Chapter 327: Chapter 317: Lone Bravery
"Why?" Fengyu froze. Entering Jiaozhou alone? Lin Zhi drenched three feet of blood at the city gates; the citizens of Jiaozhou must despise you. Lin Zhi was a good official, and his wife is seven months pregnant. At the height of public outrage, entering Jiaozhou is fraught with immense risk.
He is the commander of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, a man of high stature seated above ordinary threat. How could he venture alone into Jiaozhou?
"I cannot shirk responsibility for Lin Zhi’s death; I cannot evade accountability. His coffin will rest for ten days before the funeral; I will send him off," Xie Xun said. "This is one reason. I am powerless to stop the rumors spreading across Zhongzhou and Jiangnan, but I cannot allow Jiaozhou to be consumed by fear—the fear that the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry will massacre their city. Since military force cannot resolve Jiaozhou, I will enter the city alone to show them Ningzhou Iron Cavalry’s sincerity."
How is this merely sincerity!
He is wagering his very life. Should there be a trap laid inside Jiaozhou City, as the commander of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, what if something happens to him? He could send a subordinate general, but under no circumstances should he personally take such a risk.
"Must you go?" Fengyu stepped down from the warm couch and walked around to stand beside him under the veranda, the lamplight casting its glow on his cold, resolute face. In his expression, Fengyu saw Xie Xun’s determination.
She could offer no assistance in military and political affairs, yet her heart raced. If he were to venture alone into Jiaozhou... If only the Second Young Master were here; he alone could dissuade Xie Xun.
"I must go!" Xie Xun said firmly. "Ayu, my eyes are set on securing the Twelve Provinces, and Jiaozhou is the most critical frontline in resisting Zhongzhou. Though the army remains stationed in Tongzhou and deters Zhongzhou for now, should Beiman initiate war, the route from Tongzhou to Ningzhou crosses West Mountain, requiring a three-day detour. In urgent military situations, every second counts; Jiaozhou holds irreplaceable strategic importance. Without this current wave of public opinion, Ningzhou Iron Cavalry could besiege Jiaozhou, cutting off supplies in half a month, victory without drawing arms. But given the prevailing sentiments, I must peacefully take Jiaozhou."
"Then let me go with you!" Fengyu said. "I once exchanged letters with Lord Lin Zhi regarding trade between Jiaozhou and West Continent. You even have a legitimate reason to accompany me into Jiaozhou!"
"No!" Xie Xun sharply refused. It was impossible for him to accept Fengyu joining him in Jiaozhou, taking such risks. "Ayu, you are my greatest vulnerability, and everyone knows it. I cannot expose you to danger. I care not about arrows launched against me from all directions, but I dread just one arrow—that one aimed at you. If you were to fall into enemy hands, I would have no choice but to surrender. Trust me; I will return alive to see you."
Fengyu was saddened to recall that Xie Zhang had once promised her elder sister the same... to return alive. Yet look how that had ended? She knew this vow was like a dagger through Xie Xun’s heart; it was not something to mention, nor did she wish to quarrel with him.
She also understood that by following Xie Xun to Jiaozhou, she would only burden him further. Xie Xun was already the commander of Ningzhou Iron Cavalry; he had his own strategic considerations. Even if it meant facing thousands of soldiers ahead, he must brave Jiaozhou.
The world’s public opinion assailed him. Jiaozhou’s citizens feared he would raze their city. The Capital City, Jiangnan, and Zhongzhou were all watching—waiting to see how Xie Xun would act under the weight of universal condemnation.
All eyes were on Xie Xun.
Though she felt immense fear and worry, she must smile as she sent him into Jiaozhou.
"Fine!" Fengyu said. She had tried, for when one treats her with sincerity, she returns it with life and death loyalty. She longed to accompany him, to live and die by his side. But if he wished her not to venture, she would concede. "I will wait for you outside Jiaozhou City."
Xie Xun reached out to hold her, his heart warmed slightly. Ayu, trust me!
