"Hyah!"
Chen Sanshi urged Qianxun forward, galloping straight toward the commotion.
As he reached the middle of the refugee column, he immediately noticed something wrong.
The once-orderly crowd had broken apart like frightened beasts, scattering in all directions in complete panic.
"What's going on? The barbarians couldn't have circled around this fast!"
He tightened his grip and sped up. Ahead, he caught sight of several banners flapping in the wind—each one bearing the insignia of the Great Sheng Dynasty, marked clearly with the name General Jing Fuhu of Youzhou.
"Where did you crawl out from, deserter?!"
A young officer rode out to meet him, eyes cold, spear in hand. "I see you're wearing an officer's armor. Yunzhou is under siege, and you dare run away?!"
Chen Sanshi blinked in disbelief.
He hadn't even spoken when the young man barked again, "Cowards like you disgrace the Great Sheng Army! If we don't execute you here, how can we uphold military discipline?!"
He raised his spear, about to strike.
"Hold it!"
A deep voice cut through the tension.
Another officer rode forward slowly on a black horse. His armor gleamed under the sun, and a Green Dragon Crescent Blade hung from his hand. Flanking him were dozens of armored commanders, all young—none older than twenty-five or twenty-six.
"Lord Heir!"
The first officer, Yin Hanwen, saluted respectfully. "This man's a deserter. Shouldn't he be executed?"
"Ask about the situation in Yunzhou first."
The man called Cao Fan narrowed his eyes. "Where are you from?"
"Front Garrison of Anding Prefecture, Poyang Thousand-Household Division. Chengxin Captain Chen Sanshi."
Cao Fan's brow lifted slightly. "You're that Chen Sanshi?"
The officers behind him exchanged looks. Clearly, they'd heard the name.
"You're the one who captured that useless Yu Wen scum alive?"
Yin Hanwen smirked. "The battle report said you were surrounded by a thousand cavalry and still managed to win. You're only at the tempering bone stage—how'd you pull that off?"
"It was luck," Chen Sanshi replied simply, though he could hear the mockery in the man's tone.
He noted it silently but said nothing. This wasn't the time to argue—he had to focus on warning them about the pursuing barbarian forces.
But they gave him no chance.
"I knew it," Yin Hanwen sneered. "Probably just caught him while he was alone. The officials must've exaggerated your report. That Yu Wen ninth son's famous for being a coward. Catching him's nothing to brag about. And His Majesty even praised you personally, ha!"
Cao Fan's expression turned sharp. "Then tell me—why did you flee? Yunzhou's in crisis, and you were just commended by imperial decree. Shouldn't you be holding your post to the death? Why abandon your city and run all the way here—past Huanwen County, nearly into Youzhou territory?"
"I—"
Chen Sanshi's patience frayed.
These men were clearly nobles—sons of high-ranking officials, spoiled and arrogant. But to not even let him speak?
"He's not a deserter, and he's not a routed soldier!"
A cool, firm voice rang out.
"Miss Sun?"
Cao Fan turned his head with an easy smile. "Ah, I wondered why I hadn't seen you in Liangzhou. They said you went with your brother to Yunzhou as part of the vanguard officers. Didn't think you'd end up in some little county out there—what was it called again?"
"Lord Heir," Sun Li said coldly, her face pale as she reined in beside her younger brother. "How can you make such wild accusations without even asking? If not for Chen Sanshi, my brother, I, and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians would've died under the barbarians' blades!"
"That's right!"
Sun Buqi rode up beside her, barely restraining his temper. He recounted everything—the Battle of Poyang, where barely a thousand survivors had crushed six thousand barbarian soldiers.
"Sun Buqi, are you kidding me?"
Yin Hanwen snorted. "He's only at tempering bone and you expect us to believe he killed barbarians at the tempering organs stage?"
"He's of the Nine-Dragon Body—he's not inferior to any of you!" Sun Buqi shot back, glaring. "Watch your mouth."
"Even if that's true," Yin Hanwen said with a mocking laugh, "didn't he still abandon the city in the end?"
"That was for a reason!"
"What reason? Come on, Buqi—why defend him so hard? That's favoritism! Leaving one's post without orders is treason!"
"Yin Hanwen, you looking for a beating?"
"Buqi, who do you think you can even beat?"
"…"
"All right, that's enough."
Cao Fan clasped his fists politely toward Chen Sanshi. "May I trouble you to describe the current situation inside Yunzhou?"
