Chapter 103: Operation to Reclaim Chang'an (5)
“The enemy commander is dead!!!”
A thunderous roar from the archers echoed atop the wall. The gaze of everyone fighting frantically below turned toward the battlements.
Wielding a black helmet adorned with a red tassel and clad in pitch-black armor, a general held up the severed head of Commander Jeok-un.
The cheering cries of their allies shook the battlefield.
“Waaaah!!!”
“Leader So-mu has killed the enemy commander!!!”
“Long live the Wolf Fang Squad Leader!!!”
When morale reached its peak, soldiers entered a state of extreme excitement. In this state, they harbored no fear, and their surging energy had to be unleashed upon the enemy. Since each and every one of them exuded the ferocity of a wild tiger, the Hui soldiers facing them could only tremble in terror.
Slash! Slice! Splat!
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
A one-sided slaughter unfolded across the battlefield. A few retreating Hui officers exchanged looks and shouted, “Retreat to the east gate!!! All units, retreat!!!”
They intended to escape through the east gate and flee toward Luoyang. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Stricken with panic, the soldiers turned their backs and ran for their lives.
The Hanzhong soldiers pursued them, initiating a chase.
“Where do you think you’re running?!”
“How dare you slaughter our people?!”
The martial arts of the individual Hanzhong soldiers far surpassed those of the enemy. Naturally, their light movement was no exception.
Within Chang’an Fortress, the grand Zhuque Avenue led from the imperial palace to each of the gates. Along this wide avenue, the corpses of the Hui soldiers continued to pile up. Before long, their surviving numbers dwindled to a mere three thousand.
If General Yue Fei had captured Hangu Pass as planned, they would have no way to return to their home country. If so, it was highly likely they would roam and pillage the local villages. Jang-yang had no intention of letting them leave the fortress.
“Do not let a single one escape!!!”
Jang-yang also spurred his horse, joining the pursuit alongside his soldiers. Since the Wolf Fang Squad was exhausted, only a few of them joined the chase.
A quarter of an hour later.
The fleeing Hui soldiers were horrified to find the east gate blocked. In front of the gate, about a thousand spearmen stood in a dense spear formation.
It was a formation they dared not try to break through. Archers were needed to dismantle it, but since most of the fleeing soldiers were melee infantry, it was out of the question.
“W-we’re doomed…”
“To end so pathetically…”
As they milled about in confusion, the Hanzhong army surrounded them and launched an attack. In their despair, the Hui soldiers prepared for their final battle.
***
At a quiet mountainside about ten li away from Yanghwa Village, the medical camp, which had set up its tents there, had been waiting for two days.
In one corner, hundreds of wagons were gathered, and hunters stood guard at various points. The medical camp members were camping out, preparing lunch. Around a small cauldron set over a bonfire, about a dozen children huddled, drooling.
“You’re hungry, right?”
“Yes…”
“I want to eat quickly, Big Sister So-so.”
The children’s expressions had brightened considerably. After eating their fill and receiving care, their closed hearts were slowly beginning to open.
“Let’s see if it’s cooked.”
So-so grabbed the heated cauldron lid. It must have been hot, but she protected her fingers with her internal energy and did not hesitate.
The moment she opened the lid, steam burst out and enveloped her face.
“Cough!”
So-so coughed and waved her hand. She then put the lid back down and cried out, “Ugh… It’s all burned!”
The children beside her also welled up with tears.
The food was a dish called baotuo, made by tearing dough by hand and boiling it with various seasonings.
“I’m hungry, Big Sister…”
“What do we do…?”
Looking around, they saw that the other children were already eating under the care of the medical camp members.
“Sigh…”
A sigh escaped her. While she was worrying, a familiar voice came from beside her.
“It seems it lacks water. But it looks fine for now.”
It was Yeon Seo-hwa, who had appeared out of nowhere. She skillfully scooped a ladle of water, poured it in, and stirred. She added a bit more seasoning to adjust the bland flavor. With a brightened face, So-so hugged her waist.
