Chương 611: Chapter 602

Though recently promoted to the lofty rank of Brigadier, Chen Hongji held no delusions of grandeur and understood the truth of his station. All of his recent success could be attributed to his willingness to adopt Falling Rain's unorthodox, controversial, and shockingly effective tactics, no more, and no less.

While Hongji made no effort to exploit their relationship, the connection had been forged, and since there seemed to be no stopping the new Minister of Finance's rise to prominence, Hongji's star had risen with him. Not much else had changed, so Hongji was still the same man he'd been all his life, the humble son of a farmer and a Martial Warrior of middling talent.

So middling that he suspected he was the weakest Brigadier currently serving in the Imperial Army, though at this level, there were too many different variables to take into account to assign a precise value to strength. Granted, Martial strength was actually the minimum requirement for advancing ranks in the Imperial Army, because not all Warriors were suitable for military command. Some never cared to bother learning mundane things like logistics or troop movements, so their rank never progressed beyond Major.

There were plenty of lower ranking warriors who could best Hongji without much effort. Nian Zu's famed fifty were all phenomenal talents in their own right, yet only a handful held a rank higher than Major. As for Hongji himself, he always possessed a knack for formations and tactics, which allowed him to further his career ahead of his more Martially talented peers, but intelligence only got you so far in the Azure Empire without strength or much-needed connections.

For almost a decade, Hongji's career had stalled at Colonel, a rank which was far from low, but it fell one step short of what many viewed as the gateway to the pinnacle. Sinuji and Falling Rain had changed all that by breathing new life into Hongji's previously inauspicious prospects, so he had fond memories of his service here in Fort Sinuji.

Initially, the city had been chosen as the seat of Central Command on a much shorter Western Wall, but a supposed Defiled incursion put an end to those plans, though he suspected it was the work of a Divinity. The attack claimed the lives of every inhabitant of this once thriving border city, which led to a mad dash to complete the new border wall before the roving warbands and itinerant Demons broke through and made their way into the heart of Central.

By some miracle of the Mother, the new Wall was completed in record time and the front and secondary lines held firm for almost two years now. There were many factors which could have contributed to their effective defence, including Falling Rain's fire-bomb scheme, his discovery of cast iron, the Imperial Clan's generous monetary contributions, and more, but Hongji was no longer certain they'd kept the Defiled out of Central, so much as the Empire had been given a reprieve by their hated foes.

Now, that reprieve had come to an end, for the Enemy had come swarming out of the West to attack several key forts all across the front lines. Making a concentrated effort to appear calm and in control, Hongji stood upon the mostly empty battlements of his home away from home and gazed out at the army of Defiled Chosen making ready for the assault.

Their neat, orderly ranks were not the cause of his trepidation, nor was it the gleam of their burnished steel armour, with far too many marked in the blue and yellow patterns which indicated they were of the Runic variety. Thirty-five thousand infantry and fifteen thousand cavalry had held these Defiled off for days, and Hongji was confident he could fend them off for several days more, if not for this newest development.

As he stood atop the war-torn battlements of Fort Sinuji, he watched a formidable host take to the field and once again knew despair. Disciplined Defiled styling themselves as the Chosen of Heaven were an oddity to be sure, but also reassuringly familiar since they were so similar to rebels, which was how Hongji cut his teeth in the Imperial Army.

Granted these rebels were more well-trained and well-equipped than the ones Hongji fought in the past, not to mention more numerous even without their tribal auxiliaries to bolster their numbers, but this wasn't enough to make him despair. It was like playing chess at a disadvantage, a difficult, sometimes frustrating, yet ultimately rewarding endeavour, especially when matched against an opponent who needed the handicap.

Hongji's counterpart had yet to reveal himself or share his name, but he had a clear grasp of basic Imperial doctrine such as organized camps, clear communication, skirmishing lines and screening maneuvers. A talented novice, but knowing the basics was far from enough to wield this force of three-hundred thousand Chosen and six-hundred thousand Defiled as he pleased, always two steps behind when he needed to think three steps ahead.

Defiled were crazed berserkers who largely ignored pain and logic to close with their foes, so the hammer and anvil was plenty effective, but the Chosen? They had their erratic tendencies, but were trained in military doctrine, and this, Hongji could exploit. An over-stretched patrol led eager Defiled pursuers into a deadly ambush, while an opening on the wall funnelled opportunistic besiegers into a well-prepared killing ground.

