Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Uncle and nephew Shi Guanglei had grand ambitions; after occupying Shuozhou, they aimed to conquer the world. However, most of the soldiers they recruited did not truly aspire to overthrow the court and be ennobled as generals and marquises. Their goal was simply to eliminate the corrupt officials and bullies in their hometowns, to secure land for their families, and to live peaceful lives.

The uncle and nephew helped them get rid of the corrupt officials, so the soldiers were willing to support them. If the attackers at Yanmen Pass were the notorious Li Gang brothers, the soldiers would likely fight to the death to protect their families. But it was the Xiao family who came, known for distributing land and grain to the people of seven counties and never killing surrendered soldiers. Over the past three days, the soldiers had been swayed by various appeals to surrender. With Shi Guanglei's death, the morale of the army completely collapsed, and more and more soldiers chose to lay down their weapons and kneel in surrender.

In just half an hour, the cries of battle in the camp subsided.

The old man ordered the fires to be extinguished and began to tally the casualties on both sides.

At the beginning, the Xiao family relied on a rain of arrows to kill and block many enemy soldiers. The few who managed to escape were surrounded by Xiao Shouyi and Xiao Yan leading their troops from both ends, outnumbering the enemy. In the melee, two or three soldiers typically fought one enemy soldier, resulting in only twelve deaths and over forty wounded with varying degrees of injury.

Of the ten thousand enemy soldiers who launched the night attack, over three thousand died from arrows, fire, and sword wounds, and over a hundred were injured.

This was due to their quick surrender; otherwise, trapped on the mountain road, they would have been annihilated.

The surrendered soldiers were guarded in one place, while military doctors like Zhou Jingchun and Zhou Gui tended to the wounded. Because they had prepared well before the battle, even Zhou Gui, who was facing so many injuries for the first time, remained calm and composed as she treated the soldiers.

Xiao Yan collected the wooden soldier tags from the twelve fallen soldiers and handed them to the old man.

Some tags were stained with blood, others still seemed to retain the warmth of their owners.

Xiao Mu examined each tag, took a deep breath, and turned to hand a stack of tags to Tong Sui: "Take these to the clerk."

As the commander, he could only strive to achieve victory with minimal casualties but could not guarantee the safety of all his soldiers.

Tong Sui silently clenched the stack of tags.

There was no way to transport the bodies back, so they had to be burned on the spot.

The Xiao family's ten-thousand-strong army escorted the six thousand surrendered soldiers to the foot of Yanmen Pass, where the fire in the camp was still burning fiercely.

Only a squad of archers remained on the city walls. Seeing the head of Shi Guanglei thrown up by Xiao Yan, they immediately opened the gate and surrendered.

Inside Yanmen Pass, there was another busy half-hour. Finally, Tong Sui returned to the tent assigned by the old man, accompanied by Zhou Gui.

Zhou Gui's clothes were stained with blood. Despite her mental preparation, the gruesome wounds of the soldiers on both sides still left a significant impact. However, when she followed Tong Sui into the tent and saw the familiar kang (a traditional Chinese bed), she couldn't help but smile: "After sleeping in tents for several nights, I can finally sleep on a kang tonight."

Tong Sui took off her leather armor and said gently, "It's late, wash up quickly and go to bed."

Compared to the battle on the day of the siege, tonight's ambush was relatively easy.

Zhou Gui was indeed exhausted. She changed her clothes, washed her neck, hands, and feet, and was about to climb onto the kang when she saw her sister opening the quilt for her.

Tong Sui smiled, "I'm afraid you might have nightmares."

Zhou Gui climbed in while protesting, "I'm not that timid."

Exhausted, the sisters soon fell asleep.

Yanmen Pass had been breached. The old man had announced the previous night that the soldiers who fought a brilliant battle in the middle of the night could sleep until they naturally woke up.

But Tong Sui was used to waking up early. Seeing her cousin sleeping soundly, she quietly dressed, asked two strong female guards to watch the door, and went out.

