Seeing that Xie Yushu was about to be helped back into the house by Han Zhongyu and Xuan Yuanche, Xiao Yi couldn't help but step forward.
Xie Yushu was taken aback to see Xiao Yi at this time, and then asked in a cold voice.
"General Xiao, yesterday afternoon we received a message from the messenger saying that you would arrive to provide reinforcements around 1 AM last night."
I would like to ask you, why did you and your soldiers take three hours to arrive?
Yes, war means death. My men shed their last drop of blood on the battlefield, their bodies wrapped in horsehide. This is the path we chose, and we accept dying on the battlefield!
But if it is because of you that I disobeyed military orders and deliberately delayed the journey, causing my brothers to die in vain, then I will definitely pursue the matter to the end!
Please explain the reason, and give me and my fallen brothers an explanation!
Han Zhongyu also questioned
"General Xiao, the orders I received are for you to lead 8,000 men to arrive around 1 AM to defend the city with us. When Pei Jie's army arrives, we will launch a counterattack and recapture Hangu Pass."
I also want to know why you were more than three hours late in responding to the military order. Those three hours would have been enough to turn the tide.
Tianshui City has high and thick city walls. We defended it for five or six thousand men for five days and four nights. If you had arrived at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the Tatar army would not have been able to break through the city.
We wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties!
This constitutes delaying military operations, and delaying military operations is punishable by death according to military law!
If you cannot explain it clearly, I will certainly submit a memorial to His Majesty, requesting that he investigate thoroughly!
Xiao Yi was completely bewildered again.
"What?
Was it the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) last night?
I did not receive such a military order!
We were delayed for a while because it got dark when we were almost at Tianshui City, and we weren't familiar with the area, so we went astray and had to turn back, which took about an hour. But we did set off at the time specified in the military order.
I don't understand what you mean by that, but I have absolutely no intention of standing by and watching someone die. As a general, I still have my most basic conscience.
This is strange. How could a military order have two orders with such a large time difference? This has never happened before!
For a time, no one could tell who was right and who was wrong. The only thing that was certain was that something had gone wrong.
Xiao Yi's first thought was whether the messenger had made a mistake, been bribed by the enemy, or that the messenger was actually an enemy in disguise.
Therefore, he questioned...
"How can you be sure that the person who delivered the message to you is not the problem? Is it possible that he was just giving you false information?"
Han Zhongyu frowned and said
"While we cannot rule out this possibility, I believe it is extremely unlikely."
What was his purpose in sending the wrong information? If he were the enemy, he would have directly told us that there were no reinforcements, breaking down our psychological defenses and causing us to collapse and despair.
Why tell us that reinforcements are coming soon and give us hope?
We have indeed sent people to you and General Zhang several times to ask for help. Since General Zhang knows that our situation is critical, the reinforcements sent should arrive as soon as possible.
You must understand that this concerns the safety of the Great Qi Dynasty, not just personal gain or loss.
Everyone is marching at breakneck speed, risking their lives. How could General Zhang, as the commander-in-chief of the north, possibly show any mercy and allow you to travel at a leisurely pace?
Xie Yushu also said
"I also think the problem lies with you."
Either the soldier who sent you the message is wrong, or the military order you received is wrong.
You'd better investigate this matter yourself first. I'll also send people to investigate. With a major battle at hand, I won't make things difficult for you, but I won't let this matter rest until it's thoroughly investigated.
After hearing what Han Zhongyu and Xie Yushu said, Xiao Yi felt that it made sense, but he still couldn't figure out where the problem was.
Could the soldier who delivered the message to him have been bribed by the enemy? If so, it makes sense, since he arrived late, which is extremely advantageous to the Tatars and Rouran. If Pei Jie hadn't arrived in time, the Tatars would have already occupied Tianshui City and were advancing unimpeded.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yi immediately felt that there was a high probability that the messenger was problematic, so he wrote a letter to Zhang Jiuying explaining the situation and asking him to thoroughly investigate the messenger.
Meanwhile, Han Zhongyu also sent a letter to Zhang Jiuying, explaining the situation and wanting to directly verify with Zhang Jiuying what was written in the military order.
Although the outcome was still unknown, with a formidable enemy at hand, Xie Yushu did not dwell on Xiao Yi's matter. Instead, she finished speaking and everyone went about their business.
Although the situation at this meeting was still not what Xiao Yi had hoped for, he still spoke earnestly.
“I didn’t know you were guarding the city. The people you sent to ask for help earlier were not the ones I met. I thought there would be city defense troops here. If I had known that you were guarding the city with your own servants, I would have rushed over even if it meant working day and night.”
I know you still can't forgive me, and may even resent me more, but I still want to make it up to you.
It's no use saying anything now. If the problem really comes to me, I will come to apologize to you and these dead brothers in person. At that time, you can do whatever you want with me.
I'm going up ahead now. You take good care of your injury.
After saying this, Xiao Yi left with a look of dejection in his eyes.
Now that someone is watching over them, Xie Yushu and the others can finally relax and get a good night's sleep.
Even without medication, sufficient sleep is a good remedy for restoring physical strength and healing wounds.
Meanwhile, the Tatar army, having already lost their supplies and were fighting a desperate battle, did not capture Tianshui City as they had anticipated. Instead, Pei Jie arrived, all their plans fell through, and a prince even died, causing their morale to plummet.
In launching this war, they aimed to catch the enemy off guard and seize the initiative.
As a result, they not only failed to seize the initiative and lose their advantage, but they also ran out of food. Of the 100,000 troops, only 60,000 to 70,000 remain. With 60,000 to 70,000 people without food, one can imagine the dire situation.
They dug up every blade of grass and tree bark on the very spot beneath their feet, but it still wasn't enough to feed 60,000 to 70,000 people.
In war, it's all about striking while the iron is hot. Once that momentum is gone, it's hard to get it back together.
So, after only half a day of withdrawal, there was no food to eat that evening, and a riot broke out in the Tatar camp. Sukhbaatar had to kill a few of the ringleaders to quell the unrest.
However, relying solely on force and killing to suppress the enemy was not a long-term solution. He was unwilling to simply withdraw his troops, so he ordered his soldiers to search for grain in the villages below.
When they entered Hangu Pass, they only killed people and looted gold and silver treasures. Because there was food available at the time, they did not touch the grain.
This time, we'll find it, let our men have a good meal, and then kill them all together.
After all, this was their only chance to take control of the Central Plains. If they gave it up like this, he would die with regrets!
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