Chapter 51: The Rebels Scatter, The Pursuit Continues

Watching the rebel army scatter in defeat, Xiong Ruixiang slew Dai Ye as he tried to flee. Seeing that Kong Yan could no longer catch up with Zhang Tai, Xiong Ruixiang returned to Fu Zihou’s side.

“Sir! Your injury…”

Only now did Xiong Ruixiang notice the gash in Fu Zihou’s armor at his chest, where a faint trace of blood seeped out.

“It’s nothing,” Fu Zihou replied, his hand pressed to the wound. He had managed to block the blow with his sword, and his armor had shielded most of his chest; the blood was not excessive.

He gazed across the battlefield, where thousands of rebels fled in panic.

He recalled that Zhang Jincheng’s forces were mostly stationed at various mountain passes, with a significant portion sent to feign an ambush at Ti County. Fu Zihou understood that, no matter what, Zhang Jincheng must not escape alive.

If he did, it would only take a few days for Zhang Jincheng to rally another ten thousand rebels. Then, Qinghe County might still be lost, and Fu Zihou would never again have an opportunity like today.

“We cannot let Zhang Jincheng survive! Find me a horse!” Fu Zihou ordered Xiong Ruixiang. After Xiong Ruixiang nodded and departed, Fu Zihou turned, surveying the battlefield behind him. The mud was littered with blades, spears, arrows, and corpses lying in pools of blood.

Some were rebels; others wore the armor of the Sui dynasty.

The scene etched itself deeply in Fu Zihou’s memory.

He sighed, then walked to Xu Jinpeng’s corpse. He picked up Cui Wenjin’s bent longsword, took the scabbard from his waist, and retrieved Cui Yuzhe’s identity tag from his breast, placing them alongside the severed head atop the corpse.

“Sir!” Kong Yan, clutching his wounded arm, approached Fu Zihou.

“Sir!” Cao Yong, panting, returned from the frontlines to Fu Zihou’s side.

“Tell the Cui clan within the city of their former promise at Ti County. Show them these tokens, and they will believe you,” Fu Zihou said, rising to address Kong Yan and Cao Yong. He saw Xiong Ruixiang leading several horses from the battlefield, and so took his gourd and bamboo tube from Cao Yong.

“Sir, I am uninjured and accomplished nothing at the rear of the army. I wish to follow you and earn merit at your side!” Cao Yong clasped his hands in petition.

Seeing Fu Zihou’s wound and learning of his intent to pursue the rebel chief, Cao Yong feared for Fu Zihou’s safety, offering his service as an excuse lest Fu Zihou refuse.

To Cao Yong, benefactors must be repaid.

“Very well,” Fu Zihou replied, gazing at Cao Yong for several moments before nodding. He mounted a horse and seized a spear leaning nearby.

Kong Yan wished to join the pursuit, but Fu Zihou refused—Kong Yan was wounded. Xiong Ruixiang, however, invoked the same reason as Cao Yong and was allowed to accompany him.

Outside Qinghe County.

Just as Zhang Jincheng watched the fierce fighting at the city gate, he sensed something amiss behind him.

Turning, he found thousands of his troops fleeing in every direction—a scene that left him dumbfounded and incredulous.

“What? Stop! No one is to retreat!” Zhang Jincheng hastily turned his horse, shouting in fury. He summoned his trusted men to try and reverse the rout.

But before he could ride far, his nephew Zhang Tai approached on horseback.

“Uncle! Run!” Zhang Tai cried in panic as he came near.

“What has happened? Speak! Why didn’t Xu Jinpeng annihilate that Sui army?” Zhang Jincheng, seeing only his nephew return, was furious—where were Xu Jinpeng and Dai Ye? Why had the army collapsed? What was Xu Jinpeng doing?

“Uncle, Xu Jinpeng is dead! Killed by a Sui general! Dai Ye is dead, too!” Zhang Tai sobbed.

“What did you say?!”

Zhang Jincheng’s pupils contracted in shock. He stared at Zhang Tai, then looked in terror at the Sui troops slaughtering the fleeing rebels.

Xu Jinpeng is dead?

Impossible! Xu Jinpeng had fought beside him through hundreds of battles. Fierce and valiant, he had saved the day countless times when Yang Shanhui’s forces pressed hard. Xu Jinpeng’s death seemed inconceivable—how could he fall to a Sui general?

“No… it can’t be…”

Stunned, Zhang Jincheng felt as though his soul had left him. Xu Jinpeng was his confidant, his backbone, the army’s spirit. Now, learning of his death, Zhang Jincheng could neither believe nor accept it.

