C178. Letter.

Chaptrr 178. Letter.

The flag with the character "Wen" waved, seemingly descending like a heavenly savior, catching both their own people and the enemy off guard.

The soldiers in Youzhou were so happy that they cried, their cheers echoing from afar. Despite being outnumbered, they suddenly erupted with a resounding voice that could match the enemy's.

In the city, the fleeing and hiding civilians looked around in confusion, not knowing what was happening.

They strained their ears and could vaguely hear... Was it the arrival of Lord Wen?

Indeed, Lord Wen had arrived.

And he personally led the troops.

While the soldiers in Youzhou were overjoyed, the troops of Prince Chen were on high alert, feeling like they were facing a formidable enemy.

The commander even had a change in facial expression.

He couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the flag with the character "Wen," almost feeling blinded by it.

Why hadn't he received any news of Lord Wen's reinforcements!

The grand army, with a majestic air, surrounded the enemy forces from all sides in a moment.

The yellow sand swept towards the enemy's faces, causing them to cough awkwardly and scramble to escape, looking disheveled.

Yuan Li led the charge from the front, clad in armor with a red cape billowing behind him. His steed slowed down, and Yuan Li took a few steps, looking down at the enemy forces and loudly exclaimed, "Who said no one would be spared in the city?"

The enemy troops remained silent.

After a moment, the stern-faced commander rode out from among the soldiers, staring at Yuan Li with suspicion and said, "Lord Wen is really skilled, coming in such a grand manner, and we didn't receive any news."

Yuan Li chuckled and ordered his men to throw out dozens of people who were tightly bound.

Among these people were not only scouts from the surrounding area but also people from Prince Chen's camp.

The commander scanned from left to right, feeling a cold sweat breaking out. A terrifying thought crossed his mind—had Lord Yuan Li already attacked Prince Chen's main camp from the rear while their main forces were attacking Suiling City?

Is our lord safe now...?

The commander was horrified by the possibility.

His speculation was not misplaced.

Yuan Li had intended to disembark on the east bank of Xuzhou but found that the city had been occupied by Prince Chen's men. The capture of the city had been carried out by the same group that had besieged him at sea initially, indicating that after failing to catch up with him, the Yangzhou navy had returned to Xuzhou from the east bank and engaged in a fierce battle with the army he had left behind.

Just by observing the situation on the east bank of Xuzhou, Yuan Li knew that since he captured Chen Xi, Prince Chen had unleashed his anger on Xuzhou entirely.

Realizing the critical situation, Yuan Li did not land on the east bank of Xuzhou but instead circled to the rear to strike at Prince Chen by surprise!

Since Prince Chen had vented his anger on Xuzhou, Yuan Li did not hesitate to unleash his fury on Prince Chen.

With limited troops in the rear and no one expecting Yuan Li's sudden appearance, Prince Chen's expression would have amused Yuan Li.

As they prepared to attack the city, Prince Chen had already been ferried away on a warship by his personal guards and the navy, leaving along the river under the navy's protection.

Facing the puzzled expression of the enemy commander, Yuan Li's smile held deeper meaning, making the commander increasingly suspicious. In a matter of moments, his morale had been completely suppressed by Yuan Li.

"What a Prince Chen, what a ruthless slaughter without mercy," Yuan Li sighed, "Today I finally witnessed the dominance of Prince Chen, and I suppose his name for benevolence arose from this massacre, right?"

The enemy commander's face changed from green to red, losing his previous confidence, gritting his teeth and said, "Lord Wen, do not speak nonsense!"

Yuan Li suddenly stopped smiling and stared coldly at the commander. A chill rose from behind him as he met Yuan Li's gaze, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.

"If you enjoy slaughter so much, I'll let you experience being hunted and slaughtered," Yuan Li said, turning to Yang Zhongfa and Jia Qing, "Generals, I leave them to you. Whoever kills the main commander of Prince Chen will be credited with the greatest achievement."

Yang Zhongfa and Jia Qing clasped their hands together, their eyes filled with killing intent as they stared at the commander and said, "We will follow your orders."

The commander gripped his weapon tightly, his facial muscles twitching.

At this point, he had no intention of attacking the city; he just wanted to rush back and see if their rear had been attacked.

His battlefield instincts had saved him many times, and he felt that if he were to confront Lord Wen head-on this time, he might truly meet his end here!

When Yang Zhongfa and Jia Qing's troops attacked, he immediately abandoned the city behind him and led his troops in an attempt to break through forcibly.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Prince Chen's troops panicked, and in the blink of an eye, the tables turned.

