Sheng He cut down a Quzhao soldier, then, panting heavily, asked, “Where are the other soldiers and the civilians?”
Yan Tong wiped the thick, dried blood from his face. “They’ve all retreated into the city.”
Calling it a retreat into the city was generous. In truth, Quzhao’s army had forced its way inside, and everyone was now scrambling to defend themselves or flee. Casualties were devastating.
The civilians in particular had never received any training. They were relying on nothing more than sheer desperation.
They had nowhere left to run. This was their last city. If they did not fight the enemy, they would die.
“Captain, doesn’t the Patriarch still have an elite personal guard? When will they come to support us? If they don’t come soon, the city really will fall!” Yan Tong asked, his voice trembling as he knocked aside an incoming arrow.
The muscles in Sheng He’s face twitched. Looking at the hopeful eyes of the young officer, the soldiers, and the civilians, bitterness filled his heart.
For a moment, he did not know how to tell them that there were no elite troops, no reinforcements.
They—and this city—had been abandoned by the Patriarch.
“Watch out!”
A sudden cry rang out.
There was movement behind him. Yan Tong reacted swiftly, twisting aside to evade the attack before turning and blocking a Quzhao soldier’s sneak strike with his blade.
Splat.
Sheng He brought his sword down, and blood sprayed into the air.
Watching the endless stream of Quzhao soldiers climbing onto the walls, and hearing the relentless pounding against the city gate, he shouted, “The gate is about to break! We’ll withdraw into the city first!”
Familiar with the terrain, he swiftly led the soldiers and civilians from the south gate into an alleyway. Hearing screams rise and fall in the distance, he came to a halt.
Yan Tong followed behind him. When he saw that the alley they had entered was far from the main street, his expression gradually darkened.
Remembering Sheng He’s earlier expression, a dreadful suspicion formed in his heart.
“Captain, where is the Patriarch? And the other commanders?”
The others also sensed something was wrong and all turned to look at Sheng He.
The city had already been breached, yet aside from Sheng He, not a single important member of the aristocratic clan had appeared. Even the Patriarch’s elite personal guards had not come.
Sheng He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Yan Tong’s face turned deathly pale. He staggered back a step, his eyes blazing with fury. “They... left?”
Sheng He still did not speak.
“Impossible!” A squad leader snarled in a low voice. “Quzhao has surrounded the city for so long. How could the Patriarch and the others have gotten out?”
The others frowned as well, finding it difficult to believe.
Then Yan Tong seemed to recall something. He drew in a sharp breath. “A passage!”
He stepped forward and asked urgently, “Is there a passage leading out of the city?”
Sheng He shook his head. “Stop asking. The only thing we can do now is defend the city. If we hold it, we can all survive.”
He was not even sure whether the Patriarch and the others had left the docks by now. He could not reveal the passage, or else the Patriarch—and his own family—would be in danger.
No one there was a fool. In an instant, they understood what he meant.
There really was a passage beneath the city!
The Patriarch and the others had long since abandoned these soldiers and civilians, fleeing on their own!
Not only had they been mercilessly discarded, they had become stepping stones for the clan’s escape.
They were expendable pawns, left to clear the way for the clan and burn out the last remnants of their lives.
Overcome with rage, Yan Tong forgot all propriety. He stepped forward, seized Sheng He by the arm, and cried hoarsely, “How could the Patriarch do this? Didn’t he say we would live and die together?”
Sheng He had no answer. He could only repeat in a murmur, “Defending the city is the only path left to us.”
Yan Tong roared, “No. There is another path. Tell us where the passage is, and we can all live.”
Sheng He shook his head. “There is no passage. We can only fight to the death.”
“Impossible!” The squad leader glared furiously. “If there is no passage, how did the Patriarch and the others get out?”
Seeing Sheng He’s ashen face, his tone softened.
