After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 959 - 944: Injured

Liu Jie saw the Jinyang Army pursuing them and quickened his pace, taking several thousand men with him as he fled...

Liu Kun saw them break through successfully and was so infuriated that he fell off his horse, having no choice but to charge forward with his sword, even at such a critical moment, Liu Jie had arranged for rearguard troops.

The rearguard Xiongnu soldiers blocked Liu Kun and the Jinyang Army, while the Zhao Family Army also charged forward, acting as if they were pursuing them, but in the chaos all around, neither the Zhao Family Army nor the Jinyang Army could break away...

Liu Kun fought his way to Ji Ping’s side and scolded him, "Why are you still standing here? Hurry and give chase. That’s Liu Cong’s eldest son, and Liu Cong himself might be hiding among them."

Ji Ping replied, "That’s impossible. Liu Cong could be in hiding anywhere, but he wouldn’t hide in this part of the army; otherwise, Hanzhang wouldn’t have let Liu Kun come here to guard this part."

Ji Ping turned to look and saw that one line of the Jinyang Army was still relatively orderly, while the other was a bit chaotic, almost disrupting their rhythm with their random fighting against the enemy.

He then said to Liu Kun, "Governor Liu, with our armies cooperating in battle, unity is paramount. Although I believe we should pursue Liu Jie, we’re short on manpower. Please grant me the flag so that I can lead the troops to pursue him."

In this critical moment, the surrounding sound of clashing weapons was deafening. Liu Kun didn’t think twice and immediately handed him the flag—essentially giving him command.

Once Ji Ping received command, he immediately began issuing orders. The soldiers communicated commands using the flag signals, and the army moved according to flag movements, allowing the Jinyang Army on the battlefield to quickly and orderly integrate with the Zhao Family Army.

The rear Jinyang Army temporarily withdrew from the battlefield. After Ji Ping redistributed some of the Zhao Family Army, he allowed the remaining Jinyang Army to enter.

He instructed Cheng Da to lead the Zhao Family Army, along with the Jinyang Army that had been drawn out, to pursue Liu Jie and support Li Tianhe.

Liu Kun was unaware of the ambush ahead and became anxious upon seeing Ji Ping mobilize only about ten thousand soldiers. "Liu Jie is ahead; when will these ten thousand catch up to them? Even if they do catch up, they might not be able to capture him. More troops need to be sent."

Ji Ping smiled and said, "Rest assured, Governor Liu. Once we subdue these Xiongnu soldiers, we will go to reinforce them." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

As the first trusted aide by Zhao Hanzhang’s side, Ji Ping was adept at Zhao Hanzhang’s psychological warfare techniques. He immediately shouted, "Sons, after we win this fight, we’ll go home. Charge—!"

The Zhao Family Army’s morale soared, and they shouted in unison, "Charge—!"

After fighting for a while, venting their emotions, the Xiongnu Army’s morale was suppressed. Ji Ping then shouted, "Lay down your arms and live; the Zhao Family Army treats prisoners well!"

"Your general has already run away!"

"Quickly surrender, quickly surrender!"

The Xiongnu soldiers, panting heavily with their knives, stared at them with bloodshot eyes, seemingly ready to rush forward and tear them apart. Liu Kun felt a stir in his heart and shouted, "What about your families? They are in Hunlu County at this moment. Do you want to abandon them?"

Ji Ping immediately signaled everyone to follow suit, and the question echoed down the ranks. Each unit of the Zhao Family Army and Jinyang Army fought while asking the opposing soldiers, "Are you willing to disregard your family and fight to the death?"

The resistance of the Xiongnu soldiers gradually weakened. Some recalled their homeland and the families left behind, and couldn’t help but cry, dropping their weapons with a clang.

When one person laid down their weapon, others followed.

Liu Jie had already fled, and if they continued to fight, it would only buy him a little more time. Could they truly break out of the enemy’s heavy encirclement?

