Chapter 122 Dark Clouds Over the City

Wen Yao pondered this, gripping Zhao Xuanxu's silky hair with one hand and playing with it. With the other, he reached down to grasp Zhao Xuanxu's wrist and felt his pulse. Sure enough, with the Burning Heart Fragment in hand, Zhao Xuanxu's devastating internal energy, which had been indiscriminate and indiscriminate, was instantly neutralized. He became obedient, his pulse steady and strong.

She was quite satisfied and habitually touched Zhao Xuanxu's wrist upwards, accidentally touching a bit of bandage.

Wen Yao paused, then immediately used his arms to get up from Zhao Xuanxu, his tone changing: "What's going on?"

Zhao Xuanxu didn't want her to move. He moved his arm and pressed her against his chest again, saying, "I met Yelu Duhan outside the swamp and had a fight with him. It's nothing serious, just superficial injuries."

Zhao Xuanxu was right; he had only been scratched a few times, and the injuries were superficial. Yelu Duhan was no match for Zhao Xuanxu, and Zhao Xuanxu genuinely wanted him dead, so Yelu Duhan's injuries were indeed serious.

Wen Yao remembered and said, "I heard some noise outside the Bei Liao military camp earlier. You came to the camp. What did Zhongli He do?"

"He led three thousand cavalrymen to Xijin City to divert the enemy." Zhao Xuanxu gently patted Wen Yao's back, his large palm tracing down along the thin spine. He said slowly, "The Third Division planted a stake in Xijin. I knew you were going to the military camp, so I came to find you."

"You two are really brave." Wen Yao gently pulled Zhao Xuanxu's hair and said, "Now that things have come to this, how do you plan to end it?"

Zhao Xuanxu said naturally: "Of course, we will go to war with Northern Liao, win, and then go home."

This is where Wen Yao feels something is wrong.

She looked at Zhao Xuanxu's beautiful eyes and long, curved eyelashes and said seriously, "Tell me, how many soldiers and grain do you and Zhongli He have now?"

She felt something was not right. Since they had already reached Xijin City by surprise, why didn't they continue the attack with all their might? Instead, they retreated, allowing Northern Liao to get the news and become more alert?

There are two possibilities. Either they're short on manpower and can only feign power to intimidate Northern Liao. Or, there's a problem with food supplies. Xijin is a heavily fortified city, surrounded by powerful troops. Last night's panic was simply due to being caught off guard. If the Northern Liao army calms down and turns to attack, the battle will inevitably become a stalemate. In a siege, carrying food and fodder is a matter of life and death. Those without enough food wouldn't dare to fight such a battle.

"Ayao is clever." Zhao Xuanxu chuckled softly. "I've brought half of the Twelve Guards, nearly 80,000 men. Zhongli He has the tiger talisman, so he should be able to mobilize 300,000 troops to the northern border. With all the troops mobilized along the way, we now have a total of 60,000 men here."

The 300,000 garrison troops had followed General Zhongli and Zhongli He's father through thick and thin for years, and were loyal to the General's Office. Zhongli He also had the Tiger Tally in hand, so regardless of rumors of Prince Yan's rebellion, they would obey the order. However, time was running out, and the fastest possible deployment from the nearest garrisons was only 60,000 troops.

That's a total of 140,000 troops, less than 150,000. Wen Yao had previously taken a tour of the Northern Liao military camp and roughly estimated that the garrison outside Xijin City should be no more than 200,000. If the two armies were to face each other, numbers wouldn't be a problem.

Wen Yao: "People are not the problem, the problem is food and fodder."

"Yes." Zhao Xuanxu admitted bluntly, "We left too quickly. We'll have to wait for some time for the food and fodder to arrive."

As the saying goes, "before the troops move, the food and fodder must go first." Zhao Xuanxu's twelve guards were known for their swiftness, and they were moving too quickly. The amount of food and fodder required for 160,000 men was enormous, and it would take considerable time to distribute and gather it from various locations. Even if the garrison had farmland and stored grain, it would only provide for 10,000 men, insufficient for a long-term supply.

