Yanmen Pass
Historically a strategically vital location, this place guarded the vital passage to the Central Plains and was the core of the Great Song's defense line.
In the original story, the Liao was preparing to attack the Great Song from this point, and this time was no exception.
The vast cavalry from beyond the Great Wall stretched as far as the eye could see; just one glance from the walls of Yanmen Pass was enough to take one's breath away.
What surged forth were not cavalry, but jackals who would kill and set fires. Once they entered the pass, the entire Central Plains would be engulfed in war and turned into a living Hell.
As a descendant of the Generals of the Yang Family, Yang Wenguang stood atop the city gate, his heart filled with despair.
(Historically, the Generals of the Yang Family had already died out by this time, but the original novel of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and Semi-Devils mentions that Wu Changfeng helped the Generals of the Yang Family defeat the Liao. Jin Yong moved the actual historical timeline forward when writing Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and Semi-Devils, so please don't take it too seriously.)
As the foremost pass of the Great Song, Yanmen Pass was always heavily guarded, but today, with the Liao's overwhelming force, he felt despair.
That wasn't the usual 10,000 or 20,000 harassers, but an army of at least 300,000, with heads scattered all over the mountains and fields.
With such a large number of troops, no matter how dangerous Yanmen Pass was, they couldn't defend it.
They had no choice but to risk their lives and do everything in their power to stop it, holding it off for as long as they could.
News from the front lines was sent to the rear two days ago, but there has been no news of reinforcements yet.
Yang Wenguang also stayed up for two days and two nights, supervising the battle from the front line.
"General Yang, those Liao dogs are charging again! The brothers have no more arrows to hold them off!"
"Then use stones, wood, anything you can throw to stop them!"
"General Yang, a pack of Liao dogs is charging up the north city wall!"
"Guards, charge! Hold the line! Drive those Liao dogs away!"
Yang Wenguang was constantly dealing with various matters. The 20,000 troops that had been stationed at Yanmen Pass had been reduced to less than half their original strength due to the Liao people's relentless attacks day and night.
They lacked not only manpower, weapons, and supplies, but also, and perhaps most importantly, faith.
Everyone hoped that reinforcements would arrive, but as time passed, all that remained in their hearts was deep despair.
They couldn't wait for reinforcements, or perhaps the imperial court never intended to send any in the first place.
"My lord, the northern city wall is indefensible. The Liao dogs keep climbing it, and even the imperial guards have been driven back!"
"What!" Yang Wenguang's eyes widened in anger, and he rushed out first, picking up a long spear in the process.
"Come with me, let's chase the Liao dogs back."
Yang Wenguang, holding his spear upside down, sped along and soon reached the city wall on the north side of the city.
To his surprise, there were no Liao soldiers scaling the city walls, only corpses scattered everywhere.
The few remaining men dressed in Great Song military uniforms were all prostrate on the ground, muttering something to themselves.
Seeing this, Yang Wenguang rushed forward and kicked the soldiers awake one by one.
"Damn it, all of you get up, get up!"
"What are you all praying for, all that nonsense? What's going on here?"
Some soldiers heard Yang Wenguang's voice and looked up to answer, but a voice answered first:
"They are worshipping me, do you have a problem with that?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Wenguang looked up and saw a man wearing a long robe embroidered with golden dragons floating in the sky, with a circle of gleaming blades hovering behind him, like a wheel of judgment.
If it wasn't Xu Xiao, then who was it? It's just that Yang Wenguang didn't recognize this important figure who commanded all the military affairs of the world and controlled all the troops.
"Who... who are you?"
Even though Yang Wenguang had commanded troops for many years and had experienced countless battles, this was the first time he had ever seen such a situation.
Can humans fly? Or are they immortals?
Yang Wenguang felt his mind was in disarray; the scene before him shocked his common sense and cognition.
Xu Xiao, who was flying in the sky, noticed that his armor was not like that of an ordinary person, and directly took out a command token from his pocket.
"Are you the garrison commander here? Do you know about this?" Xu Xiao tossed the command token directly into Yang Wenguang's hand.
"This is!" Yang Wenguang rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things, before exclaiming loudly, "The Commander's Tally!"
"It seems you are indeed an official. It's good that you recognize the talisman. I am Xu Xiao, the Military Command Commissioner, here to assist you in resisting the Liao army."
" Military Command Commissioner? To resist the Liao!" Yang Wenguang muttered a couple of times, then suddenly realized what he meant.
The Military Command Commissioner is just a high-ranking figure whom the imperial court has widely announced to command all the armies in the country!
The appearance of such an important figure here, especially one involved in the resistance against the Liao, left Yang Wenguang with no time to think. He immediately knelt down to pay his respects and replied:
"This humble servant, Yang Wenguang, greets Your Military Command Commissioner. I am the general in charge of guarding Yanmen Pass."
"Alright, no need for formalities on the battlefield. Since you're the commander-in-chief, that's enough."
Xu Xiao tapped his hand lightly, and the other person was helped up, the tiger tally flying back into his hand.
Yang Wenguang, having stood up and confirmed Xu Xiao's identity, immediately asked the question that Xu Xiao cared about most:
"My lord, how many men did you bring with you to resist the Liao? Where are the reinforcements?"
"The reinforcements are still halfway there; they should arrive tomorrow," Xu Xiao estimated the time.
He flew directly over, but the army had already been given a strict order to arrive by tomorrow, or face military law. So there was no reason for him to be late.
"Ah! Then... then we probably can't defend Yanmen Pass."
Upon hearing this, Yang Wenguang almost burst into tears.
The Liao army's arrival was too sudden and their offensive too fierce. The city could no longer hold out, and it was uncertain whether they could survive the night.
Reinforcements won't arrive until tomorrow!
But if we can't hold Yanmen Pass today, how can the reinforcements arriving tomorrow, exhausted as they are, possibly fight against the tigers, leopards, and wolves beyond the pass?
Without the natural defenses to protect the Great Song, the Liao invaders would be able to advance unchecked, and how many more Han people would suffer such devastation?
'I have failed the ancestors of the Yang family!'
'I have failed the people of the Great Song!'
Thinking of this, Yang Wenguang felt all his strength drain away, and he collapsed to the ground.
The worst thing is not having any hope, but being given hope and knowing that you will never see it. That is the deepest despair.
Xu Xiao looked at Yang Wenguang seemed to have suddenly lost his energy, with a puzzled expression.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? Reinforcements have arrived, and you're acting like this now?"
"My lord, you are unaware of the situation. With the troops guarding Yanmen Pass, I'm afraid we will be unable to hold it today. Even if reinforcements arrive, it will be of no use." Yang Wenguang said helplessly, his heart filled with despair.
Once you cross Yanmen Pass, even if the Liao army manages to breach the pass, stopping them from penetrating deep into the Central Plains would require several times the manpower and sacrifices—it's simply wishful thinking.
"How could you not hold it? And who told you the reinforcements were coming to help you defend the city? The reinforcements are here to clean up the mess!"
Xu Xiao spoke from the sky.
"Hehe, you jest, sir. Indeed, the city has fallen; how can it be defended? I just wonder if they can clean up this mess."
Yang Wenguang gave a wry smile.
Clearly, both of them misunderstood what the other meant by "cleaning up the mess."
Xu Xiao, seeing Yang Wenguang's utterly dejected state, pulled him up in frustration and made him look out over Yanmen Pass.
"Look at this yourself, does it even need guarding?"
"Oh my god! This is!!!"