“Captain, your family left with the Patriarch, but our families are still in the city. I am willing to stay and defend the city with you. I only ask that you tell us about the passage, so my family can escape.”
“Yes, please, sir. Give our families a chance to live. I have a sixty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child at home,” another soldier pleaded.
The civilians dropped to their knees with a thud, their voices thick with despair and supplication. “Please, Captain. The city has been breached. If we keep defending it, there is only death ahead of us.”
“We have always followed the Sheng family. When you needed farmers, we were the Sheng family’s farmers. When you needed servants, we were the Sheng family’s servants. When you said to defend the city, we became soldiers for the Sheng family.”
“My three elder brothers died fighting for you. We followed you with all our hearts—how could you do this? How could you be so cruel?”
Yan Tong ground his teeth. “There is clearly a way to live, a passage. If you simply tell us where it is, everyone can survive. Why? Why must we die?”
Sheng He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were filled with grim resolve. “It isn’t that I refuse to tell you. Even if I did, it would be useless. The passage has already been sealed off by the Patriarch and the others.”
Looking at their furious, despairing faces, he said weakly, “The passage only leads to the docks. Without ships, where could we go? The whole of Ze’a Commandery is already Quzhao territory.”
Yan Tong’s voice shook as he demanded, “Why? Why would the Patriarch seal off the passage?”
“We have followed the Patriarch for years. Every family here has had relatives die in battle for your clan. So did my father and my two elder brothers.”
“We are the Patriarch’s soldiers. We would have no regrets dying in battle—but why can’t you give our families and the civilians a chance to live?!”
“Yes, perhaps there are no ships once we get out. But we know the terrain. Surely some people could escape. Why must everyone be trapped in this city to die?”
“Why are you aristocratic clans so selfish and vicious, so ruthless? There are not only ten thousand soldiers in this city, but tens of thousands of civilians!”
Sheng He lowered his head and said nothing. Yes, why?
Nothing more than the Patriarch’s desire for greater security.
Perhaps he had even been guarding against Sheng He himself, afraid that he might reveal the passage.
When life and death were truly at stake, even meek civilians might rise up in rebellion.
The Patriarch feared that, if Sheng He told the civilians about the passage and they all fled toward the docks while he and the others had not yet departed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jin sighed. “They really are ruthless. Not only did they lock the entrance, they deliberately collapsed it as well!”
Yun Chengxuan and Shuangjiang were currently digging away with all their might.
Both of them were immensely strong. In the narrow passage, one person could do the work of ten. All that could be seen was dirt flying everywhere; the men themselves were practically invisible, like two burrowing moles.
And neither was willing to yield to the other. They seemed determined to outdo one another, digging faster and faster.
Yao Ji gave a cold snort. “They’re simply worried the civilians might learn about the passage.”
Xia Chanyi sighed. “They intend to use everyone in the city to buy time for their escape.”
Xie Nanxiao looked puzzled. “But wouldn’t they board ships once they got out? Why collapse the passage too? Isn’t that unnecessary?”
Hua Ruo said, “With that much grain and so many valuables, how could they load everything onto the ships all at once?”
Zhao Yu pressed her lips together and remained silent. That was indeed the case.
Sheng Chi had likely begun moving grain and valuables to the docks in batches three days earlier. But there were too few hands, and loading the ships was slow.
His original plan had been to leave the city only after the ships were fully loaded.
But early this morning, Quzhao had intensified its assault. Sheng Chi feared that the city might fall at any moment, and that he would be unable to escape when it did.
So he led his men out of the city through the passage. At the time, he was unsure when the ship would be ready, so, to buy time, he simply had them destroy the passage.
However, completely destroying the passage was no easy task and required time. As a result, only the section at the entrance had been damaged, and the ruined stretch was not very long.
With Yun Chengxuan and Shuangjiang’s efforts, the passage was soon cleared. In the firelight, the iron plate overhead looked even more imposing, with a massive iron lock hanging from it.
