Brotherhood

Feng Chengdao was sitting inside the commanders tent, sulking. He had originally planned to use this opportunity to demonstrate his capabilities and gain more attention from Feng Pu.

He wanted to prove that he was superior to Feng Chengqian in every way, save for being born a few years later, and was more suited to be the Heir Apparent.

Instead, Feng Pu assigned him to lead a feint attack, which left Feng Chengdao feeling deeply dissatisfied.

Hearing that things were not going well for Feng Chengqian, he secretly rejoiced and was eager to seize the opportunity to achieve a decisive victory.

He never expected that not only would he fail to capture a single city, but he would also suffer significant losses in troops and officers.

However, what he truly hadn't anticipated was that a piece of news would soon arrive, giving him hope.

A Deputy General rushed in, holding a message tube in his hand.

“Third Highness, an urgent order from the Great King!”

Feng Chengdao’s heart skipped a beat. He wondered if Feng Pu was reprimanding him for failing to take the city after a prolonged siege.

But soon, after quickly scanning the urgent report, his heart sank.

“Duan Prefecture is lost? Are these people pigs?”

As he continued reading, he almost started cursing out loud.

“I only have a few thousand troops left, and now I have to go south to meet up with Big Brother? And I have to cover the retreat?”

After turning the letter over and reading it several times, Feng Chengdao finally accepted the reality.

Feng Pu demanded that he immediately lead his troops south to meet Feng Chengqian, and only withdraw back to Shao Prefecture after Feng Chengqian's main army had passed through.

Seeing his master sighing, the Deputy General stepped forward and asked,

“Third Highness, has something happened?”

Glancing at his fawning confidant, Feng Chengdao handed him the secret letter.

“Father King is showing favoritism! Is Big Brother his son, but I am not?”

After reading the secret letter, the Deputy General played along with Feng Chengdao's feelings and began to complain.

“The His Highness the Crown Prince is merely relying on his status as the Eldest Legitimate Son. How can his ability and courage compare to yours, Highness?”

Feng Chengdao glared at him.

“Watch your words!”

But he pulled his confidant closer.

“Be careful of eavesdroppers.”

The Deputy General bowed and scraped.

“Your Highness is right. This humble general was reckless.”

However, his eyes darted around, and he leaned into Feng Chengdao's ear again.

“Third Highness, the Great King commanding you to cover the rear is clearly setting you up to protect the Heir Apparent.”

Feng Chengdao angrily kicked him.

“Did I need you to remind me of that? Couldn't I see it myself?”

The man, sticky as taffy, still crept closer, pouring out the wicked idea he had just cooked up with a sly smile.

“Heh heh, Third Highness, This humble general thinks we should turn his plan against him and eliminate the Heir Apparent.”

“Eliminate Big Brother?”

Feng Chengdao’s eyes widened. He didn't quite understand his confidant's suggestion.

“I only have a few thousand troops, and Big Brother has twenty to thirty thousand. Even if I eliminate Big Brother, will Father King spare me?”

“Your Highness, why should we dirty our own hands? Isn't there a ready-made blade we can borrow?”

Feng Chengdao finally understood what he meant.

“You mean, borrow Gao Yuan's blade to eliminate Big Brother?”

“Exactly. As long as we spread the news that the Heir Apparent is preparing to retreat from Shao Prefecture, heh heh... at that point, you will be the Great King's only Legitimate Son remaining, and won't the Position of Heir Apparent fall right into your lap?”

Feng Chengdao’s eyes flickered, and a cunning smile appeared on his face. Clearly, he was tempted.

Patting his confidant on the shoulder, Feng Chengdao lowered his voice and said,

“I'll leave this matter to you. Once I ascend the throne, I will confer upon you the title of Great General.”

The confidant immediately knelt down.

“Your servant thanks the Great King.”

“Hahaha!”

Soon after, Ma Song in Lianzhou Prefecture and Xue Linfeng in Duan Prefecture both received news:

Feng Chengqian was preparing to abandon the attack and flee north through Wu Prefecture and Gui Prefecture toward Shao Prefecture.

Without time to verify the authenticity of the information, Xue Linfeng immediately began making arrangements, and a large net quietly unfolded.

Feng Chengqian, unaware that his younger brother had completely sold him out, was busy preparing for the retreat.

