Sure enough, not long after Li Yan's order was given, the sounds of shouting and killing around them slowly faded.
Finally, the entire west flank fell silent. However, the soldiers of the State of Meng did not retreat. The remaining fifty or so men still stood their ground, their eyes bloodshot.
They only aimed their weapons at the surrounding enemies, showing no intention of withdrawing themselves.
Some of them could see the situation here through the gaps in the crowd, while others, after hearing the shouts of the Imperial Dynasty soldiers, hesitated and temporarily ceased their resistance.
"Now, it's your turn!" Li Yan said, his head down, staring at the silver-armored woman on the ground.
The silver-armored woman pursed her lips and propped herself up slowly with her elbows. Through the gaps between the Imperial Dynasty soldiers, she saw the battlefield formation of several small skirmish groups, and a sense of desolation rose in her heart.
The unit she led was comprised of the finest soldiers selected from various camps in the State of Meng. To think that out of a thousand-man army, only a few dozen remained. Although she wasn't sure of the exact number left, she could make a rough guess.
She knew that if the enemy simply held his great halberd over her head for these soldiers to see, they would immediately commit suicide on the spot without hesitation if it meant her life could be saved.
"Let them go, and I will tell you everything you want to know," the silver-armored woman said slowly, looking at Li Yan.
"Hehehe, letting them go is no problem. It's just that I can only let them return the way they came."
Li Yan looked at the woman on the ground and said coldly. As soon as he spoke, the air between them seemed to freeze, and a momentary silence fell.
"Is General Li trying to cut off our retreat? Then what is there to talk about? Just kill me," the silver-armored woman's face also turned icy.
"Oh, a retreat? For an invading enemy, my allowing you to leave is already an act that will anger the court. Do you expect me to let you join forces with your eastern army and attack us together?"
A trace of mockery appeared in Li Yan's eyes. But the feeling this silver-armored woman gave him was too strange; otherwise, he would have ended her life with a single palm strike long ago. The enemy army on the east flank had not yet retreated, so where was the time to get entangled with her?
After Li Yan finished speaking, silence fell between them again. The silver-armored young woman just watched Li Yan quietly, not speaking again.
Both of them knew what the decision just now meant. It seemed that Li Yan had let go of dozens of soldiers from the State of Meng, but in reality, not a single one of them would survive.
Without any supplies and without the silver-armored woman's leadership, returning along the original path was no different from suicide.
Gradually, the soldiers of the State of Meng in the distance began to grow restless. Some of them could barely see the situation over here, but most of them, after such a long time, still couldn't see their general return, and a fierce look returned to their eyes.
But all of this, in the eyes of the Imperial Dynasty soldiers, was met with cold sneers. Under Cui Feng's command, most of their men had already gone east to provide support.
Of the several hundred men left, at the very least, three were surrounding one enemy. If not for their Marshal's lack of a new order, these men from the State of Meng would have already been reduced to a pile of minced meat.
Seeing the soldiers of the State of Meng begin to stir, the Imperial Dynasty forces, from the deputy generals down to the soldiers, were naturally happy for them to make the first move. At that point, the enemy would just be seeking their own death.
Li Yan thought to himself, 'These fifty or so men who remain are the most ferocious and hardened soldiers, especially the seven deputy generals who are exceptionally brave. If they were to go to the east, it would only increase our casualties and serve no other purpose. But I am desperate to know the origin of this person before me. What should I do?'
Li Yan gradually became frustrated. He didn't know why he, who had always been decisive in killing, was acting so abnormally today.
Li Yan frowned. "If you want them to go to the east, then you should give up that idea sooner rather than later. How about this: you answer a few of my questions, and I will let you all go. With your martial arts, since you were able to get here, you can surely lead them away."
He didn't want to get entangled here any longer, especially because he hated these bizarre thoughts he was having today. Moreover, he had a feeling that he would be completely unable to strike a killing blow against this strange silver-armored woman today.
"You will let me go?" The silver-armored woman finally spoke again, a strange look in her eyes as she addressed Li Yan.
"Though I, Li, am no gentleman of honor, my word is my bond. Do you think my reputation is unearned?"
Li Yan already felt uneasy about this woman who felt both strange and inexplicably familiar. This was an unease that shook his usually strong self-confidence.
"My name is Dong Min. I hold the rank of Guard General. This time, I led the troops on a surprise attack from the west!" The silver-armored woman was now sitting cross-legged on the ground, naturally exuding a beauty that combined unparalleled heroic spirit with the grace of a secluded orchid.
It was a strange kind of beauty. Her three thousand black hairs cascaded down like a waterfall, and her swan-like, fair, jade neck radiated an alluring luster.
After listening, Li Yan seemed to be in deep thought with his head lowered. After a few more breaths, he couldn't help but look up. Seeing her gaze upon him like calm water, he was taken aback.
"That's it?"
"That's it. The surprise attack failed, and my martial arts are inferior to yours. What else is there to say?"
"Which sect are you from? Which family?"
"A disciple of the Yuanqing Sect. As for my family, you wouldn't know it even if I told you. It is precisely because my family is poor and humble that, as a woman, I had no choice but to join a sect, hoping for some backing." "The Yuanqing Sect... What is Chang Peng to you?"
