Chapter 70: Chapter 69 Return to Linguan Castle Chapter 70: Chapter 69 Return to Linguan Castle Yang Zhenshan watched silently, and as Cao Han left, he immediately stepped forward, cupping his fists and bowing: “Greetings, General!”
“No need for formalities.”
Zhou Lan dismounted, looked up toward the north, and her brows furrowed with worry, unlike her previously brisk and carefree demeanor.
“How is the situation?”
“I have already ordered people to investigate, but the details are unknown yet,” replied Yang Zhenshan.
Zhou Lan gazed into the distance pensively, ultimately shaking her head helplessly.
“We’ve lost!”
This defeat came too hastily, too absolutely, and was too hard to accept, yet it seemed inevitable.
She knew better than Yang Zhenshan why this battle was lost.
There were many reasons, but three main ones: first, insufficient preparation, the hasty dispatch resulted in many vulnerabilities within the army.
Second, the court’s internal strife affected the front-line commander’s decisions; Zhang Shouwang always wanted to play it safe, but the court pressured him to hasten his actions.
Third, Chongshan Town had long been in decay, the morale and combat capabilities of its soldiers were far from what they once were.
As for the schemes of the East Sea Hu Clan, although they were a reason for the defeat, they were not the main reason.
The present East Sea Hu Clan was cunning, but the past East Sea Hu Clan was also cunning, which cannot be an excuse for the defeat.
“General, what should we do next?” Yang Zhenshan asked quietly.
Zhou Lan paused for a moment, then said, “Let’s head back to Chongshan Pass first.”
“What about the Great General?” Yang Zhenshan couldn’t help but remind her.
He could head back to Chongshan Pass without a care, but Zhou Lan was the Guerrilla General of the Left Camp, and the Five Camps were directly loyal to the Commanding General of Chongshan Town, Zhang Shouwang.
Saying Zhou Lan was a confidant of Zhang Shouwang might be an overstatement, but she certainly had a close relationship with him.
“I have received news that although the main camp was breached, the commander’s tent didn’t suffer much damage. The Marquis has already led the remaining forces to retreat westward; they do not need our support!” Zhou Lan said.
Since Zhou Lan said so, Yang Zhenshan naturally had no objections.
After making some quick preparations, Yang Zhenshan followed Zhou Lan and led the supply convoy back to Chongshan Pass.
By the time they arrived at Chongshan Pass, it was two days later.
The entire Chongshan Pass was in chaos. Zhou Lan was immediately caught up in the busyness upon returning, while Yang Zhenshan brought the supplies back to Linguan Castle.
Yes, he brought back the supplies.
Because at that time no one was managing him, nor did anyone care about the supplies he transported.
Of course, his ability to bring the supplies back to Linguan Castle was also approved by Zhou Lan, as these supplies originally belonged to the Left Camp.
Although the Left Camp had already withdrawn to Chongshan Pass, since the supplies had been distributed, it was natural not to transport them back to the city.
Not just supplies, Yang Zhenshan also brought back three hundred oxen, mules, and supply carts. As for the civilians, after reaching Linguan Castle, Yang Zhenshan handed them over to the Governor’s Office.
He could keep the materials, but not the people.
Inside the office at Linguan Castle.
“Dad, you weren’t injured, were you?”
Seeing Yang Zhenshan, Yang Minghao looked him over thoroughly from front to back, top to bottom; seeing no injuries, Yang Minghao finally felt relieved.
This time when they left the castle, Yang Zhenshan did not bring Yang Minghao with him, as Yang Minghao had no official military position.
In the study, Yang Zhenshan took off his heavy cloth armor and asked, “Is everything okay at the castle?”
“Everything here is fine, but within the city, the people are panicking!”
“Everyone says we have been defeated, Dad, is it true?”
Yang Minghao hurriedly served up some tea, asking anxiously.
Yang Zhenshan, feeling thirsty, took the tea and had a sip, then replied, “Indeed, we were defeated!”
