Chapter 82 Jicheng Falls Because of a Rat Droppings
"My lord, it's the Phoenix Kingdom! The Phoenix Kingdom has won!" A soldier rushed up the city wall to deliver the news, and in his excitement, he tripped and fell.
"Did they really win?"
"Absolutely true! This is a message from the Phoenix Army."
Someone present burst into tears of joy: "Thank goodness, we're saved!"
Despite his weariness, He Mingyi's eyes remained bright. "When will His Highness Prince Qin enter the city? I must go to greet him."
The city gates were wide open.
Yuan Yan led his army to take over Yidu, riding Jingxue into the city.
Liang Yijiong looked at the scene in the city and sighed.
"This Governor of Qingzhou, He Mingyi, is indeed a capable man. He has defended the city for many days without letting the Wu army break through, and he has used everything available in the city. If it were any other city, it probably wouldn't have been able to hold out for so long. It's truly remarkable."
Yuan Yan looked at the soldiers who were being counted for casualties not far away, the wives who were helping to carry and treat the wounded, and the civilians who were clearing the city walls.
As far as the eye could see, the remaining defenders, though wounded and exhausted, were not in bad spirits.
Yuan Yan saw this and agreed with Liang Yijiong's words.
Just then, a sound came from ahead.
"He Mingyi, Governor of Qingzhou, pays his respects to the Prince of Qin!" He Mingyi led his soldiers to rush over and knelt down to greet him by the roadside.
After exchanging pleasantries, He Mingyi saw Yuan Yan examining the wounded soldiers in the city, and a look of shame appeared on his face.
“Your Highness, I have failed in my duty to defend the city and cannot shirk my responsibility. To this day, the original garrison of over ten thousand has dwindled to less than three thousand. I am truly ashamed.”
Yuan Yan: "Why do you say such a thing, Lord He?"
"In battle, casualties are inevitable. Given the situation in Yidu, it is already quite remarkable that Lord He was able to hold out for several days under the massive offensive of the Wu army. What is there to be ashamed of?"
"On the contrary, it is I who should petition His Majesty to explain Lord He's merits."
Upon hearing this, He Mingyi felt grateful.
Yuan Yan ordered, "Yuan Shi, go and send troops to take over the sentry posts."
She ordered Che Juyu and others to mobilize soldiers to repair the city gates. She also instructed the quartermaster to allocate a portion of food and medicine to the soldiers and civilians in the city.
"I'll go help move the stones too," Ah Man said, volunteering to help when she saw that there was a shortage of manpower.
Xue Lang accompanied Yuan Yan to comfort the soldiers and civilians.
"The enemy general has been killed, and the Wu army has suffered a great defeat. Soldiers, rest assured and recover from your injuries; Yidu is now safe," Yuan Yan said.
...
Not long after, good news arrived in the capital.
"Your Majesty, a great victory at Qingzhou!" The military envoy kowtowed.
"His Highness the Prince of Qin personally led his iron cavalry and killed the enemy general Kuang Chenglin amidst ten thousand troops... The enemy army was defeated and routed, and our army took advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack, beheading more than ten thousand and capturing more than fifty thousand enemy soldiers, and seizing countless weapons, armor and supplies."
At this moment, Yuan Hao was summoning Dong Chonggu, the Minister of War, when he heard this and suddenly stood up.
"Excellent! King Qin is valiant, achieving such great merit on his very first campaign. He is truly a fine steed of our family!"
Dong Chonggu: "The Prince of Qin is exceptionally wise and brave, and bears a striking resemblance to Your Majesty in his younger days."
"Yes, I was just as capable in battle when I was in Bingzhou. Among all the princesses, the second one is indeed the most like me."
Yuan Hao revealed a look of reminiscence, his words filled with satisfaction, and ordered his attendants to read the victory report aloud in the hall during the morning court session.
"I knew Your Highness would achieve a great victory on this mission!"
One of the military officers exclaimed happily, "Whether it's handling court affairs or leading troops into battle, Your Highness is no match for anyone. You're truly skilled in both civil and military matters—what's that saying again?"
"That's called being both scholarly and martial..." His colleague shook his head inwardly and whispered a reminder.
"Oh right, that's right, he's both a scholar and a warrior. No one in the court deserves this praise more than His Highness Prince Qin."
Yuan Jing, still reeling from disbelief, listened to the news of victory and the praise and congratulations from the court officials around him.
How long has it been... Yuan Yan has already relieved the siege of Yidu, personally killed the enemy general, and repelled the enemy army to achieve a great victory?
