Chapter 56: Success is Within Reach

Chapter 56: Success is Within Reach

Wei Fangyun mounted his horse. "Changqing, I will head to the wall first."

"Mother, Ma, take care of yourselves." Meng Changqing ran hurriedly back to her pit, changed into her official robes, opened her chest, and took her eldest brother's sword and jade pendant to fasten at her waist.

At that moment, Bafang and Laicai descended into the pit. "Young Mistress, we will protect you personally."

Meng Changqing tossed the other two swords from the chest to them. "Keep them safe. Return them to me afterward."

She emerged from the pit, mounted her horse, and rode up to the city wall, pulling up beside Wei Fangyun.

"Look over there, the scouts have turned back," Wei Fangyun said in a calm tone. "There are only about thirty of them in sight, roughly four li away. They don't look like the Yan people; they look more like the Jiewan savages."

The scouts' horses soon reached the foot of the wall. "Reporting to the Excellency, thirty-four Jiewan savages, currently less than four li away."

"Imperial guards, heed my command! Captain Zhang, take seventy soldiers to form a frontal line to meet the enemy. Captain Yang, take the cavalry to encircle them from the flank. Ensure they are annihilated outside the wall."

"Yes!"

The two captains immediately led their troops out of the city. Meng Changqing stood on the wall, watching with her sword drawn.

As soon as the Jiewan savages saw the imperial guards approaching them head-on, they immediately scattered.

Although the soldiers sent out to meet the enemy outnumbered the Jiewan savages, their advantage would diminish once they were dispersed.

Before Meng Changqing could speak, Yang Zheng ordered the cavalry to line up in a single file, trapping the Jiewan savages within.

However, the cavalry was ultimately too few. Had Zhang Yuan not arrived with his men, the savages might have nearly broken through the cavalry's encirclement.

After several attempts to break out, the savages realized they could not escape; instead, several of their own were being pierced to death by long spears.

Immediately, some knelt and begged for mercy. Yang Zheng and the others could not understand the words they spoke, but their gestures and postures clearly expressed their intent.

By this time, the Jiewan savages were no more than two li from the city wall.

Standing atop the high wall, Meng Changqing could clearly see their every movement.

Yang Zheng shouted toward their direction, "All thirty-four savages have been captured. Awaiting orders, Excellency!"

Meng Changqing looked at Wei Fangyun beside her. "Excellency Prefect."

Wei Fangyun asked her in return, "How do you think they should be dealt with?"

"There is no need to take them alive."

Wei Fangyun replied loudly, "Kill them."

"The fact that the Jiewan savages arrived first might actually be a good thing," Wei Fangyun said. "Once these savages enter the pass, they won't just head this way; most will follow the Yan garrison. It will take the Yan army some time to deal with them. I estimate they won't reach here for another two days."

Meng Changqing was not so optimistic. The Yan army had already gone so far as to temporarily release the Tuozhou checkpoint just to deal with them; they certainly wouldn't wait two days.

"Uncle," Meng Changqing said, "this place is dangerous. You should return to Liangzhou Prefecture."

"That's a sickening thing to say. I have seen much more dangerous situations than this," Wei Fangyun said. "However, I truly must go back."

"Only if I am stationed at Liangzhou Prefecture will the petty thieves dare to move." He reached out and grabbed the padded coat worn over Meng Changqing's official robes. "Changqing, blades and arrows have no eyes. You must be careful."

"Meng Changqing pays her respects to the Excellency Prefect."

Only after Wei Fangyun and his guards had walked far away did another dozen Jiewan savages appear outside the wall.

Meng Changqing knew these people were coming in intermittent waves, waiting only to gather and serve as the vanguard for the Yan army.

Her hundred imperial guards alone would surely be worn down to death by them.

Thus, she ordered that one guard from every group be withdrawn to stand watch, with the six hundred men plus the imperial guards taking turns to resist the attacks of the savages outside the city.

The other guards continued their normal duties.

But the commoners and the guards were not deaf; they knew an enemy army was coming.

Upon hearing this news, no one was not afraid.

Meng Changqing had Bafang use her long hemp rope to measure the distance. Bafang returned to report that, calculated to the height of the wall, the distance to the walls of Hongjia County was still over four li; even at the halfway point of the height, it was still over three li to Hongjia.

Four li, two thousand meters.

It wasn't far. Success was within reach.

As long as the "Heaven-Shaking Thunder" sent tomorrow arrived in time, and as long as thirty out of the forty pieces were effective, she might be able to hold this two-thousand-meter gap.

"Brother!" Zeng Laosan ran into the pit. "Big Brother! Why are you still sleeping!"

"We can't go home today. What else is there to do but sleep?"

"Gosh! The Yan army is killing their way here, and you can still sleep?" Zeng Laosan said urgently. "Look around this pit—who else is sleeping besides you?"

Zeng Laoda sat up abruptly. "Quick, pack your bags. Has your sister-in-law heard the news?"

"Don't bother packing. It's useless. The guards are watching us right outside; we can't leave at all," Zeng Laosan said. "Even if we run, we won't be able to get into Yangmen County either. We'll die the same way."

"You're young and don't know. The guard soldiers aren't necessarily on the same side as the officials," Zeng Laoda said. "Listen to me. Put your pack on first. If an opportunity arises, we run. Even if we have to hide in the deep mountains, it's better than waiting here to die."

Zeng Laosan obeyed and, like his brother, put his pack on.

Just as they stepped out of the pit, they heard a guard say, "Line up!"

"The County Magistrate has sent word to let you know the current situation. The Yan army will attack soon. A few Yan scouts have already reached the foot of the city, but don't worry, they have been killed by the Magistrate's personal guards. The Magistrate tells you not to panic. The two garrisons from Hongjia County and Weishan County have already gathered in Yangmen County. Once the Yan army attacks the city, they will immediately come to fight. What you must do now is hurry and finish building the wall. Look back—of the dozens of miles of wall, only this gap remains. This is all thanks to your hard work. Once the wall is completed, the Prefect of Liangzhou will surely reward you. Do not attempt to flee privately. If you encounter the reinforcing troops, they might mistake you for Yan scouts and kill you."

Zeng Laoda broke into a cold sweat listening to this. It sounded like the guards had no intention of fleeing.

A guard pointed to the figures on the wall. "Look, the County Magistrate is still standing on the wall. Everyone can rest easy; just keep doing what you're doing."

They were driven back into the pits to sleep, but not a single person could sleep.

Someone moved closer to Zeng Laoda and whispered, "Shu, you're good with numbers. What should we do in a situation like this?"

"There's no way. If the guards aren't on our side, running is useless," Zeng Laoda analyzed. "Just like he said—if we run into the defending troops, we'll definitely be killed."

"How about we find a way to persuade the guards?" someone suggested. "Wasn't one guard transferred away? There are only two outside now; we can try to win them over."

"Nonsense!" Zeng Laoda said. "If we could actually persuade them, that would be fine, but I'm afraid they have no intention of doing so. Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?"

"We have to find a way," someone said. "It can't be that we all just die here."

"Everyone, keep your belongings close," Zeng Laoda said. "If none of the guards defect, then our only choice is to run to the nearest mountain amidst the chaos."

(End of Chapter)