The Crown Prince of Dawei, Yuan Zhao, led a fierce attack on the Heiya Pass, with fearless Luo Yan and people from the Poison Doctor Sect charging fearlessly. Despite Cui Xingzhi fortifying his defenses with the Evil Ghost Sect daily, and even with reinforcements from the Duke’s residence led by Zhi Bai, they were still worn out from day after day of relentless attacks.
Not only were the people within the Heiya Pass exhausted, but the Dawei troops outside the pass were also worn out. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
One day, Yuan Zhao asked Nangong Zheng,"Where are your men? It’s been seven days, why hasn’t anyone come?"
Nangong Zheng’s men were nowhere to be seen, although some of Yuan Zhao’s men had arrived.
Nangong Zheng shook his head, "I find it strange as well. I’m afraid something might have happened."
Yuan Zhao’s expression darkens.
Helan Jue also looked displeased, "Heiya Pass has been reinforced with a large number of masters. Where did all these people come from? Who are they?"
Yuan Zhao said: "They must be from the Duke’s residence."
He recognized one of their badges. He could see it clearly through his binoculars. It was a badge from the Duke’s residence.
Helan Jue sucked in a breath, "Your Highness, I’m afraid we can’t take Heiya Pass in a short time. What should we do?"
What he wanted to say was, we surely can’t just give up like this, right?
Naturally, Yuan Zhao was not willing to give up just like that. But he had already lost the best opportunity. The more he dragged it on, the more advantageous it was for Nanchu. If he was not careful, Nanchu’s reinforcement might arrive soon. He didn’t believe that Su Rong wouldn’t ask Yan Huisheng, the Crown Prince of Daliang, for help.
He had been attacking Nanchu for more than half a month. Su Rong also had a hawk messenger. If she used the hawk to deliver a message, Daliang should’ve made a move by now.
Yuan Zhao stared at the walls of Heiya Pass for a long time, then suddenly gave an order, "Withdraw the troops, return to the court."
Helan Jue was shocked, "Your Highness? Are we not going to continue the fight? Are we giving up just like that?"
Yuan Yao said, "Under the present stalemate, if we continue to fight, how many days do you think it will take to capture Heiya Pass? And how many days until Daliang’s reinforcements arrive to help Nanchu?"
Helan Jue had no answer.
"We’ve missed our best opportunity. Let’s call it off," Yuan Zhao was a very decisive man. For him, if the siege had been going on for half a month and still hadn’t made progress, then he would call it off. Otherwise, once Nanchu’s reinforcements from Daliang arrived, would Su Rong, whom he had been attacking for so long, be lenient with him? If she counterattacks, how should he respond? If Daliang found an opportunity to take advantage of Dawei, that would be troublesome.
Helan Jue turned to Nangong Zheng, signaling him to speak.
Nangong Zheng was also very reluctant. He hadn’t expected this outcome either. But he agreed with Yuan Zhao’s decision, "Your Highness, we should retreat. Daliang won’t just stand by and watch Nanchu."
The fact that they had been fighting for so long was due to the long distance and the inconvenience of communication. Once Daliang knew about the Dawei’s war against Nanchu, their action would be inevitable. They would either send troops to assist Nanchu, or attack Dawei.
Seeing Nangong Zheng also agreeing with Yuan Zhao, Helan Jue had nothing more to say.
Therefore, on that day, Yuan Zhao ordered to break camp and withdraw the troops overnight.
Ning Ze and Zhang Mao were the least injured. These days without having to fight, their internal injuries had healed quickly under the use of good medicine. After every day’s truce with Dawei, they would take turns guarding the city, allowing Cui Xingzhi, Zhang Yun and others to rest.
That night, Ning Ze was on guard duty. He glanced at the Dawei military camp with his binoculars and felt that something wasn’t right. He exclaimed, "Is Dawei withdrawing their troops?"
Upon finishing his sentence, he hastily pulled a soldier next to him, "Take a look, is Dawei pulling out their troops?"
The soldier quickly took the binoculars, looked through them, and was also surprised, "Yes, it seems like Dawei is indeed pulling out their troops?"
