Chapter 514

Beishuocheng, Lord’s Grand Hall

Yang Zun sat alone at the head, a curtain of emerald beads separating him from over a dozen maidens whose shadows flickered within, clearly attending to his wounds; faint sobs of women could be heard from within.

At the front row below the hall stood eleven men: five were Beishuo’s Xianyang-levels, the other six were Chen Cang’s Xianyang-levels—Chu Xuan Kong, Chu Renjie, Chu Qinghe, and others.

“My Lord, fifty thousand Xia Army troops did not set up camp outside the city—they split into four groups: twenty thousand at the eastern main gate, ten thousand each at the other three sides, and they’ve now surrounded the city, advancing to within three hundred meters of the gates!”

As Yang Rong rushed in and reported the Xia Army’s position outside, the already oppressive atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier.

Though everyone’s faces were grim, not a single person spoke, none dared make a large movement, let alone look up at the bead curtain above.

Only Chu Xuan Kong, who had lost both arms, repeatedly turned his head toward the curtain above, lips slightly parted, yet his expression darkened and he swallowed his words.

“Old Chu, if you have something to say, just speak plainly…”

Suddenly, Yang Zun’s voice came from behind the curtain above.

His voice was extremely weak, far quieter than before—clearly he was forcing himself to speak. Hearing it, the Beishuo contingent below all grew slightly pale; Yang Rong and the other five Xianyang-levels looked as if their expressions might bleed.

The silent crowd all turned to look at Chu Xuan Kong and the other six from Chen Cang.

Deep in their pupils, Beishuo’s people carried heavy hope—they clearly realized that only Chu Xuan Kong’s group could save them now.

Chu Xuan Kong knew exactly what Beishuo’s people were thinking. Hearing Yang Zun’s words, he did not hesitate, and spoke in a low, firm tone: “Brother Yang, it’s been nearly three days, and Chen Cang’s reinforcements still haven’t arrived. We can be certain He Fei was intercepted. We don’t even know if he’s alive or dead.”

“Last night, after learning of Baishu City’s defeat, I sent Qinghe back to request aid. Qinghe is cautious and skilled at concealment—he won’t be intercepted again by the Great Xia. But the problem is…”

He paused slightly, then continued: “The distance is great. Even if Qinghe encounters no mishaps en route, a round trip will take at least sixteen hours…”

As Chu Xuan Kong finished speaking, the hall fell utterly silent.

His claim that Baishu City had suffered a great defeat last night was inaccurate—Yin Yuan marked the day’s division at dawn, and dawn was still over an hour away, so Baishu’s defeat had technically occurred in the upper half of today.

When Yang Zun fled back to Beishuocheng, less than two hours of the upper half had passed; Chu Qinghe had departed then. That meant, from the moment he left the city to report, only seven hours had elapsed.

A round trip from Beishuocheng to Chen Cang takes at least sixteen hours—seven hours is less than half.

Worse, Chu Xuan Kong had said this was under the assumption that Chu Qinghe encountered no mishaps. If anything went wrong, the delay would be longer—and if the Great Xia intercepted him again…

Instantly, the despair on Beishuo’s people’s faces deepened.

“Old Chu, I am a Staff Officer of Yanling Prefecture. I shouldn’t question the Prefect’s decisions, but before setting out south, the Prefect repeatedly ordered that the Great Xia must not swallow Beishuo. You’ve seen the situation—unless reinforcements arrive soon, we cannot hold back the Xia Army’s advance…”

“I understand.”

Hearing the faint threat in Yang Zun’s voice, Chu Xuan Kong’s expression darkened. He had lost both arms in Xia Cheng—he too was seething with rage. But remembering Yang Zun had just lost two younger brothers, he suppressed his anger slightly and spoke low: “Reinforcements won’t arrive anytime soon. Cai Qiu and his group won’t help us either. We can only hold the city. Beishuo’s defenses are still strong—we can hold out for several days without issue.”

“The key now is to buy time…”

How much time?

Sixteen hours was only a guess—who knew when Chu Qinghe would actually arrive with aid?

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Chu Xuan Kong instantly understood their thoughts. A flicker of disdain passed through his eyes as he spoke low: “You have nearly two hundred thousand Juedi-level troops in the city. The Xia Army won’t attack at night. In other words, if you hold the city for two hours during daylight, you’ve held off one full day.”

“Thirty-five thousand men—what are you afraid of?”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions froze slightly, then they turned to look behind the curtain above at Yang Zun—and immediately lowered their heads.

Who wasn’t afraid?

In the battle at Baishu City, Yang Fa and Yang Jian were killed, five Xianyang-levels were missing, twenty-five thousand troops were nearly wiped out, and even their revered Lord had nearly been slain.

Every person in the hall now recalled the terrifying sight of Yang Zun returning half his neck severed during the upper half of the night—cold dread filled their hearts.

