Chai An was now thoroughly convinced. He immediately ordered his fleet to conceal the cargo ship, then towed it toward the Bohai Kingdom.
By the time they arrived, Da Yanlin's resistance was on the verge of defeat. The Liao army had already broken through the defensive line and was close to the city walls.
So Chai An's men hid the cargo ship on a remote stretch of coast, keeping it as a secret weapon for transport.
With no sails and the trees and terrain concealing it, no one noticed the enormous vessel floating on the water.
Once De'an had made the preparations, he took his men to contact several prominent Bohai families, who then reached out to Da Yanlin.
With the Liao army about to reach the city walls, Da Yanlin knew that continuing the fight would only lead to defeat. He sent his last three thousand elite troops to escort more than two thousand young people from Bohai's prominent families to the coast.
Although the Liao people had no idea where so many people were trying to flee, they instinctively sent troops to stop them.
As a result, fewer than five hundred of Da Yanlin's three thousand elite soldiers survived. The rest died along a stretch of road only a few dozen li long.
After the young people had made their way to the coast through countless hardships, they discovered that the only vessel there was a floating ship without sails. They were suddenly overcome with panic.
One man seemed to be their leader. He came to Jiang Ping, visibly agitated, and asked, "Benefactor, I'm Pei Qing, the leader of this evacuation. Where is our ship? The Khitan will be here soon. We must leave as quickly as possible."
Jiang Ping had come with Deqing. Seeing the people of