Chapter 153: Death in Battle

Left with no other option, Li Linbo had to follow Zhang Jun at a leisurely pace to reinforce Yang Zaixing, silently praying that Yang Zaixing could hold out a little longer.

At last, Zhang Jun arrived with the main army.

Yet by this time, the Jurchen forces had long since vanished without a trace.

The hillside was strewn with the corpses of the Song soldiers, severed limbs and broken bodies scattered everywhere.

Although this was not the first time Zhang Jun had seen the dead, he had never witnessed such a gruesome and tragic scene. The heavy stench of blood hanging in the air made his stomach churn violently.

With a retching sound, Zhang Jun clutched a nearby soldier, unable to hold it in any longer as he doubled over and vomited profusely.

"General? General Yang?" Li Linbo panicked, shouting Yang Zaixing's name aloud as a faint, ominous premonition crept into his heart.

"General Yang, where are you? General!" Li Linbo called out in a hoarse, desperate voice, beginning to search frantically among the numerous corpses for Yang Zaixing.

"Military Commissioner Li, this... this seems to be the body of General Yang!" a soldier stammered, calling out to Li Linbo.

Hearing this, Li Linbo rushed over in a flurry.

"General Yang!" Li Linbo dropped to his knees before Yang Zaixing's remains, letting out a grief-stricken cry. The head of the man before him had been severed, but through the clothes worn by the corpse and the firearm at his side, Li Linbo knew with agonizing certainty that the dead man was indeed Yang Zaixing.

Zhang Jun had never expected that Yang Zaixing would actually be dead. He realized now that he had truly brought a catastrophe upon himself; his original intention had merely been to make Yang Zaixing suffer a little, to let him know that defying him came at a price, never dreaming that it would cost the man his life.

Bursting with fury, Li Linbo lunged forward, grabbed Zhang Jun by the collar, and hauled him up. Raising his fist, he struck Zhang Jun fiercely across the face, roaring, "It is all your fault for deliberately dawdling along the way! Because of you, General Yang could not hold on and was murdered by the enemy. You bear full responsibility for the General's death!"

Zhang Jun was left dazed and reeling by the ferocious blow. As he stared into Li Linbo's blood-red eyes, he saw a gaze that belonged to no human being—a look akin to that of a provoked and enraged beast.

"Li Linbo, what are you trying to do? This is insubordination, a capital offense punishable by decapitation! Release me this instant, or you will regret losing your head!" Zhang Jun yelled, struggling forcefully to pry Li Linbo's hands loose from his collar. Yet Li Linbo's grip was like iron, and despite his efforts, Zhang Jun could not break free.

"You murdered General Yang, and I will make you pay with your life!" Li Linbo snarled, raising his fist once more and raining blows down upon Zhang Jun's face.

Never imagining that Li Linbo would actually dare to beat him, Zhang Jun was gripped by genuine terror. He frantically shouted to the surrounding troops, "Come here! Pull this madman away from me! Someone, come quickly—"

Yet not a single soldier stepped forward. Yang Zaixing held an exceptionally lofty prestige among the rank and file, and now that he had been slaughtered by the Jurchen forces, the men harbored deep resentment toward Zhang Jun. Seeing Li Linbo brutally beating Zhang Jun, they felt a profound sense of vindication; not one of them had the slightest desire to intervene.

Zhang Jun was, after all, a mere civilian official; how could he possibly withstand Li Linbo's violent assault? After only a few moments, he lost consciousness, and it was only then that the nearby soldiers stepped in to pull Li Linbo away.

"Military Commissioner Li, do not strike him anymore. If you keep beating him, you will truly kill the man," a soldier advised gently.

"Are you all willing to follow me and take back the General's body?" Li Linbo asked the gathered troops.

Since ancient times, the Celestial Empire had esteemed the belief that one's body, hair, and skin were gifts from one's parents—ancient people would not even cut their hair. Now that Yang Zaixing's remains had been seized by the Jurchen army, they had to take them back at all costs to ensure the General could be laid to rest in peace.

"Military Commissioner Li, just give the order. We will follow your every command!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

And so, the Song army left a small detachment behind to clear the battlefield and bury the fallen soldiers, while the rest marched forward under Li Linbo's leadership to pursue the Jurchen forces and reclaim Yang Zaixing's body.

However, under the command of Wanyan Liang, the Jurchen army had long since vanished without a trace. Li Linbo pursued them for over ten miles without catching sight of a single enemy. With no alternative, he could only lead his men and the remains of Yang Zaixing toward the predetermined rendezvous point.

In this battle, the Song army suffered over five thousand casualties while wiping out nearly twenty thousand Jurchen soldiers. Logically speaking, it could be considered a grand victory; yet the death of the commander, Yang Zaixing, and the total annihilation of the five-thousand-strong vanguard remained like a thorn deeply embedded in the hearts of every soldier.

When the soldiers were cleaning Yang Zaixing's body, they actually extracted over a hundred arrowheads from his flesh—a testament to the unimaginable ferocity of the battle he had fought.

Meanwhile, the other Jurchen force, led by Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, headed north, passing through Fuyu to reinforce the Emperor.

Outside the city of Fuyu lay a perilous terrain known as the First Line of Heaven. Because cliffs towered on both sides of the narrow path, leaving only a single official highway to pass through, and from a distance the strip of sky visible above appeared no wider than a single thread, it was named the First Line of Heaven.

Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang led their massive army to a halt just before the entrance of the gorge.

"Second Great King, once we pass through this First Line of Heaven, Har City lies just ahead. His Majesty should be recuperating there," Wanyan Zonghan said to Wanyan Zongwang.

Gazing far off toward the mountain peaks above the pass, Wanyan Zongwang remarked, "If I were the Song army, I would undoubtedly set an ambush here."

Wanyan Zonghan nodded in agreement. "If we do not take this route and detour around it, we will be delayed by at least three days."

Wanyan Zongwang nodded grimly. "Three days is far too long. I heard that His Majesty is suffering from an arrow wound and is gravely ill; we must rush to him immediately."

"Yet this place is treacherous. Should the Song army lay an ambush here, our forces will be cut off at the head and tail, placing us in grave danger," Wanyan Zonghan warned.

"Under the current circumstances, our only course of action is to split our forces. I shall lead the vanguard ahead, while you command the rear guard. That way, should the Song army spring an ambush and sever our columns, the soldiers will not be left without leadership," Wanyan Zongwang said in a low voice.

With no better plan available, Wanyan Zonghan nodded. "Then I wish the Second Great King the utmost caution in all things."

Wanyan Zongwang nodded and took the lead, guiding the army as they began to pass through the First Line of Heaven.

One hundred and fifty thousand men stretched along the long official highway like an immense dragon winding through the mountains.

Ambushed high upon the mountain peak, Wu Xiaodong watched as the Jurchen army began filing into the gorge, waiting patiently for the opportune moment.