Chapter 96

Two hours passed, and the sky gradually grew dim.

The officers, starting from Lu Yao, gathered on the city wall of Daxia Gate.

Sitting among the crowd, still catching his breath, was Duan Kuang, one of Lu Yao's former subordinates who had followed Gao Xiang to Long Jimeng. Duan Kuang's face was as pale as a ghost, his body covered in blood, and his armor was tattered. There were two ghastly sword wounds on his left rib and back, and his right middle finger, ring finger, and little finger had been severed, exposing white bones. A medical officer was forcefully tearing pieces of clothing from the dried blood clots, a painful process, but Duan Kuang seemed unaware, just staring blankly.

At this moment, Xue Tong hurried over, pushing aside several officers to reach the crowd. Seeing Duan Kuang's terrible condition, he exclaimed in shock, "Duan Kuang, you... are you the only one who made it back?"

Duan Kuang's expression was dazed, and it was only after Xue Tong's repeated questioning that he slowly began to speak.

It turned out that after joining Long Jimeng, Gao Xiang and others had all been promoted and were leading a separate army stationed south of Huguan City. Two nights ago, Long Jimeng suddenly summoned Gao Xiang for a meeting, and at the same time, a deputy general entered the camp with a military token, ordering the troops not to move. Initially, Duan Kuang and the other officers were not suspicious, but when Gao Xiang did not return by midnight, the soldiers became restless.

At that moment, the Xiongnu had already tricked their way into Huguan City and launched a large-scale attack. Duan Kuang and the others, being experienced veterans, immediately took decisive action, killing several of Long Jimeng's confidants in the camp and organizing the troops to defend. Although the Xiongnu had a large force, they could not easily overcome them in a short time. However, moments later, Long Jimeng personally led his troops and held Gao Xiang's severed head to show the army! This caused chaos among the soldiers, and the Xiongnu quickly broke into the camp. Over a thousand troops were mostly killed, and only a few managed to escape the chaos and flee to Jinyang. Duan Kuang, with his fast horse, was the first to arrive.

Fortunately, He Yun was nearby and rushed him over.

At this point, Duan Kuang burst into tears, his voice choked with grief: "Poor our Commander Gao, a hero all his life, yet fell into the hands of the treacherous! Poor our thousand brothers-in-arms, who were determined to kill the enemy and serve the country, but died so unjustly!"

For a moment, everyone was moved.

Xue Tong, who was closest to Gao Xiang, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails pierced his palms, drawing blood. He breathed heavily, his face ashen, and after a while, he suddenly punched the parapet with all his might. His personal guard, seeing his bloody knuckles, tried to bandage them but was pushed away, falling several feet away. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Long Jimeng! Long Jimeng! I swear I will kill this beast!"

"Shouting won't do any good! Do you think shouting will curse him to death?" A mocking voice suddenly came from the agitated crowd: "You might as well save your energy and think about the present!"

Xue Tong spun around like a whirlwind and shouted angrily, "Who?"

At this moment, who would dare face Xue Tong's fury? The crowd quickly parted, revealing the speaker.

The man stood with his arms crossed, sneering continuously. It was Shen Jin.

Shen Jin and Gao Xiang had no prior relationship in the Bingzhou army, but after joining Lu Yao's command, they became good friends, sharing similar temperaments. No one expected Shen Jin to speak so bluntly at such a time.

Everyone present was silent, and only Xue Tong glared at Shen Jin with a fierce, almost predatory look. Deng Gang quickly stood beside Xue Tong, grabbing his arm and shouting at Shen Jin, "Old Shen, what are you doing?"

"Heh, I'm not crazy," Shen Jin stepped forward, his face illuminated by the flickering firelight, looking terrifyingly grim. "Old Gao is dead, and you all are grieving and want to avenge him, right? But is now the time for revenge? Wake up!"

"What do you mean?" Lu Yao said solemnly. "Old Shen, if you have something to say, just say it."

Shen Jin was silent for a moment, his face ashen as he glared at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao's expression remained calm, showing no signs of agitation.

For some reason, everyone present felt increasingly tense.

After a while, Shen Jin said in a low voice, "Daoming, I'm a rough man and not good with words. But some thoughts are too heavy to keep inside. The current situation is clear: Long Jimeng has betrayed and joined the enemy, and the Xiongnu's Left Xianwang Liu He is leading over twenty thousand elite troops to Jinyang through Shangdang. Jinyang is defenseless, with only a few generals and about three thousand troops, mostly old and weak... is that not so?"

