Listening to Ye Xiao's report on the situation in Fucheng and Jiangyou, Liang Xiao and the generals were ecstatic.
Ye Xiao and Ren Changfeng had also made significant contributions to taking Fucheng, at least saving Liu Fan's life and crushing the enemy's courage to defend the city to the death.
With Sima Jing's training methods and his ideological indoctrination, the Hidden Wolf Guards had indeed achieved their reputation for enduring solitude and fearing no hardship.
Of course, this was also due to Liang Xiao's preferential treatment of the Hidden Wolf Guards' families, ensuring they were well-fed and clothed, and not bullied.
"Generals Nan and Liu are truly courageous and resourceful, but it is also inseparable from the Marshal's infallible foresight!" The generals praised him without end.
Liang Xiao sighed, "The reason I agreed to cross Yinping was my concern that Jian'ge would be difficult to take, resulting in heavy casualties for our soldiers, and giving the Spring Revival Cult and Helian Heng more time to poison the people of Xichuan. Now that we have successfully crossed Yinping, General Nan deserves the greatest credit, followed by General Liu. However, we now need to persuade the Jian'ge garrison to surrender!"
Deng Ai of the Three Kingdoms crossed Yinping and successfully conquered the decadent Shu Han.
In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's great general Fu Youde, following Deng Ai's example, launched a surprise attack from the Yinping path, crossed the Matian Ridge, and unified Xichuan in one fell swoop.
Here, there was no precedent, and it was unlikely anyone would reinforce defenses for an "impossible" secret path.
After detailed intelligence analysis of Jiangyou and Fucheng, and learning that the enemy had not set up defenses at Yinping Bridge, coupled with the experience of predecessors, Liang Xiao dared to take such a risk.
Liang Xiao was determined to break through Jian'ge and shatter a record never before achieved, but compared to the lives of countless soldiers, a mere record was meaningless!
Upon hearing that Nan Jiyun had captured Jian'ge along the way, the Da Gan soldiers were overjoyed and eager to take Jian'ge immediately.
Liang Xiao was in high spirits and said, "Don't rush. Let's see if we can incite a mutiny among the Jian'ge garrison. A bloodless victory is the best strategy!"
The soldiers calmed down and had no objections.
It was a great achievement regardless, and it was even better to reduce casualties!
Inside Jian'ge Pass, the atmosphere was one of panic, and the soldiers had no will to fight. Monk Longyue and Helian Heng's household guards could not restrain them.
At dusk, the thunderous shouts of the Da Gan soldiers once again echoed outside the pass.
"We only seek the principal offender Helian Heng! Surrender and be spared! Those who abandon darkness for light will be rewarded! Those who present the pass will receive great rewards!!"
The Da Gan soldiers outside the pass had been trained by Liang Xiao on urgent instructions to ensure they shouted in unison, clearly audible to the Jian'ge garrison.
"Great rewards for presenting the pass??"
The Jian'ge defenders, who had been filled with resentment, suddenly had their eyes light up!
If it were other troops making such promises, they wouldn't dare to believe it.
But the troops outside the pass were the army personally led by the Marquis of Anguo of Da Gan!
In the battle outside the pass, Liang Xiao had kept his promise and treated the prisoners well, a matter that was also widely rumored within Jian'ge.
Yue Yun donned a suit of plate armor, mounted a caparisoned warhorse, held a shield, and arrived at Jian'ge, nocking an arrow to his bow.
He shot several arrows consecutively into the pass, each carrying Liang Xiao's plea for surrender.
Some of the defenders bravely opened the surrender letters and found someone literate to read them aloud.
"Ninety thousand people surrendered to Da Gan and were all treated well. Six thousand voluntarily surrendered, and after Xichuan is pacified, each will be rewarded with ten taels of silver as a starting point! Yue Yun, for his great service, will be rewarded with one hundred thousand taels of silver as a starting point..."
After listening to their comrades read, the defenders gasped.
Ten taels of silver? Damn it...
This was at least a year's salary for them!
Yue Yun put away his bow, removed his helmet, and approached the city wall, roaring, "General Yue Yun of Da Gan is here! Marshal Marquis of Anguo's word is as good as gold. I have been greatly favored and have come to persuade you, my fellow soldiers, to surrender to Da Gan. Do not be Helian Heng's scapegoats and be reviled for eternity!!"
