Fighting Bloody Battles To Defend The Border, The Love-Brained Empress Ordered The Troops To Withdraw? - Chapter 9

“Yes, sir!”

The soldier answered crisply and hurried off to deliver the command.

Duan Peng instinctively gave a slight bow. That firm voice carried the weight of a battlefield order, and it stirred deep admiration within him for Li Yunfei.

There was never any doubt about Li Yunfei’s leadership in war.

His command over defense strategy was second to none.

Truth be told, Shanhe City’s forces were running thin. Yet, under Li Yunfei’s command, the city still stood like an impenetrable fortress.

Forget the current small group of enemy raiders—if the full barbarian horde dared return, they would still face utter defeat!

Without delay, Duan Peng accompanied Li Yunfei on another round of inspection, answering all questions the general posed along the way.

It wasn’t until the sun was overhead that the two finally returned to the general’s residence.

“Report!”

Before Li Yunfei could sit, a panicked soldier burst in, stumbling in his haste.

His face was drenched in cold sweat.

Li Yunfei and Duan Peng immediately tensed.

In a time of such unrest, even a moment’s delay could cost lives.

“Is something wrong with the rations?” Li Yunfei asked, heart already bracing.

The soldier dropped to his knees. “General, we’ve just confirmed—three days ago, multiple small barbarian units breached the villages outside the city.”

“The group we spotted from the wall today wasn’t approaching—they were retreating!”

Before the soldier finished, Duan Peng shot to his feet, disbelief written across his face.

“That’s impossible!”

“General, you arranged a defensive net outside Shanhe City. Even with limited manpower, the patrols have been running day and night.”

“How could the enemy have gotten through without a trace?”

“And plunder the villages?”

Li Yunfei’s brow furrowed deeply.

He had personally set up warning beacons and rotating patrols. Even if a few barbarians slipped through, how could they have gone unnoticed for days?

Still trembling, the messenger added, “I don’t know how they did it. But word from the outposts confirms it. Several groups struck multiple villages… looting, killing, burning everything in sight.”

“They only began retreating today.”

Li Yunfei’s bl00d boiled.

Now wasn’t the time to trace the failure—he had to act.

“Duan Peng,” he barked, “assemble five thousand elite troops. Sweep the surrounding villages.”

“If we encounter any barbarian troops—we take their heads!”

“Understood!”

Within moments, the elite cavalry was gathered.

This force was the backbone of the army Li Yunfei had rebuilt after the last siege—formed around remnants of the legendary White Robe Army he once trained.

While they couldn’t match the original White Robe Corps in discipline or skill, every one of them had survived brutal combat under Shanhe’s walls.

They were hardened warriors now.

And their fighting spirit was nothing short of terrifying.

“Move out!”

With Li Yunfei’s command, the cavalry thundered through the city gates like a tidal wave, raising clouds of dust in their wake.

Wherever they passed, citizens stepped aside with reverence.

Some looked at the soldiers with hope—others gazed at Li Yunfei with deep trust in their eyes.

But Li Yunfei didn’t let himself be distracted.

As they approached the outer villages, the gravity of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders.

Shanhe City—established by Emperor Wu and expanded by Emperor Xuan—was a prosperous stronghold. But its surrounding villages told a different story.

Poverty, neglect, and decay.

And now—destruction.

The deeper they rode into the countryside, the clearer the devastation became.

Roads had been torn up. Homes reduced to ash. Scattered goods littered the paths—grain, personal items… and bodies.

Dead civilians.

Men, women… children. Ordinary folk, slaughtered and left to rot in the open fields.

Li Yunfei’s throat tightened.

His vision blurred for a moment. The rage in his chest surged like a firestorm.

“They really came…” he muttered, voice cold with fury.

“They came to wipe everything out.”

Behind him, silence fell over the troops.

But that silence was charged—like a blade drawn, waiting to strike.

Only Duan Peng spoke, his voice trembling with grief and anger.

“These beasts…”

“They never saw us as human. Just prey.”

“Look what they did… it’s worse than any raid in recent years.”

“How did they sneak past your defenses, General?”

“How?”

Li Yunfei gritted his teeth. “We’ll get answers later.”

For now, he pointed to a ruined village in the distance—its wreckage more chaotic than the rest.

“Let’s head there.”

“See if anyone survived.”

“Yes, General!”

Duan Peng spurred his horse and rode beside him.

As they approached, a chill settled over the troops.

A blazing fire still consumed the south end of the village. Black smoke drifted lazily from the north, the aftermath of another blaze.

From within, the sound of weeping carried on the wind—gut-wrenching, raw.

The entire village was in ruins.

Li Yunfei ordered the cavalry to halt a distance away. He dismounted, leading only a handful of personal guards forward on foot to avoid trampling what little remained.

As they reached the entrance, an elderly woman in tattered clothes rushed toward them.

She fell to her knees.

“General Li?”

“Is that you?”

She looked up with streaming tears. “Bless you, General… if you hadn’t held the city, those barbarians would’ve butchered us all!”

“My family… we owe you our lives!”

She bowed deeply, sobbing.

Li Yunfei bent down and gently lifted her.

“Please, madam, no need for this. It’s my duty to protect our people.”

He spoke with care. “We received word that several villages were raided. I came to confirm it with my own eyes.”

“Don’t worry—once I understand what happened, I’ll see justice done.”

“Even if I have to ride into the barbarian camp myself—I’ll take their heads and repay every innocent life they took.”

There was no hesitation in his voice.

This was his vow—not just as a general, but as a man.

But to his astonishment, the old woman looked at him in confusion.

“General… what are you talking about?”

“No barbarians came.”

“We’re all safe.”