Two

Three generals walked side by side towards the camp gate, surrounded by a scene of bustling activity. The supply camp provided nearly all the logistical support for the army, with iron workshops for repairing weapons and armor, wood workshops for crafting antlers and fences, and veterinary camps for treating warhorses all established here. Rations were distributed and spoils of war stored in this area. In the somewhat desolate and gloomy Shanyang Pass after the decisive battle, this place was the most lively, resembling a small market. Occasionally, soldiers would carry stretchers out of the barracks, covered with bloodstained white cloths, beneath which lay soldiers who could not be saved. The medical officer stationed at the gate lifted the white cloth and checked the pulse at the neck of one corpse, confirming death, then waved his hand to signal the soldiers carrying the body to hurry along. These corpses passed through the crowd, receiving little more than a glance, as bodies were among the least remarkable sights here.

Our army's supply battalion has indeed been spared, " Gu Yueyi said, " however, we do not have much food of our own, but we do have a lot of oats for the horses, which can also be used as military rations if necessary

Captain Wu turned around with his subordinates and left. Bai Yi watched as their figures disappeared behind the haystack before slowly approaching the shed

Take me there! Bai Yi commanded

The veteran stretched his neck, wanting to take a look.

"Seven and a half silver coins, only five were obtained when the price was low..." The veteran's voice trembled

Xi Yan tapped the back of his neck with the hilt of his sword: "My temper is even more limited than Bai Yi's."

In our Tang dynasty, the rule was to count the number of enemies killed by the pairs of ears, in order to receive the bounty. Therefore, I say we do not count by heads; we count by ears," Xi Yan said with a self-deprecating smile, "General Gu need not feel embarrassed.

Gu Yueyi was slightly taken aback and then smiled: "General Bai is not someone who is overly eager for fame and recognition, is he? However, it is indeed he who led the army to victory, and it is only fitting that he is the first to pay respects to the imperial envoy. He must be anxious to know when he can enter the capital, right? Nevertheless, General Bai does have a somewhat haughty demeanor, which makes it difficult for others to approach him; one might even say he is dismissive of others. While I am not surprised that others say this, it is noteworthy that General Xi, who has been friends with General Bai for many years, also expresses such sentiments, leading one to believe that General Xi harbors some discontent towards General Bai."

He walked lightly, keeping pace with a group of soldiers carrying corpses ahead. Gu Yueyi and Bai Yi followed without understanding the situation, only feeling that the soldiers moved stealthily among the crowd, their eyes furtive, glancing around surreptitiously. Then they all turned towards a corner of the camp by the haystack.

"Imperial Guards!" Bai Yi shouted loudly

Three men followed to a corner where a makeshift shelter was set up with a tarpaulin. The soldiers carrying the corpses set down their stretchers, and the leading sergeant kicked at a broken bronze shield at the entrance of the shelter. An old soldier from the Chu State, with a sallow complexion, emerged from the shadow of the shelter. His face was covered with a white cloth, leaving only a pair of yellowish eyes exposed. The sergeant among the corpse bearers gestured with his mouth towards the corpses behind him.

What is the matter? Do you know? Bai Yi looked at him

The chief medical officer stepped forward and blocked his path, bowing deeply: "General, forgive my frankness, but these matters are of no use to you, General."

What is going on? Bai Yi strode in, his brows furrowed with a murderous rage.

He turned and walked out of the shed. Guyueyi followed behind him and said softly, "The corpses outside the city are still left there to rot, while a few wounded soldiers have been buried..."

He turned to the old soldier kneeling on the ground, shook his head and sighed: "Taking advantage of this logistics camp to profit from the dead is ultimately a despicable act. However, I also understand that you brothers have it tough, with blood on your hands and the stench of corpses all over you, earning a couple of dirty coins. How much is a head worth?"

He shook his head

As the voice fell, the black-clad guards rushed in, drenched in sweat, and knelt on one knee, pressing their sheathed swords.

It is of no use, sighed Xi Yan with a bitter smile, "It is merely a punishment; otherwise, Bai Yi would likely not let them off easily."

The imperial envoy of the capital? Bai Yi was taken aback

At this moment, not far from the supply camp, there is a field hospital for the wounded.

"What a strong smell of lime, what is this place for?" Gu Yueyi lowered her voice to a whisper.

The old soldier trembled: "General, please forgive me! I would never dare to desecrate the bodies of my own brothers... They are merely some dead captives... Someone is buying these heads..."