“Heehee. You’re the best, Master~”
Another ten minutes later, Yeon Seo-hwa scooped the baotuo into wooden bowls and handed them out one by one.
“Thank you for the food!”
“Heehee. It’s delicious~”
Having finished her task, Yeon Seo-hwa began to walk away.
“Aren’t you going to eat, Master?”
A warm smile graced her lips.
“I’ve already eaten, so eat up.”
The children grabbed their spoons and began to savor the baotuo. Watching one of the children stuff his mouth with the hot noodles, So-so smiled warmly and said, “Eat slowly, So-bong.”
“Okay… Big Sister So-so.”
Six-year-old So-bong had the same name as the child who had died in Baiyang County, which made her feel more attached to him. So-bong’s face, soot-covered as if he had just come out of a coal mine, grinned.
Leaning against the shade of a nearby tree, Yeon Seo-hwa quietly watched the children eat.
Before long, So-so seemed to have finished her bowl. Holding a ladle with her small hands, she was scooping more food for the other children.
‘How can a child of such a young age have such a warm heart…’
It was an unfamiliar sight.
Her own life had been filled with coldness amidst a desperate struggle for survival. She had grown up under the hands of Mother Eunhwa, and the Demonic Cult had been her entire world. She had to steal to avoid being stolen from, and she had to kill to survive.
Her icy heart was slowly melting as she spent time with So-so.
‘Perhaps this child is showing us the direction this world should take… A pure white flower blooming in a chaotic age… I must protect her so she doesn’t wither. So that the seeds of this flower can be sown in the darkness…’
She was the child her husband strove so hard to protect. At this moment, she was beginning to understand his heart.
Her gaze shifted from the children to a spot about a dozen zhang to the right. There, Captain Hwang Gae-chil and his right-hand man were conversing with serious expressions.
“Captain, how long do we have to wait here?”
“It has probably been decided by now. It’s a secret, but Brother Il-gwang said it would be over in a day.”
“Wow… You are amazing, Captain. To think you even know such information.”
“I told you to call me Captain! We’ll probably get some news today. What about the wagons?”
“We still have two hundred and thirty wagons left.”
“Even after giving out so much, half is still left.”
“Well, doesn’t Chang’an Fortress have the largest population? The rest should go there.”
“Not necessarily. I heard the total population won’t even reach fifty thousand.”
The hunter looked startled. In its heyday, wasn’t it a metropolis with a population of over a million? Although its size had shrunk significantly due to the wars at the end of the Tang Dynasty, fifty thousand was an unexpectedly small number. Compared to Hanzhong, where refugees had gathered in droves, it was a mere ten percent.
“Then what happened to all the people taken as slaves in the meantime?”
“They either escaped… were killed… or starved to death…”
“Those bastards will receive divine retribution…”
The atmosphere suddenly turned grim. Losing his appetite, Hwang Gae-chil set down his spoon and fell silent.
After about fifteen minutes, the sound of horse hooves echoed from afar.
“Captain Hwang Gae-chil, where are you?!”
It was a scout.
“Over here!”
Hwang Gae-chil anxiously checked the scout’s expression. Seeing that it did not look bad, he let out a sigh of relief. The answer that followed filled him with joy.
“Our army has won. The General says the people of Chang’an are starving, so relief supplies are urgent.”
“Is that true?”
Hwang Gae-chil clapped his hands together. He then shouted at the top of his lungs to the medical camp members, “Everyone!!! Our army has reclaimed Chang’an Fortress!!!”
The medical camp members who had been eating stood up abruptly.
“W-what did you say?”
“Is that really true?”
Soon, as if on cue, everyone cheered at once.
“Waaaah!!!”
“Hurrah!!!”
No one could contain their joy. Some of the residents who had joined from northern Shaanxi wept sorrowfully.
