The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 646 Reinforcements
"Split the troops?"

An Ziyang pinched his chin and remained silent.

After delivering the message, the old man left. He needed to continue monitoring the movements of the Tumed tribe to ensure that this was not a grand scheme orchestrated by the Tatars.

In the secluded and cramped cave, Wang Hai and An Ziyang sat side by side, Gao Anyu leaned against the stone wall, Zhiqing sat cross-legged on the ground, and Deng Baixuan and Liu Baiyun were circulating their qi to heal their wounds. A white banner with Tang Lanzhou's name on it was placed to one side, already stained half red and half white with bloodstains.

The two groups of people in Datong have merged.

The few people present were the ones who had managed to hold off half of the Tatar army until now.

After listening to the Beggar Clan elder's explanation, everyone present fell silent. After several breaths, Wudang Elder Zhisheng hesitated before speaking.

"Isn't it a good thing that the enemy is splitting their forces? Why is everyone so serious?"

While An Ziyang was still thinking, Wang Hai took over the conversation.

"It's not a good thing at all; it's a terrible thing."

“We’ve captured quite a few prisoners these past few days, and we’ve pretty much figured out the situation with the Tatars. The reason we’ve been able to hold them off until now is because of four sisters’ Gu worms, because of everyone’s desperate fighting, and… because of the fighting spirit that Lord Tang awakened in the defeated soldiers on the border.”

"But actually, neither of these two points is enough."

Wang Hai stretched out his hand and raised one finger.

"The real problem lies in the internal strife within the Tatars."

"The Tumed tribe tacitly approved of, or even secretly helped, us spread the Gu worms and attack other tribes. Yibuli also secretly bled out the Tumed tribe. The alien celestial beings belong to different tribes, and therefore hinder each other. This is the fundamental reason why we can do things. Otherwise, with our manpower, it would be impossible to hold back the large army."

"But now, they've realized that."

“They will actively divide their forces and no longer hinder each other. The first to enter the pass will be enfeoffed by the old man on the river and ascend the throne as emperor... This means they will start to fight desperately. No matter which route we try to block, we will be attacked by them with all our might.”

"With our manpower, it would be difficult for us to survive."

Upon hearing this, Zhisheng looked troubled and asked again.

"Where's the Gu?"

Wang Hai shook his head.

"Fourth Sister has confirmed that all the Gu worms she planted among the Tatars have died. The enemy has already mastered the method to remove the Gu worms, so this method is no longer effective. If we want to continue to delay, we can only attack... but we have far too few people."

Zhisheng pursed his lips.

Logically speaking, with just a few of them, a group of defeated soldiers, and a bunch of beggars, being able to delay half of the Tatar army for nearly half a month was already a stroke of luck; one couldn't ask for more... But he was truly unwilling to accept this outcome.

So he looked up, his eyes filled with hope, at An Ziyang.

After a long while, An Ziyang looked up and sighed.

"no solution anymore."

"Either leave, or take a gamble tonight and go for it."

"But the enemy has most likely already prepared a trap, just waiting for us to fall into it. If we go, we'll probably end up surrounded and exhausted to death... Which one would you like to choose?"

Zhisheng gritted his teeth.

"I'm going to charge in! Our sect leader's body is still in their hands!"

An Ziyang nodded and looked at Gao Anyu.

"What about you?"

Gao Anyu shuddered and opened his eyes groggily.

"Huh? Me? I'm fine with anything... Uncle Li told me to listen to you two, just let me know when you've discussed it."

After saying that, he closed his eyes again and let his mind wander.

An Ziyang nodded and looked at Deng Baixuan and Liu Baiyun.

The two bowed in unison.

"Your subordinate will naturally obey the orders of the two garrison commanders... however..."

An Ziyang waved his hand and sighed.

"I know you two don't want to leave."

"Lord Tang has staked his life on you two. You two won't be at ease until you risk your own lives."

Deng Baixuan and Liu Baiyun lowered their heads and remained silent, clearly acknowledging An Ziyang's statement.

An Ziyang fidgeted with his fingers, hesitant.

Logically speaking, he should have overruled everyone's objections and forced them to leave.

With the capital fallen and Nanjing in grave danger, and the old man from the riverbank possibly arriving at any moment, the forces available are limited, and we cannot afford any further losses. There's a 90% chance the Tatars are waiting for us to come to them; in other words, if we launch a direct assault, there's a 90% chance our entire army will be wiped out.

It's time to go.

But... he also has to consider people's hearts.

Zhiqing's body is still in the hands of the Tatars, so Zhisheng won't leave, and neither will the righteous heroes who have rushed to Wudang's aid in the past half month, drawn by its reputation. The Beggars' Sect and the routed soldiers are only holding on by sheer courage; if they leave, this courage, bought with the lives of Tang Lanzhou and Lao Qifeng, will vanish in an instant.

With this departure, the Tatars will enter the Central Plains, and the River God will replenish his troops. He will likely immediately appoint a Tatar emperor and then march south, just as he shattered Juyong Pass, to destroy all the cities of Da Shuo... At that time, the hearts of the people will truly be beyond redemption.

The people of the Central Plains will also face annihilation—just like the previous dynasty.

"Tsk!"

An Ziyang clicked his tongue.

Why is it so difficult...? Can I even make this kind of decision?
Can I make the right choice?
The fingers that were twisting involuntarily trembled, but were suddenly grabbed.

