Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 496: Chapter 354: No Victorious General Without Thousands of Bones Withered

The sight of His Highness Prince Mu ordering the punishment of those women was still fresh before their eyes, and even now, as they recalled it, their bottoms throbbed with pain!

The War God of Great Zhou, Prince Mu, decisive in killing, inscrutable in mood...

”Miss, His Highness Prince Mu was so angry to see you injured that he severely punished everyone in Paulownia Courtyard. He comes to see you twice every day...” Ru Ge thought about her bruised bottom and shuddered with fear.

Hearing this, Huo Shuixian’s brow furrowed slightly, ”He punished everyone in Paulownia Courtyard?”

The people in Paulownia Courtyard were all those she had brought from the Capital City!

”Yes, Miss, each person received fifty heavy strikes!” Ru Ge said as she rubbed her bottom, which still hurt so much after many days that she could hardly sit or stand in peace!

What kind of people are there in Prince Mu’s Mansion? The mansion is full of guards, all of whom came from military backgrounds, so you can imagine how heavy their hands are!

They had indeed suffered greatly!

Upon hearing it was only fifty heavy strikes, Huo Shuixian immediately felt relieved!

As a mistress, it was common to beat servants when displeased, and to Huo Shuixian, such matters were no more ordinary!

”Brother Mu is only taking out his anger on you because of my injury, so don’t harbor any resentment, alright?” Huo Shuixian thought of her Brother Mu and a tender, water-like smile appeared on her frail face.

Brother Mu knew! Brother Mu knew full well that she had sent the wet nurse to assassinate Gu Changsheng, yet still he harbored deep affection for her!

”Brother Mu takes time out of his busy schedule to see me every day. With such deep affection, I am determined not to fail him!” Huo Shuixian said, her eyes filled with resolution.

Ru Ge and Ru Yu exchanged glances upon hearing this, not knowing how to respond.

Meanwhile, Yuan Bao on the roof couldn’t help but bite his own lip hard, his face immediately contorted in pain.

Hisss! This Huo Shuixian is truly delusional!

His master doesn’t have deep feelings for her, does he?

His master visits her daily only to check on the condition of those who were punished by Lady Changsheng. That’s all!

Yuan Bao couldn’t help but sneer. Lady Changsheng was right, some people are just too good at flattering themselves!

Huo Shuixian really thinks too highly of herself!

And now, after all this, she still harbors thoughts of revenge?

Her current predicament, it was simply a consequence of her own actions. If it weren’t for his master needing her, Lady Changsheng would have killed her long ago!

Having heard enough, Yuan Bao lost interest in listening further and shuffled his plump body off the roof.

...

”Is she awake?” Zhou Mu stood tall in Lansheng Courtyard, looking up at the stars twinkling in the sky, his face a picture of desolation.

Yuan Bao nodded and spoke irritably, ”She’s awake, alright. Not just awake, she’s also plotting how to flay and dismember Lady Changsheng, to feast on her flesh and drink her blood for revenge!”

Zhou Mu, without turning his head, responded indifferently, ”What’s the point in arguing with a dead person?”

His Changsheng had already sealed Huo Shuixian’s fate!

Huo Shuixian tried to harm his beloved time and time again and deserved to die for it!

Yuan Bao thought about it and agreed. Knowing Lady Changsheng’s temperament, she would never let go of the fact that the Futu Demoness sent by Huo Shuixian had hurt her people!

Remembering the past, the Former City Lord Xiao Chengwen had ended up with his entire clan exterminated by Lady Changsheng, hadn’t he?

Yuan Bao thought of the bloody scene of Lady Changsheng, like a fierce Rakshasa, and his round body shivered!

When Lady Changsheng gets angry, it’s really terrifying. Truly!

After a while, seeing his master still staring into the night sky, Yuan Bao moved closer and looked up in the direction his master was gazing...

The stars were still the same stars, the moon was still the same moon. There was no difference, right?

Yuan Bao was puzzled, wondering if the night sky his master saw was different from his own. With doubt in his heart, Yuan Bao couldn’t help but ask, ”Master, what are you looking at?”

How could his master look at the stars and see sorrow?

Yuan Bao blinked, thinking maybe he was overthinking.

Zhou Mu heard him and closed his deep, unfathomable eyes before opening them again. He slowly raised his long hand, pointing to the south, ”According to the timing, the war in Southern Fujian is coming to an end. I wonder how many people will lay buried in foreign lands...”

Having said this, a shadow crossed Zhou Mu’s eyes, revealing a deep heartache, ”Chang Shou once said, every person is a star in the sky. If that is true, then let me see them off from here...”

Yuan Bao’s smile vanished immediately upon hearing this...

Southern Fujian...

There were his master’s million elite soldiers and the Japanese Pirates who had terrorized Southern Fujian for hundreds of years!

A fierce battle was surely imminent...

With this thought, a tear appeared in Yuan Bao’s eye, ”Master, Yuan Bao will join you in seeing them off!”

Zhou Mu nodded at the words, his heart filled with a thousand kinds of sorrow.

He had spent his life in battle, killing countless enemies and was no stranger to the pain of parting and death.

Yet, this war could have been without casualties...

”Success built on thousands of bones leaves the ruler guilty of selfishness,” Zhou Mu muttered dejectedly.

