Chapter 504: A Worthy Death
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The only sound from Dongxuan's army was that of intense sobbing.
Fu Baoguo and Yun Yang bowed respectfully at Han Sanhe's still standing body and then slowly retreated.
This continent's God of War had fought the world for all of his life, bringing immense pain to Yutang's people. But there was no definite sense of right or wrong for their parties both served different rulers and thus held different positions, not necessarily of their own will. His lifetime of merits and achievements were recognized by both Yun Yang and Fu Baoguo but they also felt a sense of loss.
Regardless of what had happened, this was a brilliant militant! A brilliant main marshal!
"Rest in peace." Yun Yang said softly, "For in the next life, we shall fight again."
Fu Baoguo heaved a long sigh, his gaze towards Yun Yang tinged with gentleness. There were not many people who could understand a pure militant like Han Sanhe. Yun Yang's words were not just an acknowledgment to Han Sanhe but also an indication of his great understanding towards the continent's militants.
It was made obvious in the last few words he said… "in the next life they would fight again!"
"Fu Baoguo!"
Zhan Ge shouted from the opposite side, springing up as if crazed; his eyes were bloodshot.
"It's you, it's you who has forced my teacher to his death! Are you just going to leave like this?
Fu Baoguo halted, turning around, he replied coldly, "You and I both know why Marshal Han died today. Zhan Ge, I know you're in grief, but if you plan to disobey Marshal Han's dying wish and insist to continue this war, then Yutang's two hundred thousand brothers and I will suit your wish! Don't be absurd in your thinking!"
Zhan Ge trembled all over at Fu Baoguo words, yet he glared at the latter like he was about to devour him alive. After a prolonged time, his gaze returned to Han Sanhe.
The next moment Zhan Ge ordered his troops in an anguished but loud voice, "Follow marshal's command! Withdraw! Dongxuan's army, withdraw!"
After he had given the command, Zhan Ge spat blood; his muscular body collapsed onto the ground facing the sky.
…
Dongxuan's troop only lingered for half a day before they slowly retreated. The entire army was already wearing mourning attires as they withdrew – white cloths stretching as far as the eye could see.
All the soldiers were weeping quietly as they walked back. On the outside, the army was draped in a depressed atmosphere, but on the inside, their emotions were brewing and threatened to explode from the chests of the soldiers.
Before they left, Dongxuan army's gazed towards Yutang with absolute loathing. So strong was their hatred towards Yutang that in spite of being ardent soldiers, the Yutang army could not help but feel the chills from their gaze.
Thankfully, the Dongxuan army withdrew, regardless of their inner emotions. The war of the century between Yutang and Dongxuan finally drew to a close!
Yutang had won after all!
…
"Victory!"
"We've won!"
Every Yutang militant was yelling loudly; their ecstatic cheers were deafening.
Yun Yang and Fu Baoguo stood at the highest point, shoulder to shoulder, each atop his own horse. Watching the gradually retreating Dongxuan army, but there was no sense of joy on their faces; listening to the thunderous cheers from their own side, but they remained silent. They did not feel relaxed, instead, all they felt was an inexplicable sense of sadness.
The God of War of this time drew his finale just like this. Had he just beheaded himself right before two armies?
To use his life in exchange for the safe return of three hundred thousand soldiers and in exchange for the continuation of the Han Family's glory. He had also used his death to preserve a large number of resources for Dongxuan and an adequate amount of buffering time to recuperate!
In addition to that, he had even obtained the smooth expansion of authority for the current ruler!
Just like Fu Baoguo said, Han Sanhe did not lose to Yutang nor to Nine Supremes; he had only lost to Dongxuan's imperial court. The only thing worthy rejoicing for was perhaps that his passing was on the battlefield, untainted by those political clowns!
"The God of War of our generation has finally come to his end this way." Fu Baoguo commented while feeling very heavyhearted.
As an enemy, Han Sanhe was undoubtedly the person he hated the most. It primarily because of this person's damage to Yutang and to the continent's overall picture had reached such an unprecedented height.
But in spite of this, from a fellow militants' point of view, Han Sanhe was also the person that Fu Baoguo was most impressed with!
Throughout five thousand years of Tianxuan's military history, Han Sanhe's achievements in warfare could be summed up in five words – never before done, unsurpassable after!
He was the absolute God of War!
It was a feat never before done, unsurpassable after!
Yun Yang sighed faintly and said, "Actually, I think Marshal Fu didn't notice the deeper implication of Han Sanhe's conquest. I believe he did not intend to return since the beginning of this war. Whether this war was won or lost, whether he was alive or dead, Han Sanhe's had already decided not to return to Dongxuan anymore."
Fu Baoguo considered Yun Yang's sudden opinion for a long time, finally saying, "I understand half of it. Young Master Yun, do explain the other half."
Yun Yang answered, "When Han Sanhe first set off, perhaps he didn't think he would die. On one hand, he had to cultivate the internal forces of the country to ensure that Dongxuan's military authority will be able to keep up; on the other hand, he had to expend his effort to invade Yutang and conquer it so that it could be used as his personal chip and his largest political influence."
