The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 483 The Emperor (Part Twelve)
The next morning, bright sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Xiao Yan's profile. He had just withdrawn his hand from tucking the blanket around the surrendered official, his movements extremely gentle, as if afraid of disturbing the deep sleep of the person on the bed.

The surrendered woman's pale face was buried in the bedding, a few strands of disheveled hair clinging to her sweaty cheeks. The intense grief of the previous night seemed to have drained her last bit of strength.

Xiao Yan's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, his fingertips resting on her wrist to confirm that her pulse was no longer erratic. Only then did the tenderness in his eyes fade, leaving behind his usual calm.

He straightened up, grabbed the gray-blue outer robe draped over the low stool, neatly put it on his shoulders, tightened his belt, and then pushed open the door. A morning breeze carrying cold air and the smell of blood immediately rushed in, making his robe sleeves flutter.

Outside the gate, in the open space, the embers of the campfire emitted wisps of smoke, and hot water was still boiling on the still-burning fire. Qin Wang's entourage were orderly distributing their dry rations.

Hou Qing leaned against a half-collapsed earthen wall, holding a cup and drinking hot water. Hanba squatted drowsily beside him, as if he had not yet recovered from a hangover.

On the rooftop, a tiny figure almost blended into the pre-dawn sky. Ying Gou crossed her arms, her gaze passing over Xiao Yan, landing deep inside the shop, then indifferently withdrawing, and turning towards the leaden gray main peak of Yinshan Mountain in the distance.

At the mountaintop, the immense pressure from last night had completely dissipated, leaving only deathly silence.

"Your Highness."

Gongyang Zuo rode his horse from the direction of the valley entrance, then dismounted a few steps away. He quickly approached, chuckling as he handed over a water bag, saying, "That scoundrel Li Siyuan requests an audience, saying he has a plan to defeat Jin to offer."

Xiao Yan took the water bag, moistened his throat slightly, and then scanned the messy battlefield inside and outside the valley. He saw the disarmed and bound Jin army prisoners huddled in a sheltered corner, while more than a hundred palace cavalry and volunteer cavalry patrolled and guarded the area outside the valley.

His face remained expressionless; he simply replied, "Bring him here."

Immediately, Li Siyuan was pushed over by two night scouts, but he described himself as being even more disheveled than the day before.

He was still wearing the tattered fur coat he had stripped from the auxiliary soldiers, and the grime deliberately smeared on his face was washed away by sweat, leaving several deep furrows, making him look quite unsightly. His wounds had not been treated, and his steps were unsteady; he was practically dragged several feet away from Xiao Yan, clearly suffering from a severe blow to his health.

"Your Majesty, the guilty subject Li Cun..." He first knelt down on the ground with a thud, but immediately gritted his teeth and changed his words, while kowtowing heavily, "Your Majesty, the guilty subject Li Siyuan pays his respects to the Prince of Qin."

Xiao Yan gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, his face expressionless, simply staring at him coldly, as if he were looking at a lifeless object.

Li Siyuan looked up and saw this scene. His heart tightened immediately, but he did not show it on his face. He said sincerely, "I know that I cannot escape death. However, before I die, I am willing to offer a plan to help Your Highness quickly defeat Li Cunxu and establish your rule in the northern border."

Xiao Yan lowered his eyes, fiddling with the hilt of his sword, his voice devoid of emotion: "Speak."

Li Siyuan licked his lips, his speech quickening with urgency: "Your Highness, you are wise. Li Cunxu's crushing defeat in the northern desert has already stirred up a storm within Taiyuan. The faction of Prince Jin, including Empress Dowager Cao, Zhang Chengye, and Guo Chongtao, is at odds with the faction of Taiyuan's garrison commander Li Kening and his adopted sons Li Cunhao and Li Cunshi. Although Li Kening is outwardly suppressed, his wife, Meng, is domineering and greedy, and her cronies are spread throughout the garrison's troops."

Gongyang Zuo looked on with amusement, but he only approached and whispered a few words to Xiao Yan, who remained unmoved.

Li Siyuan took a breath, not daring to look at Xiao Yan, staring intently at the muddy ground before him, and continued, "Now Li Cunxu is trapped at Yehuling. If news of the loss of his elite troops reaches Taiyuan, Li Cunhao and others will surely seize the opportunity to launch an attack, either by imprisoning Empress Dowager Cao and others, or by simply supporting Li Kening and replacing the Prince of Jin. Your Highness, however, is the chosen one, wielding great power and commanding a formidable army. Seeing that the situation is hopeless, Li Kening, in order to preserve his wealth and status, might even surrender the city..."