By the time everything was ready and the Southern Yue Army set out on their northward journey, three days had passed. They departed the main camp under the cover of night.

What they didn't expect was that shortly after they left, at dawn, an army arrived from the west. It was the Lingnan Corps led by Ma Song, which merged with the local garrison and set off in pursuit.

Although it was called a retreat, it was virtually indistinguishable from a desperate flight. The only thing Feng Chengqian was thankful for was that since their supply route had been cut, they didn't have much baggage, allowing some wounded soldiers to ride on horseback.

Without encountering any resistance, the Southern Yue Army entered Wu Prefecture territory. They were only about a hundred miles from entering Gui Prefecture, after which they could turn northeast and head straight for Shao Prefecture.

Feng Chengqian's anxious heart gradually settled, and his mood improved. However, what made him vaguely uneasy was that he still hadn't encountered Feng Chengdao.

“Could Third Brother have run into trouble? Could he have been blocked by the Qian Army... Should I send someone to investigate?”

Little did he know that his dear Third Brother had long since fled to Shao Prefecture and had no intention of meeting him, the His Highness the Crown Prince.

Just as he was hesitating whether or not to send someone to look for Feng Chengdao, the army suddenly halted.

“What's going on? Why are we stopped!”

Feng Chengqian's expression darkened. He immediately pointed at the two Deputy Generals beside him.

“Go up ahead and see what’s happening!”

There was no need to investigate. Soon, a fast horse galloped back.

“Reporting to the His Highness the Crown Prince, a unit of the Qian Army is blocking the road ahead.”

Feng Chengqian's heart sank. He wondered if his unfortunate Third Brother had really been eliminated, otherwise, why would enemy troops be blocking the road here?

Although nervous inside, he maintained a calm and composed exterior.

“How many troops are blocking the road?”

“Approximately two to three thousand men, but...”

Before his subordinate could finish his report, Feng Chengqian grew annoyed.

“Damn it, only two or three thousand men? You scared the hell out of me! Order the vanguard to form ranks and wipe them out!”

The subordinate was stunned for a moment, but ultimately swallowed the rest of his words, turned his horse around, and headed toward the vanguard.

At that moment, in the Southern Yue Army's vanguard, the soldiers were frantically unloading weapons and armor from packhorses and ox-drawn carts. They were panicking as they faced the gradually approaching Qian Army.

Soon, they panicked even more, because they saw the enemy Cavalry across the way, already fully armored and mounted on fresh horses, beginning to accelerate.

“Boom... Boom...”

The synchronized sound of hooves pounded on the hearts of the Southern Yue Army soldiers, making their blood run cold. Some men's hands began to tremble.

“Prepare the repeating crossbows!”

“Fire!”

Following the command from Zhao Meng and Xia Luqi, the repeating crossbows held by the Xiaoguo Army began firing rapidly.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...”

“Ah...”

Following the sharp sounds of arrows tearing through the air came the screams of the Southern Yue Army soldiers. Many soldiers who hadn't had time to put on armor fell to the ground, struck by arrows, and before they could utter a second cry, hooves the size of bowls trampled them.

Armored troops fighting unarmored troops, Cavalry fighting infantry—this was a dimensionally superior strike. The Southern Yue Army collapsed almost instantly.

After breaking through the Southern Yue Army's vanguard, the Xiaoguo Army did not stop and continued moving south.

The Southern Yue Army’s nightmare wasn't over yet. Just as the Xiaoguo Army left, the Baier Soldiers, armed to the teeth and led by Chen Dao, pressed forward.

The Xiaoguo Army primarily served to disrupt the enemy formation, inflicting limited actual casualties. The thousand Baier Soldiers who followed were the true gods of slaughter.

Beneath their iron visors, the eyes of the Baier Soldiers were devoid of emotion. At this moment, they were merely pure killing machines, mercilessly harvesting heads.

In less than a moment, no one remained standing on the battlefield except for the Baier Soldiers. Unless the Southern Yue Army soldiers knelt and surrendered, death awaited them.

Feng Chengqian's five thousand most elite vanguard troops were completely annihilated in only about half an hour.

Chen Dao shook the blood from his long spear and issued the order in an icy tone.

“Auxiliary Troops advance, tie up all the captives. Baier Soldiers, follow me and continue the advance.”