To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 863: Chapter 367 Changsha Relief_2

Continuing the fight, Xiang Duan had no idea whether Changsha could be taken or not.

But he could be certain that his soldiers would either be completely wiped out or revolt midway through the battle.

Such was the brutal nature of siege warfare.

Therefore, Shen Qiu could only look upon Jiangxia with a sigh.

Lu Yuan, observing the tens of miles of connected Ning Army camps outside Jiangxia, also felt fear arise from the sight.

The great terror within was unparalleled.

“General, the front line has collapsed, still unable to take the city head. After a headcount, we have lost over five hundred soldiers,”

Just as Xiang Duan was full of worries about the future, the first siege battle had ended, and the losses were reported back.

Coming out of his reverie and hearing the losses, Xiang Duan’s face twitched, and then he turned his head to look at Yao Qing, the supervising officer in a red official robe, tentatively asking, “Yao Brother, today’s battle was unfavorable, our losses are too great. How about we temporarily withdraw the troops?”

This supervising officer, Yao Qing, was also from the Coastal Aristocratic Family, and had known Xiang Duan for years; they were even relatives and shared a deep relationship.

Logically speaking, with such relations, sending Yao Qing to supervise was not appropriate.

But the high-levels of Ning Country were almost entirely from the Coastal Aristocratic Family, hence it was natural for close ties and associations to exist.

Even Emperor Shenqiu of Ning, known as the Heavenly Son, was called uncle or some familial term by nearly half of the group of ministers below the court.

Xiang Duan was also considered a cousin to him.

Under such circumstances, how could Shen Qiu appoint a supervising officer?

Therefore, the current situation was inevitable.

“The soldiers have indeed not had it easy. Let’s call it a day,”

Yao Qing had been paying close attention to the entire siege battle and witnessed firsthand how the brave soldiers of Da Ning courageously faced arrows, falling rocks, boiling oil, and excrement as they charged the city walls with their lives on the line.

Then they engaged in battle with the Chu army, got surrounded, and eventually, drained of their strength, they fell, struck by swords and spears, from the city walls.

The soldiers had already shown remarkable bravery.

Now, failing to take the head of Changsha was simply because the Chu army was too numerous and strong.

Both sides had advantages and strengths that were not on the same level; the Ning army was actually at a disadvantage.

To fight from a disadvantage against an advantage, and from an unfavorable position against a favorable one, to achieve what they had was already quite difficult.

In Jiangxia’s main camp, after witnessing the cruelty of the siege up close and then seeing it again in Changsha, Yao Qing had abandoned any hope for conquering through siege.

He also began to understand more why Changsha had not been breached for such a long time.

It was not that Xiang Duan was incompetent, but that the Chu army was truly strong, not as weak as they had imagined, rightfully deserving their reputation as a powerful nation over the years.

Even due to the strong strength of the Chu army, Yao Qing gradually gave up on defeating Chu State and started to recognize the stance of Marquis Wuan Bai Yian.

Chu army could not be completely destroyed, and Chu State could not be quickly vanquished.

Facing such a formidable enemy, the only hope for Ning Country was to retreat back to Jiangdong, rely on their profound resources, and hold out until the right opportunity arose, perhaps a hundred years later.

Having this thought in mind, Yao Qing naturally did not wish to see the elite forces of the Ning Army squandered in meaningless sieges.

So, seeing the siege come to a halt, he felt that today’s task was barely accomplished, and it was enough to give an account to Jiangxia; thus, he did not insist on continuing the attack.

“Yao Brother’s benevolence is admirable; all the soldiers and officers will undoubtedly feel grateful for your kindness,”

Seeing that Yao Qing agreed to the proposal to withdraw, Xiang Duan was overjoyed, praised him, and immediately called for his deputy to arrange the retreat.

Soon, the sounds of gongs echoing orders reverberated from the rear, and the Ning Army at the front who were lining up for the second wave of the siege felt a great relief in their hearts.

No one wished to siege, nor did anyone want to risk their life for a goal doomed to fail.

For the generals at the front, the fact that they weren’t forced to partake in a futile assault was undoubtedly good news.

But just as the Ning Army was relaxing and rejoicing, suddenly, from within the barracks behind them, a commotion arose.

Then, shouts that pierced the heavens and the thunderous sounds of drums and gongs followed.

Behind them, flames shot up, and dense smoke engulfed the mountain forest and fields.

This sudden change instantly sparked great alarm within the Ning Army, sowing chaos throughout its ranks.

“What’s happening? Why is there disturbance in the rear camp?”

Compared to the confused and chaotic front army, which was unaware of what had occurred, Xiang Duan and Yao Qing, situated atop a ten-zhang high command chariot, could see clearly that the source of the disturbance originated from the rear camp and the chaos and fire were spreading from there.

“Could it be that those injured soldiers have revolted and are causing chaos?” Yao Qing asked, uncertain.

The Ning Army had suffered great losses in recent days, with fourteen to fifteen thousand casualties. These casualties were not all deaths, but also included lightly and severely wounded soldiers; specifically, those who had lost their combat effectiveness, roughly around six or seven thousand in number.

With limited medical conditions and capabilities, there wasn’t much by the way of treatment for these soldiers.

The only method was to carry them to a separate camp for the injured, provide them with enough food to survive, and then leave them to fend for themselves.

Those who could endure would live.

Those who couldn’t would be wrapped in a shroud, taken to Mass Burial Mound, which was their only fate.

This was the harsh reality of war.

And for this reason, these semi-abandoned injured soldiers, harboring feelings of despair, panic, anger, and resentment, were the ones who felt them most strongly.

Many in their desperation cultivated hatred towards Ning Country, the Ning Army, their officers, and even their former comrades-in-arms.