Chapter 58: No More Pretending, Cards on the Table

Wuyuan.

Having suffered defeat, Polo Han Kong Que lived in constant dread, not because he feared accountability, but because his branch of the Polo Han tribe, having lost a vast number of soldiers, could no longer hold its ground in the Hetao region.

After waiting several days, Polo Han Kong Que finally received his savior—the envoy of the True King!

"What did the True King say? When will the reinforcements arrive?"

The True King's envoy was a middle-aged woman of ordinary appearance, yet remarkably enduring to look upon.

The woman seemed utterly unremarkable, yet her surname, if revealed, would be enough to make many jaws drop.

The Yujiulu clan!

"The True King's reinforcements will not arrive!"

"Why?"

Yujiulu Qingyu looked at Polo Han Kong Que and asked in return:

"Have you not noticed that since Li Chong led his troops into Shuozhou, the surrounding tribes have been stirring restlessly?"

"I have noticed, but whether it is the Chiles or the Xiongnu, they are all fickle people! Yet even if Li Chong wishes to win them over, he lacks sufficient leverage in his hands."

Yujiulu Qingyu smiled gently, yet her words made Polo Han Kong Que's heart tremble with fear.

"If you are used as leverage, is that not enough! The loss of a thousand elite troops is enough to make all beasts bare their fangs."

"If so, should the True King not send troops even more urgently? Once Wuyuan is lost, the Woye Garrison will have its road cut off by the Wei army, and the True King will be in danger."

Polo Han Kong Que looked at the woman, expecting the answer from her lips.

"Do you think only you face threats? Hu Chen to the south of Woye Garrison, the various Tiele tribes to the west, and the Rouran to the north all require the True King to deal with them. Our leverage is after all too little; a single misstep means a total loss."

Their initial rebellion was forced upon them by the Northern Wei court, driving them to the brink of despair.

Yet even now, what Polo Han Kong Que could feel was still despair.

The situation seemed never to have changed!

"Do we have no path to survival?"

"There has always been only one path to survival: seize Take Pingcheng!"

Yujiulu Qingyu's words were spoken with absolute certainty; this was also the consensus among all the rebel armies of the Six Garrisons.

"The True King says that the rules of this northern border have always been that the flesh of the weak is eaten by the strong; if you are weak, it is natural for them to wish to devour you completely. Yet the current situation is not without hope; the key lies in grasping the human heart."

"How?"

"Win a victory!"

"Attack Li Shen, capture Yunzhong?"

"The True King says Li Shen is merely a pawn; the important thing is to find the one who holds the chess pieces. Only by removing him can victory be won!"

"Li Chong?"

Polo Han Kong Que pondered for a long time, thought of this name, and finally realized.

"Is Wei Kegu about to make his move? Yet even he may not necessarily be Li Chong's match!"

"Killing people sometimes requires no blade!"

Yujiulu Qingyu slowly spoke the words of Polo Han Baling, though she herself was somewhat unclear about the meaning within them.

"What should be done?"

"That is not for you to worry about. The True King orders you to stabilize relations with the various Chiles tribes and the troops of Huaishuo Garrison. At the very least, stabilize them before there are results on the Shengle front!"

"I understand!"

Amidst the mountains, beacon fires rose one after another.

Within the Wei army camp at Shengle, deep, resonant shouts erupted.

Enemy attack!

Li Chong walked out of the main tent; nearly seventy years old, he wore no armor, yet his frame was remarkably sturdy.

Gazing at the beacon fires to the north, he cried out a single phrase.

"This is impossible!"

Li Chong had established beacon towers and garrison forts within the mountain ridges north of the camp specifically to defend against enemies from the north!

Wu Chuan Garrison!

Yet now, beacon towers within the ridges were igniting one after another with great speed, indicating only that the enemy's advance was so swift it had already exceeded Li Chong's original expectations.

Calming himself, Li Chong accepted this reality; he had no choice but to accept it.

"Has Wei Kegu arrived?"

As a great general under Polo Han Baling, Wei Kegu's bravery and strategic wisdom were both top-tier.