"The King of Qin and his generals have rendered meritorious service in defeating the enemy and lifting the siege of Yidu. I am pleased with this. I hereby bestow upon the King of Qin a thousand bolts of silk. His generals and soldiers shall be rewarded according to their merits." Yuan Hao issued the decree.
Soon, the imperial edict bestowing the reward reached Qingzhou, and the soldiers congratulated Yuan Yan.
"Your Highness's victory has brought us honor and rewards as well," Liang Yijiong said.
"General Liang, you flatter me. The reason we were able to win this battle was due to the concerted efforts of all the soldiers, not just my own achievement."
"If it weren't for the two generals' flank breakthrough, and Aman Yuliu's infiltration behind enemy lines to fight bravely and disrupt the enemy army, I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of the enemy general's distraction to kill him."
"The fact that this great battle was ended so quickly is thanks to all the soldiers. We should celebrate with you all," Yuan Yan said.
The supervising officer, He Hanwu, observed this and couldn't help but sigh, "Your Highness is truly humble."
At the same time, the system also spoke up.
[Congratulations, host! You have achieved a great victory in the rescue of Qingzhou, earning the achievement: Initial Victory. Reward: 8000 achievement points!]
[Furthermore, as the host's prestige in the court increases, their power level rises again. Currently, the power level is 40.47%, breaking the 40% mark for the first time—congratulations!]
【Please keep up the good work, host, and achieve the final goal as soon as possible!】The system was overjoyed as it counted Yuan Yan's achievement points and increased authority, and even its voice became much more cheerful.
"Hmm, not bad, the degree of control has finally exceeded forty percent." Yuan Yan nodded upon hearing this.
Everything was good news, and the city was gradually returning to stability.
Just as the soldiers were taking a short rest, bad news suddenly arrived.
"Is what you're saying true? Jicheng has been captured by the Wu army?" Liang Yijiong was stunned when he heard the news from his soldiers.
"This is impossible! Didn't His Majesty send General Chen to Youzhou to provide support? With General Chen's abilities, how could he possibly lose Jicheng... There must be a mistake in the military intelligence!"
Huang Gao also raised questions.
General Chen has fought on the battlefield for many years, is highly experienced, and rarely suffers defeat. He once led only a hundred or so cavalrymen to counterattack and kill the main force of the Wu Kingdom, slaying the Wu general. He is a first-rate general of the Huang Kingdom. With General Chen in charge, how could such a huge mess have occurred?
Huang Gao would rather suspect that the news was wrong than believe that Jicheng had really fallen.
“What I’m saying is all the truth; the one leading the troops is not General Chen.”
"Now that Jicheng has fallen, General Chen is seriously wounded, and the rest of the soldiers have suffered heavy casualties, the Wu army is advancing directly into Youzhou. The military situation is urgent, and we urge Your Highness to go and provide assistance as soon as possible!" the messenger said urgently.
"Explain the situation clearly. If it's not General Chen leading the troops, then who is it?" Yuan Yan's gaze sharpened as he focused on the messenger.
"Yes, yes...Your Highness the Third Princess." The messenger was sweating and dared not look Yuan Yan in the eye.
"The Third Princess?" Liang Yijiong exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be!"
Wasn't the Third Princess supposed to be a military commander? As a princess, she was of noble birth but had no experience leading troops. His Majesty placing her in the army was likely just to give her some experience.
With General Chen present, it's impossible for the Third Princess to actually go into battle.
What were the generals and supervisors in the Youzhou army doing? How could they allow the Third Princess to lead troops into battle?
The generals in the camp were all filled with questions.
The messenger was stammering; there must be something fishy going on. If Yuan Yan hadn't been there, the hot-tempered soldiers probably would have already forced the messenger to speak.
"It was His Highness the Third Prince who decided to lead the troops into battle." Despite the pressure from Yuan Yan and the gazes of the surrounding generals, the messenger finally forced himself to speak.
Let's go back to the beginning.
At that time, Yuan Xiao had just arrived in Jicheng with General Chen and joined the city's garrison to strengthen the city's defenses and hold Jicheng firmly.
The enemy commander Jin Yuelun sent his general Wu Ziyuan with several hundred light cavalry to challenge them to battle at the city of Ji.
"The Phoenix Army is as cowardly as a mouse!"
"Haha, they're all cowards, too scared to even fight. They should go home and take care of their children!"
...
These enemy soldiers laughed and swore, hurling all sorts of nasty insults at the Phoenix Army.
