Ze'a Commandery, Feng'an County.
Sheng Chi, the head of the Sheng family, looked down at the wine cup in his hand but hesitated to drink. After a long while, he slammed the cup heavily onto the table. Are Sheng He and the others not back yet?
His strategists, Kong Yi and Huo Chun, sat below him.
Kong Yi shook his head. Not yet, but based on the time, they should be back soon.
Dark circles heavily shadowed Sheng Chi's eyes. Given our current situation, we won't be able to hold out for much longer.
Kong Yi remained silent for a moment before replying, If all else fails, we will have to send the young and strong men to the front.
Their soldiers had suffered heavy casualties, and they had been continuously recruiting for months.
They called it recruiting, but it was essentially conscription by force, pushing the able-bodied youths to the frontlines to reduce the casualties among their own regular troops.
Sheng Chi rubbed his temples. We have almost run out of young civilian men. If we draft any more, we will only be left with the old and the weak.
Kong Yi naturally understood this, but what else could they do?
Ze'a Commandery boasted fertile land, vast arable fields, and a large population.
When they initially retreated to defend Ze'a, they brought a massive amount of grain, which convinced most of the local commoners to stay.
This was the only reason they had been able to conscript men time and time again to replenish their forces.
Sheng Chi narrowed his eyes as he looked outside. The glaring sun made it hard to keep his eyes open, yet his heart felt ice-cold. Is the Quzhao army attacking again?
The distant sound of war drums echoed from the city walls outside.
Wave after wave of attacks, repelled time and time again. Both sides were locked in a war of attrition, waiting to see who could hold out until the end.
However, Ze'a Commandery's forces were clearly depleting much faster. Their soldiers were dwindling, and replacements were becoming increasingly difficult to find.
With the battle reaching this stage, he knew they were at a critical juncture of life and death, and they were on the verge of collapse.
Huo Chun's face remained expressionless. It seems so.
Sheng Chi looked down at the wine on his desk, his vision darkening slightly as he muttered, I only hope Gefeng will send troops. As long as they deploy soldiers, we still have a chance.
Kong Yi shook his head. Since Gefeng managed to retreat unscathed from Qu Bai's siege, they must possess some skill. I fear they have already seen through our intentions and will not send troops.
Huo Chun, however, disagreed. Gefeng will agree. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. As long as there is anyone sensible in Gefeng, they will know that once our Ze'a Commandery falls, the Quzhao army's next target will inevitably be Gefeng.
Saying this, he picked up his cup and took a sip of warm wine, his expression calm. This is an overt scheme. So what if Gefeng sees through it? If we had not been pinning down the Quzhao army, do you really think a tiny county town could have survived until now?
Sheng Chi felt somewhat melancholy. Let us hope so. I am just afraid that even if Gefeng sends troops, the Quzhao army will still bite onto us relentlessly.
Gefeng was, after all, a small city with a small population. As long as Ze'a Commandery was conquered, the enemy could turn around and finish off Gefeng at any time.
Kong Yi's expression turned solemn. My Lord, we must not underestimate Gefeng. It may be small, but it managed to force Qu Bai to retreat. This shows they are not simple. If Gefeng truly deploys its troops, we can coordinate a pincer attack from the inside and outside.
Right now, we should be worrying about whether Sheng He and the others safely reached Gefeng and entered the city.
Silence fell over the hall. After a long while, Sheng Chi finally spoke. Back then, perhaps we should have agreed to join forces with the Northeast Army to face the enemy together. Maybe there truly would have been a glimmer of hope.
In truth, if the Quzhao people had been like Emperor Yan, not altering policies and not cutting into their interests, acknowledging a Quzhao ruler as emperor would not have been entirely unacceptable.
But in the end, he had been too shallow in his thinking. What the Quzhao people wanted was not just the Han people's political power, but also their land, grain, women, gold, silk, and more.
They only knew how to plunder and occupy.
Why would they ever consider or spare these prominent noble families? In the eyes of the Quzhao people, they were just like any ordinary Han citizens.
No, it would be more accurate to say that to the Quzhao, they were fat sheep, the fattest of them all.