“Uncle, we must go! If we don’t flee now, it’ll be too late!” Zhang Tai turned to look at the Sui troops. When he saw the young Sui officer mount a horse and brandish a spear, Zhang Tai paled in fright and urged his uncle to flee.

“No… it’s impossible…” Zhang Jincheng murmured, dazed. Xu Jinpeng’s death left him lost and shaken as he stared at the distant Sui officer.

He simply could not accept Xu Jinpeng’s fate.

At the city gate.

The rebels battling Qinghe’s defenders noticed that their comrades on the plains behind them were fleeing.

Years of survival instincts led the rebel troops fighting at the gate to flee as well, even without understanding the cause.

After years of clashes with the Sui army, the reckless had already perished and nourished the wild grass.

“Sir, they’re retreating—the rebels are fleeing!”

“They really are running!”

Cui Duxing and Fan Yichuan, seeing the rebel army’s sudden collapse, were shocked, then elated.

Yang Shanhui, his hand bleeding, stood behind Qiu Zhiqian and his trusted men, equally astonished at the sight. He had never expected the rebels to break at such a moment.

What had happened?

Yang Shanhui exchanged a puzzled look with Qiu Zhiqian—they were both baffled.

“The rebels are fleeing! We’ve won!”

“We’ve won!”

At the gate, the Sui soldiers cheered and shouted in relief, their faces radiant with joy.

Though Yang Shanhui did not know what had caused this, he thought of the tens of thousands of people within Qinghe and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Look!” Fan Yichuan suddenly cried out. Yang Shanhui, Qiu Zhiqian, and Cui Duxing all looked up.

They saw, beneath the thinning mist on the distant battlefield, a group of rebels fleeing on horseback.

Yang Shanhui, Qiu Zhiqian, and Cui Duxing all recognized these must be Zhang Jincheng and his followers.

But what puzzled them was that a short distance behind, several riders were swiftly pursuing Zhang Jincheng’s group.

From their attire, those pursuers appeared to be Sui soldiers—likely the reinforcements sent to aid Qinghe.

With this realization, Yang Shanhui and Cui Duxing guessed that it was these reinforcements who had attacked the rebel army’s rear and caused the rout.

“What archery!” The mist grew thinner, and as they could just discern the lead Sui officer, he raised a longbow with his spear and shot arrows, felling rebel after rebel. Cui Duxing and Fan Yichuan exclaimed in admiration.

Such skill—no wonder the rebels fled in terror.

“No! They must not pursue further. Zhang Jincheng’s confidant, Xu Jinpeng, is a fierce warrior with unmatched courage—he cannot be overcome by a handful. If they chase him, they will surely be slain!” Qiu Zhiqian said with a worried frown.

Hearing his concern, Cui Duxing and Fan Yichuan’s expressions changed—they, too, knew of Xu Jinpeng’s fearsome reputation.

“I wonder if the pursuers include their commander! Nothing must happen to him!” Qiu Zhiqian sheathed his sword as he spoke.

As deputy general, Qiu Zhiqian had spent years following Yang Shanhui against Zhang Jincheng. Many times, victory seemed assured, only for Xu Jinpeng’s valor to break the siege and lead the rebels to escape.

Over the years, countless Sui heroes had fallen to Xu Jinpeng’s blade.

Archery alone could not guarantee victory; Qiu Zhiqian recalled a time when his skill nearly led him to his death beneath Xu Jinpeng’s knife.

Now, with the sun rising and the mist lifting, if Zhang Jincheng realized the pursuers were but a few men, he would surely turn and massacre them.

“Quickly, send men to recall them!” Yang Shanhui ordered.

Yang Shanhui understood Qiu Zhiqian’s meaning. To have a commander who could lead a thousand reinforcements to rout Zhang Jincheng’s rebels was a rare gift—he must not be lost.

A subordinate hurried to carry out the order, and soon several Sui soldiers rode from the gate toward the distant pursuit.

Beneath Qinghe’s walls.

As the Sui troops began to clear the battlefield, Yang Shanhui, Qiu Zhiqian, and Cui Duxing discussed how best to defend Qinghe in the days ahead.

“Zhang Jincheng has suffered a crushing defeat. Even if he rallies his forces, it will take time. The Grand Minister of the Left, Yang Yichen, is already leading the Sui army south. We need only hold out a few more days…”

As Yang Shanhui spoke, the wounded Kong Yan was brought before him and the others by a Sui soldier.