dead; many were injured and unable to move. But with the urgent situation, Ye Shikai wasn’t a god; he didn’t have the ability to save everyone. Leaving them behind was a difficult necessity, and Ye Shikai, having once served as a Qin Army general, knew the fate that awaited if the Qin Army captured them.
"General Huo, don’t be too distressed. This was a lesson; as long as we learn from this experience, we won’t fall into a trap again." Ye Shikai comforted. He had also received news; this operation also cost his subordinates eight or nine hundred men. Fortunately, the Qin Army hadn’t stationed many troops at the camp’s rear gate, allowing Ye Shikai to exploit a gap.
"Shangguan, how much longer to the ferry?"
"It might take a while. Old Ye, we came downstream, but going back we’re against the current, so it takes more time."
"Forget it, what’s a little more time." Ye Shikai waved his hand. The morale of the army was very low now. Although he was timely in coming to mitigate losses, they were defeated. Almost all the cavalry within the tens of thousands of the rebellion army was under Huo Ziqing’s command, and nearly half were lost in an instant. Moreover, training cavalry is much more complex than infantry; it not only requires soldiers to have enough riding skills but also crucially requires warhorses. Southern warhorses aren’t as good as northern ones, and thankfully the boat could carry warhorses; otherwise, the loss of these ten thousand horses would have been unbearable for the rebellion, making the next battles even harder.
But at least it demonstrates that Zheng Lang is not the so-called "spoiled rich kid" just seeking pleasure. Judging from this battle, at least in terms of command, Zheng Lang has some skill.
Lu Lin Ferry.
"General Ye, General Shangguan, General Huo, you’re finally back."
"Wan Qi Yuan, did the Qin Army come during these few hours?" Ye Shikai inquired.
"Don’t worry, General. Our attack on the ferry was a secret operation; none of the nearby Qin Army discovered it." Wan Qi Yuan replied.
"Daybreak is approaching. Time is pressing; we must set off quickly. Wan Qi Yuan, have your cavalry first send these wounded back to camp for treatment."
"Understood, I’ll handle it now."
..................
Ye Shikai first took Huo Ziqing and others back to his own camp, which was closest to Lu Lin Ferry. Treating the wounded was the top priority after such an event.
They moved quickly but didn’t anticipate someone was already waiting for them.
"Greetings, lord."
"Greetings, lord."
Mi Wen was seated in the large tent, coldly observing the gathered generals.
"General Huo, how did the operation go?"
"Reporting to the lord, it was... a command error on my part, ineffective combat, losing over a thousand cavalry." Huo Ziqing endured the pain of his injuries and accepted this "blame."
"What should be your punishment?"
"Lord, it’s not General Huo’s fault." Seeing this, Ye Shikai couldn’t remain silent. This wasn’t a command error by the general; Zheng Lang’s ambush was set there, and anyone commanding would have surely faced a brutal defeat. Ultimately, attacking the Qin Army’s central camp was the biggest mistake.
"Shut up! General Ye, you moved troops without authorization; aren’t you aware that’s a capital offense?" Mi Wen shouted.
"Please calm your anger, lord. Everything is my fault. General Ye dispatched troops to rescue me without authorization. I am willing to die to atone for this wrongdoing." Huo Ziqing, unwilling to further implicate Ye Shikai, intended to draw his sword and commit suicide as penance.
Bang.
"If you die, will your brothers come back to life?" Ye Shikai knocked the sword from Huo Ziqing’s hand, speaking coldly.
"Death solves nothing; it’s a coward’s act."
"Huo Ziqing made a command error, and should commit suicide to atone; what are you implying?" Mi Wen spoke coldly, "Are you intending to defy my orders?"
"Zheng Lang set the Heaven and Earth Net outside the camp. Regardless of who goes there, it leads to a dead end. I advised you before, but did you listen? Do you realize that because of your one command, thousands of brothers died in vain?" Ye Shikai held back his rage, but hearing Mi Wen’s words, he couldn’t contain himself. This tragic folly was entirely due to Mi Wen’s strategic error, and everyone present was well aware of it. Yet why should Huo Ziqing shoulder all the blame? Isn’t it to save face for Mi Wen? But her indifference to the senseless death of thousands of brothers was something Ye Shikai couldn’t tolerate.
