knife

Chapter 648 I'll Leave, You Surrender
Xiang Ying sat blankly in the courtyard.

The snowflakes, like drifting catkins, fell gently from the sky, turning the green tiles, red walls, and green mountains white, but the courtyard remained unchanged, without a trace of snow or water.

As the snowflakes drifted down, they seemed to encounter some obstacle when they reached the courtyard, flying to both sides, making the snow outside the courtyard thicker than elsewhere.

No one is allowed to step into this courtyard.

Once you get close, it's like a small animal invading the territory of the king of beasts; the tremor that comes from the depths of your heart subconsciously prevents you from taking another step forward.

Stepping into the courtyard would inevitably mean certain death.

Xiang Wu died in battle.

Xiang Wu, the next generation leader and backbone of the Xiang clan, a ninth-rank Xuan Yuan cultivator, died on the battlefield. The enemy general who killed him was unknown.

Outside the courtyard, Yan Cheng, who had turned into a snowman, paced back and forth anxiously, his body covered in snow, and a black circle had been left on the ground by his wading.

With the fall of Erdaoqiao, Qilipa, and Sanlipu, tens of thousands of enemy troops under Kang Zhen's command are encircling the city from all sides, making Tongan County a sitting duck.

What troubled Yan Cheng even more was that Kang Zhen had also driven countless people from Tongan County to come here.

Back then, after Xiang Ying decided to defend Tong'an to the death, in order to save strategic resources such as food, he expelled all the able-bodied men except for the capable ones. Now these people have returned.

Yan Cheng couldn't imagine what kind of changes would occur when these people arrived outside Tong'an County and saw the soldiers inside the city.

Because those people outside the city were their relatives.

Kang Zhen was capable of driving these men to be the vanguard in attacking the city.

War has never been about mercy.

The enemy's vanguard scouts even arrogantly approached the city of Tong'an.

What to do next?

Yan Cheng was extremely pessimistic.

That feeling of despair was something Yan Cheng had never experienced even in his decisive battle with He Qiku many years ago.

Because at that time, the entire Chu state was of one mind.

But now, they are alienated and disloyal.

The navy was defeated.

Danyang fell into Na Wei's hands.

Are they trying to send reinforcements?

He only regrets that Xiang Ying is still alive, right?

A coughing sound suddenly came from inside the courtyard.

Yan Cheng's body stiffened, he stopped in his tracks, and looked up into the courtyard.

Snowflakes drifted and fell into the courtyard.

Yan Cheng felt a slight sense of relief and quickly walked into the courtyard. Xiang Ying was coughing with his head down, snowflakes falling on him. His body, which had seemed somewhat hunched before, was now standing straight.

"General!" Yan Cheng bowed deeply. "Please accept my condolences."

"Even a clay pot will break at the well, and a general will inevitably die on the battlefield. Wu'er, wrapped in his horse's hide, died on the battlefield, not disgracing the Xiang family!" Xiang Ying said. "Send someone to find Kang Zhen and bring Wu'er's body back!"

"Yes!"

"Judging from your appearance, they're already at the city gates?"

"Their scouts have already reached the city walls, and their vanguard is only about thirty li from Tong'an County. The reason they haven't arrived yet is because their ranks include a large number of the elderly, weak, women, and children!" Yan Cheng looked up at Xiang Ying and said, "General, many of the soldiers in the city have relatives outside. If we allow the enemy to arrive like this, I'm afraid the morale of the troops in the city will immediately collapse!"

"Do you think we can't hold out?" Xiang Ying asked.

Yan Cheng swallowed hard, looking at Xiang Ying's calm and composed face, and said softly, "There are no reinforcements from outside, and no cities within that we can defend. General, the domestic situation is tense right now, and the Grand Secretary is already struggling in Danyang. Compared to the capital, Tong'an County is insignificant. Yan Cheng is bold and requests that the General order a breakout and abandon Tong'an County."

Xiang Ying remained silent.

"General, the Great Chu has thirty-six counties. Even if Tong'an, Yong'an, and Ruyin are gone, there are still thirty-three counties left. Now, the battle for supremacy between Linghu Ye and Li Dachui in the Qin state is about to break out. Although Jiang Qian, the demoness, is entrenched in the Jiangnan region, she is powerless to cause greater damage to our dynasty."

"Is it impossible to cause harm?"

"General, as long as we can stabilize the court and prevent domestic turmoil, the fences will be strong enough that the wild dogs cannot get in!" Yan Cheng said. "As long as you return to Danyang and join forces with the Grand Secretary, whether through civil or military means, Danyang is not in the southwest. Even if Na Wei has troops, there are ways to deal with him."

"If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!" Xiang Ying sighed. "I was wrong. When Chen Yan was defeated, I should have retreated immediately, and we wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties!"

Thinking of Xiang Wu, who died in battle, my nose tingled and my eyes involuntarily blurred again.

But where in this world can you find a pill to undo your mistakes?

“This is not the General’s fault!” Yan Cheng sighed. “Who could have imagined that Li Dachui and Jiang Qian would so resolutely abandon Nanyang? Who could have imagined that Na Wei would be so heartless and recklessly withdraw his troops back to the country for his own selfish interests? It can only be said that the times and circumstances matter.”

"In the end, Li Dachui was one step ahead!" Xiang Ying said. "I'm getting old!"

"Old ginger is still spicier!" Yan Cheng said, "General, a small setback cannot shake the overall situation. Li Dachui and the witch won this round, but they have only gained a foothold in this corner. When you return to Danyang, you can regroup and start over."

Xiang Ying remained silent for a moment, then stood up, took a deep breath, and with a flick of his arm, the snowflakes in the sky suddenly surged upwards, forming a snow dragon that soared far into the sky before exploding with a bang: "Even though I'm quite old, I still have the courage to start over. Yan Cheng, I'm leaving!"

"This subordinate will arrange the breakout immediately, huh? General?" Yan Cheng said, then realized that Xiang Ying's words seemed to contradict his own thoughts.

“It’s me who’s leaving, not you!” Xiang Ying shook his head and said, “The main force can’t get out. Li Dachui will definitely keep you here. He deliberately let Na Wei leave and surrounded me in Tongan County, just to make me all alone, so that I can’t easily win in the next battle with Na Wei.”

"Then what do we do?" Yan Cheng asked, his face pale.

Xiang Ying placed a hand on Yan Cheng's shoulder and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you. After I leave, you should lead the entire city of Tong'an to surrender to Kang Zhen!"

"What?" Yan Cheng exclaimed in shock.

"If we can't hold out and can't break through, then why make a futile struggle? Let's save our lives for the future and hope for a glorious victory!" Xiang Ying patted Yan Cheng on the shoulder. "Didn't you just tell me to have the courage to start over? Do you have the courage to endure humiliation and hardship?"

Yan Cheng remained silent.

"A little bit of infamy is nothing to worry about," Xiang Ying said. "Even the military genius Han Xin once suffered the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs!"

(End of this chapter)