Chapter 146

Chapter 146

Xiao Zhen indeed led three thousand five hundred cavalry toward Yanmen Pass, but he advanced at a normal pace, not rushing like Shi Lin. Under the scorching sun, the horses were also struggling, and the cavalry loved their horses dearly. Unless there was an urgent battle, they would ride for a while and then rest.

Thus, by the time the old man had cleared the battlefield and waited with his army at the fork in the road, Xiao Zhen and his men finally appeared on another mountain path.

The mountain path was narrow and unsuitable for setting up camp. Tong Sui accompanied the old man in the cool shade of the mountains as he interrogated the captured enemy soldiers.

A scout on a fast horse returned to report: "Report to the Right General, Second Younger Brother and his men are here; they should be just two miles away."

Xiao Mu grunted and told him to rest.

Tong Sui asked, "Grandfather, if Second Younger Brother's attack on Yin City isn't going smoothly, how will we respond?"

Xiao Mu replied, "Then we will take Dingwu Pass and secretly inform the Second Younger Brother to set an ambush halfway, waiting for the enemy reinforcements."

As they spoke, the sound of rapid and powerful hoofbeats could already be heard approaching.

Tong Sui's heart began to beat faster.

Xiao Mu pointed to his head, reminding his granddaughter-in-law, "Your hair on the left side is a bit messy."

With the dense trees and shrubs in the mountains, it was easy to get scratched on the face and clothes while climbing or hiding.

Tong Sui blushed, seeing her cousin resting beside her grandfather. She walked over and asked her cousin to help her comb her hair again. She didn't particularly dress up, just didn't want to look disheveled when meeting people.

Zhou Gui still felt sorry for the horses killed by stray arrows: "If every archer's aim was as good as yours, it would be great, shooting only at people and not at horses."

Tong Sui said, "There's no way around it. Wasting time aiming allows the clustered enemy to scatter, so it's better to concentrate the attack in one area to kill more enemies."

Fortunately, the archers aimed at people, and the horses hit by mistake were in the minority.

Zhou Jingchun glanced at the fork in the road and smiled, reminding them, "They're here."

Tong Sui turned around and immediately saw Xiao Zhen at the front, along with the cavalry behind him, all wearing armor, galloping over in a grand and imposing manner.

Tong Sui was about a hundred paces away from the old man.

Zhou Gui nudged her sister's arm mischievously, "Go quickly, your husband must miss you."

Tong Sui gave her cousin a playful glare and stood up.

In the camp, there were only she and Zhou Gui, and since Xiao Zhen was riding, he could see her from a high vantage point. He had already spotted Tong Sui as he approached the old man.

He ordered the cavalry to rest on the spot, dismounted, and walked toward the old man.

Xiao Yan handed him a water bag.

Xiao Zhen didn't drink right away but knelt down on one knee, holding out his hands for Xiao Yan to pour water.

Xiao Zhen quickly washed his face and neck with the water.

Xiao Yan curiously asked, "Are you really that hot, or do you not want Second Sister-in-Law to see you all sweaty?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "I'm hot."

Saying this, he grabbed the water bag and drank deeply.

Tong Sui, who was walking over, could see his Adam's apple moving, the droplets of water still running down his face, and his sidelong glance, which was more intense than the midday sun.

Xiao Yan followed his brother's gaze and turned his head, but Xiao Zhen turned him back with one hand.

Tong Sui smiled and sat down behind the old man, listening to Xiao Zhen and the old man exchange information about the battles on both sides.

Xiao Zhen said, "With Qi Yun as an insider, Fourth Younger Brother should be able to take Lu County tonight."

Xiao Mu said, "Good, I'll continue advancing toward Shuozhou. You take Shi Lin to take over Dingwu Pass, and after finishing, come to Shuozhou to meet us."

Xiao Yan said, "Grandfather, we also seized a thousand horses from Yanmen Pass. Should I take a thousand men to go with Second Brother?"

As for the four thousand horses Shi Lin had just delivered, dozens had died, and the survivors were exhausted and couldn't run anymore.

Xiao Zhen said, "No need. You have over eight thousand surrendered soldiers here. Help Grandfather keep a close eye on them. There are only ten thousand defenders at Dingwu Pass. Once they learn that Shuozhou is isolated and without support, they will surely surrender."

Seeing the old man nod, Xiao Yan had no choice but to comply.

There wasn't much more to discuss, so the old man let Xiao Zhen rest for half an hour before setting off. It was over a hundred and twenty miles, but they could reach Dingwu Pass before dusk.

With only half an hour, Xiao Zhen called Tong Sui to go see Zhou Jingchun.

Zhou Jingchun chatted with his grandson-in-law for a while, then, seeing something happening with the wounded soldiers, took Zhou Gui and left, leaving only Tong Sui and Xiao Zhen.

The surrounding soldiers were very considerate and found various reasons to move elsewhere to rest. Although there was only one mountain path, the couple was still visible to everyone, but they could whisper intimate words to each other.

Xiao Zhen looked Tong Sui up and down, "Are you hurt?"

Tong Sui shook her head.

Xiao Zhen noticed a thin red mark on her neck.

Tong Sui touched it and explained, "It might be from a branch. I didn't even notice until you mentioned it."

She knew Xiao Zhen had taken Yin City without bloodshed and was definitely not injured, but she still carefully examined the exposed parts of his body. His hands were fine, but his face and neck were sunburned red.

Xiao Zhen asked, "Am I tanned?"

Tong Sui lowered her eyes and held back a laugh, "You were even darker during the spring plowing, and I never complained."

Xiao Zhen said, "You've been out for several days, but you don't seem to have changed at all."

Tong Sui: "Nonsense, I can see it myself."

