Chapter Fourteen: Arrival at the Northern Frontier
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Speed is of the essence!
That very night, Qin Xuan ordered the army to set out.
At the same time, he left two thousand Divine Strategy soldiers behind to continue controlling Tianshan City. He also temporarily released all the prisoners in the city and sent them outside, thereby creating a false impression.
“Remember this: every day, you must send out a certain number of scouts to patrol the area. Do your best to prevent anyone from approaching the military camp.”
Before departing, Qin Xuan instructed Guo Huan.
The scouts were needed to prevent spies from getting too close and discovering the truth.
After all, no matter how many prisoners Tianshan City held, there could never be a hundred thousand of them.
But Qin Xuan had deliberately left behind a corresponding number of tents. So long as smoke continued to rise from cooking fires each day, they should be able to maintain the illusion for a while.
As for the city itself, it was placed under the control of a thousand Divine Strategy soldiers, who would ensure that no news escaped.
“Your Highness, will this really work?” Zhao Luoying gazed from afar at the deserted camp, feeling that Qin Xuan’s plan was somewhat unreliable.
“Of course.”
Qin Xuan smiled confidently. “Human vision can be deceptive at times, especially when one cannot see the whole picture. From a distance, ten thousand and a hundred thousand can look much the same.”
“But you only left behind a thousand Divine Strategy soldiers!”
Zhao Luoying wanted to laugh, but this was serious business, so she could only force herself to hold it in.
“You silly girl. Did I not leave behind all those tents precisely to deceive the enemy?”
People could not be counted individually. When scouts investigated enemy forces, the most effective way to estimate their numbers was to count the tents.
Qin Xuan had ordered enough tents to be left behind, so there was no need to worry about the deception being exposed in the short term.
That night, the Divine Strategy Army crossed Wanli Slope at the fastest possible speed.
Such an intense forced march left the refugees groaning in misery.
But there was no other choice. Otherwise, the Divine Strategy Army would be waiting for an unnecessary civil war.
On the very night after the Divine Strategy Army departed from Wanli Slope, the Qingyun Army happened to arrive.
The following morning, the Northwestern Army finally arrived as well.
After the two armies met, they quickly formed a united force. Sun Wei, the former commander of the Qingyun Army, was appointed commander of the allied army, while Liu Zhizhong, commander of the Northwestern Army, became its chief general.
“Commander Sun, your journey here must have been exhausting. I have already had my men prepare food and wine. I hope you will honor me by joining me.”
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After the camps had been established, Liu Zhizhong went to the command tent to invite Sun Wei.
In rank, Liu Zhizhong was merely a second-rank Chariot Cavalry General, whereas Sun Wei was a first-rank Flying Cavalry General. Thus, although the Northwestern Army had arrived late, Liu Zhizhong was still the one who took the initiative to arrange the banquet.
“General Liu, His Majesty has issued a secret order this time. We must wipe out Qin Xuan and his band of rebels completely. We have only just arrived today, so it would hardly be appropriate to drink and neglect our duty.”
Though Sun Wei’s words carried a note of reproach, his tone was not particularly severe.
Liu Zhizhong put on an apologetic expression and said with an ingratiating smile, “Commander Sun is right to admonish me. However, scouts were sent to investigate Tianshan City some time ago, and the Divine Strategy Army is still being kept outside the gates. Even if they have set out now, it would take them at least seven or eight hours to reach Wanli Slope.”
“What is more, I have already ordered scouts to investigate. If anything stirs, we will certainly be able to prepare in advance.”
Hearing this, Sun Wei relaxed slightly.
“In that case, we may as well have a few cups. Naturally, we must not allow it to interfere with our proper duties.”
Sun Wei kept his face stern and pretended to speak reluctantly.
“Exactly! Exactly! With Commander Sun leading our allied army, what does the Divine Strategy Army amount to? If they dare come, we will annihilate them to the last man.”
Liu Zhizhong launched into another stream of flattery, and Sun Wei soon burst into hearty laughter.