Seeing that his lord, though still expressionless, was still fiddling with the hilt of his sword, Gongyang Zuoyan immediately pressed his hand to his sword and sneered, interrupting Li Siyuan's words.

Li Siyuan froze, the words stuck in his throat, and looked in astonishment toward the sound.

Then he saw Gongyang Zuo holding his Tang sword, which he never parted with, and just grinning.

"The Holy Lord is truly adept at teaching people to sell out their own fathers, uncles, and family fortunes. He seems quite skilled and experienced. Even though he's in the border region, he's already figured out all the dirty tricks in Taiyuan. Tsk tsk, this filial piety and thoughtfulness are truly touching and breathtaking."

Li Siyuan was even more embarrassed and, of course, felt ashamed and indignant. But when he saw Gongyang Zuo finish laughing and then lean slightly closer to Xiao Yan's ear, whispering a few words that only the two of them could hear, he immediately suppressed his emotions and crawled forward half a step.

"The garrison commander is right. The power struggle between uncles and nephews in Taiyuan is evident and not an exaggeration. If Your Highness were to send someone to spread the news of 'Taiyuan in turmoil and Li Kening's intention to surrender the city' to Yehuling, Li Cunxu would be devastated upon hearing this terrible news. If Taiyuan is lost, his foundation will be destroyed. Therefore, his only way out is to abandon the defense of Yehuling and retreat south to the strategic passes of Yanmen Pass and Yunzhou at all costs to stabilize his rear."

Li Siyuan raised his head and said earnestly again, "At that time, once Li Cunxu abandons the danger and flees south, Yehu Ridge will become an open road. Your Highness's army can pursue him relentlessly, and before he retreats to Yanmen Pass, we will surely be able to annihilate the last main force of the Shatuo in the mountain road between Yehu Ridge and Yunzhou. Even if some remnants retreat into Yunzhou, they will be like frightened birds, their morale completely destroyed, and Yunzhou will be within our grasp! This is the best strategy to drive a tiger to devour a wolf, to subdue the enemy without fighting. I hope Your Highness will make a wise decision..."

The morning wind swept across the valley, making the dilapidated restaurant signs flutter loudly, and suppressed sobs and groans of wounded soldiers came from the piles of prisoners.

Xiao Yan listened to everything in silence, but his gaze was not on Li Siyuan. Instead, he looked more at the prisoners, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Gongyang Zuo had already gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, as if he were about to draw it at any moment and cut off Li Siyuan's head.

Li Siyuan's forehead was already beaded with sweat as he listened to the tapping sound of the sword hilt being struck, and he trembled slightly under Xiao Yan's long silence.

Fortunately, at this moment, Xiao Yan finally withdrew his gaze slightly.

Li Siyuan lowered his head even further, almost burying it in the soil in front of him, and then, after gritting his teeth, said in a trembling voice:
"This humble subject is certain that the surrendered subject Shi Zu and Your Highness have a long-standing friendship, but... but I truly did not know that Shi Zu was someone Your Highness cherished. This humble subject knows that his sins are heinous and he deserves to die ten thousand times over. He only asks to use this meager merit to exchange for the lives of himself and a few of his former subordinates from the Tongwen Academy. If Your Highness does not despise him, this humble subject is willing to serve Your Highness in pacifying the Jin Kingdom, to serve you like a dog or a horse, and to go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Finally, the knocking stopped. Xiao Yan's voice rang out immediately, even letting out a laugh, though Li Siyuan couldn't tell whether it was approval or mockery.

"Your Majesty's plan is indeed the best one."

Li Siyuan trembled violently, raising his head in disbelief, his eyes instantly bursting with wild joy. This joy was so intense that it almost burned away the remaining fear and humility on his face. As if grasping at the last straw, his lips trembled, and he was about to kowtow in gratitude.

