King Anwu’s total force numbered only around thirty thousand. To guard against the Jiao army, more than ten thousand troops had been stationed along the entire Shishan River defense line.
Anwu City had roughly ten thousand soldiers, Chunyi County had six thousand, and about four thousand in total were assigned to patrol outside the city and guard the various villages.
The soldier nodded. “They went. They sent around eight thousand troops.”
Only then did the county commandant secretly let out a sigh of relief. This was a siege. With ten thousand soldiers inside the city and another eight thousand outside surrounding the Qu Zhao army, the situation should not be too serious.
After thinking for a moment, he ordered, “Muster the troops. We’ll send another two thousand soldiers to assist the Shitou River defenders in encircling the Qu Zhao army.”
Inside Anwu County, King Anwu felt as though he was about to go mad. “What’s going on? Haven’t they always said that Xiling Mountain was secure?”
No one answered him, but it was easy to imagine what had happened. Some soldiers must have neglected their duties; otherwise, there was no way they could have failed to discover any trace of the tens of thousands of Qu Zhao troops.
“Have we sent word to Chunyi County and the troops guarding Shishan River? Tell them to come to our aid at once.”
Li Wei nodded. “The messages have already been sent. Your Majesty, there’s no need to worry too much. Although the Qu Zhao army numbers tens of thousands, we have a moat and city walls to rely on. We will certainly hold.”
Wang Chun’s lips were slightly pale, but he forced himself to remain calm. “That’s right. We still have reinforcements. We’ll definitely hold.”
Tian Xiang paced around the hall several times before suddenly remembering something. He asked, “Did we have the people in Chunyi County seek assistance from the Jiao army?”
Li Wei shook his head. “The county commandant of Chunyi County is also a veteran of the battlefield. He must have already sent someone.”
With Anwu County surrounded, the only means they had of sending messages was carrier pigeons, and there was no way to explain many things in detail.
However, when the Jiao army had come to warn them earlier, Tian Xiang had gathered several generals stationed in various places and discussed a rough plan with them.
King Anwu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on. Let’s go up to the city tower and see how the battle is going.”
Chen Ning was directing the fighting atop the city wall, her expression grave. The Qu Zhao army was attacking like a pack of mad dogs, completely disregarding their own safety and focusing on nothing but storming the city.
Suddenly, clouds of dust billowed in the distance. Her face lit up. “Kill them! Our reinforcements have arrived!”
The Great Chanyu Qu Zhao also spotted the Anwu reinforcements approaching. His expression darkened, but the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“Perfect. Let them in. Once we’re all fighting in close quarters, let’s see how the Anwu army can keep firing its catapults and arrows at random!”
At a mountain pass, Dongzhi reported the battle situation to Jiang Jin. “My lady, nearly two thousand enemies have been wiped out. Several tens of thousands of Qu Zhao soldiers and civilians have fled in all directions, while there are about ten thousand Han civilians.”
The Han civilians referred to here were actually Qu Zhao’s cart slaves, who had been transporting grain and other supplies.
There had been about five thousand Qu Zhao soldiers stationed here, and most of those Jiang Jin had killed were Qu Zhao troops.
Jiang Jin had launched a surprise attack on Anwu County with nearly three thousand men. Only three hundred were with her; the rest had been dispersed among the villages to gather people.
She had originally intended to kill more Qu Zhao soldiers, but unfortunately, they had been discovered too soon and she had been forced to come out into the open. Still, she had achieved her objective, so she did not particularly care how many Qu Zhao soldiers were killed.
She looked toward the Han people and issued orders swiftly. “Screen these Han civilians carefully. Have them inform on one another. Anyone suspicious is to be killed.”
Dongzhi wiped at her face, smearing the bloodstains even further. “Rest assured, my lady.”
She then glanced at the supplies in the mountain pass. “What should we do with this grain? Have the Han civilians transport it back to Fengzhou?”
Although Dongzhi was Jiang Jin’s personal attendant, she was different from He Qiuchi and Xu Qian. Her martial prowess was quite formidable, which was one of the reasons she could remain at Jiang Jin’s side whether Jiang Jin was engaged in a battle of wits or a physical fight.