As long as they could live, nobody wanted to die. Many laid down their weapons.

Ji Ping immediately ordered the men to take them into custody.

Liu Kun became anxious and urged, "More troops should be sent to chase Liu Jie. If he crosses the river, it will be even harder to catch him."

Ji Ping complied and then instructed Linghu Sheng to lead ten thousand men to the pursuit.

Liu Kun was displeased, but Ji Dan explained for Ji Ping, "The prisoners’ rebellious nature hasn’t been eradicated; caution is still needed. The personnel here that receives prisoners shouldn’t be reduced."

Linghu Sheng ignored Liu Kun and went to muster the troops.

Still concerned about not capturing Liu Cong, Liu Kun decided to follow.

When they caught up, the battle ahead was nearing its end. Li Tianhe had been lying in wait, and in ambush, Liu Jie, twice exhausted by battles, was already mentally and physically drained. When suddenly faced with an ambush, he nearly broke down.

Li Tianhe had concealed his troops well. Liu Jie only noticed once they burst forth. With horse traps and arrows raining down, the already desperate Xiongnu remnants were dealt a heavy blow once more. Thousands fell into chaos without any chance for retaliation as Li Tianhe led the Zhao Family Army in a charge.

The Xiongnu remnants attempted to retreat, only to find Cheng Da had already arrived with reinforcements, encircling the Xiongnu forces.

Liu Jie sensed that the situation was beyond salvation and, coupled with multiple injuries, wavered between surrendering or not. Li Tianhe, however, gave him no time to hesitate, stabbing him through before he could speak. Both men’s eyes widened as they glared at each other. Liu Jie saw his doomed fate in the other’s eyes and, in a moment of desperation, summoned his last ounce of strength, striking Li Tianhe with his blade.

Li Tianhe grunted loudly, firmly twisted his hand on his sword hilt, ignoring the gash on his waist as he pressed Liu Jie down, pinning him to the ground before stopping.

He straightened up to greet the advancing Liu Kun, but before he could, his vision dimmed, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Beigong Chun and Zhao Ju both sent reinforcements, and when Zhao Hanzhang received the news, she also ordered Linghu Ni to lead five thousand troops to assist. By the time they arrived, the battle had already ended, with only the soldiers left to clean the battlefield and count prisoners.

Li Tianhe was severely injured and was urgently transported back to the command tent.

Though each army had a military doctor or two traveling with them, the Zhao Family Army’s top military doctor was with Zhao Hanzhang.

The military doctor attending to Li Tianhe, terrified of extracting the blade due to the severity of his injuries, only applied a tourniquet before taking him back to a more skilled doctor.

Upon hearing of Li Tianhe’s grave injuries, Zhao Hanzhang hurried over to see him personally, ordering the military doctors to spare no efforts in saving him.

The military doctor glanced at the blade still lodged in his waist and said, "If removed, there will be heavy bleeding; whether he survives will depend on the circumstances."

Zhao Hanzhang furrowed her brow and asked, "Hasn’t Minister Fu’s method of blood transfusion been researched yet?"

The military doctor replied with shame, "We can’t find a viable method."

Some military doctors doubted the validity of this method, explaining to Zhao Hanzhang, "We’ve scoured the various medical texts you provided, and though some ancient manuscripts mention methods of blood transfusion, the drawbacks are significant, with more deaths than successes. Some patients appear to die not from their illnesses but from the transfusion attempt."

Zhao Hanzhang sighed and said, "We will discuss this later. Right now, saving General Li is our top priority. If any medicinal materials are lacking, just let me know."

"Yes."

The military doctors did their best to save him.

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang turn to Liu Kun, who had come back with him, and asked, "Did Yue Shi get injured?"

Liu Kun shook his head quietly, asking, "Is there word on Liu Cong?"

"Liu Cong is dead."

Liu Kun widened his eyes in shock and asked, "Which route did he take to escape?"