“However,” Xiao Yan’s voice followed, but he chuckled again, “since the Holy Lord is so farsighted, so aware of the situation in Taiyuan, and knows that Li Cunxu will surely abandon the pass and flee south upon hearing the news…”

"Then why go to such lengths to scheme against him, only to give him the chance to escape to Yunzhou?" He leaned forward slightly, a playful smile on his face. "Wild Fox Ridge is a formidable stronghold, a natural barrier at your disposal. At that time, your elite troops from the Tongwen Academy and the remnants of the Jin army were still intact. If you truly wished to help me pacify the Jin Kingdom, you only needed to provide some support on the ridge. With my army encircling him, Li Cunxu would have no chance of escape. Why let him flee all the way to the walls of Yunzhou, thus adding unnecessary burdens to my campaign?"

The color drained from Li Siyuan's face instantly. He knew that Xiao Yan had seen through all his plans at a glance. This plan could indeed help Xiao Yan win quickly, but it also left him a way out.

Allowing Li Cunxu to flee south, whether he died en route or was trapped in Yunzhou, gave Li Siyuan an opportunity to escape the chaos or make a comeback.

"This sinful subject, this sinful subject..." Li Siyuan stammered, his forehead pounding heavily on the ground. "This sinful subject is foolish, this sinful subject deserves to die. I only fear that my abilities are insufficient and that I have ruined Your Highness's great undertaking. I only wished to deliver this message to lure the snake out of its hole..."

“Why is Your Majesty in such a state? I have not been harsh with you. Get up.” Xiao Yan chuckled and then waved his hand. “Take Your Majesty down to rest and freshen up. Your Majesty is still of great use to me.”

Gongyang Zuo responded and stepped forward, grabbing Li Siyuan, who was still desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy, but was also filled with doubt and confusion because of the great use of him, and was trying to squeeze out a grateful and tearful expression. He half-dragged and half-carried him away from the scene.

Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his fingertips unconsciously twisting the rope of the water bag in his hand, his gaze falling on Li Siyuan's retreating figure as he pondered.

"The King of Qin is indeed very majestic..."

A mocking laugh came from behind. Xiao Yan turned around and saw the surrendered official walk out of the room and lean against the wooden door frame.

She wore his old cloak loosely, the cloak too large for her, almost completely covering her, revealing only her bare face, which still couldn't hide her beauty. The morning light outlined her slightly pale profile, a few strands of hair lazily hanging down her cheeks, her peach blossom eyes slightly squinting as she looked at him.

She leaned there, like a wild rose that had been touched by frost but still had thorns, alluring and flamboyant.

Xiao Yan's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he took a few steps closer.

“This little bit of my power,” he paused slightly, chuckled involuntarily, and leaned closer, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, “is nothing compared to the power of Lady Jiang’s crying last night…”

The woman leaning against the doorframe stiffened almost imperceptibly, her peach blossom eyes widening instantly, a faint blush flashing across her cheeks. She instinctively tightened the old cloak wrapped around her, then spat out in embarrassment and annoyance, "Pah! If it weren't for that method being the fastest way to stabilize the cultivation technique, I wouldn't have let you be so smug!"

Seeing her open up and regain her usual quick wit, Xiao Yan felt relieved. The smile in his eyes deepened, and he no longer mentioned the old story about Siyu Dan. Last night, after he helped Jiang Chen stabilize his cultivation, Jiang Chen had already told him a lot despite his exhaustion. Since the past is like a long night, there is no need to delve into it.

Why not sleep a little longer?

"How could I possibly not come out and take a look when I hear my Prince Qin showing off his power outside?"

The surrendered official glanced at Xiao Yan, then casually raised his chin towards the valley entrance and said, "Speak, what do you want to use that guy for? Is there anything we can do to help?"

After saying that, she pondered for a moment and said coldly, "Since Li Siyuan knew I was here and deliberately used this information to lure you here, he clearly wanted to use Duokuohuo to murder you. Given Duokuohuo's hatred for the Li Tang imperial family, if she really had a backup plan, your life would be in danger on this trip. So if you don't kill him today, I won't spare his life after this matter is over."

Xiao Yan glanced at her, then thought of the lingering fear the surrendered official had shown when they discussed the matter last night. He smiled and simply said, "If someone has that kind of fate, then it is his own skill."

As he spoke, he slowly said, "Whether the internal strife in Taiyuan is real or not, and when it will break out, is beyond my control at the moment. But the identity of 'Li Cunren, Grand Commandant of Jin State' is indeed a calling card."

