"How could the enemy bypass Jiange and reach Jiangyou and Fucheng?!" Zen Master Longyue finally roared in anger!
Ye Xiao tearfully recounted, "At least ten thousand enemy troops crossed stealthily from the northern mountain passes. Chen Hui, the defender of Jiangyou, surrendered the city overnight, giving the enemy a chance to breathe and launch a surprise attack on Fucheng! If not for the Prefect and Captain Hao fighting to the death to defend the city, Fucheng would likely have fallen..."
"How could there be ten thousand men!" Everyone looked at the numbers on the senior document, feeling their vision spin.
"Is this document real?" the brocade-robed king asked urgently.
"It's real. The seals were personally granted by this general to Pei Gan. Pei Gan was a capable assistant I promoted after the civilian uprising in Xichuan..." Helian Heng said with tears and no smile.
The brocade-robed king angrily said, "My son and Zen Master Longyue warned you back then that you should dispatch a unit to defend Yinping Bridgehead. But you refused to listen. Now you are attacked from both front and back, what is to be done!"
Zen Master Longyue said anxiously, "We cannot blame Lord Helian. Liang Xiao is cunning and has tied down the Jiange defenders, making us even more hesitant to divide our forces for support. The immediate priority is to mobilize troops to reinforce Fucheng. If Fucheng falls, not only will Jincheng be in danger, but the enemy may also attack Jiange from the south, leaving us nowhere to escape!"
Helian Heng also knew the gravity of the situation and dared not delay the military opportunity. He immediately decided to lead fifteen thousand troops to personally support Jiange.
"Is Lord Helian asking this old monk and the brocade-robed king to defend Jiange?" Zen Master Longyue frowned.
Helian Heng was stunned, then sighed, "The brocade-robed king and I will jointly lead troops to support Fuling, and Zen Master Longyue can act as he sees fit!"
The brocade-robed king was finally satisfied and agreed, glancing at Ye Xiao and reminding him, "Send someone else back to deliver the message. Have this man stay here to defend the city, to serve as a tower soldier!"
Ye Xiao, who was already looking terrified, knelt down with a thud and kowtowed, pleading, "All my family and loved ones are in Fucheng. I only beg my lord to rescue them in time and protect my family. Even if I die defending Jiange, I will do so willingly!"
Helian Heng looked at Ye Xiao with approval and immediately promised, "Once the situation is stable, this general will certainly promote you to captain, equal in status to Hao Ping!"
Ye Xiao was overjoyed and thanked him.
Helian Heng and the brocade-robed king led half of the Jiange defenders, quietly leaving Jiange and rushing to Fucheng to support Pei Gan.
The Jiange defenders discovered the troop movement, and even Helian Heng's departure, and were all astonished.
Zen Master Longyue, who remained, put on armor and, leading Helian Heng's remaining household guards, patrolled the entire camp.
"Five thousand men are enough to defend Jiange, let alone our fifteen thousand. This place is a strategic pass that is impregnable. Even if Liang Xiao has heavenly abilities, he is nothing to fear!"
Da Qian scouts who had been lurking in the Jianmen Mountain range discovered the enemy's movements and immediately sent someone to report to Liang Xiao north of Jiange.
Upon receiving the news, Liang Xiao was overjoyed, "It seems General Nan has succeeded. At least half of the enemy forces have been diverted. Prepare the three armies, and let us take Jiange!"
A large number of trebuchets were brought to five li north of Jiange. Sixty thousand troops gathered there sequentially, menacing Jiange, waiting only for Liang Xiao's order to break through the pass.
Meanwhile, Ye Xiao had already changed into military armor as a tower soldier and looked north, his heart filled with anxiety.
As a villager of Liang Xiao's Anxi County and a disciple accepted by Sima Jing with special permission, having undergone rigorous training and ideological education, Ye Xiao naturally feared no hardship.
However, he was now assigned to defend the city wall, unable to act as an inside informant, and might even be accidentally killed by friendly fire. What was to be done?
"Brother? Are you from Fucheng?"
