Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Curtain Covers the Sky, Nowhere to Slay the Enemy
As if to confirm Yang Xiao's words, the sound of the retreat signal suddenly rang out.
"Stop the rear guard! Retreat to both sides! Quickly!" Yang Xiao waved his spear to signal the soldiers, then exchanged a glance with Bai Ming before spurring his horse back into the camp.
As soon as the army withdrew, the sound of bowstrings filled the air, and countless arrows fell like rain, driven by the wind to pierce the open sand.
Yang Xiao spurred his horse and galloped away for his life. In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the city gate.
"How are you, Lingyu?" Cen Xun hurriedly rode out of the city gate to meet the panting Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao glanced back at the devastation on the battlefield, let out a long breath, still shaken, and shook her head.
"That deceptive formation just now was nothing more than a feint to lure the enemy in." Yang Xiao frowned as she looked at Bai Ming, then sighed softly, "How are you? Are you alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Bai Ming shook his head reassuringly. "I was indeed too reckless just now. The Bewitching Array followed by the Vermilion Bird Array shows that Xiao Yan has truly figured out human nature."
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun chuckled and sighed, "If it were an ordinary Vermilion Bird Formation, it would be fine, but unfortunately, the westerly wind is fierce today, and the arrows can reach a range that is normally impossible to reach. Fortunately, you withdrew your troops in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."
“Speaking of which, Tongxi,” Yang Xiao turned her horse around to look at Cen Xun, “I’ve never seen the formation Xiao Yan used before. What kind of formation was it?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Cen Xun sighed and shook his head. “Fortunately, you broke it.”
"What kind of formation breaking is this?" Yang Xiao shook her head with a wry smile.
"No name..." Bai Ming murmured, frowning. "Could it be that Xiao Yan created this formation himself?"
"It's hard to say." Cen Xun shook his head. "Alright, let's not talk about this now that we've just left the battlefield. Let's go back to camp and discuss it, shall we?"
Yang Xiao held the reins, looked up at the sky, stretched lazily, and then laughed as if he had thought of something. "After three consecutive defeats, only our lord can forgive us, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Cen Xun chuckled and tapped Yang Xiao. "You should hurry back to camp and rest. There will always be a way to defeat the enemy."
Bai Ming smiled and put his arm around Yang Xiao's shoulder. "Let's go, the lord and the others are waiting."
Yang Xiao leaned back and rested her head on Bai Ming's arm, chuckled and sighed, then closed her eyes and let out a long sigh before nodding and spurring her horse toward the camp.
A cold wind and warm sunshine blew together in front of the central command tent. Yang Xiao looked up at the door frame, mentally preparing herself, before stepping into the doorway.
"My lord, my master." She lifted the curtain and peeked into the tent. "Today's battle was another crushing defeat." She spread her hands as if she were being slaughtered, sighed softly, and stood facing the wall in contemplation.
"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, why worry so much?" Zhong Li'an quickly stood up upon seeing this, and looked up at Yang Xiao standing at the door. "Why are you standing here listlessly? How are you and Zhao Qing? Is anyone injured?"
Bai Ming then followed into the tent. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhong Li'an and said, "Thank you for your concern, my lord. We are both unharmed. It was thanks to A Xiao and Tong Xi's timely reaction that most of our troops were spared from harm."
“It seems we underestimated Xiao Yan,” Xue Chang chuckled and shook his head. “The ability to use five formations simultaneously, adapt to changing circumstances, and even use the wind to turn the tide of battle—something I never even imagined.” He stroked his chin, pondering for a moment. “But with such knowledge, why would she need a spy?” He looked at Qi Kun with suspicion. “Was our thinking the other day flawed?”
Qi Kun glanced back at Xue Chang, sneered, and took out a stack of things from his sleeve, placing them on the table. "Not so."
“This is…” Zhongli An looked down at Qi Kun’s table, picked up the topmost order, and said, “Yuzhou is in trouble, withdraw your troops immediately?” He looked at the fake order with a furious laugh, “This is too absurd!”
"The morale was already unstable after two consecutive defeats, and now this kind of gossip is added to it..." Yang Xiao took two steps forward angrily, but was stopped by Cen Xun, who patted her shoulder.
Qi Kun also closed his eyes and sighed, "Fortunately, the messenger knew nothing about the order. When the squad leader saw that there was no order, he simply handed the letter to me."
Bai Ming nodded in agreement. "Now that this false decree has been spread, there must be more than one."
“It’s all here,” Qi Kun pointed to the table in front of him and picked up another piece of paper. “There was also a spy who tried to learn our tactics and send a message back, but he was shot dead by one of our men.”
Yang Xiao also composed herself from her earlier dejected state, sat down next to Qi Kun, and looked at the two kinds of letters. "It seems that there is more than one group of spies in our camp."
