The negotiations over the various details of the troop withdrawal did not conclude until noon.
The Ji army began retreating from outside Wenzha City.
Of course, they were not withdrawing all their forces at once. They first pulled back eighty thousand troops.
The garrisons stationed in the other counties of Punan Commandery were also to withdraw part of their forces, leaving behind only a small contingent responsible for harvesting the crops.
At the same time, all Ji civilians were to be evacuated.
The Jinyang army did not have enough men to take over the garrisons for the time being, but each county would send a small number of soldiers to monitor the situation and prevent the Ji army from making any underhanded moves.
As a gesture of goodwill, Jiang Jin first returned ten thousand Ji civilians to the Ji army.
When Bian Huai saw the people coming back, he found that they were so starved they scarcely looked human anymore. Most of them had to be carried out by the Jinyang soldiers.
A wave of frustration and fury rose in his heart. He seriously suspected that Princess Jinyang had sent them back merely to save grain.
He was not wrong. That was exactly what Jiang Jin had been thinking.
Now that the two sides had reached an agreement, they naturally could not continue starving these Ji people. It would be troublesome if they died, so she had simply returned ten thousand of them first.
At that moment, she was in the county office, handling various matters.
“Has the letter been sent?”
Yao Ji nodded. “I’ve already sent a carrier pigeon to the Grand General. Under normal circumstances, he should receive it tomorrow.”
Jiang Jin acknowledged this with a hum. “Tell the people at our contact points outside the city to keep an eye on the Ji army’s movements. Make sure everyone we send out stays safe.”
Although Ji Duoyan and the others were still in her hands, and the Ji army most likely would not dare violate the agreement, it never hurt to be cautious.
By dusk, the eighty thousand Ji soldiers had left the area around Wenzha City and headed for the nearby Fuping Commandery.
In Wenxiao County of Juanzhou, Wuxiao Commandery, Shangguan Mao and the others finally returned to Wenlong County with the grain.
They had just entered the city when a young man hurried over, unable to hide the joy on his face.
“Father, you’re back?”
It was Shangguan Mao’s son, Shangguan Zhan.
Shangguan Mao nodded. “Is everything all right in the city?”
“There is something wrong—something major!” Shangguan Zhan said excitedly.
Shangguan Mao’s heart tightened. “What happened?”
Shangguan Zhan glanced left and right. “Let’s go back before I tell you.”
Yu Yue hurriedly asked, “How is my father?”
Yu Mo had been seriously ill and bedridden for some time. One of the reasons she had gone to Nanwu was to find medicinal herbs.
There was practically nothing in Wenlong County—not rice, grain, salt, oil, or even medicinal herbs.
The joy faded from Shangguan Zhan’s face. “He’s all right… for now.”
From his expression, Yu Yue could tell that things were not good. She quickened her steps.
Shangguan Mao turned back and instructed Ye Wenbao, “Put the grain into the storehouse first. Cook some thin porridge today so everyone can have something to eat.”
Ye Wenbao nodded. “Yes.”
Shangguan Mao and the others hurried into the rear courtyard of the county office.
The dilapidated courtyard did not even have a blade of grass. Only broken stones and dirt covered the ground.
An emaciated old man lay in the inner room. It was Yu Mo.
He was not yet fifty, but his hair had already turned completely white. His cheeks were deeply sunken, his eyes tightly closed, and his breathing faint.
A woman sat on the edge of the bed. She was just as painfully thin, her clothes hanging loosely from her body like fabric draped over a skeleton. She was Yu Mo’s wife and Yu Yue’s mother.
“Father.” Seeing that her father had grown even thinner than when she had left, Yu Yue could not hold back her sorrow.
Yu Mo showed no reaction.
Yu Yue hurriedly asked her mother, “Mother, how is Father?”
Yu’s mother shook her head, sorrow flashing in her eyes. “The physician says he only has a few days left. It’s fortunate that you came back. Otherwise, you might not even have seen him one last time.”
Her expression was fairly calm, as though she had already accepted reality.
Yu Yue’s heart ached. She quickly reassured her, “I brought medicine back. I’ve already given it to Uncle Xu. Father will definitely recover.”
The Uncle Xu she mentioned was Xu Qing, the only physician in Wenlong County—and also their army doctor.