Chen Sanshi forced himself to focus on the larger picture. "Roughly fifty li behind us, there are three thousand barbarian cavalry. To the southwest, another twenty thousand. According to my scouts, their highest-ranking commander is at the tempering organs realm, and there's also a Meridian-Connecting expert from the Witch God Sect."
"That's not what I asked."
Cao Fan shook his head slightly. "The pursuers behind you are no cause for concern. The local garrison of Huanwen County has already dispatched thirty thousand soldiers, and with the Hongze River serving as a natural barrier, there's no way those barbarians can break through.
"What I want to know, Captain Chen, is the internal situation of Yunzhou—the enemy's troop distribution and battle conditions, especially in Anding, Taining, and Lingfeng Prefectures."
"I'll tell him."
Sun Buqi stepped forward and reported everything they knew in detail.
"Oh?"
Cao Fan waved a hand, and two of his men quickly spread a large map before him. "So the three prefectures are still holding out—that makes things simple. Next, we'll divide our forces. Send thirty thousand troops to Anding Prefecture and twenty thousand to Taining Prefecture. Once those two are relieved, Lingfeng Prefecture will naturally stabilize. After that, we'll coordinate with the main forces from the three northwestern provinces to retake the entire Yunzhou region."
"Excellent."
Yin Hanwen's face brightened. "Lord Heir, let's report to General Jing right away. We can request our own detachments for command. The elite selection hasn't even started yet, and we're already about to earn great merit."
"Agreed."
Cao Fan nodded and motioned for the map to be rolled up. "Captain Chen, since we've met here, why not join us? General Jing will assign command based on cultivation level. Don't miss your chance to achieve military merit."
"Lord Heir," Chen Sanshi said, raising his spear slightly and pointing behind him, "the immediate priority should be reorganizing the troops and dealing with the pursuing barbarians."
"Tch, Captain Chen, you didn't understand me?"
Cao Fan arched a brow. "Didn't I just say—Huanwen County lies right behind us. If we take the northern official road, we'll avoid the barbarians entirely. From there, we can head straight to Anding Prefecture, which is a far faster route than the one they're taking now.
"When we reach Anding first, we'll seize a fortified terrain. Then, if the barbarians turn back to reinforce their siege, they'll fall straight into our trap.
"That's called encircling the point to strike the reinforcements.
"And if they don't return, even better—Anding's siege will crumble in moments. As for those trailing us, they'll have no choice but to die waiting there."
"Lord Heir, there's no point arguing with him," Yin Hanwen said disdainfully. "He's just some small-town officer—how could he understand strategy?"
"I understand everything you're saying," Chen Sanshi replied calmly. "But if we don't first repel the pursuers, what will happen to the tens of thousands of refugees who fled all the way from Poyang County? Are we to let them all be slaughtered?"
"Refugees?"
Cao Fan looked genuinely puzzled. "What refugees?"
"Lord Heir, he's talking about those lowborn commoners."
Yin Hanwen wrinkled his nose. "Shouldn't they have stayed put and defended their own cities instead of running? Coming here just wastes our food supplies. They should all be executed!"
"Oh… those people."
Cao Fan glanced around at the dirt-covered, trembling peasants nearby and nodded with sudden understanding. "Ah, I see. Yes, yes, they're civilians too. Send word to Huanwen County—have them dispatch more ferries across the river.
"As for how many make it across… well, the bigger picture takes precedence. We can't afford delays."
He smiled faintly. "Every extra word risks losing valuable time.
"Miss Sun, Brother Buqi, and Captain Chen, was it? We'll be reporting to General Jing and marching out immediately. If you don't wish to join us, make haste and cross the river on your own—you still have time.
"Farewell."
Leaving those curt words behind, he turned his horse and rode off with his entourage toward the central command.
"Lord Heir—wait!"
Sun Li tried to stop him, but he didn't even look back.
Moments later, the entire fifty-thousand-strong army began moving again.
Before tens of thousands of stunned refugees, they simply turned north and disappeared down the official road. Within an hour, the last ranks vanished into the distance, leaving behind only rolling clouds of dust.
When the dust finally settled, it was as if they had never been there at all.
The refugees' faces were pale as ash.
"My lord… what do we do now?"
Xu Wencai had seen everything. He stomped his foot in frustration. "They didn't even leave a single soldier behind! What are we supposed to do?"
Chen Sanshi watched the direction the army had gone, his face expressionless as the people's anxious murmurs rose around him.
"How long at the fastest to get everyone across the river?" he asked quietly.
Xu Wencai answered without thinking. "One day."
"Then we hold them off for one more day."
