Chapter 97

Lu Yao remained silent, and none of his subordinates spoke a word.

After a long while, Lu Yao suddenly called out, "Old Xue."

Xue Tong stood below Lu Yao, clasped his hands, and replied, "Here."

Lu Yao slowly said, "In the past, the great defeat at Dalin saw the armies scatter. The Duke of Dongyi feared the enemy like a tiger, and he watched as we faced peril, even abandoning his comrades to flee in the midst of battle. When we were in dire straits, we cursed Sima Teng, that rat, day and night. But now, there is someone who fears the enemy like a tiger, urging me to follow his example!"

Before Xue Tong could respond, Shen Jin was already furious, "Lu Yao! Do you underestimate me so much?"

Shen Jin was a man of great courage and valor, and now, provoked by Lu Yao's words, his hair and beard bristled, and the veins on his forehead bulged, making him look quite terrifying. Guo Huan, Fei Cen, Yang Ruo, and other officers, who were Lu Yao's old subordinates, feared his strength and the possibility of a sudden outburst, so they all stepped forward, their hands on their sword hilts. Shen Jin also had several of his own soldiers present, who immediately drew their swords in readiness. The atmosphere on the scene suddenly became tense.

At this moment, Xue Tong suddenly stood between Lu Yao and Shen Jin.

"Scatter! All of you, scatter!" He first shouted loudly, driving away the surrounding soldiers, then bowed to Lu Yao, "General, Old Shen is not afraid of the enemy. He is just... sigh, he is just a rough man."

He turned to look at Shen Jin's ashen face, stepped closer to Lu Yao, and lowered his voice, "Daoming, the disparity between us and the enemy is great. Holding Jinyang is not a good strategy and will not benefit the overall situation. Daoming, perhaps we should advise General Linghu to... to abandon Jinyang and retreat to Yangqu in the north..."

"Disparity? Nonsense!" Lu Yao suddenly became angry and shouted, "Jinyang still has over three thousand soldiers. If we gather the private armies of the city's powerful families, we can field another two thousand. How many Huns are attacking this time? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? Now, Lu Chang is holding out in Jieyou with just over a thousand soldiers against the siege of tens of thousands of Huns. He never said anything about the disparity!"

Xue Tong's face instantly turned purple. But he endured it and said nothing.

Lu Yao himself also felt disheartened. He knew deep down that Jinyang and Jieyou were incomparable. Jieyou could hold out because Lord Yue Shi personally led a large army to rescue them, and the defenders always had hope. But Jinyang? The entire army of Jinyang was all they had, and there was no chance of victory.

But if they followed Shen Jin's suggestion and abandoned the city, what would be the result? The Huns' tactics, derived from the cavalry battles of the steppes, emphasized pursuit and annihilation. After the great defeat at Dalin, the Hun army swept through the entire Bingzhou in just a few days. If Jinyang fell, how could Xinxing Commandery, so close by, remain unscathed? Even if he led the army to escape, they would be like fish in a pot, at best repeating the process of breaking through the encirclement after the defeat at Dalin, only to be ultimately destroyed.

And Xue Tong's suggestion was not much better. He was merely making a simple compromise between holding Jinyang and fleeing, hoping for an orderly retreat under Linghu Sheng's leadership. But once the Jin army abandoned Jinyang, Yue Shi, who was still fighting in Pingtao, would immediately be caught in a pincer attack, and Linghu Sheng would never agree. The person who suggested this would likely be beheaded. Moreover, leaving the city with the people of Jinyang would be like delivering fat meat to the wolves, and they would be slaughtered by the Hun army on the way.

Xue Tong must have lost his mind to come up with such a ridiculous idea!

At this moment, if one observed carefully, one could see that Lu Yao's hands were trembling slightly, showing that he was struggling to control his emotions. He did not want to lose control, but it was very difficult. Facing a great threat from the enemy, his capable subordinates openly discussed fleeing in the midst of battle, and he had almost no way to restrain them... because almost everyone in the army thought the same way!

Lu Yao was deeply disappointed. Clearly, including Xue Tong, these soldiers lacked a sense of responsibility and trust and obedience to their commander. This trust and obedience required countless battles and many victories led by Lu Yao to cultivate. This army might have gathered the elite of the old Bingzhou army, but it had only been formed for four months. Although Lu Yao had done everything possible to shape them, in this critical moment, the flaws of key officers like Shen Jin and even Xue Tong, his right-hand man, were once again exposed!

Leaning against the battlements, Lu Yao tried to calm himself, carefully searching his knowledge of this period of history, digging through the scattered memories in his mind.

According to the "Book of Jin" and the "Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government," Liu Kun set out for Bingzhou in the ninth month of the first year of Guangxi and officially settled in Jinyang in the following year, the first year of Yongjia, to fulfill his duties as the Governor of Bingzhou. Thereafter, he used Jinyang as a base to fight the Hun Liu Han regime for many years. The final fall of Jinyang occurred in the sixth year of Yongjia, due to the betrayal of a traitor.

In other words, for the five years before that, although "bandits and rebels attacked each other, often turning the city gates into battlefields," Jinyang, isolated behind enemy lines, stood firm and was never captured by the Huns.

Lu Yao reflected that although he had been proactive in recent days, he was ultimately just a mid-level officer commanding fewer than a thousand men. The battles he had fought and the victories he had achieved could have been done by other generals under Liu Kun. Therefore, the butterfly effect caused by the time traveler was not yet sufficient to change the balance of power between Jinyang and the Huns, nor to alter the course of history. In this war, Jinyang should be safe. Or rather, compared to abandoning the city, holding Jinyang seemed to offer a greater chance of survival.

