Soon, the giant elephants crossed the Danshui River. Perhaps because they had been burned by the fierce fire attacks and roasted for too long, the moment they touched water, these giant elephants felt as if they had come back to life, standing in the water unwilling to come out. But before long, the heat from their bodies was carried away by the rushing river water, and the cold forced them to come ashore, following the sound of bone whistles toward Quanya City.
Shen Kunyang led his men in pursuit, eliminating the Tianfeng soldiers who remained at the rear, capturing many prisoners. Looking across the Danshui River, he saw only a dozen or so elephants struggling to emerge from the river in a disheveled escape. He ordered his men to sound the retreat.
Thus, in this battle… of the giant elephant army led by Sa’er Khan of Tianfeng, only a dozen or so remained. In this engagement, they had lost very few soldiers and could be said to have achieved a great victory!
Shen Kunyang ordered his men to stop, not only because one should not pursue a desperate enemy, but also because they had never prepared to cross to the other side of the Danshui River.
“Clean the battlefield!” Shen Kunyang turned his horse around and shouted.
Bai Qingyu, arriving along the way and knowing the battle had ended, withdrew his troops and returned to the city first, leaving half the soldiers to clean the battlefield, ordering them to bring back any elephant meat that hadn’t been completely burned to see if it could be turned into military rations.
“On New Year’s Eve, have the kitchen soldiers try to see if this elephant meat can be used to make dumplings!” After saying this, Bai Qingyu turned his horse around and led his troops back to the city.
On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month in the first year of Yuanhe, the allied armies of Zhou and Yan jointly attacked the Tianfeng elephant army occupying Pingdu City. Tianfeng suffered a crushing defeat and fled in panic.
After a night of intense battle with nerves stretched tight, the soldiers were immersed in the joy of defeating the giant elephants. After all, these giant elephants had previously seemed invincible to them, yet unexpectedly, in one night, all these giant elephants had died at Pingdu City and Hanwen Mountain.
After daybreak, they extinguished the fires and went down to harvest elephant meat and the armor from the giant elephants, excitedly chattering about being able to eat dumplings made with giant elephant meat on New Year’s Eve, as if they were eating prey they had hunted with their own hands.
On the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, New Year’s Eve, the soldiers inevitably thought of their families. Seeing the elephant meat being harvested, their eyes moistened… how wonderful it would be if their fathers, mothers, wives, and children at home could also taste this elephant meat.
Just as the two armies’ soldiers were busy cleaning the battlefield, and Bai Jinzhi was looking at the giant elephant armor being brought back by the soldiers, wondering how many weapons could be forged from these materials, she heard that Great Zhou soldiers and Yan army troops outside the city were about to start fighting.
A surge of anger rushed to Bai Jinzhi’s head. Then, thinking that the two countries would be one family in the future, she forcibly suppressed her anger, sent someone to inform her eldest sister and fifth brother who were inside Pingdu City discussing matters with Yan’s Ninth Prince and Yan general Xie Xun, then leaped onto her horse saying: “Where are they? Take me to see!”
After listening to Bai Qingyan finish explaining the method for distributing the armor from the elephant army between the two countries, Shen Kunyang wanted to speak but hesitated, looking toward Great Yan’s Ninth Prince, who wore a silver mask.
After thinking quietly for a moment, Murong Yan said, “Although this was a joint effort between our two countries, Yan sent fewer troops than Great Zhou, and it was Great Zhou who set the ambush at Hanwen Mountain. Our Yan received more giant elephants than the Great Zhou, which is unfair to the Great Zhou. Therefore, Great Yan will take only the elephant army from outside the north gate to the front of Hanwen Mountain!”
Xie Xun clenched his fist, feeling dissatisfied again in his heart: “Your Highness, if this is the case… I’m afraid the soldiers below won’t agree.”
Although Great Yan sent fewer troops, without Great Yan’s participation, there would have been no way to inflict such heavy losses on Tianfeng before the elephant army reached Hanwen Mountain, would there?