A collapse on one flank was actually a disguised encircling maneuver, and a crumbled section of wall held just long enough to topple over onto the unwary advancing attackers. Hongji went to great efforts to eke out every advantage he could in the past five days, killing Defiled in numbers sometimes twenty to one, but it was all for naught.

Despite having a plethora of clever stratagems left in place and devious schemes to unleash, Hongji felt the scales of balance tipping against him today, as an elite squadron of Demons took to the field here in Sinuji. Forty-seven grotesque, horrific nightmares here in the waking world by his last count, and this was assuming there weren't more Concealed in the darkness, but even half that number was more than his forces could handle.

Today marked a turning point in the war, an escalation made by the Enemy, and the Empire's only viable response was to retreat and concentrate their forces wherever the Demons might follow. One in ten-thousand Martial Warriors would go on to form a Domain, an almost necessary tool in the battle against the Father's foul servants given flesh.

This meant he would usually only have five Domain-Capable Warriors in a command of fifty-thousand, but given Sinuji's central location and past history of contention, Hongji had five times that number at his disposal, as well as a comparable number of elite private guards his soldiers and officers brought with them in their retinues.

Matching forty-seven Demons in single combat might not be out of the question, but considering he lacked the authority to command almost half of those capable would-be Demon slayers in Sinuji, he was certain they would not willingly follow his commands. To make matters worse, not all Demons were created equal, so standard practice was for one Martial Warrior to engage a Demon while two Warriors stood ready to intervene and guard against ambush.

With so many foul monsters taking the field, one to one was already out of the question, so Hongji could only pray these new Demons were not as disciplined and coordinated as the Chosen around them. They were a diverse bunch, these Demons, which came as something of a relief, though Hongji would be hard pressed to say why.

Disciplined Defiled were one thing, since many of them were likely former Imperial citizens of the Western Province, but the orderly, uniform Demons who'd accompanied Emissary Gen during his first ill-fated attack on Sinuji unnerved Hongji in ways he couldn't entirely explain.

A little more than a year had passed since he held these walls against those eerie, silent foes, and still he couldn't shake the discomfort from seeing those identical black-armoured Demons stand guard around a Defiled brat, like witnessing wild wolves wielding bone-clawed boots or field rabbits adorned in horned stone helmets.

It wasn't disturbing in the sense that it was horrific and unrealistic, but because it seemed like such a logical and believable progression, one which heralded difficult times ahead for humanity.

'Like a tiger given wings' was the popular idiom, but perhaps it would soon become 'like a Demon given armour'... Even these standard, eclectic Demons were formidable enough, and as Hongji studied them from across the field, he soon became overwhelmed trying to imagine how to defeat them. Humanoid, bestial, insectoid, and more, they came in all shapes and forms with little rhyme of reason to be found.

Some carried weapons, others fought with fang and claw, and still more had no discernible threats to be found, which made them all that more insidious to behold. One diminutive, obsidian Demon put Hongji in mind of a small child, with its head lowered and shoulders slumped like a callow youth terrified of the thought of battle, and he was troubled by the thought of having to dispatch a juvenile foe.

Then its inhuman gaze settled upon him and he knew there was nothing innocent or guileless within those soulless orbs it called eyes, only the Father's foul minion carrying out His mandate of death and destruction. It shamed Hongji to admit he had minimal experience battling Demons aside from what he picked up in the last year, as rebels did not often have these foul creatures reinforcing them.

Then again, the same could be said of most Officers of Central, given how the other provinces acted as a buffer to Defiled incursions and uprisings were put down hard and fast by the now traitorous Confessor, so Hongji turned to his young Northern aide for advice.

"Major Xinyue," he began, startling the lumbering Martial Warrior out of his daze while handing over a leather satchel containing his written orders.

"I understand you saw action against Demons in Sanshu. Any advice you'd care to share?" It took a moment for the barrel-chested golden-armoured warrior to recover from his shock, and another to formulate an answer.

"This one did not do battle against Demons in Sanshu, but my honoured uncle, Magistrate TongZu did. He told me the best thing to do was put aside all preconceived notions of what you might face, and prepare for any and all eventualities."

"Oh? How so?"

"Surprise is the killer here," XinYue replied, growing in confidence as he spoke.

