109: Chapter 19 A Last Stand

## 1. The Mountain City of the Southwest

It was already the twelfth lunar month by the time news of the Allied Forces' destruction reached the southwest.

Kunming, Yunnan—the Wuhuashan Warlord Mansion.

Warlord Tang Jiyao sat in his study, clutching a telegram in his hand, his face as white as paper. The telegram was sent by Chen Jiongming of Guangdong Province, containing only a few brief words: "Allied Forces defeated. Li Ling heading south. Decide quickly."

Warlord Tang Jiyao placed the telegram on the desk, his hands trembling slightly. He was thirty-six years old this year, in the prime of his life. He had served as an official and led troops, managing Yunnan for seven or eight years and keeping this remote region in perfect order. He was the most ambitious and powerful of the southwestern warlords—with sixty thousand Dian Army troops under his command. Although their equipment could not compare to Li Ling's elites, they were already second to none among the southwestern provinces.

But at this moment, he felt a deep sense of dread.

"Li Ling..." he muttered. "Just who on earth is he?"

Five years ago, no one knew who Li Ling was. Five years ago, Li Ling was just a playboy who did nothing but seek pleasure, even needing his father's troops just to wipe out some bandits. But now, he commanded an army of five hundred thousand, possessed the strongest fleet in the world, and had even crippled the United Fleet of the foreign powers. The Allied Forces of the fourteen southern provinces, claiming to be three hundred thousand strong, were like paper tigers before him, completely wiped out in less than a month.

How could he possibly fight against such a man?

"Warlord, the generals have all arrived," the adjutant said, knocking and entering.

Warlord Tang Jiyao stood up, straightened his military uniform, and walked out of the study.

The meeting room was filled with smoke. Over a dozen generals sat around a long table, every single one of them looking grave. They were Warlord Tang Jiyao's trusted confidants who had followed him for years, fighting from Guangxi Province to Yunnan, and from Yunnan to Sichuan, achieving illustrious military exploits.

"Gentlemen," Warlord Tang Jiyao said as he took his seat at the head of the table. "You all know the news of the Allied Forces' destruction. Li Ling is heading south, and his target is us."

Silence fell over the meeting room.

"Warlord, are we fighting or not?" an old general with a stubbly beard stood up and spoke in a booming voice. "I have twenty thousand men under me, and every single one of them is a fighter. If Li Ling dares to come, I'll make sure he never returns!"

"Fight?" another general sneered. "With what? Zhao Hengti couldn't win even with two hundred and fifty thousand men, and we want to fight Li Ling with our sixty thousand?"

"Then what do you suggest we do? Surrender?"

"What's wrong with surrendering? Zhao Hengti surrendered, Chen Guangyuan surrendered, and Chen Jiongming surrendered too. They surrendered and not only saved their lives but also preserved their family fortunes. If we fight to the death, who's going to care when we're dead?"

"You—"

"Enough!" Warlord Tang Jiyao slammed the table, and the meeting room fell silent.

"Stop arguing, all of you." He took a deep breath. "Whether we fight or not isn't up to you, nor is it up to me. It's up to Li Ling."

He stood up, walked over to the map hanging on the wall, and pointed to Yunnan's location.

"Yunnan has rugged terrain that is easy to defend and hard to attack. Most of Li Ling's troops were redeployed from flat plains and are not accustomed to mountain warfare. If we make full use of the terrain and set up successive lines of defense in the mountains, we might just be able to stall him." Warlord Tang Jiyao paused. "Furthermore, we have the support of Great Britain and France. They have troops in Vietnam and colonies in Burma, which can pin down Li Ling's forces from the flanks."

The generals looked at each other; some nodded, while others shook their heads.

"Warlord, will Great Britain and France really help us?" one general questioned. "Last time they also said they would help Zhao Hengti, and what happened? As soon as their gunboats were bombed, they fled."

"This time is different," Warlord Tang Jiyao said. "Last time was on the plains, where Great Britain's gunboats couldn't play a role. This time is in the mountains, where Li Ling's planes and warships won't be of much use. As long as we can hold out for three months, Great Britain and France will deploy troops from Vietnam and Burma to launch a pincer attack."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

"Alright, we fight!" the old general was the first to declare. "I place my life in your hands, Warlord!"

