scapegoat

After a night of intimacy, Gao Yuan was woken up the next day by the rooster in overalls at home.

"Gee-nee... Gee-nee..."

Listening to this familiar crowing, Gao Yuan stretched comfortably and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"It's still best at home, it's just so comfortable!"

After a quick wash, he changed into his workout gear and went to the training ground to begin his daily practice.

Ever since his three attributes broke through on the battlefield and his strength improved, Gao Yuan had been even more enthusiastic about his daily practice.

He spent half an hour practicing Spearmanship, half an hour on saber technique, and half an hour on physical fitness and strength.

Finishing his daily practice, Gao Yuan was drenched in sweat and hurried off to take a bath.

The maid at home already knew the master's habits and had prepared hot water early on.

After working up a sweat, soaking in a hot bath made every pore on Gao Yuan's body open up in comfort.

Such peaceful days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of December, with the New Year fast approaching.

On the Hengzhou battlefield, although it was only three days until the New Year, many people were destined not to live to see it.

At this moment, both armies were arrayed in battle formation, already engaged in a standoff.

If you changed your formation, I would follow suit; if you shifted slightly to the left, I would shift accordingly.

With equal strength, neither side dared to act rashly, both testing the other in hopes of finding a flaw.

Unexpectedly, after more than two hours of back-and-forth, neither side had found an opening.

Mao Biao saw that the opportunity was ripe and exchanged a glance with Meng Zhenshan, the Great General of the Left Cavalry Guard beside him.

Meng Zhenshan understood and quickly walked down from the high platform to prepare.

Between the standoff and the probing, both sides had been at it for over two hours, and Feng Pu was becoming impatient.

Suddenly, Feng Chengkun pointed to a spot and shouted in surprise, "Father, look! Is there a disturbance over there?"

Feng Pu squinted and looked, and indeed, he discovered that a localized disturbance had appeared within the Qian Army formation.

"Hahaha, the opportunity has arrived! All troops, attack! Defeat the Qian Army for me!"

How could Feng Chengkun let such an opportunity to earn merit slip by? He immediately volunteered, "Father, your son is willing to serve as the vanguard!"

Feng Pu was clearly in a good mood; he drew the vanguard's command flag and handed it to his son. "Go, your father will wait here for your triumphant return!"

Feng Chengkun quickly walked down from the high platform, mounted his horse, and galloped away with the command flag. The Southern Yue Army also began to change formation, and an elite unit detached itself and pressed toward the Qian Army's formation.

Mao Biao saw this change and wore a smug smile. He calmly gave the order, "Pass the order down: do not block them, let the enemy come!"

"Understood!"

Feng Chengkun was surprised to find the Qian Army's response extremely slow. He had already penetrated deep into the enemy's formation and was on the verge of splitting the Qian Army in two, yet no force came to stop him.

He began to hesitate—was he just too fierce, or was Mao Biao too incompetent?

Feng Pu, up on the high platform, also noticed something wrong. He didn't think Mao Biao was that incompetent; even if that gap was a momentary oversight, with Mao Biao's talent, he should have blocked it immediately. "Could it be a trap? Someone, pass the order for the whole army to press forward and support Chengkun!"

Just as this order was given and before it could be conveyed to the rest of the army, his inner anxiety became reality.

A black cloud appeared behind the Qian Army, moving rapidly, with its target aimed directly at the Southern Yue Army, which was currently in the gap.

"Cavalry! Where did Mao Biao get so many Cavalry?" The moment he saw the Cavalry, Feng Pu cried out in shock. However, when he saw the banner clearly, he was filled with even more terror. "The Southern Palace Imperial Guard, it's the Valiant Cavalry Guard! How did they get here? Weren't they supposed to be in the north?"

Feng Chengkun was just as surprised and terrified as Feng Pu. He finally understood why the nearby Qian Army soldiers had retreated so quickly when they encountered him. It wasn't because they were afraid to die, or because they were incompetent—it was to clear the way for the Cavalry charge!