"Take a moment to gawk at a Demon's extra arms, enlarged gullet, Elemental Blessing, or what have you, and you will react that much slower. Whatever may happen, be prepared to act on it, for there is only one universal truth: a Demon will not hesitate to kill." Breaking out into a wide, toothy grin which made him look ten years younger, XinYue added, "Or at least that's what I've been told. I only faced one Demon, and that was with several bodyguards standing ready to pull my ass out of the fire."

Taking a moment to mull things over, Hongji nodded and said, "Good advice. A wise man, your uncle, and I'm told he's quite the capable Warrior himself. Led from the vanguard to retake his city, and even traded blows with the Spectre Yo Ling himself."

"The stories may have been exaggerated," XinYue replied.

"Uncle is in better shape now thanks to the exacting standards of his new wife, but during the battle of Sanshu, he was three decades out of practice and too chunky to even fit into his armour." XinYue was hardly in any position to call someone else chunky, but Hongji wisely refrained from commenting. Large though he might be, XinYue's bulky frame was packed with solid muscle, to the point where his golden armour was bursting at the seams.

"But what you've said is true," the young warrior added, obviously proud of his uncle.

"He fought and survived against the Spectre, and in his youth, they called him the 'Unstoppable Golden Vanguard', a name I hope to live up to."

"You've done well enough so far, but if all goes well, there will be no vanguard tonight," Hongji commented, glancing at the Chosen formation and the Demons amongst them.

"All the same, this one requests to stand at your side."

"Out of the question." Shaking his head, Hongji fixed the young Major with an authoritative gaze, and felt a measure of satisfaction at seeing the larger man flinch. Adoration was good, respect better, but you always wanted a small level of fear in your subordinates as well, since only a combination of all three would keep most people honest. Switching to Sending, he explained, "The irregulars are gathered outside the walls on the northern flank.

You will join them with your retinue and ensure they keep pace and carry out their assigned tasks." XinYue's heavy cavalry would be of no use to Hongji for the time being, since a charge would leave them overextended and out of place with no forces following up to reinforce. Best save that hammer for a better time, but he could see his decision didn't sit well with the young warrior.

"You are the only Officer I can wholly trust with this," he Sent, and nothing else needed to be said. XinYue swelled with pride and saluted.

"By your command, Brigadier." The other Officers looked down on the irregulars, crossbow-wielding criminal commoners and saw them as nothing but a burden. They weren't entirely wrong, but the irregulars still had their value, and had been kept in Sinuji long after all other civilians had been sent away.

Currently, they were positioning themselves on the northern flank outside the fortress, ostensibly to fire their crossbows into the unarmoured mass of Defiled auxiliaries, but it was mostly to get them and their wagons out of the way. There was much grumbling about giving the irregulars wagons to ride while Imperial soldiers marched on foot, but there was no helping it.

The irregulars wouldn't last an hour marching at the pace the soldiers set, and even if they emptied every wagon in Sinuji, they could only carry a quarter of the soldiers stationed here. Besides, the irregulars weren't entirely without use, and there were many tasks only they could do without squandering the strength of Hongji's fighting forces. Or impugning upon their Martial pride... Seeing XinYue still standing there as if he had something to say, Hongji tilted his head and said, "Spit it out Major.

Much as I'd like to stand around chatting all day, there are other matters which demand my attention." A bare hint of a wry smile took the bite out of Hongji's reprimand, and XinYue visibly relaxed.

"Yes Brigadier. This one just wanted to thank the Brigadier for the honour of serving under his command."

"Think nothing of it. You came highly recommended by our mutual friend." It was only an offhand comment meant as a joke, but from his reaction, it seemed like XinYue hadn't known Falling Rain had played a part in securing him this dangerous but career defining commission. The Sanshu Major deserved it, as he was a staunch warrior and quick learner with a bright future ahead provided he survived long enough to see it, but news of Falling Rain's assistance seemed to over-burden XinYue greatly.

"I thought..." he began before trailing off, only to shake his head and sigh.

"That's Falling Rain for you," he jokingly exclaimed, "Even helping those who abandoned him."

"Did you?" Seeing XinYue's confusion, Hongji clarified, "Abandon him?"

"... I might as well have." Slumping his shoulders once again, XinYue said, "I left his retinue when he needed my support the most, right after he was crippled."

