knife

Chapter 226: Entering the Pass
The gates of Yangguan City were tightly shut, and the drawbridge was raised high.

On the city walls, banners fluttered, weapons gleamed, and soldiers, fully armored and with swords sheathed and arrows nocked, wielded powerful bows and crossbows, shedding their felt coats and pointing menacingly at the city below. The most formidable crossbow, the Eight-Ox Crossbow, with bolts as thick as a child's arm, could easily pierce iron armor even at a range of over a thousand paces.

In the distance, the banner of Linghu, the Protector-General of Andong, fluttered in the wind, and tens of thousands of vanguard troops, carrying the first batch of more than 50,000 family members, stopped in the wilderness.

The border troops were furious, while their families looked uneasy.

Enraged, Linghu Zhishu rode alone to the foot of Yangguan City and loudly demanded to see Ma Liang.

The drawbridge was not lowered inside the city; the city gate was only slightly ajar.

Left with no other choice, Linghu Zhishu had to abandon his horse. He picked up a few pieces of wood, leaped into the air, and, with his true energy nearly exhausted, threw a piece of wood into the water. He touched the wood with his toes, then leaped up again. After two leaps, he landed at the city gate and squeezed through the small gap.

Ma Liang was lounging lazily on a bamboo recliner on the city gate tower. When he saw Linghu Zhishu, he clapped his hands and said, "Brother Linghu's lightness skill is so amazing. If it were me, I would need to take at least three breaths to jump over here!"

Linghu Zhishu said with a dark face, "General Ma, we have given you the one million you asked for, but why is Yangguan still tightly closed?"

Ma Liang laughed heartily, stood up, walked to the edge of the battlements, pointed to the army in the distance, and said, "Brother Linghu, do you think I'm stupid?"

"What do you mean?" Linghu Zhishu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Who in the world doesn't know how formidable the border troops are?" Ma Liang said, "I'm afraid! I'm afraid that you'll suddenly launch an attack while we're crossing the pass and seize my Yangguan Pass. A mere million taels of silver can buy a passage, but to buy Yangguan Pass is far too cheap."

"Who wants to steal your Yangguan Pass?" Linghu Zhishu said angrily.

"You can't see into someone's heart, who knows what you're thinking?" Ma Liang said with a grin. "You shouldn't have the heart to harm others, but you can't be without the heart to guard against them. Brother Linghu, don't you think so?"

Linghu Zhishu stared at the other party with a dark face. He was honest with himself and had no intention of seizing ownership of Yangguan this time, because it meant nothing to Linghu Ye.

What he wants to conquer is the world, and every bit of strength is precious. What use is taking Yangguan Pass? He needs to divide his forces to defend it.

If he doesn't defend, the Yuan army will attack, and he'll be scolded.

It can be defended, but who knows how much effort and money it would take to hold it?
It would be better to hand over this mess to someone else, so that we can give an explanation to the world. If the area outside the pass is really lost, Yangguan will become the front line. If problems also arise there, we won't be criticized by the world.

But if Ma Liang says it that way, there's nothing you can do about it.

"Does this mean our army has to surrender before we can get through?" Linghu Zhishu said, enunciating each word clearly. "Then we might have to try and see if we can take Yangguan Pass!"

"No, no, no!" Ma Liang waved his hands repeatedly: "I've taken the money, so I still have to keep my word. Your families and logistics can pass through me, no problem at all, but your army can only go through Volcano Fortress!"

Linghu Zhishu's face immediately turned red with anger.

Volcano Fortress is a small, subordinate pass of Yangguan Pass. There is indeed a road leading into the pass, but the road is rugged and difficult to travel. At the most dangerous point, only one person and one horse can pass side by side. If you really want to pass through there, the efficiency will be extremely low. Moreover, if someone wants to ambush you there, you will be helpless.

"You're afraid we'll take the opportunity to seize the pass, but aren't I afraid you'll take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack?" Linghu Zhishu retorted angrily.

"Do I have the guts?" Ma Liang cried out, blaming the heavens. "Even if I did, I wouldn't have the manpower! Brother Linghu knows perfectly well how many men I have at Yangguan. Besides, you've only brought a little over ten thousand, while your border army has a hundred thousand! If I take out these ten thousand or so, what will happen when Commander Linghu arrives with the main force? Won't he tear me apart and devour me? Furthermore, I can allow you to completely take over Huoshan Fortress, and then you can live however you want. Doesn't that show my sincerity?"

"No room for negotiation?" Linghu Zhishu said, "Making us pass through Volcano Fortress will delay us by at least ten to twenty days!"

"Brother Linghu, what's ten to twenty days to conquer the world? That's measured in years, isn't it? It might not even be a result in ten to twenty years!" Ma Liang said nonchalantly.

In the struggle for supremacy, ten or twenty days are of no concern.

However, the battle between Jebe outside the pass and Xiao Changche and Li Dachui of the Anxi Protectorate was about to break out. Both of these armies mainly relied on offense to solve problems.

Fully prepare, unleash a thunderous attack, and decide the outcome in one battle.

This is Linghu Ye's assessment of the nature of this war that would determine the course of the war beyond the Great Wall.

Ten or twenty days should be enough for these two companies to resolve their issues.

Regardless of who wins or loses, once the war is over, leaving won't be so easy.

But Ma Liang was completely unyielding.

Linghu Zhishu could only leave in resentment.

Rather than getting entangled with Ma Liang here, it would be better to rush to the Volcano Fortress, take full control of it, and then make good arrangements and organize the troops to speed up their passage as much as possible.

As for family and logistical support, that can only be handled by Yangguan.

Linghu Zhishu understood Ma Liang's meaning. If he harbored any improper thoughts at Huoshan Fortress, Ma Liang could then use them against the families and relatives of the border troops.

These bastards from Yangguan may not be good at killing enemies, but they are experts at killing the old, weak, women and children.

Looking at Linghu Zhishu and his army who left with resentment, and then at the large number of family members still remaining under the city walls, Ma Liang smiled like a thousand-year-old fox.

"Notify them that they can start crossing the checkpoint tonight. Remember, one group at a time!" Ma Liang instructed.

"As ordered!"

"Also, those people I want, you have to pick them out for me, and hide them safely in the city. If anyone asks, just deny everything!" Ma Liang said. "Can you do that?"

"Don't worry, General. With tens of thousands of families, finding a few dozen people among them is easy," a general said with a grin. "By the time they find out, it'll be too late! By then, it'll be too late, and they won't have any reason to pursue it!"

"That's exactly right! Even if I forcibly took Chen Liang and his family members, what could they do? Wait for their army to come back from the volcano and teach me a lesson?" Ma Liang laughed heartily.

In Zhenwu City, Linghu Ye was also preparing to leave.

More than 30 years ago, Linghu Ye came to the area outside the Great Wall and started as a lowly halberd captain. Over the past 30 years, he has worked his way up step by step and arrived at where he is today. Looking back, Linghu Ye is filled with pride.

The Linghu family was at most a mid-level aristocratic family in the Qin Dynasty, but through their own efforts, they have risen to the top tier of aristocratic families in recent years.

Among these first-rate aristocratic families, I am probably the first one who truly has the ability to gradually dominate the world.

Not everyone can command an elite army of 100,000.

The powerful families within the Great Wall certainly have a lot of money and influence, but when it comes to military strength, they fall short. They might have three to five thousand well-trained elite troops, but they usually keep them hidden and dare not use them. Even if they were to start a rebellion, it would be no easy task to build a formidable fighting force within a few years using only three to five thousand elite troops as the backbone.

And the iron-blooded army he had built over the past thirty years, once it stepped into the pass, who could stop it?

Just think, He Zudao led only 5,000 Jiangnan garrison troops and caused chaos in Guanzhong. Kou Zhong and Wei Zhengdao, who were always arrogant, were humiliated. Now, apart from Chang'an and Luoyang, other places no longer obey the court's orders.

Even in the Guanzhong Plain, the stronghold of the Li family, there are now signs of a wait-and-see attitude.

It's time to go home!

Linghu Ye thought with emotion that thirty years of struggle, more than a dozen scars, and several brushes with death had all been worth it for today.

Linghu Zhishu led the vanguard to escort the first group of family members and set off first. His 30,000-strong central army, along with the logistics support for more than 20 family members, followed behind. Bringing up the rear were Chang Jian, whom Linghu Ye trusted, and the army controlled by the Chang family.

Chen Liang was originally supposed to set off with Linghu Ye, but because Yuntai Wilderness was too close to the battlefield, and Linghu Ye was skeptical about whether the Yuan people were trustworthy, what if Zhebie took advantage of Chen Liang's retreat to launch a pursuit?

Chen Liang's troops consisted of half infantry and half cavalry.

Jebe's main force, including the newly subjugated barbarians, consisted entirely of cavalry. If Chen Liang were to be caught by Jebe, not only would the entire army be unable to return, but even a safe retreat would become a problem.

The final decision was to evacuate Chen Liang and the families of more than ten of his subordinate officers of the rank of colonel or above first, while Chen Liang would choose an appropriate time to retreat after the two sides had started fighting.

As for General Wang De, there was no room for negotiation.

We must act in concert with the central army.

At this point, Wang De was extremely docile, because he knew very well that if he dared to act recklessly again, he would probably be captured by Linghu Ye and used as a sacrifice.

Amidst the thunderous sound of war drums, Linghu Ye left the city where he had lived for over thirty years, turning back every few steps.

Amid the officers' shouts, the soldiers frequently looked back. On both sides of the road, people were crowded together, some with their families, some carrying loads, some leading livestock, and some pushing carts, all with tears streaming down their faces.

Zhenwu City is a military city.

The people living here are all soldiers and their families.

Of course, there were also a large number of slaves who were not slaves.

These people are certainly not among those to be evacuated; they will be left behind to fend for themselves.

On the city wall, Chang Jian stood with his hands behind his back, watching Linghu Ye's central army banner gradually recede into the distance, his expression extremely solemn.

(End of this chapter)