Chapter 154: How Many Return from Ancient Battles? [Seeking Subscriptions]

Three days later, inside the Chu army's command tent.

At this moment, Chu Feng woke up. His head felt heavy and somewhat dizzy. Hearing the movement inside, Xu Chu, who was standing guard outside the tent, hurriedly rushed in.

"Lord, you're finally awake."

"How long have I been asleep?" Chu Feng rubbed his temples and asked tentatively.

"Three days. Ever since the defeat of Cao's army that day, you've been asleep for a full three days." Xu Chu said with a trace of disbelief, adding that the military physician had also been astonished, remarking that the duration was unusually long.

"So long?" Chu Feng frowned.

He immediately got out of bed and shouted, "What about Cao's army? Have they made any movements in the past few days?"

"Lord, you needn't worry about Cao's army. Cao Cao has already led his men to retreat, and the crisis of Shouchun has been lifted," Xu Chu explained.

Yet, no smile could be seen on his face.

"Retreated? Cao Cao just left like that?" Chu Feng frowned, finding it hard to believe. According to his calculations, this battle at most would have forced Cao Cao into a dilemma, resulting in a stalemate between the two armies. But Cao Cao had simply left?

Seeing Xu Chu hesitate as if he wanted to say more, Chu Feng rebuked, "Xu Chu, is there something you're keeping from me?"

"Lord, although Cao Cao has departed, relying on his superior numbers, he destroyed all the wheat fields along the way and around Shouchun, and slaughtered every village he passed through."

"With the harvest season right upon us, because of this, the common people everywhere will once again be left without food, and countless souls are bound to starve to death out in these desolate fields."

As he spoke, Xu Chu grew quite angry.

This damned Cao Cao simply acted less than human!

His actions were clearly meant to weaken their side's strength, but such despicable means truly filled one with righteous fury. How could a man like him even be called a minister of the Han?

Hearing this, Chu Feng paused as he was putting on his shoes.

After a long silence, he took a deep breath, swallowing the anger in his heart. He understood that destroying the wheat fields meant destroying the vital sustenance of countless ordinary lives.

Historical texts would record this with merely a cold and brief stroke of a pen, but that single stroke would doom countless families to starvation and force them to die tragically beneath the blade.

Indeed, from Cao Cao's own perspective, doing so would weaken his opponent's strength to the utmost degree—that was true enough. But that did not make the act right!

The pain was piercing, reaching deep into his very soul.

It was precisely because Chu Feng knew the fate of the villages the Cao army had passed through that his rage flared. Yet, for the moment, he was utterly powerless and could only watch helplessly as the enemy slipped away.

At that moment, Lü Meng and Gan Ning hurried over.

Lifting the tent flap and seeing that Chu Feng had indeed awakened, they immediately called out, "Lord, you're finally awake."

Chu Feng nodded.

"Lord, Cao Cao's army has razed all the villages and fertile fields along the way..."

Before Lü Meng could finish, Chu Feng raised a hand. "I know all of this. The lives of these commoners—one day, I will take Cao Cao's head to offer sacrifice in their memory."

"Lord, there is another matter. During the time you were unconscious, it is said that Cao Cao has already ordered troops to garrison Ruyin and Danyang, attempting to keep our army in check," Lü Meng said with a frown.

"I guessed as much!" Chu Feng nodded.

Cao Cao was a veteran of warfare; he would never have left without making preparations. However, Ruyin guarded the northern approaches to Shouchun, directly cutting off any northward advance from the city, while Danyang now lay within Chu Feng's own rear territories. Should even a single elite force be garrisoned there, he would be forced to root them out; otherwise, anxiety would plague his entire domain.

"Lord, what should our army do now?" Lü Meng asked anxiously.

"Autumn harvest, pacify the people, and recuperate. All our divisions have been campaigning for over half a year; it is time for a rest." At this, a wave of sadness washed over Chu Feng.

They had led so many men out, but upon returning, probably not even half would remain. Many could never return home.

Ji Ling, Liang Gang, Le Jiu!

Including the five thousand troops under Ji Ling's command, the five thousand under his own, and the soldiers who had perished in the campaigns against Sun Ce—every last one of them was a son of Jianghuai.

*Drutken on the battlefield, do not laugh,*
*From ancient times, how many return from war?*

Lü Meng and Gan Ning lowered their heads. They could feel the genuine sorrow in Chu Feng; he truly regarded these soldiers as his own kin and friends.