Moreover, whether it was Great Zhou’s Gao Yijun and Yang Wuce leading troops to capture the city, or the ambush set at Hanwen Mountain, Great Zhou’s soldiers all had the advantage of high ground. They only suffered greater losses when Gao Yijun and Yang Wuce led troops to capture the city, but the Great Zhou’s army at the Hanwen Mountain ambush had the high ground advantage and suffered virtually no casualties.
But Yan was different! Yan’s soldiers all faced the charging elephant army head-on, and their losses could be described as devastating!
Xie Xun had no complaints about Great Zhou taking the city they had captured, but regarding the giant elephants, if not taking more, they should at least be divided equally.
Bai Qingyan was not unaware of Yan’s situation. Due to Yan’s geographical location, they didn’t produce as many mineral resources as the Great Zhou. Now that the Jin Dynasty was to be replaced by the Great Zhou, naturally, the mountains that Xiao Rongyan had purchased in Jin would return to the Great Zhou’s hands.
Even though they could now mine from Wei, it would still take time to forge these into weapons. However, the Tianfeng armor stripped from these giant elephants in this battle could be made into sharp weapons, and the elephant meat could also be made into dried meat to serve as military rations. Although it was a drop in the bucket and couldn’t resolve Great Yan’s food shortage, it was still Great Zhou’s gesture of goodwill.
“This time, Yan’s army at the north gate had no high ground to rely on and faced Tianfeng’s elephant army head-on, suffering heavy losses! Moreover, this was originally a cooperation between our two countries. The Great Zhou took the lead in capturing the city and gained Pingdu City. Regarding the elephants… The Great Zhou should take more.” Bai Qingyan was thinking long-term. “After all, our two countries still need to cooperate going forward. This time I yield a bit, next time you yield a bit – only in this way can we go the distance together. Otherwise, if we both stubbornly guard our interests when dividing these spoils of war, over time we’ll both feel we’re getting the short end, and internal strife might result.”
After hearing Bai Qingyan’s words, Xie Xun turned to look at Bai Qingyan, deeply admiring her magnanimity in his heart. Fearing his prince might refuse, Xie Xun straightened his spine first and bowed to Bai Qingyan: “Emperor Zhou’s broad-mindedness, Xie Xun deeply admires! Xie Xun will remember this kindness in his heart!”
Xie Xun felt that Bai Qingyan’s broad-mindedness might be related to Great Zhou’s confidence. Great Zhou’s predecessor, Jin, had been wealthy to begin with. Later, when Bai Qingyan conquered Great Liang and provided medicine and prescriptions to treat the people’s epidemic diseases, it could be said that more surrendered than fought, without losing much vitality.
But Yan had fought hard for everything they gained.
It could be said that Great Zhou had the confidence to be so generous, but Yan didn’t have such confidence.
Outside Pingyang City.
The Great Zhou soldiers, who hadn’t yet had time to remove their armor and still bore blood on their bodies, and the Great Yan soldiers who likewise hadn’t had time to return, stood in clear lines on opposite sides. They approached each other with noisy arguments and pointing fingers, all glaring angrily with eyes full of hostility, the atmosphere explosive as if a great battle was about to erupt at any moment.
“Was Tianfeng defeated by the Great Zhou alone? Why should the Great Zhou occupy Pingdu City, and also the giant elephants inside Pingdu City… and the giant elephants at Hanwen Mountain are also yours! Did our Great Yan send troops for nothing?” Great Yan soldiers shouted with raised voices, their throats nearly cracking from yelling.
The Great Zhou soldiers weren’t to be outdone, stepping forward and roaring angrily: “Our Duke Gaoyi charged into the city and drove all these giant elephants to Pingdu City’s south gate, and you Yan army just set an ambush at the south gate. You want the giant elephants? You should have killed them yourselves! You didn’t have the ability and let the elephant army escape, and now you’re envious of our greater gains! If you wanted them… why didn’t you send more troops to set an ambush at Hanwen Mountain?”