Chapter 1547: Chapter 1547: "Fallen in Battle

"This is bad." Shangguan Jian’s heart sank; no wonder. If Ye Shikai hadn’t bothered with those civilians, he would never have fallen into such an encirclement; it’s ironic that trying to rescue people has trapped him in the situation.

"Sir, what should we do now? Thirty thousand troops are marching toward us. General Man is trying to hold them back. If we continue to stalemate, I’m afraid we won’t even be able to protect our position."

Shangguan Jian was extremely anxious, but he only had three thousand archers, while Ye Shikai was surrounded by fifty to sixty thousand Qin Army troops. Even leading soldiers to him would probably be futile and might end up costing these three thousand troops.

But if no reinforcements go out, Ye Shikai may very well meet a grim fate...

"Sir, what should we do?"

"You command these three thousand soldiers now; you’re responsible for covering the civilians’ retreat into the valley. If the Qin Army approaches, unleash a barrage of arrows." Shangguan Jian turned his horse and handed the Commander’s Seal to a nearby Chiliarch.

"But sir, where are you going?"

"I will take only my personal guard to break the encirclement."

"Sir, please reconsider; General Ye is already surrounded, and may have... already fallen. If you encounter any misfortune, what will become of the remaining soldiers?"

Shangguan Jian stopped abruptly upon hearing this. He and Ye Shikai were sworn brothers; he had also promised He Linghan to protect Ye Shikai. Yet, he also had thousands of brothers in arms, and should he fall, what would become of these loyal comrades willing to follow him to the death? They would be leaderless, inevitably leading to chaos...

"Sir, please reconsider."

"If I fall, General Man Cang will take command of the entire army. Tell him, if these remaining brothers wish to survive, they must go to Chu Territory." After saying this, Shangguan Jian spurred his horse and hastened toward the direction of Meteorite Crater with his guard.

........................

Meteorite Crater.

"Advance." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Tens of thousands of Qin Army soldiers raised large shields, brandishing long spears, advancing step by step, forcing Ye Shikai and his soldiers to retreat, step by step, toward the Meteorite Crater behind them...

The meteorite wasn’t very large, but it had created a considerable crater, looking quite "magnificent." No wonder a mere meteorite would stir such a commotion in the court, leading to the execution of tens of thousands of civilians for it.

"General, what should we do now?"

Only two hundred remained beside Ye Shikai, and they were all wounded. Their sabers were dull, their spears broken; thousands of corpses on the ground were testament to the fierceness of the recent melee. Ye Shikai had suffered three blade slashes and two arrows; his armor was tattered, and blood flowed from the wounds on his arm, trickling down, drop by drop, from his palm.

"Brothers, we have no retreat left. All that’s left is to fight to the death."

"You really won’t surrender?" Han Hao emerged from the formation, shouting toward them. Ye Shikai’s eyes were bloodshot; he had fought rabidly, physically exhausted, and with the blood loss, he began to feel dazed. This was the state of approaching death, he knew very well that perhaps, this time he might truly die here.

"No... no surrender." Ye Shikai used his sword as a support, raising himself up, determination filled his eyes. If he surrendered now, what would that achieve? It would only delay the inevitable. Moreover, if he surrendered now, how could he face his brothers who followed him? They’ve fought until the last against the court, with thousands sacrificed; no matter what, he wouldn’t surrender.

"Alright, I’ll grant your wish then." Han Hao sighed deeply, gestured with his hand, and the formation slowly advanced.

"Brothers, let’s charge at them!"

"Let’s fight!"

The remaining brothers charged at them wildly; it was a battle of trapped beasts. Before they could even reach the formation, they were skewered by protruding spears. They weren’t going to kill the enemy; they were going to "die" or, more precisely, they were seeking a dignified "death."

Ye Shikai rushed forward with all his might, wielding his sword against the spears. It was the sword gifted by Meng Tian, incredibly sharp, slicing through iron like mud. Ye Shikai fought his way into the formation, singlehandedly killing over twenty, but his brothers began dying, one by one...

In a sudden daze, Ye Shikai’s vision blurred; when he came to, a spear was already thrusting toward him. Too late to react, too late to dodge, Ye Shikai merely felt a sharp pain in his chest, looked down, and saw the spear piercing through his armor, impaling his body. This was a Qin Army formation’s spear, several meters long, needing several soldiers to wield, as thick as an arm, and it had plunged into his body. Ye Shikai tasted blood in his mouth.

"Push." Several soldiers thrust the spear, sending Ye Shikai flying.

Bang.

In that airborne moment, Ye Shikai’s mind went blank, followed by a pain from his back. His body rolled uncontrollably...

He fell into the Meteorite Crater.

"This time... I really might die. Ling’er, I’m sorry, I couldn’t survive to see you again." Ye Shikai closed his eyes, as if all strength had fled his body, he had no energy left even to open his eyelids.

........................

"Lord Han, General Ye... should be dead, all his men have perished, not a single survivor."

"Ah, it’s a pity. He shouldn’t have met this end, had he not been so stubborn, how could he end up like this?" To be honest, killing Ye Shikai brought not a shred of joy to Han Hao; in contrast, he felt quite disappointed. Han Hao was not an evil man, just one who adhered to "blind loyalty." With Ye Shikai dead, the Qin Dynasty lost a talented young general. Moreover, Meng Tian had helped him greatly before; surely soon, news of Ye Shikai’s rebellion would reach Xianyang City, at which point Meng Tian would also attract criticism.

"Indeed, General Ye was an excellent commander against the Wolf Clan, who would have thought he would meet such a fate, defeated and dead." A Chiliarch near Han Hao sighed.

In truth, Han Hao hadn’t intended to kill Ye Shikai. Though rebellion was a capital offense, Ye Shikai’s force was over ten thousand strong, not easily captured. Even if Han Hao spared him, it would be explainable to the court. Anyway, the emperor’s secret order was for Han Hao to eliminate these civilians, not to take Ye Shikai’s life. Yet unexpectedly, instead of fleeing, Ye Shikai chose to fight to the death with his men, protecting the civilians’ retreat, leaving Han Hao with no choice but to take his life.

"Ye, if only you hadn’t been so persistent, how great it would have been." Han Hao murmured.

"Find his body and give him a decent burial in a good spot."

"Yes, sir."