"Fight! We'll fight him to the bitter end!"

The generals voiced their support one after another, and the atmosphere in the meeting room grew heated.

Warlord Tang Jiyao nodded in satisfaction and began to deploy their defenses.

"First, construct three defensive lines on the outskirts of Kunming to set up successive layers of defense. Second, plant landmines at major intersections, blow up bridges, and destroy roads to delay Li Ling's advance. Third, send small units into the mountains to conduct guerrilla warfare and harass Li Ling's logistics supply lines."

"Yes, sir!" the generals responded in unison.

Once the orders were issued, all of Yunnan was mobilized. The army dug trenches, built bunkers, and planted landmines outside Kunming, while the common people were conscripted to repair roads, transport grain, and deliver ammunition. Tension filled the air; a major war was on the verge of breaking out.

## 2. The Mountain Dilemma

Li Ling's troops entered Yunnan in the middle of the twelfth lunar month.

The vanguard was a Heavy Combined Arms Brigade of seven thousand men, equipped with the newest models of rifles, machine guns, and Mortars, along with dozens of trucks to transport supplies and troops. They were Li Ling's trump card unit, invincible and victorious on the plains.

But after entering the mountains, they ran into trouble.

Unlike the barren mountains of the north, the mountains of Yunnan were covered in dense forests. The terrain was steep and the roads were rugged; trucks could not drive in, so supplies could only be transported using pack mules and human labor. The Dian Army ambushed them from the forests on both sides of the roads, firing sniper shots from time to time, blowing up bridges, and destroying roads, leaving the vanguard forces utterly exhausted and frustrated.

"My Lord, the vanguard reports that their advance is too slow; they can only cover ten kilometers a day," the Chief of Staff said, handing over a report. "Furthermore, casualties are not light—over thirty men have been killed in action, and nearly a hundred are wounded."

Li Ling took the report, read it through, and furrowed his brows.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. On the plains, his troops could fully exploit their firepower and mobility advantages to crush the enemy like dry weeds. But in the mountains, these advantages were greatly diminished. Trucks could not enter, heavy artillery could not be hauled up, and aircraft could not be deployed due to weather conditions—the winter in Yunnan was foggy and rainy with low visibility, making takeoffs dangerous.

"Warlord Tang Jiyao indeed has some tricks up his sleeve," Li Ling said, putting down the report. "Knowing he can't beat us on the plains, he lured us into the mountains to wear us down using the terrain."

"My Lord, should we redeploy troops from another direction?" the Chief of Staff asked. "If we attack from the direction of Guangxi Province, the terrain there is relatively flatter."

"No need," Li Ling shook his head. "Attacking from Guangxi Province would require too long of a detour and waste time. We will fight right here."

He walked over to the map and studied it carefully.

"Warlord Tang Jiyao's defensive focus is Kunming, with three outer defensive lines set up in successive layers," he pointed to the markings on the map. "If we launch a frontal assault, casualties will be heavy. Therefore, we will change our approach."

"What approach?"

"Special Forces," Li Ling said. "Have the Special Forces cross the mountain forests, bypass the enemy's defensive lines, and launch a direct surprise attack on Kunming. Once we take out Warlord Tang Jiyao's headquarters, let's see how he can fight."

"My Lord, the Special Forces only have three hundred men, while Kunming has tens of thousands of defenders..."

"Three hundred men is enough," Li Ling interrupted him. "Special Forces are not meant for frontal warfare; they are for decapitation strikes. As long as we capture Warlord Tang Jiyao, his troops will collapse without a fight."

The Chief of Staff thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well, I will arrange it immediately."

Upon receiving the order, the Special Forces set out immediately.

Disguising themselves as local commoners, they slipped into various parts of Yunnan in scattered groups, gathering intelligence while converging on Kunming. Each of them carried a silenced pistol, a tactical knife, and a small amount of dry rations. Traveling light, they moved at extreme speed.

Three days later, they arrived outside Kunming one after another.

Commander Zhao Tieshan, the team leader, lay prone on a hillside, observing Kunming's city defenses through binoculars. The city walls of Kunming were about ten meters high, with soldiers patrolling the walls and checkpoints at the gates, heavily guarded. The Wuhuashan Warlord Mansion inside the city was even more heavily guarded, with sentries posted every few steps.

