Chapter 61: Joining General Guo's Ranks

At the gate of Chenliu County, defenses were tight.

Rows of Tang soldiers in armor vigilantly watched everything outside the city. Since the outbreak of the An-Shi Rebellion, the whole northern land has been engulfed in war, and no one knows if rebel scouts might reach the city walls at any moment.

When Wang Ce led his ragged, beggar-like small troop into their sight, the defenders on the wall immediately grew tense.

"Alert! An unknown unit is approaching!" the colonel on the watchtower shouted loudly.

The archers instantly nocked their arrows and aimed at Wang Ce and his men.

Wang Ce reined his horse a hundred paces from the gate. He knew their appearance would easily cause misunderstanding.

He dismounted, plunged his long sword into the ground, and walked alone toward the gate.

"Brothers on the wall, don't shoot! We're our own!" Wang Ce shouted with all his strength.

"Our own? Which general's unit are you from? Report your name!" the colonel on the wall kept his guard and demanded sternly.

"We are the Suiyang garrison!" Wang Ce's voice carried a hint of sorrow, "Suiyang has fallen, General Zhang Xun died for the country! We obey General Zhang's order to come and surrender to Duke Guo!"

"The Suiyang garrison?"

A commotion rose on the wall. Suiyang had been besieged for months, long cut off from the outside; everyone thought it had fallen, never expecting anyone to break out.

The colonel was clearly surprised too, but he still dared not be careless: "Words aren't proof! Do you have any token to prove your identity?"

"A token?"

Wang Ce froze. They had fought out of Suiyang and fled all the way; besides their weapons and these tattered clothes, they had nothing else to serve as a token.

If one were to speak of a token, General Zhang Xun's seal of command could serve, but it is likely now buried beneath Suiyang.

"We have no token," Wang Ce said frankly, "but our wounds are the best proof! We broke out of Suiyang, carved through Yin Ziqi's 130,000-strong army's encirclement, and escaped!"

"Along the way we encountered countless rebel forces; we relied on mountain paths and ambushes to reach here."

The colonel on the wall fell silent. He gazed at the lone, stalwart youth below, then at the twenty-plus ragged soldiers behind him whose eyes were as fierce as starving wolves.

That killing aura, forged from climbing out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, cannot be feigned; he sincerely wished to believe these were the Suiyang garrison, that someone from Suiyang still lived.

"Stay where you are, don't move! I'll go report to the general right away!" The colonel said and hurried down the watchtower.

They waited outside the city for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, when the gate creaked open slowly.

The colonel from just now accompanied a middle-aged commander wearing bright silver armor and extraordinary bearing as they stepped out.

That commander stood over six feet tall, straight-backed, with a stern countenance and eyes as sharp as a hawk's; his every move bore heroic vigor, and merely standing there he exuded a mountain-like steadiness.

But when he looked at Wang Ce and his men, the corner of his mouth twitched up slightly, revealing a touch of scholarly elegance.

Wang Ce's heart jolted; he knew this man must be the commander of this great army, famed as the pillar of the Tang Dynasty, Guo Ziyi, Duke Guo!

This 'old general's' legendary career is impressive to anyone who hears it: he almost failed the military exam, but was accepted because of his dignified appearance, appointed as a grassroots officer, never ceasing to diligently study the art of war, enduring solitude.

Had it not been for the An-Shi Rebellion, this general, nearing sixty yet still retaining a middle-aged visage, might have remained obscure.

Guo Ziyi's gaze swept over Wang Ce and the troops behind him, his brow slightly furrowed.

"You are from Suiyang?" Guo Ziyi's voice was low and powerful.

"Exactly, sir!" Wang Ce dropped to one knee, clasped his fists in salute, "I am Wang Ce, commander of the Suiyang garrison, leading twenty-seven survivors to pay my respects to Duke Guo!"

Chen Xin and the others behind him also dropped to one knee in unison.

"Suiyang... how did it fare?" Guo Ziyi sighed and asked; in fact, upon seeing these troops, he had already guessed.

A flicker of grief passed through Wang Ce's eyes as he briefly recounted how Suiyang fell, how Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan and others fought to the death.

When he heard that Zhang Xun had deliberately charged into the enemy formation to cover their breakout, using himself as bait, even Guo Ziyi, a veteran of a hundred battles, could not help but be moved.

"Zhang Xun... truly a national hero!" He heaved a long sigh to the heavens, his eyes showing admiration and regret.

When he looked at Wang Ce again, his gaze softened somewhat: "You are all fine fellows. To break out of the encirclement of a 130,000-strong army, you are all fine sons of the Tang!"

"Rise."

"Thank you, Duke!" Wang Ce and the others rose.

"You've endured a hard journey; follow him into the city to rest and recuperate. Eat your fill, tend your wounds, then we'll talk more." Guo Ziyi pointed to the colonel beside him.

"Yes!"

Wang Ce felt warmth in his heart. This legendary famed general did not despise them for being defeated remnants; instead, he showed care everywhere.

Under the colonel's guidance, Wang Ce and his party finally stepped into Chenliu County.

The scene inside the city was far better than they had imagined. Though few pedestrians walked the streets, the market remained relatively peaceful, not thrown into chaos by war. Soldiers came and went, patrolling and guarding; everything was orderly.

This increased Wang Ce's admiration for Guo Ziyi's ability to command troops.

They were assigned to a barracks in a camp. Soon, cooks brought steaming hot meals and clean clothes.

When they saw a big basin of snowy white rice and meat stewed till tender, Chen Xin and the others' eyes widened.

They had not seen a proper meal for several months.

"Eat! Stuff yourselves!" Chen Xin shouted while shoveling rice into his mouth, his words muffled.

Everyone wolfed down their food, grease dripping from their mouths. Several choked from eating too fast, their eyes rolling upward.

Wang Ce was also famished, but he did not gobble like the others; he ate slowly, observing his surroundings while he ate. He discovered that Guo Ziyi's army truly maintained strict discipline.

The soldiers' faces showed fatigue, but their spirits were high, and their weapons and armor were kept polished bright.

This could truly be called an elite force.