Chapter 43: A Unique Gathering

Gu Tingzhou did not return until three in the afternoon.

Cheng Jie helped him inside.

“Sister-in-law, the doctor said Tingzhou’s leg is recovering well. He just needs to keep taking his medicine.”

Cheng Jie assumed the main purpose of this trip was to check on the leg. Li Qingyun didn’t explain, but greeted him warmly and invited his family to dinner that evening.

Cheng Jie did not refuse, readily accepting the invitation.

“I’ll go home and ask your sister-in-law to come over and help you.”

Partly, Li Qingyun was thinking that there was plenty of meat in the house, and if they didn’t eat it soon, it would spoil.

Meanwhile, generals such as Luo Cheng, Qin Qiong, and Xu Huang were all brimming with indignation, each vying to be the first to request battle.

Now that there was a choice to go or stay, anyone with sense knew that Ezhou was much safer than Huangzhou. If one could remain in a safe place, why risk going to Huangzhou? After all, there are always more people fearful of death than those who are bold. Thus, when each township was called upon to volunteer, problems arose from the start.

The Song soldiers atop the city, seeing their commander personally lead the charge and fight bravely, threw caution to the wind. Grabbing whatever weapons they could find, they howled as they lunged at the Mongol soldiers scaling the walls, hacking and stabbing with all their might.

Tada Jun could not help but pace, his forehead beaded with sweat. On the western front at Lashio, there was only one cavalry regiment and one infantry battalion—hardly enough to withstand a pincer attack. Worse still, he had no way to warn them. The thought of thousands of men emerging from behind filled Tada Jun with dread.

Shang Xiuxun likely didn’t catch Li Yunfei’s teasing, and instead nodded, saying, “That’s right, you really are my first.” Li Yunfei was momentarily stunned—he had only meant to joke, but hadn’t expected Shang Xiuxun’s reply. Her words sent his mind reeling.

Although Wei’s army was vast, the space before the city was too cramped to take advantage of their numbers. The assaulting soldiers rotated in waves, but at any time, only about two thousand could engage the enemy, while the rest, tenfold more, could only crowd in the rear helplessly.

“No ships have left Qiongzhou this month. According to the Haihan, the island’s coast is under blockade to prevent pirates from escaping. I suspect there’s something more behind this!” Li Po interjected, seizing the opportunity.

Deng Huaiyuan could fortify Skull Head into an impenetrable domain, but he could not heal this particular wound, for it had struck at the very core. With just a thrust, I easily opened a breach.

The founder of the Joseon dynasty, Yi Seong-gye, imitated Zhao Kuangyin’s “donning the yellow robe”—as a great general of Goryeo, he rose in revolt while on campaign, then returned to Kaesong, seized power, and proclaimed himself king, thus establishing the Joseon dynasty.

Su Haidong struggled fiercely, unwilling to be thrown out by the two security guards. Even though everything was happening right before his eyes, he couldn’t trust what he saw—nor could he believe what he’d just heard.

At that moment, the boss was about to turn and leave. Yet for some reason, there was a persistent sense that a powerful darkness was encroaching. Could it be that another army of darkness was about to attack? If so, there was no telling when the fighting would ever end.

“Is there even a need to ask? We eat all day and don’t have to hunt anymore—how could we not get fat?” a brash hunter blurted out loudly, his frustration with their current life plain to see.

“After seeing you shoot Tian Yidao with just one arrow, my hands are itching for a match!” Six Fingers said with a playful grin.

Zhou Jiping quickly called over a nearby army doctor and gave Wehrwolf another injection. But before the needle was withdrawn, Wehrwolf fell silent. He died, taking with him the words he’d left unspoken.

Time slipped by. It seemed the predatory fliers still possessed astonishing patience, circling endlessly in the sky above.