Outside, the sky was just beginning to brighten. Tong Sui immediately spotted the old man standing alone on a high section of the wall on a nearby hill.

Tong Sui ran over.

When she reached the old man, her face was flushed, and she was panting.

Xiao Mu laughed, "What's the rush? I won't be blown away by the wind."

Tong Sui: "I didn't want to miss the sunrise."

Xiao Mu looked eastward with a smile. Tong Sui's effort wasn't in vain; right then, a red sun slowly rose above the layered clouds, shining brilliantly.

After the sun fully emerged, Xiao Mu asked, "You stayed up so late last night, why didn't you sleep in?"

Tong Sui: "I've been looking at the city gate for three days. Before going to bed, I decided I must see it this morning."

Xiao Mu touched the nearby wall, which appeared majestic from a distance but showed signs of wear and tear up close, eroded by years of wind and rain.

He said, "No matter how formidable a natural barrier is, it still needs to be defended by people. If we had a steady commander who refused to engage, our ten-thousand-strong army wouldn't have been able to breach the pass."

Tong Sui: "Grandfather, don't be modest. Every word you had Third Younger Brother say hit Shi Guanglei's vital points. It's impressive that Shi Guanglei held out for three days. His overconfidence and rashness stemmed from the Shi family's poor governance. He feared the soldiers would turn against him, so he had to strike first."

If the Shi family had treated the people of Shuozhou as the Xiao family treated those of the seven counties, would Shi Guanglei have worried about the soldiers betraying him?

Xiao Mu laughed, "Indeed, no matter how tactics change, the core remains psychological warfare. As long as you understand your opponent thoroughly, you will always find a way to exploit them."

Tong Sui: "With Yanmen Pass captured, Dai County should be easier to take. I wonder how Second Uncle and Fourth Younger Brother are doing."

Xiao Mu: "Dai County relies on Yanmen Pass, so the garrison here is strong, but the internal forces must be weak. Yin County has no natural defenses and can only rely on the garrison in Yin City to hold us back. Once the second brother captures Yin City, they can advance smoothly to Shuozhou."

---

Yin City is located directly northeast of Shuozhou, about a hundred miles away, serving as a key defense for Shuozhou.

Yin County was originally the territory of Prince Shi Yi. After capturing Shuozhou, Shi Yi became the strongest force in the area. However, the Xiao family, who governed the seven counties, posed a significant threat with their tactics against the Li Gang brothers and their ability to win the hearts of the people. To prevent the Xiao family from attacking Shuozhou through Ying County, Shi Yi stationed twenty thousand troops in Yin City, led by his eldest son, Shi Jinhu.

Twenty thousand troops were enough to defend against the Xiao family's forty thousand, but unexpectedly, Han Zongping brought a hundred thousand troops.

Shi Yi did not want to surrender, nor did King Qi Heng. To counter Han Zongping's army, Qi Heng abandoned the small counties he controlled and brought fifty thousand troops to Shuozhou to join Shi Yi. Shi Yi's influence was great, and Qi Heng submitted willingly, especially after Shi Yi married his daughter, further solidifying his support for his son-in-law.

After combining their forces, Military Advisor Deng suggested increasing the garrison in Yin City and Lu City by twenty thousand each, along with the southeastern Yanmen Pass and southwestern Dingwu Pass, to form an ironclad defense around Shuozhou.

Qi Heng thought this plan was excellent. Since his son-in-law had already dispatched sixty thousand troops to guard the cities and passes, Qi Heng divided his fifty thousand troops, sending forty thousand, led by his two sons, to reinforce Lu City and Yin City.

Shuozhou retained fifty thousand troops, which, with the city's fortifications, could ensure its safety. Concerned about the impulsiveness of young commanders, Shi Yi sent Military Advisor Deng to Yin City to assist his son Shi Jinhu and his brother-in-law Qi Yun in defending the city.

Shi Yi thought, with one strategist, two fierce generals, and an army of forty thousand, should it be enough to defend Yin City?

