Han Zhongyu had just received news of Xie Yushu's attack and was rushing here. He had only gone a few steps when he ran into Xie Yushu.

"Lord Han, you've returned just in time. General Zhang has sent someone over to check on the military order you asked about last time."

Han Zhongyu strode along, speaking as he went.

"I see.

How is the princess?

"The princess is alright. Fortunately, the princess and Lord Qingfeng were alert enough to notice their incorrect positioning and took the initiative to attack. Our people suffered no casualties, and all twenty-three Tatars were wiped out!"

Han Zhongyu was relieved to hear that Xie Yushu was alright, but he still hurried to the clinic.

Upon entering the clinic, they went directly to Xie Yushu, saw with their own eyes that she was alright, and then greeted the others who had come with them.

Among the people who came were General Zhang's youngest son, Zhang Chen, two messengers who had come out with him that day, and several of Zhang Chen's personal guards.

One of the messengers was heading towards Yixiantian, and the other was heading towards Tianshui.

They came out together and parted ways at Yixiantian. One went to Yixiantian to deliver military orders to Xiao Yi, while the other came to Tianshui City to deliver military orders to Han Zhongyu, the then-commander of Tianshui City.

Call the two of them over for a confrontation, and you'll know where the military orders went wrong.

Upon seeing Han Zhongyu arrive, the soldier who had delivered the message to Han Zhongyu that day said...

"Lord Han, this young General Zhang Chen is General Zhang's youngest son. General Zhang heard that something went wrong here, so he specially sent the young General Zhang to bring us here to cooperate with the investigation."

After saying that, he turned to Zhang Chen and said...

"Young General, this is Lord Han Zhongyu, the commander of Tianshui City when I came to deliver the message!"

Zhang Chen appeared to be slightly younger than Han Zhongyu, but his demeanor and actions were composed and measured. He proactively cupped his hands in a respectful greeting to Han Zhongyu.

"I have long admired Lord Han's reputation and heard that he is fair and just. I never imagined that he was also skilled in both literature and martial arts, and was loyal and courageous. I admire him greatly!"

"Young Master Zhang, you flatter me. You are so young yet capable of handling things on your own and sharing your father's burdens. That is what I admire most about you!"

Seeing that the two of them had finished being modest, Pei Jie spoke up.

"Now that everyone is here, let's get down to business!"

In all my years of leading troops, this is the first time I've ever heard of a military order being erroneous!

Xie Yushu, Qu Xiaodie, Nanxing, and the others held their breath, waiting for the truth to be revealed. Even Zhao Hu and Lanting, who were still recovering from their injuries, came out.

After all, Xiao Yi's late arrival directly led to the tragic deaths of so many of them, and the city was breached by the Tatars, resulting in the loss of countless valuables.

This caused the battle situation to deteriorate rapidly. Every step they took later was a step later, and they were always on the defensive. This also indirectly led to Xuanyuan Che's sacrifice for his country.

If the Tatars hadn't breached Tianshui City, they could have held out until Pei Jie's army arrived, allowing them to take turns defending and giving their main force ample rest time.

During that time, the Tatars' grain supplies had already been burned, and they couldn't hold out for too long. If they were starved for two days, either they would retreat on their own initiative, or they would be utterly defeated by Pei's army. After that, none of these troubles would happen!

The thought of this possible outcome made Xie Yushu even more resentful!

My mind involuntarily drifted to Chunyu, Hongmei, Zhaotu, and the others who died on the battlefield, as well as the rows of brothers standing outside the clinic.

And Xuanyuan Che, who died outside the city, his blood splattered three feet deep.

She would be the first to disagree if someone's mistake led to others paying with their lives!

Han Zhongyu noticed Xie Yushu's mood, patted her shoulder, and said to Pei Jie and Zhang Chen...

"When we received this letter from this young man, he said that General Zhang had sent reinforcements to Yixiantian, and that Xiao Yi's troops should rest for an hour before rushing to Tianshui City to defend the city with us, wait for Pei Jie's troops to arrive, and then counterattack the Tatars and recapture Hangu Pass."

According to the time specified in the military order, Xiao Yi's troops should have arrived by midnight at the latest, but they did not arrive until noon the next day. General Xiao explained that it was dark, they were unfamiliar with the road, and they took a wrong turn, which delayed them by about an hour. Even so, they were still more than two hours late.

When I mentioned this to General Xiao, he said that the military order he received was to rest for three hours.

There was a difference of two hours between them.

I want to know, what was the real military order: was it for Xiao Yi's troops to rest for one hour, or three hours? It's not that I'm complaining about General Xiao's troops having too long a rest period; I understand that things aren't easy at Yixiantian either. But military orders are paramount, and I have to give an explanation to my brothers and the righteous men who volunteered to join the army to defend Tianshui City!

Pei Jie and Zhang Chen both nodded in agreement. Pei Jie said...

"This matter must be thoroughly investigated and brought to the bottom of."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen immediately said...

"I asked my father about this matter. He said that because the fighting was also very intense on his side at the time, there was a long stretch of fighting from my father's defense zone to Yixiantian, and it also involved passing through several remote valleys and forests. He couldn't be sure exactly when the messenger would be able to deliver the message to Xiao Yi's troops, so he could only tell them to hurry up and travel as quickly as possible."

At the same time, he was aware of the situation facing Tianshui City, and fearing that Xiao Yi had just come down from the battlefield, he compromised and gave Xiao Yi's troops an urgent order to rest for an hour and then march to Tianshui City to provide support.

Knowing the urgency of the situation, my father would never allow Xiao Yi's troops three hours to rest. It concerns the safety of the entire Great Qi and the lives of countless people. Three hours is too extravagant!

My father suspected that someone had altered the military order without authorization. To make it easier to compare, my father rewrote the contents of that day's order.

Here it is.

As Zhang Chen spoke, he took out a military order and handed it to Pei Jie.

Pei Jie glanced at it and said to the officials...

"Does the Tianshui City government have anyone who can authenticate handwriting? Summon them out so we can take a look."

General Xiao, bring out the one you received as well, and compare them.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi also wanted to find out who had made the mistake. He had been leading troops for so many years and had never made such a basic error.

So he directly ordered his personal guards to go to his barracks and fetch the military order.

Upon seeing this, Chu Mingzhu realized that they were indeed investigating this matter. She was so frightened that her teeth chattered. She wanted to stop the person who went to retrieve the military order, but she dared not speak. If she did, they would definitely suspect her. She could only watch helplessly as Xiao Yi's personal guards walked past her.

Pei Jie then asked the two messengers who came out together.

"You two came out together. From General Zhang's place to the One Line Sky, was there any unexpected incident?"

For example, did you run into any particular people?

Have you two ever separated? Have military orders ever left your sight?

Is there any evidence to prove that what you're saying is true?

The two men exchanged a glance and said in unison

"Sir, we've never been separated on this journey. We're all veteran messengers, and we know how to avoid danger. Before we reached Yixiantian, our military orders never left our bodies or our sight. We can guarantee that with our lives!"