Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 192 Protect Your Son

"Less than 10,000?!" Han Chaosheng was furious. "Xingtian Pass has 30,000 defenders. How can they break through Xingtian Pass overnight with less than 10,000?"

"General Han, everything happened so fast! On New Year's Eve, the city was ablaze, the artillery depot exploded, and thick smoke billowed. We had no idea what was happening... and then..."

"In a panic, they surrendered to Chen Jun?!"

"General Han, once we recover, we will find a way to escape and report this to General Han!"

"Come to your senses?! Didn't you only have a chance after Chen Jun left Xingtian Pass?! Ah! Coward! Coward!"

Han Chaosheng was furious and drew his sword to kill the two men, but the blade stopped two inches away from the man's neck.

Han Chao's hands were shaking with anger, but he suppressed his anger and asked, "Tell me more carefully, when did Chen Jun leave Xingtian Pass?"

"Yes... two days ago. The Chen army only rested for a day and a night inside Xingtian Pass, leaving before dawn on the second day of the New Year. Before leaving, they set fire everywhere inside the pass, burning granaries, armories, grain stores, and even civilian houses. The entire Xingtian Pass was in chaos. The two of us didn't dare delay. Since we had no war horses, we found a horse from a wealthy family and rushed to Bashan to report the news. However, the horse couldn't stand the cold winter and died on the way... We and other brothers also rushed to the nearby provincial capital to report the news."

Han Chaosheng paced back and forth in the hall. If what they said was true, then the several thousand Chen troops must have been in the city. But how could thousands of people entering Bashan be hidden from him and the Bashan defenders?

Just now, these two people said that the Chen army was able to enter Xingtian Pass by relying on a surprise attack at night and setting fires everywhere to cause chaos in the city. But if they had already entered Bashan, why was there no movement at all?

How did they get here? How did they survive the icy and snowy Fenglin Mountain?

"Report! General, the creek post is clear, everything is normal."

"…Everything is alright?"

"How can it be?!"

"This is impossible……"

"Aren't we going to attack Bashan?"

Han Chaosheng was puzzled. If they went south from the State of Chen, they would have to go around the mountain and spend an extra half month traveling through the mountains and forests if they didn't go through Bashan. They burned the food and grass at Xingtian Pass, so where could they go if they didn't go to Bashan?

"Somebody come!"

"Please give me your orders, General."

"Search the city!"

If they were in the city, six thousand men would have no way of hiding; a search would reveal them. If they were not in the city, that would be best; only after searching Han Chaosheng would we be at ease.

***

"Your Highness, General Lu, Young Master, Han Chaosheng has ordered martial law."

When the spy came back with the news, Qi Xiao exchanged glances with everyone and smiled, "Let the brothers get ready. Act according to the plan."

Chi Yue and Zong Sheng stood up and retreated with the spies.

Lu Xiulin shook her head. "If Han Chaosheng can hold his temper and wait until dawn, then we won't be able to perform this play."

Qi Xiao chuckled, "If I were Han Chaosheng, I'd probably be anxious too. If what those two said is true, we left Xingtian Pass three days ago, which means we've been lying in wait in the city for at least two days and one night, and he's completely unaware of it. How can he not be anxious?"

"What if we didn't come? Or what if he didn't trust those two at all?"

"Han Chaosheng is a cautious person. He would rather believe it than sit idly by and search the city."

Tang Ling added, "The most important thing is, why did those two lie? Lying about military intelligence is a capital offense. They came to Bashan in the middle of the night. Could it be that they did it just to trick Han Chaosheng for fun?"

But Han Chaosheng could never have guessed that everything the two men said was true, except for one thing: they had left Xingtian Pass only yesterday and entered Bashan today. Those two men had also been arranged by Qi Xiao. If anyone had truly escaped Xingtian Pass, it would have taken at least two days to run their way here, and by then, Bashan would have long since changed hands.

Even as we were speaking, the street had become noisy, and in the dead of night, the sound of armor rubbing against each other was particularly clear.

"Here I am." Qi Xiao slowly stood up, turned to Ye Huai and said, "Protect your young master."

"You don't have to tell me."

Tang Ling smiled at Qi Xiao and nodded slightly: "Be careful."

"it is good."

Qi Xiao agreed immediately, gave Lu Xiulin a wink, and prepared to start a massacre.

***

Han Chaosheng's men split up into teams and walked through the streets and alleys of Bashan, searching house to house.

Qi Xiao's men were hiding everywhere, waiting for them to come. As long as they entered the door, they would never be able to get out. Then they put on Qi's armor, returned to the streets, and continued to search the city.

If it hadn't been dark, Han Chaosheng's men would have noticed something was wrong at a glance. However, by the time Qi Xiao's men had changed into Qi's armor and equipped themselves with Qi's swords, it was still pitch dark, and they had only searched half of the city.

On the other side, Chi Yue and Zong Sheng had quietly sneaked into the city gate and put some medicine in the kitchen water tank. It was Qinglan's secret poison, which was colorless and odorless and would not lose its medicinal effect after being boiled. It was not fatal, but it would make people unable to move.

There is a water shortage in Bashan, and the drinking water for the entire city is in the large water tanks in the kitchen. It was a lively night. Since everyone was awake, they had to eat and drink. The effect of the medicine would not take effect until an hour after drinking it, so it would not be easily discovered. Before dawn, it was enough to knock down most of the people in the city.

Chi Yue and Zong Sheng lay quietly in the dark, waiting.

Tang Ling walked out of the house and looked at the corpses scattered all over the floor. Not a drop of blood was shed in this brief massacre.

In Fenglin Mountain, Qi Xiao's Dingyuan Army received instruction from Chi Yue and learned two cruel and vicious killing techniques, in order to leave no drop of blood and protect the armor of the Qi soldiers intact.

"Ye Huai, if it were my father's Shenzhao Camp, or you and I, who were on duty at Bashan, would we be able to defend Bashan?"

Ye Huai looked at Tang Ling and was silent for a moment before saying, "Chi Yue's technique is superb. If he weren't a highly alert master, ordinary soldiers would have difficulty breaking through it. Moreover, the Dingyuan Army has been practicing only these two techniques in the mountains for two months. Practice makes perfect. The Qi Army is completely unprepared and will have no chance of withstanding it."

"Sir, it's cold outside." Qing Lan handed Tang Ling a hand warmer. "Sir, the Shenzhao Camp is the most elite force in the Great Zhou. How can they be compared to these Qi troops? Besides, this siege plan was your idea in the first place. Your question is so unreasonable."

Tang Ling smiled lightly, but Ye Huai understood what he meant. Qi Xiao had never led an army before, and the Dingyuan Army had lost Bai Liu and was disbanded, and it no longer had the courage it once had. However, Qi Xiao only took three months to make these 6,000 people have the fighting power to seize Xingtian Pass and Bashan. If there was another war between Chen and Zhou in the future, Qi Xiao's command of the troops might be more troublesome than Lu Fangjin.

No, not maybe...