"You sought permission to serve on the front lines under your own command while he recovered from extensive injuries," Hongji said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Hardly the same as abandoning him." XinYue did not strike him as the dramatic type, but bonds forged in the heat of battle were a strange and curious thing. There were comrades Hongji hadn't spoken to in a decade who he would gladly lay his life down for, because that was the sort of thing comrades did, and XinYue served beside Falling Rain for the better part of a year.

"Evidently, our friend sees things the same way. If you feel guilty, then apologize and make it up to him. No need to be overly harsh on yourself. Now see to your duties, but don't rush. Slow and steady, that is the key to success tonight, slow and steady." With XinYue out of the way, the other Officers under Hongji's command came into view, and he gave them all a similar amount of personal attention, something he'd seen Falling Rain do with the soldiers in his camp.

He heard Colonel General Nian Zu did the same, and it amazed Hongji how effective this tactic could be. Even something as simple as remembering a minor, personal detail did much to endear him to the men, and they would need every bit of help they could get. Slow and steady might be the key to victory, but rapid defeat was all that awaited them if these Officers here were not up to the challenge, because a handful of Demons running unchecked amongst the lines would make short work of Hongji's forces.

That was the most unnerving part of tonight's battle, his lack of direct, personal control. Without Demons and Peak Experts taking the field, he was free to match wits with his opposing commander and eke out victory after victory from a disadvantaged position, all thanks to his superior schooling and experience, but now, he was out of his depth. Everything would go to shit if the Demons were given free reign, but the only thing he could do about this was pray his Demon Slayers were up to the task.

Spotting the Defiled auxiliaries working themselves up into a frenzy, Hongji retreated from the walls alongside his Officers and soldiers, leaving the battlements completely bare and unguarded. On his command, his soldiers set fire to the bales of wet grass concealed within the wall's base, where hopefully the obscured flames and heavy smoke would give the Enemy pause.

There was no oil being released underneath their feet, no caches of explosives scattered about the plains, but last year, Falling Rain had set these fields alight in a massive blaze, and Hongji wanted to remind them of it. The ruse wouldn't hold for long, as the Enemy had gone to great lengths to scour the border clean of any tricks and traps, but while their hard effort saved the lives of countless Defiled, it also bought precious months of preparation for the Imperial Army, months they had not squandered.

Today's events had been planned down to the last detail, and Hongji only needed another night, no, maybe six hours, or even four, and so every second counted. If clouds of smoke bought him five minutes, then he would count it well worth the effort. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Marching double time to show the severity of the situation, Hongji retreated behind the courtyard walls and back to his people.

Enemy Experts would be Scrying to see what he was up to, but all they would see was the bustle of soldiers moving concrete barriers into place and wagons out of the way before settling into formation for a fight. Major Sun Qiang was sallying out from the rear gates with his five-thousand light cavalry, which would lead the Enemy to believe there was some hidden means of quickly crossing over the deep trenches keeping the fort from being surrounded, a fact Hongji desperately hoped was untrue.

The fighting would be bloody if they had to fend off the full force of the Enemy cavalry from the second they stepped foot on the open plains, so they needed time for the infantry to get out of the way and leave the Imperial cavalry with enough room to do their job.

Especially Major Alsantset and her highly effective mounted roosequins, with their powerful longbows and pack hunting tactics, not to mention the formidable cattle-drawn chariots and accompanying riders who were already waiting on the plains east of Sinuji. Say what you will about bulls and cows being placid and docile, but even the bravest and craziest Defiled would panic when standing in the path of a stampeding herd.

Thus, their plans hinged on the Enemy commander being too incompetent to have built or brought portable bridges, but thus far, their luck had held out. Hongji still had countermeasures in place if they did have bridges, of course, but doing so would earn him a hefty butcher's bill at the end, something he hoped to avoid at all costs. The Empire would need every able bodied soldier to hold the Western Wall, and Hongji was not one to spend a single life more than necessary. All too soon, the moment of truth arrived.

Things were already in place and allies should have begun moving all across the front lines, so all that was left was to survive long enough to see those plans through to completion. Sadly, this task was not as simple as it sounded, but he gave the order regardless." Withdraw," he said, uttering the word without emotion as he projected his voice across camp." Sinuji cannot hold, but we will fight on." With the order given, Hongji knew that the entire front line was lost.

