She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 578 - 577: Splitting Forces, Just to Return Home
A group of people, being too conspicuous, finally split into two groups upon Yan Wanqing’s suggestion.
Yan Hongzhao wanted to stay with Yan Wanqing, but because she was easily recognized due to being somewhat special, they decided to keep the teams as they were.
Wu Bie and Yan Wanqing took one route, secretly entering the Qin State’s border.
The others maintained the facade of searching for Yan Wanqing, then returning unsuccessfully, to delay as long as possible Xiao Pingfeng and Chu Qi learning that Yan Wanqing had already entered Qin State.
"Big brother Wu, please take care of my sister," Yan Hongzhao called out without blushing or skipping a beat.
Since his sister had accepted Wu Bie as an elder brother, it was solid ground for him to call him ’big brother’ as well.
Wu Bie’s ears turned somewhat red, "Rest assured, I will protect Awan with my life."
Yan Li’an didn’t speak, just exchanged a profound look with Wu Bie, everything unspoken.
He trusted Wu Bie would keep his sister safe.
"Let’s split up before dawn and hit the road," Yan Wanqing proposed.
The two groups separated in the woods, and Yan Hongzhao’s eyes, following the figure of her sister, reddened.
"Nothing will happen. Wu Bie’s martial arts are excellent," Yan Li’an, knowing her concerns, reassured her.
Yan Hongzhao clenched her teeth, suppressed all her emotions, and instantly reverted to her previous cold-blooded female general demeanor, shouting, "Regroup here, we move out after half a stick of incense!"
"Yes!" No one did not respond.
...
"Truly worthy of the National Master, one move reveals all. This time, your surprise attack burned down Xiao Pingfeng’s granary, causing him to retreat from three cities in fear—tonight’s raid is one for the history books!" a general from Chu Kingdom flattered.
Song Huaxu remained silent, his expression inscrutable.
Seeing that he was being ignored, the general felt embarrassed and stood aside.
He’s just an old Taoist with a knack for sniffing out the right moments. Without his soldiers, could the old man really win with his own strength alone?
Moreover, this surprise attack resulted in countless casualties, with very few returning.
He praised him a bit, and now the man thinks too highly of himself.
A hint of jealousy flickered in the general’s eyes.
Chu Qi, seated in a high position, observed everything coolly.
"National Master has made remarkable contributions this time. Upon our return, I have a grand reward for you! Now, regarding the next battle, do any of you have suggestions?" he chose to ignore the others.
The general immediately stepped forward, "I believe we should press our advantage and chase them down, drive Xiao Pingfeng back to his Dawei den and raise our Chu Kingdom’s prestige!"
He spoke with such conviction that it stirred the heroic spirits in the chests of the young men.
Chu Qi just smiled and remained silent.
At that moment, Song Huaxu stood up, "In my opinion, we should take this opportunity to rest and organize our troops. We may have won this battle, but our soldiers are utterly exhausted. Xiao Pingfeng’s three-city retreat must also signal his intent for a ceasefire."
"Isn’t that all the more reason to press the attack? Take his life while he’s down! How can the National Master be so muddled?" The general was beside himself with impatience.
After repeated defeats and finally managing to push the enemy back, he was now chomping at the bit, eager to barge into the Dawei camp and challenge Xiao Pingfeng to a duel.
Song Huaxu looked at him, making no effort to hide his expression of dealing with a fool, "Do you think Xiao Pingfeng will just sit and wait for you to come and take his head? Don’t you have any idea why we’ve been losing until now?"
The general was left speechless by this retort.
But deep down, he still felt unconvinced, "Now that General Su Bai has sacrificed himself for our kingdom, the hatred of our soldiers toward Dawei has reached its peak. They can’t swallow this grievance unless it’s avenged."
Su Bai meant so much to them.
When they heard the news of Su Bai jumping into the river, the soldiers nearly lost their minds. Had it not been for strict military orders, they probably would have all gone out to search for him.
At the mention of Su Bai, Chu Qi’s expression darkened.
Many people were dispatched to search for her, and it had already been over half a month with no news at all.
