Chapter 297: Branching Out

"General, this way, this way..."

The remnants of the Northern Border Army had been fleeing for a full two hours.

A full two hours!

In the end, everyone was exhausted, and some War Horses even dropped dead from fatigue. The entire formation dragged on, and there was no telling how many men had been worked to death on the road. At a single glance, Zheng Yuxing felt nothing but despair...

One hundred thousand troops!

One hundred thousand troops!

Now, only a mere eighteen thousand remained!

A casualty rate of eighty-two thousand!

Moreover, these eighteen thousand soldiers were already terrified out of their wits. At the slightest sign of movement around them, they would be spooked, fearing every tree and shrub to be an enemy.

It was too terrifying!

It was too cruel!

Who could have imagined that the fire-men of the Western Regions Construction Corps could actually hunt them down for an hour! Could they not be burned to death in an hour? Of course not! It was just that the vanguard led by Ling Chen volunteered, and before the previous batch of fire-men burned out, they began a relay of flames...

When Zheng Yuxing saw this scene, his heart, which had been tempered on the battlefield and was as firm as a rock, actually felt a trace of fear.

Who could defeat such an army?

"Uncle, this Ling Chen is insane; he is completely a madman!"

The Third Prince was also in a sorry state, cursing with a twisted expression.

Zheng Yuxing gave a bitter smile and slowly looked at him, his feelings a complex mix. From beginning to end, it was the Third Prince who had been egging him on from behind, plotting all of this, and encountering all of this.

To this day, for Zheng Yuxing, this was simply a nightmare.

The plan that the Third Prince considered flawless was full of holes and unexpected situations when implemented. Sure enough... the Third Prince, who had long resided in Jinghua, was still too naive in strategy and in the overall situation... But what Method did he have? The Third Prince was his master.

It was only natural for him to worry about the Liangzhou forces being completely eradicated by Liu Zheng and to put up resistance.

It was just that.

Looking at it now, this seemed like he had voluntarily delivered his own head...

He smiled bitterly in his heart, looking at these eighteen thousand remnants. For the first time, he felt a sense of desolation, and he felt that he was old—compared to the spirited, extreme, and sharp Ling Chen, was he truly old? Capable of holding what he had, but insufficient in offense?

"Uncle, you must not give up any opportunity!"

The Third Prince was still persuading him from the side: "With Cheshi using such tactics, the city must be empty. Do those Western Regions nations not want to reclaim their lost territory? We should return to Rongshan Pass, reorganize one hundred thousand troops, and launch a Returning Horse Spear; they will inevitably be attacked from front and rear, and Cheshi will surely fall!"

Zheng Yuxing nodded.

This analysis was still somewhat reasonable.

With a few military orders, the remaining eighteen thousand soldiers were reorganized. Seeing the state of these men, Zheng Yuxing no longer intended to return to Rongshan Pass.

They would rest on the spot, find water on the spot, and wait on the spot for reinforcements from the Northern Border Army at Rongshan Pass.

However...

They did not expect it.

The Northern Border Army they wanted to wait for did not arrive; what arrived instead was the doomsday of this famous general of the Longyan Dynasty.

The Qiuci Army was coming!

The entire city was in a state of panic.

The people of the Western Regions Construction Corps had not yet had time to collect the ashes outside the city, nor had they time to grieve the passing of their brothers, before they began reinforcing the defensive works—was this Western Regions Construction Corps just that hated? The Northern Border Army had just left, and now the Western Regions Army had arrived.

Many people felt lost in their hearts.

When would they finally be able to settle down?

When could the homeland they desired truly be built?

The Qiuci Army was already on the road and would likely arrive by tomorrow morning.

Could it be that another great battle was about to arrive? But looking at Cheshi now, it was already scarred and battered, and the normal order in the city had been destroyed... How were they to face the enemy, how were they to fight?

"Young Lady, we..."

Xiao Tao was very anxious.