Perhaps he could not remember every single one of their names,
but when going to battle, he would never abandon a single soul!

Precisely because of this, thousands dared to fight to the death. The remaining three hundred had been reborn through a single battle, their eyes gleaming with a chilling intent to kill.

"Send out more scouts to verify whether Cao Cao has truly retreated. That man is treacherous; we must not fall for his ruses!" Chu Feng instructed with utmost vigilance.

"Understood!" Lü Meng acknowledged.

***

Several days later, Cao Cao's army completely withdrew.

Liu Bei led his forces to Danyang, where Wu Jing was responsible for receiving them and assumed the post of Administrator of Yangzhou. This allowed Liu Bei to recover somewhat from the agonizing grief of "losing a son."

In a sense, he finally had territory of his own.

Although it consisted of only a few counties in Danyang, at the very least, it was his own foundation. He firmly believed that as long as he treated the people with benevolence and righteousness, Danyang would inevitably fall into his hands.

As for Sun Ce, he led his troops to garrison Ruyin.

Initially, he had felt great aversion toward Liu Bei replacing him in Danyang, but after Zhou Yu reasoned with him at length, he accepted the arrangement, considering that it at least allowed him to maintain command of his troops.

***

After nearly half a year, he had returned.

Looking at the distant walls of Shouchun, Chu Feng felt a sense of unreality.

Waging war was not easy, and peace was even harder to come by.

At that moment, Lu Su and Qiao Rui led the civil and military officials out of the city to welcome them, accompanied by the common people of Shouchun, who stood on tiptoe, craning their necks to line the streets in greeting.

Awe was visible in their gazes, but yearning was far more prevalent.

One could see them eagerly stretching their necks, anxiously searching through the ranks for certain figures.

On horseback, looking at this scene, Chu Feng felt a burning sting in the corners of his eyes and bit down hard on his teeth. The blood-soaked battlefield had not shaken him, but the searching eyes of these wives and orphans moved him to tears.

That was guilt, self-reproach, and helpless despair.

Perhaps he finally understood how Xiang Yu felt in having no face to face the elders of Jiangdong. Eight thousand comrades-in-arms had all died in battle; if Xiang Yu had merely crossed the river to cling to a disgraced life, how could he still be considered a man?

"We respectfully welcome the Lord! Your divine might is peerless, subduing the Cao army with sheer force—truly the fortune of the people of Shouchun. I have already ordered a banquet prepared for the General."

A scholar immediately began to shower him with obsequious flattery.

"Get lost!"

Chu Feng glanced at him and said coldly.

His voice was not loud, but it was laden with killing intent. Matched with that indifferent gaze, it made the scholar feel as though he had plunged into an ice cellar, his spine drenched in cold sweat.

Seeing Chu Feng's reaction, the many gentry families who had come to welcome him awkwardly froze their smiles in place. They were the local gentry of the city and had rendered meritorious service in this battle;
they had naturally expected rewards from Chu Feng, but clearly, he had no such intention at all!

Consequently, despite being a welcoming ceremony, the atmosphere was exceptionally solemn and rigid. Not a single one of the thousands of armored soldiers could manage a smile!

"Mother, why haven't I seen Father yet?"

A young child with a long braided ponytail swept his clear, innocent eyes over the passing troops before finally asking the question he could no longer hold back.

"Don't—don't worry, he must be at the back. He's always the slowest!" The woman forced a smile, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.

Yet, her reddened eyes were heartbreaking to behold. Was that pain? Was she finally facing this cruel reality? Why, oh why did it have to be this way?

The child uttered an "oh" and continued straining his eyes to search for the familiar figure. Yet the column of thousands marched past swiftly,
their numbers dwindling until it seemed almost empty.

The woman's tears could no longer be held back, yet she forcibly suppressed the agony in her heart, pulled her son close, forced a smile, and said, "Darling, let's go home first."

"But Mother, aren't we going to wait for Father?"

"Darling, your father is with another general's division—Mother just remembered incorrectly. After a little while, Father will... he will be back!" With that, the woman swept him up and pulled him away unconditionally.

All along the way, her eyes remained bloodshot,
and the teardrops streamed down unstoppably, piercing her heart with a grief too deep for words.