An Ziyang looked up and saw Wang Hai grab his arm, and said in a deep voice.

"Brother An, let's leave it at that."

"You've done enough; there's no need to think about doing more."

An Ziyang slowly shook his head.

When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. Now that Li Miao is not here, he is the tall one, and he has to hold it up... There is no such thing as enough or not enough!
An Ziyang closed his eyes.

In his turmoil, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"If the commander were here... what would he choose?"

"Heh... If the commander were here, he would just crush these lowly bastards in broad daylight."

"Speaking of which, the commander must know about the situation here and is certainly trying to get back. I wonder what formidable methods Mr. Kawakami has prepared to hold him off for so long... But the fact that we've bought him half a month is already—"

Suddenly, An Ziyang opened his eyes.

"wrong!"

"No, no!"

"Half a month? Why should we be able to buy ourselves half a month of time!"

"Why doesn't the old man on the river come and kill us himself!" Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

But then An Ziyang said urgently.

"He's been in Beijing for half a month now, he should know the situation in Nanjing and here, why doesn't he come and kill us himself?"

"There is no one in the capital who can hold him back!"

"As long as he takes action personally, the situation in Nanjing and here will be resolved immediately!"

"Then why didn't he come!"

"Why has he never left Beijing?!"

"The Tatar population was already small, and we are depleting the very foundation upon which he established his rule! Countless alien beings he cultivated have died in Nanjing, which is also part of his foundation! He absolutely cannot remain indifferent!"

Zhisheng said hesitantly.

"What does 'Anzhenfushi' mean?"

An Ziyang angrily clenched his fist.

"Don't you understand yet?"

"The old man from the riverbank transferred the commander away before taking the opportunity to attack the Central Plains! So he should have quickly secured victory before the commander returned! But he didn't do that. After entering the capital, he let us exhaust his resources outside. Was that his own choice?"

"His actions of personally smashing down the city walls and leading a light cavalry force all the way from Shanhaiguan to the capital all demonstrate his urgency. But if he was truly in a hurry, what reason would he have not to come and kill us himself!"

"Having already personally taken control of the city, do you think it's a little less to kill people with your own hands!"

Although Zhisheng understood the oddity of what An Ziyang said, he no longer knew what he was trying to express... until Wang Hai suddenly stood up.

"Brother An!"

An Ziyang looked up and met his gaze.

"Brother Wang, you guessed it too!"

Wang Hai paced around, muttering to himself, his face shifting between light and shadow. After a moment, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and said...

"That's how it should be!"

"I was only relieved that my father-in-law from the river didn't come, but I subconsciously overlooked this point!"

"Brother An, I also think you guessed correctly!"

Apart from the two individuals, the rest of the people were completely unaware of what was going on. Seeing the two people's bloodshot and excited appearance, as if they had gone mad, they dared not ask them for the time being.

Gao Anyu asked bluntly.

"Can't you two speak like normal people? You're making me dizzy."

An Ziyang suddenly turned around to look at him.

"Why did the old man on the river try to transfer the commander away, but not someone else?"

Gao Anyu pursed his lips.

"Naturally, only Uncle Li can stop him."

An Ziyang suddenly clapped his hands.

"You're right!"

Zhi Sheng was still in a daze, Deng Baixuan was also frowning in thought, but Liu Baiyun's eyes widened suddenly when he saw the excited expressions on the faces of the two Imperial Guards.

"What you two mean is—"

An Ziyang turned his head and said excitedly.

"Sect Leader Liu guessed it too!"

"That's right, the old man from the river wants to kill us, but he can't escape!"

"No one in the world can stop the old man on the river—except for one person!"

"The person we've been waiting for has already returned!"

"It's not that we're buying him time, it's that he's been buying us time!"

"We've survived until now because someone shielded us from the greatest danger!"

"He's waiting for us!"

Deng Baixuan and Zhisheng were startled and stood up abruptly, their eyes wide with shock.

Gao Anyu scratched his head and looked at them randomly.

"No, I'm not very bright, could you please—"

"The commander has already returned; he came back after Father-in-law He Shang went to the capital!"

An Ziyang clenched his fist.

"From Japan, we traveled west to Goguryeo, and then sped back to the capital!"

"This is the fastest route!"

"The commander arrived after the old man from the river entered the capital but before he set off to kill us! He was the one who stayed in the capital and single-handedly stopped the old man from the river!"

"It's not that we're waiting for him, it's that he's been waiting for us all along!"

No sooner had the thought-provoking speculation been made than footsteps sounded outside the cave.

Before anyone could react, a person suddenly walked in.

"I was wondering what kind of expressions I would see when I told you this news, but I didn't expect that I would miss the opportunity just because I was a little late."

An Ziyang looked at the person who had come in and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Brother You! What are you doing here!"

Everyone stared intently—who else could it be but You Zi'ang!

But then You Zi'ang smiled and gestured behind him.

"I'm here... naturally because I've already completed my task."

"And I've also brought you all some helpers."

"A helper who can turn the tide."

As he spoke, a figure emerged from behind him.

Following You Ziang's gaze, everyone present felt no joy, but rather a chilling shock. The most astonished was Liu Baiyun, who seemed to recall some terrifying past event. She suddenly began to tremble and pointed shakily at the man.

"It's you……"

(End of this chapter)