His decision to enter Jiaozhou alone naturally provoked protests among his subordinates. This time, Xie Xun was accompanied by Xu Zhou, General Chen, Flying Shadow, and five other experienced, battle-hardened generals. General Chen, visibly agitated, knelt and swore he would rather die if Xie Xun did not reconsider. He offered himself to enter Jiaozhou in Xie Xun’s stead but was refuted firmly.
Some matters only Xie Xun could accomplish!
Xu Zhou seemed to grasp Xie Xun’s reasoning; he even admired Xie Xun’s audacity. This was the daring spirit befitting the commander of Ningzhou Iron Cavalry. But still, he did not approve of Xie Xun courting danger.
The court sought to use public opinion to force Xie Xun into retreat and paint him as a tyrant who massacred Jiaozhou’s innocent civilians. Everyone watched the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, waiting to see their response.
Retreating to Tongzhou—how could his troops accept such disgrace? In warfare, morale is paramount. This was Xie Xun’s first battle after raising rebellion against Yanyang. A retreat in response to the imperial court’s propaganda would only dispel military resolve.
Xie Xun’s prestige among the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry already lagged behind the Marquis Zhenbei and Xie Zhang. For his first battle after their departure, he could only triumph; failure was unacceptable, for there were no brothers or fathers left to bear the weight of defeat for him.
Xie Xun had to take Jiaozhou.
Yet he could not deploy his troops. To march against Jiaozhou meant confirming rumors that the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry was composed of tyrants who massacred civilians.
With fermenting outrage in Jiangnan and Zhongzhou, recapturing twelve provinces or advancing toward Zhongzhou would become nearly impossible.
"Generals, no further persuasion is needed. Withdrawal to Tongzhou is to reassure Jiaozhou’s citizens, but Jiaozhou is mine to claim," Xie Xun declared, his aggressiveness starkly defined as a commander. "Dragon’s lair or tiger’s den, I will brave Jiaozhou."
General Chen and the others found themselves unable to dissuade Xie Xun and turned instead to appeal to Fengyu, hoping she would intervene. Fengyu gently declined their requests. "Generals, Jiaozhou is the first line of defense between the Twelve Provinces and Zhongzhou, an area of crucial contention. For Ningzhou Iron Cavalry’s future strategic plans, trust in him."
General Chen pleaded, "Third Miss, the Prince ventures alone into Jiaozhou. The city must have traps set for him; how can one man stand against ambush, and what happens if something tragic befalls him?"
"With tens of thousands of Iron Cavalry stationed outside the city, how could Jiaozhou dare harm him? Would they truly bet the lives of their entire population on such an act?" Fengyu shook her head. "No, they wouldn’t dare!"
Fengyu added, "The Prince is not alone in entering Jiaozhou; the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry is his backbone, waiting for him just outside."
Two days later, one general and ten thousand Iron Cavalry remained stationed in Tongzhou, while Xie Xun led sixty thousand troops to the outskirts of Jiaozhou. His forces camped five miles outside the city.
The sun blazed high, and autumn winds swept coolly.
Clad in white riding attire, his longsword strapped to his back, Xie Xun resembled an elegant wanderer as he stood alone before the tightly shut gates of Jiaozhou City. Guards on the wall whispered in alarm, "They’re here, they’re here..."
Yet, amidst the vast expanse of heaven and earth, there stood only Xie Xun.
"Is that Prince Qin, Xie Xun?"
"Impossible. How could he dare come alone to Jiaozhou?"
"It is Prince Qin, Xie Xun. That’s him!"
Xie Xun swiftly took up a bow and arrow, affixing a formal letter to its shaft. Drawing the bowstring to its fullest tension, the arrow streaked through the air, past rows of crossbowmen on the wall, and struck the city’s gate pillar.
The arrow’s fletching quivered gently as the defending general, jolted awake from his daze, hurriedly retrieved the letter and heard Xie Xun’s deep voice resonate powerfully from outside the walls: "Xie Xun, Commander of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, requests an audience with Jiaozhou’s State Mansion."