Volume One - The Frontier of Chen, The Rebel Marquis’s Immortal Journey Chapter 32: The Situation Turns Urgent

The deputy commander under Zheng Liao led three thousand elite troops in a rush back to the camp, only to be greeted by devastation and scorched earth. Hundreds of soldiers lay dead, their bodies reduced to ashes by a raging fire.

“Who did this?” the deputy commander roared in fury.

“Sir, there are many hoofprints over there!” a soldier shouted.

“After them! I want these Chen dogs utterly destroyed, to avenge our fallen brothers!”

Soon, they arrived before a vast swamp and halted, convinced the enemy could not have crossed such treacherous ground. Yet where had they gone?

As confusion reigned, four thousand cavalry appeared on their trail, swiftly approaching. A volley of arrows rained down, felling many of Zheng’s elite.

“Follow me—kill them!” With the enemy exposed, the deputy commander’s rage ignited, and he bellowed for the attack.

“Prepare the fire arrows,” Xia You commanded. At his order, blazing arrows shot forth, forming a wall of fire in the blink of an eye. The ground had been laced with oil, and as flames touched it, a blazing barrier rose, cutting off Zheng’s charge.

The sudden fire startled their steeds, sending many plunging into the swamp, where they became trapped and unable to escape.

Realizing they had fallen into a trap, the deputy commander was stricken with dread. But on the battlefield, retreat was not an option. He roared and charged through the wall of fire, calling his men to attack.

He was not alone; the other Zheng soldiers followed suit. But Xia You’s troops were poised and ready. As soon as Zheng’s warriors leaped from the fire, another volley of arrows struck, followed by cavalry assaults that harvested one life after another.

Even the fierce deputy commander was knocked back into the fire.

“Sir, we must retreat!” a soldier cried.

“Retreat? Do we have any path left?”

“There is—into the swamp. It’s our only chance for survival. If we keep fighting here, death is certain.”

The deputy commander gritted his teeth and shouted, “Withdraw into the swamp!”

Yet as many stepped into the mire, they became mired and could not escape. Another volley of arrows fell, leaving hundreds dead. Still, some survived.

“Damn it, where did this force come from? Why have we never heard of them?” the deputy commander said coldly. “We must inform the second prince at once, lest disaster befall us.”

At that moment, countless whistling noises filled the air.

“Be careful!” Years of battle had taught them caution, and they quickly braced themselves. In the next moment, they saw a thousand men steering boats the size of a person, swiftly emerging from the swamp and charging toward them.

“Ha ha! Just as the Marquis predicted, you really did come in.” Li Ke laughed loudly. “Kill! Slaughter every last one of them!”

“Kill!” Black-armored soldiers howled in fury.

“My fate is sealed,” cried a Zheng soldier in terror, knowing doom had arrived.

“Kill! If we must die, let’s take one with us!”

The battle erupted, but it was a one-sided massacre. Zheng’s troops, hampered by the swamp, could not withstand Li Ke’s onslaught. In the span of a single incense stick, bodies littered the swamp and its fringes.

When Zheng Liao and his men arrived, they were met with carnage and their anger surged.

“Who did this? Who dares oppose Zheng?” Zheng Liao thundered, still unable to believe Chen had the means for such destruction.

“Report!” A soldier ran up.

“Speak!” This was one sent to investigate Cai Shan’s situation. Seeing him return alone, Zheng Liao felt a foreboding. Cao Ying and the others furrowed their brows.

“Sir... Lord Cai Shan and his men have fallen on the Green Mountain Road. Except for the eldest prince, whose fate is unknown, all others have died for their country.”

“What? Are you certain?” Zheng Liao was shocked—not at Zheng Ze’s unknown fate, but at Cai Shan’s death. He was a master of the innate realm. How could this happen?

The soldier explained that Cai Shan’s body lay outside the tent.

“Ah—!” On seeing Cai Shan’s severed head, Zheng Liao could not help but howl at the sky. How could he have foreseen that a mere Chen would cost Zheng so many generals? Why?

“Tell me—who did this?” Zheng Liao demanded of the soldier.

“I... I don’t know!” The soldier, terrified under Zheng Liao’s gaze, stammered, “No one knows their identities. Only that they were a squad of black-armored cavalry.”

“Not good...” Cao Ying realized.

“What is it, General?”

“I fear something has happened at Mingyue Pass.”

“Mingyue Pass?” Zheng Liao’s eyes narrowed. “How long has it been since we heard from them?”

“It’s been ten days.”

“Damn it! Investigate immediately!”

Soon, dire news arrived: seven miles beyond Mingyue Pass, thousands of Zheng soldiers had been slaughtered.

“Who are they? Who?” Zheng Liao muttered coldly.

“Second Prince, do you have any plans?” Cao Ying asked.

A cold gleam flashed in Zheng Liao’s eyes. “Whoever the enemy is, they are linked to Chen. If they refuse to show themselves, we’ll force them out.”

“Send the order—break through Northern Town Pass at once. I want the city slaughtered,” Zheng Liao said grimly.

Cao Ying and the others gasped in horror, but soon their faces became cold. Veterans of war, they had little sympathy. Here, only life and death mattered.

Meanwhile, Northern Town Pass was still celebrating.

Not only had Zheng’s siege forces been repelled, but Daybreak Pass and Mingyue Pass had won great victories. Though they did not know who was responsible, their excitement could not be contained.

“Ha ha! Heaven favors Chen!” A young man laughed. He was Chen’s eldest prince, sent to Northern Town Pass to oversee the battle.

He was joined by the second prince, the fourth prince, and several marquises, leading seventy or eighty thousand soldiers in defense.

“With the princes here, Zheng cannot hope to breach Chen’s gates,” a marquis flattered.

“Hmph, Heaven protects Chen, the Emperor stands firm, the princes guard the city—Northern Town Pass is uniquely blessed. How can Zheng, the wolf, hope to break us?”

“Indeed, the princes speak true. Zheng’s actions defy Heaven’s mandate—they will be punished. Chen will surely prevail,” said Prince Chen Bin.

“Elder brother is right,” the fourth prince Chen Jing added. “I heard Chen Yu was summoned but has not appeared. He must be hiding in fear. Once this battle ends, I’ll report him to Father.”

“Fourth brother, eighth brother are young—it’s natural they are afraid. Besides, how many troops does his Blackwind Pass have anyway?” the second prince said with a shake of his head.

But none of them knew that a storm capable of shattering cities was already bearing down upon them.