The veteran does not dare to speak

"The ears have been cut off as well," Xi Yan pointed at a bloody head that had not yet been covered with lime, "The ears can be sold separately, right?"

Xi Yan cast a glance at Gu Yueyi, who averted her gaze. The practice of offering rewards for capturing heads has been a long-standing tradition in the Jinbei army, and the officers tacitly approve of it, leaving Gu Yueyi with little recourse.

The soldiers of the Southern Barbarians carry their own homemade herbs and do not require any medical officers. Those who cannot be saved will be killed by their own comrades, piled together and burned. Friends from the same hometown will take back his necklace and inform the deceased's family that he has died in battle said Bai Yi

"Pass the military law officer!" Bai Yi said coldly

However... the imperial envoy from the capital has just arrived and is currently waiting outside for the general

The newly deceased are all prisoners of war from the country, there is no mistake. "Sergeant frowned, "Doing such dirty work comes with risks; if I had nothing better to do, would I deceive you?

As he spoke, he returned to his usual state of calmness. That trace of fatigue vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed, like the marks left by falling autumn leaves

The imminent is the Apocalypse, and entering the Apocalypse makes resupply exceedingly easy. Yet, has the Emperor still not responded to General Bai's memorial?" Xi Yan inquired

Bai Yi shook his head

"Do not make a sound, go take a look." Xi Yan suddenly interrupted them

Bai Yi! Xi Yan furrowed his brow, "These matters in the military are not significant."

The veteran glanced at him, pulled out five silver coins from the sleeve of his military uniform, and offered them to the sergeant. However, the sergeant was unwilling to touch them, took a step back, lifted the edge of his battle coat to cover his hand, and then accepted the silver coins.

We must resupply quickly!" Bai Yi said in a low voice

Shouldn't we also go meet the esteemed envoy? Gu Yueyi tentatively asked

Three individuals quietly peered into the shed from the side of the large vehicle. It was a rather spacious area, where dozens of soldiers were covered in white cloth. Some of them were stripping the armor from the corpses, removing the iron and ornaments from them, and then dragging the naked bodies to a corner of the shed. In the corner, there were soldiers wielding iron axes; as soon as a corpse was dragged over, one of them would immediately bring down the axe, severing the neck. The ones holding the iron axes appeared to be seasoned veterans, skilled in their actions, chopping as if they were splitting firewood. Sometimes, a single blow would not suffice to sever the spine, requiring an additional strike, and they showed no hesitation.

What is inside? The inquiry of Xi Yan suggests that there is clearly something buried within the lime.

A piercing and mournful roar suddenly emanated from the barracks, sending a shiver through the hearts of those who heard it. The roar abruptly ceased, followed by a cacophony of chaotic voices, as if the wounded soldiers inside had all risen, and someone was loudly speaking, creating a tumultuous din

Bai Yi's face was tense as he silently prodded the lime with the hilt of his sword. An object emerged from the lime, and Bai Yi's hand, gripping the sword, trembled slightly before he stopped. It was a shriveled human head, with a shaved scalp still showing a green tattoo, clearly resembling a soldier from the Nationalist Army. The head had its eyes tightly shut, and the face bore the remnants of pain from its final moments. Xi Yan also used the hilt of his sword to poke around, revealing more heads. The heads were tightly closed, their faces still showing the agony of death. This pile of lime was neatly stacked with hundreds, if not thousands, of severed heads, preserved through desiccation to prevent decay. Each face was grayish-white, eyes firmly shut, exuding a pure silence of death that sent a chill deep into the hearts of all present.

In the barracks behind them, there were over 200 wounded soldiers, while this camp accommodated no fewer than 12,000 wounded soldiers from the allied forces. The medical officers from various armies were insufficient, so they gathered all the wounded and medical officers into one regiment, hoping to increase the speed of treatment. However, before the army's withdrawal, they set fire to the place, resulting in significant losses of supplies for the allied forces, which had already been lacking medicine for several days. The medical officers had no essential medicines; all they could do was to excise the necrotic tissue and cauterize the wounds to prevent them from festering. The number of deaths among the wounded soldiers had been rising daily. Three individuals came together to the wounded soldiers' camp and took a look around, feeling utterly helpless.

"It is truly not expensive," Xi Yan said in a low voice. "Then I will go and tell Bai Yi that he will not impose heavy penalties on you. For those heads that have not yet been sold, you few are responsible for their burial. Furthermore, you need not sleep tonight; you will be on patrol for a month. In the future, if any other wounded soldiers die, it will also be your responsibility to bury them properly. Should there be any further discoveries of desecrated corpses..."

