Within Tiange Pass, Xu Qian, as Chief Commander, did not look well.
"Tiange Pass is likely impossible to hold," Xu Qian said.
Besides him, three others attended this meeting. Two were martial artists: one was Lu Xingshi's master, Star Plucking Rogue Murong Xuan; the other was a First-Rate Expert of the martial world, Sand Tiger Bi Sheng.
The last was his Deputy General.
Beyond Saibei lay the grasslands, and beyond them the Gobi Desert. Sand Tiger Bi Sheng and Desert Saber Gao Li both came from that desert.
The Great Song Dynasty Court's first line of defense was not these mighty passes, but that desert. If the Barbarians wished to invade and head south, they had to cross the desert first.
Thus, the Barbarians who arrived were actually in poor condition and had already spent quite some time recuperating.
"The provisions have been exhausted. The people within the pass are unsettled. Yesterday alone, another battalion defected to Prince of Liao."
"Only three battalions remain usable."
One battalion consisted of five hundred men, so three battalions meant fifteen hundred.
The Barbarians had brought a full ten thousand men south this time. If not for the shortage of provisions and Prince of Liao's pressure, with ten battalions under his command and the advantage of the terrain, wiping out these ten thousand Barbarians would not have been a problem.
One had to know that whether in armor or combat strength, the Barbarians were far inferior to them. Even though the Imperial Court had always used civil officials to restrain military men and suppressed generals, the gap in development was there for all to see—far beyond anything the Barbarians could even touch.
Unfortunately, now there was also scattered morale and low fighting spirit. They could not even hold the pass, much less fight.
"What does Commander Xu have in mind?" Murong Xuan spoke. Old and shrewd as a fox, he had already guessed the other man's intentions: nothing more than surrendering to Prince of Liao.
Before coming here, he had not expected this entire rebellion to take such twisting turns.
"Defect to Liao!"
"It can resolve the border's urgent crisis." Xu Qian had been waiting for someone to say it.
His Deputy General sat there calm and composed, clearly having already discussed this with Xu Qian.
Thus, the people he needed to persuade were Murong Xuan and Bi Sheng.
Bringing along a Grandmaster and a First-Rate Expert to defect would make for a sufficiently weighty pledge of allegiance.
"So be it. I will follow your lead. But after the Barbarians are repelled, I want Prince of Liao to accept my tribe and people into the pass. Even if no land is granted, so long as we are given a means to survive, that will be enough." After a moment of silence, Bi Sheng stated his condition.
"This... can be done." Xu Qian agreed. From this, it was clear the other man was not planning to defect—he had already defected.
He knew that the desert tribe where Bi Sheng lived endured harsh conditions. Yet this was not a bad thing, but a great boon. The tribe they lived in was fierce and hardy by nature. The elderly and weak aside, every able-bodied adult knew martial arts. Once brought in, they could be formed into a battalion of their own.
Whether charging across a battlefield or engaging in street fighting after entering a city, these people possessed immense value.
Xu Qian then turned to Murong Xuan. The meaning was clear: it was his turn to state his position.
"This matter... forget it. Open the gates and offer your loyalty. I will return to Langya Pavilion and will not become Prince of Liao's enemy." Murong Xuan did not wish to serve Prince of Liao.
He had weaknesses to worry about. If the Imperial Court learned that he had rebelled, it would certainly move against Langya Pavilion and Lu Xingshi.
Xu Qian's expression could not help changing slightly. Yet since Murong Xuan did not intend to become an enemy and was simply leaving, he agreed.
"Senior Murong, you are missing a fine opportunity. Prince of Liao has raised troops this time to Purge the Emperor's Entourage, and it is precisely for martial men like us."
"If you lend him a hand now, then when the day comes, your merit in following the dragon will surely allow Langya Pavilion to rise another step." Xu Qian tried to persuade him once more.
Yet Murong Xuan shook his head. "A gentleman knows what he should do and what he should not."
"The Late Emperor showed me the grace of recognizing my worth and saved my life. I absolutely do not wish to see the imperial clan turn their blades upon one another."
His meaning was that he refused.
Murong Xuan worked for the Imperial Court not for so-called profit, but for loyalty and gratitude.
Thus, Murong Xuan's status was rather special. Among those from the martial world who held nominal posts, apart from True Martial Sect and Zen Heart Sect, whose members held the title of National Preceptor, only Murong Xuan held the civil position of Yun Zhang Academician. Other martial artists all held military posts.
It was precisely because Murong Xuan was connected to the Late Emperor and had also received the current emperor's favor that he possessed such a special status.
Prince of Liao had sought to recruit Murong Xuan for this reason as well.
"Since Senior refuses, then we can only ask Senior to remain within the pass for a few days. Once Prince of Liao has a heart-to-heart talk with Senior, matters may change." Seeing that persuasion would not work, Xu Qian immediately resorted to force.
Murong Xuan lowered his eyes and looked at the soldiers flooding in from outside, clad in armor and carrying sharp weapons, with archers and crossbowmen supporting them. Even if he wanted to flee, he could not.
"Fine." He still valued his life. For the time being, they did not dare do anything to him.
He simply did not know whether Tiange Pass defecting to Prince of Liao at such a time would bring fortune or disaster.
He could be captured and taken prisoner, but he could not defect. After all, he still had to consider his disciple.
Just as the soldiers were escorting Murong Xuan away, a soldier stumbled inside.
"Bad news! The Barbarians are attacking the city!"
The moment those words fell, Xu Qian, Bi Sheng, and even Murong Xuan all changed expression. None of them had expected the Barbarians to attack at this moment.
"Take Senior Murong away to rest. Great Hero Bi, come with me." Xu Qian did not let Murong Xuan accompany him, fearing further complications.
"Good thing my qinggong is good. Otherwise, I might not have been able to climb in." Lu Xingshi grumbled.
He discovered that Tiange Pass had actually gone under lockdown, which truly lay beyond his expectations.
After climbing in, he found the place somewhat dilapidated. But then he thought about it: after holding out for so long and having their supplies cut off, how could things possibly be good?
Moreover, when he arrived just now, he had seen quite a few people fleeing.
Clearly, they were going to seek refuge with Prince of Liao.
"With things like this, Tiange Pass will not last much longer." Lu Xingshi surveyed the situation.
"This is far too ill-timed. Where am I supposed to find Master?"
After thinking it over, Lu Xingshi decided he might as well find someone and ask.
Just as he was considering it, he heard urgent horn calls and pounding war drums. His expression grew grave as well.
"The Barbarians have made their move?" Lu Xingshi understood what it meant: a warning that someone was attacking.
He had come from the rear. Prince of Liao had not made a move, so the only ones attacking could be the Barbarians assaulting from the front.
"Master should be among the higher ranks, so in a situation like this..."
Just as Lu Xingshi was considering going up to the city gate to take a look, he spotted a familiar figure walking out.
"What is going on? He's being detained?" Seeing his master's circumstances, Lu Xingshi did not immediately go forward to speak. Instead, he followed from afar.
As long as there was no danger to his life, there was no need to rescue him immediately. It would not be too late to act once they reached their destination.
This was a public place. If he truly made a move here, he might end up being mobbed.
The shortage of men only meant there were not enough to match Tiange Pass's needs; it did not mean their numbers were actually small.
"Looks like someone in Tiange Pass has defected to Prince of Liao—or Master has defected to Prince of Liao." Lu Xingshi could think of no other reason why he would be detained.
If he had defected to the Barbarians, they would definitely have killed him outright. But defecting to Prince of Liao was another matter.