But this was a poor strategy! A terrible strategy!
The Great Zhou army was already very close. Sending troops out of the city to rescue people now – not only might they fail to rescue anyone, but the soldiers who went out probably wouldn’t make it back either.
“General! We cannot hesitate any longer! This subordinate is willing to lead troops to rescue His Majesty!” Deputy General Zhao requested orders again.
“This subordinate is willing to lead troops to rescue His Majesty!”
“This subordinate is also willing to lead troops! If the general is not planning to establish his domain, please allow this subordinate to go rescue His Majesty! We implore the general’s permission!”
Ye Shouguan turned to look at the anxious Deputy General Zhao, his gaze falling on the other generals who were either defiant or dissatisfied with him. Since they were all so eager to go die, he wouldn’t stop them.
“General!” General Zhao’s voice was urgent.
Ye Shouguan pressed his lips together and said: “General Zhao, you are the most valiant warrior of our Yecheng Pass… I order you to take five hundred men out of the city. Don’t engage in prolonged battle – rescue His Majesty and retreat immediately!”
“General, won’t five hundred men be too few?” someone asked.
Ye Shouguan’s cold gaze swept toward that general, sternly rebuking: “We’re sending troops out now to rescue His Majesty, not to fight with the Great Zhou army! The Great Zhou forces are already very close to us. If we send too many people, we might not have time to return to the city! Getting blocked at the city gates would delay closing the gates, and we might even be too late to close them… causing all the people in Yecheng Pass to suffer!”
“But how could five hundred men possibly fight their way to the front of the Great Zhou army?” a general argued with Ye Shouguan.
Deputy General Zhao, fearing that continued argument would make it too late to rescue Li Tianfu and Ye Yingwan, cupped his fists and hurried downstairs to select troops.
“Crossbow operators and archers, keep your spirits up! Once General Zhao rescues His Majesty, don’t hold back – shoot them to death! We must obstruct the Great Zhou pursuers! Let His Majesty enter the city safely!” Ye Shouguan shouted.
Angry as he was, these were still his soldiers, and Ye Shouguan didn’t want them to die in vain.
“Yes!” the soldiers responded.
Deputy General Zhao led the elite troops on horseback, standing behind the city gate, gripping his spear tightly and shouting: “Open the city gate!”
The weathered city gate, flickering in the firelight, slowly opened. Deputy General Zhao led five hundred cavalry in light equipment – they had even removed their armor and weren’t allowed to carry torches, all to quickly rescue Li Tianfu and Ye Yingwan before Great Zhou could react.
Deputy General Zhao stared intently at the two people on the siege ladders – one was the Xiliang emperor, the other was the person he had sworn before old General Ye to protect. He had to rescue both of them!
The horse jolted beneath him, moving faster and faster!
Soon, the Great Zhou soldiers at the front pretended to just notice Deputy General Zhao, who was leading Xiliang soldiers to snatch the prisoners… and was already very close.
Wei Zhaonian calculated the distance, yanked on his reins, and shouted: “Alert! Prepare for battle!”
The siege ladder carts carrying Li Tianfu and Ye Yingwan suddenly stopped. The heavy shield troops following closely behind also stopped, and heavily armored cavalry in chain mail suddenly charged out from both sides of the heavy shield troops, rushing toward the soldiers Deputy General Zhao had brought. The heavy shield soldiers followed behind the heavy cavalry and charged forward.
Ye Yingwan, who had been hanging on the siege ladder, slowly awakened. Seeing herself bound to the ladder, she screamed in terror. She had been with her son – how did she end up tied to a siege ladder?!
Looking into the distance, that was Yecheng Pass!
“Help! Help me!” Ye Yingwan screamed herself hoarse, turning to look at the woman dressed in Xiliang noble attire, then frantically shouting toward the Great Zhou army, “Ye Shouguan and I have deep hatred! He won’t open the city gates to save me! Please let me go! Let me go!”
Watching the heavy cavalry and heavy shield troops charging out from below, Ye Yingwan could feel the siege ladder swaying and the ground trembling beneath her feet. She cried until she couldn’t catch her breath, terrified that she would soon be implicated and die on this battlefield.
Ye Yingwan closed her eyes, not daring to look, her ears filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and screams.
Deputy General Zhao had his soldiers remove their armor for light equipment, originally to quickly snatch back Li Tianfu and Ye Yingwan, but unexpectedly, the Great Zhou army was already prepared. Heavy cavalry charged, heavy shield soldiers attacked, and the Xiliang soldiers he brought were knocked off their horses one by one, pulled behind the heavy shields, and finished off.
After fighting for a while, Deputy General Zhao was covered in blood. He raised his eyes to see Ye Yingwan and Li Tianfu hanging high on the siege ladders, so close at hand. Just as he was about to rally his soldiers for a desperate final charge, suddenly a sharp blade appeared from nowhere and pierced through his chest from behind.
Bai Qingyan took up her Sun-Shooting Bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at Deputy General Zhao’s shoulder, controlled her strength, and released…
The arrow whistled through the air, cleanly piercing through Deputy General Zhao’s shoulder and lodging there. The pain made Deputy General Zhao grip his reins tightly as his steed reared up, nearly throwing him from the saddle.
A young Xiliang officer grabbed the reins, holding the horse steady, and shouted: “Protect the general and retreat! Quick retreat! Quick retreat!”
Deputy General Zhao gripped his weapon with one hand and covered his wound with the other, still unclear about what was happening, but knowing that in his current condition, he probably couldn’t rescue them temporarily. He gritted his teeth and looked at Li Tianfu and the still-wailing Ye Yingwan, then turned his horse around: “Retreat!”
In his current state, even if he fought his way to the front and rescued Ye Yingwan and His Majesty, he had no way to safely bring His Majesty back, and might even implicate His Majesty and Ye Yingwan, causing them to lose their lives!
Right now, whether His Majesty or Ye Yingwan, both still had value to the Great Zhou. The Great Zhou wouldn’t rashly kill His Majesty and Ye Yingwan.
Deputy General Zhao endured the severe pain and led his remaining brothers in a mad gallop back toward Yecheng Pass, but didn’t notice… the number of people returning with them seemed somewhat excessive.
“Open the city gate, let Deputy General Zhao in! Archers ready, intercept the pursuers!” Ye Shouguan stood on the city wall, fists clenched tightly as he called out to Deputy General Zhao: “Quick!”
“Open the city gate!” Deputy General Zhao shouted.
The city gate slowly opened. Ye Shouguan called out: “Release arrows!”
“Release arrows!”
On the city wall, archers whose bodies had stiffened from the cold immediately released arrows, blocking the pursuers.
The city gate was half-opened as Deputy General Zhao led his soldiers on horseback into the city. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, suddenly screams came from the city gate. He covered his shoulder and turned around, only to see the soldiers who had just entered the city with him fighting with the gate guards.
“Kill!”
The heavy cavalry who had been fighting with them earlier, completely unafraid of the arrow rain, had already charged toward the city gate. Deputy General Zhao’s eyes widened as he looked at those “brothers” who had returned with him…
Deputy General Zhao now understood in his heart that he had fallen into a trap. The Great Zhou had deliberately hung Li Tianfu and Ye Yingwan on the siege ladders, clearly waiting for them to send troops out to rescue people, so they could take the opportunity to infiltrate their people and enter the city to open the gates!
Too cunning! Too treacherous!
“Traitors have entered the city! Kill them!” Deputy General Zhao turned his horse around and went back to fight with those Bai Family Army soldiers disguised as Xiliang troops.