Trend

“Save me?” Yan Jueshu’s expression turned cold. “What can you save me from?”

“Save you from utter defeat.” He Anchang smoothed out the wrinkles on his sleeve and said, “Is there any hot tea?”

Yan Jueshu raised a hand and poured some for him. “What exactly do you want to do?”

“I said I’d save you.” He Anchang’s brows furrowed slightly. “Do you really think that what you gave the Prince of Tang went completely unnoticed? Besides me, there are others in the capital who have long since grasped the traces, yet they’ve held back until now. Haven’t you considered why?”

“Let whatever schemes or evildoers they might be come forth.” Yan Jueshu clutched the agate pendant around his neck. “I’m not afraid.”

“You’ve gone in a circle, but in truth, you only want to re-establish the memorial tablet for the Prince of Ping and earn him a posthumous title and good reputation.” He Anchang lowered his head, drank his tea, and slowly said, “The Shanyin corruption case involved the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin, and the Prince of Pingding burning the city outside the capital also stemmed from selfish desires. His Majesty indiscriminately declared the Prince of Ping a rebel, and the Little Prince of Yan repeatedly injured the Prince of Ping. You want these people to pay with their lives, and you don’t trust anyone His Majesty intends to pass the throne to. You favored the Prince of Tang, and to support his ascension, you even secretly aided Great Yuan and divided Beiyang. You’ve meticulously planned everything to reach this point, just to repay the Prince of Ping’s kindness for a single meal all those years ago.” He Anchang paused slightly. “However, this matter absolutely cannot be done.”

“How can I not do it? Why can't I do it!” Yan Jueshu pointed a cold face towards the window. “Go north and see for yourself. From Dezhou to Xianglan, the northern and central parts of Great Lan are empty, with no grain and no soldiers. Beiyang's Shangjin is in danger, Rouhui has no time to spare, and the southern granaries are all in my hands. Without my command, who can save Beiyang from falling? As long as Arslang steps over Shangjin, it will take no more than a single night for the northern region to become a captive land! The ships heading south are under my control, and the Prince of Tang has accumulated powerful troops. Once the Beiyang Army collapses and scatters, the entire Great Lan will only have the Prince of Tang's Jiangtang Army to turn the tide! He will take the throne with the prevailing momentum, fully aligning with the people's will! What's impossible about that!”

“Can you guarantee that the Jiangtang Army can turn the tide?” He Anchang suddenly raised his voice, intimidating him. “Can you? Do you dare to say you can? Once Arslang breaks through Shangjin and Beiyang falls, will a mere area north of the Chang River satisfy the jackals of Great Yuan? Did you read your books into a dog's belly?” His face was cold and severe. “If Great Lan collapses because of this, the Prince of Ping's lifetime of infamy will forever remain in historical records. A rebel is a rebel. Even if our Great Lan is revitalized decades later, there still won't be any mention of him on the memorial tablets!”

Yan Jueshu’s fists clenched suddenly. He stared at He Anchang, pressing, “Then do you dare? Do you dare to gamble on the Beiyang Army?”

He Anchang gently set down the teacup in his hand. He said, “I never gamble.”

Yan Jueshu scoffed, then heard him say, one word at a time, “As long as there's grain, Beiyang will surely win.”

“There’s no oil left.” Wu Yu suddenly turned around, looking at the archer team that had run out of arrows, and hoarsely said, “There are no arrows left either.”

“Get the stones up.” Xin Yi pressed his head back, making him only look at the Great Yuan soldiers climbing the city wall below the battlements, and said in a deep voice, “If there are no more stones, dismantle the wall. Throw down anything that can be smashed.”

“No.” Wu Yu said hoarsely, “No, we can’t hold on anymore.”

The hand pressing his head tightened. Xin Yi suddenly pushed him out over the battlement, facing downwards, and said coldly in his ear, “If you can’t, then get down.”

Wu Yu’s hands, propped on the battlement, were trembling.

Xin Yi said, “There's no leeway. Until the moment you're completely dead, you must keep defending!” After saying that, he withdrew his hand, turned, and walked down. “I’m going out of the city.”

“What are you doing!” Wu Yu grabbed his armor, hissing, “What are you going out for?”

“You defend, I’ll drive them away.” Xin Yi pushed his hand away, saying expressionlessly, “We can’t wait any longer.”