The soldiers standing by were already used to it; some were even exchanging insults with the Wu army from the city walls. But no matter what kind of insults the Wu army used, they kept the city gates tightly shut and refused to come out.
Only Yuan Xiao was so angry that his face turned red. He felt that his dignity had been insulted and questioned the generals.
"They hurled such vile insults! My mighty Phoenix Kingdom, whose soldiers are not afraid of them, why don't we go out of the city to fight them?"
"Your Highness, this is all a scheme by the Wu army, a feigned attack designed to lure our troops out of the city," Deputy General Zhang Yu explained to her.
"Jicheng has ample supplies and strong defenses. There is no need for our army to go out and fight now. Be careful not to be too hasty and fall into the enemy's trap."
However, Yuan Xiao wouldn't listen to a word. She had never seen a real battlefield, and hadn't even seriously read many military texts. She simply felt that these generals were afraid of the enemy and dared not fight.
Even General Chen said, "Your Highness, the enemy has just arrived and is at the height of their power. This is not a good time to engage in battle. It would be better to hold out for ten days or so and wait for them to tire themselves out. By then, the enemy will be exhausted and their supplies will run out, so they will surely be defeated without a fight."
"Why make things so complicated? Our army has tens of thousands of elite troops. Do we really have to stay in the city and wait for the enemy to retreat on their own?" Yuan Xiao scoffed at this idea.
She wanted to lead the troops into battle, but General Chen refused to agree no matter what. Other generals also tried to persuade her, so Yuan Xiao had no choice but to hold back for the time being.
Despite his determination to repel the enemy, he was thwarted, and upon returning to the military camp, Yuan Xiao grew increasingly angry.
"Why is it that Yuan Yan can be appointed as the commander-in-chief of an army, while I, the princess, can only be a mere military officer, and even going out of the city to meet the enemy is restricted... If this continues, how can I, the princess, ever make any contributions!"
Yin Weiyong fawned and echoed, "Indeed, if you ask me, Your Highness's martial arts are far superior to Prince Qin's. In every hunt, Your Highness always comes out on top. As for your archery skills alone, who can compare to Your Highness?"
These words struck a chord with Yuan Xiao.
She slammed her hand on the table. "What use is high martial arts skill? I, the princess, can't even leave the city gates now. How can I fight the enemy?"
Yuan Xiao was unwilling, but since he did not have the military tally, he had no choice but to endure it.
...
During the defense of the city, news came from the army that Yuan Yan had defeated the Wu army.
The soldiers were all praising King Yuan Yan of Qin, their words filled with reverence.
Yuan Xiao overheard this by chance, grabbed a soldier, and began to question him.
"What did you say? Say it again in front of me, the princess!"
"His Highness King Qin has slain an enemy general and relieved the siege of Qingzhou, displaying unparalleled bravery..."
Upon hearing the soldier's reply, Yuan Xiao, who had already reached his limit, could no longer sit still.
After much thought, there might only be one way for her to go into battle ahead of schedule.
So, when the Wu army started cursing again that day, Yuan Xiao took out the princess's token and asked to mobilize troops, claiming that his mother had left him a secret decree that allowed him to bypass General Chen and go directly into battle.
Since no one had seen the so-called secret edict with their own eyes, they naturally couldn't believe it.
The registrar stepped forward to dissuade him, but Yuan Xiao ordered his men to beat him in public, causing him to vomit blood and fall to the ground.
"Who else dares to disobey my orders! Anyone unwilling to fight will be executed for cowardice!" Yuan Xiao declared sternly.
Surrounding Yuan Xiao, a group of personal guards watched intently, their eyes fixed on the soldiers, clearly indicating their intention to drag anyone who disobeyed them away and kill them.
"..." The camp was completely silent.
Absurd! Utterly absurd!
Since ancient times, how could a princess mobilize troops without orders and kill her own people first? The junior generals present shook their heads inwardly and cursed silently.
The other soldiers, under pressure from Yuan Xiao's tyranny and the threat to their own lives, had no choice but to comply.
When they arrived at the city gate, Yuan Xiao did not have the military tally, so the gatekeeper refused to open the gate for him.
"Do you know who I am? How dare you stop me?" Yuan Xiao stopped his horse and sneered arrogantly.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger. It is my duty to guard this gate. No matter who it is, even if the general himself comes, I cannot let anyone in without the military seal,” Wang Langguan said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
However, before Wang Langguan could finish speaking, a flash of sword light appeared, and her head flew off.
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