In the past, when she hunted in the mountains, her skin would tan a bit, but it would turn white again after a winter. Since she married into the Xiao family last year, she had hardly worked under the sun, making her even fairer. The change in her complexion over these few days was quite noticeable.

Xiao Zhen: "Really? I still think you're as fair as before."

Tong Sui: "Look at something else, don't always stare at me."

Xiao Zhen: "I'm already being patient by not dragging you to the mountains. You can't stop me from looking, can you?"

Tong Sui: "..."

Xiao Zhen's voice turned hoarse: "We have a little more time. How about we find a place?"

Tong Sui felt her whole body burning up. She glared at him, stood up, and went to find the old man.

Xiao Zhen was just teasing her. He could do whatever he wanted in private, but he would never give others a chance to fantasize about her in public.

After resting, Xiao Zhen immediately set off with over three thousand cavalry.

They rode and stopped intermittently, and when the sun was still glaring, the three thousand cavalry arrived at Dingshu Pass, kicking up dust as they went.

The commander of the pass was Shi Jinxiong, another son of Shi Yi.

Seeing his brother Shi Lin, bound and tied behind a horse by Xiao Zhen's men, Shi Jinxiong's face turned ashen. He left five hundred men to guard the wall and called for a thousand cavalry and eight thousand infantry to charge at Xiao Zhen's troops.

Shi Lin cheered him on: "Don't worry about me! They killed our father, Jinxiong, you must avenge our father!"

Xiao Zhen rode forward alone and said to the group of soldiers guarding the pass: "Yin City, Lu City, and Yanmen Pass are all under my Xiao family's control. Even if we don't break through Dingshu Pass, we can send someone to inform General Han to attack Shuozhou from Yanmen Pass. By then, it will be too late for you to surrender. Why not take down Shi Jinxiong now and claim your reward from General Han?"

The soldiers looked at each other, then at Shi Jinxiong at the front.

Shi Jinxiong, wary and angry: "You dare!"

He was a towering figure, and his roar was like thunder, instantly intimidating the group.

Xiao Zhen smiled: "I know you're no match for Shi Jinxiong. How about this: you just step back, and once I take him down, I'll still credit each of you with the merit of surrendering."

The soldiers, hearing this, all retreated in unison. They might not be able to fight Shi Jinxiong, but they could run.

Shi Jinxiong, furious, raised his spear to kill the nearest one, but he heard hoofbeats behind him. Turning around, he saw Xiao Zhen charging at him!

Shi Jinxiong had no choice but to abandon the fleeing soldiers and face Xiao Zhen.

Unfortunately, after only three rounds, Shi Jinxiong was struck in the shoulder by Xiao Zhen's spear, fell off his horse, and was quickly captured by Xiao Zhen's cavalry, who tied him up with Shi Lin.

Shi Lin spat: "Just as useless as your brother!"

Shi Jinxiong: "..."

---

Lu City.

Although Shi Lin had left, he left his brother-in-law Jiang Kui in charge of the sixteen thousand troops of the Shi family.

Before nightfall, the scouts sent out by Jiang Kui returned and reported that Xiao Ye's army had retreated thirty miles away and set up camp.

Qi Ling: "Why only thirty miles? Could they be pretending to retreat and planning to attack the city at midnight?"

The scout replied: "They rested in the forest for an hour at noon and only continued their march when the sun wasn't so scorching."

Jiang Kui: "Yin City has already fallen; they're not in a hurry. I wonder how my brother-in-law is doing. If he can intercept Xiao Er and then block the road between Shuozhou and Yin City with our thirty thousand troops, the Xiao family's capture of Yin City will be meaningless."

Qi Yun mocked: "That can only last for a while. Once Commander Han receives the news and leads his troops from Yin City, it will be like entering a land without resistance..."

Qi Ling scolded: "Second Brother! Why do you always boost the morale of others and undermine our own?"

Jiang Kui sneered: "Fortunately, the Prince and the King are fully supporting us. Otherwise, Mr. Yun would have long joined General Han."

Qi Yun, hearing this, slammed the table and stood up: "If I wanted to surrender, why would I come to Lu City to warn you?"

With no common ground, he left on his own.

Neither Qi Ling nor Jiang Kui paid him any attention.

At the second watch of the night, Jiang Kui suddenly received word that Qi Yun had developed a high fever due to a knife wound. Qi Ling was frantic and summoned all the doctors in the city.

Jiang Kui pondered: "These two may not get along, but they are still blood relatives. If anything happens to Qi Yun, Qi Ling might hold a grudge against my mocking words. Bring me my clothes!"

Soon, Jiang Kui led a troop to Qi Ling's temporary residence. Seeing that the outside was filled with Qi Ling's men and only doctors were going in and out, Jiang Kui ordered his men to stay on the street and only took two guards inside to visit.

As soon as he stepped through the carved gate, the door behind him was suddenly closed. Three groups of archers rushed out from the main house and the side rooms, all aiming their arrows at him.

Jiang Kui: "..."

Qi Yun walked out from behind the archers, wearing a white robe, and looked at Jiang Kui expressionlessly: "Will you surrender, or shall I release the arrows?"

Realizing he had been tricked, Jiang Kui shouted angrily: "Qi Ling, have you also rebelled!"

Qi Yun clapped his hands.

Two men dragged out a heavily bound and gagged large man from the main house—it was Qi Ling, who kept giving his younger brother the evil eye.

Seeing this, Jiang Kui glanced around at the archers and had no choice but to submit.

With Jiang Kui's surrender, Qi Yun smoothly took control of the city's troops. At the third watch, he lit a fire on the city wall as a signal to welcome Xiao Ye, Qiao Changan, and Zhang Wengong, leading fifteen thousand infantry into the city.

Thus, all four gates of Shuozhou were lost, leaving only the isolated city itself.