Chapter 142 Disloyalty
The Xirong army appeared north of Langya Pass three days in advance.
This caught Shen Yuexi off guard.
It turns out that war really doesn't follow rules.
Construction was immediately halted, and soldiers urgently evacuated the civilians to Xiaogang Village. Qiu Liming led his soldiers in constructing a makeshift wooden frame and laying planks on top of the wall for the soldiers to stand on for defense.
Fortunately, the Xirong army did not attack immediately. They began to set up camp at a safe distance.
"Is this the enemy's vanguard?" Shen Yuexi stood on the city wall and looked at the Xirong military camp in the distance, and asked Qiu Liming who was standing next to her.
It felt like the size of the force hadn't increased since last time. It didn't look like an army of 25,000 men.
Qiu Liming said, "Madam, I've already sent scouts to investigate. The Western Rong army has arrived with 12,000 men, 5,000 of whom are captives we released earlier. They are led by Captain Xiu Muye. They are coming on light cavalry, and a rear guard of 13,000 men, led by General Sumonai, will arrive in three days."
The mistress was too kind. If she had buried and killed these captives, she would have had to deal with 5,000 fewer enemy troops.
Shen Yuexi lowered her head and said, "Qiang Lin promised before that he would not attack us again."
"Madam, as soldiers of the Western Rong, they must be under the command of their generals," Qiu Liming said, unable to bear the urge to provoke her. "No matter what, they are also Western Rong people, and we are from Dayan. This hatred cannot be resolved."
"I don't think so," Shen Yuexi shook her head. "If there were constant fighting, how many people would die? I hope Dayan and Xirong can get along well."
Qiu Liming sighed to himself and said, "Madam, the Western Rong have repeatedly invaded our Great Yan border, and even the late emperor failed to resolve it."
The implication was that Shen Yuexi should stop considering such unrealistic situations.
The Western Rong army was about to attack, and his lord was away. He didn't think he had his lord's military talent. He had already begun to consider the possibility of protecting his mistress and escaping to Baixiu Mountain if he couldn't hold the city.
Just as Shen Yuexi was about to respond, she saw a rider emerge from the Xirong military camp and gallop towards the city.
Qiu Liming said, "Madam, this person must be here to challenge us or persuade us to surrender. They consider us an opponent worthy of serious consideration and are here to engage in a formal battle."
Shen Yuexi nodded.
The enemy army came lightly, without siege equipment, and the wall beneath her feet was impenetrable to the Xirong. She believed she could hold it.
The Western Rong envoy rode up to the city, reined in his horse, looked at Shen Yuexi on the top of the city wall, and shouted:
"Princess."
Shen Yuexi recognized the person coming, it was Qianfu Captain Qiang Lin, and replied:
"Qiang Lin, I've done my best for you. My husband wanted to kill you earlier, but I stopped him. Later, I brought you food and supplies, allowing you to return safely to Xirong. And now you're attacking us again."
Qiang Lin's face flushed red, and he lowered his head without saying a word.
Shen Yuexi saw that he was also very ashamed and somewhat unable to control himself, so she stopped talking.
Qiang Lin paused for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Princess Consort, I am conveying the commander's wishes. If you surrender, we will spare Xiaogang Village and withdraw immediately, without harming a single person from the village."
He had come this time with two sets of excuses from Xiu Muye. If Chen Yuexi had already heard the news and fled, he would issue a challenge to Xiaogang Village. If Chen Yuexi was still there, he would tell her the conditions.
He had always thought that Shen Yuexi must have escaped after he secretly delivered the letter. He never expected that she would actually be standing on the half-finished city wall to greet him.
Shen Yuexi was stunned when she heard the conditions proposed by Qiang Lin.
The other party mobilized a large force specifically to capture her?
When did she become so grand that the other party dispatched 25,000 people to capture her? This treatment was too high. She had always thought that only Xiao Zhuo could have such treatment.
But why did the other party specifically arrest her?
She turned her gaze to Qiu Liming, who whispered, "Madam, they are obviously no match for the Lord. This time they are here specifically to capture you and use you to threaten the Lord."
Shen Yuexi finally understood. Xiao Zhuo was truly formidable. Even with so many Western Rong troops chasing him, they couldn't do anything to him.
Knowing that Xiao Zhuo was safe and sound, she suddenly felt a sense of heroism in her heart.
She would never agree to sacrifice herself to save the villagers of Xiaogang Village. The enemy had not yet proved that they could capture this place.
