Jin Huan raised an eyebrow, both surprised and suspicious, and immediately shouted:
"The messenger sent earlier said you were routed and showed signs of defeat. What, has the situation changed?"
Xiong Chun immediately replied:
"That was indeed the case before. We didn't expect the enemy infantry to be so strong, which is why we suffered such a heavy loss."
"General Xiong was worried about losing this battle. He was willing to die, but Zhongnan Pass could not be lost. That's why he sent people to Zhongnan Pass to warn them early on."
"But later, General Xiong commanded effectively and turned the tide, which prevented them from being completely defeated. Instead, they fought back and forth."
At this point, Xiong Chun's eyes reddened, and he continued:
"Unfortunately, the first battle was a failure, and the heavy cavalry suffered heavy casualties, making it impossible for us to organize an effective force to encircle and annihilate them."
"That's why we've been fighting hard until now and still haven't taken down the rebels."
"If you had sent reinforcements immediately upon receiving the urgent report, you would have already achieved victory!"
"How pitiful how many brothers died on the battlefield because reinforcements never arrived! Alas!"
As he finished speaking, tears welled up in Xiong Chun's eyes, and his gaze swept over the crowd on the city wall.
Xiong Chun's words were sincere and heartfelt, each word piercing to the heart.
Seeing this, the soldiers on the city wall felt ashamed and most of them turned their faces away, not daring to meet his gaze.
After all, as fellow soldiers, no one understands better than them what it feels like to be abandoned on the battlefield and unable to receive reinforcements.
Jin Huan showed no remorse whatsoever; he simply asked:
"What is the current situation of the battle?"
Xiong Chun immediately replied, "The battle is still raging! They're fighting during the day and at night!"
"The general is determined to capture the bandit leader. Even if no one comes to his aid, he says he will fight to the last man and the rebels to the death to repay the Emperor's kindness!" With that, Xiong Chun bowed deeply.
Although still harboring some doubts, Jin Huan saw that he only had this many troops and that his words were sincere, so he waved his hand and shouted, "Open the city gates..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone immediately called out, "Wait!"
Jin Huan turned his head, frowning as he looked at his deputy general Zhao Zheng beside him: "Hmm?"
Zhao Zheng remained calm, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Xiong Chun and the others downstairs, before turning to Jin Huan and whispering:
"General, this might be a trap!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Huan stroked his beard.
"A trap? I found his words to be reasonable and well-founded, so how could it be a trap?"
"Moreover, judging from his appearance and the small number of soldiers he has, it's clear that he fought a bloody battle to get here."
Zhao Zheng shook his head and said in a low voice, "The messenger sent earlier said that the rebels were numerous and that the heavy cavalry were routed shortly after the battle began."
"Therefore, Xiong Qian sent someone to warn him."
"How can you say that the battle with the rebels has been evenly matched after only a few days?"
"Could it be that they have already..." Zhao Zheng gave a meaningful look.
Jin Huan raised an eyebrow and immediately turned to Xiong Chun, shouting, "Tell me, how did you fight!"
Seeing the two people whispering on the city wall, Xiong Chun couldn't hear what they were saying, but when Jin Huan asked him a question, his expression remained unchanged, and he immediately replied:
"Although the first battle was a defeat, General Xiong commanded well, ordering the light cavalry to use kite tactics to maneuver and harass the rebels, avoiding a large-scale frontal battle with them."
“Bai Li Yuan is so vast. This is our main battlefield. We are all cavalry. How can we be completely defeated by the rebels when we fight here?”
"The rebels came from afar, hoping to rush into Zhongnanguan in one fell swoop. Although their momentum was fierce, as the saying goes, 'one effort is enough, but the second will be weaker, and the third will be exhausted.'"
"They did win the first wave, but they became exhausted later on. General Xiong's kite-like cavalry tactics were very effective."
These words were spoken with great conviction, and Jin Huan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Xiong Qian's army consisted of light cavalry and heavy cavalry, with the light cavalry even outnumbering the heavy cavalry. If they were to engage in a protracted war with the rebels, they would indeed be able to win!
Seeing him nod repeatedly, Zhao Zheng couldn't help but speak up:
"General, if it were really as simple as he says, why would you have sent a messenger with such urgent news before?"
"Although there are no fixed formations in warfare, just as water has no fixed shape, the battlefield is ever-changing, and there are many battles where defeat can be turned into victory."
However, the main force suffered a major defeat, demonstrating the ferocity of the rebels. Even with light cavalry engaging in a protracted war, victory would remain extremely difficult.
"Moreover, why didn't Xiong Qian come in person to request troops, but instead sent this small contingent?"
"In my humble opinion, this is really illogical. I even suspect that General Xiong has already suffered a great defeat and these people have defected to the enemy. They came here to trick us into opening the gate."
Jin Huan thought it made sense, and he stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.
But Xiong Chun from outside the pass cried out again:
"General! Why are you so slow to open the door!"
Jin Huan frowned and shouted:
"Where is Xiong Qianren? Why didn't he come? Why did he send you all here to ask for help?"
Seeing that he was still pressing for answers, Xiong Chun was so angry that her eyes were already wet with tears. She shouted loudly:
"Even now, a hundred miles away, General Xiong is still leading his brothers in a fierce battle against the rebels!"
"Under that traitor's command is a great general named Li Jing. This man is extremely capable of commanding troops, no less than General Xiong!"
Although the main force of the rebels was infantry, and we used kite tactics to fight them, this man ordered the rebels to form an impregnable fortress, with a tight defense!
"For the time being, neither side could do anything to the other. Under such circumstances, how could General Xiong dare to leave the battlefield and come to Zhongnanguan?"
"If he comes here, although there will be other generals in command, if even the slightest mistake is made, the rebels may launch a counterattack. At that time, who can bear the responsibility!"
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