Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 384 - 383. Beirong Suffers a Crushing Defeat

383. The Crushing Defeat of Beirong

In the main tent of the Beirong camp, Yelv Ye and Helian Zhen were present. Helian Zhen sat with a grave and silent expression, while Yelv Ye paced restlessly about the tent, his sword-like brows tightly knitted, his face betraying a hint of anxiety and unease.

After pacing back and forth countless times, Yelv Ye stopped and looked at Helian Zhen. "Uncle, could there be any issues on General Helian’s side?" Helian Zhen composed himself and replied in a deep voice, "Your Highness, please calm yourself. We haven’t received any bad news from Peng’er, so we mustn’t lose our composure and throw our own ranks into chaos."

Yelv Ye nodded and fell silent for a long moment before saying gravely, "I don’t know why, but I keep having this vague sense of unease."

Helian Zhen remained silent, unsure if it was excessive worry or if something was genuinely about to happen. It wasn’t just Yelv Ye; even Helian Zhen vaguely felt that something was amiss.

After some thought, Helian Zhen stood up. "I will send more men to scout."

Perhaps genuinely sensing something was wrong, Yelv Ye nodded. "Uncle, send more men. Whatever news they find, have them report back immediately."

"Yes." Helian Zhen acknowledged and turned to leave the main tent.

The moment Helian Zhen stepped out of the main tent, he saw a streak of fire shoot in from outside the camp, landing directly within the Beirong encampment. It struck the top of a tent. Although it was the dead of winter and many tents were covered in a layer of frost, preventing them from igniting immediately, it still startled many people. After a moment of shock, Helian Zhen reacted instantly, shouting sharply, "Enemy attack!"

Hearing his voice, Yelv Ye, who had been inside the main tent, rushed out immediately. "What’s happening?!" he demanded. Helian Zhen’s eyes were somewhat bloodshot. "The Mo Family Army is right outside the camp! Defend!"

That single fiery arrow instantly threw the entire Beirong camp into an uproar. Moments later, the low call of horns echoed through the camp. All the soldiers immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed out of their tents to prepare for battle. Unfortunately, the soldiers charging at the very front had just appeared outside the main gate when they were met by a sky-darkening rain of arrows. In the darkness, the enemy was hidden while they were exposed; the feathered arrows were almost upon them before they could be seen clearly.

"It’s the Mo Family Army!" someone cried out.

The entire Beirong camp instantly plunged into turmoil. His anger flaring, Helian Zhen loudly ordered the generals to lead the soldiers to repel the enemy.

「Not far from the Beirong camp, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li sat mounted, side by side. Behind them were Feng Zhiyao, dressed in red, along with Zhuo Jing, Lin Han, and others. Watching the Beirong army caught off guard by the Mo Family Army, everyone couldn’t help but feel their spirits lift.」

Mo Xiaobao sat in front of Mo Xiuyao, concealed beneath a wide battle cloak, with only his small head visible. His pair of bright, lively eyes watched the distant Beirong encampment—where crimson light flared to the sky and battle cries filled the air—darting about, clearly observing with great interest.

After days of attrition, the numerical difference between the Beirong army and the Mo Family Army was already not large. Now, with a significant portion of the Beirong forces led away by Helian Peng, their remaining numbers were actually fewer than the Mo Family Army’s. Under a sudden attack, the Beirong army’s defeat was like a landslide. Within merely one hour, the entire situation had begun to tip overwhelmingly in favor of the Mo Family Army.

Helian Zhen, with his personal guards, supported Yelv Ye as they fought and retreated. Turning back to Yelv Ye, he said, "Your Highness, we’ve been tricked! I’m afraid Peng’er won’t make it back in time. Let’s withdraw first!"

"Retreat?! Where can we retreat to?" Yelv Ye cried out, his expression grim. It wasn’t said in a fit of pique; their current location was less than two hundred *li* from the Beirong border. If they retreated further, they would indeed have to withdraw into Beirong territory. This would signify that their campaign against Great Chu, which had begun with such fanfare two or three years ago, would end in the most humiliating defeat.

Yelv Ye was naturally unwilling, but the current situation left him no choice. The options were to retreat, or fight to the death while waiting for Helian Peng’s return. However, regardless of whether Helian Peng could make it back, the price of fighting to the death was not one Yelv Ye was willing to pay. Casting a venomous look towards the distant Mo Family Army commander, Yelv Ye gritted out, "Retreat!"

