N-A-A Chapter 926 Ambush, Xiang Yu was careless and underestimated the enemy!
Chapter 926 Ambush, Xiang Yu was careless and underestimated the enemy!
It was with this last shred of rationality that Gao Yao allowed himself to completely relax. As for the environment? For Gao Yao, who had spent months sleeping on a hard bed in a camp tent or huddled under the battlements wrapped in his battle robe, having a roof to shelter from the wind and rain and a flat earthen kang to lie flat on was heaven. Whether the bed was soft or the environment was clean was no longer a consideration for him.
Lü Zhi had no intention of disturbing him. She quickly retreated, lowering her voice and issuing a series of clear and coherent orders: All the soldiers accompanying Gao Yao into the city should be settled, with food, hot water, and medicine provided, allowing them to rest properly. She also issued a strict order that no one should approach the house to disturb General Gao unless they were on urgent military business related to the enemy's siege. She also ordered her personal maid to immediately fetch the best wound medicine, clean undergarments, and soft cloth.
After everyone had taken their orders and left, Lü Zhi quietly reentered the room. She took in Gao Yao's distraught state, a flicker of determination in her eyes. She rolled up her sleeves and took the copper basin filled with warm water and a clean towel from the maid. She gestured for the maid to help, and the two of them gently and carefully began to remove Gao Yao's cold armor, which had become etched on some of his wounds.
This process required extreme caution, fearing to awaken him. Perhaps because he had finally returned to a completely safe environment, Gao Yao's body instinctively relaxed all its defenses. He only groaned unconsciously at the outside touch, but did not wake up. In normal times, or in the wild, anyone so close would have likely already awakened his subconscious fighting instincts, and might even attack and injure someone.
Lü Zhi didn't mind the trouble, nor did she mind the grime and blood that covered Gao Yao. She dismissed the maids and decided to do the work herself. She wrung out a warm cloth, knelt beside the kang, and gently, bit by bit, wiped the blood, dust, and sweat from Gao Yao's face, as if it were a rare treasure. The warm towel brushed across his resolute yet thin cheeks, across his furrowed brows, as if trying to wipe away the deep weariness. Then, she carefully wiped his neck, his arms...
Then, she took a clean gauze, soaked it in warm water, and then, like a newborn seedling, she gently touched and moistened Gao Yao's dry, cracked lips with the wet gauze again and again. Water droplets slowly seeped into the cracks between his lips, and Gao Yao unconsciously smacked his lips in his sleep, as if feeling the moisture.
Lu Zhi patiently repeated this action, her gaze fixed intently on Gao Yao's face, a look filled with an indescribable complexity—gratitude for his efforts, heartache for his injuries, and perhaps, a tenderness that transcended the relationship between monarch and subject, or alliance, a tenderness she herself might not even be aware of. She insisted on doing everything herself, refusing to allow others to interfere, as if only this could calm her turbulent emotions and ensure the ultimate care.
South of the Wei River, the official road to Xianyang winds through a series of peaks. The most perilous section is the Valley of Broken Souls, known as the "Ghost-Seeing Valley." The valley is long and narrow, with cliffs on either side seemingly cut like knives and axes, towering into the clouds. The walls are covered in jagged rocks and entwined with withered vines. At its narrowest point, the path at the bottom of the valley is barely wide enough for five horses to pass side by side. Direct sunlight is constantly blocked, making the valley perpetually shrouded in a chilling wind and shrouded in mist. This place has always been a strategically important location, easy to enter but difficult to exit.
At this moment, atop the cliffs flanking the Valley of Broken Souls, endless murderous intent lurked. Li Zhao, clad in black iron armor, stood silently like a stone sculpture behind a massive boulder on the main peak. His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, pierced the mist, fixed intently on the valley's entrance. His twenty thousand elite troops had been lurking there for three full days.
For three days, the soldiers drank cold water and munched on dry rations, enduring the biting mountain chill at night and the bites of mosquitoes during the day. Everyone adhered strictly to Gao Yao's strict orders: remain hidden, without a trace of fire or sound, and avoid the slightest sound of human voices. Crossbowmen repeatedly checked their powerful bows and crossbows, their arrowheads gleaming coldly in the shadows. Rolling logs and rocks had already been piled in their designated positions, seamlessly camouflaged with dry grass and branches. Soldiers tasked with blocking the retreat clutched ropes, awaiting the command to push the prepared boulders down, sealing the valley entrance. The entire ambush lay like a fully drawn bow, the string taut, waiting for its prey to enter.
Li Zhao's heart was not entirely calm. He knew full well the weight of this battle. Gao Yao had used himself as bait, fighting bloody battles on the front lines, retreating while fighting, willing to risk a defeat to lure the main force of the invincible Chu army here. This courage and sacrifice filled him with admiration.
He also knew that Xiang Yu was the bravest of all the armies, possessing a courage unmatched by ten thousand men; while Yi Xiaochuan, though not a veteran, possessed a remarkable resourcefulness and often devised ingenious strategies. Together, these two men were indeed formidable. However, it was precisely that "victory" that had clouded the Chu army's minds and blinded their vision. The soldiers, exhausted by the constant pursuit, had grown increasingly arrogant. Furthermore, the unique terrain of Broken Soul Valley made it easy for outposts to fall prey to an ambush if they were not careful in their scouting. General Gao Yao had accurately calculated Xiang Yu's post-victory psychology, and also anticipated the potential for Yi Xiaochuan to neglect his actions in the face of such a huge victory. And he, Li Zhao, was to deliver the final blow.
"General, the scouts report that the vanguard of the Chu army is ten miles away, with flags flying. The troops are loose and have not sent out elite scouts to climb the mountain walls on both sides for detailed reconnaissance." A deputy general lowered his voice and crawled to Li Zhao's side to report.
Li Zhao's eyes flashed, and he nodded slightly, a cold smile curling up at the corner of his mouth. "Okay. Pass the order down, all troops, silence, and act according to the plan. No one is allowed to move without my order! When the Chu army's center is completely in the ambush circle, use three drum beats as a signal and attack with all your strength!"
"promise!"
The order spread like silent ripples across the cliffs on both sides. The murderous aura in the air grew thicker.
Meanwhile, outside the Valley of Broken Souls, the Chu army was marching in full force. The ranks stretched for miles, and while they maintained their basic marching formation, the arrogance of their triumph was hard to conceal. The soldiers chatted and laughed, many with their armor askew, weapons casually slung over their shoulders, as if they were not about to engage in a major battle that might decide the fate of the world. On the one hand, they had defeated Gao Yao, and although they had not been able to kill him, they had nonetheless gained some advantage in the battle.
Under the central banner, Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, sat majestically on his snow-capped black horse. His stature was as imposing as a mountain, his face resolute. Despite days of battle, his expression still shone with the pride of victory and the arrogance of a man who looked down upon the world. Not long ago, he had defeated the main force of the renowned Qin general Gao Yao. While he failed to capture and kill Gao Yao, it had bolstered his reputation. Beside him stood Yi Xiaochuan, clad in light armor, his face handsome yet with a complex expression.