"Sir," He Xiao's deputy general Ge Qi was a young general in his twenties. Like most of the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government, his father was once a member of the Yanbei Army who defected to the empire. He grew up on this land when he was young. Now, he returned with the dream of washing away the shame of his fathers. He has unyielding perseverance and courage. "Sir, the Xia army is approaching."
Chu Qiao didn't say anything, and the deputy continued, "Chidu City will not be open, let's go."
Chu Qiao's expression remained unchanged. She stared at the gate of Chidu City and said calmly, "Wait a little longer."
Time passed little by little, and the wind was roaring like a mad beast. The world was so quiet, yet so noisy. The eagle in the sky was circling fiercely, with its snow-white wings spread, almost covering half of the sky.
Ge Qi frowned. He could even hear the sound of the horses' hooves of the Daxia army. He stepped forward again and said, "Sir, it's not too late to leave now."
"Wait a moment."
"Sir, Daxia's army is too strong. If we meet head-on on the plain, we will have difficulty resisting."
"Wait a moment."
Chu Qiao said calmly, the wind blew up her hood, revealing her beautiful face. The horse's hooves moved restlessly, making crisp sounds. The wait was so long. The cold wind swept across the land, rolling up the broken grass under the snow. My heart was hot and my blood was beating violently, once, twice, three times...
"Sir!" A shout suddenly came, and the scout in yellow-brown clothes ran back quickly, shouting as he ran, "The Xia army has crossed the Helan Mountains and is heading towards the Chiyuan Ferry at full speed. There are 20,000 light cavalry as the vanguard, followed by a large number of heavy cavalry and infantry regiments. It is hard to tell how many people there are. Sir, they killed dozens of Yanbei soldiers guarding the First Line Gorge in Chidu City, and also discovered our scouts. Now they have sped up and have passed the First Line Gorge!"
There was a sudden burst of panic in the team. Could the opponent be so fast? Twenty thousand light cavalry, countless heavy cavalry, and nearly a hundred thousand infantry corps. If such a terrifying military presence were to collide here, the Southwest Town Governor might not even have time to let out a scream.
"Sir," Ge Qi frowned and said, "As long as the green mountains remain ..."
"Sir! Look!" A young sergeant suddenly exclaimed and pointed at the Chidu tower with a look of shock on his face.
Everyone turned to look and saw a white flag with red clouds flying on the tall city wall. The heavy and ancient Chidu City Gate was slowly lowered in the astonished eyes of everyone.
Chidu City is open!
"Oh!" The soldiers were overjoyed and cheered loudly in unison.
Chu Qiao heaved a sigh of relief, whipped her horse hard, and shouted, "Enter the city!"
Almost at the moment when the city gate was closed, a black line suddenly appeared on the plain. At the far end of the earth, on the snow-white Chishui River, a low sound like muffled thunder slowly reached the ears.
“Who are you? Ahem, I’m the city guard of Chidu City in Yanbei. I’m a third-rank official who was appointed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Yan himself, ahem, personally issued an imperial decree. I was a first-class Guanglu scholar in 748, and was personally appointed by the palace. How can you be so arrogant and disrespectful in broad daylight, ahem…” An old man in his sixties or seventies shouted loudly with his teeth bared, his official robe wrinkled by the soldiers, his hat was worn crookedly, and he only wore one boot, with the other slipping on his foot. Two soldiers from the Southwest Town Government were guarding him, preventing him from making any rash moves.
What disappointed Chu Qiao was that there were clearly dozens of city gate defenders surrounding him, but from the beginning until now, these people had not even moved. They huddled together, wishing they could strip off their uniforms, and it was obvious that they had no fighting power at all.
Chu Qiao felt furious at the thought of handing over such a strategically important city to a bunch of good-for-nothings. Although she also knew that if not for this, she would not be able to enter the Chidu City at this moment.
"Sir, I have fulfilled my mission!" He Xiao stepped forward and knelt on one knee in front of Chu Qiao with a sonorous voice. There were large stains of blood on the man's dark blue military uniform, which showed that they were not completely unobstructed.
Chu Qiao's throat was a little blocked. She reached out and helped He Xiao up. She said slowly and solemnly, "Commander He, if Yanbei can escape this time, you will be the first to receive the credit."
"I... I am the 48th seat of the elders of the Great Pair Guild. Ahem, I am a backbone of Yanbei. I have more than 30 years of experience. Many generals in the army are my students. Ahem, if you treat me like this, you will definitely..."
"Shut up!" A cold female voice suddenly came. Chu Qiao walked slowly forward and looked coldly at the defender of Chidu City. She was still so young, but her eyes were full of majesty and hostility.
The old city guard's voice gradually became quieter as she stared at him. He felt that he lacked confidence and was quite embarrassed. He mustered up the courage to mutter, "The guild will judge you, you traitors!"
The entry of seven thousand soldiers as ferocious as wolves and tigers alarmed this small city. Men, women, old and young all came out of their homes, stood in the snow, and looked over from afar.
Chu Qiao sneered, grabbed the old man by the collar, turned around and walked towards the city wall.
"Ah! What are you doing?" The old city defender staggered and almost fell to the ground. He shouted like a pig being slaughtered, "You bold lunatic! How dare you be so rude to me! I am the 48th seat in the elders' seat. I have been a member for thirty-three years. The generals in the army are all my students... cough cough... I am a first-class Guanglu scholar. I have the power of twelve votes in the Datong Court of Justice. You have your own army and deceive your colleagues. I will judge you on behalf of the Datong Guild. I will sentence you to exile and deprive you of your military power. I will sentence you to confiscation of property, and I will..." The noisy voice stopped abruptly, like a mute suona, which suddenly lost its breath.