"Defend! Defensive formation!" Feng Chengkun shouted in despair, but it was already too late. In the blink of an eye, eight thousand cavalrymen charged before him and crashed directly into the Southern Yue Army.

In just a single charge, less than thirty percent of the five thousand soldiers under Feng Chengkun's command remained. The Cavalry did not linger and continued to charge toward the main formation of the Southern Yue Army.

Behind them, the infantry that had previously retreated swarmed back up. The Southern Yue Army, unable to catch their breath, was continuously compressed and squeezed, eventually dying one by one under steel sabers and spears.

Feng Chengkun was quite brave, killing over a dozen men, but in the end, he was outnumbered and pierced into a sieve by spears.

Seeing the Qian Army's formation gradually close and then quickly disperse, how could Feng Pu not know what would happen?

But he had no time for grief; he could only swallow the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat and order through gritted teeth, "Retreat! Switch to a defensive formation and withdraw gradually!"

As an ambitious warlord, Feng Pu was an extremely clear-headed man; he did not lose his head and throw his entire army forward to avenge his son.

Although he was a Southerner, he knew very well that in such flat terrain, infantry had very little chance of winning against Cavalry.

Moreover, the enemy Cavalry was not some ragtag mob cobbled together, but the Great Qian's most elite Southern Palace Imperial Guard, the Valiant Cavalry Guard.

After the Gao Family's Cavalry was wiped out, the Valiant Cavalry Guard could be called the number one Cavalry in the world—an entity that could hold off tens of thousands of Turks Cavalry with just a few thousand troops.

The Southern Yue Army was still well-trained; even though their flank had been broken, the overall retreat was orderly, and no collapse occurred.

At dusk, as the Southern Yue Army retreated into their camp, this decisive battle was declared over.

Back in the camp, upon taking stock, the blood that Feng Pu had been holding back finally spewed out.

His son was dead, over twenty thousand men were lost, and the Southern Yue Army could be said to have suffered a severe blow to its vitality.

Even more tragic was that the Qian Army now had Cavalry, so he had no chance to retreat. If he retreated, he would inevitably be pursued by the Valiant Cavalry Guard, and the losses would not be as simple as twenty or thirty thousand—the entire army could be wiped out.

Caught in a dilemma—these were the four words that popped into Feng Pu's mind before he fainted.

After more than two hours, Feng Pu slowly regained consciousness. Looking at a group of subordinates who looked like they were mourning their parents, a sense of sorrow washed over him.

"Your Highness!" Seeing Feng Pu wake up, everyone looked at their leader with anticipation, as if they had grasped a straw to save their lives.

With the help of others, Feng Pu sat up. He looked at everyone and announced in a heavy tone, "In the current situation, someone must stay behind to block the Qian Army's pursuit and cover the main army's retreat to Chenzhou; otherwise, the entire army will be wiped out. I wonder who among you can take on this important task."

Seeing everyone lower their heads one by one, Feng Pu could only continue, "To the one who stays behind to cover the retreat, I, Feng Pu, promise that I will take care of your wife and children in the future, treating them as my own. In the future, when I conquer the world, you shall be granted land and titles."

Once these words were spoken, some were moved. One by one, they looked up at Feng Pu, wanting to confirm if he was deceiving them.

Eventually, it was Xian Jun who stepped forward. He pointed to a young man beside him, "My younger clansman, Xian Chong, has practiced martial arts since childhood and is skilled in archery and horsemanship; he can take on this important task."

The young man pointed at by Xian Jun widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief. He had not expected to be pushed out.

But before he could retort, Feng Pu excitedly slapped his thigh, "Good! I will grant you five thousand elite soldiers. You only need to hold off the Qian Army for three days. Rest assured, after returning, I will allocate five thousand acres of fertile land and ten shi of gold and silver to your Xian Family."

The scapegoat had been found, and everyone was happy. They dispersed to make preparations, ignoring the young man who had collapsed onto the ground.