Lu Yao nodded. "Indeed."

Shen Jin stepped forward, speaking urgently, "The disparity between us and the enemy is too great. Jinyang cannot be defended. Once Jinyang falls, the main army on the front lines will be like fish in a barrel, doomed to be wiped out. Daoming, we have lost this battle!"

"We have lost this battle!" The words sent a shock through everyone present. Although each person deeply felt the urgency of the situation, there was always a glimmer of hope, especially in dire circumstances, where good expectations were unconsciously strengthened. Among the many officers present, only the straightforward and somewhat impulsive Shen Jin would say such a thing so directly.

"The disparity is indeed great, and defending Jinyang is difficult. But..." Lu Yao said carefully.

Shen Jin rudely interrupted Lu Yao, "Daoming, what else do you want to say? You are an experienced veteran. Can't you see that we are at a critical juncture?" He struck his left palm with his right fist, making a sharp sound. "The court's incompetence has allowed the rebels to grow so powerful. Now, even high officials are betraying us, using the heads of our brothers to curry favor with the barbarians!"

Shen Jin became increasingly agitated. His expression almost became grotesque, his hot breath hitting Lu Yao's face. "In such a situation, why should we noble men sacrifice ourselves for the court?"

"Shen Jin, what are you saying?" Xue Tong was furious, raising his fist to charge forward but was stopped by Lu Yao's arm.

"It's fine, let him finish."

"Daoming, think about it. The Bingzhou army once had fifty thousand troops. How many are left now? When we reorganized at Jicheng, we gathered over three hundred old comrades. How many are left now?"

Lu Yao immediately answered, "If we count Duan Kuang, there are now one hundred and forty-six old comrades from Jicheng."

Shen Jin was taken aback by Lu Yao's quick response and his tone softened. "See, more than half have been lost! Haven't the soldiers sacrificed enough for the court? Why... why should we risk everyone's lives for Jinyang?"

He lowered his voice. "Daoming, even if Governor Liu has been kind to us, we are not his subordinates. We served him out of necessity. We have already earned enough merit by killing Qiao Xi and defeating Shi Le. Don't sacrifice everyone's lives for this court official!"

Lu Yao looked at Shen Jin and said slowly, "What do you suggest we do, then?"

Shen Jin's expression became unusually serious, and he spoke deliberately, "Since you are in charge of the defense of Daxia Gate, this is a good opportunity. Before the Xiongnu's main force arrives, we should immediately leave the city and head to Xinxing Commandery! The Xiongnu will be busy attacking Jinyang and won't bother with us... This is the only chance to survive!"

These words made the atmosphere on the city wall suddenly tense.

Lu Yao looked around, and many officers showed subtle expressions. Even Xue Tong, who prided himself on loyalty and bravery, seemed lost in thought.

Lu Yao fully understood the soldiers' mindset but couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Shen Jin's suggestion almost represented the thoughts of most of the soldiers. They had deep blood feuds with the Xiongnu and fought them without hesitation, making them the bravest and most reliable warriors. However, they had also suffered greatly under the incompetence of the former Bingzhou Governor Sima Teng, and their trust in the court had plummeted to a pitiful level. Even though Governor Liu was trying to revive the situation, it was impossible to change things in just a few months.

In fact, in recent years, the court had been in chaos, and the country was in turmoil. The army, from top to bottom, was disunited and lacked the enthusiasm to serve the court. Once in a difficult situation, both officers and soldiers harbored thoughts of self-preservation, differing only in degree.

What Shen Jin said, which no one had dared to voice before, was, in fact, the most normal choice given the current military situation. Lu Yao could not deny this.

But, is the normal choice always the right choice?

Lu Yao fell into a long silence.

******

Thank you all for your support. Despite the lack of promotion, the number of red tickets has not significantly decreased. I bow, and bow again!

A friend named Yamada Yuki from Baidu Tieba provided some insightful comments on the plot development, which are indeed valuable. I extend my special thanks to my brother.

Additionally, I thank 0CZHU and Zhou Fen Fan for their support. The income from this month's support is quite substantial, enough for two large bowls of noodles. :）

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