“Beishuo is probably lost…”

Suddenly, after long silence, Yang Zun spoke.

At his words, everyone below jolted, lifting their heads to stare at him, eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.

“I’ve been rooted in Chen Cang for years, neglecting the governance of this town, paying little heed to you all. Beishuo’s downfall is my just punishment…”

Yang Zun’s voice carried a sigh. He gripped his neck, rose from his chair, pushed aside the curtain, and walked slowly out. Gazing at the Beishuo contingent below, his gaze settled on three middle-aged men in the front row, and he spoke low: “Haiwen, Dongxin, Yuhe—take your families, leave the city, and surrender to the Xia Army. Xia Hong is no petty man. If you sincerely submit, he won’t harm you.”

“My Lord, why speak such words? The Mo family rose with Beishuo—we share glory and ruin. Haiwen will die with Beishuo!”

“Adversity reveals true character. I, Dongxin, am no great man, but I refuse to be a traitor who abandons his lord. My Lord, don’t say this again—I swear to stand with Beishuo, to the death!”

“Yuhe was born a citizen of Beishuo, and will die a ghost of Beishuo. Whether the town falls or we perish, the Huang clan has served our Lord for generations—how could we break our loyalty here?”

Mo Haiwen, Yu Dongxin, Huang Yuhe—the three Beishuo outsider Xianyang-levels—all turned pale at Yang Zun’s words. Their emotions surged, and without hesitation, they immediately rebuked him.

The Yang family members below, whose faces had been grim moments before, now looked slightly relieved.

Yet Yang Zun only gave a bitter smile.

“No need for this…”

He waved his hand, shaking his head: “Don’t fear—I’m not testing you. I rose from obscurity—how could I fail to see this situation? Even if both fiefs send reinforcements, they’ll only bring more Xianyang-levels. Even if they hold the town, they can’t reverse the tide. The Great Xia’s unification of the Southern Slope is inevitable!”

Speaking these words seemed to ease Yang Zun’s burden. He looked down at Mo Haiwen and the others, his tone sincere, his expression grave: “Haiwen, Dongxin, Yuhe—you’re third-generation Beishuo men. Your ancestors were the ones who fought alongside me. Our bond isn’t deep. Whatever choice you make, I will accept.”

Seeing them about to protest again, Yang Zun waved his hand to silence them. After a pause, he scanned the rest of the Beishuo contingent below, then turned to Yang Rong and spoke low: “Rong, issue my order: anyone in the city who wishes to surrender to the Great Xia must gather at the eastern gate within half an hour. After that, I will go to the gate and negotiate with Xia Hong—they may all leave.”

“My Lord…”

Yang Rong’s pupils burned red. He dared not nod in compliance.

Not just him—all Yang family members below looked utterly heartbroken, trying to speak, but their throats were choked, not a word emerging.

The outsider core personnel of Beishuo were even worse. From Mo Haiwen and the three Xianyang-levels down to the Yuhans, all looked up at Yang Zun, eyes instantly wet, faces filled with emotion.

Better to gain ten thousand taels of silver than one promise from Yang Zun.

This saying was known throughout the Southern Slope.

So now, no one doubted the sincerity of Yang Zun’s words. How could such a lord not stir their hearts?

“My Lord, we still have thirty-five thousand troops, nearly two hundred thousand Juedi-levels in the city. The Xia Army numbers only fifty thousand. If we stand united, we can hold the town!”

“My entire clan has lived under your grace for generations—how could we betray you? I will die with you, with Beishuo!”

“Crawl to the Great Xia for survival? Is that the spirit of Beishuo’s sons? My Lord, don’t say this again—I’d rather die than bow to the Great Xia!”

“Beishuo has stood on the Southern Slope for over a hundred years—what is the Great Xia? I will live and die with you, My Lord—I will never bow to the Great Xia!”

……………………

Instantly, every outsider core member in the hall roared out in anger.

If even they felt this way, how much more so the Yang family members?

Though none stood to speak, their determination had intensified manyfold—some even began breathing heavily, their emotions surging.

“Enough talk. My word is iron. I said it—I must do it. Half an hour is the grace I give the town’s people—a path to life. Go carry out the order!”

Yang Zun was unmoved by the crowd’s declarations. He waved his hand again, sternly ordering Yang Rong to carry out the command.

Though reluctant, Yang Rong knew his Lord’s nature. He bowed his head and reluctantly left.

“Dawn is still over an hour away. Half an hour to gather, another half hour to negotiate passage out—should be enough…”

After speaking, Yang Zun turned, his face grim, and returned behind the curtain, resuming his seat.

“The Xia Army will attack at dawn. Alert the city’s defenders to prepare. All of you, leave. Let me be alone.”

Everyone in the hall—including Chu Xuan Kong and the servants attending to Yang Zun’s wounds—quickly exited the grand hall.

As soon as they left, the hall fell into silence.