"Fortunately, there are orders from the general," Zhong Li'an sighed lightly, still feeling a lingering fear, "these spies can't interfere with our military intelligence."
"They've traveled all the way from Chang'an to get here, how can we let them go back so easily?" Yang Xiao leaned over the table, pointing at the fake document, already having an idea in mind.
Xue Chang immediately understood Yang Xiao's meaning. "Could it be that you intend to turn the tables on me?"
Yang Xiao nodded seriously, then tilted her chin up and pondered, "Using a counter-strategy is only the surface; it would be even better if one could actually get involved." She stood up and looked up at Cen Xun, "The formation Xiao Yan set up today is never recorded in any formation manual; it's most likely something she created herself. And this formation... is indestructible on the outside, but can be easily broken through from the inside..."
She paced back and forth in the hall, probing, "Arrays set up by the same person must be interconnected. And since she transformed the entire city of Chang'an into a massive array, the array we see today must be the prototype of the Chang'an Array." She frowned and sighed, "Xiao Yan has been setting up the Chang'an Array for three years. She has always been exceptionally talented, and her achievements over three years are certainly not something we can understand overnight."
Yang Xiao clenched her fist secretly.
For three years, Xiao Yan was far from inactive. While Xiao Yun was causing trouble everywhere, she had already transformed Chang'an into a massive, easily defensible military formation. And what now appears on the battlefield is a microcosm of that Chang'an formation.
Yang Xiao couldn't help but feel nervous. Everyone knew that Xiao Yan and her brother were at odds, and Zhong Li'an and the others had been running around in circles and causing chaos for years because of Xiao Yun's tricks; while Xiao Yan had already completed the major deployment of turning the city into an array.
If we dedicate three years of effort to a single battle, then this defeat is likely just the beginning.
Thinking of this, Yang Xiao couldn't help but shudder. She calmed herself and clenched her fist. This formation had to be broken from within.
"So, Ah Xiao, what you mean is..." Bai Ming looked at Yang Xiao, who was lost in thought, his eyes filled with worry.
“We need someone to stand at the heart of the formation and work with us from the inside.” Yang Xiao turned to look at Bai Ming. “If someone can completely disrupt the internal situation of Chang’an, we can also achieve the effect we want.”
Xue Chang nodded approvingly upon hearing this, "If they are thrown into chaos, they will have no time to attend to external matters. However, a chaotic situation is by no means an easy task."
“Xiao Yan thinks it’s easy to disrupt our plans,” Zhong Li’an slammed his hand on the table angrily, then looked up at Xue Chang and Qi Kun. “If you dare to disrupt morale now, won’t you be trying to sow discord between the generals in a while?”
Qi Kun also sighed, "With the general's order in place, although it won't cause much trouble, the morale of the army will be affected to some extent."
Zhong Li'an nodded. "Tomorrow, we will send people to investigate secretly. We must do it effectively, but we must not alert them."
Everyone nodded approvingly, but remained silent. A profound silence fell over the entire hall.
Seeing this, Cen Xun's face grew even more worried. She leaned over the table and sighed deeply, but Yang Xiao saw it all.
"What's wrong? Still thinking about formations?" Yang Xiao pinched Cen Xun's shoulder and glanced at her.
Cen Xun shook her head, her brows still slightly furrowed. "We have to repair the city walls, deploy troops, and keep a close watch on Xiao Yun in Chang'an." She turned to look at Yang Xiao. "Where does Xiao Yan get the energy to send spies, and two at once?"
"No need to ask," Yang Xiao said with a cold laugh, arms crossed. "It's definitely Xiao Yun's faction."
"Oh?" Cen Xun sat up and looked up at her. "What do you mean?"
"The discord between Xiao Yan and her brother was first revealed during my battle with Yang Song. And over the years, the instigation of Yingchuan, the collusion with Nanyang, and the conspiracy in Jiangnan were all likely the work of Xiao Yun. He is determined to become emperor, and although Xiao Yan is at odds with him, he turns a blind eye for the sake of Chang'an."
"Now, both of them are targeting our army. Their purposes are different, so their actions will inevitably be different. In addition, given my exhaustion with Xiao Yan, I suspect that the spy was sent by Xiao Yun, and Xiao Yan is just watching how we deal with it, as before."
Bai Ming frowned slightly upon hearing this. "You mean that, on the surface, Chang'an is controlled by Xiao Yan, but in reality, it is controlled by two separate forces."
Yang Xiao nodded. "The spy was sent by Xiao Yun. If we use their own methods against them, it can be considered a surprising victory."
Qi Kun put down his teacup, looked up at Yang Xiao, and said, "Could it be that you intend to use treacherous officials to stir up trouble and make them fall into chaos?"