Yin City.

Shi Jinhu had not slept well for several nights. He was not afraid of the Xiao family’s grandfather and grandson, but he was afraid of Han Zongping.

After waiting and waiting, on this day, the sentry finally reported: "Your Highness, the Xiao family has dispatched troops, about ten thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry!"

Shi Jinhu asked anxiously, "Just them? General Han didn’t send anyone?"

The sentry replied, "No, all the banners read 'Xiao'!"

Military Advisor Deng stroked his beard and said to Shi Jinhu and Qi Yun, "According to the battle reports from various regions sent by the Prince, it seems that this time the Xiao family is serving as the vanguard for General Han. General Han will attack the smaller towns on the outskirts, while the Xiao family comes here to tackle the tough part."

Shi Jinhu found it hard to understand: "Isn’t General Han clearly sending the Xiao family to their deaths? Is Old Man Xiao really so foolish as to serve as a pawn for others?"

Military Advisor Deng sneered, "The Xiao family’s ancestors were hereditary military officials, legitimate court martial officers. Old Man Xiao was forced into seclusion in the countryside due to being framed by his superiors, but deep down, he still believes in loyalty to the emperor and serving the country. He would rather act as a pawn for General Han to earn a good reputation for the Xiao family than associate with our kind of rebel forces that rose from the common people."

He had tried twice to persuade Xiao Mu to ally with the Prince, but Xiao Mu always cited his old age and fear, saying he only wanted to defend the seven counties. However, when Han Zongping came to recruit him, Xiao Mu immediately became bold, clearly seeking the legitimacy and righteousness on Han Zongping’s side.

Shi Jinhu didn’t care what Old Man Xiao thought and said happily, "If the Xiao family and General Han join forces to attack us, I would indeed be worried. But now they’ve only brought this many troops, why should I fear them? I’ll just lead the troops out and fight!"

Military Advisor Deng quickly stopped him, "Your Highness must not! Although the Xiao family has fewer troops, Xiao Er and his brothers are fierce generals and extremely skilled at training and leading soldiers. The three thousand cavalry led by Xiao Er are as formidable as twenty thousand infantry. Our forty thousand soldiers are sufficient to defend the city, but we cannot match Xiao Er and his brothers in a direct confrontation."

Shi Jinhu flexed his fist, "Xiao Er is a fierce general, but am I and Qi Yun any less? By the way, Qi Yun, what do you think?"

Although Qi Yun is the brother-in-law of Prince Shi Yi, he is only twenty-one years old this year.

The Qi family is known for lion dancing, and all its members are agile and skilled. Qi Yun stands out among them, being taciturn but exceptionally talented in martial arts.

In response to Shi Jinhu’s question, Qi Yun lowered his eyes and said, "When I came here, both my father and the Prince specifically instructed me to follow the orders of the military advisor and not to act on my own."

Shi Jinhu glanced at the smiling Military Advisor Deng, his face turning green with anger.

Military Advisor Deng explained again, "Does Your Highness know why General Han did not come to attack Shuozhou himself?"

Shi Jinhu ignored him.

Military Advisor Deng continued without embarrassment, "Because General Han is guarding against General Zhao from Da Tong. Instead of personally tackling the tough task of attacking Shuozhou and worrying about being attacked from behind, he entrusted Shuozhou to the Xiao family. On the surface, General Han is going to subdue the surrounding small counties, but in reality, he is observing the situation in Shuozhou. If the Xiao family wins, they will take over. If the Xiao family loses, General Han will abandon Shuozhou, preserve his strength, and continue south to attack the imperial court. So, we don’t need to rush. If the three routes of the Xiao family’s troops fail to capture Shuozhou, they will retreat on their own, and we can win without losing a single soldier."

Shi Jinhu: "...We may win, but it feels like a hollow victory."

Military Advisor Deng: "This is called preserving strength, watching the tigers fight, and waiting for the right opportunity."