Chapter 81: The Western Rong Invasion
A cool breeze blew by, and Shen Yuexi sneezed.
She rubbed her nose. She didn't expect the mountain breeze to be so cold in the middle of the day.
The cold weather outside the Great Wall turned cold early, and even in September, many plants had already turned yellow. She collected rotting plants along the way and unknowingly reached the northern entrance of Xiaogang Village.
I wanted to head back home, but not far ahead was the pass where Xiaogang Village defended itself against the invasion of the Western Rong. Since it was my first time here, I decided to go take a look.
Originally, the people stationed here were all villagers from Xiaogang Village. Since Meng Yue arrived, he ordered the soldiers to replace the villagers and station here.
When she reached the pass, a sergeant on guard came to greet her and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Madam Pei."
Accompanied by a soldier, Shen Yuexi entered a narrow, winding passage between two mountains. At its widest point, the passage could accommodate three carriages abreast, while at its narrowest, it could only accommodate a few people abreast. The entire passage was about a mile long, flanked by vertical cliffs about two people tall, making it difficult for a single person to climb. Above the cliffs rose a slope lined with towering poplar trees, their golden leaves dancing in the breeze against the midday sun. From below, the view resembled shimmering waves against a clear blue sky.
"If the Xirong cavalry are coming, this pass is the only way forward," the sergeant pointed to the exit ahead, which was completely blocked by rocks and wood. "But if they're determined to cross the mountain, defending here will lead to attacks from both sides."
Shen Yuexi nodded and stood near the exit. She looked back and carefully examined the entire pass.
Just as the sergeant said, although this place is dangerous, if the enemy is determined to go around from the mountains on both sides, the strategy of blocking the pass will be useless and the defenders will be in danger of being wiped out.
What if we built a pass here relying on the two mountains?
With towering walls on both sides, the defenders at the pass would be safe from the enemy no matter which way they approached. If the enemy attacked the pass, the defenders at the pass could join forces with the defenders at Xiaogang Village to attack the enemy from both sides. The same applies in reverse.
What a great idea! Shen Yuexi smiled as she thought about it. Since Xiao Zhuo had said he wanted to develop here, the scourge of the Western Rong must be guarded against.
The pass only needed stone. The mountains on either side provided an unlimited supply of stone. Daxiong could endlessly produce wall bricks, but she couldn't move them all by herself. Even mobilizing the entire Xiaogang Village wouldn't be enough. This was a massive undertaking, not something that could be accomplished overnight like digging a well.
She was thinking when she heard a sergeant's shout from above her head.
"Look, someone's coming."
Shen Yuexi and the soldier accompanying her hurriedly climbed the ladder up the slope and looked to the north.
After leaving the pass, the north stretched to the boundless grassland. In the distance, I could see a warhorse charging towards the pass, raising a cloud of dust. There was a man sitting on the horse's back, and it seemed like it was carrying another person on its back.
Several soldiers on the slope took off their bows and drew their arrows. Shen Yuexi looked far away and saw who was coming. She shouted, "Everyone put down your bows and arrows. I know who is coming."
The rider on the horse was Yang Cong. A few days ago, she went to the north with General Qiu Liming to scout the movements of the Western Rong. How come she was the only one back?
Yang Cong also saw Shen Yuexi. She galloped to the front of the pass, reined in her horse, and jumped off, shouting, "Someone come and help me! General Qiu is injured."
Everyone quickly lowered the ladder and went down to the outside of the pass to help Yang Cong lift the dusty Qiu Liming down.
Shen Yuexi hurried forward to take a look. Qiu Liming opened his eyes slightly and said, "It's nothing serious. I'm just exhausted. I'm lucky to have Miss Yang. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come back alive."
"General Qiu, there's no need to say anything more," Shen Yuexi turned around and ordered the sergeants, "Quickly send General Qiu back to the camp."