Jiang Jin looked at the rows of grain and the large quantities of gold, silver, and other valuables. Her brows arched with delight. “I have my own arrangements. Take the people and leave with enough grain to last us a few days. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Leave the spoils behind as well,” she added.
Finishing off the wounded was an excellent tradition of the Jinyang Army. Collecting spoils was another. Whether swords, armor, or money and valuables, they searched everything whenever circumstances allowed.
Dongzhi knew that Jiang Jin possessed a secret army, so she did not question it. She quickly carried out her orders, organizing the Dragon Shadow Guards and the Han civilians to load enough grain to feed tens of thousands of people for several days. They loaded it onto horses and departed.
In terrain like these mountains, even transporting grain with wheelbarrows was extremely difficult. In many places, people had to carry it by hand.
Only the Qu Zhao army, with its vast numbers and its determination to burn its boats, could have brought so many people and so much grain through the Xiling Mountains.
Yun Chengxuan took a sip of the sweet porridge and finally felt unbearably thirsty. Helplessly, he drank from the other waterskin he had brought.
It contained plain boiled water, with nothing added, and it tasted terribly bland.
Jiang Jin could not help laughing. While he was distracted, she took out a cup of mango pomelo sago from her spatial realm and handed it to him. “Drink this.”
Yun Chengxuan’s eyes lit up. “Wow! What is this?”
Jiang Jin smiled. “Just a kind of sweet drink.”
“This drink is so pretty. It must taste good.”
Jiang Jin handed him a straw as well. Yun Chengxuan had already learned how to use it. He glanced at Jiang Jin.
She smiled. “I have one too. Go over there, and remember to call out if anyone is nearby. And you’re not allowed to turn around and peek.”
Only then did Yun Chengxuan happily insert the straw into the cup and walk in the direction Jiang Jin had indicated, without turning back even once.
After making sure Yun Chengxuan had gone far enough and that there was no one else nearby, Jiang Jin stored the grain in her spatial realm. There was not an enormous amount, but there were still enough to make up two or three thousand shi.
When Jiang Jin and Yun Chengxuan caught up with the main force, the group had only gone a few li.
By evening, they reached a relatively flat valley. This was the meeting point they had agreed upon, but unfortunately, no one else had arrived yet.
Jiang Jin was not in a hurry. Since they were already in the Xiling Mountains, it was only natural that they would be the first to arrive.
With a wave of Jiang Jin’s hand, the Dragon Shadow Guards immediately split up and began carrying out their assignments. Some patrolled and stood watch, while others went to the water source to clean away the bloodstains.
Dongzhi led a small group in screening the Han people, guarding against Qu Zhao spies.
Perhaps because they had seen the Jinyang Army’s gentle attitude, or perhaps because they were finally able to return to Han territory, the Han people quickly became eager to speak after Dongzhi persuaded them. They enthusiastically informed on others, one after another.
In less than half an hour, they had exposed more than three hundred Qu Zhao lackeys.
Jiang Jin did not hesitate and had them killed immediately.
Dongzhi came over to report after washing herself. “They’ve all been killed. It’s almost dark. Shall we prepare the evening meal?”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Cook. We’ll need full stomachs if we’re going to have the strength to travel. Make plenty so the civilians can all eat their fill.”
In Liang City, Jiao Tai looked at the scout who had come to deliver the report and slammed his palm onto the table in fury. “Qu Zhao is treacherous!”
The Qu Zhao army had indeed circled around Xiling Mountain and reached the rear of Anwu County.
Clearly, both Qu Zhao and the Ji army had played him and the Jiao army for fools.
Jiao Tai suppressed his irritation. “Tian Xiang really is useless. I warned him already, yet he still let Qu Zhao succeed. Useless!”
Mu Qi’s heart skipped a beat. “General, are we going to send aid?”
Jiao Tai turned to the scout. “How many troops did Qu Zhao send to attack the city?”
“About fifty thousand.”
Jiao Tai frowned. “That’s practically Qu Zhao’s entire main force. It seems they’re determined to take Anwu County.”
Mu Qi nodded. “If that’s the case, Anwu County probably won’t be able to hold out for long.”
Jiao Tai shot to his feet. “Muster the troops. We’re heading to Anwu County.”
Mu Qi looked worried. “Are we going to confront Qu Zhao?”
