A Decision Between Thousands of Troops

Slowly, the war chariot carried the two leaders to the center of the battlefield.

“You are Luo Bai?”

Situ Mo looked from afar at the feminine and elegant Luo Bai opposite him.

“General Situ.”

Luo Bai nodded; it seemed there was no mistake.

“The Heavenly Dynasty is vast and wealthy, and the Emperor is wise. Now, for what reason do you all rebel?”

“General Situ truly knows how to joke…”

Luo Bai suddenly laughed.

“As one who eats the Sovereign’s salary, it is only natural for you to share the Sovereign’s worries. There is no issue with you saying such things. However, while you receive the Emperor’s wisdom, what does that have to do with us common folk?”

Situ Mo froze, only to hear Luo Bai’s voice turn increasingly sarcastic.

“In the Northern Border, war continues year after year, and the people suffer beyond words. In the Southern Lands, floods destroy the fields, yet not a single grain of ‘wisdom’ has been seen. The pirates of the Eastern Sea remain undefeated, and the alliances of the Western Regions have crumbled on their own…”

“We do not act for rebellion, but for the sake of all living beings under heaven.”

Luo Bai spoke fluently, and every word hit a vital point.

As his speech concluded, the look on Situ Mo’s face became somewhat strained.

He had originally intended to intimidate the enemy commander before the start of the battle, but he had not expected to be checkmated in return.

“What a sharp tongue.”

Situ Mo let out a cold snort.

“However, what matters on the battlefield is not being sharp-witted, but having elite troops and horses. Do you recognize the army behind me?”

“The Northern Iron Cavalry. Their name shakes the Heavenly Dynasty; who does not know them?”

“Then do you think your thirty or forty thousand miscellaneous soldiers are a match for them?”

When Situ Mo mentioned his army, an uncontrollable pride clearly showed on his face.

“They are not a match.”

“Since you already know this, why not surrender to me? Not only will it save us from the blade, but you can also preserve your life.”

Luo Bai still maintained a smile, his expression unchanged in the face of Situ Mo’s intimidation.

“General Situ’s words are reasonable.”

“But a great man acts with purpose. How can there be a reason to surrender without a fight?”

“Hmph, ungrateful…”

Situ Mo was somewhat enraged; the opponent was clearly toying with him.

“Then let us meet on the battlefield.”

Both war chariots returned to their respective positions.

“Soldiers, kill!”

Situ Mo shouted directly.

The uniform Northern Cavalry charged forward.

Luo Bai, watching the thundering enemy army, neither ordered an attack nor a retreat.

He simply stood there.

He was waiting.

Outside Huaian City, a group of people wore the armor of Situ Mo’s soldiers, each looking dejected and exhausted.

“Halt! Who goes there!”

The soldiers guarding the city shouted at the approaching group.

“We are General Situ’s subordinates. Please trouble yourselves to let us in.”

One man looked down at the soldiers.

It was Luo Bai’s confidant, Sun Ziyue.

“Nonsense! General Situ is outside the city slaying rebels. Why would he come here?”

“Those rebels had an ambush long ago; otherwise, how would they dare leave the city to provoke us?”

Sun Ziyue spoke with tears and a cracking voice, as if it were truly the case.

“Brothers, let us in quickly, or the rebel army will be here to kill us in a moment.”

The soldier thought for a while.

Though there was no hard evidence, it was reasonable. He gave a grand wave of his hand.

“Let them through.”

“Brothers, thank you. Thank you.”

Sun Ziyue hurriedly ran over and grabbed the soldier’s hand. A cold gleam slid down from his sleeve.

“Only, remember not to enter the battlefield in your next life.”

Sun Ziyue smiled, covered the soldier’s mouth just as he was about to scream, and ended his life with a single blade strike.

At this time, the other soldiers had also taken action.

The gates were flung wide open.

Sun Ziyue raised a gunpowder tube in his hand; with a light pop, a crimson light flared up.

From the haystacks in the distance that seemed to show no movement, soldiers dressed in plain cloth jumped out—about several thousand of them.

