Daytime fireworks
"Haven't I always been in poor health? You know that."
Tang Qi suppressed his emotions and looked at him, asking, "Have you seen a doctor?"
Ye Qian's gaze was shallow: "Elder Yao has seen it."
"How about it?"
"You didn't come here today to visit me, did you?" Ye Qian changed the subject and continued looking at Tang Qi, saying, "Since you're here, let's discuss the matter of Juecheng properly. At least I won't die anytime soon."
Tang Qi stared blankly. Ye Qian had begun to avoid the question. He was unwilling to lie, but he also couldn't bear to tell Tang Qi the truth.
Fate is a cruel mistress. Just when he was feeling smug about escaping a calamity, it struck him down again, leaving him defenseless.
He had no choice but to accept it.
Having understood Ye Qian's meaning, Tang Qi did not continue to ask. Both he and Ye Qian needed time to accept it. Cheng Junshi was right; Ye Qian was in much more pain than him. If he continued to bring it up, it would be tantamount to tearing open Ye Qian's wounds.
He always knew how much Ye Qian wanted to live.
"Alright." Tang Qi walked towards him: "Then we'll talk properly after we've secured Juecheng."
After a thorough discussion, Tang Qi realized that the situation in Juecheng was far more critical than he had imagined. Apart from Sheng Xiaoxin and Ye Jin, the remaining Li Guang Army was Juecheng's only remaining force, and His Majesty had indeed not sent any other reinforcements.
“Absolutely not enough.” Tang Qi said bluntly after looking at the military equipment map.
“There are too few soldiers available in the city. The military defense of the entire Jue City looks very strong, but once a corner is breached, the gaps cannot be patched up, and the entire defense line will collapse in an instant. It won’t be long before the city gates are breached.” His voice was full of worry, yet convincing enough.
"But Your Majesty..." Ye An was about to speak when he was cut off.
"Forget about your emperor. A general in the field may disobey orders." Tang Qi's eyes were cold as he pointed to the area outside Jue City and said, "There must be troops stationed around here. Request the troop deployment in the name of the young marshal of Li Guang Army. Deploy as many troops as you can."
“I’m afraid that’s not appropriate. His Majesty has just given so many troops to Juecheng. If we transfer more troops elsewhere, it might cause misunderstandings. There’s more than just Juecheng to protect. If other places are attacked and reinforcements aren’t sent in time, His Majesty will blame us…” Ye An said calmly.
"What's wrong with that? You are a general, you should have foresight. When the Southern Continent passes through, Jue City will inevitably be the first to bear the brunt. If the city gates are breached, the surrounding area will suffer as well. Once the city gates are breached, do you think there will be any way out for the people around here? The best way is to use the strength of this place to defeat the Southern Continent and drive the enemy back."
Tang Qi looked at Ye An and continued, "If we can't fight back, it won't be as simple as losing another city. A drop in morale is a minor issue. With Jue City fallen, Li Guang's army is the strongest force in the Shuo Dynasty right now. Even Li Guang can't stop Nanzhou. Do you think it's far from them storming the imperial city?"
Ye Jin looked at Ye An with a strange expression. Although he was a minor general, he inexplicably trusted the person in front of him and didn't even have the thought of refuting him.
"Could things really get that serious?" Ye An asked slowly, a sudden pressure weighing on his shoulders. He had thought about fighting to the death in Juecheng, but he hadn't considered what would happen to the Shuo Dynasty if Juecheng fell.
"It's probably too late to mobilize troops now. The Southern Continent army is already close, and even if we mobilize them again, they probably won't arrive in time." He spoke slowly, a gloomy look on his face.
"We can afford to send reinforcements now, no matter how far away they are. We must hold the line, no matter how many days it takes."
"Just wear them down, no need for a fight to the death," Ye Qian finally spoke up.
Tang Qi gave a look, and the person opposite him continued in unison, "Someone has already gone to mobilize troops."
Ye An looked at his brother in surprise: "When did this happen?"
"When the First Prince returned to the capital," Ye Qian said calmly, "His Majesty dispatched the First Prince to Jue City. I suspect this might be the only reinforcement His Majesty has provided."
"Brother, so you had a backup plan back then?" Ye An asked in surprise. He was so caught up in the joy of His Majesty sending reinforcements that he hadn't anticipated what would happen next.
Ye Qian nodded, while Tang Qi suddenly realized, "No wonder I didn't see Xiao Qing here. So she was your backup plan."
"What backup plan?" Shen Zhiqing, who had just entered, paused and looked at the person who spoke, bewildered.
"What are you doing here?" Tang Qi's jaw dropped.
"Is it strange that I'm here?" Shen Zhiqing gave him a strange look and walked in on her own.
"Then who's your backup plan?" Tang Qi's gaze fell on Ye Qian again.
"Tang Yan and Ninth Prince."
"You sent Tang Yan to mobilize troops?!" He suddenly stepped forward, glaring at Ye Qian, and said, "Are you crazy?"
Cheng Junshi stood in front of him, precisely calming Tang Qi's temper.
"You want her to come to Juecheng? Don't you know what the situation is like in Juecheng right now?"
Ye An finally looked at Tang Qi and said, "Why are you yelling at my brother? If Ayan comes to Juecheng, I will definitely protect her."
You're protecting my ass!
"How could she come to Juecheng!" Tang Qi's temper flared up, and just as he was about to speak, Ye Qian suddenly spoke again: "She's the one who contacted me."
He suddenly froze.
Ye Qian pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve: "The letter departed from Jingzhou with you, but it arrived faster than you."
"She took the initiative to mobilize troops?" Tang Qi was stunned.