"Commander, we can't force our way in," the deputy leader said in a low voice. "There are too many guards."

"Who said anything about forcing our way in?" Commander Zhao Tieshan smiled. "Doesn't Warlord Tang Jiyao want to play guerrilla warfare with us in the mountains? Then we'll give him a taste of his own medicine. First, we find his headquarters, and then..."

He did not finish his sentence, but the deputy leader understood.

## 3. Conspiracy in the Teahouse

Inside an inconspicuous teahouse in Kunming, Commander Zhao Tieshan and several team members sat at a corner table, drinking tea and eating peanuts, looking just like ordinary citizens.

The teahouse was small, with only a few tables and not many customers, mostly elderly folks chatting about daily life. The owner of the teahouse was a plump woman in her fifties, always wearing a smile and being very polite to everyone.

Commander Zhao Tieshan observed his surroundings out of the corner of his eye while sipping his tea. A miniature earpiece was tucked into his ear, receiving intelligence transmitted by the System. Although the System had been "slacking off" frequently of late, it never failed him at critical moments.

"Commander, the intelligence has been received," the technician's voice came through the earpiece. "Warlord Tang Jiyao's headquarters is in the Wuhuashan Warlord Mansion. The guard force is about five hundred men, equipped with rifles and a small number of machine guns. His bedroom is on the east side of the third floor, with windows facing south, overlooking a garden. After ten o'clock at night, the guards will change shifts, leaving a gap of about five minutes."

"Five minutes," Commander Zhao Tieshan mused. "That's enough."

He raised his teacup, took a sip, and then said to his team members, "We move tonight."

Night fell, and Kunming was enveloped in silence.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Commander Zhao Tieshan and his team members left the teahouse. Wearing black night-suits with greasepaint on their faces, they were almost invisible in the darkness.

They scaled the city walls, bypassed the patrolling soldiers, and quietly approached the Wuhuashan Warlord Mansion.

The Warlord Mansion was a small three-story building surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire. Four armed guards stood at the main gate, and a patrol team swept the courtyard every fifteen minutes.

Commander Zhao Tieshan lay prone on a large tree, observing the Warlord Mansion through his binoculars.

"Shift change at exactly ten o'clock," he muttered to himself. "During the shift change, there will be a gap in the guards. We must scale the wall, enter the building, and find Warlord Tang Jiyao within those five minutes."

The team members nodded one after another.

Time passed second by second.

At exactly ten o'clock, the four guards at the main gate began to change shifts. The incoming guards were not yet fully in position, and the outgoing guards had already left. At that very instant, Commander Zhao Tieshan and his team members leaped down from the tree, scaled the wall, and landed in the courtyard.

Their movements were extremely light and swift, making almost no sound upon landing. Then, staying low, they moved quickly along the base of the wall, evading the patrol team's line of sight, and reached the side of the building.

The side door of the building was unlocked; with a gentle push from Commander Zhao Tieshan, it opened.

They entered in single file and went up the stairs to the third floor.

The corridor on the third floor was long, with rooms on both sides. At the end of the corridor was a carved wooden door, with two guards standing outside. The guards were smoking and chatting, completely unaware of the dark figures quietly approaching from the shadows behind them.

Commander Zhao Tieshan made a hand gesture, and two team members crept up silently, aiming their silenced pistols at the backs of the guards' heads.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!"

With two soft thuds, the guards' bodies slumped. The team members caught them and gently laid them on the floor without making a sound.

Commander Zhao Tieshan walked to the door and gave it a gentle push; it was unlocked.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open to step inside.

Inside the room, Warlord Tang Jiyao was sitting at his desk with his back to the door, reading something.

Commander Zhao Tieshan crept up behind him and aimed his silenced pistol at the back of his head.

"General Tang," he said softly.

Warlord Tang Jiyao whipped his head around, and upon seeing the dark muzzle of the gun, his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Y-You... who are you?" His voice trembled.

"My Lord sent me to ask you a single question," Commander Zhao Tieshan said coldly. "Do you surrender, or do you die?"

Warlord Tang Jiyao stared at the muzzle, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"I... I surrender," he said with a shaking voice.