On the high city wall, the tall figure of the girl and the slightly slumped back of the old city defender looked so abrupt. A strong wind blew, blowing up the hems of their identical Yanbei military uniforms and also blowing up their black, or once black, hair on their temples. None of them spoke, they just stood together on the high city gate tower and looked into the distance.
The officers, soldiers and civilians of Chidu City felt strange. Some people bravely climbed up the city wall, but their expressions suddenly became stunned and they lost the ability to speak. More and more people climbed up, one, two, three, ten, a hundred, a thousand... The city wall was densely packed with people, their eyes were dull, their expressions were terrified, the breath of despair passed back and forth among the crowd, the smell of death had never been as close as at this moment.
The setting sun was like fire, casting blood-red light on everyone's heads. Those mottled light and shadows, like fire cloud flowers on a fire thunder field, spread all over the entire white snow field. As the strong wind blew, heavy snow fluttered all over the sky. In the misty white fog, the iron-gray army covered the entire snowfield like a silent flood. Towering spears, gleaming swords, crowds of human heads, nimble horse hooves, flying flags, and no end in sight, it was like suddenly falling into an endless nightmare. Everywhere you look, you can see swords flashing with bloodthirsty coldness, stretching for more than ten miles. There are vigorous cavalry regiments, majestic heavy armor regiments, forests of archers, solid shield soldiers, and countless infantry regiments, reserve regiments, logistics regiments, and chariot regiments in the rear...
It was like a grand military exercise, with almost all of Daxia's elite troops gathered here. The officers and soldiers of Chidu City were stunned, the common people were stunned, and even the Southwest Town Governor who had been mentally prepared was stunned. It was not until this moment that they suddenly realized what a terrifying enemy standing opposite them was. Daxia has occupied the Hongchuan Continent for three hundred years, intimidated Simon for three hundred years, suppressed Bian Tang, Huai Song, and Nanqiu of the East China Sea for three hundred years. How could the power it has accumulated be shaken by a mere change in Zhenhuang? Now, they have come to their senses, freed up their hands and legs, and are finally going to eliminate those who once questioned their authority!
"After this battle, if you are still alive," Chu Qiao said calmly, turning her head to look at the old man, her tone steady and calm, "then I will accept your judgment."
With a bang, the old city guard sat down on the ground dejectedly. Chu Qiao didn't even look at him and turned to walk towards the square in the city. Along the way, everyone consciously made way for her. The strong wind blew her long hair and fur coat like a sharp war eagle.
Chu Qiao stood tall and straight, looking very heroic. She walked towards the center of the square with her head held high and her eyes shot like arrows at the densely packed crowd below.
Their eyes were anxious, like those of nervous rabbits. Chu Qiao had seen this kind of look too many times before. She had seen too many people displaced by war in the Middle East, Africa, the chaotic Golden Triangle, and in those war-torn countries. Now, standing here, she didn't know how to define herself, the liberator of the divine incarnation? Or a destroyer that brings disaster? However, she had no way to retreat, and the only option now was to fight!
The enemy was already approaching, and the roar was so exciting that it pierced people's eardrums. Chu Qiao raised her head, her eyes were clear and tenacious, but a hint of sadness slowly rose at the corner of her mouth. She knew that after tomorrow, countless tragedies would occur here, countless families would be broken up, and countless loved ones would never see each other again. However, she had no other choice. She raised her head slowly, unwilling to look at those faces full of hope again.
Yan Xun, where are you and when will you come back? No matter where you are, I will fight alongside you! Using an army of 200,000 to seize a small city with only 3,000 soldiers was a sure thing in Daxia's eyes. But after arriving at Chidu City, Zhao Yang did not immediately issue the order to attack the city. Looking at the Chidu City that was actually taking a defensive posture, he smiled contemptuously, but there was a hint of secret joy in his heart. Since the defenders of Chidu want to hold on, he has a reason to delay a little longer. The later he arrives at Beishuo's rear to outflank it, the more advantageous it will be for him. So let Zhao Qi take the idiot of Batuha's family to fight Yanbei first.
So Zhao Yang immediately ordered his troops to start digging trenches, building fortifications, setting up tripwires, and inserting spurs, pretending to be holding their ground.
The officers who came on behalf of the Third Prince Zhao Qi's troops went to Zhao Yang's military tent several times, urging him to confront the enemy immediately and encircle Beishuo's rear. But Zhao Yang always looked at him with a strange expression and asked in surprise: "Am I not attacking now?"
"What I'm talking about is a more aggressive way of attacking." Facing the newly rising Fourteenth Prince of Daxia, the commander-in-chief's face flushed, his forehead dripping with sweat, and he stammered, "Your Highness's army has already engaged the Yanbei Army. The sooner Your Highness Fourteenth Prince arrives in Beishuo, the less casualties the Southwest Army will suffer."
"Then how do we calculate the casualties of the Northwest Army?" Zhao Yang's face turned cold, his sword-like eyebrows raised, and he said righteously, "As the commander-in-chief of a legion, my greatest responsibility is to exchange the greatest victory at the lowest cost. I need to cherish the lives of every soldier under my command, so I think our army's current strategic plan is very suitable for the current situation. If I advance rashly and fall into an enemy ambush, resulting in heavy casualties in the Northwest Army and delaying the realization of the overall strategic goal, who can bear this responsibility, Sir Governor, is it you?"