The Fallen Nation System, Turning the Tide - Chapter 13: God of War

Chapter 13: God of War

“Why didn’t the late emperor employ such a formidable general?”

After Tanmuhu’s forces surrendered their weapons, Xia Chenglie ordered their hands bound and escorted back to the Jin army garrison. Having completed the cleanup, he finally found time to ask Niu Liu: “What are you doing here?”

Niu Liu puffed out his chest. “Captain Hou said anyone who performs exceptionally can join the fight against the barbarians. Ten barbarians killed means one rank promotion! Since my elder brother is so formidable, I can’t fall behind either!”

Old Hou was most skilled at boosting morale, so Xia Chenglie wasn’t surprised. He smiled encouragingly: “Well done, showing remarkable courage. With time, you’ll surely surpass me.”

Niu Liu scratched his head sheepishly. “Elder brother, I’ve noticed everyone has impressive names and I envy them. Could you give me a name?”

Though surprised, Xia Chenglie reflected briefly. Since Old Hou permitted Niu Liu to join the battle, he must have recognized his potential. With proper training, he might achieve extraordinary feats in the future – having no proper name would indeed be inconvenient.

“In that case, how about ‘Pengnan’? When the roc journeys to the southern darkness, its wings strike the water for three thousand li, then it soars upward ninety thousand li.”

Though Niu Liu didn’t understand the reference, he knew he’d no longer be just another ordinary “Zhang Liu” or “Li Liu.” Clapping his hands joyfully, he laughed: “Excellent! This name is perfect! From now on, I am Niu Pengnan!”

Tanmuhu, whose hands were bound behind his back while being given water, suddenly sprayed it all over the soldier feeding him upon hearing this exchange.

The Northern Barbarians’ royal court housed Jin dynasty defectors who’d learned some Chinese to show goodwill. Ordinary communication wasn’t problematic, and Tanmuhu, being competitive by nature, had mastered the language thoroughly.

Hearing the name Xia Chenglie had chosen, Tanmuhu instantly burst out laughing.

“General, look at this barbarian’s defiant attitude – he’s not truly surrendered! Why not execute him as an example?” The splashed soldier angrily wiped his face with his sleeve as he ran to Xia Chenglie to complain.

Tanmuhu immediately sprang up: “I surrendered willingly! You cannot kill those who surrender!”

Xia Chenglie glanced at him coolly. “As long as you behave properly, our dynasty won’t harm you arbitrarily.”

The implication being that if he caused trouble, they wouldn’t hesitate to make an example of him – killing one to warn a hundred was no empty threat.

Tanmuhu shrunk back meekly. “I’m thirsty – I didn’t get to drink the water earlier.”

The soldier walked away gripping his waterskin, but after two steps paused and turned to fetch a chipped bowl from elsewhere. No one knew where he found it – the bowl was covered in dust. The soldier noisily filled it from his waterskin and placed it beside Tanmuhu’s feet.

Tanmuhu frowned. “It’s full of sand and dust – how can I drink this?”

“Take it or leave it,” the soldier retorted as he walked away.

Fuming, Tanmuhu shouted at Xia Chenglie: “You see! Your Jin soldiers treat surrendered generals like this! Who would dare surrender to the Jin dynasty in the future!”

Xia Chenglie acted as if he hadn’t heard and strode away. Niu Pengnan clenched his fists, initially wanting to argue with Tanmuhu, but seeing Xia Chenglie depart, he hurried after him.

Tanmuhu’s chest swelled with rage as he screamed curses, growing increasingly thirsty from shouting. Finally, his thirst became unbearable. Glancing around, he saw his soldiers – having marched out at midnight – had all collapsed into deep sleep, with only patrolling Jin troops moving about.

Seizing the moment when no one was watching, Tanmuhu lay beside the broken bowl, enduring the pain from his shoulder wound as he subtly shifted position. Slowly moving toward the bowl, he rolled over and buried his face in it, sipping the muddy water.

The cool, refreshing water slid down his throat, and Tanmuhu couldn’t help but sigh softly, wondering which river’s water could be so sweet.

As the patrolling footsteps drew near, Tanmuhu immediately rolled back, pretending to be fast asleep.

