Yun Chengxuan stood in front of Jiang Jin without a word, sweeping his Buddhist staff sideways.
The blood-stained Great Demon King in Jiang Jin’s hand moved like a spirit serpent; with one stab, a spray of blood blossomed.
The Zuo and You wings of the Jinyang Army quickly engaged the Quzhao soldiers as the fighting reignited.
The time it took to capture Shan Pass County was faster than Jiang Jin had predicted. In just over an hour, all four city gates were firmly under the control of the Jinyang Army.
As the sun rose, drumbeats echoed again from the city towers.
Luo Qingci let out a relaxed smile, the tension in her heart finally easing.
“Let’s go, into the city,” she said to the others.
The commoners holding branches looked at each other, then quickly broke into smiles.
“Magistrate, has our Jinyang Army won?”
Luo Qingci looked up at the morning sunlight filtering through the yellowed leaves, casting dappled shadows, her face full of pride: “That’s right, our lord has won again.”
The crowd cheered. These were all able-bodied men chosen from the populace, except for those who had just conjured themselves out of nowhere in this dense forest.
They still needed to help repair the city walls, clean up, move corpses, and dig graves to bury the dead.
Soon, shouts rang out in the city: “We are the Jinyang Army! The citizens of the city must not leave their homes today; we will come later to register everyone. We request your cooperation!”
“We are the Jinyang Army! The citizens of the city must not leave their homes today; we will come later to register everyone. We request your cooperation!”
In Zhou County.
“What?” The county magistrate, Sang Jie, was taken aback.
The soldier lowered his head: “It’s absolutely true. This morning, the Jinyang Army attacked Shan Pass County, and the county has sent people to request reinforcements.”
The county commandant, Deng Feng, frowned: “Do they know how many troops the Jinyang Army mobilized?”
After Qu Xiang was killed, he had been transferred here to take over as commandant.
The soldier reported: “They say it’s over twenty thousand troops.”
Sang Jie drew in a sharp breath: “Where did Gefeng get twenty thousand soldiers?”
Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in his eyes: “Doesn’t that mean Gefeng City is now weak in troops, making it the perfect time for us to attack?”
Deng Feng shook his head with a bitter smile: “If Gefeng could really mobilize twenty thousand troops, do you think Gefeng City would be an empty city?”
The logic was simple: Gefeng was the foundation of the Jinyang Army. They wouldn’t abandon it for the sake of Shan Pass County.
So, Gefeng must have prepared thoroughly before making this move, but Deng Feng still couldn’t figure out where Gefeng got so many soldiers.
Sang Jie also grasped the crux of the issue and furrowed his brows: “If Gefeng really takes Shan Pass County, our connection to Donghu Commandery will be in trouble.”
A remote place like Gefeng was already giving them headaches, forcing them to take long detours every time.
Shan Pass County was a major transportation hub. If it fell to the Jinyang Army, he couldn’t imagine the consequences; even detours would become difficult.
Deng Feng pressed further: “Has the general agreed to send troops?”
The soldier shook his head: “The general invited both of you to the garrison to discuss this matter.”
If it were any other army, the garrison troops would undoubtedly rush to help without a second thought. But this was the Jinyang Army—the Jinyang Army with its divine punishment. The garrison had to proceed with caution.
Deng Feng’s brows knit tightly: “Our Zhou County garrison only has about six thousand troops. Against the Jinyang Army’s numbers, we have little chance of victory.”
The soldier added: “According to the soldiers from Shan Pass County, they’ve already sent messengers to Donghu Commandery and Ze’a Commandery to request reinforcements.”
Deng Feng and Sang Jie exchanged a glance, reading the same intent in each other’s eyes.
Shan Pass County must not be lost!
This was also an opportunity for their Quzhao forces—a chance to weaken the Jinyang Army.
They admitted the Jinyang Army was formidable, but that was only under favorable terrain conditions.
Now, the tables had turned: it was the Jinyang Army on the attack, while they, the Quzhao forces, held the advantageous terrain.
If they dispatched their cavalry for a surprise assault and caught the Jinyang Army in a pincer attack, they would surely inflict heavy losses.
As long as they could hold out until the Zhou County infantry and the Donghu Commandery garrison arrived, coordinating a three-pronged assault might allow them to wipe out the Jinyang Army directly, without needing Ze’a Commandery.
