A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

On the seventh day, just as dawn broke, a scout brought an urgent report.

"General! There's smoke coming from the northwest!"

The scout practically rolled up the city wall, his knees scraping against the stone steps, drawing blood, but he paid no heed to the pain.

Huo Qingluan had just pulled a broken arrow out of a crack in the city bricks when she heard this and paused.

"How many?"

"I can't see clearly."

The scout was panting heavily, his lips were all cracked.

"Smoke and dust are rolling in from the horizon; there are at least 50,000 people, less than two days' journey from Yangguan Pass!"

The charioteers carrying arrows on the city wall all stopped.

fifty thousand.

These two words carried more weight than the bugle calls of the Black Flag Army outside the city.

"telescope."

Shang Wanqing immediately handed her the wooden tube.

Huo Qingluan climbed to the highest crenellation, raised her binoculars, and looked northwest.

The smoke and dust in the distance were low, yet frighteningly wide.

There is a flag in the smoke.

Red, yellow, and blue.

The three colors flickered in and out of place in the sandstorm, completely unlike the Black Flag Army's uniform.

Huo Qingluan stared at it for a long time.

She hoped she was mistaken.

But she wasn't mistaken.

That wasn't the Black Flag Army splitting up and returning.

That was a coalition of various tribes from the Western Regions.

The Golden Crown Man is dead; Bai Tu Kui may already be on his way.

Now that these banners have arrived, the area outside Yangguan Pass is no longer just an army, but a pack of wolves, each with their own agenda, all eyeing the map of mountains and rivers.

She put down her binoculars.

Shang Wanqing looked at her: "You really came?"

Huo Qingluan returned the binoculars in a calm voice.

"The Golden Crown Man is right, it's a coalition of tribes from the Western Regions."

She turned her head to look northwest.

"Three banners, at least three forces joined together, the fastest will arrive in two days."

Shang Wanqing pursed her lips.

She hates this situation the most.

Crossbows can shoot people, ballistae can break through enemy lines, and arrows can be counted. But the enemy has 50,000 more men. This is not something that can be solved by simply sharpening a few more arrowheads.

Huo Qingluan was also calculating in her mind.

The city's garrison was decimated.

There weren't many arrows left.

The hot oil was almost gone.

The eastern section of the outer city has already been lost once. There are still killings at the corners of the inner city, but if 50,000 allied troops press on again, the gap will be filled with corpses, and the last wall will be worn down bit by bit.

We must defend.

But we can't just blindly stick to the old ways.

"Pass on the order."

The lieutenant immediately stepped forward: "Present!"

Huo Qingluan pointed to the outer perimeter of the inner city on the map.

"We don't need the inner city perimeter anymore."

The lieutenant's expression changed: "General, if we retreat any further, there will only be the last city wall left!"

That's why I withdrew.

Huo Qingluan looked at him.

"The area outside is too wide; the Black Flag Army can spread out. Once the Allied forces arrive, they can press in from both sides. We have fewer people and fewer weapons; guarding such a large area is like sticking our necks out to be cut off."

The lieutenant opened his mouth, but couldn't refute it.

He knew Huo Qingluan was right.

Knowing something is one thing, but giving it up yourself is another.

That's Yangguan.

Even if it's dilapidated and old, it's still a place they've risked their lives to protect these past few days.

Huo Qingluan felt uncomfortable seeing his expression.

She wasn't unaware of what these soldiers were thinking.

If you can die moving forward, no one wants to retreat.

But a general can't just make people die a pleasing death. A general must make people die a useful death, or better yet, not die at all.

I'll say it again.

She slammed her spear against the city bricks.

"Abandon the outer perimeter of the inner city and retreat to the last line of defense. All ballistae are to be moved into the sides of the main building, and the crossbows are to be used to block the three narrow openings. Anyone who dares to delay will be dealt with according to the desertion order."

The lieutenant gritted his teeth: "Yes, sir!"

The orders were passed down layer by layer.

There was a brief commotion on the city wall, but it was quickly brought under control by the officers.

The soldiers began dismantling the arrow racks, moving oil canisters, and dragging away the broken ballistae.

Huo Qingluan looked at the soldiers.

"All non-combat personnel, retreat to the back mountain. Those who can walk, walk on your own; those who cannot, use carts. Gather supplies at the city gate and distribute them uniformly."

The soldiers clasped their hands in a fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

Shang Wanqing caught up from behind, holding half a roll of blueprints in her hand.

"Should all the provisions be stored on the city walls?"

"right."

"What if the city wall is hit by a rocket?"

"Place them in three separate locations, and cover them with a damp felt."

Huo Qingluan glanced at her.

"Go keep an eye on them. Anyone who dares to steal will have their hands chopped off."

Shang Wanqing nodded.

"I know how to do that."

She spoke so seriously that several soldiers nearby felt a chill run down their spines.

Huo Qingluan ignored them.

It's better to be afraid of Shang Wanqing than to be afraid of the Black Flag Army.

At least the former would make them quick and agile.

Half an hour later, the last city wall began to take over the defense line.