"That's my idea, but where would we find such an opportunity right now?" Yang Xiao shook his head with a wry smile. "Whether this plan will work or not depends on what kind of trouble those spies will cause in the future."
“We still need to be careful,” Bai Ming said with a worried look on his face. He then sighed and looked up at everyone. “Xiao Yun is treacherous and ruthless, capable of anything. He sent a spy not just to gather military intelligence. His goal is to completely disrupt us and then take advantage of our weakness.”
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun nodded in agreement, "Zhao Qing is absolutely right. Xiao Yun will never give up until he achieves his goal. Our army is now besieged from both inside and outside. Although we are united, we will not be able to escape harm."
"Such a pragmatic approach is actually creating opportunities for us." Yang Xiao stroked his chin and pondered for a while. "Danger and opportunity are inherently intertwined. If we can get involved, there is a way to solve the problem... But as it stands now, it seems as difficult as climbing to the sky."
Zhong Li'an glanced at the group of people who were thinking of a solution, and breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up and said, "There will always be a way to solve this problem. Don't be anxious. Tomorrow I will raise the white flag and secretly send people to investigate the spies." He looked down at Qi Kun beside him and said, "Gu Fan will come with me, and Tong Xi and Che Yan will continue to look for a way to break the formation."
"Yes, sir." Xue Chang readily clasped his hands in greeting to Zhong Li'an and nodded.
“You two,” Zhong Li’an turned to look at Generals Yang Xiao and Bai Ming, chuckled and shook his head, then stepped forward and patted their shoulders, “Victory and defeat are common in war. There’s no reason for us to keep winning. Especially Ling Yu,” he pointed at Yang Xiao, “Don’t worry about it anymore. You two should relax, train your troops well, and try to restore morale. As for the rest, we’ll take care of it.”
Looking at Zhong Li'an's smiling expression, Yang Xiao felt a lump in her throat. She nodded vigorously, "Alright, thank you, my lord." She squeezed Bai Ming's hand, sighed with a conflicted expression, and looked up at Zhong Li'an, "However, we fought these three battles so badly, it really is a disgrace to you."
“If you keep saying that, I’m going to throw you out, and Zhaoqing will come with you.” Zhong Li’an smiled and pointed at Yang Xiao. “Although Xiao Yan’s military tactics are superb and she has a good understanding of formations, the performance of the two of you on the battlefield is also perfect. You broke Xiao Yan’s self-created formation and managed to escape from the strong pressure of her Vermilion Bird Formation. You can’t keep belittling yourselves like this.”
As soon as Zhong Li'an finished speaking, Bai Ming chuckled and tapped Yang Xiao's head, "Look, you almost made me get thrown out by the lord too."
Yang Xiao couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. She turned around, crossed her arms at Bai Ming, and looked up, saying, "I'll throw you out as soon as we get back to the tent."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the previously tense atmosphere gradually eased.
"Alright, you two," Zhong Li'an looked at the two who were laughing and joking again, and shook his head helplessly, "We just fought a tough battle this morning, and then spent half the day discussing countermeasures. You two are my vanguard now, so you must not overwork yourselves." He raised his hand and patted Bai Ming's arm, "Go back to your tent and rest."
The two men simultaneously clasped their hands in thanks to Zhong Li'an, saying, "Thank you, my lord."
Yang Xiao smiled and sighed, tilting her head to clasp her hands in a fist salute to the people inside the room, "Then we'll take our leave. Everyone should get some rest and not overwork yourselves!"
"Don't worry about going," Cen Xun said with a smile, waving to Yang Xiao. "We know better than you do."
Yang Xiao smiled and glanced at Cen Xun, then nodded to everyone before leaving the tent.
Bai Ming smiled helplessly and shook his head. "Farewell, everyone."
Sunlight peeked through the gap in the curtains, obscuring the figures of the two people.
Xue Chang, who was leaning against the wall, watched the two leave the tent, sighed with a smile, then turned to look at Qi Kun, who was silent, and nudged him with his hand, "What's wrong? You're ignoring Lingyu's words?"
"Huh?" Qi Kun suddenly snapped back to reality upon hearing this and looked at Xue Chang. He then glanced around and asked, "When did she leave?"
Seeing this, Xue Chang couldn't help but sigh. He frowned and put his hand on Qi Kun's shoulder. "Still thinking about that Lu Qi?"
Qi Kun paused, then nodded in agreement. "I'm thinking, if it really is him, then the Chang'an Formation was definitely not the work of Xiao Yan alone."
He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and looked up at Zhongli An at the door. "My lord, why don't we take a gamble?"
Zhong Li'an raised his eyes and gazed into his eyes. "I would like to hear the details."
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