Free Web NovelChapter 1696: Chapter 1696: Return to the City
"Very well, I’ll send a picked unit to escort you. Things have been unsettled around here these days—bandits everywhere who’ve turned to the hills, and scattered deserters, it’s all in chaos. On top of that, Old Ye, now that you’ve resigned your post, there might be some trouble."
"Alright, many thanks." Ye Shikai bowed as he spoke. Shangguan Jian directly transferred his two thousand-strong guard over to Ye Shikai’s command, but Ye Shikai did not depart immediately; instead he let the troops stay behind for a day of rest. As for himself, there was something else he had to do.
The back mountain.
"This... is where the Qin Army was buried alive, isn’t it." Standing on the mountaintop, Ye Shikai looked down. The valley below had already been filled in with earth, and nearby there were several pits dozens of meters across—those were all mass graves. They had originally been covered with vegetation; to exterminate the Qin Army, Mi Wen had ordered thirty thousand soldiers to dig these deep pits overnight, then cover them with earth to bury the prisoners alive. One could well imagine how desperate those men must have been. At this very moment, Ye Shikai could faintly hear the cries of those wronged souls...
"Yes, it was too tragic. That night the whole valley was practically a purgatory. General, look—this entire valley has been filled flat. How many people must be buried underneath..." Ye Shikai’s Deputy General said at his side. The soldiers around them all lowered their heads in silence, their expressions deeply sorrowful. On the battlefield each of them was a fearless fighter, but to see so many unarmed prisoners buried alive—no even the most seasoned veteran had ever witnessed such a thing. Watching eighty thousand men slaughtered in a mass grave was a shock to anyone’s mind.
Ye Shikai walked down into the valley on foot. His steps were very light, as if he feared disturbing the "people" below. He found a square stone and used his sword edge to carve a few characters on it. Then he chose a concealed spot and carefully set the stone stele in place. He could not leave so many people in this "potter’s field." For the dead, nothing is more important; though they are gone, they must still have a dignified way to rest. With this stele, this place would be their burial ground.
After making his offerings, Ye Shikai also unfastened the sword at his waist and placed it before the stele. A sword was the symbol of a General, but now that Ye Shikai had stepped down, there was naturally no need for him to wear it. Leaving his sword here meant that from this day on, Ye Shikai would never set foot on the battlefield again.
After resting one night in the rear guard camp, Ye Shikai set out at first light with his men.
A week later.
"General Ye, we’re now less than fifty li from Linxiang City."
"Mm. By the way, General Zhang, you are General Shangguan’s guard commander. Now that you’ve escorted me back, you should hurry on your way home." Shangguan Jian had ordered his own guard to escort him personally. In fact, along the way Ye Shikai had repeatedly tried to persuade General Zhang to turn back. At worst, they would run into some bandits and roaming brigands, and Ye Shikai’s personal guard and Hidden Guard were more than enough to deal with them. There was really no need to send two thousand men as escort.
"Before we set out, General Shangguan gave strict orders that I was to escort General Ye back to Linxiang City, then guard the area around your residence and ensure your safety at all costs. Please do not make things difficult for me, General Ye."
"Very well, since that’s the case, let’s prepare to enter the city." Ye Shikai understood that Shangguan Jian meant it in good faith, so he did not refuse again.
Two to three thousand men entering the city naturally drew the attention of the townsfolk. In this campaign against Ba Shu, Mi Wen had mobilized virtually all the troops that could be raised across Chu Territory, and tens of thousands had been conscripted from Linxiang City alone. They had barely marched a few li into the city when they were "surrounded" by the crowd that surged in from the nearby streets.
"I know that man on horseback—he’s the commander of the Chu Army. I heard his surname is Ye. It was he who crushed the Qin Army at Nanyang last year."
"Yes, I’ve seen him too."
"A few days ago a victory report came saying that we won a great battle around Gui Xiang, and that we’ll take Ba Shu any day now. Could it be they’re returning in triumph today?"
"Returning in triumph? Impossible. There are only two or three thousand men here—how could so few have come back?" The people chattered anxiously. Seeing that so few soldiers had returned, they thought that less than one in ten of the expeditionary army had survived. Many of them grew even more worried, afraid that their own family members would never come home.
"Ahem, everyone, please quiet down a moment." Seeing this, Ye Shikai hurriedly dismounted, walked into the crowd, and shouted loudly.
"You all needn’t worry. Our army has won a great victory in Ba Shu, and the main force will be returning in triumph before long. By order of the Lord, I have come back to the city in advance with the guard. Do not worry—your family members will all be home very soon." Ye Shikai called out. When the townsfolk heard this, they burst into cheers. What delighted them was not that the Chu Army had won, but that their loved ones could finally come home...
The news of victory spread throughout the city. The hundreds of thousands of people in the city lit lanterns and hung up decorations, as lively as if it were New Year. Neither the commoners nor the officials of every rank in the city knew that Ye Shikai had already resigned. Hearing that the Chu Army had won on the front line and would soon return in triumph, they all came to offer congratulations to this "commander-in-chief" who had already left office.
Ye Mansion.
Ye Shikai’s sudden return once again set the entire residence "boiling." He Linghan was extremely excited as well. She had never imagined that Ye Shikai would come back early. According to her expectations, as commander-in-chief he would have to remain until Ba Shu was stabilized before returning, which would take at least two months. Of course, in front of others, He Linghan naturally maintained her composure.
Night.
"Husband, how is it that you’ve come back so soon this time?" In their room, He Linghan asked curiously.
"Ling’er, this matter is a bit complicated. I hadn’t intended to tell you, but we are husband and wife... I fear I can’t keep this from you." Ye Shikai gave a wry smile. He had thought to gloss it over casually, but after some hesitation he decided not to conceal it. First, this time he had in effect parted ways with Mi Wen, and his resignation had not received Mi Wen’s "consent." Second, with He Linghan’s keen intelligence, any casual excuse would likely not fool her anyway.
"Husband, what on earth happened? Why do you look so awful?" Seeing his expression, He Linghan pressed him at once.
"Ahem. I quarreled with the Lord, and it was a fierce quarrel. You could say... we have already gone our separate ways." Ye Shikai’s words were shocking; the color drained from He Linghan’s face by several shades.
"What?"
"This time I returned after resigning my office. The position of commander-in-chief has already been passed to Huo Ziqing."
"Husband, how could it come to this?" He Linghan grew anxious. When Ye Shikai came home today, she had been overjoyed, but upon hearing this, she immediately fell into worry.
Ye Shikai told her what had happened. When he spoke of the eighty thousand prisoners buried alive, he tried to "downplay" it, glossing over it in a single sentence, but even so, He Linghan turned deathly pale with fright. She had never encountered such cruelty; to bury eighty thousand people alive—just imagining it conjured a scene in her mind. Ye Shikai quickly drew her into his arms.
