Flower Stealing Master

The sudden appearance of the Northern Route Army caused everyone in the Golden Serpent Camp to tense up. 

Initially, within another hour or two, the Golden Serpent Camp would have completely wiped out the Qing Dynasty’s Western Route Army. However, with the arrival of the Northern Route Army, the situation instantly reversed. Not only would the Golden Serpent Camp fail to defeat the Western Route Army, but they also faced the possibility of becoming prey, devoured in one swift stroke by the Northern Route Army.

Sa Bu Su frowned deeply as he observed the chaos in the valley. It was clear to him that the Golden Serpent Camp soldiers had disguised themselves in Qing army uniforms, pretending to be Tu Hai’s troops, which led to the Western Route Army’s infighting.

From the current situation, it seemed that since the Golden Serpent Camp was wearing Tu Hai’s army uniforms, the Eastern Route Army under Tu Hai had likely been completely annihilated. This was something Sa Bu Su found incredibly perplexing. Tu Hai was a seasoned general with a force of thirty thousand men—how could his entire army have been wiped out so silently?

“General, should we rush down to rescue the Western Route Army?” Unable to hold back any longer, a lieutenant beside Sa Bu Su stepped forward and requested to fight.

“Rescue?” A strange expression appeared on Sa Bu Su’s face. “Both the Golden Serpent Camp and the Western Route Army are wearing the same uniforms. How do you propose we rescue them?”

The lieutenant was momentarily speechless, realizing the truth in Sa Bu Su’s words. Both sides were tangled in battle, with no clear distinction between friend and foe. If they rashly charged down, they might end up wiping out the Western Route Army as well.

“But we can’t just stand here and do nothing. Should we really watch them die? If the emperor holds us accountable later, it might not bode well for you, General.”

“One word: wait!” Sa Bu Su’s face was stern.

Sa Bu Su, intending to groom these confidants, did not keep his thoughts to himself and slowly explained, “It seems the Eastern Route Army has already been destroyed, and the defeat of the Western Route Army is inevitable. If we charge down now, we might end up in a melee with the Western Route Army. That’s why we need to wait—wait until the battle is decided. Even if the Golden Serpent Camp wins, they’ll be at the end of their strength.”

“Although our Northern Route Army is smaller than the Eastern and Western Route Armies, we’re all elite cavalrymen, each equipped with a three-barreled musket. When we charge down then, we’ll be unstoppable and can wipe out these treacherous rebels in one fell swoop.”

The assembled officers suddenly understood, looking at their general with admiration. “The general indeed has a brilliant plan!”

However, one of them still voiced a concern, “The commander of the Western Route Army, Fei Yanggu, is a close confidant of Yue Le, the overall commander of the three armies. If we truly stand by and do nothing, allowing the Western Route Army to be slaughtered, Yue Le will certainly report this to the emperor. Even if we eliminate the Golden Serpent Camp, we might not receive any credit and could instead invite disaster.”

Sa Bu Su’s expression darkened, indicating that he had already considered this possibility. “Waiting is the best choice right now. If we charge down, we might provoke the Golden Serpent Camp into a desperate fight. Standing here, however, we can continue to exert immense psychological pressure on them. If I’m not mistaken, the Golden Serpent Camp might retreat first. Then, we can pursue them all the way, not only saving the Western Route Army but also wiping out the main force of the Golden Serpent Camp with ease.”

As the Northern Route Army appeared, Song Qingshu had already used Qinggong to reach the battlefield. Just as Sa Bu Su had predicted, more and more soldiers of the Golden Serpent Camp noticed the Qing cavalrymen glaring down from the mountaintop, and their expressions began to waver. If it weren’t for the fact that they had just won a major victory and their morale was still high, the Golden Serpent Camp might have already collapsed and scattered in all directions as they had before.

“Leader, how about we retreat first?” Cheng Qingzhu, Situ Bolei, Shui Jian, and others gathered around Song Qingshu, urging him to retreat.