The next day, Sun Wei, thoroughly drunk, did not slowly rise until the sun was already high in the sky. He then summoned Liu Zhizhong once more to inquire about the Divine Strategy Army’s movements.
Liu Zhizhong had indeed sent out scouts, but Sun Wei did not know that the so-called Northwestern Army was actually nothing more than a rabble of military thugs.
Although they had guarded the northwestern frontier for years, they had never truly fought a battle.
Whenever Mongolian cavalry descended upon them, Liu Zhizhong would tightly shut the city gates.
After the enemy withdrew, he would send soldiers out to collect the corpses.
He did not do so out of compassion. Instead, he had the heads cut off and claimed the achievements as his own, accepting rewards for victories he had never won.
Through such methods, Liu Zhizhong had risen from a lowly centurion to his current rank as a Chariot Cavalry General.
Thus, the scouts Liu Zhizhong sent out did not dare approach the Divine Strategy Army. First, they were greedy for life and afraid of death. Second, the Divine Strategy Army’s reputation was simply too formidable.
As a result, the report delivered that day claimed that the Divine Strategy Army remained blocked outside the city.
“I had thought the Prince of Chu was some sort of fearless warrior. Who would have guessed he was a coward as well? If I were refused entry, I would bring troops to storm the city.”
Sun Wei cursed contemptuously for a while before Liu Zhizhong once again drew him into the tent for a night of heavy drinking.
Three days passed in this manner, and Sun Wei began to grow uneasy.
“Everyone says the Divine Strategy Army is brave and skilled in battle. They cannot possibly continue swallowing this humiliation forever. General Liu, have your scouts truly investigated the situation thoroughly?” Sun Wei asked with a frown.
Liu Zhizhong immediately thumped his chest. “Commander Sun, the men of my Northwestern Army are all hardened warriors who have faced the enemy in battle. How would we dare falsify military reports? If you do not believe me, you may send some of the Qingyun Army’s brothers out to investigate today.”
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Seeing how certain Liu Zhizhong sounded, Sun Wei found it difficult to say anything more. Nevertheless, in secret, he ordered his own men to go and investigate.
The following day, however, fewer scouts returned. The missing men were from the Qingyun Army.
Yet this scene not only failed to attract Sun Wei’s attention; Liu Zhizhong even mocked him over it.
After all, the Northwestern Army’s scouts had investigated repeatedly for several days without suffering a single loss. The Qingyun Army, on the other hand, had secretly gone over just once and already lost some of its brothers.
In his vexation, Sun Wei simply got thoroughly drunk with Liu Zhizhong once again.
By then, however, the Divine Strategy Army had already slipped quietly into the northern frontier.
The cold northern wind lashed everyone’s cheeks until they stung. Even the Divine Strategy soldiers felt uncomfortable, to say nothing of the refugees.
Fortunately, while Qin Xuan had remained in Tianshan City, he had specifically purchased padded cotton clothing to ward off the cold, preventing anyone from freezing to death along the road.
“How much farther until we reach Beining City?”
Mounted on his warhorse, Qin Xuan looked at the refugees and asked worriedly.
“About forty or fifty li,” answered Du Manjiang, Left Route Central Lang General of the Divine Strategy Army.
Qin Xuan nodded, a measure of relief entering his heart.
But at that moment, a warhorse came racing toward them at full speed.
Before the horse had even stopped, a scout leaped down and hurriedly reported, “Urgent report! Beining City has been conquered by the Jurchen Kingdom!”
That brief sentence plunged everyone into silence.
A hundred thousand soldiers, accompanied by more than thirty thousand refugees, had finally reached the outskirts of the city after enduring so much hardship—only to meet with this result?
“Was the commander defending the city an idiot? How could he have allowed it to be taken?”
Guan Xingsheng could not restrain himself and cursed aloud.
“This matter may not be so simple.”
Forcing himself to remain calm, Qin Xuan immediately gave an order. “Send more men to investigate. We must obtain the most detailed and accurate information possible.”
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