Wen Yao quickly calmed down and said, "How long can we eat the rice and noodles now?"

Zhao Xuanxu said calmly: "Two days at most."

Wen Yao thought it was less, but she didn't expect it to be so little. She took a deep breath, her heart in her throat. "You should know that for soldiers, not having enough to eat is a fatal thing."

"Don't be afraid, it's no problem," Zhao Xuanxu said nonchalantly. "I fought in Sichuan before, even without food, and I still won." At the time, the imperial court in Tianshui was in disarray, unable to allocate grain. Furthermore, the mountains were high and the roads were treacherous, and the King of Shu was trying to stop them, so even if food was available, it couldn't be delivered. The entire Sichuan region was already considered a prey to the rebel king, and no one could have imagined that Zhao Xuanxu could fight his way through such a desperate situation.

Zhao Xuanxu's methods were crude and ruthless, full of the spirit of banditry. The enemy was bad, but he and his soldiers were even worse. They had no food, but the enemy did. What to do if the soldiers needed food? Rob!

Zhao Xuanxu's tone was quite nonchalant as he said, "If we win, we'll have food to eat."

"Bullshit." Wen Yao patted his mouth lightly and said, "Fighting to support the war is a last resort. It hasn't come to that point yet. There's no need to take such risks."

"Yes." Zhao Xuanxu nodded obediently and added, "Zhang Yun in Bian is already thinking of a solution."

Poor Zhang Yun, he was working so hard in the Ministry of Revenue that he could even make up his mind to protect Zhao Xuanxu, the arrogant and unreasonable boss.

Wen Yao still felt uneasy. After thinking it over, she said, "The Bohai Crown Prince is in Xijin. There's something fishy going on between Northern Liao and Bohai. Judging from what Yelu Duhan is saying, Northern Liao has long harbored ambitions to annex Bohai. If you hadn't come, the Bohai Crown Prince might not have made it back alive. But now that you're here, Yelu Duhan might not kill him. I might as well go and kill him."

In the current situation, as long as Bei Liao can have one more opponent, it will be beneficial to Tianshui.

Wen Yao continued, "Kill him first and spread the news."

"You're injured." Zhao Xuanxu frowned, and he tightened his arms. "Bai Rang said we can't fight with others for the time being. Ah Yao, you said we should follow the doctor's advice if we're injured. Remember that, too."

"I'm fine. Bai Rang is a coward and likes to make a fuss about everything." Wen Yao said, "It's just a few internal injuries. It won't cause any harm. I'm the best in the world."

"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu said softly, "Looking at the martial arts world, there has always been someone number one in every generation, but none of them have a good ending. Can you guess why?"

Wen Yao choked.

"Because even the best in the world is still mortal, he should be well cared for if injured." Zhao Xuanxu stood up, picked up the quilt and wrapped it around Wen Yao, leaving only his head exposed. His attitude was quite firm, and Wen Yao said nothing more. He turned his face to the side, his black hair spread out on the pillow, winding like a stream. Just then, Gao Shaoshan shouted outside, and Zhao Xuanxu leaned down to touch his forehead with Wen Yao, then turned and left.

As soon as he left, Wen Yao immediately pushed aside the quilt and sat up cross-legged, with his right hand on his left wrist, closing his eyes and practicing Qigong to regulate his breathing.

Bai Rang's words weren't entirely threatening. She had forced her way through the Hua Gong Powder twice, and her heart meridians had indeed been damaged. But it was okay after all. This level of injury had happened to her before when she was chased and beaten.

She patiently channeled her inner strength, accepting the pain completely. Outside the tent, the sky was clear and bright, and the air was peaceful and quiet. Zhao Xuanxu walked out of the tent, and the Feathered Guards surged in behind him like a wave, surrounding the tent in three layers.

