Hua Ruo took the note and read it aloud. “What about Punan Commandery? My lord doesn’t have many men. Should we send troops there?”
“Send them,” Zhou Sui said quietly. “Twenty thousand will do.”
“Raise the troops. We depart in half an hour.” He issued the order loudly.
At that moment, Ji Yuzhu in Shangjing Commandery also received word of the withdrawal. His heart was filled with resentment and unwillingness, yet there was nothing he could do.
Rong Hei slammed his fist onto the table. “The Jinyang Army!”
He turned to Ji Yuzhu. “General, are we really going to hand Shangjing Commandery over to them just like that?”
Ji Yuzhu’s expression was grim. “It was a decision made by those above us. Eighty thousand troops have already withdrawn from Punan Commandery, and more will follow.”
Xi Yang ground his teeth. “Punan Commandery is the vital passage connecting us with our clansmen. How could the Great General and the others simply hand it over?”
Qu Lin sighed. “Something else must have happened. Otherwise, the Great General would never have agreed so readily.”
The letter had made no mention of the “heavenly punishment” or the army’s plummeting morale. It only mentioned the failed duel between generals and the final outcome.
Rong Hei was furious. “Whatever else happened, we still can’t hand over the territory we fought so hard to conquer!”
As he spoke, he pounded his chest. “It took Qu Zhao two whole years to drive the Jinyang Army out of Fengzhou. And what about us? We’ve lost two commanderies in barely six or seven days! We’ll become the laughingstock of the entire world!”
His words made everyone’s expressions even more unsightly.
Though harsh, they were the truth.
From the day Wenxia City was taken by the Jinyang Army without a sound, they had already become the laughingstock of the world.
It was only because the realm was now plagued by war and divided among rival regimes, with news traveling slowly, that few people knew about it yet.
Ji Yuzhu’s face darkened like ink. After a long silence, he finally sighed. “Follow the orders and withdraw.”
Rong Hei stared at him in shock. “We’re really withdrawing thirty thousand troops? What if the Jinyang Army doesn’t keep its word? The soldiers we leave behind could all be slaughtered!”
Shangjing Commandery had a total of fifty thousand defenders. According to the terms of the negotiations, they had to withdraw thirty thousand troops first, while the remaining twenty thousand would deal with the food supplies.
Sha Yan snapped angrily, “The Jinyang Army is despicable. They won’t even give us enough time. How are we supposed to withdraw so easily? At the very least, they should let us finish gathering the provisions.”
Xi Yang sighed. “They’re probably worried that we’ll slaughter the Han civilians.”
Ji Yuzhu clenched his teeth. “Make the preparations. We’ll follow orders.”
At the border between Shangjing and Chunnan Commanderies, the atmosphere was tense, and war was on the verge of breaking out.
The Ji soldiers stood on guard, their faces wary. “What do you Jinyang soldiers mean by this?”
Hua Ruo snorted coldly. “Shangjing Commandery already belongs to us. Didn’t you receive the notice?”
The defender’s voice trembled. “We didn’t receive anything. Fall back, or—or don’t blame us for what happens next.”
Zhou Sui was in no hurry. “Ji Yuzhu is in Dehe County, isn’t he? Have him come here.”
Seeing that he truly made no further advance, the Ji soldier relaxed slightly. “We’ve already reported this to our superiors. Please wait.”
The moment they saw the Jinyang Army draw up in battle formation, they had sent riders galloping off to report.
Sure enough, before long, Ji Yuzhu came rushing over with his men.
“General Zhou certainly seems eager,” he said, looking at Zhou Sui with undisguised sarcasm.
He had intended to remain calm and composed, but now that the moment had truly arrived, he could not suppress his unwillingness and let the sarcasm slip out.
Zhou Sui remained as calm as the clouds and wind. “It’s our own land. Naturally, we should keep an eye on it.”
Ji Yuzhu was rendered speechless. He took several deep breaths to suppress the frustration in his heart. “We haven’t finished sorting everything out yet. Could you give us two more days?”
Zhou Sui’s tone remained placid. “Today, thirty thousand of your Ji troops must leave Shangjing Commandery. This is the military order I received. I hope you’ll honor the agreement.”
Rong Hei could not hold back any longer and shouted angrily, “What agreement? You Jinyang soldiers are despicable! You actually launched a surprise attack on Wenxia City!”
Zhou Sui looked at him oddly. “What do you mean by ‘surprise attack’? You don’t even understand the principle that in war, all forms of deception are permissible. Why don’t you return to the grasslands?”
He then looked toward Ji Yuzhu. “The fact that my lord could take Wenxia City so easily only proves that your Ji Army is nothing before the Jinyang Army.”
He raised Lenglin and pointed toward Shangjing Commandery. “This place now belongs to the Jinyang Army. If anyone dares obstruct us from taking control, don’t blame us for fighting our way in!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The Jinyang soldiers behind him roared in unison, their morale soaring.
They had been holding in this frustration for far too long. At last, they could hold their heads high.
Ji Yuzhu tightened his grip on the reins, his body rigid. After a long moment, he finally forced out, “We will naturally honor the agreement.”
Zhou Sui curled his lips into a smile. “Good. Very good.”
Ji Yuzhu ground his teeth. “Please.”
In Dehe County, Fang Da knelt on the ground while a noble Ji woman stepped onto his back to climb down from the carriage.
Only after the woman entered the shop beside them did he dare to rise and bend over beside the carriage, waiting for her to come out so he could kneel again and serve as a human footstool.
Just then, the city gates in the distance opened, and a group of soldiers marched in with orderly, swift steps.
Suppressed gasps and quiet murmurs rose around him.
Fang Da was bewildered. Gathering his courage, he lifted his head to look—and his pupils suddenly contracted.
The soldiers entering the city were Han troops!
These Han soldiers advanced with imposing force and perfect order.
Strangely enough, a contingent of Ji soldiers accompanied them.
Before long, a detachment of Han troops climbed onto the city wall under the Ji soldiers’ escort. The Ji banner was lowered and replaced by another military standard.
At that moment, neither Fang Da nor any of the other Han people in the city understood what the change of banner meant for them.
They could only stare blankly, growing increasingly fearful. No matter how slow-witted they were, they could sense that something had changed.
They did not know whether this change would bring them good or ill. But there was nothing they could do except wait for their fate to arrive.
While everyone was still standing in a daze, a loud proclamation rang out.
“All Han civilians in the city, listen carefully! Dehe County now belongs to my lord and is under the control of the Jinyang Army. Whether you are currently a slave or a free citizen, you are now my lord’s people. You no longer need to serve the Ji clansmen. Go immediately to the open ground in front of the county office and assemble there. If any Ji clansman oppresses you or prevents you from leaving, call out loudly to the Jinyang Army for help!”
A squad of Han cavalry thundered past Fang Da, leaving behind the crisp, ringing proclamation.
As the shouts and hoofbeats gradually faded into the distance, he saw the Han soldiers divide into several groups and patrol every part of the city, repeating the same proclamation from time to time.
He also saw a group of people dressed like civil officials hurrying toward the county office. Oddly enough, quite a few of these officials were women.
“What are you standing there for? Didn’t you hear the proclamation? Get to the county office and assemble!”
Fang Da stared blankly at the man shouting at him.
When he saw that Fang Da still did not react, Ma Lin frowned. “I’m talking to you. Hurry up. Don’t waste time.”
Only then did Fang Da realize that the Han soldier really was speaking to him. His lips trembled, but he did not dare move. If the noblewoman came out and saw that he was no longer kneeling there, she would surely beat him to death.