Especially after he captured Wu Chuan Garrison and gathered the Wu Chuan troops, his strength under his command had surged even further!

This wave of attack was clearly premeditated!

Striking fast, fierce, and precise!

Danger had already arrived; Li Chong asked:

"Where is my son Li Shuang?"

"The governor of Ma Yi departed with troops a few days ago; his whereabouts are unknown."

Upon hearing this news, Li Chong felt completely devoid of confidence.

There was no choice; most of the generals around him were brought from Luoyang, and the troops under his command had dwindled to only two hundred, with very few capable of fighting.

"You all take troops and hold the mountain pass; do your best to delay Wei Kegu's advance!"

"Yes!"

From the morning when the wolf smoke rose until noon, the garrison forts Li Chong had established north of the camp to control the roads had all fallen.

News of the military situation arrived; Li Chong, who had been sitting behind the commander's desk with his eyes closed to rest, finally stood up and spoke a single sentence with utter calmness.

"Don my armor for me!"

"Grand Commander!"

The generals tried to dissuade him, but Li Chong stared at them like a fierce tiger, his words thick with murderous intent.

"Today we fight to the death, facing the enemy's blade head-on. The generals lead the front; I, the commander, will hold the rear. Anyone who dares to show cowardice in battle shall be beheaded!"

The generals understood; it had come to the time to fight for their lives.

No matter how powerful the generals' backgrounds in Luoyang were, at this moment, no one dared to question him, and no one dared to oppose him.

Because they knew clearly that at this moment, Li Chong truly dared to kill!

"Yes!"

Li Chong's strategy to repel the enemy: dig deep moats and build high ramparts to resist them!

Fortunately, he had been cautious all his life; when he first established camp here, he had not slackened just because this was the rear area, and had long since built the defensive fortifications.

"The enemy army is moving so fast; it cannot be a large force. It must be several elite units cutting through the mountains!"

Li Chong's judgment was not wrong, for the enemy's movements soon confirmed his thoughts.

Wei Kegu's great banner appeared on the distant Shankou, standing tall, as if mocking the Wei army's weakness and incompetence.

Soon, that great banner, along with the army, had gathered at the Shankou and began advancing forward.

From the watchtower, Li Chong saw that before the Wei army's camp's layered fortifications, beneath that great banner, a group of armored soldiers surrounded a burly general.

Clad in Ming Guang armor, he was like a wild beast, leading his soldiers in continuous charges.

Invincible!

As the sun gradually tilted west, the Luoyang Imperial Guards were slowly losing strength, while Wei Kegu's great army seemed to have endless energy, still pushing forward relentlessly.

"What a man, Wei Kegu!"

Li Chong was already preparing to deploy his final two hundred household troops.

Two unique horn blasts sounded, but what Li Chong waited for was not news of reinforcements.

At the Shankou, two more of Wei Kegu's armies gathered, surrounding two great flags.

One bore the name Heba, the other Yuwen!

Seeing these two flags, Li Chong's face turned deathly pale, and he said wistfully:

"Could this be the place where this old man will be buried?"

"Father need not be so pessimistic!"

Li Chong suddenly turned his head and saw Li Shuang, holding a long bow, slowly walking up.

In that moment, Li Chong found himself missing this little rascal more than ever!

"Where are your troops?"

"Just me!"

"Then what are you doing here? You might as well have run away!"

"Father, do not worry!"

Li Shuang drew his bow and released an arrow; the arrow pierced the sky, emitting a sharp whistling sound from its whistle.

The situation on the battlefield underwent a violent change because of that whistling arrow.

Within the surrounding mountain ridges, many strange movements suddenly appeared.

A wisp of dark cloud obscured the sunlight; the earth grew a bit gloomier, and the wind blew from the mountain ridges, carrying a touch of unique freshness.

"Who are those people in the mountains?"

Li Shuang smiled.

"I forgot to tell you, old sir: besides being your most beloved adopted son, the bandits and outlaws of Heng, Shuo, Bing, and Si provinces all address me as 'Grand Leader'!"