“You are the Prince of Yan.” Wu Yu’s tears were almost forced out by him, and he said tremblingly, “You are the last Prince of Yan. If you die, Beiyang will no longer have a prince.”

“If we can’t drive them away.” Xin Yi looked him straight in the eye, indifferently saying, “There will be no Beiyang left.”

Tears suddenly welled up in Wu Yu’s eyes. He tightly clutched Xin Yi’s armor, slammed his fist forcefully against Xin Yi’s chest, then stepped back a few paces and turned to stand in his rightful place.

Xin Yi did not exit through the city gate, but instead took three thousand men out through a breach in Shangjin’s rear path. He only brought five hundred cavalry; racing horses in open fields would be pointless.

Arslang gathered his troops in one place, fixing them uniformly in front of Shangjin, giving no opportunity for an ambush to wipe out his forces. Even at night, the Great Yuan soldiers were illuminated by bright torches.

Xin Yi had the cavalry divide into four teams, two each to the east and west. He led the remaining troops, silently and stealthily crawling across the snowy field, and lay prone in front of the Great Yuan soldiers' flank.

The night was cold. Lying in the snow for a long time not only stiffened their hands and feet, but also numbed their minds. The sky was dark gray without a moon, and a light, scattered snow fell.

After about two hours, flares suddenly erupted from both the east and west, and sharp firecrackers shot straight into the sky, lighting up both sides brightly with their blast. Dense cavalry shadows were cast into their eyes, swaying amidst the explosions, as if tens of thousands of cavalry were waiting in solemn array.

Arslang emerged from his tent to look, and indeed saw cavalry galloping down from the undulations on both the east and west sides.

When did the reinforcements arrive?

Does Beiyang still have reinforcements?

The Great Yuan soldiers attacking the city in front were drawn by the huge commotion, and the defense from the battlements above suddenly gained strength, with stones smashing down on them head-on.

“Open the city gate!” Wu Yu shrieked at the Great Yuan soldiers below, “I have cavalry too! We're going to surround you like dumplings!”

Arslang was uncertain and suspicious, but the continuous explosions from the east and west forced people to divert their attention. The cavalry charged directly at the east, west, and rear of Great Yuan, drawing their swords and cutting, clearly full of confidence. He mounted his horse: “Divide into wings and drive them away, block the eastern and western offensives!”

The tightly gathered Great Yuan soldiers suddenly split, dividing into three fronts: east, west, and north. At this moment, Xin Yi shoved a handful of snow into his own neck, raised his saber, and charged out.

The suddenly bursting infantry crashed into the turning Great Yuan soldiers, their killing cries boiling up to the heavens. Like striking a snake at its critical weakness, they plunged directly into the Great Yuan formation from the flank, tearing it to pieces.

Arslang cast his eyes towards the city gate, seeing that the uneven spiked shield wall hadn't moved at all, and knew in his heart that it was Wu Yu's trickery.

Xin Yi had already brazenly charged and killed his way to the front, and the Beiyang Army behind him drew their long sabers and charged after him.

Hot blood splattered, the web of his hand throbbed with pain, but his chest was numb. Xin Yi chopped with his saber, blow after blow, completely devoid of the techniques Meng Chen had taught him, just ordinary yet solid hacks. More and more people fell at his feet; he didn't remember their faces, whether young or old, only the saber striking vital points, the moment blood splattered. Before his eyes, on his cheeks, in his mouth, it was all this fishy and acrid taste.

Finally, a long saber met his saber once more. Just seeing the familiar saber wind brought sharp pain to his ribs and back shoulder. But Xin Yi had already stepped forward to meet it, and Heavenly Dao crashed against the blade, the vibration going straight to his heart.

Arslang’s arm was also not at ease; it still bore the deep wound Xin Yi had inflicted, reminding him in the instant he raised his saber that this young man was not to be underestimated.

Xin Yi tightened his lips into a thin line, not daring to relax even for a moment. The string in his mind was taut, pulling at every part of his body. He dared not lose focus, dared not let out a breath.

Snow began to fall heavily, as if a celestial basket had overturned, all of it tumbling down in a muffled rush, smashing in the air and scattering into a sky full of heavy snow.

Flying snow obscured his vision, and the sharp blade seemed to want to cut through this overwhelming white.