Yuan Li was not a professional in military operations, so he entrusted the large army to Jia Qing and Yang Zhongfa. He led a team of personal guards to the city gates.

The soldiers were still jubilant, running and jumping to open the city gate for Yuan Li. However, at a crucial moment, Xiang Hongyun, standing on the city wall, stopped the soldiers from opening the gate and said hoarsely, "My lord, there is a plague in the city. Please do not enter."

Yuan Li frowned, how could there be a plague?

After he had dealt with the water crisis in Xuzhou, he had distributed medicine and doctors to various towns to prevent the outbreak of epidemics after the floods. This measure had been effective, and there had been no outbreak of disease until now.

But how, after three months, had a plague suddenly erupted?

"What's going on? Is it only Suiling City affected by the plague, or are all the cities affected?" Yuan Li asked calmly.

As soon as they saw him, everyone felt a sense of security, as if they had found their heart's anchor. Xiang Hongyun did not intend to continue hiding the plague from the soldiers and succinctly explained the situation.

After hearing the reasons, Yuan Li couldn't help but burst into a rage, "What a despicable plague warfare!"

His eyes darkened, and his anger made him appear even more commanding.

Yuan Li had never expected Prince Chen to resort to such a vile and ruthless tactic.

One wrong move, and the plague warfare could harm both sides.

How dare Prince Chen?

He could almost imagine how Xiang Hongyun and Wu Kai had managed to survive these days.

With few doctors and dwindling medical supplies, fearful townsfolk within the city walls, and hungry enemies outside, Prince Chen's methods were extremely vicious. A slight misstep could lead to a widespread epidemic in Xuzhou; he was resorting to any means to conquer the region!

Thanks to Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun's perseverance until now, otherwise—

Yuan Li closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed his anger. When he opened his eyes again, he had calmed down, "Rest assured, I have brought many doctors and medical supplies. They are on their way from the rear. Once they arrive, I will have them provide a treatment for the plague!"

Wu Kai's personal guards were overjoyed, tearfully supporting Wu Kai, "Sir, you have saved us!"

They had managed to hold on until now, and their efforts were not in vain.

Wu Kai coughed a few times, forced a smile, and nodded heavily.

Turning around, Yuan Li looked coldly at the fleeing Prince Chen's troops.

Prince Chen's troops appeared well-equipped, their armor new and sturdy. However, they were skilled in naval battles, not land warfare, while Yuan Li's cavalry was one of the best in the world.

Eager to retreat, they were intimidated by Yuan Li's imposing arrival to assist, which led to their defeat one after another, causing numerous casualties. Unexpectedly, they created an opening and led a heavy force on a sudden raid.

Yang Zhongfa and Jia Qing quickly caught up on horseback, showing no mercy.

A joke!

Lord Wen had ordered the enemy's main commander to be slaughtered. One was a fierce general from the Southern Frontier, the other a renowned general from Jizhou. If they let the enemy commander escape in front of Lord Wen, they would lose all dignity!

The horses thundered ahead, kicking up yellow sand as they relentlessly pursued.

Yuan Li remained patient, waiting.

In less than half an hour, Jia Qing returned from a distance, covered in blood, with a head in hand. When he reached Yuan Li, Jia Qing quickly dismounted, a rare smile on his face, "I've fulfilled my mission, presenting the enemy commander's head!"

As Yang Zhongfa arrived from behind, panting, he shouted indignantly, "Jia Qing, you scoundrel, stealing the credit from me!"

Without lifting his eyes, Jia Qing maintained his composure while hiding his achievements.

Yuan Li smiled, took the head and handed it to his guards to hang on the city wall, praising Jia Qing several times.

When the army arrived from the rear with supplies of food and medicine, Yuan Li, upon seeing the arrival of the doctors and medicine, instructed everyone to cover their mouths and noses and ordered the people inside the city to open the gates.

Xiang Hongyun and Wu Kai had been waiting inside the city gate. Both of them looked exhausted, especially Wu Kai, covered in blood and filth, looking fragile and unkempt.

Upon seeing Yuan Li, both of them were visibly excited and wanted to bow in respect. Yuan Li waved away these formalities and directly spoke to the doctors, "Quickly check on Wu Kai's condition."

The doctors didn't delay and rushed over to assist Wu Kai, examining him immediately.

The people inside the city were afraid of transmitting the plague to Yuan Li, so they kept their distance. Yuan Li nodded to Xiang Hongyun, who was not affected by the disease, and stood nearby.