As Ye Xiao pondered, a soft inquiry in his ear pulled his thoughts back from the north of Jiange.
Ye Xiao turned his head and saw a group of veteran soldiers approaching.
Seeing that Longyue and the captains were not around, Ye Xiao had an idea and nodded, "Indeed!"
"We heard that our lord led troops away because Fucheng was in urgent need. Is it true?" an old soldier asked urgently.
Ye Xiao nodded and sighed, "The enemy is powerful and surrounding the city. I broke through at great risk. By now, Fucheng has likely already been breached by the Da Qian army..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding old soldiers turned pale, "Then our lord leading troops away... was he afraid of being attacked from both front and back and left first!"
Ye Xiao was startled, secretly pleased, and whispered, "My lord definitely has this intention. If Fucheng falls, he can still lead troops back to Chengdu and preserve his strength, so as not to be surrounded by Liang Xiao at Jiange!"
The numerous old soldiers were both shocked and angry, "No wonder our lord took his personal guards and left us veterans, whose homes are not in Chengdu, behind! This is abandoning us at Jiange and sending a drunken monk to be in charge!!"
Ye Xiao was afraid that there were still confidantes of Helian Heng among these old soldiers, so he quickly said, "My lord must have had a deeper meaning. We eat the king's food and serve the king loyally. It is only right for us to die defending Jiange!"
"You want to die, but I don't!" Finally, an old soldier began to collapse and complain.
Ye Xiao "jumped in fright" and quickly made a shushing gesture, "Don't let Lord Longyue hear us, or we'll all die..."
His words, though seeming like advice, were actually fanning the flames.
These old soldiers angrily said, "I'm not going to be a scapegoat!"
Ye Xiao sighed, "We are soldiers, what great waves can we make? Can we rebel like the entire camp at Dingjun Mountain?"
The more than a dozen old soldiers present had their eyes light up, "Since we're all scapegoats anyway, why not spread the word and surrender the pass together? Marquis Anguo has always cared for the military and civilians, and he will surely spare our lives!"
No matter how Ye Xiao "advised," these old soldiers were determined not to be scapegoats and privately informed their comrades in their respective squads upon returning.
The news spread from one to ten, then to a hundred. Within half a day, the entire Jiange garrison knew the inside story: Fucheng might have fallen, Helian Heng was afraid of being attacked from both front and back, he led his troops back to Chengdu, and abandoned the Jiange defenders!
"Lord Longyue, rumors are spreading wildly in the army, and morale is flagging!"
Upon receiving the news, Longyue was shocked and angry, "Where did it come from?"
"From the city wall..."
Hearing this, Longyue suddenly remembered something and said urgently, "Capture that Ye Xiao who ran from Fuling for this old monk!"
By the time Longyue's men reached the camp on the city wall, Ye Xiao was nowhere to be found.
At this time, Ye Xiao had used his break time to slip away from the military camp and quietly sneaked out of Jiange. He covered his vital spots with felt and rolled down a steep slope on the northeast side, being bruised all over.
"Catch him!!"
Hearing the roars of pursuers behind him, Ye Xiao ignored the pain and ran towards the northeast as if flying.
Liang Xiao was observing the terrain of Jiange from the highest earthen mound, preparing to bombard Jiange directly with gunpowder barrels before commanding the charge. Suddenly, he saw a group of people chasing one person down the distant hillside.
Liang Xiao was startled and immediately summoned a cavalry captain, "You lead five hundred men to the southwest to rescue him, and bring some horses!"
The cavalry captain led his troops to the southwest and soon encountered Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao shouted, "I am Qianlang Guard under Marquis Anguo, lurking in Jiange, here to report an urgent matter!"
The cavalry captain was overjoyed and immediately let Ye Xiao mount his horse.
The dozens of people chasing from behind were terrified upon seeing the cavalry squadron and all fled back into the pass.
Arriving before Liang Xiao, Ye Xiao reported excitedly, "Qianlang Guard Ye Xiao, mission accomplished!"