“Brothers, kill!”

Sun Ziyue shouted loudly.

Because it was night and the enemy forces were ostensibly all engaged in battle, there were few soldiers left behind.

Moreover, most were asleep.

Occupying the city was practically effortless.

In less than half an hour, the city changed hands.

Sun Ziyue kicked open the door to the granary and looked at the mountain of grain before him.

If it were normal times, he would certainly be reluctant to burn it. But now, he could not allow himself that luxury.

Because on the battlefield, Luo Bai was using his life to help him delay for time.

He brought over a torch and poured oil over everything.

Then, a raging fire shot into the sky, dyeing nearly the entire horizon red.

“General! General, look! Huaian City is on fire!”

A soldier shouted loudly.

Situ Mo froze, then turned back in shock to see the soaring flames.

His expression instantly changed.

They were currently at an advantage.

Luo Bai did not dare to engage them directly, constantly pulling back and forth—advancing when they retreated and retreating when they advanced.

As long as he persisted a little longer, he would win.

But if Huaian City were lost, never mind winning against Luo Bai—even annihilating the entire rebel army would not be enough to compensate.

“D*mn it!”

Situ Mo gritted his teeth and slammed his hand against the chariot’s armrest.

Looking at Luo Bai on the opposite side, who still wore an unruffled expression, he absolutely believed this was planned by Luo Bai.

But now there was no other choice.

Luo Bai could not be eliminated in a short time; he had to retreat to defend.

“Commander Luo, they are fleeing!”

Seeing Situ Mo’s retreat, all the soldiers felt invigorated.

Luo Bai smiled and drew his sword with his one hand, pointing it toward Situ Mo in the distance.

“Now, it is our turn.”

“Full army, attack!”

Situ Mo kept commanding his army to rush back, but Luo Bai struck at that very moment.

What was most frustrating was that every time he wanted to turn back and counter-attack, Luo Bai would withdraw, only to return and strike again the moment they continued their retreat.

With great difficulty, they approached the city.

The gates were wide open, and corpses were everywhere.

Situ Mo nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Although they had been depleted by Luo Bai along the way, Situ Mo still had a hundred thousand elite troops in his hand.

Given time to rest and reorganize, he could still destroy Luo Bai.

“General, we found a large amount of firewood and hay around the barracks,” a soldier ran up and reported.

Situ Mo froze, then his face changed drastically.

“Quickly! Get out of the city!”

Situ Mo roared repeatedly, but it was already too late.

An arrow tipped with fire flew from afar, followed by a sky full of rain-like arrows.

Sun Ziyue and his men had never left; they had been waiting for this very opportunity.

The heavily guarded Huaian City instantly turned into a sea of fire.

The next day, a disheveled figure was escorted into Luo Bai’s command tent.

Situ Mo looked at Luo Bai, who was bent over writing.

“General Situ.”

Luo Bai put down his pen and signaled the soldiers to release him.

“I have nothing to say.”

Situ Mo spat on the ground, looked at Luo Bai, walked to a nearby table, and began to eat the food.

“Commander Luo is truly a talent of this generation. I am thoroughly convinced.”

Luo Bai smiled silently.

“Does General Situ know what the victory of this war means to me?”

“Success and fame? Making a name for yourself?” Situ Mo said casually.

“No, none of those.”

Luo Bai looked at the three words on the paper on the desk.

“It means… I can go home.”

Situ Mo froze. Looking at Luo Bai’s tender expression, he suddenly burst into a loud, hearty laugh.

“I did not expect that this old man’s defeat would facilitate such a beautiful thing. I suppose it is worth it.”

Situ Mo stood up and walked toward the door, swaying unsteadily.

“Someone, see the old general off,” Luo Bai said.

“No need. This old man… can walk by himself.”

TL Note regarding the plot: The “past life” mainly explains the process of the protagonists falling in love. The reincarnation plot should be revealed around Chapter 20. Please wait patiently, dear readers!