By morning, Imperial forces will have withdrawn to the second line, where larger, sturdier fortresses would allow them to put up a stauncher defence with more soldiers and Experts in one place, a plan set off by his decision to withdraw from Sinuji. It left a sour taste in Hongji's mouth to give up so much ground to the Enemy, but there was no helping it.

If the entire front line didn't fall back together, then the Enemy could easily cut off and besiege any remaining Imperial forces, and while he understood the necessity of retreat, being the man responsible for making this decision would weigh heavily on his conscience for many years to come. Assuming he survived the night, of course.

The order to withdraw was so unexpected, even the steadfast veterans under his command balked at the sudden about face, but the commanding Officers who'd been clued in beforehand had them jumping to obey. A good thing too, as scared soldiers could not be given time to think, else they could easily succumb to panic. Humans often stylized themselves as apex predators, but more often than not, they responded like scared prey.

It took courage, discipline, and training to overcome the instinct to scatter and hide from a superior foe, but their only chance of survival was to follow orders, stick together, and pace themselves over the next few hours. Hongji had given them every advantage he could, but their fate was no longer his most pressing concern, because the Defiled had seen their foes withdrawing and were charging at the fort.

Almost a half minute later than expected, but he imagined the Enemy commander took the extra time to vent his rage and frustration instead of giving orders as he should have been. Defiled footsteps shook the earth as the horde howled in wordless fury at the thought of losing their prize, not just the wealth and rations tucked away on the well-laden wagons rolling out the rear gates, but also the flesh, blood, and bones of the soldiers climbing out and over the walls.

There would be no staunch line of spears and swords waiting to greet the Defiled horde, only a row of unmanned concrete barriers with twenty brave Warriors of the Empire standing loosely behind them, their faces set with grim determination and their Spiritual Weapons at the ready. This was the rearguard, and Hongji placed himself amongst them, not in search of fame, glory, or reputation, but because the lion's share of his work tonight was all but over.

Chu TongZu led from the front and inspired his soldiers to victory, so Hongji hoped his efforts here might possibly do the same. Brandishing his sceptre, which now that he thought of it, was a pretentious name for a long-handled mace, he watched the first Defiled auxiliary poke his head out from over the wall before turning to the Martial Warriors standing at his sides.

There were no words to be said that would be heard over the thunderous charge and murderous screams, so he merely offered them a salute before turning back to meet the charge. One head became two, then ten, then a flood of Defiled surged over the unmanned battlements, as Hongji raised his Sceptre overhead and shouted, " Humanity will persevere!" Which was the signal for Fire-Bird Tenjin to set fire to the courtyard from his perch above the rear gates.

As satisfying as it was to hear the screams of rage turn to shrieks of horror as the Defiled vanguard went up in flames, Hongji couldn't help but lament missing out on seeing his first firetrap in action. Politics had kept him out of Sinuji during Rain's 'disgraced' return to the front lines, where the young dragon set off a conflagration which claimed a half-million lives and had his work mistaken for the actions of a Divinity.

This blaze was hardly more than a mere ember in comparison, easily kept back by the waist high concrete barrier, but it was the best Hongji could do considering the Defiled were so guarded against fire, and he even made sure to include a bluff beforehand, namely his little ploy with the smoke so that the Enemy would think themselves safe.

Despite all his careful preparations, a handful of the foremost Defiled made it to Hongji's rearguard and needed to be put down, including one unfortunate soul Hongji personally kicked back into the flames. All things considered, this was more of a testament to Defiled speed and tenacity than his 'underwhelming' firetrap, but a disappointing success was still a success, so he couldn't complain too much. Then the Demons emerged from the flames, and stalwart heroes of the Empire strode out to meet them.

Man and Demon did battle amidst the sizzling flames as Hongji unleashed his Aura and gave himself over to the fight. No surprise, no reaction, only action. Twirling his sceptre in his right hand to fend off a bestial Demon's grasping claws, he gathered his Domain in his left hand and struck out with his palm. Even fully extended, his arm was too short for the attack to connect, so the bearish Demon paid it no mind.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Hongji felt as if the creature's expression was one of surprise as his Domain took invisible shape in the form of an enlarged palm, one which separated from his physical hand and smashed into the Demon's grizzled muzzle. The ethereal palm continued forward but the Demon refused to give way, still thrashing about in an effort to claw at Hongji's throat.

