Chapter 25: The Raging Fury of the Rong and Di Tribes

"Retreat!"

In the end, he gritted his teeth and squeezed the word out from between them.

The rear encampment was in total chaos. Flames soared into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and the air was filled with screams and angry roars. General Zhang He had seized the moment perfectly; leading his cavalry like a sharp blade, he had stabbed deep into the enemy lines before swiftly withdrawing.

However, the Rongdi camp was home to many formidable warriors. Fortunately, Zhang He knew when to quit and did not linger to fight. The rest of the Qin troops also began their retreat—they were certainly fast on their feet!

Zhao Ergou and his remaining brothers ran wildly, covering over twenty li before finally coming to a halt.

"Haha, satisfying! That was truly exhilarating!"

Zhao Ergou plopped onto the ground, soaked in blood. He gasped for air, yet his face was wreathed in an excited grin.

"Brothers, how about that? Following me, is it exciting enough?" He scanned his surroundings and laughed heartily.

"It sure is, Platoon Leader! That battle was a real thrill!" Luo Datong, though too exhausted to stand straight, laughed just as joyfully.

"That's right! With me, there’s never a dull fight!" Zhao Ergou raised his eyebrows triumphantly. "I told you, these Rongdi scoundrels are no match for me!"

"Count the heads. See how many brothers are still alive," Zhao Ergou commanded with a bold wave of his hand.

"Thirty-three," Luo Datong said, his voice dropping as he finished the count.

"Only thirty-three?" Zhao Ergou frowned, visibly displeased. "Damn it, that's a heavy loss. But no matter; those who survived are the best of the best! I will avenge the brothers we lost!"

"I wonder how the others are doing..." Zhao Ergou sighed, but quickly regained his confidence. "Don't worry, those who follow me have tough lives! They’ll surely make it back!"

"Right, who remembers the way back?" Zhao Ergou asked after catching his breath.

Silence descended. The night wind whistled, rustling the grass and trees.

"Speak up! Are you all mute? It’s so quiet, it makes me uneasy!" Zhao Ergou frowned and shouted.

"Well, Platoon Leader, it seems... we're lost..." Tang Chen muttered weakly.

"What?!"

Zhao Ergou jumped to his feet, eyes wide with disbelief. "Lost? Are you joking? How could we be lost?"

"Platoon Leader, it's pitch black, we were charging recklessly through the enemy camp, and we've been running for our lives ever since. We’ve lost all sense of direction," Luo Datong said helplessly.

"So we're lost, what's the big deal?"

Zhao Ergou soon regained his composure, his face once again lit by a confident smile. "Heaven never blocks a man's path. I don't believe that with my skills, I can't walk out of these wild mountains!"

He looked up at the dark night sky, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Brothers, don't be afraid! Follow me, and even if we reach the ends of the earth, I’ll carve a path out for you!"

By now, the Rongdi dogs had stopped their pursuit. Zhao Ergou rested for a while and finally grasped the situation: they had raided the enemy camp, successfully completed their mission, and escaped—though they were, it seemed, lost.

"Lost is lost! I once spent three months wandering deep in the mountains and still came out just fine! Once the sun rises, we can go wherever we please!"

Zhao Ergou slapped his thigh and laughed heartily, startling his brothers into full wakefulness.

"Stop lying there! Get up and move! Once day breaks, we’ll head back to Yanmen Pass and have a proper victory drink!"

Though exhausted, the men were infected by Zhao Ergou’s enthusiasm and struggled to their feet. In the biting wind of the northern frontier, their clothes were soaked through and they shivered, yet thoughts of last night’s glorious achievements filled their hearts with pride.

They had truly risked it all. They had crossed mountains under the cover of darkness, infiltrated enemy lines, and pressed themselves into the frozen earth, not daring to draw a full breath. With barely any rest, they had charged into the camp, fought through blood and fire, set everything ablaze, and finally sprinted another twenty li for their lives. Had they not been seasoned warriors of immense skill, they would have perished in that camp long ago.

Twenty li away, the flames in the Rongdi camp still soared—a glory bought with their very lives.

The eastern sky gradually turned a pale, fish-belly white, bringing hope with it. As time passed, the fires in the Rongdi camp were slowly extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke to tell the tale of the previous night’s carnage.

Soldiers on the walls of Yanmen Pass watched the soaring flames in the distance, cheering and wishing they would burn even brighter.

"Who did that to the right encampment? Amazing! They burned so much of the enemy's camp, it's truly satisfying!"

"The left and the rear didn't burn nearly as much, what a pity!"

"I wonder how many Rongdi soldiers were killed. That was a hell of a fight!"

"The losses must be heavy. General Polu led the cavalry charge himself, surely cutting down many enemies. The Rongdi are likely to be severely crippled by this!"

General Wang Li, the General of Breaking the Slaves, was overjoyed to learn of the successful raid.

With this disruption, the Rongdi would surely lack the energy to attack during the day—an unexpected bonus!

"Haha, that fire was massive, far exceeding our expectations!" said General Sima Xin, the General of Subduing the Slaves, his voice filled with delight.

"Indeed! It made me want to lead my troops in and slaughter them all myself. A shame I missed it!" another lieutenant added with a hint of regret.

"The results must be significant, but I wonder how many of the brothers from the seven platoons who raided the camp will make it back alive," another lieutenant sighed, his tone turning heavy.

The group fell silent. A raid, in simple terms, was trading lives—using the blood of brothers to exchange for the dawn of victory.

As the day grew brighter, the Rongdi encampment was revealed to be a landscape of broken walls and billowing smoke. The Rongdi soldiers looked disheveled and dejected, like defeated roosters. After half a night of chaos, the Rongdi army was utterly exhausted, their morale at an all-time low.

The Left Wise King stood on high ground, looking over the devastation with a dark, terrifying expression. He was on the verge of exploding with rage! He had intended to break through Yanmen Pass in one go today and end this protracted war, but after this fiasco, what could he use to attack the city? These soldiers, who were now like birds startled by a mere twang of a bowstring?!

The Rongdi generals dared not breathe, fearing the Left Wise King’s wrath would descend upon them.

The sun rose, spraying golden light across the land, but it could not dispel the gloom hanging over the Rongdi camp.

"Have the casualty reports been tallied?" The Left Wise King’s voice echoed through the grand tent; it sounded calm, yet weighed on the generals like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

They knew well that beneath this silence lay a torrential fury about to erupt.