The call for retreat sounded in the dark night. The already demoralized Beirong soldiers immediately fell back like a tide, following the direction Yelv Ye had taken. Although the Mo Family Army soldiers pursued, they did not press hard, merely maintaining an unhurried pace. Helian Zhen felt something was wrong, but the current situation left them with only two paths: continue forward or turn back. Naturally, they could not turn back to clash head-on with the Mo Family Army, so they could only press onward.

「Meanwhile, Helian Peng, who had been besieged by the Qilin, finally broke free after two hours. By the time he managed to rally his troops and break through the encirclement of Yun Ting’s forces, the eastern sky was already showing the first light of dawn.」

Behind them, Yun Ting and the others watched the departing Beirong forces with a calm smile. One of the Qilin, somewhat frustrated, asked, "Why didn’t we kill him? Why let him go?" Although Helian Peng’s martial skills were indeed formidable, for the Qilin, who had ample experience fighting experts and were highly trained, he wasn’t the most powerful opponent they had faced. Taking his life would have been only a matter of time.

Xu Qingfeng patted his subordinate on the head. "Since the Prince has given the order, he naturally has his reasons. Let’s get going too, or we’ll miss the show."

Everyone agreed in unison. After some brief preparations, they followed in the direction of Helian Peng’s departing army.

「By the time Helian Peng met up with Yelv Ye and the others, it was already broad daylight. Although the thick morning fog had made visibility so poor that they nearly attacked each other by mistake, both sides finally managed to rendezvous.」

It wasn’t safe to linger in unfamiliar terrain amidst such thick fog, but the Beirong soldiers were already utterly exhausted from a night of fleeing and fighting. Helian Zhen had no choice but to find an open area for them to rest briefly. When they took a headcount, the numbers made Yelv Ye, Helian Zhen, and Helian Peng turn pale. Of the several hundred thousand troops they originally had remaining, less than two hundred thousand were left after the night’s battles. At least ninety percent of these were the soldiers Helian Peng had brought with him. The troops originally left to guard the camp had been almost completely wiped out.

With a bleak expression, Helian Zhen glanced at Yelv Ye, who was sitting aside lost in thought, then turned to Helian Peng. "Peng’er, how did you find us?" Helian Peng frowned, his voice heavy. "After I broke out from Yun Ting’s forces, I encountered Mo Family Army blockades on four or five different routes. I fought my way through and happened to run into you, Father, and His Highness here."

Helian Zhen’s thick brows furrowed. "Something isn’t right..." he said gravely. "We were fleeing ahead, with the Mo Family Army pursuing from behind. Even if we got lost, our general direction couldn’t have been too far off. How could you, while being pursued, coincidentally run into us?"

Helian Peng’s heart skipped a beat. He leaped to his feet abruptly. "Father!"

Helian Zhen looked at him. Helian Peng’s expression turned grim as he gritted his teeth. "We’ve fallen for Mo Xiuyao’s scheme!" Helian Zhen froze, his expression changing drastically. He grabbed Helian Peng’s arm. "You mean..." he said urgently.

"Haha, General Helian, don’t you think it’s a bit late to figure it out now?" From within the dense fog, a cheerful, low laugh drifted from the distance. When the voice first sounded, it was clearly very far away, but by the time the last word was spoken, it seemed to be right in front of them. Helian Zhen and the others looked towards the sound. Not far off, where the dense fog thinned, a figure in white robes with white hair had appeared rather suddenly. Through the light mist, his facial expression was somewhat indistinct, but both Helian Peng and Helian Zhen clearly sensed he was smiling—a chillingly cold smile.

"Mo... Xiu... Yao!" Helian Zhen gritted out, his teeth clenched.

"Indeed, it is I, your Prince. After nineteen years, inviting General Helian for a reunion in Wind Return Valley... it truly wasn’t easy." Mo Xiuyao stood in white robes, his white hair flying wantonly in the cold wind. A faint smile played on his lips, yet the words he spoke inexplicably carried a bone-chilling killing intent.

"This is Wind Return Valley?!" Helian Zhen exclaimed, stunned.

Mo Xiuyao chuckled. "Indeed it is. I didn’t expect General Helian to have forgotten it in less than twenty years. However... I, your Prince, believe General Helian must have a profound impression of Ghost Worry Valley. It’s just a pity that this time, I cannot host General Helian in Ghost Worry Valley." Wind Return Valley was precisely where the Mo Family Army had been led to their doom by Helian Zhen’s design years ago; even the place where the former Prince Ding, Mo Xiuwen, lost his life was not far from here. And Ghost Worry Valley, less than fifty *li* from Wind Return Valley, was where Mo Xiuyao had set a fire that led to Helian Zhen’s major defeat, and where Mo Xiuyao himself had been gravely injured. For anyone involved in those past battles, from either side, these two places were likely etched into their memories forever.