The surrendered official turned around, a glint of light flashing in her beautiful eyes: "...Use their methods to take Yunzhou directly?"

Xiao Yan smiled with narrowed eyes, but did not answer.

The surrendered official rolled his eyes and waved to Hou Qing, who was leaning against the wall, and the small figure on the roof ridge, his voice clear and bright.

"Hou Qing, Ying Gou, come here."

------

A fierce north wind howled, lashing against the towering watchtowers of Yunzhou City. The gray stone walls of the city, under the gloomy sky, exuded a chilling aura. Behind the crenellations, the defending soldiers stood ready, their eyes fixed on the distant plains beyond the city.

Moreover, Yunzhou is located on the southern slope of Yinshan Mountain. Since ancient times, it has been the frontier where the Hetao agricultural region meets the northern nomadic peoples. No matter which dynasty or era, it has always been the best shortcut for nomadic peoples to enter the Central Plains.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Yunzhou was a core town on the northern border, serving as a frontline barrier against the southward incursions of nomadic peoples such as the Turks and Uyghurs. Together with Shuofang and Youzhou, it formed the northern defense line. The imperial court always stationed a large number of troops here and established the Yunzhou Governor's Office to coordinate defense. It relied on passes such as Yanmen Pass to control the transportation routes between the Central Plains and the grasslands, ensuring the troop deployment and material transfer.

After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang court's control over the border weakened, leading to lax border defenses and a reduction in the size of the garrison in Yunshuo. It wasn't until the rise of Li Keyong, the Khan of Yinshan, who turned the Yinshan tribes into a bulwark for Hedong, that Yunzhou once again played a significant role, becoming an important base for the Jin state's military campaigns against the grasslands. Furthermore, since Xiao Yan's initial subjugation of the grasslands, Yunzhou's importance has only grown. Both Li Keyong and Li Cunxu stationed large armies there to defend against invasions from the northern deserts. Only after Li Cunxu's personal campaign against the northern deserts, requiring several troop deployments, did the area become somewhat vulnerable.

Even so, given the fortifications and garrison of Yunzhou, a major military stronghold, it was still not something that Zhao Siwen and Zhu Youwen, whom Xiao Yan had previously dispatched, could threaten. However, with successive defeats in the border wars, especially with the enemy army able to directly approach the city walls, the Yunzhou garrison inevitably experienced several days of panic.

Li Si'en, the Tuyuhun commander in charge of assisting Li Cunzhang, the defense commissioner of Yunzhou, in guarding Yunzhou, received a constant stream of letters from the Dangxiang, Tatar, and Shiwei tribes, either probing or inquiring, clearly indicating widespread anxiety among the people.

Fortunately, Zhu Youwen had been patrolling outside Yunzhou City for several days and was ultimately unable to take control of the city, which put people at ease for a while. Until this day, Zhao Siwen's palace troops outside the city suddenly moved in a big way and headed north, which startled the garrison and made them all go up to the city to defend it.

Soon, the sounds of fighting and horses neighing could be faintly heard from the north. It turned out that a Jin cavalry force of several hundred men was breaking through the encirclement of a larger number of palace troops and heading south. The soldiers on the city wall were instantly alarmed and nocked their bows and crossbows, ready to provide support at any time.

Finally, a small group of about thirty or forty cavalrymen, under the cover of the main force, managed to tear open a corner of the encirclement and rushed into the range of the crossbows below the city.

"Who is the commander guarding the city? Open the city gates immediately! I am Li Cunren, the Grand Commandant. I have urgent military information that requires me to cross Yunzhou to Yehuling to report to the King. Open the city gates immediately!"

Before the cavalry, Li Siyuan, covered in blood, rode forward, shouting hoarsely while frequently looking back as if the palace army's pursuers might break through the blockade at any moment and trample them and their horses into dust.

Li Si'en, the governor of Tuyuhun, was over forty years old. Although he was a Tuyuhun native, he had been adopted by Li Keyong as a child and given the surname Li. He had been commanding troops and guarding the border for many years and was no different from the Han people. From beginning to end, he just leaned on the battlements, squinted and carefully observed the two armies fighting outside the city, his brows furrowed.

Only when he recognized that it was Li Siyuan who had suddenly appeared at the city gates did his heart sink.

"Grand Commandant?!" Li Si'en shouted. "The King sent you to Yinshan to retrieve the sacred artifact. What are you doing here? What is the situation at Yinshan? Has it also been occupied by the Liang army?"

