The Demon Lords-Chapter 642 - 114: Waves Sweep Away Everything (Part 4) _2

One didn't even need to think to imagine the chaos that would erupt among the group that had just crossed the river. If they were to be ambushed by the main force of the wild people at this moment, the consequences... were dreadful to contemplate.

Most importantly, the Chu State's navy had cut off the river. This meant the main forces of the Left Army, who had already crossed, had no way of retreating, and subsequent reinforcements could not be sent over either.

The Left Army had effectively become an isolated unit.

"Your Highness?"

Li Bao turned to face the Eldest Prince.

At this critical juncture, the Eldest Prince had to make the decision.

It wasn't that Li Bao was shirking his responsibilities and deliberately pushing the matter onto the Eldest Prince, nor was he afraid to bear the responsibility. However, Wang River, which now seemed to be a chaotic stage where various factions vied for attention...

For the Yan Army at this moment, there were only two paths.

One, sound the gongs and retreat.

The Left Army's fate would then depend on their own fortune, as would Deng Jiuru's.

Since the Yan Army entered Cheng State, they had not engaged in any large-scale conflicts with the wild people. The wild people had initially avoided battle, clearly preserving their strength. Moreover, back when the three families divided the Jin State, both the Situ Family and the Helian Family could occasionally go out to fight and bully the wild people. And their own Lord Jingnan, with only thirty thousand cavalry, could dominate the snow plains. These factors had undoubtedly led Li Bao and generals like him to somewhat underestimate the combat strength of the wild people.

As for Deng Jiuru's side, as long as they defend well, they should be able to hold out, right? After all, this is the army of Great Yan; they can't possibly be routed by the wild people in an instant, can they?

The second option was to continue the fierce assault here. Regardless of whether the Chu State's navy was present or not—whether they came or not—if they could breach this position and capture Jade Plate City, the tide of the war could be immediately reversed.

In fact, to put it bluntly, once both banks of the river were controlled by the Yan Army, no matter when that Chu navy had stealthily moved upstream, as long as it lingered in battle and didn't flee quickly, those ships would sooner or later belong to the Ji Family!

Actually, there was another reason Li Bao couldn't voice. The Emperor had made the Eldest Prince coordinate the various regional military leaders for the campaign in Cheng State, and his intention to integrate these leaders and their forces was very clear.

Furthermore, to speculate even more audaciously, if things truly came to it, sacrificing them was also a possibility...

The Eldest Prince's eyes narrowed as he looked at Li Bao.

Li Bao met his gaze, their eyes locking.

The Eldest Prince immediately ordered the messenger beside him,

"Continue tracking the movements of the Chu State navy!"

"As you command!"

Then, the Eldest Prince drew his saber and growled,

"I, Ji Wujiang, as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition Army, will never abandon my fellow soldiers to die!"

Upon hearing this, Li Bao lowered his head and performed a single-fist salute; he understood.

"Li Bao!"

"Present!"

"Deploy my Personal Guard Battalion immediately. I will personally board a boat to take the opposite bank. Our army has not lost yet. As long as we take the opposite bank and capture Jade Plate City, the situation will still be under our army's control!"

Upon hearing this, Li Bao immediately said,

"Your Highness, that is too reckless! This humble general is willing to lead the charge personally. Please, Your Highness, remain to command the army. You are the commander-in-chief; nothing must happen to you!"

"My decision is final; say no more. You and I both know that with the Chu State navy spanning the river, if we cannot take the other bank this time, then when the Chu State navy comes further downstream and cuts off this area, we will never be able to capture Jade Plate City on the other side.

The Left Army cannot be abandoned! As for Deng Jiuru, regardless of whether he can hold out or not, even if he does, if our army cannot cross the river to reinforce them, the Left Army won't be able to last much longer!"

Raising his saber, the Eldest Prince slashed off his own cloak and roared,

"Personal Guards, board the boats with me!"

"We obey!"

"We obey!"

Surrounded by a throng of his personal guards, the Eldest Prince reached the riverbank, boarded a boat, and personally began to row across the river.

Li Bao chuckled twice. He made no further attempt to stop Ji Wujiang. To put it bluntly, it was only in recent years that the lives of the Ji Family members had become somewhat more valuable. Back in the day, let alone a Prince of the Ji Family, even if the Emperor died in battle, he died in battle. Who would have dared to say anything?

As a military general, Li Bao outwardly advised the Eldest Prince against taking risks, but inwardly, he felt a surge of excitement.

As a member of the North Border Army, back when the Earl of North Border and His Majesty were putting on an act, their subordinates had often dreamed of breaking into Tiancheng Prefecture, conquering Yanjing, and seizing the Emperor's dragon throne for their own Lord to sit on.

Even later, before the County Mistress was confirmed to marry the Crown Prince, such thoughts had not been extinguished.

It was only when the Earl of North Border proactively began to break up the North Border Army that everyone understood that their Lord had completely given up any intention of rebelling and seizing the throne. Only then did everyone calm down.

Now, seeing this again... yes, the men of the Ji Family still possessed that fiery spirit. It wasn't entirely disappointing.

At this thought, Li Bao immediately shouted,

"Assault Battalion, board the boats with me!"

"General, the Eldest Prince has gone, and now you are going too. What will happen here?"

Li Bao's subordinate general, Sui Yuanyi, immediately tried to dissuade him. He was Li Bao's son-in-law and also a favored general under his command.

"Figure it out yourself! If we can't take Jade Plate City, there's no point in fighting this war anymore!"

The Chu people's navy blocked the river. After the appearance of this naval force, the difficulty for the Yan Army to cross the river in the future would increase manyfold, as the Yan Army could not conjure a navy in a short period.

Simultaneously, the Yan Army would very likely lose the Left Army.

This would directly affect and change the strategic posture of the entire Cheng State campaign. Even if the Left Army was not up to par, it was still a regular army of the Yan State. Its combat strength couldn't compare to the North Border or Jingnan forces, but if the Eastern Expedition Army suddenly lost tens of thousands of men, how could they possibly manage the subsequent battles?