As Mo Xiuyao spoke, countless Mo Family Army soldiers had already closed in from all directions. In the mist, countless dark figures could be vaguely seen moving, exuding an eerie, ghostly coldness that seemed almost ethereal, further terrifying the already exhausted and starving Beirong soldiers below, nearly scaring them out of their wits.

Gradually, several figures appeared behind Mo Xiuyao: Ye Li, Yun Ting, and others in white; Third Young Master Feng in red; Xu Qingfeng, Zhuo Jing, Lin Han, and others in black. All of them gazed down at the Beirong soldiers with predatory eyes. Only Mo Xiaobao, dressed in black brocade attire beside Ye Li, seemed to be in excellent spirits despite not having slept all night. His large, round eyes curiously observed the people below. Looking at the solemn faces around him, he curiously tugged at Feng Zhiyao’s sleeve.

Feng Zhiyao quietly shook his head at Mo Xiaobao and gestured with his eyes towards Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiaobao pouted his small lips and sidled up to Mo Xiuyao. "Father..."

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, bent down, and scooped up Mo Xiaobao. "Yuchen," he said with a smile, "do you know what place this is?"

This was the first time Mo Xiuyao had called him by his given name so seriously. Mo Xiaobao blinked, somewhat curious. "Father, what place is this?"

"This... is where the martyrs of our Mo Family Army, and your uncle, met their end years ago," Mo Xiuyao said gravely.

Mo Xiaobao blinked. Although young, he had naturally been taught about the history of the Mo Family Army and Prince Ding’s Mansion. He also knew that an uncle, whom his father deeply respected, had been killed by the Beirong people. Sometimes, Mo Xiaobao had secretly wondered if his uncle hadn’t died, would there have been one more person to help him when his father bullied him?

"Father, are we going to avenge Uncle?" Mo Xiaobao asked, his big eyes wide.

"Indeed," Mo Xiuyao said gravely.

Feng Zhiyao and the others following Mo Xiuyao couldn’t help but glance at Ye Li. The young heir isn’t even eight years old yet. Making such a child witness this kind of scene, isn’t that a bit too perverse? Ye Li sighed helplessly. Seeing Mo Xiaobao’s enthusiastic expression, he truly didn’t look frightened. Ye Li was genuinely worried in her heart that her well-behaved son was being led astray by Mo Xiuyao. But no matter how close Mo Xiaobao was to Ye Li, boys, in certain aspects, naturally tended to listen more to their fathers. Like right now, for instance.

From within the Beirong army, Yelv Ye stepped forward from the crowd, his face ashen as he stared at Mo Xiuyao in the distance. "Prince Ding," he said in a heavy voice, "such skillful methods, such patience!" By now, how could Yelv Ye not understand? All these days, Mo Xiuyao had simply been toying with them. His ultimate goal was to force the Beirong army into Wind Return Valley to avenge Mo Xiuwen, who had been ambushed and killed here years ago.

Mo Xiuyao nodded with a smile. "Well said. In any case, Seventh Prince, even if you were to return to Beirong with these remnants of a defeated army, you would be no match for Crown Prince Yelv. It might be better to be buried in Wind Return Valley; it would at least preserve your lifelong reputation. The Seventh Prince should be thanking I, your Prince, for this."

Yelv Ye’s expression twisted. Even ants cling to life, let alone humans. Yelv Ye was not afraid of death, but he was absolutely unwilling to die just like this. Yet, he also understood that their current predicament was not something he could control. Now, several hundred thousand Mo Family Army soldiers surrounded them. His own force of less than two hundred thousand remnants, even if they fought desperately, could not break through. If Mo Xiuyao gave the order for a volley of arrows, the Beirong army would be annihilated in an instant.

Helian Zhen’s face was deathly pale; he remained silent. Helian Peng stood beside Yelv Ye, his gaze, sharp as an arrow, fixed on Ye Li, who was next to Mo Xiuyao.

"I, Helian Peng, request a duel with Princess Consort Ding!" Helian Peng suddenly stepped forward, his voice grave.

The Mo Family Army commanders all turned their gazes sharply towards Helian Peng, as if looking at an idiot. Challenging Princess Consort Ding in front of Prince Ding? This fellow must truly be insane.

Indeed, Mo Xiuyao let out a cold laugh and said nonchalantly, "General Helian, why not challenge I, your Prince? Or are you looking down on me?" Helian Peng glanced at Mo Xiuyao but didn’t answer, his gaze remaining fixed intently on Ye Li.