Let the Princess of the Dayuan Kingdom go to fight the Governor of the Dayuan Kingdom?

This...

Could things in the world really be such a coincidence?

The former king of Qiuci, now the Governor, was named Wu Kaiti, and Xie Chan was still quite familiar with this person... He was a notoriously slippery old fox.

Here, one must mention the history of Qiuci.

The ancient kingdom of Qiuci was the Kucha region of later generations. Its kingdom connected to Yanqi in the east, Gumo in the west, Wusu in the north, and Loulan in the south. In reality, the Geography of Qiuci in the Western Regions was even more central than Loulan. It was a place where all directions converged and economies intersected. Once, the collision of various cultures created the brilliance of the Qiuci civilization. Once, Qiuci was the most powerful of the Western Regions nations; it was once incomparably prosperous, and the circumference of the Qiuci city walls was even comparable to Chang'an, spanning five or six li. It was just that this unique Geography made all major forces and kingdoms covet Qiuci.

It is said that after Xie Xuan entered the Western Regions, he borrowed troops from the Xiongnu to take Qiuci first! Only then did he lay a solid foundation for his unification of the Northern Western Regions. Afterward, Xie Xuan began to close the country off, and the former central position of Qiuci in the Western Regions began to gradually wither...

Therefore...

This Governor of Qiuci, Wu Kaiti, actually harbored resentment toward Xie Xuan in his heart.

It was just that Xie Xuan's Dayuan Kingdom was too powerful, so he had always endured it without acting.

"Has he finally been unable to hold back?"

Xie Chan drank coldly.

The Geography of Qiuci was very subtle within the map of the Western Regions. It could even bypass Yanqi and reach Cheshi directly. This meant...

This Qiuci Army could arrive without passing through Yanqi at all.

Moreover, coming from Qiuci to Cheshi was faster than from the Dayuan Kingdom. Therefore, dispatching troops from Qiuci did not require passing through Yanqi first.

Therefore...

This resulted in the fact that, at this moment, it was impossible to tell whether this Qiuci Army was friend or foe.

However, in this situation, most are looking to come over and seek to reclaim lost territory.

Strike while the iron is hot!

Since ancient times, war has always been like this.

"How many troops are there?"

Xie Chan asked.

The person who came shook their head, indicating they were not very clear.

A sharp glint flashed in Xie Chan's eyes, and soon, she found Ling Chen, Feng Zhen, Xiong Ao, and the others to discuss this matter together.

Ling Chen said indifferently: "I did not expect that the ones coming to harass us first would actually be the Qiuci Army! Loulan is currently powerful and eyeing Qiuci covetously; Qiuci only has one hundred thousand troops, so at most they can send out thirty thousand!"

Everyone nodded one after another, all deeply agreeing.

Loulan's one hundred thousand-strong army is currently coveting the Qiuci border in the name of "military exercises." Qiuci must leave at least seventy thousand men behind to defend. Therefore, the number of troops sent to Cheshi this time will certainly not be too many.

Are they here to fish in troubled waters?

Upon hearing this, Xiong Ao laughed loudly: "Official Ling, what is there to fear from a mere three thousand Western Regions barbarians? Give me, old Xiong, twenty thousand elite troops, and I won't let those barbarians enter within a hundred miles of Cheshi!"

Hearing the word "barbarians," Xie Chan wanted to hit someone.

Wouldn't that include herself? She glared fiercely at Xiong Ao and said: "General Xiong, Cheshi has suffered heavy losses this time, with one hundred thousand dead already; it cannot withstand another great battle."

Ling Chen also frowned: "Setting aside the outcome of the battle, I fear the hearts of the people in the city will be hard to stabilize..."

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Are they going to fight, or not?

Indeed.

The Northern Border Army had just left, and the Qiuci Army arrived; it truly makes people easily exhausted, and even despairing.

If they were to retreat from the enemy in the current situation, I fear the people's morale would fall apart... Relying on a dream alone is not enough to support the convictions of these hundreds of thousands.