The moment he closed his eyes, his exhausted body began to shut down, and Tanmuhu drifted into a pleasant dream.

In his dream, he found a crystal-clear stream, the water slipping through his fingers, wonderfully cool. Gulping down mouthfuls, his belly soon felt uncomfortably full and bloated.

Tanmuhu hurriedly stood up to undo his trousers, but just then, someone approached. He moved to another spot, parted the grass, and saw a group of people chatting not far away. He tried another place, only to find more people…

Meanwhile, Yanjie sat in his tent waiting for news of Tanmuhu. The candle burned out, and daylight broke, finally interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps.

“Yabgu, it’s terrible! The Tegin has also been captured by Xia Chenglie!”

Yanjie slammed the table and stood up, staring at the scout in disbelief. “What did you say? Xia Chenglie!”

“How could Xia Chenglie be here?” Yanjie exclaimed in shock and anger, staggering back a step as he muttered to himself.

The scout found these words strangely familiarit seemed the last one shocked by Xia Chenglie’s appearance was Tegin Tanmuhu, though the messenger who delivered that news had died by Tanmuhu’s blade.

As the scene repeated, the scout fearfully retreated two steps and asked, “Yabgu, should we go rescue the Tegin?”

Yanjie, more mature than Tanmuhu, refrained from irrational acts like killing the messenger in rage. He quickly adjusted his emotions, calmed down, and said coolly, “No. Since Xia Chenglie dares to return and set an ambush, he must have made thorough preparations. Attempting a rescue now would be futile.”

“The rest of you, come with me. We will conserve our strength and wait for the right moment to avenge the humiliation of the Khan and the Tegin’s capture!”

Hiding the ambition in his eyes, Yanjie fled with the remaining few thousand men.

News of Xia Chenglie capturing another Northern Barbarian Elite Warrior reached Xu Ying’s desk that very day. After reading it, she jumped up in shock, words squeezing through her gritted teeth: “Xia Chenglie catches the old one, then the young onequite the family reunion!”

Xu Lang, missing the sarcasm in Xu Ying’s words, thought she was praising Xia Chenglie and joined in admiration: “General Xia appears cautious outwardly but is brave within, unstoppable in his momentum.”

Capturing the Northern Barbarian Khan was astonishing enough, but now he had seized the Khan’s son as well. Xia Chenglie had proven with actions that there was no one he couldn’t capture.

With such intimidation, how would the Northern Barbarians dare to harbor rebellious thoughts? As long as Xia Chenglie lived, they wouldn’t dare harass the common people recklessly. In another ten or twenty years, they would grow accustomed to a docile life of herding on the grasslands, achieving a permanent solution in one stroke.

Xu Ying slumped back into her chair, dazed. Recalling how she had plucked Xia Chenglie from the Royal Army, she felt like banging her head against the wall, resenting her unreliable late father for misleading her: “Why didn’t the previous emperor make use of such a fierce general? Letting him gather dust in Chang’an?”

Seeing Xu Ying’s indignant expression, furious that the previous emperor hadn’t employed Xia Chenglie earlier and wasted so many years of his life, Xu Lang regarded her with deep respect. If it were her, she would only feel fortunate at her own discernment in discovering this overlooked talent.

By comparison, Xu Ying’s high aspirations and profound insight stood outno wonder Xia Chenglie served her with such loyalty in battle.

Xu Lang concealed his own thoughts and sighed with emotion, “General Xia is the son of General Xia Qiyuan, the Grand General who supports the state. He followed the old General Xia into battle from a young age and was renowned as the Little War God. Who would have thought that during his first time independently commanding the army, he made a mistake and lost three cities in a row, causing his former glory to vanish into obscurity.”

“Fortunately, in this campaign, General Xia has restored his reputation and revived the Xia family’s name.” Xu Lang was delighted by Xia Chenglie’s military achievements and even more admired Xu Ying’s insight and courage. Amid widespread criticism, Xu Ying had insisted on appointing Xia Chenglie, and the success of the northern expedition was the result of mutual reliance and trust between the ruler and the general.

Xu Lang’s gaze toward Xu Ying grew even brighter, filled with admiration and reverence.

Xu Lang’s words struck Xu Ying like a thunderbolt. Trembling, she repeated the words, “Little War God…”

Why hadn’t he told her this earlier?