Ye Li smiled faintly and stepped forward. "Since General Helian has such an interest, I, your Princess Consort, will naturally oblige. Please proceed." Although Ye Li had no favorable impression of Helian Peng, as a general of a nation, he naturally knew that publicly challenging a woman, regardless of victory or defeat, was not a matter of honor. To persist like this, knowing death was certain, at least proved that Helian Peng truly regarded Ye Li as a worthy opponent.

"Ah-Li." Mo Xiuyao frowned slightly. Ye Li’s internal energy was far inferior to Helian Peng’s. Although confident that Ye Li’s life would not be in danger with him present, he couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t be injured.

Ye Li shook her head and smiled. "I’ll be fine."

Ye Li took a few steps forward. A silver gleam flashed from her sleeve, and a short blade, glinting coldly, appeared in her palm. Opposite her, Helian Peng held a commonly used long saber. Judging by their weapons alone, it seemed they were ill-matched.

Helian Peng showed no courtesy, thrusting his long saber in a horizontal slash towards Ye Li. Ye Li took a slight sidestep, her body turning to evade, her white figure, like a soaring swan, swiftly closed in on Helian Peng. In the light mist, the crowd could only see two figures separating and merging, the sound of weapons clashing incessantly. As Ye Li engaged Helian Peng, she frowned slightly. In terms of raw strength and internal energy, she was definitely no match for him.

After her short blade and his long saber had clashed several times, Ye Li felt her right hand go numb from the vibrations. She immediately stopped clashing head-on with Helian Peng and swiftly moved in close for melee combat. In this way, Helian Peng’s long saber lost its advantage. He tried several times to create distance from Ye Li but failed each time. When it came to close-quarters combat, there were very few in the world who were Ye Li’s match. If internal energy wasn’t used, even Mo Xiuyao might not gain much of an advantage against her. Thus, for a time, the two seemed evenly matched.

The two battled for nearly a hundred moves, yet neither gained an advantage. Helian Peng’s eyes darkened. Channeling powerful internal energy into his palm, he struck out at Ye Li. Ye Li reacted even faster; a sharp blade slid out from her left sleeve, and she unhesitatingly stabbed at Helian Peng’s abdomen while simultaneously turning to evade his palm force. Intent on severely injuring Ye Li, Helian Peng ignored her oncoming dagger. As a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, his palm strike also landed on Ye Li. Although Ye Li had sidestepped, she still suffered a slight internal injury. She spun, withdrew her dagger, and quickly retreated.

The moment Ye Li withdrew her dagger, Helian Peng knew things were bad. Ye Li’s dagger was custom-made in the style of a military blade, with a blood groove down the center. Once it pierced the body, the bleeding would be relentless. The last time Helian Peng had injured his arm, it had taken a long time to heal; an abdominal wound was even more serious. However, Helian Peng knew that falling into Mo Xiuyao’s hands this time meant certain death. As long as he could kill or severely injure Ye Li, why would he care if he bled to death?

Ye Li retreated some distance and stood firm, a trickle of crimson blood escaping the corner of her lips. She looked at Helian Peng, who was propping himself up with his long saber, fresh blood streaming from his abdomen. Casually wiping the blood from her lips, Ye Li said faintly, "You let me win, General Helian."

Helian Peng sneered, unexpectedly tossed aside his long saber, and lunged at Ye Li. A glint flashed in Ye Li’s eyes. Her short blade in her right hand flashed like a white rainbow, streaking past Helian Peng. They crossed paths for but a moment, then separated once more, now far apart.

Ye Li turned back. On the other side, Helian Peng had already fallen silently, a thin, long gash slowly blooming on his throat.

"Peng’er!" Helian Zhen cried out hoarsely. Although Helian Peng was only his adopted son, Helian Zhen had raised him since childhood. Moreover, Helian Zhen had no biological children of his own, so Helian Peng was no different from a biological son to him. In this world, apart from Yelv Ye, the person Helian Zhen valued most was Helian Peng. Seeing him die now at Ye Li’s hand, he was naturally overcome with grief. He threw himself onto Helian Peng’s body, weeping uncontrollably, then looked up and glared venomously at Ye Li.

Ye Li casually wiped the blood from her dagger and walked back to Mo Xiuyao’s side. Seeing that her injuries were not severe, Mo Xiuyao finally felt relieved. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

In this initial confrontation, the Beirong army had lost Helian Peng, their most skilled martial artist. This was like adding frost to snow for the already demoralized Beirong forces. Yelv Ye looked at the surrounding soldiers with a sense of defeat, a bitter, helpless smile on his face. By now, the surrounding mist had gradually dispersed, revealing dense formations of Mo Family Army soldiers pressing in from all sides. In such a situation, let alone breaking out, even the slightest rash move on their part would be disastrous.