"The purpose of this is painfully obvious."
"As long as he succeeded, he would have been carefree even when facing the whole of Dongxuan, as long as he has half of Yutang in hand!"
"On the contrary, if he had failed, he would have been stuck. There wouldn't be a need to stay alive any longer because his death would only be a matter of time."
Yun Yang calmly analyzed "According to our inside intelligence, Han Sanhe's position in Dongxuan throughout this period of time wasn't the best. He was basically targeted as if under siege. Furthermore, in the name of his country, he has used this war to pour all personal forces of Dongxuan's noble homes into the battlefield."
"And Han Sanhe's brutality didn't stop here. At a time when he was openly savage, he sent all these martial forces over then sent them to death under the Resilience Fortress! This squad was a total of seven hundred thousand people!"
"Although Dongxuan attacked the Resilience Fortress without a care for casualty during this time but actually, Marshal Fu, you were only facing the personal forces under Han Sanhe's command and not Han Sanhe's own elites. There is a decisive difference between these two parties."
Yun Yang continued to narrate his thoughts in a fainter voice, "Han Sanhe has actually cooperated with you, Marshal Fu – by burying all of Dongxuan's toxic forces through a purposeful and unintentional collaboration."
"He's killed nearly a million personal forces thus clearing Dongxuan internally. Even if there is some lingering toxicity, they are of no harm to the overall situation – as long as Dongxuan's emperor is not completely stupid to a f*cking idiot's extent!"
"Hence, Han Sanhe's true feat, an achievement least recognized, lies here."
Upon listening to Yun Yang's intelligent analysis, Fu Baoguo was hit with a sudden realization. "I see."
After a moment, he mumbled, "That's why – that's why! When I estimated the combat power of both armies, my conclusion was that I could only hold out for a limited amount of time before Han Sanhe would breach our defense. But reality proved to be far more favorable than my estimation because we managed to hold out for about two times longer than I expected. If not for that extra buffer, Yutang's chances of losing would have increased by fifty percent! I've thought about it a lot, whilst considering Bai Yi and Marquis Yun's assistance and also considering the relief effort from everywhere else; the only aspect that didn't cross my mind is the reverse assistance from Dongxuan. Matters of the world are truly surprising!"
"That being the case, Dongxuan's nobility and royals loathe Han Sanhe to the core! There was only death awaiting Han Sanhe if he had returned from a lost battle. He was at an awkward impasse, advancing or retreating would both result in death."
"In addition to that, if Han Sanhe had lost the war and returned to Dongxuan alive, Dongxuan's military side would be thoroughly burdened due to the defeat. For a long time, the Dongxuan military would be at an absolute disadvantage with the imperial court. Militants are the worst at arguing especially when they're wrong. They would resort to passively attacking each other, without leaving room for understanding and change.
"Consequently, there's no way that Dongxuan as a country that had just lost its God of War, military strength, combat power, alongside a crushed army, could survive! Even if the nobles have seen this point, they wouldn't have relented because all they think about is their own personal gain! They have always seen personal profit as being the most essential, there's no such thing as justice."
"Then, Dongxuan would have been truly doomed!"
Yun Yang finished on a dramatic note. His voice changed to that of an impressed observer as he delivered his final conclusion, "But the situation is completely different now. Because Han Sanhe died, the debate concerning the source of Dongxuan's defeat, with regards to himself, has been redeemed via death. He died for the lives of three hundred thousand soldiers and the national hate of Dongxuan – he's used his death to overturn all the disadvantages stacked against him!"
"Han Sanhe's death has turned all militants into mourning soldiers!"
"A mourning troop is always prone to becoming extreme and even crazy in their behavior, to the point where it would be almost impossible to be victorious over them. In warfare, there is a saying about how a mourning troop guarantees an absolute victory. But it's not just a saying, because such an army would dare to fight with their lives no matter what enemy they face!"
"I would even dare to suggest that even with the Nine Supremes' assistance now, it might still not be enough to subdue the three hundred thousand mourning soldiers. The biggest influence that the Nine Supremes have over the battlefield is their manipulation of natural forces. Ordinary people are extremely fearful of this power, losing all will to fight once they have encountered it and only wanting to flee for their lives. But in the case of these three hundred thousand mourning soldiers, they have already surpassed the ordinary conceptual understanding of life and death– They will die, but completely unafraid in the face of death itself. Going against such an army, even the Nine Supremes' power will barely be effective!"
"No matter how massive the opposing power is within Dongxuan, if anyone were to dare step out and speak ill about Han Sanhe or to pass even a slight judgment against the Han Family, they would be torn to pieces by Dongxuan's military!"
"Therefore, Han Sanhe had to die. But for him to be able to die so heroically and nobly, Marshal Fu's cooperation was of utmost importance. In a way, you were fulfilling an unspoken favor to him!"