Previously, Xu Lang had only mentioned that Xia Chenglie had always followed his father into battle, emphasizing his defeat. Suddenly hearing about his war god halo, Xu Ying gasped in shock.

Looking at Xia Chenglie’s unkempt, disheartened appearance with his scruffy beard, she simply couldn’t match him with the title “War God.”

She had chosen the wrong person.

Xu Ying couldn’t help but inwardly wail in despair.

She had flipped through the “New History” but hadn’t come across Xia Chenglie’s name, which was why she hadn’t given it much thought.

After Xu Long ascended the throne, the most famous general was a man named Xia Pengnan, who wielded his spear and leaped onto his horse, beheading enemy generals and capturing their flags. He pacified the Western Rong and subdued the Northern Barbarians for Xu Long, achieving unparalleled feats.

Why was there no trace of Xia Pengnan, while Xia Chenglie was dominating the battlefield? Had history shifted due to alterations?

Frustrated, Xu Ying called out the system after seeing Xu Lang off, demanding an explanation. She wouldn’t feel at ease until she understood the situation clearly.

The system remained silent for a moment before finally replying, “After investigation, there is a certain degree of historical deviation, but it remains within reasonable limits. It is not a case of Xia Pengnan changing his name. Moving forward, the host may pay attention to any news regarding Xia Pengnan. If not necessary, there is no need to dispatch Xia Pengnan to the Western Rong.”

Xu Ying neither accepted nor rejected the system’s suggestion.

This Xia Pengnan later amassed military power for himself, declared independence, and proclaimed himself king. If she could find him and prematurely ignite his rebellious ambitions, she believed that with him around, the Jin Dynasty would soon collapse.

To advance her mission of destroying the state, Xu Ying wanted to know where this Xia Pengnan was now.

The “New History” was concise in its language, only mentioning that he came from a farming family and was a native of Liushui County in Hongchang. Beyond that, there was no further information about his background.

Whether he was conscripted to fight the Western Rong or volunteered to join the army remained unknown. The historian seemed to intentionally avoid detailing his origins.

Find Xia Pengnan.

Xu Ying added this task to her plan.

After closing the system, Xu Ying rallied her spirits and convinced herself to look forward. No matter how much she regretted it now, it was useless. Instead, she should learn from the experience and focus on doing what came next.

“Your Majesty, these are the memorials from Chang’an delivered today.” A gentle, pleasant voice pulled Xu Ying back from her thoughts.

Xu Ying looked up to see five palace maids enteringsome slender, some plump, each of different stature. The leader was particularly beautiful, with an indescribable grace in her movements.

A feast for the eyes.

Seeing such beauty, Xu Ying’s earlier regrets and pains eased considerably. “Set them down,” she said.

The palace maids stepped forward one by one to arrange the memorials. The beautiful leading maid moved with such elegance that her skirts fluttered gracefully. In that moment, Xu Ying understood King You of Zhou’s joy in fooling the feudal lords with the beacon fires.

Xu Ying used to feel irritable at the sight of memorials and feared mixing up the approved and unapproved ones, so she placed the processed memorials on the floor, leaving the desk completely empty.

Soon, the once-empty desk became piled high with documents, and Xu Ying found herself buried in them the moment she lowered her head.

After placing the memorials, the palace maids crouched to gather the ones Xu Ying had approved. They needed to organize them neatly and send them to the courier stations, where messengers would deliver them to Chang’an.

Xu Ying sighed, picked up a memorial, and began working.

A long while later, she realized something was amiss.

Author’s Note:

Revised the number of people Yanjie took with him: from a hundred → a thousand.

Forgot to include the reference in Xia Chenglie’s words earlier; adding it now:

From Zhuangzi’s “Free and Easy Wandering”: “When the Peng bird journeys to the Southern Ocean, it stirs waves for three thousand li and ascends on a whirlwind ninety thousand li high, traveling for six months before resting.”

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2023-03-31 20:49:33 and 2023-04-01 20:59:50~

Special thanks to LingLing for 60 bottles of nutrient solution and A Yu for 5 bottles~

I am deeply grateful for everyone’s support and will continue to work hard!