Chang Gai was stunned. “The Jiao army is fierce and powerful. How could they possibly let us seize their territory? We might as well go to Chongzhou.”
Meng Su quickly analyzed the situation. “Although the Ji army in Chongzhou is weak, they currently have no enemies from outside. If we go there, we’ll become their sole enemy, and they’ll fight us with everything they have.”
“The Jiao army may appear strong and well-equipped, but they’re currently under pressure from both Sizhou and Da Qing. There’s no way they can deal with us at full strength.”
“Besides, whether it’s Juanzhou or Haijiazhou, there are still quite a few Han forces there that Da Qing has yet to completely subdue. We can start with those forces.”
He turned to the Grand Chanyu. “As long as we respond appropriately, we may not necessarily have to clash with the Jiao army.”
The Grand Chanyu’s expression darkened. He turned and gazed toward the distant south gate, watching as Qu Zhao’s warriors fell one after another. He closed his eyes and finally made his decision.
“Retreat!”
Jiang Jin looked toward the rolling clouds of dust in the distance. “Qu Zhao’s reinforcements have arrived.”
Zhou Sui remained unhurried. “It looks like Ding County and Yunqi will soon be ours.”
Dong Si was somewhat worried. “If Qu Zhao refuses to retreat and fights to the death, I’m afraid our losses this time will be severe.”
Jiang Jin narrowed her eyes slightly. “Qu Zhao will retreat. If he does, he’ll still have a chance to make a comeback. If he doesn’t, he’ll die here.”
Naturally, she hoped Qu Zhao would withdraw. Whether he went on to wreak havoc on the Jiao army or the Ji army, or attacked some other Han force, it would all buy her time and reduce her casualties in principle.
Sure enough, before long, a soldier came to report, “My lord, Qu Zhao’s army has withdrawn through the north gate. Only a few thousand soldiers remain in the city to resist.”
Jiang Jin curved her lips into a smile. “Keep an eye on Qu Zhao’s movements!”
She had no intention of pursuing him. As long as Qu Zhao left Wuqin and departed Fengzhou, she could simply watch the situation unfold and look for an opportunity to profit from it.
“Yes!” Mu Ning replied.
Jiang Jin looked toward Wuqin. “Enter the city!”
Meanwhile, the Grand Chanyu soon met up with the two groups of reinforcements that had come to support him. After quickly explaining the situation, the massive force headed straight for Changhai County in Da Qing.
As Jinyang’s army poured into the city in force, soldiers flooded onto the city walls.
A look of madness flashed through Ruan Jian’s eyes. “Everyone, follow me and kill them!”
He had stayed behind to buy the Grand Chanyu time and had already accepted that he would die. Without the slightest fear, he charged into the Jinyang troops.
Yun Chengxuan was at the very front of the assault. When he saw Ruan Jian roaring and shouting like a madman, he charged forward with Foxin in hand.
Ruan Jian saw a tall figure rushing toward him. When he recognized who it was, his pupils contracted.
It was the Dung-Splitting General who had killed Yu He in a single strike!
Yun Chengxuan brought his blade down.
Ruan Jian raised his own blade to block. With a clang, his weapon was split cleanly in two.
A sharp puff of blood sounded.
He felt a sudden chill throughout his body. Then there was nothing more.
The battle was exceptionally bloody.
Of course, the ones who suffered the worst were Qu Zhao’s army and the Jiao army, especially around the southern gate and the sections of the city wall adjoining it.
Corpses piled up like mountains. Many had been smashed into pulp, mixed into the mud and wedged into the cracks in the walls. The stench of blood was so thick it made people want to vomit.
To spare the civil officials the psychological burden, Jiang Jin had them enter through the north and east gates, where the casualties had been lighter.
Jiang Jin soon received word that Yunqi and Ding County had fallen. From that moment on, all of Fengzhou was under her control, save for two counties in Lu You’s hands.
In a cellar beneath one of the city’s houses, a family of six huddled together, trembling. They had known something was wrong as soon as the war drums began to sound throughout the city.
The family had abandoned everything else and hidden in a cellar they had secretly dug. All they could do now was wait—wait to see whether they would live or die.
