"General?"

Yang Chao didn't react for a moment.

The tent flap was suddenly thrown open, and Yang Yan, who looked travel-worn and weathered but whose eyes were as sharp as ever, strode in, supported by Li Jin, who was equally tired but capable!

"uncle!"

Yang Chao was stunned at first, then overjoyed. He rushed forward, grabbed Yang Yan's arm tightly, and cried with tears in his eyes, "You...you really escaped! That's wonderful! That's wonderful!"

Looking at his nephew, who was clearly haggard but full of fighting spirit, Yang Yan was filled with mixed emotions.

He patted him hard on the shoulder: "Good! Good! Chao'er, as long as you're still here, and the troops are still here, we still have resources!"

Yang Chao hurriedly helped Yang Yan to sit down in the main seat, dismissed the others, and left only a few close confidants such as Yang Hong and Li Jin.

Then he quickly recounted in detail how Li Jingang had forced him, how he had broken the imperial decree and killed the envoy, how Zhao Muyun had sent people to negotiate, provide military supplies, and cooperate in repelling Zhang Tao's vanguard Sun Han, etc.

"...I had no choice but to rebel! I'm currently cooperating with Zhao Muyun to repel Zhang Tao's vanguard and am looking for an opportunity to advance into Henan. Uncle, it's good that you're here. Please give me some advice!" Yang Chao said urgently.

Yang Yan listened carefully, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

When he heard that Zhao Muyun had sent someone to provide limited firearms and request Yang Chao to advance into Henan, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Oops!"

Yang Yan slammed his hand on the table, startling Yang Chao.

"uncle?"

"You've fallen for Zhao Muyun's feint!"

Yang Yan stood up. Although he looked old, he had an imposing presence. "Think about it. I know Zhao Muyun's forces better than anyone. He just fought a bloody battle with the Northern Di in Youzhou and lost many of his elite troops."

"Then he rushed to the aid of Xi'an from afar. How many mobile troops does he still have at his disposal?"

"As for Longmen Pass, it faces immense pressure from the Great Feng's army. Their main force must be deployed in Hedong or Longmen Pass. How many troops can they spare to come to Ziwu Valley to help you?"

"If he truly possessed such power, he would have already driven you back to Jiannan. Why would he need to cooperate with you and send you to stir up trouble in Henan?"

Yang Chao was taken aback, and thought carefully: "But... the smoke and dust on the flank..."

"A feint! A deliberate diversion!" Yang Yan declared decisively. "A small force, with many flags, livestock, and dust raised, pretending to be a large army—this is a common tactic!"

"If Zhao Muyun had enough troops, why would he only give you these few firearms?"

"Why send you to Henan instead of joining forces to wipe out Zhang Tao's 20,000 men first? He's afraid you'll see through his true intentions, and even more afraid that your 40,000 troops will turn around and attack Xijing!"

Yang Chao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner shirt: "That's it...that's it! In Wannian City, including the troops Zhao Muyun brought, plus the wave from Longyou before, there are only about 20,000 at most!"

"And no more reinforcements are coming from Xijing, and Hedong is in dire straits... He, he's playing the empty city ruse! He's using firearms and feints to scare Zhang Tao and keep me calm, trying to get me to go to Henan to fight Li Jingang to the death!"

"Exactly!" A ruthless and decisive glint flashed in Yang Yan's eyes. "Chao'er, our opportunity lies not in Henan, but in Xi'an!"

"With Zhao Muyun's main force tied down in Hedong and Longmen Pass, Xijing will inevitably be vulnerable!"

"By bypassing Wannian, head straight for Xijing! Catch them off guard and take them in one fell swoop! Xijing was lost by me, and now that I've taken it back, it's a better place to establish myself than Jiannan!"

"If we take back Xijing, we can advance to conquer the entire Guanzhong Plain, or retreat to connect with Jiannan. Li Jingang and Zhao Muyun will have to be subservient to us!"