I have harbored dissatisfaction towards him for many years, however, I have already grown accustomed to it

The veteran from Chu Wei, who had paid for the corpse, was a leader. He was taken aback and rushed over, ready to express his anger, but then he saw Bai Yi's pale face. He recognized Bai Yi; there was not a single person in the Chu Wei army who did not know this world-renowned general, nor was there anyone who dared to defy his authority. The veteran's legs went weak, and he half-knelt down, trembling and afraid to respond.

It is not the worst yet, but the food supply is also depleting. Xi Yan said, The army of the public is truly a group of ferocious beasts, and their defeat does not allow us to have it easy. The rice and flour we have left can last at most for ten days.

Bai Yi shook his head. A large cart outside the shed was filled with lime, and one side of the canvas shed was supported by several bamboo poles propped up against the cart.

Gu Yueyi exclaimed: "It is a helper for those who fear not death!"

He had no time to converse with Xi Yan and Gu Yueyi, and followed the bodyguard away with large strides. Xi Yan and Gu Yueyi exchanged a glance.

"There will be medication, just do your best." He repeated it.

Bai Yi, Xi Yan, and Gu Yueyi emerged from the barracks. Gu Yueyi closed the door, but was unable to block out the moans and wails emanating from within. Bai Yi's face was haggard, his brows furrowed, and his lips pressed thin. Xi Yan and Gu Yueyi also appeared unwell; they exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

"There will be medication available, just do your best," said Bai Yi

The words of the medical officer carried a tone of reproach, yet Bai Yi did not become angry. The doorknob was in his hand, but he did not push the door open. After a moment of silence, he slowly released the doorknob, taking a deep breath and revealing a hint of weariness in his expression

The leader of the medical officers also emerged from the barracks, an elderly man with graying hair and beard. He approached Bai Yi and said, "General, this is the situation; the other barracks are the same. If the supply of medicine continues to fall short..."

"Just now, we needed to amputate a useless leg, but we have no anesthetics. The wounded soldiers probably cannot endure the pain," the chief medical officer said in a low voice. "There is something worse; some cannot bear it and quietly cut their wrists. Every day, a few do this, and those here have become accustomed to it. The general still does not come often enough."

The heads rolled on the ground, while the veterans chopped and hacked, their expressions blank.

It is indeed an imperial envoy. We learned from Mr. Xie, the staff officer, that the general would be inspecting the supply camp today, so we did not dare to delay and immediately escorted the envoy here. My brothers were just searching for the general nearby when I heard the general's voice.

Bai Yi was taken aback, turned around, grasped the doorknob, and was about to push the door open.

The number of injured under Ying Wuyi may not be fewer than ours, and I do not know how he will handle it. He still has to lead the army back to the homeland via the Canglan Road, " Gu Yueyi said, feeling that he was merely trying to make conversation to alleviate the oppressive silence among the three of them.

Xi Yan slightly extended his hand, blocking the space between Bai Yi and the veteran: "It can be roughly guessed that in the countries of Chun, Jinbei, and Chen, there is a customary practice in the military to reward based on the number of severed heads captured. Your Chu Wei State does not have this rule, but heads are still valuable. He decapitates the corpses and takes the heads to the camps of other countries in exchange for rewards"

Given Bai Yi's character, he is likely hurrying to pay his respects to the imperial envoy, probably forgetting about us. It would be best for us not to join this commotion. In this battle, it is General Bai who is in the spotlight, it is General Bai who reports the victory to His Majesty, and it is still General Bai whom the envoy wishes to meet. Bai Yi is anxiously waiting for the Emperor's approval of his memorial, as he is eager to lead his troops to the capital for supplies and is also thinking about visiting the Zhenghe Hall to meet the Emperor. "Xi Yan coldly snorted, 'This person never considers others; he monopolizes power in military campaigns, claiming victory as his own and attributing defeat solely to himself. Even with talent in warfare, he remains quite unlikable.'"

Xi Yan and Gu Yueyi both shook their heads. It is not easy to obtain a large amount of supplies in this place. The various stocks in Shangyang Pass had already been burned out when the troops withdrew, and even for the nearest city of the Chu Wei Kingdom, it would take as long as twelve days to gather and transport the medicines.

"Dirty?" The old soldier laughed with a cawing sound like a hawk and turned to go back into the shed