While the Tianshui garrison was peaceful and tranquil, a hundred miles away, the Xianyinsi mansion in Xijin City was shrouded in a dead silence. The hall was filled with people, all of them burly men with shaved heads. Facing Yelu Duhan's fury, they lowered their heads and dared not speak.

Yelu Duhan's face was pale, his upper body naked. As two doctors trembled as they tended to his wounds, he raged, cursing, "Fools! Thousands of men are attacking the city, and you're frightened like this!"

"Master Xianyinsi, this is also due to the cunning of the Tianshui people." The man with the general's belly stood aside, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and pretended to persuade: "My Northern Liao cavalry is famous and powerful. Everyone thought that since the Tianshui army dared to approach, they would mobilize the entire country and gather a million troops. Who would have thought that they were just making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, bringing their troops here for a fake tour."

Han Zhao knew something was amiss when he heard this. This man, Shi Kang, had been legitimately sent to Xijin by Empress Duo Yueli. He constantly interfered in everything going on in Xijin, using the Empress's influence, both openly and covertly. Before, he'd been a troublemaker, and Yelu Duhan would have let him off with a wave of his hand. But now, things were different. Yelu Duhan had lost the man he'd been trying to get, and he was furious. He wouldn't tolerate his petty thoughts.

As expected, just as Shi Kang finished speaking, Yelu Duhan raised his hand and threw the teacup next to him, hitting Shi Kang on the forehead. The porcelain shards fell to the ground, and Shi Kang was stunned. He closed his mouth, covered his head and looked at Yelu Duhan.

"Misleading the army." Yelu Duhan said coldly: "Drag him out, chop him up, and throw him into the grassland to feed the wolves."

"No, no!" Shi Kang hadn't expected Yelu Duhan to react so strongly, and was stunned. Seeing the Liao cavalry approaching with eager eyes, as if they were really going to drag him down, Shi Kang immediately struggled, staring at Yelu Duhan with all his might, saying in disbelief, "How could you touch me? I'm an envoy from the Shangjing royal tent, and I'm the Holy Empress's man!"

The Liao cavalryman glanced up at Yelu Duhan, and seeing he remained silent, he quickly drew his dagger from his waist, pried open Shi Kang's mouth, and with a single swipe, ripped out his tongue and cut it off. Amidst the sounds of miserable sobbing and the pervasive smell of blood, two Liao cavalrymen, one on each side, dragged the man away.

Yelu Duhan clenched his fist and said, "Order all camps to prepare food, fodder, and weapons. Tonight, when the moon rises, the entire army will attack. Whoever takes the head of the Tianshui Yan King will be rewarded with a thousand cattle and sheep, and an official title and nobility!"

Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement, not daring to linger, and all retreated. Only Han Zhao stood motionless. He glanced at Yelu Duhan, shirtless and bloodied, and sighed, then advised, "You're seriously injured. The battlefield is so volatile, don't take risks lightly."

Yelu Duhan simply couldn't listen. He glanced at him gloomily and waved his hand to tell Han Zhao and the doctor to get out together.

*

By the time Wen Yao opened his eyes and exhaled, the sun had already set outside.

It's all thanks to the Hua Gong San, which has messed up her days and nights.

Wen Yao put on her clothes and stood up, stretching her body with her hands. Her stiff muscles opened up inch by inch, making a creaking sound. After stretching, she pushed the door open and looked around. She immediately noticed something was wrong. When she came back this morning, the place was still full of people. Now, apart from a circle of feather guards, there was not a single person around, and no one was on duty.

Wen Yao suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart and asked someone, "Where are the others?"

The feathered guard replied, "The Liao army has marched out, and our soldiers have accompanied Your Highness to fight General Zhongli, and are no longer in the city."

Okay, okay, it was just as expected. Yelu Duhan really didn’t disappoint her at all.

Wen Yao didn't say a word, immediately turned around, went to the tent to get his sword, mounted his horse and hurried out of the city.