No sight of her, nor a body.
"General Su’s matter will be handled by me and His Majesty, so there’s no need for you all to worry yourselves," Song Huaxu said straightforwardly.
This statement directly aroused the General’s anger, "National Master truly speaks without concern, as you have been staying in your tent without showing any sign of urgency since your triumphant return, not even going to the riverside to take a look. General Su is, after all, your sworn daughter. She would have never expected her own sworn father to be so cold-hearted and merciless!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Qi slightly raised his eyebrows.
Good berating, go on, berate some more.
It pleases my heart to hear it.
Seeing that he had rendered Song Huaxu speechless, the General sneered, "National Master must be envious of General Su Bai’s prestige established over the years in the military, jealous that despite her young age and being a woman, she was able to achieve great deeds. You must be the happiest person with her death—how else could you show your face before others if she didn’t die?"
The more he spoke, the more disrespectful his words became.
He was essentially painting Song Huaxu as a useless detractor envious of his own sworn daughter’s abilities.
His gaze turned cold, "Ignorant child!"
Seeing that Song Huaxu was truly angered, Chu Qi quickly spoke up, "That’s enough, that’s enough, it’s quite enough. General Su is the National Master’s sworn daughter, and no one is more distressed by her disappearance than the National Master himself. Let’s all say a little less, shall we?"
If the berating continued, Song Huaxu was about to take action.
Fearing that he would lay hands on his subordinates, Chu Qi hurriedly stepped in to play the peacemaker.
With the Emperor stepping in, the General wisely shut his mouth.
But the glances he occasionally shot at Song Huaxu still betrayed his dissatisfaction.
In the end, Chu Qi still decided to follow Song Huaxu’s advice.
He also knew very well that if it hadn’t been for Xiao Pingfeng’s severe injuries, Chu Kingdom would have gained no advantage whatsoever.
The correct decision was to stop the war now and give the soldiers a chance to rest.
"Alright, alright, National Master, please don’t stoop to the level of this young upstart. They are all but soldiers who only know how to lead troops into battle, how could they possibly understand the grand plans in National Master’s heart," Chu Qi said with a chuckle as he stepped down to console Song Huaxu, seeing that he was still emanating cold air.
Song Huaxu knew the little ploy in his heart and snorted coldly.
Seeing his stubborn attitude, Chu Qi also felt a bubble of frustration within.
If it weren’t for the fact that only Song Huaxu knew Yan Wanqing’s whereabouts, he would have had the man beheaded and his head used as a sacrifice to the military flag long ago, given his temperament.
"Putting other matters aside for now, where is Yan Wanqing at the moment?" Chu Qi asked directly.
Song Huaxu’s expression was dark, "I don’t know."
"What do you mean?" Chu Qi’s face fell, "Are you playing with me?! If you don’t know, then who does? Aren’t you able to sense General Su’s presence? How can you not know?!"
"For some reason, since Yan Wanqing jumped into the water, her presence can sometimes be sensed, and at other times not," it had been a long time since the last sense of her presence.
The reason Song Huaxu had had Yan Wanqing leave was that he harbored other plans in his heart.
But this plan had to be executed by Su Bai.
If he couldn’t sense Su Bai, the plan would be completely in vain—worse yet, it might end up as a loss of both his wife and his soldiers, losing track of Yan Wanqing completely.
"During this time of military reorganization, I will take a trip to Qin State," he declared.
"You mean to say Yan Wanqing has fled to Qin State?" Chu Qi narrowed his eyes.
"Xiao Pingfeng has retreated to Binzhou, not a disorganized retreat, and Yan Family’s fifth brother is now the Great General Chaoyang of Qin State. If she’s hiding anywhere, it could only be in Qin State," Song Huaxu’s gaze was chillingly cold, like a venomous snake hidden in the night.
Chu Qi, hearing this, said, "Then what are you waiting for? Leave for Qin State now. I will have a Palace Maid prepare your luggage immediately, hurry and bring her back to me!"
Each day without Yan Wanqing by his side, he felt as though something were missing, and it left him unable to eat or sleep in peace.