“Will we be in trouble?” Yang Minghao asked.
Yang Zhenshan thought for a moment, “I don’t know, let’s wait and see!”
He couldn’t interfere in this matter, nor could he get involved. As for the outcome, it would depend on Zhou Lan’s actions.
However, he estimated that it shouldn’t have much to do with him. He was just an official in charge of transporting provisions, and after the battle, not only did they behead nearly three hundred enemies, but they also delivered food supplies four times. They had both merits and had endured hardships, so even if the court decided to condemn, his contributions should not be erased.
“By the way, have there been any letters from home?” Yang Zhenshan then asked.
“Yes!”
Yang Mingzhi’s face showed a bright smile, hastily took out two letters from the nearby bookcase, and handed them to Yang Zhenshan.
“Wenyuan, our cousin, has passed the Scholar examination and even ranked first on the list!”
Yang Zhenshan raised his brow, opened the letter, and began reading.
It was now the end of July, and the College Examination had ended more than a month ago; both Yang Mingcheng and Lu Wenyuan had long returned to Anning County from the city of Jing’an Prefecture.
Reading the content of the letters, Yang Zhenshan was quite pleased.
Lu Wenyuan, only seventeen years old, managed to rank first, showing he had significant talent in his studies.
He genuinely hoped that Lu Wenyuan could be successful, ideally topping the list and becoming an official.
In that case, the Yang family would also have a representative in the officialdom.
“Write a letter back home to report your safety!” Yang Zhenshan instructed.
His departure for the campaign had surely worried his family, and now that he was back safely, it was naturally important to let them know.
“Alright, I’ll write it now!” Yang Minghao responded.
With Yang Zhenshan’s return, the whole Linguan Castle was filled with a joyful atmosphere; of course, the military households were not rejoicing for Yang Zhenshan, but rather experiencing joy that their loved ones had returned safely.
Yet, this joy was mixed with sorrow, for out of a hundred soldiers who left Linguan Castle, ninety-nine returned, with one fallen in battle.
In the ninety-nine joys, this sorrow was especially poignant.
After settling down a bit, Yang Zhenshan personally led Yang Mingzhi, Yang Mingwu, and others to the residential area behind the government office.
In the square courtyard, a family of four were holding the ashes of the deceased and wailing.
Standing outside the yard, Yang Zhenshan looked at the family, feeling somewhat pained.
A comrade had fallen in battle, and they couldn’t bring his body home, only his ashes.
The fallen soldier was someone he knew well, named Li Dazhu, an honest-looking villager. The Li family, like the Yang family, used to live together, but last year their village was attacked when the Northern barbarians invaded.
Out of a family of more than ten, only five survived the disaster.
Now, the remaining four were Li Dazhu’s mother, wife, and a pair of children.
Yang Zhenshan felt fortunate that Li Dazhu had children; otherwise, the family would have completely fallen apart.
“Please restrain your grief!”
Yang Zhenshan didn’t know how to console them properly, or perhaps any consoling words at that moment would seem pale and feeble.
He took a tray from Yang Mingwu’s hands, which held four small silver ingots, each weighing five taels.
“Li Dazhu was a hero of Linguan Castle, a hero of Chongshan Town, a hero of Da Rong. His family deserves to enjoy the honor he earned with his life!”
Yang Zhenshan said solemnly.
These words were not so much for the Li family as they were for the others in Linguan Castle.
Now that the Li family was left with only a widow and orphans, they could easily be neglected and bullied, and Yang Zhenshan wouldn’t stand to see such things happen, so he had to make his statement clear.
Of course, just a few words were not enough to ensure that the Li family would have a secure future; he would continue to look out for them.
Yang Zhenshan didn’t stay long at the Li household, he left after placing the silver.
“You should keep an eye on the Li family in the future; don’t let them be bullied!”
After leaving the Li household, Yang Zhenshan instructed Old Li.
“Understood, sir!” Old Li quickly responded.