"Yes." Ye Qian looked at Tang Qi and said very seriously, "She is very smart."
"You shouldn't look down on her."
“I don’t mean to look down on her, I just—” Tang Qi paused again.
His sister has never liked the battlefield.
"Are you just worried about her?" Ye An asked.
Tang Qi remained silent, then heard Shen Zhiqing continue: "Are you worried about Ye Qian?"
He nodded.
“But you think he should come.” Shen Zhiqing looked at Hu Xingche and Lu Juezhen next to Tang Qi and continued, “They’re not much different in age from Xiao Yan, and you brought them to Juecheng too, didn’t you?”
“And me,” she said, looking directly at Tang Qi, “I’m a woman, do you think I shouldn’t be here?”
"Of course not." Tang Qi blurted out subconsciously. He never thought that the battlefield should be a man's domain. His grandmother and his second sister were both prominent figures.
"Why is Ayan different?" Shen Zhiqing continued with certainty, "Because you don't trust her."
“You think she shouldn’t have come to Juecheng because it’s dangerous, because the battlefield is unpredictable, and because you’re afraid she’ll get hurt. But,” she still stared intently at Tang Qi, “what makes you think she’s incapable of protecting herself?”
“A lot can change in three years. Besides,” Ye Qian continued, “she has actually grown quite a bit.”
It's time to put away your protective instincts.
—You should let go.
"Coming to Juecheng was her own choice; you should trust her."
Suddenly being ganged up on and taught a lesson by several people, Tang Qi stood there stunned for a long time, unable to react. The anger that had just risen was completely extinguished, leaving not even a spark.
He opened his mouth, but his voice seemed to have been sucked dry, and he couldn't say anything.
Tang Qi could only nod.
However, at that moment, an urgent order came, battle flags were hung outside the city, and the bugle call to attack sent shivers down people's spines.
"They arrived so quickly?!" Lu Juezhen, who was closest to the door, exclaimed in surprise.
Several people immediately went out and leaned over the doorway to look down. What they saw made their blood run cold.
A massive army was pressing in. A dark, overwhelming mass.
"Is this the Southern Continent army? How did they arrive so quickly!" Cheng Junshi was filled with fear.
"Go beat the war drums!" Tang Qi was the first to react.
Beneath the city gate, a man wearing a blue demon mask stood in front of the army.
As the war drums thundered, the gate tower of Jue City immediately went on high alert, but Ye Qian's eyes grew increasingly incredulous.
Even Shen Zhiqing's breathing became rapid and disordered, not out of fear, but out of shock.
Tang Qi noticed their odd behavior and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"
Ye Qian remained silent, but pointed incredulously in a certain direction. Tang Qi followed his gaze and froze instantly.
As if all eyes were focused on one point, beneath the city gate, a person beside Gui Luo slowly raised his head and met their gazes without any attempt to hide it.
It was Zhou Ziye.
Everyone was stunned.
"Is he crazy?! What is he doing there?!" Ye An finally couldn't help but shout.
“Isn’t it clear yet, Zhou Ziye?” Cheng Junshi paused, and after a long silence, continued softly, “He betrayed the country.”
"Impossible." Ye Qian's eyes trembled slightly: "He would never betray his country."
As if to break Ye Qian's words, before Gui Luo could move, Zhou Ziye actually raised his hand, and then the entire Southern Continent army came out.
This completely confirms the charge of "treason".
"He's gone mad, he's gone mad!" Tang Qi suddenly sprang to his feet, grabbing the sword beside him and heading down the city wall.
"What are you doing?" Cheng Junshi instinctively grabbed his arm, but was shoved away. Tang Qi's voice was sharp and pained: "Anyone can betray the country, but he can't!"
Hu Xingche and Lu Juezhen blocked him from the left and right, with Lu Juezhen even grabbing him around the waist and holding him firmly in place.
"Are you crazy?! What are you going down there for?!" Ye Qian yelled at him.
"I'll go and find out. He must have his reasons, he definitely has his reasons!"
"Look at the situation clearly, okay?!" Shen Zhiqing shouted, "He's gone mad, are you going to go mad too?! You're a soldier guarding the city!"
“No matter what the reason,” Cheng Junshi tossed an arrow to Tang Qi, “he’s besieging cities and betraying the country right now! Even if he has his reasons, we’ll settle accounts with him after we defeat the Southern Continent army.”
The Southern Continent army below the city was fully prepared, firing gunpowder and battering rams wave after wave. Tang Qi and his men set up their archers, doused them with oil, and the battle quickly commenced.
Sheng Xiaoxin led his troops out of the city gate, opened it, and charged out. Ye Jin followed closely behind, riding a heavily armored warhorse, charging wildly. Although still young, he was already a qualified soldier.
Several rockets were fired, and the rear of the Southern Continent army immediately caught fire. Tang Qi nocked another arrow and said, "Xiao Jin is a good candidate to be a general."
"She didn't join Liguang back then because she wanted to rely on herself." Ye Qian also fired an arrow: "Her target was Tang Jing."
“You’re wrong.” Shen Zhiqing also drew her bow to its fullest extent: “Her goal has always been herself.”
An arrow pierced his neck.
Tang Qi looked over and said with a smile, "Not bad, you've become quite the scholar and warrior after all these years?"
"Boss, you still have the mind to chat?" Hu Xingche fired off several arrows in quick succession: "With your concentration, it's no wonder that Master Cheng was a top student in the academy."
Tang Qi glanced sideways at him. But he also really composed himself and became extremely serious.
Arrows coated in oil shot towards the Southern Continent army like meteors.
I used to see this scene at the end of the year, when fireworks were set off in every household.
But today's "fireworks" are also for every household.
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