"I, your Prince, have lost. What does Prince Ding intend to do?" Yelv Ye said coldly, closing his eyes.

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "What I, your Prince, desire... surely General Helian knows?"

Hearing this, Helian Zhen’s expression changed drastically. "Mo Xiuyao! You..." Helian Zhen involuntarily recalled the two devastating fires from nineteen years ago. One was in Wind Return Valley, right here, where he had watched countless Mo Family Army soldiers die tragically in the inferno. The other was in Ghost Worry Valley, where both the Mo Family Army and the Beirong forces suffered heavy losses. Mo Xiuyao had been gravely injured, almost to the point of death, and Beirong’s strength had been so depleted they nearly collapsed entirely. But now... Mo Xiuyao actually intended to...

"Prince Ding, the Seventh Prince has admitted defeat!" Helian Zhen’s pride made it impossible for him to utter the word ’surrender’; he could only say that Yelv Ye acknowledged defeat.

"So what?" Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow. "I, your Prince, have waited nineteen years for this day, precisely to offer sacrifices to the spirits of the Mo Family Army here in Wind Return Valley. Therefore... surrender or not, all Beirong people who have set foot within the borders of Great Chu must die!"

From this exchange, how could Yelv Ye fail to understand Mo Xiuyao’s meaning? Mo Xiuyao actually intended to burn all of them alive in Wind Return Valley to avenge the Mo Family Army soldiers who had died unjust deaths here over a decade ago. Yelv Ye felt his throat tighten. He stepped forward and gritted his teeth. "Prince Ding, I, your Prince, have been defeated. Whether I live or die, I will accept Prince Ding’s judgment. However, I implore Prince Ding to spare these Beirong soldiers. They were merely following orders."

Behind Mo Xiuyao, Feng Zhiyao sneered. "Does Prince Yelv mean to say that those men behind you haven’t slaughtered our innocent civilians in the Central Plains?" Yelv Ye was speechless. The north of Great Chu had become a river of blood, mostly the blood of Great Chu’s common people. It had reached the point where nine out of ten homes in the entire north were empty. In such circumstances, Yelv Ye could offer no rebuttal.

Mo Xiuyao smiled coldly and raised his hand. "Release arrows!"

The surrounding Mo Family Army soldiers nocked their arrows and drew their bows in unison. Instantly, arrows rained down.

"Mo Xiuyao, you’re pushing things too far!" Helian Zhen roared fiercely. "Break out!"

Even a trapped beast will fight, let alone men. Although these Beirong soldiers were already exhausted and weak, faced with a life-and-death crisis, they had no choice but to struggle. Their eyes nearly red with desperation, they charged towards the north.

Watching the Beirong army’s movements, a cruel smile touched Mo Xiuyao’s lips. Feng Zhiyao waved the small black flag in his hand, and the Mo Family Army soldiers retaliated without mercy. However, a subtle gap was seemingly left open in the northwest, allowing the Beirong remnants to pass.

Mo Xiuyao and the others did not pursue. Instead, they stood there with calm expressions, distantly watching the direction in which the Beirong remnants fled.

With a loud "BOOM!", crimson light surged to the sky in the northwest, instantly dyeing nearly half the heavens red. Faintly, countless screams and mournful cries drifted from that direction, almost too unbearable to listen to.

Ye Li stood silently beside Mo Xiuyao. Finally, somewhat unable to bear it, she closed her eyes and raised her hands to cover Mo Xiaobao’s ears. Mo Xiaobao, however, impatiently pulled Ye Li’s hands away. Although the screams were somewhat frightening to his ears, he knew even more clearly that his father was avenging the Mo Family Army soldiers who had died in the past, and his uncle. Children are often naive and cruel, seeing only absolute right and wrong. Since it was right, there was no need for fear, or even pity.

Feng Zhiyao silently gazed at the distant crimson light flaring to the sky. He too had participated in that war over a decade ago. Although he hadn’t made it to the battle at Wind Return Valley itself, when he and Mo Xiuyao arrived, they still witnessed the tragic state of the soldiers who had died there. No, they couldn’t even be said to have died in battle; they had died wrongful deaths.

Like Mo Xiuyao, for nineteen years, Feng Zhiyao had never forgotten. It was as if the heroic spirits of those unjustly killed Mo Family Army soldiers had never found peace. Until now, when two hundred thousand soldiers of the Beirong army served as a sacrifice to the souls of the Mo Family Army.

May the fallen spirits now rest in peace!