The defenders on the wall were in disbelief. After a moment, a sharp-eyed soldier exclaimed, "It really is Yue Yun! I've seen him before, he's very skilled in martial arts!"
As more and more soldiers confirmed this, the morale began to waver.
"Shoot him to death! Smash him!"
Several captains on the city wall, in a fit of rage, immediately gave orders.
Yue Yun roared a few more times, put on his helmet, blocked arrows with his shield, and retreated while blocking, before returning to the military camp to report.
Liang Xiao immediately dispatched Gongsun Ye with his personal guards, carrying barrels of gunpowder, to the outskirts of the city with the catapult soldiers.
Five ignited gunpowder barrels traced an arc through the air and landed below the pass.
"Rumble!"
After five consecutive explosions, the defenders on the wall watched in terror as the huge rocks below were shattered by the gunpowder barrels, their hearts filled with dread.
"Heavenly thunder! This is the Marquis of Anguo's 'Heavenly Thunder'!!" "If we don't surrender, we'll be blown to pieces by the Marquis of Anguo too!"
The defenders on the wall felt their scalps tingle, and the rumor spread further.
Liang Xiao gazed at Jian'ge Pass from afar and said gravely, "If the Jian'ge garrison has not surrendered within two days, we will storm the pass. We cannot let General Nan fight alone!"
According to his calculations, once they successfully entered the pass and a thousand Da Gan cavalry charged deep into the territory to reinforce Fucheng in time, Nan Jiyun would be able to deal with Helian Heng's returning fifteen thousand troops and even have a chance to annihilate the rebels.
Ten thousand soldiers continued to shout surrender slogans outside the pass.
Monk Longyue, within the army, his face pale, muttered to himself.
"This old monk finally understands why the Cult Master preferred to escape in disgrace rather than face Liang Xiao..."
At this moment, Monk Longyue finally understood Ilis's fear.
Faced with Liang Xiao's overwhelming pressure, no matter how much wisdom he possessed, it was useless!
Based on his experience in warfare, he could have held off Liang Xiao with just five thousand men defending the pass.
But Liang Xiao clearly gave him no chance!
These more than fifteen thousand men were almost all not Helian Heng's personal soldiers, and there were ominous signs of army mutiny that could not be stopped!
Was it simply because Liang Xiao himself was outside the pass?
"Cult Master, can we still hold on?"
Monk Longyue's subordinates trembled, looking towards the noisy battlements in the distance.
Upon hearing this, Monk Longyue gritted his teeth and sighed, "A green hill remains, and there will be no shortage of firewood. Hand over the military authority to Helian Heng's subordinates, and we will withdraw from this place to avoid becoming prisoners!"
That night, Monk Longyue handed over the military tally to Helian Qiu, a household guard of Helian Heng, and quietly led the core members of the cult away from Jian'ge, fleeing towards Bazhong.
Helian Qiu was also in a dilemma.
His master, Helian Heng, had treated him well, but he had also experienced the previous camp riots and knew how terrifying army mutinies could be.
Now, he didn't even dare to execute a few to make an example of them, for fear of provoking public anger and being surrounded by the soldiers...
Just as Helian Qiu hesitated, screams suddenly erupted from the military camp!
"Another camp riot, or something else??"
Helian Qiu was greatly alarmed and immediately led his personal guards to patrol the camp.
"Present the pass! Present the pass!!"
The various military camps responded one after another, and the entire Jian'ge was in an uproar, but there was only one voice.
Present the pass!
All the soldiers rushed out of their tents, roaring, determined to kill Helian Heng, who had abandoned them in Jian'ge.
Helian Qiu was immediately filled with despair.
An army mutiny had finally occurred right under his nose, with no room for maneuver!
Helian Qiu looked at the chaotic military camp and the hundreds of soldiers rushing towards him. He was finally so terrified that he lost his senses. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he raised his arms and shouted, "This general will lead you to present the pass and surrender to the Marquis of Anguo!!"
As soon as he spoke, the noisy military camp gradually quieted down. Everyone felt relieved and urged Helian Qiu to quickly present the pass.
Late at night, the gates of Jian'ge Pass were opened wide, and a dozen people wearing surrender letters requested an audience with Liang Xiao.