Xiang Hongyun, fearing he might be unclean, also kept his distance and narrated all the events in Xuzhou to Yuan Li from two meters away.

After listening, Yuan Li sighed, "You've all worked hard, defending a city with only ten thousand soldiers as the city walls neared collapse, calming the people as they retreated to Suiling, only to face Prince Chen's cruel plague warfare. To have three thousand soldiers left is a remarkable achievement."

Xiang Hongyun had shown great devotion during this period. Despite his usually meticulous care for his eyes due to poor vision, he had been sacrificing sleep and straining his eyes daily during this time.

No one had expected Prince Chen to break the five-year alliance, for the earthen walls to be so damaged by water that they crumbled at a touch, or for Prince Chen's methods to be so despicable. Even if Zhou Gongdan or Liu Jixin were here instead, they would not have done better than Xiang Hongyun and Wu Kai.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Hongyun suddenly felt that all the hardship he had endured before paled in comparison, saying, "I am fine as long as Sir Wu is safe, then I can rest assured."

Yuan Li nodded firmly and assured, "He will be okay."

No one could guarantee that Wu Kai would be completely safe from the disease, but when Yuan Li said he would be fine, Xiang Hongyun truly believed him.

Feeling a sense of relief, Xiang Hongyun was briefly stunned by this realization.

Had he truly come to trust Yuan Li to this extent?

With strong support now available, the doctors began to study the epidemic intensely. Yuan Li ordered the entire city to be sealed off, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving to prevent the spread of the disease.

The people of Xuzhou did not trust Wu Kai and Xiang Hongyun but believed in Duke Wen.

Upon learning of Duke Wen's arrival, they no longer feared the officials or soldiers, and walked out, huddled together.

Since receiving a medical textbook from the system, Yuan Li had been vigilant about the epidemic. While there were doctors skilled in this area among those he had brought from Xuzhou, they had been assigned to other towns in the region and were not by Wu Kai's side.

Luckily, among the doctors he brought this time, there were talents specializing in handling epidemics, and soon they began to make progress.

Yang Zhongfa and Jia Qing did not waste time in Suiling City but quickly led their troops to reclaim the cities taken by Prince Chen.

Meanwhile, Yuan Li stayed in Suiling City for five or six days. After the emotions of the soldiers and civilians stabilized and the treatment of the epidemic was organized, he departed for Xiapi.

Upon hearing of his return, Ouyang Ting felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. Without even tidying his clothes, he hurried to the city gate to meet Yuan Li.

Upon seeing Yuan Li, Ouyang Ting was at a loss for words. At this moment, words of gratitude seemed hollow and unnecessary. He wiped away the moisture in his eyes, reached out, and firmly patted Yuan Li's shoulder, saying, "Your master knows you're here and has prepared a feast. Let us, master and disciple, have a drink tonight!"

Yuan Li smiled, "I don't handle alcohol well, watching you drink is enough."

It was early spring, and people were dressed warmly. Coming from the icy north, Yuan Li had added extra layers of clothing.

Despite looking healthy and vibrant at first glance, Ouyang Ting felt something was amiss when he touched Yuan Li's hand; though he looked well-covered, he could feel the bones, realizing Yuan Li had lost a significant amount of weight.

Frowning, Ouyang Ting couldn't help but notice how much slimmer Yuan Li had become compared to three months ago in Xuzhou.

Realizing that Yuan Li still had an unresolved issue, Ouyang Ting suddenly panicked, sweating profusely. Yuan Li still hadn't found Chu Hechao yet, and he didn't know whether Chu Hechao was alive or dead!

He berated himself inwardly and pulled Yuan Li towards the mansion, saying, "Lejun, before you left, you reminded your master to find Chu Hechao upon your return. Do you remember?"

Yuan Li remembered, but since Ouyang Ting hadn't brought it up earlier, he assumed there was no news and pretended to forget.

With Ouyang Ting raising the topic now, Yuan Li was momentarily stunned before looking at Ouyang Ting with a bright gleam in his eyes, his voice slightly trembling, "Are you saying..."

Regrettably, Ouyang Ting said, "I didn't find Chu Hechao."

The light in Yuan Li's eyes dimmed slightly, and just as he was about to say "It's okay," Ouyang Ting continued, "But a month ago, I received a package from an unknown sender, and inside was a letter from Chu Hechao! I do not know if the handwriting is genuine; you must quickly take a look!"