These noble families possessed the most grain, the most delicate and educated women, gold, weapons, as well as countless fertile fields and various estates.
Kong Yi shook his head and sighed. Yun Ci had too many things to consider. If we had cooperated with him back then, perhaps our noble families would have been wiped out long ago.
The interests of the military and the noble families were fundamentally different. For the nobles, the disadvantages of such cooperation outweighed the benefits. It was better to let Yun Ci block the barbarians first while they chose a commandery to heavily defend.
It was just that they had ultimately overestimated themselves and underestimated the Quzhao army.
They now had nowhere left to retreat. According to the intelligence he had received, the current situation in Sizhou was not looking good either, making it a difficult destination to flee to.
As for Daqing Commandery, they had also considered cooperating with the General of the Left to face the enemy together.
But if they went to Daqing, Daqing would take the dominant role, and they would be forced into a very passive position.
Furthermore, once they moved to Daqing, Daqing might face a joint siege from both the Quzhao and the Jiaoren.
Sheng Chi felt a complex mix of emotions. The Sheng family, a noble house with hundreds of years of history, was likely going to be destroyed in his hands.
Just then, a servant rushed in to report. My Lord, Commandant Sheng and Guard Commander Sheng have returned.
Overjoyed, Sheng Chi exclaimed excitedly, Quick, hurry and let them in!
Sheng He and his companion quickly entered the council hall.
How did it go? Sheng Chi asked anxiously.
Sheng He quickly recounted the events.
A faint look of surprise flashed through Sheng Chi's eyes. Are you saying Yun Ci is still alive?
Sheng He nodded heavily. However, there seems to be something wrong with his legs.
Sheng Chi's expression turned somewhat grim. Back then, not only had he rejected Yun Ci's request for cooperation, but he had also taken away all the provisions he could carry.
Do you think Gefeng demanding so many provisions this time might be because... He looked at Kong Yi and Huo Chun, his eyes seeking their opinion.
Kong Yi lowered his eyes to conceal his emotions. No, this should be the intention of the Lord of Gefeng.
Sheng Chi coughed lightly, realizing he was being petty. Remembering something, he asked, Did you just mention the Jinyang Army?
Sheng He hurriedly replied, Yes, the defending forces of Gefeng are indeed the Jinyang Army.
Sheng Chi furrowed his brows and muttered, Jinyang?
Kong Yi looked up. Is there a problem?
Sheng Chi pondered for a moment before speaking with some uncertainty. If I remember correctly, His Majesty's sixth daughter was granted the title of Jinyang.
Kong Yi was startled. Are you saying the person in charge of Gefeng is Princess Jinyang?
Sheng He and the other two in the hall were equally shocked.
Recalling Jiang Jin's appearance and demeanor, Sheng He carefully weighed his words. The City Lord of Gefeng we saw was indeed a beautiful young woman who did not even look to be of marriageable age.
As for whether she was a princess, he did not know, for he had never seen the princess and could not easily judge.
But deep down, he found it somewhat hard to believe. The City Lord of Gefeng he had met radiated a fierce aura of slaughter. What princess was not pampered and coddled her entire life?
That is not right, Kong Yi said in confusion. Why have I never heard of Princess Jinyang?
Sheng Chi's expression was complicated. She is the only daughter of Empress Ji Yue, and she was raised in the Hidden Mountain Temple all along.
Who would care about a princess's title, especially one raised outside the palace and neglected?
Emperor Yan had a total of five empresses and over three hundred concubines, with more than thirty surviving children.
Jiang Jin was neither the eldest princess nor the youngest. Aside from being born of an empress, she held no other advantages.
Moreover, Emperor Yan had other children born of his empresses besides her.
The first empress gave birth to the eldest princess and the second prince, who became the Crown Prince.
The second empress gave birth to the third princess.
The third empress bore no children.
The fourth empress did give birth to a prince, but unfortunately, he passed away before his first birthday.
When Dingyang fell, the two legitimate princesses took their own lives, and the second prince was killed. As it stands, Emperor Yan's only surviving legitimate child is Princess Jinyang.