Below the city, Li Siyuan abruptly reined in his restless warhorse, pacing anxiously in circles.

"Yinshan has indeed been occupied by the Liang army. Xiao Yan personally led a large army to launch a surprise attack on the main peak of Yinshan. To protect the sacred artifact, the Sage triggered a landslide and a snowstorm, severely damaging Xiao Yan's troops. I fought desperately to snatch a piece of the sacred artifact and break through the encirclement. Xiao Yan's pursuers are right behind us; they are after the sacred artifact. Commander Li, quickly open the city gates and let us in. This artifact is crucial to the King's victory or defeat at Yehuling, and to the survival of the Jin Kingdom. Any later and it will be too late!"

Li Si'en's gaze, however, was fixed on something further away, past Li Si'yuan. There, the smoke and dust were thicker, the shouts of battle were gradually subsiding, and one could vaguely see that the palace army had completely annihilated the Jin army responsible for blocking their path, and was regrouping, pursuing the last few dozen cavalrymen below the city.

"Grand Commandant, please forgive me," the man sighed and shook his head. "The Liang barbarians surround the city, eyeing us covetously. Opening the gates now would be too risky. I am ordered to guard Yunzhou, and I cannot afford to lose it. I request that you take a detour through another gate, or temporarily seek refuge elsewhere, and I will inform the Defense Commissioner before making a decision."

Despair deepened on Li Siyuan's face. He glanced back at the distant battlefield, then at the towering, tightly closed city gates, as if he had truly been driven to the brink of despair. He gritted his teeth, spurred his horse forward a few steps, and cried out in anguish:

“General Li, the military situation is urgent and cannot be delayed for even a moment. Although the Liang barbarians are nearby, they lack siege equipment, and the city walls are well-equipped with powerful bows and crossbows. How dare they launch a direct attack on Yunzhou? I understand your duty to defend the territory, General, and dare not insist on opening the gates… In that case, it is acceptable not to open the city gates. Please, General Li, lower the basket, allowing only myself and these two holy men accompanying you to ascend the city walls…”

He turned to the side and pointed to the silent young man in plain clothes beside him, and a little girl who still looked like a teenager: "I will be on the city wall in a short while. After that, whether to fight or defend is entirely up to Commander Li. I will not linger any longer! Commander Li, do not hesitate! This matter concerns the success or failure of the King, and the fate of the Jin state!"

Li Si'en scanned the three people below the city several times. Li Siyuan aside, the other two were a blond young man who looked like a weak scholar and a teenage girl. They didn't seem like they could cause any trouble.

He glanced again at the palace troops pursuing him, who were now close enough to be within firing range, bows drawn and arrows ready to be shot. Clearly, they were willing to risk entering the firing range for Li Siyuan's sake. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: "Alright, please wait a moment, Grand Commandant, lower the basket!"

Upon receiving the order, the dozens of riders behind Li Siyuan, seeing that their escape route was completely cut off, some let out a shout and fled into the wilderness, while others turned their horses around with mournful howls and charged towards the pursuers for a final fight, only to be instantly engulfed by the gleam of iron hooves and blades.

Immediately, a huge willow basket was quickly lowered from the city wall by ropes. Li Siyuan and his two companions stepped into the basket one after another, but the pursuers behind them were also in hot pursuit. Seeing Li Siyuan climb onto the basket, the dozen or so riders in the lead were even more furious and rushed forward to throw several arrows at the basket, but they were immediately suppressed by the rain of arrows from the city wall.

The basket then swayed and climbed rapidly upwards along the city wall.

On the city wall, Li Si'en leaned forward, supporting himself on the crenellations, his eyes fixed on the enemy's movements in the distance. Sweat beaded on his palm as he gripped his sword, not daring to relax for a moment.

The basket finally cleared the crenellations and landed heavily on the blue bricks of the city wall. Li Siyuan was the first to stagger out of the basket, then hurriedly walked towards Li Si'en: "Commander Li, the military situation is urgent, I must see my brother Cunzhang immediately..."

Seeing Li Siyuan safely reach the city wall, Li Si'en felt a sense of relief and instinctively stepped forward to greet him: "Grand Commandant, do not worry, please follow me..."

Before he could finish speaking, he caught a glimpse of the teenage girl stepping out of the basket.

