Chapter 729

Now that Yi Tianxing wants to take him away, naturally they would have no objections.

But Yuchi Zhen was not only one of the hostile Tang Army garrison commanders at Yanmen Pass, he had also repeatedly spoiled the Yuan Army's plans.

Most critically, he had destroyed Borhu's central army's great banner in full view of everyone.

This point would be a lifelong shame for Borhu.

Therefore, upon hearing that Yi Tianxing wanted to take Yuchi Zhen away, he instinctively said,

"This— isn't that not quite proper?"

He had originally been about to say no, but the words reached his lips and he caught himself, changing it to "not quite proper."

After all, with the precedent of the White Camel Old Ancestor, he had no desire to follow in those footsteps.

"Oh? How so?"

Yi Tianxing smiled faintly and asked.

"This man is a garrison commander of the Great Tang, and these past days he has been our enemy.

It can almost be said that he has already become our mortal foe.

I humbly ask Hall Master Yi to show mercy and leave this man here."

Borhu said through gritted teeth, respectfully.

"What if I say no?"

Yi Tianxing offered no explanation, merely saying one line faintly.

"..."

Borhu, Meng Chixing, and Bi Xuan looked at one another.

After Yi Tianxing asked that question, not a single person dared to pick up the thread.

One careless word, and they feared Yi Tianxing would seize upon it again.

What's more, the people of the Qinglong Society always reasoned things out!

Today's Yi Tianxing, on the contrary, was the easy one to talk to among the Qinglong Society!

"Good, it seems you have no objections."

Seeing them silent for a long while, Yi Tianxing smiled again, sheathed the Glazed Sword, and beckoned to the White Camel Old Ancestor.

The White Camel Old Ancestor knew this meant he was to follow along.

Although he wanted to escape on the spot, he also knew that if he fled now, not only would Yi Tianxing make a move,

even Meng Chixing and Bi Xuan, who had once been fellow enshrined experts, would not spare him.

After all, the one he had offended was the Qinglong Society, and in the name of the Great Yuan no less.

Thus, after much hesitation, he could only come trembling to Yi Tianxing's side.

"Good! The wound on your hand—is it serious?"

After beckoning to the White Camel Old Ancestor, Yi Tianxing no longer looked at him, but turned to Yuchi Zhen and asked with a kindly expression.

"It's nothing serious!"

His finger bones were shattered, so saying it didn't hurt would be a lie, but Yuchi Zhen still replied with an easy, casual air.

"Mm! Such a minor wound, my Qinglong Society's secret medicine can cure it. If you're fine, then come with me!"

After saying this, Yi Tianxing raised a hand, and taking Yuchi Zhen as well as the White Camel Old Ancestor, vanished directly from midair.

535 We are at war with the Qinglong Society?

With the great banner destroyed, the Yuan Army indeed assumed that the commander Borhu had perished.

Not only did the eight thousand-man units before the central army camp to the south fall into panic, rushing to the central army camp to see what had happened,

this also allowed Captain Chen, who had endured a long rain of arrows and had fewer than two hundred men left, the chance to withdraw back to Yanmen Pass.

The most critical change on the battlefield was to the north.

Originally, Borhu had gathered the bulk of the Yuan Army's strength precisely to take advantage of Wang Xiaojie's arrival,

to turn the siege—which was unfavorable to the Great Yuan—into a field battle by surrounding a point and striking the reinforcements.

But after the central army's great banner was destroyed, the news reached the north.

No matter how many times General Wulisu reiterated his orders, even going so far as to draw his sword and behead several high-ranking officers,

the Yuan Army's morale was utterly shattered, and they could no longer contain the junction of Wang Xiaojie with Pei Xingjian and the others.

Then they could only watch helplessly as Wang Xiaojie's nearly five thousand fresh troops, together with Pei Xingjian, withdrew into Yanmen Pass.

A meticulously planned operation that had nearly annihilated the long-time foe Wang Xiaojie and broken through Yanmen Pass—

a perfect opening, yet it ended with such an anticlimactic result.

And on top of that, because of the White Camel Old Ancestor's rashness, they had inadvertently offended the Qinglong Society.

Thinking of this, Borhu could not contain his fury.

In the central army's main command tent, he looked at the assembled officers as well as the enshrined experts like Meng Chixing.

Borhu kept a dark face and said not a word.

"Grand General, getting angry now is useless!"

Seeing the oppressive atmosphere in the tent, General Wulisu hesitated for a long while before stepping forward.

Meng Chixing, Bi Xuan, and the others were enshrined experts, not part of the same system as military commanders like Borhu.

On the military commander's side, General Wulisu held the highest rank, and moreover today's critical northern battle had been under his command.

Although the blame was not his to bear, he could only brace himself and say,

"Now Wang Xiaojie has already led five thousand men into Yanmen Pass.

Added to the surviving Tang Army at Yanmen Pass, along with the garrison equipment, defensive formations, and so on,

if we remain trapped beneath Yanmen Pass like this, it will not be many days before the Great Tang's main forces surround us from all sides.

GLOSSARY:

【Wang Xiaojie, Yuchi Zhen, Pei Xingjian, Gongsun Badao, Meng Chixing, Seeing Meng Chixing, Sikong Yuchi, Watching Bi Xuan, Wei Chi Zhen, General Wulisu, Garrison Commander, Captain, General, Grand General, Yanmen Pass, Tang Army, Qinglong Society, Yan Sect, Gongpoyan Sect, Jiashangyan Sect】

"If we don't, our entire army may be wiped out!"

"Then in your opinion, what should we do?"

Borhu stared coldly at General Wulisu and asked.

General Wulisu's head was in a daze, and he said,

"In this subordinate's view, we might as well head for the Tang Dynasty's Liangzhou City.

Although this Liangzhou City is not as easy to defend and hard to attack as Yanmen Pass, it is after all the main city of Liangzhou.

The walls are high and deep; as long as we defend with all our heart, we can hold out for a period of time."

"What about provisions?"

In fact, the Hetao region being occupied by Su Dingfang meant, for Borhu's great army, not only that the retreat route was cut off.

Even the supply lines had been severed.

An army without provisions would collapse within three days.

The reason Borhu's army could still hold on now was that previously fifty thousand porters had carried many provisions and driven many cattle and sheep here.

The provisions could temporarily last about ten days; beyond ten days it would become dangerous.

Moreover, the Tang army certainly would not give Borhu ten days.

"Uh, this subordinate's consideration was lacking…"

General Wulisu was the Vanguard Commander; provisions were not under his jurisdiction.

But once Borhu said this, he immediately realized it.

The Tang had voluntarily ceded the Northwest Erzhou, only Yanmen Pass had not been given up.

Liangzhou City, as one of the main cities of the Northwest Erzhou, had originally accumulated many provisions and supplies.

But according to the scouts' last report, not only Liangzhou City, but the other major cities of the Northwest Erzhou—

Not a single person, not even a grain of fodder had been left behind.

In this way, the only place that still had provisions was Yanmen Pass.

To hold fast and await reinforcements, Borhu's army could only take Yanmen Pass.

Or head north to Hetao, or east to Youzhou and gamble.

But neither of these two routes was as steady as taking Yanmen Pass.

Since Su Dingfang had taken Hetao, given his position in the Tang military, he must have prepared against Borhu's northward retreat.

As for Youzhou, although Mu Huali's main army was there,

precisely because that side was the Great Yuan's main army, it would certainly receive special attention from the Tang.

Moreover, there was still a Lanruo Temple that both the Great Yuan and the Great Tang were vying desperately to seize.