Yu’s mother did not hold out much hope. “His body has already been worn down. Even with medicine, I’m afraid…”
“He will,” Yu Yue interrupted firmly.
Shangguan Mao spoke up as well. “We brought back plenty of grain this time—millet and salt too. With proper nourishment, he’ll recover.”
Yu’s mother lowered her head and sighed. “He stopped eating two days ago. He said that since he was a dying man, there was no need to waste food on him.”
Shangguan Mao’s eyes reddened. “Then force the medicine and food down him if you have to.”
Shangguan Zhan nodded. “That’s right. We have hope now. Once the county magistrate wakes up and hears the news, he’ll surely cheer up.”
Only then did Shangguan Mao remember what his son had called a “major event.” He asked, “What exactly happened?”
Shangguan Zhan’s face flushed with excitement. “Wenzha City has been retaken by us Han Chinese.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Then Shangguan Mao cried out, “What did you say?”
Shangguan Zhan repeated himself. “Wenzha City has been retaken by us Han Chinese!”
“Really?” Shangguan Mao seized his son by the arm.
Shangguan Zhan nodded heavily, his gaze resolute.
“Who did it? Who?” Yu Yue asked eagerly, equally excited.
Shangguan Zhan shook his head. “They say it was Princess Jinyang.”
“Princess Jinyang?” Shangguan Mao murmured, puzzled.
He had never heard of anyone by that title and did not understand at first.
“She’s the Sixth Princess, born to Empress Jile—the one from Yinshan Temple,” Yu’s mother explained.
Shangguan Mao stared in astonishment. “The Sixth Princess?”
As something occurred to him, he turned to his son and asked urgently, “How did you find out? What exactly happened?”
They had been trapped in Wenlong County and could barely receive any news from the outside.
Perhaps because he had guarded the county for too long and endured too many disappointments, he had never paid much attention to the fact that the Sixth Princess was a woman.
“The people from Panxun County told us,” Shangguan Zhan hurriedly replied.
Shangguan Mao was confused. “The people from Panxun County?”
Panxun County was the county in western Gan Commandery closest to Wenlong County. Its circumstances were much the same as theirs.
Shangguan Zhan nodded. “They said the forces in western Gan Commandery had been mobilized on a large scale, giving them a chance to escape.”
“There were several hundred of them in total. Scouts discovered them when they reached Thousand-Blade Mountain. After I learned what had happened, I brought them back.”
Thousand-Blade Mountain was the range behind Wenlong County. It was also the mountain route leading to Yuanzhou in Nanwu.
Just yesterday, the scouts had discovered several hundred Han civilians hiding in a cave in Thousand-Blade Mountain. After questioning them, they learned that the group had fled from Panxun County.
According to them, the forces in western Gan Commandery had been extensively redeployed several days earlier, and more than half of the Ji soldiers guarding Panxun County had left.
The Ji soldiers who remained were also in a state of panic, so the civilians had seized the opportunity to escape.
Shangguan Mao furrowed his brows. “Come. Take me to see them.”
This matter was of great importance. He had to learn the truth for himself before deciding what to do.
Yu Yue hesitated.
Her mother sighed. “Go. I’ll stay here.”
Yu Yue bit her lip, but in the end she rose and followed Shangguan Mao.
They soon came upon a group of Han civilians who were emaciated and dressed in rags.
“Which of you is in charge?” Shangguan Mao asked.
After hesitating for a moment, a middle-aged man stepped forward. “I am, sir.”
Shangguan Mao looked him over. Though the man was pale, thin, and weak, his eyes remained clear, without the timidity typical of ordinary civilians.
It made sense. The courage required to lead so many people in an escape showed that he possessed a certain amount of nerve.
“What is your name? Did you escape here from Panxun County?” Shangguan Mao asked.
The man nodded. “Yes. This humble one is Tian Daniu.”
Shangguan Mao continued, “You said Wenzha City was taken by Princess Jinyang. Is that true? And how did you learn of it?”
Tian Daniu answered honestly, “I only learned this by chance, overhearing some Ji Army soldiers chatting. Apparently, the Ji Army’s large-scale mobilization is also related to this matter. I heard that all the soldiers who were reassigned were sent to Wenxia City.”
Shangguan Mao’s breathing quickened slightly. “Are you certain?”