At that very moment, the young woman raised her head, her fur hood slipped down, revealing a delicate, porcelain-doll-like face. But her eyes were bloodshot and devoid of any emotion.

Immediately, the small figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.

Li Si'en felt a bone-chilling cold instantly envelop his entire body, his pupils reflecting only a fleeting, extremely fast afterimage. He wanted to draw his sword, to warn others, but the thought had barely formed when a small, white hand silently pressed against his chest.

puff.

With a dull thud, Li Si'en's open mouth only managed to utter a short, mournful cry before he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the city tower.

"Captain!"

The reaction of his personal guards was incredibly swift; their swords were already half a foot out of their sheaths, but Ying Gou merely flicked or slapped at them, her figure moving so fast in the crowd that she was almost impossible to catch. A few muffled groans and the soft cracking of bones were heard, and the elite guards, before they could even fully draw their swords, coughed up blood, collapsed to the ground, and died instantly.

The entire process was as fast as lightning. From the moment Ying Gou raised her head and revealed her crimson eyes to the moment Li Si'en and his seven or eight personal guards fell to the ground dead, only a breath had passed. The remaining defenders on the city wall hadn't even had time to react to what had happened; they only saw the commander and others suddenly fall.

“Enemy…” A nearby general finally reacted, opening his mouth in utter horror to cry out.

Several ear-piercing metallic scraping sounds rang out without warning. Hou Qing had already raised two fingers in front of him and was silently chanting. The swords at the waists of the several bodyguards who had just died seemed to come alive and automatically unsheathed themselves, piercing through the air and instantly piercing the throats of the general and several soldiers who were about to make a move.

As for Ying Gou's purpose, it was even clearer. She completely ignored the other guards and moved swiftly on the city wall, instantly killing dozens of guards who tried to stop her. Like a hot knife through butter, she rushed straight to the city gate winch.

With a few casual slaps, she sent several soldiers flying, their bones broken, flying backward. Then, she raised her small foot and lightly kicked the massive, heavy core of the winch.

Snap, boom—

A chilling sound of breaking mechanisms and heavy scraping rang out simultaneously as the winch, which required the combined strength of several strong men to turn, was kicked open and shattered. The heavy city gate drawbridge, now unrestrained, crashed downwards with a deafening roar.

Li Siyuan was stunned by the bloody and efficient killing before his eyes. It wasn't until Ying Gou's gaze swept over him that he suddenly snapped out of his daze. He then hurriedly pulled out a pre-prepared signal rocket from his pocket and pulled the fuse sharply towards the gray sky outside the city.

"Li Cunren has betrayed the enemy! Quickly defend the city gate! Recapture the winch!" In the chaos, a general finally let out a heart-wrenching roar.

But almost at the same instant the rockets exploded in the sky, the royal palace light cavalry and night scouts, who had been lingering outside the city's range, suddenly surged forward like a raging torrent bursting its banks, rushing toward the open north gate of Yunzhou with overwhelming force.

The remaining defenders on the city wall were thrown into complete chaos. Their commander was killed instantly, the winch collapsed, the city gates were wide open, Ying Gou was like a demon, Hou Qing was difficult to deal with, and outside the city was a torrent of iron cavalry rushing in like a tidal wave.

At the command, some tried to unleash a hail of arrows to intercept the enemy cavalry, some tried to retrieve the winch and lower it down the city gate, while many others ran around like headless flies, some even abandoning the siege of Hou Qing and fleeing in panic.

"The one who entered the city is Zhu Youwen!"

Before the city gate, dozens of riders were shot off their horses by the hastily falling rain of arrows, but Zhu Youwen took the lead, wielding a long spear with the agility of a dragon and the nimbleness of a serpent. With a flick of the spear tip, he pierced through a Jin army captain who was trying to stop them, spear and all, sending him flying and crashing down on a group of people. He then abandoned his horse and charged into the city like a tiger descending a mountain, leaving a trail of blood and gore in his wake.

The surging tide of cavalry followed closely behind, crashing into the wide-open city gate passage without hindrance. Blades flashed, and blood churned. The narrow gateway instantly transformed into a living hell. Before Zhu Youwen, who personally charged into the enemy lines like a madman, all the Jin troops attempting to form ranks were as fragile as paper, collapsing at the slightest touch. From the city gate all the way into the city streets, corpses littered the ground, and blood flowed like rivers.