“Sigh…”
“Finally…”
The hunters stepped forward to form a line.
“Now, everyone, let’s head to Chang’an! The residents there must be waiting for us anxiously! It’s not far!”
Quickly packing up their camp, the members joined the line one by one. The children also climbed onto the empty wagons, their faces flushed with excitement.
Hwang Gae-chil, who was pulling a wagon at the front, looked to his side. So-so was sniffing as she led the wagon carrying the children.
“Why are you crying?”
“I don’t know. Sniff…”
It seemed she was simply feeling sad because the adults were crying.
“If we push hard, we’ll arrive by this evening.”
“Then do we eat dinner there?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. She had only just finished lunch and was already thinking about dinner.
“Haha. You only think about food.”
So-so said in a tearful voice, “It’s hard when you starve. How sad must it be if you’re hungry but can’t eat?”
“Have you ever seen anyone in Hanzhong who was hungry but couldn’t eat?”
“No…”
“We are going to make that kind of world in Chang’an too.”
“We are?”
“Yes.”
The medical camp advanced without a single rest. The destination was right before them. Once they reached the plain, the procession picked up speed. There were no obstacles in their path to Chang’an.
As the sun set and shadows lengthened, they finally faced the massive fortress walls. So-so’s mouth fell open in awe.
“Wow… It’s huge.”
Hwang Gae-chil looked at So-so pulling the wagon and smiled warmly.
“It’s even bigger inside. You’ll be shocked when you see the palace.”
“I want to see it quickly!”
The gates were wide open. The guarding soldiers welcomed the medical camp and guided them inside.
As they entered the fortress, the smile on So-so’s face stiffened. The scene was completely different from what she had expected.
While the city was indeed massive, it was filled with a deathly silence, as if a violent storm had swept through.
It was a city that retained only its shell, stripped of life. There were no street stalls, and the residents who came out to watch the medical camp all looked filthy and emaciated. It was a world completely different from Hanzhong, which was bustling and vibrant.
As the wagons lined up along the Zhuque Avenue leading to the imperial palace, a light of hope gradually appeared on the faces of the residents.
“H-has the medical camp arrived…?”
“Yes, they say we can eat our fill now.”
“Thank you, people of Hanzhong…”
Just then, the military commanders rode up quickly. Jang-yang dismounted and spoke with a bright face to the medical camp members, “You have worked hard to travel such a long distance. Let us all gather and eat together in Chang’an tonight.”
First and foremost, they had to relieve their hunger. Distributing the relief supplies and cleaning up could wait. Around three thousand Hanzhong residents and five hundred hunters lined up on the avenue and began preparing food. The army cooks also came out in droves to assist.
Zhuque Avenue, paved with bricks, had been built to symbolize the emperor’s majesty. Even though all the residents of Chang’an were gathering, it did not feel cramped at all.
While everyone was busy preparing, So-mu was patrolling the avenue.
‘Where did she go?’
It was strange that she hadn’t come to find him and was nowhere to be seen.
Before long, he spotted his daughter and frowned. She was crouching in a corner with her legs drawn up, looking sullen.
“Why are you sitting there so gloomily?”
“Father, why does everyone here look so sad?”
These were people who had been unable to eat and had been subjected to forced labor to restore the palace. It was only natural that the fortress residents looked even more worn out than the villagers outside. Sitting down beside her, So-mu pulled the child onto his lap.
“It’s because they have suffered a lot of pain. They are people whose hearts have been hurt.”
“Why did they suffer?”
“Well, it’s all because of the useless greed of adults.”
“Sniff… Then are we going to heal their hearts?”
“Of course. Not just here, but there are many hurting people in the world right now. That is why our General is fighting.”
“Sigh…”
“Why are you sighing?”
“Then I must fight too. I will become a great general like Grandfather.”
So-mu narrowed his eyes and looked at the child in his arms.
“Why would you fight…?”