Although Chen Jinnan and Mu Jianfeng didn’t speak, their expressions clearly supported the idea of retreat.

“Retreat?” Glancing at Xiao Feng, Yang Miaozhen, and the others still fighting, Song Qingshu coldly replied, “The reason why the Qing cavalry hasn’t dared to charge down yet is precisely because we are entangled with the Western Route Army. If we retreat now, won’t we immediately become the Qing cavalry’s living targets? How can our two legs outrun those four-legged beasts? If we retreat now, we’ll be completely annihilated!”

“But if we don’t retreat now, once the battle is decided, we’ll still be living targets for the Qing cavalry,” Mu Jianfeng said, voicing the concerns of most of the people.

Song Qingshu firmly rejected the idea of retreat, resolutely stating, “If we flee now, we’re doomed. If we stay and fight to the death with the Qing cavalry, there’s still a slim chance of survival.”

Situ Bolei hesitated for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and saying, “Leader, you haven’t seen how formidable these northern cavalrymen are. Each of them carries a three-barreled musket, and when they charge, they fire in unison. It’s even more devastating than the Mongol cavalry’s archery. We’ll suffer heavy losses before we even engage them, let alone the fact that they currently hold the advantageous terrain. We absolutely can’t withstand the momentum of their charge down the slope.”

Situ Bolei, who had previously served in the invincible Guanning Cavalry, naturally knew how fierce the Qing cavalry was. They had absorbed the firearms expertise of the Ming Dynasty, making them even more formidable. With just a few words, he clearly outlined the enemy’s advantages.

Song Qingshu understood this well, but he also knew that if he ordered a retreat now, it would lead to a complete collapse. The only outcome for the Golden Serpent Camp would be total annihilation.

But if they didn’t retreat, the northern cavalry, with their firearms and advantageous position, would still annihilate the Golden Serpent Camp. The only difference would be that staying to fight might take some of the enemy down with them, but what would be the point of that?

The leaders of the Golden Serpent Camp gathered around Song Qingshu, anxiously awaiting his decision. If it weren’t for the incredible prestige Song Qingshu had built by effortlessly wiping out Tu Hai’s thirty thousand troops earlier, they might have already fled with their own men by now.

Song Qingshu was struggling internally as well. He looked up at the entire battlefield. Although the soldiers of the Golden Serpent Camp were still fighting desperately, their movements were noticeably hesitant. He knew that if he didn’t make a decision soon, the morale of the Golden Serpent Camp would likely collapse.

“Young Master Song, you’ve already done your best, but the current situation is beyond human control. It’s better to retreat early. As the saying goes, ‘as long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of running out of firewood.’” 

At this point, several women had come down from the mountain and seeing Song Qingshu’s dejected expression, Huang Rong couldn’t help but offer some words of comfort.

“Leader Song… I’ve found out why the Northern Route Army suddenly appeared. Meng Bofei not only failed to follow the plan to delay and obstruct the Northern Route Army, but he also deliberately led them in this direction.” 

Xia Qingqing’s words were more for the others, letting them understand that the impending defeat wasn’t Song Qingshu’s fault but was caused by Meng Bofei and others sabotaging their plans.

Song Qingshu gratefully glanced at Xia Qingqing, knowing she was trying to help him. However, he knew in his heart that a loss was a loss. History only remembers the ultimate victor. No matter how brilliantly he flooded the Eastern Route Army or lured the Western Route Army into a trap, it wouldn’t matter in the end.

Guan Yu once flooded seven armies, shaking all of China, but after his defeat at Maicheng, his leadership skills were questioned. Zhuge Liang, despite his genius strategies, ultimately failed in his northern expeditions and was merely remembered as someone whose strength lay not in generalship but in strategy.

A sudden thought flashed through Song Qingshu’s mind, and he quickly surveyed the entire valley’s terrain. A bold plan soon began to take shape in his mind.

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