How could the troops stationed in Jiangnan Road for years, living in comfort, stand up to the elite forces from the other three kingdoms?

He had ordered the million troops in Southern Fujian to hurriedly return, for the sake of his Changsheng and also to deter the other three kingdoms, to win a brief moment of peace for the world!

”Master, it’s not that you’re selfish, but the situation forced it! The Crown Prince of Southern Chen, Sima Changhao, actually led ten thousand light cavalry on a mission to Great Zhou. Yuan Bao has seen it; they are all elite soldiers and valiant generals!” Yuan Bao quickly stepped forward to comfort him, speaking indignantly, ”It’s clear as day what his intentions are! Does he really think nobody knows?”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mu let out a long sigh...

All the nations eyeing each other greedily showed signs of chaos in the world, as Hetian said, he couldn’t escape it...

...

The coast of Southern Fujian.

The shores had just seen a fierce battle, now in a state of disarray!

First came severed limbs and torsos, and the sight was blood-red! The bodies of the soldiers lay in pools of blood, still bearing the hideous expression of dying in a blood-soaked battle...

Surveying the corpses strewn before him, both enemy and ally, General Er, his body covered in fresh blood, eyes red with agony, grabbed General One, who was plunging forward into the fight, and screamed with all his might, ”Big brother! Stop the chase! So many soldiers have already died, isn’t that enough?”

”The General’s order is to cut the grass and remove the roots, leave none behind!” General One, holding his spear tightly, spoke with a cold expression.

Blood dripped down the tip of his spear, falling onto the corpse of a comrade nearby, blending with their blood in an instant...

A pain flashed through General One’s eyes, and he turned his face away, refusing to look any longer...

”Don’t chase a desperate foe; how could the General not know such an obvious principle?” General Er, clutching his big brother’s battle robe and refusing to let go, pleaded with tearful eyes, ”Big brother, we’ve already suffered heavy casualties, please no more chasing...”

The bloody battlefield before them was the most ironclad evidence!

Those familiar comrades had fallen one by one around them, all because of that one military command...

”Why? Why suddenly change tactics? It didn’t have to be this way! If we just waited! Just waited out the winter, we could have easily triumphed without spending a single soldier, why do we have to do this? Why, exactly?” General Er looked at the grievous sight before him and roared in anguish.

According to the original strategy, they only had to ambush the Japanese pirates as they landed to catch them off guard!

Without provisions to get through the winter, even if the Japanese pirates managed to flee back to the sea, it would still be a self-inflicted ruination!

But now... now they were relentlessly pursuing the cornered Japanese pirates!

With no way to retreat, the Japanese pirates could only fight a desperate last stand!

Even though their soldiers were brave and skilled, the casualties were still significant...

”There are no whys! When the General gives an order, none dare to disobey! General Er, if you shrink back now in the midst of battle, are you forcing me to execute you?” General One’s face flashed with a resolute light, eyes filled with firm determination as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, General Er shook his head, raised his hand to point forward, ”Big brother! Look! Look with your own eyes! Those are our soldiers! They didn’t have to die! Why, knowing there will be needless casualties, must we continue?”

”They are innocent! They have flesh and blood and families! Why must we let them die here before it’s considered enough?”

”My life was saved by the General, and if he wishes, I’d give it to him without blinking – my loyalty to the General knows no fear of death! But they are so innocent, this battle so inexplicable! Why...”

General One, looking at the nearly crazed General Er, a flicker of reluctance passed through his eyes, but he finally hardened his heart and said, ”If the General has issued an order, then there must be a reason for it! Follow orders from above, General Er, if you truly swear to die for the General, then pick up your sword and fight hard! Without a victory in this battle, there’s no return, dead or alive!”

After finishing his declaration, General One no longer glanced at General Er, waving his spear toward the panicked Japanese pirates scrambling to board their ships, and roared with bloodthirst, ”Pass down the command, board the ships and give chase!”

”Deputy General, we’re not good at naval combat, pursuing at sea will inevitably result in...” the messenger started, a look of reluctance flashing across his face.

General One, with a resolute face and a voice as firm as if striking the ground, declared, ”The General has given his order, leave no Japanese pirates behind. Today, even if I am buried at sea with you all, I vow to slaughter every last pirate! Charge with me!”

As his words fell, General One brandished his spear and dashed towards the coast at the forefront...

By the seashore, another round of bloody combat began amidst the flash of swords and knives...

One man fell, another took his place, and soon the sea was stained red with blood, the churning red waves callously washing over the fallen soldiers...

”Damn it all! It’s just death; I’m with you!” General Er, furiously wiping the fresh blood off his face, brandished his longsword and dashed toward the seaside...

In the night sky above, stars twinkled while ordinary households had long since fallen into slumber, yet this piece of sea had already been dyed red with blood...

Roaring and fighting continued ceaselessly...

For centuries, the Japanese pirates had occupied the coastal waters of Southern Fujian. Driven to desperation, they fought back—a battle that went from the shore to the water’s edge, and from there onto the ships, eventually becoming a sea chase and a slaughter...

Countless soldiers fell, their bodies sinking into the sea...

Countless bloody waves startled away all seabirds...

With the sun’s rising and setting, the moon’s waxing and waning, many soldiers found their graves in foreign lands, many buried at sea...

Without victory, there’s no return, dead or alive...