Beginning with the Ubume Bird - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Not Reading the Situation

Li Yan kept his sword at his waist and carefully dragged the man out from the mountain of corpses.

The man’s wooden armor was pierced through the abdomen by shrapnel, and specks of blood found their way to Li Yan’s hands. His forehead was hot to the touch. If not for his strong build, he most likely would have died.

A Strong Impression, activate.

Name, Deng Tianxiong. Status: high fever, moderate injuries.

Li Yan didn’t hesitate further. He undressed the man and placed his palm on the wounds. A faint white glow came from his hands.

Yellow Talisman: Chi Healing

The man grunted once in pain. His open wound wriggled visibly as little ball bearings covered in blood squeezed out of the wound.

LI Yan picked them out with the tip of his sword. Although the wound was still blood red and looked bad, the blood vessels seemed to have mostly closed up. The faint white glow lingered around the edges of the wound and would not dissipate for a while.

The man gulped deep breaths of air and color returned to his face. He stared dumbfounded and muttered to himself.

“Taoist magic…”

“Brother, how do I address you?”

Deng Tianxiong swallowed.

“Chengwu Battalion, Sixth Company Captain Deng Tianxiong. Brother, you are…?”

“Chengwu Battalion, Second Company Commander Li Yan.”

Deng Tianxiong blinked and tried to struggle to his feet but Li Yan pressed his body down.

“I pay my respects to Commander Sir.”

The Ming Dynasty army structure was complex, and differed according to location as well. For example, in Qi Jiguang’s army, twelve men formed a unit, three units a squadron, three squadrons a platoon, four platoons a company, two companies a division, and three divisions a battalion. As a mere commander of a company, Li Yan was a long way from the top.

“How are your wounds?”

Deng Tianxiong looked perplexed.

“Sir… your abilities are amazing.”

“Brother Tianxiong, I believe there’s no need for me to elaborate on the situation we’re in. Let’s look around and see if there are any other brothers that lucky enough to have survived. We will save those that we can and liberate those we cannot.”

“But right now we’re…”

Deng Tianxiong looked crestfallen. Three thousand of their fellow men had been wiped out in this cold and frozen foreign land. Anyone in such a position would naturally feel complete despair.

“Our great Ming Empire has millions of soldiers. The Imperial Court will surely strike back harder after this minor setback. Brother Deng, you have managed to survive, and you are about to fight the enemy again. How can you lose heart?”

Li Yan’s voice was calm but his words carried a persuasive power.

Deng Tianxiong came to his senses and suddenly knelt in front of Li Yan.

“Brother Deng, what’s this for?”

Li Yan hurriedly went to help him up. If he had really tried to stop him, there was no way that Deng Tianxiong could have actually managed to kneel.

“That bow was for the Imperial Court. This bow is for my savior. I, Deng Tianxiong, am a boorish man, not good with words. But if Commander Sir will allow me, I offer my unworthy life to be at Sir’s disposal.”

Li Yan’s eyes showed the slightest hint of a smile, but the rest of his face revealed nothing.

“You and I wear the same uniform. Today we have become comrades that will live or die together. There is no need to say such things. Come, let’s see if we can save a few more brothers.”

Deng Tianxiong agreed immediately.

Name: Deng Tianxiong

Status: Moderate injuries, Chi Healing

Specialization: Military Combat 72%, Equestrianism 66%

Skills: Disciplined training

Threat Level: Blue (friendly)

Li Yan was only able to use his Chi Healing skill twenty times for this Yanfu Case, but he was willing to use a few of them here.

In the complex and complicated situation of the Imjin War, an individual’s power was limited. His position as Commander meant he had a dozen or so men working under him. But whether they were lazy men who wouldn’t listen to his orders, or fierce fighters who would bravely charge wherever he ordered, was entirely up to his capabilities.

Right now, he had to gain as many loyal followers as possible within the army. If not, as a mere Company Commander, he would be no better than a pawn when he reached the main Battalion Camp of the Ming army.

The two of them found around a dozen Ming soldiers, still alive but with injuries too severe. One of them even had his waist snapped and his innards spilling onto the ground. He moaned painfully, unable to die. Li Yan slit his throat cleanly, giving him release from his suffering.

“Help me, help me…”

Li Yan followed the voice. At his feet was a bearded middle-aged man in iron armor. He had taken an arrow in his back which had pierced all the way through to the front. His right leg was crushed under a broken cannon and his face was pale.

“I’m a Hundred-Man Leader of the Chengwu Battalion. Help me…”

Li Yan looked at him and got down on one knee.

“This lowly soldier pays his humble respects to you, Hundred-Man Leader, Sir.”

“Help me!”

The man raised his voice slightly.

“Don’t panic, Sir. I’ll get you out right now.”

Li Yan stood up, dusted his trousers, and leaned forward.

“Hurry! Hurry!”

The man shouted feebly.

Li Yan’s hands were on the cannon, his eyes looking down.

“Wise Sir, our brothers have been scattered by the Japanese. As a Hundred-Man Leader, I fear that Sir is the highest ranking amongst our surviving brothers. You are our pillar of support now… May I know what plans you have for us for the next step?”

“Get that thing off of me first. Get more men here, the pain is killing me.”

Li Yan took his time to reply, patting the cannon.

“No need.”

He wrapped both arms around the cannon, putting strength into his legs and waist, and shifted the heavy black cannon barrel away.

The Hundred-man Leader’s right leg was already broken by the cannon and bent into a weird shape.

Li Yan looked as though he was trying to set the man’s broken bones as he asked.

“Should we gather our brothers and head towards Yalu River to look for the main force?”

“Are you mad?”

The middle-aged man shouted, “There are over ten thousand Japanese here in the Joseon area. We haven’t even started, and they wiped us out cleanly.”

Li Yan didn’t bat an eye as he asked, “So what does Sir intend to do?”

“Hide first. Change into Joseon civilian clothes. Then we take it slow from there.”

Li Yan’s voice remained gentle, but he now sounded slightly conflicted.

“As members of the great Ming army, even if we cannot kill the enemy, we should head back to the main camp as soon as possible for our orders. Sir, if you do that, it would be an act of cowardice in the battlefield.”

“What do you know? This is called a strategic retreat.”

“Sir, are you sure you shouldn’t reconsider?”

“Insolence! I’m the superior officer here. Do you dare disobey orders?”

The middle-aged man raised his voice to hide his fear.

However, the man bandaging his leg did not cower and admit wrongdoing as he had expected.

Instead, his hands stopped moving and he looked at him, lips pursed in a sinister smile.

“Sir, you really are bad at reading the situation.”

“What are you… uuuhh.”

Li Yan held his palm against the Hundred-Man Commander’s neck, his fingers turning into claws that closed onto the man’s spinal cord. The middle-aged man’s body shook. His face turned from white to purple as he opened his mouth, unable to say anything.

After a short while, a wet patch seeped out from the man’s pants. His face swelled and turned a darker shade of purple. His life was about to end.

Li Yan squatted there for a while and then closed the man’s eyes with his palm. Suddenly from behind him, he heard the sound of man.

“Commander Sir.”