Li Yan, of course, knew of the Yuanqing Sect. It was the great guardian sect of the State of Meng, but it accepted disciples regardless of their wealth or gender. The sect's transmission elders would always travel far and wide to seek out talented individuals, bring them back to the sect for careful nurturing, and then send some to the court of the State of Meng while others would roam the martial world.
So, it was possible for the silver-armored woman to have joined the Yuanqing Sect as she claimed. Although the status of women in this world was not very low, they were ultimately expected to depend on men for their entire lives.
But there were still many ambitious women who believed themselves to be no less capable than men and would embark on this arduous path to satisfy their hearts. Joining the Yuanqing Sect was a common path for many in the State of Meng, not just for women, but for men as well.
All the disciples who ultimately passed the Yuanqing Sect's trials would go on to make a great name for themselves in the martial world and become pillars of the court. It could be said that the Yuanqing Sect had cultivated countless fine generals for the State of Meng.
"Chang Peng is my Third Martial Uncle." Dong Min did not show any surprise but said slowly. Her master had five martial siblings, and this Chang Peng was the one with the highest martial arts among the five, having entered the Transformation Realm twenty years ago.
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but size up the black-armored man before her again with her beautiful eyes. She knew that when this man first rose to prominence, countless people in the Yuanqing Sect wanted to kill him to reduce the threat to the Imperial Dynasty.
However, this man rarely appeared in the martial world. The first time he went out to duel with a Transformation Realm master, the Yuanqing Sect, upon hearing the news, had hurriedly sent Dong Min's Second Martial Uncle. But the final result shocked everyone.
Although Dong Min's Second Martial Uncle was not the strongest in the Yuanqing Sect, he was ranked in the top three and had been famous for many years. Yet, he only lasted fifty moves against Li Yan before being struck by his halberd, vomiting blood and nearly dying on the spot.
When he was carried back, he was barely breathing. After two years of recuperation, he could barely walk, but most of his martial arts were crippled.
This incident greatly angered the Yuanqing Sect. A few years later, the top master of the Yuanqing Sect, Chang Peng, challenged Li Yan, but Li Yan ignored him.
It wasn't until five years later, when Li Yan reappeared at a martial arts competition for Transformation Realm masters, that he coincidentally met Chang Peng. The two fought for half an hour, and in the end, both were struck by the other's palm.
Li Yan only had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but Chang Peng immediately wilted, completely unable to fight on. He barely managed to withdraw from the battle. From then on, Li Yan's fame was unparalleled, and the depth of his power was beyond anyone's guess.
"Chang Peng is your Third Martial Uncle. You should be aware of what happened that day. Although you have entered the Transformation Realm, you are still far too inferior to me!"
A slight smile played on Li Yan's lips, but in Dong Min's eyes, it made her grind her silver teeth in hatred. She too was a rare prodigy, her cultivation progressing by leaps and bounds.
So, upon achieving success, she had wanted to find Li Yan for a match. But this Li Yan stayed in the army all day long. Even if she was confident in her peerless martial arts, how could she dare to go alone into a military camp of millions to seek trouble with him?
If the other party was determined to harm her, under a volley of ten thousand arrows, she would die in an instant, no matter how great her martial arts were.
In Dong Min's heart, she of course believed that her Second and Third Martial Uncles, like her own master, although they had successively entered the ranks of the world's martial arts masters, were after all old and frail.
They were all over fifty years old, but this Li Yan was in his prime, the peak of his life. So, her Third Martial Uncle had lost due to old age and frailty.
But after today's battle, she truly knew that even if she cultivated arduously for another ten years, the most she could hope for against the man before her was probably a draw.
But she said lightly, "In a war between two nations, personal martial prowess is but one factor!"
Li Yan sneered at these words in his heart. Personal martial prowess was often the key to turning the tide, just like him, who had turned defeat into victory for the Imperial Dynasty on the southern border countless times.
But at this moment, what he cared about most was why this woman felt so familiar.
"You feel quite familiar to me. Could it be that you and I have met before, or even fought?"
There were many who had tried to assassinate Li Yan. If he had fought someone normally, he would certainly remember them clearly. So, what he meant was that he suspected she might have disguised herself to assassinate him before, and that was why he felt a sense of familiarity from her build and some of her mannerisms.
As soon as Li Yan said this, the silver-armored woman was also taken aback, because ever since she had seen Li Yan clearly, she too had an inexplicable feeling that he was someone she was very familiar with.
Moreover, her feelings about Li Yan defeating her had lost the defiance and hostility she had felt before they met. Instead, a strange feeling arose in her heart.
Now that Li Yan had spoken, that strange feeling surged even more strongly in her heart. It was as if he had seen right through her thoughts. A blush immediately spread across her jade-like face.
She cursed herself inwardly. How could she ridiculously develop such a girlish mentality? For a moment, her heart began to race.
Dong Min forcibly suppressed her panic and said, feigning calmness, "Does General Li think I am some kind of petty thief, to commit such an act as assassination?"
Li Yan tilted his head and thought for a moment. It made sense. Given her status, and the fact that he was always in a key military location, only some death-sworn assassins would attempt such a thing. A Transformation Realm master really wouldn't stoop to that.
Thinking of this, Li Yan waved his hand in resignation. "Then you may go. I imagine your internal breath has now stabilized. If you're thinking of launching a sneak attack on me, it would be in vain. I, Li, always keep my word. You take your remaining soldiers and return the way you came. I will not give the order to pursue. However, if you try to attack again or have any other ill intentions, hehehe, then you will never go back!"