After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 829 - 819: Admonition

Everyone lowered their heads without speaking, and Shi Le knew this was not the time to hold anyone accountable, saying, "Summon him, and also, transfer troops from the other two armies to intercept on the roads leading to Yu State and Jianye!"

As soon as Kong Chang arrived, Shi Le ordered him to leave the city overnight, "Return to the camp immediately. If Gou Xi is still there, arrest him at once. If he has rebelled, send people to pursue him immediately."

Shi Le’s face was gloomy, and he said sternly, "If he is willing to surrender again, so be it. But if he dares to resist, kill him without mercy!"

Kong Chang agreed and immediately took people out of the city to return to the camp.

Before reaching the camp, he encountered a soldier urgently reporting the news. Kong Chang heard that Gou Xi really rebelled and fled the camp, feeling both furious and cold. He immediately returned to the camp with his men and then dispatched a large army to chase him.

Gou Xi fled through the night, with the pursuing troops relentlessly on his heels. They only stopped to rest briefly at dawn, stuffing some food into their mouths.

Gou Xi calculated the journey in his heart, thinking that in another day he would be near the Yu State border, unsure if Zhao Ju’s garrison could meet them.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, a scout rushed in, saying, "General, there is something unusual ahead, there seems to be an ambush."

Upon hearing this, Gou Xi lowered his eyes and after briefly pondering, said, "Shi Le’s right army is west of Puyang County, he must have transferred troops from the right army, go and see how many there are."

Gou Xi was already surveying the surroundings, contemplating in his mind where to break through. As he was thinking, he keenly heard the sound of thousands of horses galloping.

He immediately got up to give a warning and as soon as he mounted his horse, the scout came stumbling in, saying, "General, the pursuing troops have arrived!"

Gou Xi immediately said, "We will break through forward, ten miles ahead there’s a small road leading to Chengyang, we’ll detour to Chengyang."

Everyone agreed, mounted their horses immediately, but after only five miles, they ran into an ambush of Shi Le’s main army. Despite being somewhat prepared, they suffered heavy losses before breaking through. Gou Xi led the remaining thousand men and Gou Chun, Wang Zan and others onto the small road, continuing their escape in a sorry state.

After running for a while, the pursuing troops hadn’t caught up yet, and their horses were already exhausted, snorting white frothy breath. Wang Zan pulled the reins and called to Gou Xi, "Daojiang, you go, I will stay with some men to hold them off for a while."

Gou Xi quickly reined in his horse and turned back, "No way, we leave together!"

Wang Zan gave a bitter smile, slightly turning to show him his back, "I can’t go anymore, just go quickly."

Gou Xi saw the back of his clothes stained red, with a knife wound tearing from shoulder to waist, but he didn’t move forward to check. From his years of experience, he knew the cut must be deep enough to see the bone, just the knife was deep, the wound small, so he hadn’t collapsed yet.

Gou Xi tightened the reins, dismounted, tore a strip from inside his clothes to bandage him.

Wang Zan didn’t refuse; slowing the blood flow a bit was also good. However, he declined Gou Xi’s offer to medicate him and take him along, shaking his head, "I can’t live, even if you took me, you wouldn’t get far, hurry up and escape yourself."

Wang Zan even offered him his horse, "Take an extra one, if tired while running, you can swap; once in Yu State, you’ll be safe."

The two have always been allies; they even surrendered to Shi Le together, considered good friends. Wang Zan sincerely advised him, "I know, you were born into poverty, going from luxury to frugality is extremely hard, living comfortably, who wants to constrain themselves like a monk?"

"However, as a true man walks the world, he must hold some steadfastness. You can be called a legendary general; though defeated by Shi Le this time, it’s not because your skills are inferior," Wang Zan said, "Don’t forget, before this, you drove him out of Jizhou and left him a bare regiment commander, forcing him to flee far to Bingzhou to seek refuge with Liu Yuan."

"You bear the title ’the reincarnated Bai Qi’, with martial and literary skills not inferior to anyone today; why destroy yourself for a bit of comfort?"

If anyone else said this, Gou Xi would’ve exploded long ago, or had Wang Zan said it earlier, he would also have severed ties with him. But now, as a person on their deathbed, yet Wang Zan still wants to hold back the pursuers for him, Gou Xi had only moved and ashamed in his heart.

Tears welled up in his eyes, he stopped the angered Gou Chun behind him, nodding, "You’re right, after this, I will surely reform."

Wang Zan breathed a sigh of relief, smiled at him, "This will be not only your fortune but the country’s as well."

Wang Zan felt time was running out, and he couldn’t help but nag, "Look at Zhao Hanzhang, a mere girl, from a wealthy upbringing, dressed in silk from childhood, yet she can endure hardship for the people of family and state, why can’t you, a grown man?"

Gou Xi paused holding his hand, his moving heart slightly dissipated. Wang Zan didn’t realize it and held his hand conversely, earnestly saying, "Zhao Hanzhang has a broad heart, but those under her surely have many remarks; don’t mind that, just consider it as barking. With Your Majesty in distress, Jin State still needs your support."

Gou Xi struggled to maintain his expression and acknowledged, Gou Chun behind him agitatedly said, "Brother, the pursuers are near."

Wang Zan released his hand and urged him, "Go quickly, don’t be delayed."

Gou Xi hesitated for a moment, but in the end mounted his horse with a leap, cupping his fists to Wang Zan.

Wang Zan stayed with a team of men to set an ambush to block the pursuers, while Gou Xi continued to flee.

Those left behind were mostly wounded soldiers, and they knew they wouldn’t survive this time, all ready to fight to the death, thinking even in death, they should take someone with them.

However, to die like this, they felt somewhat unwilling in their hearts, so taking advantage of the time before the pursuers arrived, a soldier asked Wang Zan, lying beside them, "General Wang, can the Great General really reform? I heard, the Great General loves beauties, I also love beauties, yet I haven’t even married a wife."

The soldier on the other side snorted at this, saying, "So what, I haven’t even seen a woman."

"I have!" Another soldier said, "I married a wife, but I can hardly remember her face. On the third day of our marriage, while sending her back to her family, I was forcibly conscripted along the way. I don’t even know if she’s still alive, whether she lives with my parents or has remarried."

Listening to this made Wang Zan feel desolate, asking, "Who conscripted you?"

"Little General Gou."

Wang Zan then asked, "Then why were you willing to rebel with us?"

The soldier smiled foolishly, saying, "My family is in Henan County, didn’t the General say we’re fleeing to Yu State this time? I wondered if reaching Yu State, maybe I can go home? General Zhao is known to treat soldiers well, even if I can’t return home, life in Yu State is better."

Wang Zan’s eyes grew warm, he asked in a low voice, "Now that we won’t survive, do you regret it?"

"No regrets, those Jiehu don’t have enough food, they’d eat us, staying there you wouldn’t know when you’d be treated as two-legged mutton. Though dying a few days early, at least I wasn’t taken to fill someone’s belly."

The pursuers arrived, and when Shi Le’s army pursued across this land, the grassland on both sides seemed to have just experienced a blood rain; red blood drops congealed on the leaf tips, on the verge of falling.

Wang Zan lay dead by the roadside, Shi Le’s army didn’t deal with his body, planning to recover Gou Xi first.