The Glory After Rebirth [重生之尊荣]

Chapter 526- 528

Chapter 526: Be a Peach

Shan Congli went berserk in the audience hall and reproved the commander of the cavalry for his mistakes.

What with the setback that the cavalry had suffered during the first battle, the Wan courtiers began to have doubts and worries, residents in the capital thrown into panic.

The cavalry commander's face had been tense ever since he had left the palace. After returning to the encampment, he summoned his lieutenants and told them that they must win the next fight and force the enemy back at least five kilometers.

"General, we will drive these goddamn Great-Wen people away as long as we still draw breath! But ... " The speaker left his sentence hanging, clearly unsure whether or not he should continue.

The officer beside him glanced at him and then finished his remarks for him. "But this time around the Great Wen has a cavalry regiment that matches us. Also, the total number of their troops is no smaller than that of ours. We'll have to pay a very heavy price if we're to defeat them. From the vantage point of the present, it's inadvisable to force them back five kilometers at a price that heavy. Our ultimate goal is to drive them out of our country, and to achieve that goal, we'll at least have to have them retreat back out of the mountain pass of Jifang City first. We need to do it step by step and must not rush into anything."

"Yes. That's exactly what I want to say," agreed the former speaker.

During the fight earlier this day, they had underestimated the adversaries and lost the initiative because it had never crossed their minds that the Great Wen would be able to knock into shape a cavalry regiment like that, but these officers of the Wan cavalry were not cowards, and they had the guts to fight the formidable enemies again. In fact, they were all anxious to render meritorious service in the next battle, but it did not mean that they would abandon tactics and try to win with sheer force.

"Sire has given the order. We must force the enemy back at least five kilometers. This is our mission, and we must see it accomplished," said the commander, his voice as grave as his countenance.

All the others were dismayed at the words.

"Our failure to win the first fight has come as a terrible blow to the court. Many courtiers are concerned about the security of the city. If we fail to win a reassuring victory in the next fight, there might be political unrest in the city," said the commander.

The commander, who was very much in the Wan monarch's confidence and in charge of the Iron North Cavalry defending the northern border, was a fairly smart man. Though bitterly disappointed that the monarch had reproached him immediately after their failure to win the first fight, he was also aware that in these circumstances he must do as the monarch said, because otherwise there would be political unrest in the capital and their unity would be undermined. If that happened, the capital would fall sooner or later, given that they didn't really have a high chance of successfully defending against the attacks from Yuwen Tong's troops. If the monarch lost his power, they would – if still alive – have to flee north. The Wan Kingdom would no longer exist if things really came to that.

The commander's explanation was followed by a subdued silence. The reason why they were silent was because they had now come to know that the enemy was like a thick steel plate, and their legs would break if they kicked the plate hard.

...

The Wan cavalry were instantly under even heavier pressure, ready to fight tooth and nail during the next battle. In the encampment of the Great Wen, Yuwen Tong was also cautioning Jiang Xi and He Xiao, "The enemy failed to make any gains in the first fight. In order to bolster his troops' morale and reassure his court, Shan Congli sure as hell will order his men to win the next battle, no matter how heavy the cost might be, which means the next battle will be much tougher than this one. In the next fight, you're to adopt the formation you've practiced previously to deal with the Wan cavalry instead of attacking them frontally. Jiang Ke and Yuwen Jin will be assisting you. I want you to face them down hard once again!"