Commander Zhao Tieshan holstered his gun, pulled out a document, and placed it on the desk.

"Sign it."

Warlord Tang Jiyao picked up the pen, his hand shaking, but he still signed his name.

Commander Zhao Tieshan picked up the document, glanced at it, and nodded.

"General Tang, tomorrow morning, please order your troops to cease resistance," he said. "My Lord has said that as long as you cooperate, your safety is guaranteed."

Warlord Tang Jiyao slumped back in his chair, his face as pale as ashes.

Commander Zhao Tieshan and his team members departed silently, vanishing into the night.

## 4. Morning in Kunming

Early the next morning, Warlord Tang Jiyao called an emergency meeting at the Warlord Mansion.

Unaware of what had transpired, the generals rushed over. They saw that Warlord Tang Jiyao's face was pale and his eyes were deeply sunken, looking as though he had aged ten years overnight.

"Warlord, what happened?" the old general asked with concern.

Warlord Tang Jiyao remained silent for a long time before saying, "Li Ling's men were here last night."

The meeting room erupted into an uproar.

"What? How did they get in?"

"Where were the guards? What were they doing?"

"Warlord, are you alright?"

Warlord Tang Jiyao raised his hand to signal for silence.

"I am fine," his voice was hoarse. "But if Li Ling's men could get in once, they can get in a second time. It would have been as easy as turning over a hand for them to kill me last night. They didn't kill me because they were giving me a chance."

The generals looked at each other; no one spoke.

"I have decided to surrender," Warlord Tang Jiyao said. "We won't fight anymore. If we keep fighting, those who die will only be our brothers."

The meeting room was silent for a moment. Then, the old general stood up and sighed. "Warlord, since you have made your decision, we will follow you."

"Yes, we'll listen to the Warlord."

Warlord Tang Jiyao nodded, picked up his pen, and wrote the instrument of surrender.

That afternoon, Li Ling's troops marched into Kunming.

There was no resistance, no combat, and not even a single gunshot. The soldiers of the Dian Army stood on both sides of the streets, watching this majestic army march past. Some were silent, some were envious, and some had eyes filled with awe.

Li Ling rode his horse at the very front of the procession, with the neatly lined-up soldiers following behind him.

He arrived at the entrance of the Warlord Mansion, where Warlord Tang Jiyao, along with all his generals, was kneeling at the foot of the steps.

"The guilty general, Warlord Tang Jiyao, pays respects to the Prince Regent," Warlord Tang Jiyao said, lowering his head with a hoarse voice.

Li Ling reined in his horse, looking down at him from above.

"Rise," his voice was calm. "You made the right choice."

Warlord Tang Jiyao stood up and stepped aside.

Li Ling dismounted and walked into the Warlord Mansion.

Standing on the third-floor balcony, he overlooked the entire city of Kunming. The distant mountains loomed indistinctly in the clouds and mist, while on the nearby streets, commoners were stepping out of their houses, looking curiously at these unfamiliar troops.

"My Lord, Yunnan is basically pacified," the Chief of Staff stepped forward and said. "Only a few small pockets of forces in Guizhou and Guangxi Province are still putting up resistance."

"Send the Special Forces to handle them," Li Ling said. "Don't waste the main army."

"Yes, sir!"

Li Ling turned around, walked into the study, and sat at the desk.

He picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Jinling.

"Wanqing, Yunnan is secured. I will return with the army in a few days. Do not worry."

Having finished the letter, he put down his pen and walked to the window.

As the sun set, the clouds on the horizon were dyed golden-red, beautiful as a painting.

"System," he called out in his mind.

"Hmm?" The System responded, unusually prompt.

"What exactly have you been busy with lately?"

"The System is... researching some new functions."

"What functions?"

"It's a secret."

"Tch," Li Ling curled his lip. "Isn't it just picking up girls? And you're still keeping it a secret."

"The System has no gender; there is no such behavior as 'picking up girls'." There was a hint of embarrassed anger in the System's voice.

"Then why are you blushing?"

"The System cannot blush."

"Then why did your voice change?"

"...Host, let's change the subject."

Li Ling burst into hearty laughter.

Outside the window, the night deepened, and a new day was about to begin.