"Go, quickly get Zhang Mao," Ning Ze grabbed the binoculars back and ordered.
The soldier immediately complied.
Zhang Mao was resting in a small restaurant under the walls of the city. As soon as he heard the call, he jumped up and ran to the city walls.
Ning Ze had already seen the situation clearly. He handed the binoculars to Zhang Mao when he arrived, "Take a look, in the Dawei military camp, the torches are constantly moving. Aren’t they pulling out their troops?"
"They are indeed pulling out," After observing for a while, Zhang Mao immediately ordered, "Report this to the princess quickly."
Su Rong and Zhou Gu had been resting for seven days. Ever since Cui Xingzhi and Cui Yanjin arrived, and with the additional presence of Zhi Bai, and the people from the Evil Ghost Sect, along with Zhang Yun and Cui Xingzhi commanding the defenses, the rest of the troops were more than enough to guard the city, and there was no need for them to rejoin the battlefield.
In this way, they managed to hold out for seven days. The Crown Prince of Dawei, Nangong Zheng, the masters of the Poison Doctor Sect, the Cui family, the Duke’s residence, and the Evil Ghost Sect all suffered losses. Both sides lost tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers, but they still failed to break through the Heiya Pass.
Although Su Rong’s injuries hadn’t fully healed, she was able to move around freely. Zhou Gu was the same. Even Xie Yuan’s injuries had mostly healed. However, Ye Guixue, Fen Ling, Ziye, Yin Yue, Lang Ying, Jiang Zhu, and others were still unable to move freely because their injuries were too severe. They barely maintained a breath of life, and had been lucky enough to be saved from the death’s door. Even getting out of bed was a challenge for them. But on the bright side, they were no longer in danger of dying.
Fen Ling thought he was going to die. When he woke up three days later and saw Su Rong, he was almost in tears, "Sister, I’m still alive, it’s not easy at all."
Su Rong nodded, "It truly isn’t easy. You should thank Doctor Zhang and Young Master Qin Feng, they were the ones who pulled you guys out of death’s door."
Doctor Zhang, who was present, said, "I dare not take all the credit. It was Young Master Qin Feng from the Evil Ghost Sect who saved people by using acupuncture needles. His skill is miraculous, bringing people back from the dead."
Fen Ling looked up to him, "My elder sister, Ziye and me, we learned how to kill using golden needles, but we weren’t proficient in using them to save lives. I didn’t expect Young Master Qin Feng to be so amazing at such a young age."
He thanked Doctor Zhang, "Thank you, Doctor Zhang, when my good wine is brewed, I’ll serve you some."
He also knew how to brew wine.
Doctor Zhang laughed, he also loved drinking, "Then I’ll gladly accept your kind offer."
Zhou Gu patiently waited for the three to finish their conversation. After Doctor Zhang left with his medicine chest, he asked Fen Ling, "Since you blocked the blade for me, should I also brew wine for you?"
Fen Ling was surprised, "Well, brother-in-law, you don’t have to, right? It’s my duty to block the blade for you, isn’t it?"
Zhou Gu looked at him, "I should repay the favor of saving my life. What do you want?"
Fen Ling glanced at Su Rong, and Su Rong smiled without saying anything. He grinned, "Just treat me as an actual younger brother in the future. Treat me the same as you treat my sister. Don’t grab me to practice swords with you when you’re arguing with my sister or when you’re not in a good mood. I’ll be satisfied."
Zhou Gu laughed, "That’s it? Okay, I promise."
After all, there were plenty of people he could practice swordsmanship with when he was in a bad mood. He wouldn’t miss one.
With their regained ability to move freely, Zhou Gu and Su Rong joined Cui Xingzhi, Zhang Yun, Xie Yuan, and others to discuss their plans. They all gathered in Ye Guixue’s room as Su Rong had received news that day that the troops of Zhou Shen and Zhou Che would arrive in two days.
Everyone was discussing how to counterattack Yuan Zhao once the army of 200,000 arrived. Unexpectedly, while they were halfway through their discussion, someone reported that Dawei’s troops had suddenly withdrawn.
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