After watching the two soldiers escort Qiu Liming away, Shen Yuexi looked at Yang Cong, who was sitting on a rock and gasping for breath, with concern: "You were attacked by the Xirong people. Are you injured?"
In just a few days, Yang Cong had changed so much that she felt like she should look at him with new eyes.
Her face was covered in soot, her eyes bloodshot. Her hair was braided into several small braids, and a sword was slid diagonally into her belt. She gave off the air of a warrior.
"Madam Pei, I'm fine." Yang Cong rubbed his red eyes with the back of his hand. "We were attacked by a patrol from Xirong... General Qiu protected me and helped me escape."
They disguised themselves as Xirong people to conduct reconnaissance and obtained important intelligence. However, on their way back, they encountered a Xirong patrol and were discovered by them. Fortunately, Qiu Liming killed someone and stole the horse, and escaped with Yang Cong.
"Madam Pei!" Yang Cong grabbed Shen Yuexi's hand, "We must quickly tell Master Pei that the Western Rong army will be here soon."
Shen Yuexi took off the water bag from her waist and handed it to Yang Cong: "It's okay, the sergeant has already escorted General Qiu back, and everyone will know the news soon."
"There are so many of them," Yang Cong took the water bag but didn't drink. Instead, he stood up and said anxiously, "General Qiu said the vanguard is a thousand-man team and will arrive tonight. What should we do?"
Shen Yuexi was stunned. A team of a thousand men meant at least a thousand men.
"Why are there so many?" She looked at Yang Cong in surprise.
This news was shocking. A thousand men was no small number. Xiao Zhuo only had five hundred soldiers. If he engaged the fierce Western Rong army directly, he would be overwhelmed. And when Yang Cong mentioned the vanguard, did he mean there was a central army behind them?
Are the Western Rong people going to launch a large-scale attack?
This is troublesome.
The soldier next to him looked at the northern horizon and said nervously, "Madam Pei, Miss Yang, you should return to the village quickly. The enemy may appear at any time."
Shen Yuexi knew that it was useless for her to stay here, so she and Yang Cong crossed the pass and hurried towards the village.
If the Western Rong invaded on a large scale, it wouldn't be the small-scale raids they'd seen before. Xiaogang Village had just begun to recover, and now the war had broken out. I'm afraid the place would be devastated.
Xiao Zhuo has 500 soldiers under his command, but they all came here unarmed. How can they fight against the Western Rong people?
It's possible to have Big Bear make weapons, but there's no iron ore. We can't just make them all wooden spears and swords.
When they rushed back to the camp west of the village, Xiao Zhuo was conferring with Meng Yue and the others in the tent. All the generals gathered around Xiao Zhuo, even Qiu Liming, and the atmosphere was tense.
"My lord, the people who went to Dongji Town to purchase weapons have returned," Song Zhen said, holding a goose feather fan, his face filled with guilt. "The Western Rong do not allow the sale of any weapons in the town, so the soldiers we sent there didn't buy anything."
Meng Yue curled his lips and said, "It seems that Xirong has already made plans."
Xiao Zhuo glanced at Shen Yuexi and Yang Cong as they entered the tent, nodded to them, and then turned to the crowd and said, "According to General Qiu, the enemy's vanguard will arrive tonight. Although our soldiers don't have weapons, they are not without the ability to fight."
Meng Yue spread his hands, looking embarrassed: "My lord, how can we fight without weapons?"
"We'll win by using surprise attacks," Xiao Zhuo walked to the table in the middle of the tent and pointed at the topographic map. "Here."
Everyone gathered around to watch, even Shen Yuexi came over curiously.
Xiao Zhuo's finger was pointing right at the pass.
Song Zhen's eyes lit up, sweeping away his previous depression. He fanned himself and said, "My Lord, I understand."
Meng Yue and Qiu Liming both looked at Song Zhen, both with puzzled expressions, and said in unison: "The Lord just said one sentence, and you understand it?"
Song Zhen smiled slightly: "If you don't understand, what use would you have for me?"
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