Huo Qingluan walked into the command post, spread out a piece of paper, and picked up a pen to write a letter.

This is not a military report.

Military reports would include information on troop strength, flags, distance, defensive equipment, and food supplies.

That was for the Ministry of War and the Cabinet to see.

This letter was addressed only to Wei Zhao.

She writes very quickly.

"Your Majesty's letter: Smoke and dust have been seen in the northwest, along with tri-colored flags, suggesting that the allied forces of the Western Regions number no less than 50,000 and will arrive at Yangguan Pass in as little as two days. The smoke from the Black Flag Army's cooking fires has arrived earlier than expected, suggesting they may be there to meet the allied forces."

The pen paused for a moment.

Huo Qingluan looked at the paper and suddenly felt a little annoyed.

She doesn't like writing this kind of letter.

Writing a letter is like admitting defeat.

But she knew even better that some things had to be delivered to Wei Zhao.

The emperor needed to know how long Yangguan Pass could truly hold out, rather than listening to a bunch of empty platitudes like "Your Majesty, I will defend it to the death."

Pretty words can't hold a city.

Only with manpower, food, arrows, and walls can one hold out.

She continued writing.

"The arrows at Yangguan Pass are insufficient, the boiling oil is almost gone, but the crossbows are still usable. I have retreated to the last line of defense, and non-combat personnel are to evacuate to the back mountain."

As she wrote this, her fingers tightened.

"Yangguan can hold out for another five days."

Even she felt the weight of those words as she spoke them.

Five days.

It's not ten days, and it's not seven days.

She calculated the worst-case scenario.

Two days later the allied forces arrived, the third day they encircled them, the fourth day they launched a general offensive, and on the fifth day the last wall would reach its limit.

If reinforcements don't arrive, she can't lead the entire city to burn to ashes along with Yangguan Pass.

Holding out until the last person is a tough stance.

But what Wei Zhao wanted was a living Xinwu Army, not a bunch of loyal souls to be erected as monuments.

Huo Qingluan gritted her teeth and wrote the last sentence.

"If reinforcements do not arrive in five days, I will burn the city and retreat, taking as many people as I can with me."

After she finished writing, she folded the letter and sealed it in an oilcloth.

"Call Chen Shilai."

Soon, a bodyguard ran in.

Chen Shi was young, but he was the fastest man in the entire army. He used to be a hunter in the mountains, and he could cross three ridges in a day without falling behind.

"General."

Huo Qingluan handed him the letter.

"Take this letter back to the capital and personally deliver it to His Majesty."

Chen Shi took it with both hands, his expression immediately tightening.

What if we encounter enemies on the way?

"Go around."

"Is it unavoidable?"

"Swallow the letter, run for your life!"

Chen Shi was stunned: "A fight to the death?"

Huo Qingluan looked at him.

"I need you to deliver the message, not to become a martyr. The message arriving is more useful than you killing ten people."

Chen Shi's throat moved.

"What if I can't escape..."

Huo Qingluan picked up a small knife from the table and placed it in his hand.

"Then destroy the letter first, then die."

No one spoke inside the room.

Chen Shi put the knife into his boot and knelt on one knee.

"Understood."

Huo Qingluan added, "Tell His Majesty that Yangguan can still be held for five more days. After five days, if reinforcements haven't arrived, I will burn the city and retreat, taking as many people as I can with me."

Chen Shi looked up at her.

He wanted to ask, "And you, General?"

But he didn't dare ask.

Because the answer is too obvious.

If Huo Qingluan could leave, she would be the last to go.

If you can't get through, you'll die on the last wall.

"go."

"yes!"

Chen Shi turned and went out.

Shortly after, the small door on the south side opened a crack.

He changed into tattered merchant clothes, carried a water bag, and ran eastward along the sand dunes.

Huo Qingluan stood on the city wall, watching his figure disappear.

She didn't have any grand ambitions.

There was only one thought.

Run faster.

Pass on the message.

Wei Zhao is in the capital; he probably wants to see how things develop in the Western Regions before he makes a move.

But on the Yangguan side, half of the chessboard had already been overturned.

Any later and it's no longer chess.

It's about collecting corpses.

She gripped the spear tightly and looked northwest.

The wind blew in from that direction, carrying sand and the faint neighing of warhorses.

It's not a camel.

It's a horse.

Among the tribes of the Western Regions, there were not only camel-riding troops like the Black Flag Army, but also tribes that rode horses.

This is more troublesome.

Camels are slow, making them suitable for sandy roads and charging into battle. Horses are fast, making them suitable for flanking maneuvers, intercepting supplies, and pursuit.

If the two are combined, even Yangguang's escape route will be targeted.

Huo Qingluan suppressed these thoughts.

We can't be afraid of trouble now.

Trouble is already at the doorstep; there's no use being afraid now.

She raised her spear, the tip pointing northwest.

"bring it on."

The deputy general next to her looked at her.

Huo Qingluan raised the corners of her mouth, her voice not loud, but everyone on the city wall could hear it.

"I'd like to see just how many capable fighters the Western Regions actually have."