Almost instantly, the world changed color. The Jin army, which was fighting hard on and off the city walls, was easily defeated. Only the panicked roars of the other defenders in the city and the sound of countless hooves echoed in all directions of the long street.

Poor Li Cunzhang, who was still handling official business in the city, was a general of the Jin Kingdom who had repeatedly defeated the northern deserts and was even related to Li Siyuan as brothers. Before he could even put on his armor and organize his troops, he was blocked in the governor's mansion by the surging retreating soldiers.

Although he later managed to rally some of his personal guards to launch a counterattack, attempting to retake the city gate, he was no match for the elite palace troops personally led by Zhu Youwen. They were utterly routed in a single encounter and forced to retreat in disarray to the government office. Ultimately, Zhu Youwen himself led his men to breach the gate, where he died in the main hall.

He may never have known that he died at the hands of Li Siyuan, but with his death, the nearly 10,000 garrison troops of Yunzhou, who were now leaderless, were first swiftly scattered by the fierce attacks and divisions of a mere thousand palace guards and elite night cavalry. The remaining troops were terrified and collapsed. Finally, out of despair, a portion of them surrendered without a fight.

Yunzhou, this majestic city that controls Yanmen Pass and holds the key to the north of Dai, suddenly opened its doors on this otherwise ordinary day.

Accompanied by surrendered officials and Hanba, and surrounded by Zhao Siwen, Gongyang Zuo, and others, Xiao Yan rode slowly through the North Gate. His hooves smacked the still-wet blood with a sticky sound. Along the streets, a few scattered people huddled behind doors and windows, peering through the cracks with terrified eyes at the young man who had never been to Yunzhou before.

However, Xiao Yan did not stay in Yunzhou for long. He immediately issued an edict to Zhao Dejun's troops at Juyong Pass, who were still in Mobei and responsible for diverting the Jin army's attention. He ordered them to summon all the chieftains of the Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and Shiwei tribes who were affiliated with the Jin state and were located in the vicinity of Yunzhou, Yingzhou, and Weizhou, which is the entire southern foothills of Yinshan Mountain. He instructed them to submit their pledges of allegiance to Yunzhou before sunset three days later.

Those who fail to arrive by the deadline will be considered as resisting.

However, before the third day had passed, a large group of people had already knelt down in front of the Yunzhou government office.

The chieftains of Tuyuhun, the great leaders of Dangxiang, the Sijin of Shiwei... these heroes who once grazed horses for the Jin state in Yinshan and served as the vanguard of the grasslands, after the fall of Yunzhou and the collapse of the Jin state's rule in the north, could they not see who the real Khan of Yinshan was?
They all offered golden knives, fine horses, and abundant cattle and sheep as symbols of submission, but they merely swore oaths in broken Chinese or their native languages, pledging to serve as the vanguard for the King of Qin.

Xiao Yan showed neither arrogance nor excessive affection towards these people. He simply appeased them with gentle words or gave them a slight reprimand, based on the size of their tribes and their past performance. By combining kindness and severity, he temporarily brought these fierce tribal forces under his command. He then immediately ordered the mobilization of several thousand elite cavalry servants from various tribes to join the army on the expedition.

The news spread like wildfire. Zhou Dewei, who was leading his troops out of Shuozhou to the north to intimidate the Yinshan tribes and support Li Cunxu, had just reached Yingzhou territory when he received a series of devastating news: the fall of Yunzhou, the death of Li Cunzhang, and the surrender of all the Yinshan tribes to Xiao Yan.

The veteran general of Jin was struck dumb. On horseback, he cried out several times, "Heaven has forsaken Jin! Heaven has forsaken Jin!" before his blood and qi surged to the breaking point, and he fell from his horse, unconscious. His reinforcements from Taiyuan were immediately left leaderless, caught in a dilemma, and could only retreat hastily into Yingzhou City, daring not to advance another step north.

As for Xiao Yanliu Zhao Siwen garrisoning Yunzhou, while he himself led the Yinshan auxiliary army and Zhao Dejun's troops northward along the Xuanda Valley Road, directly approaching Yefuling, he only issued an edict shortly afterward.

If Li Cunxu is willing to surrender his territory, he can be granted a title of nobility based on his merits.

(End of this chapter)