With a grunt of effort, Hongji pushed home the attack and was rewarded with a series of satisfying cracks as the Demon's neck gave way and its head exploded in a mess of chitin and Ichor, but even this would not be enough to kill it. Taking no chances, Hongji booted the foul creature back into the fire, and allowed himself a single moment of satisfaction before taking arms up against his next foe. XinYue was right, for the Demons wasted no time helping their injured comrade and Hongji's skills were put to the test.

The second Demon he faced almost took his arm off in their initial exchange, having somehow learned from its bestial comrade's death. The third left rents in Hongji's armour and grazed the skin below, a fortunate exchange until he realized its claws were tipped with venom. His blood burned as he fought with all his might, refusing to give up even a single millimetre of ground without making the Enemy pay dearly for it, but this was a battle the Empire was destined to lose.

The Demons were frantically throwing themselves at Hongji and his comrades in an effort to secure a foothold beyond the flames, and their furious assault was all but unstoppable. A good thing Hongji's purpose was not to stop or kill all the Demons, but to delay them. So much of military strategy revolved around containing these inhuman weapons of the Enemy, to the point where warriors of Hongji's calibre and above were kept in permanent reserve even if things looked lost without them.

A Peak Expert like Nian Zu could single-handedly turn the tides of battle, but his strength was the result of a lifetime of trials and tribulations. If Wraiths or Demons were able to ambush him during a moment of distraction or exhaustion, then there was no replacing a Living Legend like Nian Zu, so he and warriors like him needed to be carefully guarded and used only in times of extreme need.

Like right now, to hold back some forty-something odd Demons and keep them from charging into the withdrawing Imperial forces, which would turn an orderly retreat into a full-blown rout. Seconds stretched into minutes as Hongji held the line, and all too soon he felt his strength and stamina wane, but still he fought on. The Demons were learning and adapting, seemingly no longer affected by the heat of the blaze and using the dazzling fire to hide their movements.

Shadows danced within the writhing flames and surged out without warning. Three Demons emerged and worked in concert to claim the life of an Imperial Officer, only to retreat back into the flames before his comrades could avenge him. The gambit repeated a second time on the far right flank, but the Warrior there was fortunate enough to escape with only a single lost limb. Deadly if left untreated, but again, Hongji had prepared this and knew there were Healers waiting nearby." Fall back!"

he commanded, and his Experts obeyed, with two supporting the injured warrior and another two carrying away the remains of their fallen comrade. Leave nothing for the Defiled and Demons, not even their corpses, this was the Imperial way. Content to secure the blazing courtyard, the Demons lingered behind while the rearguard fell back, but this was not the end of the fight.

New Peak Experts joined them to take the place of the tired, injured, and fallen, and they faced off against the Demons while the evacuation continued. Wary now that Hongji had revealed the depths of his strength, the Enemy was testing to see how many Peak Experts were gathered here in Sinuji. Demons were powerful, but not invincible, and no competent commander would wish to squander so many valuable assets. Another failing of the Enemy Commander, for being too Imperial in his thinking.

Were he willing to commit his full forces like a true Defiled Chieftain, he could very well deal a critical blow to the Empire's strength here and now, but he'd been taught to conserve his forces as best he could. Not exactly a flaw, if one was an Imperial Warrior, but in a war of attrition, the Enemy could replenish their Demons far faster than the Empire could churn out new Peak Experts, which would all but guarantee the Enemy victory in the long run.

The blaze continued burning hot for another ten minutes, and then the Enemy Commander wised up and set his soldiers to throwing dirt and stones into the courtyard. At this point, time was limited, but the vast majority of Hongji's forces were already out on the plains and moving at an easy jog towards the first checkpoint. Slow and steady, neither too fast nor too slow, that was the key to victory.

The Defiled and Demons excelled in short exchanges, but long, drawn out combat would grind away at their strength and stamina, while clever rotations and management would minimize the effects on Hongji's soldiers. When the last soldiers streamed out of Sinuji, Hongji's rearguard followed suit, Cloud-Stepping over the walls and onto their waiting horses.

This would allow them some time to rest at least, or it would if the Demons had not immediately set out in pursuit, and soon they were fighting a mobile engagement which they were destined to lose. Only a half-dozen or so Demons had the speed to match horses, but even the best-trained horse couldn't be expected to keep calm while being chased by these unearthly terrors. To make matters worse, their canny foes knew to target the beasts first to separate the Martial Warriors from their allies.

