89 First Glimmer of Promise

ntity after returning to the capital, would be to try to get back into Mu Yang's life. In this case, whether it’s that Yao Ji will be killed by Mu Yang when something happens in the future, or until b...89. First Show of Potential

"My Lady, something major has happened!"

Ye Li and her group rushed toward the Suixue Pass without delay. The sudden move by Nanzhao and Prince Li's forces had already drawn considerable attention when the Black Cloud Cavalry entered Southern Yi Prefecture earlier on. It would now be impossible to travel as smoothly as before. Ye Li could only bring Dark Two, Dark Three, and a few soldiers of the Black Cloud Cavalry while sending the others back to Dong Chu separately.

"What happened" Ye Li frowned and pulled her reins tighter. The messenger from the Black Cloud Cavalry whispered, "General Wu Chengliang was assassinated, and the reinforcements from Yongzhou were ambushed as they crossed the river. The entire army… has been wiped out."

Ye Li's heart jolted at this news. She asked, "How far is Suixue Pass now"

"Half a day’s journey," Dark Two replied. "However… Suixue Pass has already been surrounded by over 100,000 Nanzhao troops. Even if we arrive, it will be difficult to enter the pass."

Ye Li said resolutely, "Find another route then. We don’t need to worry about Suixue Pass right now; let's head straight for Yonglin first. Prince Li’s army should also have arrived by now."

"Yes, My Lady."

The Suixue Pass was still as chaotic and fierce as it had been in the previous days, with war drums thundering and battle cries echoing loudly. Murong Shen watched the Nanzhao officers below him with a stern expression. The soldiers’ morale was severely shaken by the continuous defense without any sorties for days on end. Many of his generals were itching to sally forth to fight but he had kept them in check each time, saying, "General, please let me lead the men to battle!" A young officer pleaded earnestly, with a fire of defiance burning in his eyes. The Nanzhao troops would jeer and curse at their gates daily, while they could only watch helplessly from within, which had made these youthful officers seethe with frustration.

"Silence! Right now, what matters most is defending the city, not a matter of pride. We must ensure that no Nanzhao soldier sets foot inside Suixue Pass; this is our purpose in guarding this border region. Wait for reinforcements!"

The young officer looked at him doubtfully and asked, "Will the reinforcements arrive in time" They only had 80,000 defenders, but over 300,000 Nanzhao troops were surrounding them, not to mention Prince Li’s forces from Lingzhou. Murong Shen fell silent for a moment before responding firmly, "They will arrive on time as long as we hold onto Suixue Pass. Therefore, do not engage in pointless displays of pride."

The young officer glared at the Nanzhao men below him angrily and gritted his teeth, saying, “Yes, General.”

"General!" A messenger hurried over to report, "The general eunuch Wu Chengliang from Yongzhou led 20,000 troops in reinforcements. They were ambushed after crossing Yunlan River and the general was killed!"

Everyone present sucked in a sharp breath at this news, and Murong Shen felt his head spin for a moment before regaining composure. He asked urgently, "How could it be How could Prince Li have advanced so quickly"

"Report! General, the governor of Yongzhou opened the city gate to surrender to Prince Li last night. This morning Prince Li’s forces breached Qingyuan City; their vanguard likely will reach outside Yonglin City by tonight." The generals all felt a chill at this news. Originally, the troops defending Yongzhou were already few in number, and now even the governor of Yongzhou had surrendered to Prince Li. No wonder Prince Li’s army could advance without any resistance. This quick move meant that they no longer had time to stall for ten days as originally planned; it was unlikely that Suixue Pass would not be surrounded within another two days at most. At this thought, a cold sweat broke out on everyone's backs. Murong Shen laughed bitterly in anger and said, "Excellent! Excellent governor of Yongzhou! Who volunteers to defend Yonglin City"

A few young generals stepped forward simultaneously and pledged their willingness to go.

Murong Shen looked at the solemn faces of these young men and nodded. “Good. Yun Ting, Xia Shu, I will give you two ten thousand soldiers each. Defend Yonglin City well. Do you understand”

"Yes, General." The two young officers responded in unison before leaving to receive their orders without asking any further questions about how they could possibly defend Yonglin with only twenty thousand men or for how long.

As he watched the two young men leave, Murong Shen looked at his generals and said, "We will do the same. Defend Suixue Pass well. Do you understand"

"Yes, General."

The once tranquil city of Yonglin now bristled with tension, shops were closed along both sides of the streets, and there was no one to be seen on them. Compared to the stifling gloom and oppression at Suixue Pass, Yonglin City was already filled with flashing swords and blood-stained ground. Soldiers attempting to scale the city walls by ladders were being driven back down by stones and arrows from above; those who fell were immediately replaced by others pressing forward in their wake. Onlookers below shot soldiers atop the city wall off it at times, leaving them disfigured corpses on the ground. No one paid attention anymore to these details; everyone was caught up in the frenzy of battle, having forgotten that they were all Chuans as well and had once been comrades-in-arms. Upon meeting, only life or death remained.

