Chapter 684

The Great Tang's defending general actually dared to abandon the city and flee on his own authority?

Seeing Meng Chixing was momentarily stunned; instead, it was the Vanguard Commander who said with a smile,

"Magician, perhaps this is a Tang stratagem. After all, all the civilians and troops within a hundred li have already been withdrawn.

There is no reason Yanmen Pass should still resist and hold out to the death.

Most likely Wang Xiaojie is following Tang Army orders to retreat.

But he has some hotheaded fools under him who insist on holding the pass, which is why this farce has come about."

Although Yanmen Pass is important, by now it has long become Ye Gucheng.

Seeing Meng Chixing nodded upon hearing this and asked,

"Then who is currently staying inside Chengguan, taking charge of the overall situation?"

The defending general Wang Xiaojie has fled, but from what this centurion says, there are still Tang troops left inside Chengguan.

Clearly Wang Xiaojie withdrew, and someone else is overseeing the defense of the city.

"That has not yet been ascertained."

The centurion shook his head; he had only led a scouting team and seen from afar Wang Xiaojie's command banner Tuichuyan Sect.

How could he obtain more detailed intelligence!

"Scout again!"

Seeing Meng Chixing gave the order directly.

The centurion immediately leapt onto his horse, leading a group of scouts to continue reconnaissance.

"Good! Since Wang Xiaojie has abandoned the city, I will first take this news back to the central army's main tent and urge the Grand General to dispatch troops as soon as possible to come and Gongkeyan Sect.

You take your men and keep a close watch on Yanmen Pass, and on that fleeing Wang Xiaojie."

Seeing Meng Chixing also had a rough grasp of military strategy and feared Wang Xiaojie might be playing a trick of collusion from within and without, which is why he spoke thus.

"Magician, rest assured, this general knows."

The Vanguard Commander was no fool either; he immediately arranged more men as scouts to go track down Wang Xiaojie's whereabouts.

Seeing that he had arranged everything, Seeing Meng Chixing nodded, then urged his horse and led a contingent of Magician Palace disciples northward.

By evening, Seeing Meng Chixing had already returned to the Western Route Army's central army main tent.

Watching Borhu still discussing Tang Army movements and such with a group of generals and Watching Bi Xuan, he was both pleased and amused.

Pleased, naturally, because Borhu was a cautious man, truly a promising talent for the Great Khan and the Great Yuan.

Amused, because the Great Tang's northwest for a hundred li was already empty of people.

What's there still to discuss? Just march the fifty-thousand army straight to the walls of Yanmen Pass.

Take Yanmen Pass, and won't the entire Great Tang northwest be under control?

"Grand General, I have returned!"

Seeing Meng Chixing saw they were so engrossed they hadn't noticed his return, and immediately called out loudly.

"The Magician has returned, you've worked hard. Someone, bring Ma Naijiu."

Borhu immediately set aside what he was doing, personally took a bowl of Ma Naijiu from a subordinate, and handed it to Seeing Meng Chixing.

Seeing Meng Chixing smiled, drank it down in one gulp, then said,

"Grand General, are you still discussing military plans for the advance?"

"Yes! This general has been operating here for ten years, all to take the Great Tang northwest and expand the Great Yuan's territory.

Now that the moment has finally come, how could Ma Hu?"

Borhu nodded and said.

"What's there still to discuss? Just set the army in motion."

Saying so, Seeing Meng Chixing recounted everything he had seen and heard during his southward march with three thousand elite vanguard cavalry.

He especially emphasized that Yanmen Pass's defending general Wang Xiaojie had already abandoned the city and fled.

"What? Wang Xiaojie fled?"

In the main tent, all the Great Yuan officers were first stunned, then immediately beamed with joy.

As the Great Yuan's Western Route Army, they had clashed with the Great Tang countless times over the years.

Most of those engagements were with Wang Xiaojie.

Regarding Wang Xiaojie's assessment, these Great Yuan officers all considered him a tiger general.

As long as this man remained in the northwest for a single day, it would be as hard as ascending to heaven for the Great Yuan to break Yanmen Pass and take the Great Tang northwest.

But now this tiger general had actually fled?

For a moment, a group of officers immediately spoke up,

"Grand General, I request command of ten thousand elite cavalry to attack Yanmen Pass by night and present it to the Grand General's tent."

"I need only my own troops."

"I am willing to go, to capture and behead Wang Xiaojie!"

These Great Yuan generals all felt that with Wang Xiaojie gone from Yanmen Pass,

this mighty pass blocking the Great Yuan's iron hooves from going south was now a toothless tiger.

They all wanted to attack Yanmen Pass by night.

Among them, too many requested to attack Yanmen Pass, but some were quick-witted and wanted to go capture and behead Wang Xiaojie.

One must know that if taking Yanmen Pass counted as the first merit, then taking Wang Xiaojie would count as the second!

Watching the tent, the generals' cries for battle rose unceasingly.

Yet Borhu was not the least bit pleased; instead, his brows were tightly knit.

Over the years, he had clashed with Wang Xiaojie countless times.

Regarding this old opponent, he knew him quite well.

Wang Xiaojie was not only a tiger general, but even more commendable, a tiger general who would never retreat a single step.

Such a great general, suddenly abandoning Yanmen Pass which he had garrisoned for decades.

In Borhu's view, this was inconceivable.

If it were Borhu himself, even if Tie Muzhen personally gave the order, he would have perished together with Yanmen Pass.

His head could be severed, his blood could flow.

The integrity of a great general could not be discarded!

This was a soldier's glory.

It was also the glory of great generals like Borhu and Wang Xiaojie!

But now Wang Xiaojie's move was clearly extremely abnormal.

In Borhu's view, it was most likely a trap.

Only Meng Chixing had also said that within a hundred li radius, the Great Tang's civilians and army had already vanished without a trace.

Inside Yanmen Pass, another half of the troops had left.

Even if it were a trap, whose trap was it?

Before he could figure out the trap, he did not want to directly dispatch troops.

The mission of this Western Route Army was, first and foremost, to divert the Great Tang's attention.

Only secondarily to capture Yanmen Pass.

Since it was tactical containment, unless absolutely necessary, Borhu did not want to risk the large army under his command.

But this time, it was not only him who was commanding the entire army.

There were also the top expert on the Heavenly Dao Golden List, the Demon Master Meng Chixing, and Bi Xuan, known as Wu Zun.

Seeing the generals' requests for battle rising without end, Borhu instead furrowed his brows tightly, not uttering a single word.

Bi Xuan was the first to lose patience, directly asking,

"Borhu, what are you still hesitating about?"

Since heading south, both Meng Chixing and Bi Xuan had always respectfully addressed Borhu as Grand General.

Seeing Borhu hesitate unceasingly at this moment, Bi Xuan had already lost his patience and actually called out his real name publicly.

The generals, who had originally been burning with the desire to request battle, now also sensed something was amiss.

They stopped one after another, quietly watching Borhu and Bi Xuan.

"Wu Zun, this matter is rather strange, that Wang…"