They were in a dilemma.

No one had a good Method.

Xie Chan pondered for a moment and finally took a deep breath: "Leave this matter to me to handle; I need twenty thousand elite troops!"

Everyone was startled.

They had just said that Qiuci could not be fought, and now she wanted elite troops? Xiong Ao even rolled his eyes; so much for being a Great General, isn't this just his Method?

Who would have thought Xie Chan would give a bitter smile: "Everyone, in Cheshi city right now, who can guarantee there isn't another Cui Gong? There are not a few of those Western Regions people who have connections with Qiuci!"

Only then did everyone's expressions change.

Spies!

That's right!

This Qiuci Army must have known about the weak situation in Cheshi city, which is why they sent troops over.

"This..."

"Then?"

Xie Chan said indifferently: "I will take twenty thousand elite troops, not to engage the Qiuci, but to create a ruse and launch a surprise attack on the Northern Border Army! Creating the illusion that the city's combat power is empty; if the Qiuci army learns of this, they will certainly also want to lower their guard and launch a surprise attack overnight..."

And then...

She took a deep breath: "The more relaxed they are, the more opportunity there is. Under Xie Chan's command, there is a squad of elite assassins; if we take advantage of the night to create chaos and take Wu Kaiti's head, this siege can be lifted!"

"Ah?"

"General Xie..."

"This..."

This decision was truly too bold.

Assassins?

Go into an army of thirty thousand and assassinate Wu Kaiti? Who could pull that off?

However...

Upon second thought, it seemed that at this moment, this was the only Method left.

Might as well treat a dead horse as if it were still alive!

Xie Chan saw the worry of the crowd, but she herself smiled slightly.

Hard to assassinate?

Are the Night Walkers under her command just there for show? As long as it is night, they are invincible!

Although...

Using Western Regions Night Walkers to assassinate a Western Regions Governor made her feel a bit conflicted—but she had already led the troops away from Cheshi, out of sight and out of mind, so what the hell did it have to do with her?

With this decided, Xie Chan returned to her residence.

"My Lady, what did you say?"

"Princess!"

"Absolutely not!"

This time, there were over thirty Night Walkers who followed Xie Chan into Cheshi. Hearing the Princess ask them to assassinate Wu Kaiti, they were all terrified.

Wu Kaiti!

That is the Governor of the Dayuan Kingdom!

High in position and heavy in power.

Is this Princess really going to defect now?

Xie Chan snorted coldly: "Brothers, Wu Kaiti has always been insincere to the Emperor, harboring ulterior motives! This troop deployment must be his own arbitrary decision! If the Dayuan Kingdom wanted to send troops, Jingjue, Gumo, and Wusu would suffice; why send them from Qiuci, which is eyeing Loulan covetously? His action is equivalent to rebellion; why should we not care?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Now that you mention it, that is indeed the case.

"The Qiuci Army are all our fellow brothers, so if possible, just stab Wu Kaiti alone, understand?"

Xie Chan finally gave the order.

"Yes!"

"We obey the Princess's command!"

Thirty people quickly slipped into the night.

Only then did Xie Chan heave a sigh of relief, and she quickly mustered twenty thousand elite soldiers in the city—these elite soldiers were left behind by the Yinzhou Army, and they could still form a fighting force very quickly.

In order to make a show of force, Xie Chan made it known to the whole city.

She even held a pre-battle mobilization.

"Lads, pursue and kill the traitor Zheng, once and for all!"

Xie Chan was in full military attire, raising her sword as she shouted.

The crowd roared their agreement.

"Execute the traitor Zheng, protect our homeland!"

Twenty thousand Cavalry, with astonishing momentum, galloped out of the city.

"M... Miss, are we really going to pursue that Zheng Yuxing?"

Xiao Tao asked secretly from the side.

Xie Chan rolled her eyes: "Are you stupid? Can we catch up? We'll just circle around and come back!"

Only then did Xiao Tao say happily: "Miss is wise!"