Chapter 479: Chapter 479: He He He… Descended!

The letter said: “Mu Yan, I know you must be worried about me going to the border alone, but I also can’t leave my family behind. I’m sorry for leaving without telling you this time; I’ll make it up to you when I return.”

Mu Yan’s hands trembled. He asked, “When did the Princess leave?”

“Your Highness, the Princess left last night at 9 p.m.,” Liu Xi replied respectfully.

Mu Yan sighed and then asked, “By the way, how is the Old General’s health?”

Liu Xi nodded, “I asked Housekeeper Zeng, but the Old General refuses to see anyone. I do not know.”

Mu Yan glanced at the pitch-black sky and felt a heavy weight on his heart. He left Liu Xi behind and walked away.

Liu Xi sighed, exasperated, knowing the Prince was indeed angry.

…

Zhan Lan had pursued tirelessly for two days and finally saw Zhan Beicang’s troops.

Zhan Lan rode forward, pulled the reins in front of them, and exhaled, “Finally caught up!”

Zhan Beicang was astonished, “Lan’er, why did you come after us?”

Zhan Hui also reined in his horse, “Sister, did you come alone?”

Zhan Lan handed her spear to a soldier, feeling a slight ache in her stomach from the long journey, “Do you have any hot water?”

“Yes!” Zhan Hui immediately handed over his flask.

As a soldier accustomed to the rigors of marching, Zhan Lan took Zhan Hui’s flask and drank eagerly.

A rush of hot water coursed through her, and she suddenly felt at ease.

“Drink slower, haven’t you eaten or drunk anything on the way?” Zhan Beicang handed her a packet of cold oil cakes with concern.

Zhan Lan took the cold oil cakes and began to eat, sipping hot water, while looking disdainfully at her father, “You have the nerve to ask, how you all left for Fengyu Pass without telling me, that’s how I caught up to you!”

Zhan Beicang, rebuked by Zhan Lan, stammered, “Well…does Mu Yan know you’re here?”

Zhan Lan replied casually, “He knows.”

Zhan Beicang looked suspiciously at his daughter; knowing Mu Yan, he would never let Zhan Lan come alone.

“Alright, since we’re here, let’s make the best of it.” Zhan Beicang eased his frown.

…

They rode hard and finally arrived at Fengyu Pass.

The wind was strong at Fengyu Pass; the gusts and sand made Zhan Lan shiver.

The Zhan Family Army, stationed at Fengyu Pass, lifted Deputy General Lu Youjun’s spirits immensely upon seeing the three arrive.

Lu Youjun, his voice rising, proclaimed, “Main General, it’s great, you arrived just in time, and with the Brave General and Young General, we feel secure now!”

Another deputy, Pang An, slapped Zhan Hui’s chest, “Ah, Young General, I heard you spent two years in the Shadow Sect, and you’ve bulked up so much!”

Zhan Beicang, having heard from Zhan Hui that Chu Yin was pregnant, excitedly turned to Pang An, “You still see Zhan Hui as a kid, he’s about to be a father now!”

Zhan Hui chuckled shyly.

Pang An enthusiastically slapped Zhan Hui’s shoulder, “Ah, such fantastic news, the Old General will have four generations under one roof!”

Lu Youjun also laughed heartily, “Good news, good news!”

Then, realizing he should not dampen the mood any further, as the Zhan Family had never before had four generations living together.

After some brief chatting, Zhan Beicang immediately said, “Let’s go inside the tent to discuss our main business!”

Their expressions instantly became serious.

Sitting in the tent, Pang An, indignant, exclaimed, “Damn it, the Western Rong are too much! Their cavalry is practically at our doorstep, advancing on Fengyu Pass. If they provoke us further, we’ll strike them hard this time!”

Lu Youjun sighed, “The autumn harvest is over, and the people reaped a lot of rice this year. With the Western Rong wanting to plunder our grains, we petitioned the Emperor but received no reply; the soldiers are disheartened. I didn’t expect our Emperor to be so determined; as long as we hold the Tiger Talisman, we have an army of 200,000; there’s nothing to fear!”

Zhan Lan, smiling silently, thought if it weren’t for Mu Yan as the Regent King, with Si Yun as cowardly as he is, he might have just surrendered silver and ceded territories!

Zhan Lan mused: Zhan Beicang, Zhan Hui, and the two deputy generals are unaware that this mobilization isn’t Emperor Qingwu’s decision.

She wondered if they would still be so confident if they knew?

This time the Western Rong were surely well-prepared; recalling the ruthless deeds they had done in the past, they could not be forgiven.

Pang An said, “With the Western Rong pressing so hard, we can counterattack now!”

Zhan Beicang nodded, “We must seize the opportunity while the Western Rong Eldest Prince and Baili Jiang have not returned, trapping them at the border and acting swiftly.”

Lu Youjun agreed, “The Western Rong are despicable, and as they glare like tigers at us, openly provoking us, taking action would be justified even if it means capturing Tuoba Xiong and Baili Jiang!”

As they were discussing, a soldier came running, gasping for air, “Reporting to General Lu and General Pang, there’s bad news!”

“A group of Western Rong cavalry, disguised in herder’s clothing, mixed in with sheep last night and infiltrated the city in collusion with Western Rong merchants inside, capturing Shili City!”

“What!” Everyone stood up.

The Western Rong, as nomads living on the steppe and barren lands, could not produce rice and had hardships during their long winters, hence their raids on Nanjin’s border cities for plundering.

Zhan Lan’s fist clenched; Shili City is a town bordering the Western Rong, home to tens of thousands of people.

Because Shili City is not as wealthy as Lianbian City, its land barren and the harvest over the years scarce, the Western Rong cavalry never raided there.

Moreover, why had there suddenly been an increase in Western Rong merchants inside the city?

If their aim wasn’t plunder, then the matter wasn’t simple at all.

“What about the city guard?” Zhan Beicang’s brows furrowed tightly.

The messenger, seeing the three Zhan generals, urgently and excitedly said, “General, the city guard Lu Wei’s mother and child were abducted by the Western Rong, and he…he surrendered!”

“What!” Zhan Beicang slammed his hand on the table, causing his palm to become numb.

Lu Wei had always been adept at commanding troops. Even with just 2,000 garrisoned soldiers, he never allowed the Western Rong any leeway, yet this time he surrendered due to his family!

Such a thing was too suspicious!

Zhan Lan said, “There’s no time to waste. Father, don’t worry about the Western Rong Eldest Prince and Baili Jiang; now we must devise a plan to protect the lives of the city’s people!”

Zhan Beicang immediately ordered, “Zhan Hui and I will lead troops to Shili City. Zhan Lan, lead General Lu and General Pang to guard Fengyu Pass, in case of a Western Rong sneak attack.”

“Yes, Main General!” Lu Youjun and Pang An accepted the orders.

Zhan Lan offered a different opinion, analyzing, “Fengyu Pass has a moat and triple walls, mature defensive structures that are easy to defend and hard to attack, leaving General Lu and General Pang behind is sufficient!”

She looked at Zhan Beicang with determined eyes and said, “Father, please give me 2,000 men; I want to go to Lianbian City.”