"How about it I’ll go first" On top of the city wall, two young generals looked solemnly at each other.

"I will!" The younger general unsheathed his sword and turned to charge away.

The one left behind let out a sigh and turned around to slash down an enemy soldier who had tried to scale the city walls when a Chu soldier was shot.

After opening the gates, the young general led his men into the midst of the enemy’s formation to relieve some pressure off the city wall. He slashed his way through countless enemies with unmatched ferocity. Soon, however, a burly middle-aged man blocked his path; he wielded a large saber and swept aside surrounding soldiers with contempt in his voice: "Does Murong Shen have no one left To send an unseasoned brat to obstruct my path! If you want to live, open the gates of Yonglin City immediately!" The young general raised his sword and replied coldly, “My subordinate does not take nameless ghosts. Tell me your name, villain, so that I can leave a full corpse for you!”

"I am General Sun Wei, appointed by Prince Li to lead the Western Army's vanguard!

The young officer rolled his eyes and said, "So it’s that traitor Mo Jingli. As for Sun Wei… I’ve never heard of him before. Just die quietly!" With swift and ruthless sword strokes, he cut down the man who had claimed to be a vanguard of the Western army. The moment was so sudden that the man could barely defend himself; in the end, he died at the hands of this young officer whom he had looked down upon. The young officer spat with disdain, "A cowardly weakling, daring to show off his might before me" Once the vanguard was slain, the troops attacking the city were thrown into disarray. Taking advantage of their confusion, the defenders led a counterattack and chased them away in no time.

"Summer, how is it going" Back on the city walls, the young officer watched as the enemy retreated with tails between legs, his mood vastly improved after venting out these days' frustration. He looked at Summer who frowned when he stared into the distance and said, "This must be their vanguard; however, once they send in their real forces…" The young officer also frowned. His joy from just now gradually faded away. Not only did the enemy have over 100,000 troops, even if it was a herd of pigs with that many numbers, his men would still be crushed by them. It was already difficult to defend the city with 20,000 soldiers; going out to meet the enemy would make matters worse. Yonglin City was no Fragrant Snow Pass. If they did not go out to fight but stayed in the city, Mo Jingli's forces might simply bypass this small town and head straight for Fragrant Snow Pass instead. Although that would be a bit more troublesome, it could still be done. Once they captured Fragrant Snow Pass, this isolated garrison with only 20,000 soldiers would be theirs.

"Who cares When they come I will fight them back anyway! Yun Ting is not someone who fears death!" the young officer said indignantly.

Summer smiled as well, "You're right. Just remember this: next time it's my turn."

The army in pursuit was delayed by the previous defeat of the vanguard, and they did not arrive until the next morning. When Summer and Yun Ting looked down from the city walls, Yun Ting could hardly believe his eyes. "Did Mo Jingli bring all the soldiers of Lingzhou" The area in front of Yonglin City wasn't open; however, just looking at the flags and troops caused him to shudder. He did not even want to count how many men there were. Summer whispered, "I always heard that Mo Jingli is a simpleton when I was still in the capital city. But now it seems otherwise." Looking down below, he saw how organized and strict Mo Jingli's army was arranged; they looked very formidable. It did not seem like something that could come from a simpleton at all. Yun Ting said, "Either his subordinates are great men or he pretends to be a simpleton. A simpleton wouldn't start a rebellion; he must be crazy."

A few of them rode out from the enemy formation and one middle-aged man who clearly was not a military official shouted at Yun Ting, "Listen up! Open the gate right now so we can pass through!"

Yun Ting said sarcastically, "Who are you Just because you say it should be opened"

The middle-aged man replied, "I am the governor of Yongzhou. Yongzhou has already submitted to Prince Li; why don't you open the gate and welcome him right now!" Yun Ting could not help but curse under his breath when he heard this. "Who did I think it was Turns out it's just a traitor. You have roads leading to heaven, yet you choose to be a traitor—what kind of fool are you" He drew an arrow from the nearby soldier behind him and shot at the governor of Yongzhou without hesitation.

“Ah” The governor was talking confidently on his horse when someone pulled him back. A feathered arrow flew past right next to his ear, causing him to scream in fright as he nearly fell off the horse. Yun Ting clicked his tongue and said with regret, "What poor luck." The attempt of the Yongzhou governor at persuading them was completely useless; one of their men waved a hand for someone to take him back to camp. He then raised his head and called out to Yun Ting, "The ones on top of the wall are Captain Yun Ting and Summer right You two have no more than three or four thousand soldiers, but my army has 200,000 men—what's the point in resisting"see that husband again and harm their health.Sir Qingyun shook his head and said, "It’s fine; I also want to hear what he has to say." Ye Li was helpless and could only instruct Black Manager to invit...