Chapter 30: Casualties
Yang Zhengshan flew back more than ten steps, using the gun butt to prop himself up.
“Father, are you alright?”
Yang Minghao, who had been staring at Yang Zhengshan, rushed forward with concern, asking anxiously.
Yang Zhengshan shook his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the burly man with a beard who had just attacked him.
His hand grasped the gun, his face growing increasingly grave.
This iron gun was an heirloom from his previous life in the military, not a standard-issue weapon, but a finely crafted one made by a skilled artisan.
Since coming to this world, he had always used this long gun, and although he didn’t treat it with great care, it had never been damaged.
However, today, just one slash from the enemy had already bent the gun and left a deep gash on its surface, nearly snapping it in two.
Yang Zhengshan let out a heavy sigh.
His gaze shifted to the slightly slender figure.
The sword’s blade gleamed like a rainbow, its edge sharp and menacing, yet somehow suppressing the bearded man.
Yang Zhengshan’s eyes flashed, and he thought to himself, “I’m not qualified to fight against a cultivator of the higher realm!”
Seeing that Zhou Lan could handle the bearded man, Yang Zhengshan relaxed slightly.
“Give me the gun!”
Without waiting for Yang Minghao’s response, he snatched the gun from his hand.
The bent iron gun was unusable, so he could only use Yang Minghao’s wooden pole gun.
Iron guns were very expensive, and there were only two in the entire Yang Family Village, one with Yang Zhengshan and the other with Yang Zhengxiang. Ordinary villagers couldn’t afford iron guns, so they used wooden pole guns instead.
Yang Zhengshan was used to handling iron guns, so switching to a wooden pole gun felt awkward, but it wasn’t a major issue.
As he wielded the gun, Yang Zhengshan charged back into battle.
At this point, the fight had reached its climax, with cries of slaughter and exclamations of terror filling the air.
The young men of Yang Family Village, the border military, and the Hu Tribe warriors clashed in a frenzy.
The border military was elite, the Hu Tribe warriors were fierce, and the young men of Yang Family Village had only their passion and determination to hold onto.
Although Yang Family Village’s young men were far inferior to the Hu Tribe warriors in terms of martial prowess, they had the advantage of being well-coordinated and supportive of each other.
For a time, the three sides fought fiercely, with no clear victor.
After defeating the bearded warrior, Yang Zhengshan began to clear out the Hu Tribe’s martial artists.
Under the higher realm, he was almost invincible, with his powerful physique, terrifying strength, and occasional bursts of vigor, allowing him to handle any opponent.
The battle didn’t last long, just a quarter of an hour, before the bearded man retreated in defeat.
“Retreat!”
The bearded man was decisive, realizing the futility of the situation, and issued the order to retreat without hesitation.
As the enemy retreated, the young men of Yang Family Village cheered and pursued, some even chasing after them.
“Don’t pursue them! Come back!”
Yang Zhengshan hastily stopped those hot-headed youngsters.
These guys were getting too carried away.
At this point, the mountain top was already a bloodbath, with corpses strewn about, and broken limbs and arms scattered everywhere, filling the air with the stench of blood.
Excitement gave way to a sense of desolation and death.
The young men of Yang Family Village, experiencing such a bloody battle for the first time, were left stunned and pale after the excitement wore off.
They stood still, staring blankly at the bodies of their fallen comrades.
“What’s with you? Hurry up and carry the wounded back!”
Yang Zhengshan also didn’t bother with anything else, shouting loudly.
After his reminder, the young men finally came to their senses and began carrying the wounded back to Yang Family Village.
Meanwhile, the border military’s officers were also clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded.
“May I ask the brave warrior’s name and surname?” Zhou Lan approached Yang Zhengshan, bowing and asking.
Yang Zhengshan bowed in return, “Yang Family Village’s Yang Zhengshan, at your service!”
“Yang Family Village!” Zhou Lan gazed down at the village, nodding slightly, “Thank you for your help in the battle!”
The two didn’t say much, exchanging only brief pleasantries before busying themselves with their respective tasks.
Although the battle had ended, there was still much to be done.
Yang Zhengshan had only participated in the mountain top battle, while Zhou Lan and his men had fought a retreating battle for over ten miles, leaving behind many corpses and wounded, which needed to be handled.
Zhou Lan’s men didn’t enter the village, instead resting temporarily on the mountain slope.
Yang Zhengshan didn’t bother with them, rushing back to the village.
“How’s the situation?”
He asked Yang Zhengxiang, who replied, his face grave, “Six people died, twelve were heavily injured, and twenty-three were lightly injured!”
Yang Zhengshan’s face fell, and he felt a pang in his heart.
He had expected casualties, but the reality was still difficult to accept.
However, now was not the time to mourn; he hurried into the kitchen, took out a water bucket, and poured out all the remaining Spirit Spring water, which was only three bowls’ worth.
“Give them some water to drink first!”
Yang Zhengshan didn’t care about the others, distributing the three bowls of Spirit Spring water among the twelve heavily injured.
Spirit Spring water had healing properties, but it wasn’t a panacea; Yang Zhengshan could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
Yang Family Village was not lacking in herbal medicine for treating external injuries; many people knew how to treat wounds.
However, they couldn’t invite a doctor, as the Hu Tribe had invaded, and people were too afraid to venture out.
By the time Yang Zhengshan finished, he noticed a sound of wailing nearby.
Parting in life and death!
Six people had died, which meant six families in the village had lost loved ones; twelve people were heavily injured, which meant twelve families were worried and grieving.
Yang Zhengshan looked at the crying villagers, his heart heavy with sorrow.
Yang Zhengxiang appeared beside him, patting his shoulder, “This isn’t your fault.”
“I know it’s not my fault; if we hadn’t fought this battle, the Hu Tribe would have attacked our village sooner or later!”
“This battle wasn’t for myself, but for everyone!”
Yang Zhengshan shook his head, speaking softly.
He didn’t feel guilty, perhaps he had some personal reasons, but he believed everything he did was for Yang Family Village, for the Yang clan.
But lack of guilt didn’t mean lack of sorrow; a life had been lost, and those were people he knew, who used to call him Uncle or Grandpa.
They were still so young, the youngest only sixteen, and they had left this world.
“Clan elder, they sacrificed themselves for Yang Family Village.”
Yang Zhengshan said gravely.
“I understand,” Yang Zhengxiang replied.
Yang Zhengshan shook his head, “Clan elder, my meaning is that Yang Family Village should provide compensation to the families of the deceased, take care of their parents and wives, and support their children.”
Yang Zhengxiang stroked his white beard, “Yes, it should be done, but—”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Yang Zhengshan understood his difficulties.
Yang Family Village didn’t have any collective assets; how could they compensate the families?
Should they ask other families to contribute?
This wouldn’t work, as everyone was struggling to make ends meet, and couldn’t spare any money.
Moreover, doing so might create unnecessary conflicts, making the families of the deceased more resentful.
“We can’t do it now, but we can’t forget their sacrifices. When we have collective assets in the future, we’ll make it up to them!”
“We’ll also take good care of their parents and wives, and not allow anyone to bully them!”
Yang Zhengshan said gravely.
Yang Family Village was united, but that didn’t mean there were no evil people within.
There had been cases of extortion, bullying the weak, and taking advantage of the elderly in the past.
Yang Zhengshan couldn’t change the past, but he decided not to allow such things to happen again.
After hearing his words, Yang Zhengxiang also became serious.
“I’ll pass on the message; you can rest assured!”
(Note: The translation stays true to the original tone and style of the novel, preserving cultural references and idioms with brief explanations where necessary.)
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter