knife

Chapter 334 Shock and Terror
(I was busy all day, and then I had a huge argument with a colleague about something at get off work right before I was about to leave. I'm unhappy and can't write anything, so I only have one chapter.)
The beast-like roars emanating from the main hall silenced everyone outside. From time to time, heavy objects fell to the ground and the crisp sound of porcelain shattering could be heard from inside.

The news that the imperial army had crossed the Motianling Mountains to launch a surprise attack on Jiangyou Pass and captured Mianzhu City without bloodshed, and that the army was now marching towards Chengdu, stunned everyone in Chengdu.

Just yesterday we were saying that Sichuan was safe and sound, and that the enemy couldn't advance an inch at Jianmen Pass, but today the enemy is already within arm's reach.

When Feng Baozheng heard the news while he was having breakfast at home, he dropped his bowl and ran to the Prince's Mansion.

As the chief secretary of the Prince's residence, Feng Bao was also Prince Ji's chief advisor.

"Your Majesty, the Motianling Pass is an insurmountable natural barrier. Even if an army were to cross it, their numbers would be limited, and they would only have gained the advantage of surprise. The so-called tens of thousands of troops are, at most, just local civilians being lured into battle!"

Upon entering the main hall, Feng Bao calmed down the enraged Prince Ji, Li Shen, with just one sentence.

The obese Li Shen slumped down with a thud, like a mountain of flesh. The exercise he had just done had far exceeded his physical limits, and now sweat was pouring down like a waterfall.

Of course, some of them were also driven by fear.

"Chief Secretary, what should I do now?" he asked, looking up.

"The first priority, of course, is to mobilize all the troops in Chengdu to prepare for defense!" Feng Baodao said.

"But all the elite troops in the city have already gone to Jianmen Pass with the young master!"

Feng Baoyi laughed and said, "Your Majesty, of the three thousand elite troops in the palace, how many did you give to the Crown Prince?"

"Two thousand!"

"That's it. Of course, the others have also kept their trump cards up their sleeves, but it would be foolish for them not to reveal all their cards at this moment! I think they all understand this. So Your Majesty, you can still gather at least five thousand elite troops within the city, supplemented by strong men, so defending the city will not be difficult!" Feng Bao encouraged Li Shen.

"And the second step?"

"Of course, we should order the Crown Prince to return with his troops!" Feng Bao said. "As long as the city holds, and the Crown Prince returns with his troops, then we can defeat this rabble by attacking from both inside and outside! If we calculate the timeline, as long as the Crown Prince is fast enough, he should be back by the time the enemy arrives in Chengdu."

"I heard that there are innate masters in the enemy's army, while on our side, Tang Yin and Liao Ran have disappeared without a trace." Li Shen clenched his fists, fear flashing in his eyes.

If the enemy possesses a master of innate talent but you don't, it truly becomes an unsolvable problem.

“Your Majesty, among thousands of troops, one innate master is not invincible. The Xuan Yuan masters from various families in the city can also put up a fight!” Feng Bao said through gritted teeth. “Besides, news has already come that the enemy has entered Shu. Whether it is the Tang family patriarch or Daoist Liaoran, they will naturally rush back.”

"This is the only way. Go and do it now!" Li Shen turned around and took out an official seal from the large table: "This is the seal of the Prefect of Shu Commandery. Take it. I hereby grant you full authority to be in charge of the defense of the prefecture. But if you shirk your responsibilities, delay, obstruct, or even collude with foreign enemies, you will be executed without mercy!"

Holding the seal with both hands, Feng Bao bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"

Crown Prince Li Huimin, mounted on his horse, watched the vast army advancing towards Jianmen Pass, his heart filled with pride. When they entered Shu, he was still an infant in swaddling clothes.

At that time, my father left Chang'an with his family in a panic and went to Sichuan.

Now, he will lead his army back to Chang'an.

That was his home.

With 20,000 troops at Jianmen Pass, and himself leading 30,000, a total of 50,000 elite troops, they marched out of Shu to punish the traitors, punish the disloyal, and restore the glory of the Li family.

Linghu Ye, a lowly man from the border, actually coveted the divine artifact; it is utterly laughable.

Li Huimin firmly believed that as long as he appeared at the gates of Chang'an with 50,000 troops, those wavering small and medium-sized forces would inevitably make the right choice between Linghu Ye and himself.

The vanguard had already disappeared from sight, but the rear camp was still packing up their tents. The column, stretching for dozens of miles, resembled a long dragon walking along the winding road.

However, this enthusiasm only lasted for half a day.

The messenger from Chengdu had been running for several days, exhausting several fine horses, before finally catching up with Li Huimin's caravan.

It brought news that no one could believe.

The desolate city of Chengdu is facing an unprecedented danger.

There was no room for hesitation; of course, we had to return to provide aid.

Chengdu was their stronghold. If their stronghold was destroyed by the enemy, how could they possibly contend for supremacy?
Moreover, almost all the generals in this army are from powerful families in Sichuan. This time, each family has taken their elite troops with them. If the enemy were to capture the prefectural city, everyone would face the calamity of extermination. However, turning back a massive army of tens of thousands is not an easy task.

This is not something that can be accomplished with a simple sentence like in a play, where the back becomes the front and the front becomes the back.

“Your Highness, it’s unlikely that 30,000 troops will return quickly!” Tang Jingfeng said. “Moreover, there are more than 20,000 men among them, who are only young and strong men who have just been recruited. We are already 500 li away from Chengdu. If we want to bring so many people back to Chengdu in an organized and combat-ready manner, it will take at least a month.”

"what do you mean?"

"Gather the elite forces and return, while the rest will slowly return from the rear!" Tang Jingfeng said. "The Qinghua force of this army consists of eight thousand elite soldiers composed of private troops from various families. They are also the true backbone of the fighting force. As long as the young master leads these people back to Chengdu, and they cooperate with the city's garrison, it will be enough to defeat the invading enemy. Didn't the messenger also say that the invading enemy doesn't have many elite troops, but rather mostly incited civilians?"

After a moment's thought, Li Huimin finally nodded: "I will lead these eight thousand men back. You will control the rest and return slowly. The most important thing is not to fall apart. As long as you return in an organized manner, you will be able to threaten the enemy."

“Of course!” Tang Jingfeng nodded.

They said they would return immediately, but it took a whole day just to reassemble the eight thousand elite troops, gather horses and livestock, and prepare enough provisions for the return trip.

Five hundred li would take an army of tens of thousands more more than a month to march, and for this elite private army of eight thousand men, it would take at least seven or eight days.

With a marching speed of about 100 li per day, they could be considered a very formidable army.

At the summit of the mountains, two old Taoist priests, dressed in robes and with graying hair, stood atop tall pine trees, staring at each other like fighting cocks. Both of them looked extremely disheveled.

Yiming's Taoist hat was nowhere to be found. His white hair was disheveled, and there was a bruise around one eye, as if he had been punched in the face.

Liao Ran, standing opposite him, was in no better shape. Half of his pajamas had been torn off, leaving him with half a bare arm and a bloody mark on his left cheek, as if he had been scratched by a cat.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then turned their heads at the same time to look down the mountain, where a long line of people was rushing forward like wildfire, heading towards Chengdu.

Upon seeing the army's flag, Liao Ran was somewhat puzzled.

"Senior Brother Liaoran, let's take a break!" Yiming slid down from the tree and sat down on the ground. Opposite him, Liaoran also climbed down from the tree, sat cross-legged, and looked at Yiming warily.

In terms of profound skill, Liao Ran is naturally superior, but in terms of cunning and rich fighting experience, Yi Ming is superior.

Yiming took out a pill, popped it into his mouth, and started chewing it.

"Relying on external forces is ultimately a inferior approach. Yiming, you will never be able to travel in your spirit in this lifetime!" Liaoran picked up a pine nut from the ground, slowly cracked it open, peeled out the pine kernel, and slowly chewed it.

"You talk like you can dream about anything!" Yi Ming rolled his eyes. "At least when I take my medicine, I can easily outmaneuver you."

"I can ignore you all for stirring up trouble outside, but I can't allow you to extend the war to Sichuan!" Liao Ran said angrily.

Yiming rolled his eyes again: "You talk as if you're so concerned about the country and its people. I don't think the people in Sichuan are doing much better than those outside. Does that guy Li Shen really only care about protecting the borders and keeping the people safe? Haha, you're such a naive old man, do you believe that? Do you believe that?"

"Yiming, you can't break through Jianmen Pass!"

"Hehe!" Yiming laughed smugly, pointing down the mountain: "See that? Li Huimin is running back in a hurry. Guess why?"

He shook his head knowingly.

"Because our men are almost at Chengdu!" Yiming laughed loudly. "The army outside Jianmen Pass is just a decoy. The real elite troops have crossed Motianling via the Yinping Trail. Haha, judging from Li Huimin's panicked appearance, our strategy must have succeeded."

Liao Ran's expression immediately changed.

"Let me tell you a little secret: in that army, we also have a master of innate talent!" After finishing his drug, Yi Ming picked up a pine nut, peeled off the kernel, tossed it into the air, caught it in his mouth, and chewed it with relish.

"When did innate talent become so common?" Liao Ran sneered.

"Why would I lie to you?" Yiming chewed on a pine nut and said, "Because I've met that guy, and he even tried to recruit me! He wanted me to work for him!"

"Recruiting you?" Liao Ran asked, somewhat puzzled. "Aren't you all working for the Wei family?"

"Pah!" Yi Ming spat. "I'm not working for the Wei family. It's just that this time the Wei family found a weakness in me. That short-lived Li Anmin actually died indirectly at my hands. The Wei family wants me to do things for them, and I have no choice. I'm not alone; I have so many disciples and followers who need to make a living. Aren't you the same? Among those small fry in the Longmen Sect, besides you, how many are actually capable? Heh heh, I'm like a fallen phoenix, worse than a chicken. That guy offered me a deal: I'd do things for him, and in return, he'd protect the safety of my disciples and followers."

"Who is that person?" Liao Ran asked in astonishment, looking at Yi Ming, who looked dejected.

(End of this chapter)