"It can't be done," Xu Wencai said, voice trembling.
Xu Wencai said firmly, "This is flat open land. Once the cavalry breaks out from the mountain pass, we'll have no tactics left to use. The only option will be to face them head-on—and then we'll be crushed in an instant. We won't even last three hours."
"Who said I'm going to wait for them to come out?"
Chen Sanshi gripped his spear tightly, speaking each word with force. "Pass my order! The entire army—counterattack!"
On the eastern bank of the Hongze River, a few small countryside villages lay scattered.
When word spread that the barbarian hordes had invaded, the villagers had fled early across the river to Huanwen County, seeking refuge.
Under an old willow tree, an abandoned stone chessboard lay half-buried in the dirt.
In the empty village, two figures sat playing a game.
One appeared to be around fifty, pale-faced and beardless, dressed in a scholar's blue robe. He looked gentle and cultured, though his legs were missing, and he sat upon a wooden wheelchair.
Across from him sat an old man in coarse linen, silver hair streaked with black, a short goat beard on his chin. He held a black piece between his fingers, hesitating for a long while before making a move, drawing visible impatience from the middle-aged scholar.
"Master, can't you move faster?"
"What's your hurry?"
The old man scowled. "Are you playing or not?"
The scholar immediately shut his mouth.
After a while, he asked cautiously, "Master, are you really not going to intervene in Poyang? Your junior brother and sister are still there."
"Where do you think I can pull extra troops from?"
The old man frowned and silently moved a white piece before capturing it with a black one, then said with satisfaction, "There. Your move."
The scholar barely thought before placing his piece, speaking softly, "Master, what I meant is—you could go alone. Bring your disciples back yourself. That shouldn't be a problem."
"Go myself? Fine. Why don't you go fight the High Priest of the Witch God Sect?"
The old man sighed and stared at the board, hesitating again. "As for that useless boy and the girl, if something really happens to them, well… maybe it's time I settled the old debt with that man. Then I wouldn't have to live with this humiliation any longer."
"Master…"
There was pity in the scholar's eyes. "They're still your disciples…"
"Children and grandchildren must find their own fortune."
The old man placed a stone, cutting him off. "Don't worry. If they're lucky enough to come back alive, I'll still make sure they have a future waiting for them. Even if it's a shameful one."
"Master, over these years… you've grown more and more obsessed."
"How dare you speak to me like that?"
"Master…"
"Hm?"
"You've lost."
The scholar dropped a white piece heavily. The game was sealed.
"You couldn't let me win one?"
The old man rose in anger, slamming his palm on the stone table. "Are you trying to anger me to death?!"
"Master, it's not me who won—it's His Majesty."
The scholar closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "We were all deceived. The three northwestern provinces were just a diversion. Their true goal was Yunzhou. Even if the Youzhou troops march immediately, it'll take at least seven days to reach there.
"Counting the travel and delay, that's ten days—enough time to complete the blood sacrifice."
"Heh…"
The old man suddenly laughed at himself, the sound cracked and weary. "So, I can't outlast him after all."
"Nearly one million people in Yunzhou…"
The scholar's eyes turned red. He struck the chessboard with his fist, voice shaking. "In his eyes, what are the people? What are we?
"The last batch of elite candidates—every one of them either chases fame or covets the immortal arts in your hands. Not one entered the Eight Northern Garrisons for the sake of the people.
"Tell me, Master, can this Great Sheng Dynasty still be saved? The people of Yunzhou—how wretched their fate is!"
"Old Fourth."
The old man clasped his hands behind his back, gazing far into the distance. "If I drive them from the main battlefield in the northwest within three days, and then hurry over, how many could still be saved?"
The scholar sighed and shook his head. "Aside from the three prefectures… not one soul."
"Reporting to the Grand Commander!"
A figure appeared before them and knelt on one knee.
"Han Cheng," the scholar said urgently, "how are your junior brother and sister?"
"Safe and sound."
Han Cheng clasped his fists. "They were under the protection of a certain Lord Chen in Poyang County. They've almost reached the Hongze River."
"Good."
Relief washed over the scholar's face. "Quickly—send men to fetch them across. That Lord Chen has earned first merit for saving them."
"Lord Chen… likely won't make it back."
Han Cheng lowered his head. "There's something you don't yet know, my lord. When he left Poyang, he didn't just take the young master and miss. He… he took over thirty thousand refugees with him!
"To make sure they could cross safely—
"He just led about a thousand men to launch a counterattack… against over twenty thousand barbarian troops!"
"What?!"