"Qiang Lin, go back and tell your commander," Shen Yuexi replied clearly, "I will not surrender. If you have the courage, attack me."
Qiang Lin looked at Shen Yuexi in disbelief.
He had never seen a woman with such courage, whether in Dayan, Xirong, or Beidi.
In fact, there were not even any women who could go to the battlefield, but Shen Yuexi not only went to the battlefield, but also dared to confront the enemy face to face.
"Princess, we've already investigated. You only have 1,500 soldiers. You can't stop us. I'll go back... Zhou Xuan. You should retreat quickly."
Qiang Lin made it very clear that he did not want to fight with Shen Yuexi.
He was not a plant, and he had not forgotten the kindness Shen Yuexi had shown him. However, Su Monai was his superior, and he dared not disobey his orders. If he disobeyed military orders, he would be considered a traitor by the entire Xirong tribe, which would be tantamount to seeking his own death.
Shen Yuexi said, "Qiang Lin, we will not retreat. There is no need to say more."
Xiaogang Village was the territory that Xiao Zhuo had fought hard for, and she would never give it up.
Qiang Lin looked helplessly at Qiu Liming, who stood beside Shen Yuexi. Qiu Liming gripped the hilt of his sword, seemingly ready for battle. The Yan soldiers on the city wall had their crossbows ready, showing no sign of retreat. Knowing this battle was inevitable, he bowed to Shen Yuexi on horseback, turned his horse, and galloped back to the Western Rong camp.
He returned to the Xirong military camp and went to the general's tent to see Xiu Muye.
Although Xiu Muye was of the same rank as him, Sumonai designated Xiu Muye as the vanguard general, and he was just a subordinate and could only follow orders.
"This woman is really not simple." After listening to Qiang Lin's story, Xiu Muye said this and fell silent.
Qiang Lin knew what Xiu Muye was talking about.
Like Xiu Muye, he was speechless when he saw the city wall at the foot of Langya Pass. Xiu Muye had planned to launch a surprise attack, but he didn't expect the other side to be more far-sighted than he was and actually built a city wall directly.
"Qianglin, get your soldiers ready." Xiu Muye raised his head and forced a smile. "Five thousand of you will lead the attack. Once we capture Langya Pass, the gods will restore your lost honor."
Qiang Lin's body trembled, and he refused in a rare gesture: "Captain, I... I can't."
"You dare to disobey military orders?" Xiu Muye was not worried at all. He held the hilt of the knife and said, "If you repeat what you just said, I will chop off your head and display it to the public."
Qiang Lin bowed his head and said nothing. In the Western Rong army, military orders were equally awe-inspiring and inviolable.
He had a premonition that all this would happen, but he had always hoped that it would not happen.
Attacking Shen Yuexi would be like attacking the person who saved his life. Refusing to attack would be like disobeying military orders, and one would be beheaded immediately.
"Remember your identity," Xiu Muye reminded Qiang Lin in a more serious tone after seeing his painful expression. "You are from Xirong, not Yan. No matter what favors the Yan Dynasty has shown you."
"Captain...you are right." Qiang Lin bit his lips, and blood flowed from his bitten lips and dripped onto his clothes.
"You're putting me in a difficult position by doing this," Xiu Muye crossed his fingers and squinted at Qiang Lin. "I'm really worried you'll turn against me at the last minute."
"I will not betray my people." Qiang Lin could not stand this insinuation and looked up at Xiu Muye. "Five thousand of us followed the captain. We did not refuse the king's call."
"That's true," Xiu Muye nodded, "but you acted too hesitantly, which shows that you're not firm enough in your heart."
Qiang Lin tried his best to control his anger and said in a deep voice, "Captain, whatever you want me to do, just give me the order."
Xiu Muye sneered and said slowly:
"Order your soldiers to fight bare-chested, armed only with swords, no shields. March out immediately and attack Wolf's Tooth Pass."
Qiang Lin was stunned for a moment, and without saying anything else, he bowed to indicate that he accepted the order and left the tent.
Xiu Muye called the other captains into the tent and said to them:
"Qiang Lin has shown signs of disloyalty. Order all 1,000 men to march out and prepare bows and arrows. If they attack Langya Pass, they are still our people. If they hesitate, shoot them dead in front of the battle line."
If the 5,000 troops rebel, it will be no joke. Now he has ordered them not to wear armor or hold shields, so these soldiers will be sitting ducks.
The captains were all horrified, but they did not dare to disobey orders and retreated one after another.
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