Sending Troops to Qixia Mountain

The two sides fought a fierce battle, locked in a struggle with casualties on both sides.

The Wu soldiers broke into Wuling City several times, but each time the Qian soldiers fought back with a determination to die and drove them out, leaving behind a great many Wu corpses.

Every day, Wu Pojun received orders from General Yan to send out his troops. With no other choice, he assembled his men daily and declared battle, attacking the city each time.

Ever since his unpleasant conversation with General Chen Haoran, General Yan had abandoned his usual carefree attitude and personally supervised the fighting each day. Chen Haoran had come to see him several times, only to be stopped outside the camp every time.

"Brother Chen, is General Yan still unwilling to see you?" Sima Heru, who had been pacing back and forth inside the tent, immediately asked when he saw Chen Haoran's dejected face.

General Chen shook his head, showing that he too was at a loss.

"Brother Chen, why don't we force our way in? We can find General Yan and ask him when we can finally send out our troops. We can't go on like this. Our provisions are dwindling sharply by the day. The men's hearts aren't united, and that works against us!"

"Brother Sima, don't you understand yet? General Yan holds a grudge against me. If I go again like this, I still won't see him. It'll only add to my troubles."

"Here's what I suggest: tomorrow morning, Brother Sima, go to the general's tent and ask the commander when our army will march."

"Alas, I could tell a few days ago that you and General Yan weren't on good terms, but I didn't dare ask. Brother Chen, do you have some sort of feud with him?" Sima Heru asked, looking at Chen Haoran.

"Brother Sima, serving at court isn't simply a matter of serving the country. There are even more hidden arrows and traps. One careless step and you'll sink deep into the mire, losing your fortune and your life. If you hold a position at court in the future, you must tread carefully."

"Yan Fengxiao and my father are mortal enemies!" Chen Haoran said at last.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan and the others had finally established their new village. For now, they had only built the houses; all the other facilities were still in the planning stages...

"The village is finally built! We have new homes!"

"Yes, we finally don't have to live in those tents anymore. They were stifling hot!"

"Haha, I'm moving into my new home today, and I'm going to lie around for days without setting foot outside!"

"Haha..."

The whole village was jubilant. The villagers gathered around the newly built houses, looking them over from every angle, thoroughly satisfied.

"Brother Fan, our new homes are finally finished, and we're neighbors!" Xiao Ke'er said to Ye Fan, quickly wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead.

"Yes, Ke'er. We've spent the past ten-odd days braving the wind and sleeping under the open sky, and now we finally have houses of our own," Ye Fan said, gently brushing Xiao Ke'er's nose.

"Mm, hee-hee..." Xiao Ke'er didn't dodge. She simply raised her head and looked at Ye Fan before her. He was not only before her eyes, but also in her heart.

"Everyone, the houses are all finished and have been assigned. Today, you can all move into your new homes..." The old village chief looked a little tired, but there was also a touch of pride in his voice.

This was probably the greatest and most important thing the old village chief had done for the villagers. Moving the village and building a new one had taken months, but he had finally brought the villagers out of the mountains. The old village chief deserved much of the credit for helping them settle down.

"Old village chief, thank you for all your hard work!" the villagers said, spontaneously expressing their gratitude.

"Haha, as long as you youngsters can live peaceful lives, even if I went to meet my ancestors right now, I'd have no regrets!"

Over a hundred years had passed since the Chen family's ancestor led a group of people into the Endless Mountains to escape the ravages of war, and they had never once left the mountains. Though life was hard, they had found joy in it. But now the mountains were in turmoil, and ferocious beasts ran rampant. They could no longer live there. The ancestors who had brought the villagers into the mountains had presumably endured countless hardships as well. Now, after months of effort, the old village chief had finally brought the villagers back out! The former had acted for the villagers' sake, and so had the latter...

Xiao Ke'er looked around her own little bedroom, her heart full of joy. "Ah, I never have to live in a tent again! I finally have a little room of my own."

"Brother Fan, can I go take a look at your room?" Xiao Ke'er asked, poking her head out to look at Ye Fan as she came out of her house.

"There's nothing in it. What's there to see?"

"No, I want to see it!" Xiao Ke'er said coquettishly. All the work was done, and they had new homes. Ke'er was in an especially good mood, and her words were even more tender, soft as water.

"All right, all right, I'll take you to see it..." Ye Fan led Xiao Ke'er into the house. "Look, this is my room!" Xiao Ke'er looked around. "Mm-hmm, it's about the same size as mine! Not bad!"

It wasn't just Xiao Ke'er. Once the houses had been assigned, the villagers had all hurried to see the homes they had been given. After all, these were their first homes outside the mountains.

"Oh yeah, I have a new home!"

"This room looks so bright and spacious. It's really comfortable!"

"Of course it does. There's nothing in it. How could it not look spacious?"

"Haha..."

The houses had all been assigned, and the villagers were moving their belongings inside. Everyone was looking forward to better days ahead.

Meanwhile, after a long forced march lasting several days, Commander Zha had finally reached Wuling City. His army would rest and regroup there, deliver Commander Bai's letter, and take Deputy General Qin Shan and thirty thousand city defense troops with them.

"Commander Zha, you've finally arrived. A messenger brought word the day before yesterday that you would be here soon. The thirty thousand city defense troops and I have been waiting for you for quite some time."

"Qin Shan, I need to see Commander Cao. Take me to him at once!"

"All right, Commander Zha, follow me!" Knowing the situation was urgent, Qin Shan said no more and immediately led the way.

The city lord's residence in Wuling City

"Your subordinate Chahar greets Commander Cao!" As soon as Commander Zha saw Commander Cao, he cupped his fists in salute.

"There's no need for formalities, Commander Zha. You've brought troops here. Is there some military situation?" Commander Cao knew Commander Zha would not leave Sunset City lightly. Since he had brought troops with him, something significant must have happened.

"Commander Cao, this..." Commander Zha looked around the room. There were several people he did not recognize. The matter was of great importance, and the fewer people who knew, the better.

"Deputy generals, please withdraw for now!" Commander Cao said to his subordinates.

"Yes, Commander!" The men rose and left without the slightest displeasure.

Only Commander Cao, Commander Zha, Qin Shan, and Commander Wan, who had hurried over from the city gate, remained in the room!

"Commander Zha, there are no outsiders now, so please speak freely. Does Commander Bai have a battle plan?"

Chahar gave a detailed account of everything Commander Bai had entrusted to him, then took a letter from inside his robes and handed it to Commander Cao.

Commander Cao gave the letter a quick read.

"Commander Bai intends to attack Qixia City first and draw Yan Fengxiao out to its rescue..."

"I must say, if this plan goes smoothly, we'll hold the initiative in everything. The battle will become much easier."

"Commander Cao, in that case, I'll lead my troops there!"

"Commander Zha, take care in all things. This matter is of great importance; success or failure rests on this one move! Please proceed with caution!"

"Rest assured, Commander Cao. I'll take thirty thousand city defense troops with me today, so please be careful and prepare for battle as well."

"Rest assured, Commander Zha. Holding Yan Fengxiao back won't be a problem. I'll wait here for good news from you."

Commander Zha did not stay long. He set out again with fifty thousand city defense troops...