Two hours later.

"Why aren’t they here yet." Ye Shikai led the guards holding at the cave entrance. Most of the troops had already withdrawn, but there was no news at all from the rear guard camp and the Iron Armor Army, and even Shangguan Jian, who’d gone to reinforce them, had completely vanished. He had already sent three groups out to scout, but not a single one had returned, and the sounds of killing in the distance were gradually dying down. He couldn’t help but grow anxious...

"They’ll be here soon." Suddenly, the voice of the blade soul sounded in his mind. Ye Shikai’s heart jolted, then lifted with joy.

"Seriously?" Ye Shikai knew the blade soul’s abilities clearly. It had Divine Sense; although it had no eyes, it could see things a thousand li away. Since it said so, then Man Cang and the others had to be safe.

"Blade Soul, how long until they get here?"

Thud, thud, thud.

"General, we’ve returned." Before the blade soul could speak, Man Cang’s shout rang out from afar, along with the sound of pounding hooves.

"Haha, go meet them!" Ye Shikai let out a loud laugh and immediately went forward to greet them.

"General, we’ve returned." Man Cang dismounted and dropped to one knee before Ye Shikai. The heavy armor on his body was already in tatters; the plates protecting several vital spots on his chest and abdomen were covered in blade cuts and spear holes. The bloody wound on his left shoulder looked shocking to the eye. Looking at the Iron Armor Army soldiers behind him, each one was covered in wounds and panting heavily—one could imagine how fierce the battle just now had been.

"Old Ye, everyone’s back, let’s hurry up and leave." Shangguan Jian came galloping up from the rear with the guards, whipping his horse as he rode.

"Alright, everyone withdraw into the cave, the Qin Army will catch up soon." Ye Shikai ordered.

"Yes."

"Yes."

The cave entrance wasn’t large, only enough for four or five people to pass through side by side. Ye Shikai had the Cavalry withdraw in first, while the infantry formed ranks outside and entered in order.

"Faster, everyone move faster."

"Report, the Qin Army’s Chasing Army is almost upon us."

"Speed it up!" Ye Shikai shouted loudly. They were racing the Qin Army. If the Qin Army arrived before they were all inside, there would be only one road left: death.

"Old Ye, everyone’s already inside." Shangguan Jian shouted. As the last soldier entered the cave, Ye Shikai’s heart finally settled. At the same time, dozens of Qin Army soldiers had already charged over, no more than fifty meters away from them.

"The rebel generals are all there, cut them down!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Old Ye, hurry into the cave, the Qin Army’s about to cut us down!" Shangguan Jian shouted. Ye Shikai shoved him into the cave, then took several blocks of explosives from his Storage Ring and placed them at the cave mouth.

"Old Ye, what are you doing with those blocks?"

"Enough talk, move!" Ye Shikai yanked Shangguan Jian down and threw him to the ground, pulling out the controller with his other hand and pressing the button.

BOOM, BOOM.

Two thunderous blasts roared at the entrance. The violent shockwave almost lifted the two of them off the ground, and the warhorses were startled as well. This was modern explosive, and in this era where firearms had yet to be used in war, it could be called a "novel contraption." Of course, novel or not, its power was not something ordinary people could withstand.

After the explosions, earth and rocks from above the cave rained down, sealing the entrance tight.

"Cough, cough, what in the world is that thing, it’s so powerful." Shangguan Jian coughed a few times and waved his hand to clear the dust in the air. He had never seen such a thing before and was naturally filled with curiosity.

"What was that just now, the ground shook and the mountains swayed, such tremendous power."

"Yeah, no idea what kind of Divine weapon the General used."

The nearby soldiers all spoke up, faces full of fear, but the fact that this "explosive" had collapsed the cave and blocked the Qin Army’s Chase did let everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

"Enough, I’ll explain it to you later. All troops, hear my command: retreat at once along this route, then seal this cave completely, there must be no mistakes." Ye Shikai ordered.

"Yes."

"Yes."

The troops withdrew along the previously marked path at a trot. Strictly speaking, this cave passage actually ran clear through the mountain from one side to the other—truly "the work of ghosts and gods." But in order to stop the Qin Army, Ye Shikai could only blow it up; there was no way he could leave this route for the Qin Army.

BOOM, BOOM.

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

"We... finally made it out." When sunlight hit their faces, all the soldiers couldn’t help but cheer and celebrate. This time they had brushed past the Death God. If they had been a stick of incense later, they would have been facing almost certain death.

"Shangguan Jian, send out couriers to inform General Huo and tell him we’ve completely withdrawn and cut off the Qin Army’s Chase. Have him lead the main force to withdraw; we’ll still be in charge of the rear guard." Ye Shikai ordered.

"Alright, I’ll see to it right away."

"Man Cang, how many troops do we still have?" Ye Shikai continued asking.

"Well... about seven thousand, I’d say. If the General hadn’t commanded so well, I’m afraid... even those several thousand wounded wouldn’t have made it."

"General, of those old Central Plains brothers who followed us, there are less than four hundred left." Man Cang suddenly added, his expression dropping at once. They were all fellow townsmen; many were even from the same village and clan. Now they had died in a foreign land, leaving less than four hundred alive.

"They were all good men. I’m the one who dragged them down."

Ye Shikai walked alone along the cliff and raised a stone stele. The soldiers all came forward, faces solemn. For the dead, the rites are heavy; the officers and men silently formed into ranks.

"General, what are you doing?"

"These brothers followed me, leaving their homes behind, all in the hope that one day I could bring peaceful days to them and their families. But I broke my word." Ye Shikai took out his water flask, moistened a cloth, and carefully wiped the stone stele clean. Then he took the sword from his waist and placed it before the stele.

"The dead must have a resting place. We don’t have time to take their bodies, but we have to give their souls a place to be buried. Putting up a clothing mound here will at least offer some comfort to their spirits in heaven." Ye Shikai murmured, stood up, and slowly bowed before the stele.

"Brothers." Ye Shikai walked to the front of the formation and shouted loudly.

"You are all brothers who have followed me through life and death. It’s my incompetence that has left you dying in a foreign land. Today, this campaign is over, but it may be that in the future you will still follow me onto the battlefield. Not dying today doesn’t mean you’ll be fine tomorrow; even if you don’t die tomorrow, there’s the day after, and the day after that... Maybe none of us will live to see the day the world knows peace."

"Man Cang, how many men do we have left in the end?"

"Reporting to the General, counting those still breathing, there are seven thousand two hundred and thirty-five."

"Good. Today I’ll say this to these seven thousand two hundred and thirty-five brothers: if any of you no longer wishes to fight, and wants to go home and live out your days, I absolutely won’t stop you."