The back of his knee was suddenly kicked solid, and Xin Yi stumbled forward as Arslang’s long saber swept towards his neck. His temple hair was in disarray, a strand forcibly severed by the saber’s wind!

The blade was already at his neck, but he had no time to dodge!

Arslang’s long saber, however, stopped.

In that very instant, Xin Yi had pulled back, Heavenly Dao flipped back, and he finished off the Great Yuan soldier behind him. But the sensation of the blade grazing his neck still lingered, sending shivers down his spine.

Under the sudden charge and dispersal, Great Yuan lessened its offensive against Shangjin. To avoid being encircled, Xin Yi knew when to stop while things were going well.

This time, the casualties inflicted were insufficient, and while it couldn't be called a heavy blow, it did indeed force Great Yuan to retreat. The eastern and western flanking teams only found firecrackers and tattered clothes; the shadows of reinforcements were entirely fabricated. The distance they retreated was not far, but for the Great Yuan soldiers who were determined to take the city in one go, their resolve was inevitably shaken somewhat.

Arslang did not attack the city again in the latter half of the night. Xin Yi guarded the city wall, his armor half-removed. Wu Yu found him a doctor and a blanket, and all those horrifying wounds on his body were treated, bleeding was stopped where necessary, and bandaged where necessary. Xin Yi hadn't closed his eyes for a long time; he fell asleep against the wall halfway through his wound treatment.

Wu Yu saw some of the wounds had scabbed over and then split open again. Fearing they might leave permanent scars, he thought to himself with disapproval. 'In the future, others will act tough with clothes on, but our Young Prince can subdue a group just by taking off his upper garment. Wonder how heartbroken 'that person' would be if they saw this.'

The little cub pushed people's legs aside and squeezed out, burrowing into Xin Yi's blanket and lying on his lap, needing to hold onto him. Xin Yi's consciousness was hazy, and he unconsciously patted the little head, then continued to sleep.

The smell of burning fire oil still lingered on the battlements, and no one had time to wipe off the splattered red on the walls. After Great Yuan halted its attack, countless soldiers, both on and below the wall, slept on the ground, some simply lying down, bodies sprawled criss-cross everywhere.

The snow was still falling; as long as they had a piece of clothing, they could bury their heads and sleep.

Wu Yu, however, felt no drowsiness. He moved to the edge of the battlement, blew away the thin layer of snow covering it, and, out of old habit, lay prone on it again. This time, he shivered from the cold stone but did not move away.

The red below was all covered in white, looking even more jarring. How many lay there, their unclosed eyes staring silently, either lying or prone!

His stomach growled a few times. Wu Yu fumbled in his embrace for a while, found nothing, and then remembered that the last packet of dried beef had been given to the little cub. He frustratedly ruffled his messy hair, thinking, 'What a mess.' Misfortunes never come singly; we're blocked squarely by Great Yuan and have no food.'

Shangjin only had plenty of silver and money, but at this moment, even mountains of it were not as precious as a cart of grain. Logically, Shangjin shouldn't lack grain; it was an important commercial hub in the northern region. But precisely because it was a commercial hub, Shangjin didn't have its own granary; goods came and went for profit, and the one thing it least feared was going without food. Who knew that Great Yuan would strike accurately, attacking precisely the vital point.

Money and silver, money and silver.

Wu Yu suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

That's right, they had plenty of money now! Money! They could afford to buy. They could resell the leather goods stocked in Shangjin to the central region and exchange them for grain from Qingping and the capital. If the capital didn't have enough grain reserves, it would inevitably turn to levying from Great Lan's granaries. If Yan Jueshu didn't want to lose his head too early, he would have to provide grain to the capital. This way, Beiyang could accumulate enough military provisions in the meantime.

This was snatching grain right from under Yan Jueshu's nose. Who would be suitable to do it?

He himself definitely wouldn't do; Shangjin was arduous, and he still had to stay here to act as the prince's messenger. Ji Baiyue and Xu Hu couldn't leave Rouhui even for half a step, and Meng Chen was even less suitable. Not to mention he had to manage the rear in Xianglan to guard against the Prince of Tang, even if he had free time, he couldn't do it. Uncle Meng always lost even his pants when he went out to buy things. If he went for this, they'd be fighting naked-assed even without Yan Jueshu's intervention.

So who would be suitable for this?

Wu Yu ruffled his messy hair again, still unable to think of who could do this.