Little did they imagine that Shan Pass County would fall so quickly—after all, who ever captures a city in just a few days and nights?
Before long, the gates of Zhou County swung open, and a carriage accompanied by over a hundred cavalry sped toward the Zhou County garrison.
Half an hour later, the finest cavalry of the Zhou County garrison set out under the command of their highest leader, Qu Su, charging toward Shan Pass County.
Not long after, Deng Feng led several thousand infantry out of the camp, their destination still Shan Pass County.
In Donghu Commandery, Heichun County.
Guard General Tang Tishou looked at the kneeling soldier: “You say Shan Pass County is under siege by the Jinyang Army?”
The soldier nodded repeatedly: “Yes, General. Our county commandant humbly requests your assistance.”
Deputy General Zhu Dian frowned: “It’s just a siege. Even if you only have two thousand defenders, there’s no need for such panic. Several nearby counties will surely send troops to help you.”
The soldier opened his mouth, hesitating: “But—but this is the Jinyang Army.”
Under normal circumstances, there would be no need for such urgency, but were the Jinyang Army normal? They were the ones with ultra-long-range repeating crossbows. Back then, Qu Bai’s twenty to thirty thousand troops had been wiped out by over ten thousand in battle.
And that had been when the Jinyang Army only had one to two thousand soldiers. Now, with over twenty thousand, the nearby county garrisons, each with only a few hundred troops, might not dare to come to their aid.
Tang Tishou clearly understood the situation: “Step down for now. We will discuss this.”
Once the soldier retreated, Zhu Dian asked: “General, do you truly intend to support Shan Pass County?”
Tang Tishou sighed: “Shan Pass County cannot be lost.”
Advisor Rong Liang also sighed: “Indeed. If Shan Pass County falls, our Donghu Commandery will be directly cut off and become isolated. Once the Jinyang Army turns on us...”
Tang Tishou’s face grew heavy: “Since we’ve decided to act, we must move quickly. Let’s discuss how many troops to send.”
Rong Liang: “I suggest deploying the cavalry immediately, racing at full speed, and hitting the Jinyang Army by surprise.”
Tang Tishou pondered briefly, then gave a decisive order: “Assemble the elite cavalry at once. Set out with me in fifteen minutes!”
The midday sun blazed fiercely. The bloodstains in the Shan Pass County government office had long been cleaned, and the place was eerily quiet. The only sound was the low murmur of voices from the meeting hall.
“Total Quzhao troops eliminated: 1,768. Captured or surrendered: 420,” Zhou Sui reported in a steady voice.
“The county magistrate, deputy magistrate, and other Quzhao officials, along with their families and servants—695 in total—have been locked up in the prison.”
“The Quzhao residents living in the city total 1,069, with 802 guards and servants. Some of the servants are Han Chinese; all have been detained.”
Xie Nanziao asked: “Lord, should we execute all of them?”
Jiang Jin pondered: “Keep them in custody for now. We can interrogate the officials like the magistrate and deputy magistrate to see if they have any useful information. And remember, starve them for a few days first.”
Yao Ji commented: “This time, we captured over 800 warhorses, plus over 300 horses from Quzhao households, bows and arrows...”
Jiang Jin nodded, looking very satisfied.
Luo Qingci held a ledger and said: “We’re still registering the specific details of the city’s residents. Based on the previous records, the city had a population of 6,508, though those entries were made over half a year ago.”
If the information from Dark Three and the others was correct, nearly a thousand commoners had vanished from the city in just over half a year.
She took out another ledger: "This one records the population of the commoners under the jurisdiction of Shanguan County—eighteen thousand people, also registered half a year ago."
Given this year’s drought, it was likely that only a fraction of those people remained.
Jiang Jin nodded, determined to visit the region under her control once she took Chunrong County.
Unlike before, she now had regulatory power over certain areas.
Dong Si also held two account books and reported: "My lord, the accounts show that Shanguan County has approximately 2,000 shi of grain, 620 strings of copper coins, and over 3,000 bolts of cloth..."
After listing the numbers, he closed the account book: "The specifics are still being tallied. I reckon the newly harvested grain from this year hasn’t been counted yet. Also, the items seized from the county magistrate and Qu Zhaoren’s men still need to be tallied."
It wasn’t that they hadn’t been counted—they simply hadn’t finished searching.