The thin wooden boards above the cellar did little to block out sound. The family was not far from the southern gate, and they could hear the agonized screams and the sounds of battle.
They also heard thunderous booms like an earth dragon turning over. Even the cellar shook with them, making them fear, time and again, that it would collapse.
After who knew how long, the world outside finally fell silent. Yet their hearts tightened instead. The moment that would truly determine whether they lived or died had arrived.
Another long stretch of silence followed. It was so quiet that they could hear one another’s heartbeats, creating an almost suffocating feeling.
Just when they thought the entire city had been reduced to nothing but their own family, shouts came from above.
The voice had the unmistakable accent of a Han Chinese speaker, but they still didn’t dare move.
With a bang—not a loud one, but terrifying in the silence—the youngest child let out a scream. His mother hurriedly covered his mouth.
“Is anyone in the cellar? We’re soldiers of Jinyang. Those of you below, come up as soon as possible. We need to register your household.”
The voice from above was clear, gentle, and yet loud enough to carry.
In the pitch-black cellar, not one member of the family dared even breathe too loudly.
After a brief silence, the head of the household, a man, finally summoned his courage and stood up. “Jinyang soldiers?”
The reply came quickly. “That’s right. We’re an army of Han Chinese. Hurry up and come out. Once we finish registering you, we have to move on to the next household.”
The man finally climbed shakily out of the cellar. When he saw that there were only several Han Chinese men in matching uniforms waiting outside, he relaxed a little.
“Do you have household registers? Take them out and let me see them. The others in the cellar should come up too,” Gu Zhuo said.
His lord’s territory had expanded too quickly, and there were nowhere near enough civil officials. As a result, people from the military had been sent to help register households.
All Jinyang soldiers had received basic literacy training, so registering a household was no problem for them.
Gu Zhuo had once been a constable in Shantong County and therefore had some relevant experience. He had volunteered for the assignment without hesitation.
The man hurriedly nodded. “We do, we do.”
He turned and called down to his family in the cellar. “Come up quickly! They’re our own people. Don’t forget to bring the bundle. The household registers are inside.”
Before long, five more people climbed out of the cellar. One of them was a woman in her thirties, holding a bundle in her arms.
The man took the bundle, quickly retrieved the household register, and handed it to Gu Zhuo. “Official, please take a look.”
Gu Zhuo accepted it and asked, “Does this house belong to you? Do you have the property and land deeds?”
The man shook his head. “No, we rent it.”
In the past, they had paid rent to the landlord. After Qu Zhao’s men entered the city, they had paid rent to Qu Zhao instead.
Most of the people living in this alley were in the same situation. They had come there to run small businesses but could not afford to buy homes.
When Qu Zhao entered the city, they had not dared to resist. They had obeyed him completely, and that was how they had survived.
But his eldest daughter and eldest son had been taken away. He had secretly made inquiries through various channels, but with his limited ability, he had found nothing. Still, he could imagine what had happened. The children were probably already dead.
After finishing the registration and asking a few more questions, Gu Zhuo returned the household register.
“From now on, you are subjects of my lord. Your household registers will need to be replaced. The authorities will notify you when the time comes. For the next few days, don’t go outside unless necessary.”
With that, he led his men to the next household.
The man held the household register Gu Zhuo had handed back to him, momentarily unable to react.
They had simply left?
In the past, even Han Chinese armies usually extorted money and possessions from the people under one pretext or another. Especially after a battle, many soldiers would take advantage of the chaos to line their own pockets.
The Grand Chanyu led his battered troops in a swift retreat, traveling all the way to Changhai County in Da Qing before daring to stop.
They had no choice but to keep moving. The area was now Jiao territory.
The few surviving Jiao soldiers hurried into the city and reported what had happened.
The magistrate of Changhai County was shocked. “What did you say? Wuqin, Yunqi, and Ding County have all fallen?”
The Jiao Army centurion’s face was smeared with blood, and his voice still trembled. “Yes. Our General Yu He is gone too!”
He was the highest-ranking officer among the soldiers who had survived the campaign in Wuqin.