Considering it from another angle, if Jinyang ultimately held out and Lord Yue Shi won this battle... what would be the fate of those who fled in the midst of battle?

Shen Jin and Xue Tong's plans were absolutely unacceptable, but Lu Yao did not know how to explain this to the soldiers.

"Old Xue, I am anxious. If my words offended you just now, do not take it to heart. We have been through hardships together, and I know what kind of person you are," Lu Yao paced back and forth, gesturing for Xue Tong to step aside. He looked at Shen Jin earnestly and said, "Shen Jin, the same goes for you. When I first joined the Bingzhou army, you took care of me. We have been comrades for many years, and our bond is extraordinary. So, if I misjudged you, you feel wronged, right?"

Shen Jin said impatiently, "With the enemy at the gate, what does it matter if I am wronged? But..."

Lu Yao interrupted, "Then, in your eyes, what kind of person am I? Am I the kind of person who treats the lives of my comrades like grass? Or do you not trust my judgment, thinking I am the kind of fool who leads his brothers to certain death?"

Lu Yao was wrapped in bandages, so his movements were stiff, and his steps were unsteady, but his eyes were sharp like cold blades. The imposing Shen Jin could not help but shrink back before him: "Daoming, your insight and decisiveness surpass me tenfold, and I have always admired you. But... but..."

"Let me put it this way, Old Shen..." Lu Yao interrupted him again, "Lu Yao is a soldier. Once I receive orders, I will not stop until I die. What I need to do now is to hold this Daxia Gate. I have my reasons for doing so."

He looked at Shen Jin, "I just want to know, do you trust me? Are you willing to follow my orders?"

Lu Yao turned and scanned his subordinates, "I want to know, do you trust me? Are you willing to follow my orders?"

Despite the strong wind howling over the city walls, the atmosphere under the eaves of the city tower was as stagnant as if it were about to solidify.

After a long while, Guo Huan was the first to step forward, "I will follow the commander's orders!" Guo Huan was usually quiet and rarely expressed his opinions. It was unexpected that he would be the first to support Lu Yao. Since Lu Yao joined the Bingzhou army, Guo Huan had been his trusted subordinate; in this emotional moment, he still called Lu Yao "commander."

Fei Cen, Yang Ruo, and others quickly followed, shouting, "We will follow the general! We will follow you through fire and water!"

These men had followed Lu Yao for many years and were absolutely loyal.

Deng Gang hesitated for a moment, then said with a bitter smile, "I don't understand much about war, but I have lived long enough to know how to judge people." He then bowed deeply to Lu Yao, "Deng Gang will follow the general's orders!"

Xue Tong pondered for a moment, then finally nodded resolutely, "Daoming, you saved my life, and I have already given it to you. Since you have made up your mind, I will follow you to the end!"

Xie Yuan, Xue Tong's old subordinate, immediately added, "I will follow the general!"

In a moment, the only officer left who had not spoken was Shen Jin. Everyone looked at him.

Shen Jin's expression was uncertain. He gritted his teeth, "Daoming, I am a rough man with limited knowledge and do not dare to argue with you. But in this situation, you still want to hold this desperate position... can you at least give me a reason?"

Lu Yao took a step forward, "I have my reasons, and you only need to answer. Old Shen, are you willing to follow my orders?"

Shen Jin was silent for a long time, then grinned and sighed, "Fine! Fine! Daoming, I trust you. Whatever you say, I will do! I, Old Shen, have never feared the enemy or shied away from battle, and I won't let anyone look down on me!"

With the officers' decision made, the entire army became busy. Reorganizing the troops, assigning defense zones, preparing rolling logs and stones... many people were running back and forth.

Lu Yao suddenly patted Shen Jin on the shoulder, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Old Shen, I will only say this to you... our Jinyang army will surely win, so you don't need to worry."

"You mean..." Shen Jin found it hard to believe, "Daoming, you mean we will win?"

Lu Yao wore a mysterious expression, "Be quiet! Don't ask more."

Shen Jin nodded suspiciously.

Although Lu Yao claimed he would only tell Shen Jin, Shen Jin was not the type to keep secrets. The news spread to every soldier on the city wall in just a short while.

All the soldiers were stunned by Lu Yao's confident and serious declaration. Although they were puzzled, they suddenly felt hopeful. In the end, everyone busied themselves with the preparations for defending the city.

Lu Yao sat cross-legged on the wall, looking south to where the main force of the Jinyang army was, and then east to where the Huns were approaching.

It was almost the hour of Wei. The farmers working in the fields outside Jinyang had already retreated into the city, and the city gates were closed.

A short while later, a group of disheveled officials and soldiers arrived at the Daxia Gate, followed by several small groups of people fleeing to the city. They all looked injured and bloodied, in a pitiful state. They crowded at the bottom of the city wall, shouting for the gates to be opened. After Lu Yao reported to Linghu Sheng, the city gates were opened again, and they were all let in.

Around the hour of Shen, a great cloud of dust rose in the distance, covering half the sky. Soon, the sound of bone flutes rose and fell, and one after another, groups of Hun cavalry emerged from the dust.

******

"The Song of Fufeng" has reached 300,000 words, and I, the author, am truly moved. I will continue to write this work with the greatest effort and sincerity, and I hope that readers will continue to support and help me. Thank you all.

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