"Even if we can't take it immediately, with our troops, we're more than capable of retreating back to Jiannan. We absolutely cannot follow the path Zhao Muyun has drawn and become cannon fodder in Henan!"

Yang Chao was filled with excitement, and all the frustration and hesitation he had felt over the past few days vanished:

“Uncle, you are wise and insightful in governing the country! I am foolish and almost ruined this important matter! We will follow your plan! We will reorganize our troops and use the pretext of pursuing Zhang Tao’s defeated troops or moving towards Henan to secretly prepare for a detour to attack Xijing.”

He immediately ordered: "Yang Hong, secretly summon all battalion commanders to await the Commander-in-Chief's orders! From this day forward, the entire army will obey the Commander-in-Chief's commands!"

He turned to Yang Yan and knelt on one knee: "Please, Uncle, take charge of the overall situation! Your nephew is willing to be the vanguard, to capture Xijing for your uncle and the fallen brothers!"

Yang Yan helped Yang Chao up, feeling gratified. Just as he was about to make detailed arrangements, a commotion and hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent.

"General! There's a man outside the camp who claims to be... claims to be Yang Fu, from the capital, and insists on seeing you, General!"

The guards outside the tent reported this, their voices sounding somewhat strange.

"Yang Fu?"

Yang Yan's expression changed slightly. That was his steward in the capital. He would never leave the capital unless absolutely necessary, let alone come here.

An ominous premonition instantly gripped his heart.

"Let him in quickly!"

The curtain was lifted again, and a middle-aged man, covered in filth, dressed in rags, with blood scabs and dust on his face, almost unrecognizable, scrambled in.

When he saw Yang Yan, he burst into tears: "Master! Master! I've finally found you!"

"Yang Fu? What happened to you? What happened at home? What happened at home?" Yang Yan's heart sank.

Yang Fu was in tears, his voice hoarse and broken: "Master... Madam... Madam and Young Master... they... they suddenly fell ill, the palace sent a royal physician, but... but they died suddenly within two days!"

"Rumors are circulating in the palace... that he has fallen ill from worry and fear... but this old servant feels something is amiss, and has tried every means to inquire... a young eunuch I know in the palace secretly told me that it was... it was His Majesty... His Majesty bestowed wine upon him..."

"What?!"

Yang Yan was struck as if by lightning; his body swayed violently, and his face instantly turned ashen.

Li Jin reacted quickly and caught him.

Yang Fu wailed, "This servant can't believe it! I secretly went to check, and the mansion was already surrounded. They said they were confiscating the property of traitors... This servant risked his life to escape, begging and hiding all the way, and finally managed to find out that Master might be in the Wannian direction..."

"Sudden illness... bestowed wine... confiscation of property..."

Yang Yan murmured repeatedly, each word like a red-hot knife stabbing into his heart.

He thought of his wife's gentle face, his son's innocent face, and his last remaining bloodline...

"puff--!"

A mouthful of bright red blood suddenly spurted from Yang Yan's mouth, splattering onto the map in front of him and staining it red.

"uncle!"

"General!"

Yang Chao and Li Jin exclaimed in surprise and quickly helped the swaying Yang Yan.

Yang Yan's vision blurred, his chest heaved violently, and endless grief, pain, and overwhelming hatred overwhelmed his last shred of reason and restraint.

He gripped Yang Chao's arm tightly, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse and shrill, like the roar of a wounded beast:

"Don't let the misfortune befall your family... Don't let the misfortune befall your family!"

"Li Jingang! You beast, worse than an animal! You traitor who murdered the emperor and usurped the throne! You even killed your own sister and nephew!"

"I, Yang Yan, swear to the heavens that I will never share the same sky with you! I swear I will not be human until I have torn you to pieces and exterminated your entire clan!"

The complete chapters of "A Small Soldier on the Border in Chaotic Times" will continue to be updated on the Shuhaige Novel Network. There are no ads on the site, so please bookmark and recommend Shuhaige Novel Network!