Three horses screamed their last and their riders followed soon after, including a Peak Expert who counted amongst one of Hongji's strongest. Ru Minsu was his name, an aged Patriarch of a flagging household who'd once been a prominent talent in Hongji's youth, and he quietly vowed to look after the unfortunate hero's descendants to the best of his ability.

"Permission to engage?" Unable to decide if he should stand and fight or continue to flee, Hongji received a blessed Sending in his time of need." Permission granted," he shouted, unable to tell who had Sent the request, but at the moment, he would accept help from anywhere he could find it. A blur of motion streamed past him and slammed into the closest Demon, the same ursine creature he'd already gravely injured back in the courtyard.

A chittering squeak sounded and was echoed by dozens more, as roosequin mounted Experts emerged from Concealment and crashed into the pursuing Demons.

That the Bekhai had warriors of this calibre was hardly a surprise, but what caught Hongji off-guard was the effectiveness of their mounts, Spiritual Roosequins who charged at the Demons and tore into them with unmatched ferocity. So at odds with their normal, playful mannerisms, Hongji was awed by this display of true bestial savagery, displaying a bloodthirsty viciousness which made the twisted Demons seem like a poor-man's imitation.

Spiritual Beast and Martial Warrior worked in flawless coordination, not just with one another, but with their comrades around them too. One roosequin went for the legs, while another distracted the Demon, and their riders stayed on the defensive to fend off the Demon attacks. The kills were largely delivered by a single roving group of quin-riders, most wielding long spears which they drove into the fallen or unguarded forms of their foes.

These well-practised and well-executed tactics allowed the Bekhai and their fearsome mounts to make short work of the pursuing Demons and return without injury. An ancient rider led them, a grizzled, amber-eyed grandfather Hongji knew only as Naaran, who had single-handedly dispatched four of the six pursuing Demons with superlative ease.

"Much obliged," Hongji said, saluting the Bekhai Peak Expert and trying to recall all the times he passed this incredible man with barely any acknowledgement. Naaran accepted the salute with a stoic nod before fading back into Concealment, and the other Bekhai Experts followed suit before Hongji could get a good look at them.

"We will be close by," Naaran Sent, speaking in the halting, clipped tones favoured by the Bekhai.

"Speak, and we will fight." Bolstered by the addition of these mysterious warriors, Hongji went back to overseeing the withdrawal. Another ten minutes passed by without incident, and he fought back the urge to order his soldiers to sprint for the Citadels, because he knew the Enemy was merely waiting for his soldiers to tire and their spirits to falter. Soon enough, the light cavalry arrived as expected, Chosen and tribesmen mounted atop lizard-like garos sprinting towards the infantry.

Major Sun Qiang's light cavalry moved in to intercept, and they fought a series of bloody skirmishes before fending them off. There was no time to celebrate however, for the gajashia mounted heavy cavalry arrived soon after, easily catching up to Hongji's purposely slowed pace. This time, Major Alsantset's roosequin cavalry took the field, and they dismantled their foes as they had so many times before, putting bow, spear, and roosequin to good work.

Almost a full hour after he gave the order to withdraw, Hongji's forces finally arrived at the first checkpoint. Major XinYue was not waiting to greet him, as his orders had sent the good Major further east to prepare, but overall, Hongji was pleased by the Sanshu native's good work. The Imperial Forces slowed as they picked their way through the flag-marked fields, but it was worth it to see the Enemy cavalry fall victim to the traps hidden within.

Trip wires, caltrops, and spiked pits aplenty, all set up in preparation for this very day and assembled by Major XinYue and the irregulars, and cheers rose up from the Imperial lines as Defiled fell victim to their ploy. It was here the Demons attacked again, hoping to stall the Imperial forces long enough for the Defiled infantry to catch up, but Hongji and Naaran's combined efforts threw them back, but at no small cost.

Four more of Hongji's rearguard fell in the exchange, and seven were too injured to continue the fight, but whether they were inspired by the valour of the fallen or simply recognizing that Hongji's rearguard was the key to their survival, more Experts and Peak Experts revealed themselves to offer their assistance, including Du Kang Bin, a student of Great Teacher Du himself, and the husband and wife Exarch pair, Bralton and Erien, looking ferociously savage in their tribal gear and body paint.

Those two living legends were enough to turn the tides of the battle, accounting for no less than five Demons between them in a single, brief clash and causing the Enemy commander to rethink his strategy. The Demons fell back and Hongji's forces were more or less free to continue their retreat, especially once they arrived at a second field marked with flags which slowed the Defiled advance to a crawl.

There were no traps here, so the Imperial forces simply marched straight through, but the Defiled didn't know this and were forced to follow in Hongji's footsteps. Ordering his forces to pick up the pace, he waited until they were far enough away before once again setting fire to the plains. Hardly imaginative, but highly effective considering the Defiled couldn't scour the areas between the first and second line of defences.

However, since there were Imperial forces still travelling along the plains, this fire trap was again less than spectacular, but it killed a good number of riders and bought Hongji's forces another hour or so of easy travel, so he couldn't complain too much.

At the third checkpoint, he unleashed his devious surprise lying in wait for the pursuing Defiled, smiling as a series of dull cracks and muted thumps sounded off in the distance, followed by the low whistle of two-hundred smooth, rounded projectiles sailing through the air. Catapults were notoriously inaccurate, and he would never have risked targeting foes so close to friendly lines, but once again, he had to applaud Falling Rain for his genius.

The lever action catapults were nothing special, but using concrete to create hollow, spherical ammunition meant the catapult's accuracy was much improved at minimal cost. A half minute later, the two hundred catapults unleashed a second salvo, which was far too slow for Hongji's tastes, but allowances had to be made.

These were commoners manning the weapons after all, but perhaps now, Martial Warriors could be convinced to take up these devastating ranged weapons after seeing how effective they were against the Defiled. Granted, they were still useless against Demons, and over-reliance on ranged weaponry could result in less Peak Experts emerging in years to come, but those were issues for another decade, issues which would never arise if the Defiled broke through into Central next week.

Six more salvos went off before the Enemy finally diverted its forces to silence those costly weapons of war. XinYue had orders to abandon them and save as many irregulars as he could, because like it or not, the catapults could be quickly replaced, but it took weeks of training for the irregulars to reach peak efficiency with those weapons, and this group was easily the best the Empire had to offer.

Word soon arrived that XinYue had emerged unscathed, and Hongji breathed a slow sigh of relief, which immediately caught in his throat as scouts brought word of movement concealed by the darkness of night. Not to the west where the bulk of their pursuers lay, but approaching from the southeast without torch or lantern to be seen.

A splinter force of perhaps seventy thousand Defiled moving to cut his soldiers off, but Hongji wasn't certain if the Enemy commander had planned for this, or a roving band had simply stumbled onto this battle. Either way, this meant the chase would soon be at an end, and there was no choice left but to fight. Another two hours... no, even one hour would have been enough to reach the final checkpoint, but alas, man proposes and Heaven disposes.

Heart heavy and spirits low, Hongji raised his voice and said, " Battle lines. Form battle lines! Engage Enemy forces to the south-east!

"This was their only chance now, to breath through the splinter force before their pursuers caught them in a pincer, but at least Hongji could do one more thing." Major XinYue, you have the vanguard!" A chorus of cheers sounded from Chi-infused throats as XinYue's heavy cavalry lit up their torches, illuminating the massive warrior's resplendent golden armour." For Sanshu," he bellowed, hoisting his two-handed hammer high off in the distance as his soldiers echoed the cry." For the Empire! Victory or Death!"

And with that apt battle-cry, five-thousand heavy cavalry and a hundred odd cattle chariots thundered out across the Central plains to charge seventy-thousand screaming Defiled. With luck, history would repeat itself and the nephew would live up to his uncle's name, but there was little Hongji could do besides make plans to support him.

Turning back to the pursuers, Hongji readied his elites to meet the inevitable charge of Demons and cavalry, and saw that this time, they were led by the obsidian, child-like Demon. It stood atop the neck of a larger, ape-like Demon, which concerned Hongji greatly, as Demons were as prone to infighting as any Defiled and tended to avoid physical contact with one another.

In fact, in most battles with multiple Demons, they had the tendency to spread out, with cooperation between Demons being more about opportunity rather than teamwork, a rule which no longer applied since the emergence of this mysterious Uniter. No, now was not the time to mull over mysteries. Now was the time for action, and as Hongji hefted his sceptre and gave the order to engage, he prayed that all his preparations had bought them enough time.

Because if not, then Hongji's fifty-thousand warriors were doomed, and perhaps the Empire might soon follow after. Chapter Meme