Who put the yellow robe on me?

Jiang Chen's voice was resounding: "First, when the Western Region soldiers withdrew from the Three Prefectures, why did they plunder the food of the people in the Three Prefectures, causing them to wail and become homeless?"

Lord Ji's old face flushed slightly, and he forced a smile and said, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, please calm down. I will go back and interrogate the soldiers strictly to find out who is plundering the people's food. I will return it all! No, I will return it double!"

Jiang Chen sneered, "Master Ji, there's no need to pretend. We've already taken back all the food we stole from the people!"

Lord Ji smiled awkwardly: "May I ask Your Highness the Prince of Yan, what are the other two matters?"

Jiang Chen said, "The second thing is that you secretly mined silver ore in the Mingsha Mountain in Hami near Yizhou. What's the purpose of this?"

Lord Ji broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. He didn't expect that Helian Xin, this idiot, would be caught while digging for silver.

But at this point, he would never admit his guilt, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, I was not aware of this matter. May I ask, did you catch the thief red-handed?"

At this time, Lord Ji's rogue behavior had been exposed. Since Helian Xin had been caught, it was impossible for him to take the silver ore out alive. If he could not take the silver ore out, it would naturally not be considered theft.

Zhong Xiaodan took over and said, "Master Ji, Helian Xin from the Western Regions took our silver ore away. We are now mobilizing our troops to recover the silver ore.

Besides, Master Ji, wasn't it you who instructed Helian Xin to steal the silver mines?"

Lord Ji said, "General Zhong is being wronged. We were truly unaware! May I ask who is behind this rumor? I am willing to confront him!"

Jiang Chen waved his hand, and a soldier walked out of the crowd. "Master Ji, do you recognize this man?"

Lord Ji took a closer look and was shocked. This person was none other than Helian Xin's personal bodyguard.

His heart was in turmoil. He didn't expect that everything he did, thought and felt had been discovered by Jiang Chen.

Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Chen continued, "Third, your soldiers pursued and killed soldiers and civilians near Yizhou, disrupting local public order. How does Lord Ji explain these actions?"

If Lord Ji was involved in the first two things, he really knew nothing about the third thing.

Lord Ji looked at Jiang Chen blankly, not knowing what Jiang Chen wanted to say this time.

Jiang Chen clapped his hands, and a young general came riding over.

Jiang Chen looked at Master Ji for a long time, and seeing that the doubt on his face was not a disguise, he said, "This man's name is Murong Hao. Master Ji, do you recognize him?"

"Murong Hao? Murong? Could it be that... you are from the Former Yan?" Lord Ji looked terrified.

Murong Hao said, "Indeed, our Former Yan was once a small nation with a population of several hundred thousand, but has now been hunted down to less than a thousand people. This is all thanks to the officials in the Western Regions!"

Jiang Chen sneered, "Master Ji, are you still trying to quibble now? Can this solid evidence prove that you looted during your retreat? Is this what you call a friendly agreement?"

Lord Ji was speechless, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes. He looked around and found himself in a dilemma.

Atop the city wall, General Mammon watched all this from afar, his face stern, spear in hand, murderous intent in his eyes.

The deputy general beside him said to General Mammon: "General Mammon, it seems that Lord Ji has been forced into a desperate situation. Do we need to rescue him?"

General Mammon hesitated and said, "If we act now, it might trigger a war. Let's wait a little longer!"

Jiang Chen, who was standing below the city, seemed to have no intention of waiting. He said to Lord Ji, "Lord Ji, if these two countries go to war, I'm afraid you should stay away. Otherwise, the sword will have no eyes!"

Lord Ji pleaded, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, is there still room for negotiation?"

Jiang Chen said, "Negotiation? It's not impossible. How about this? You take the troops back to protect the King of the Western Regions and tell them that the Northern Qiang will come to fight soon. We will guard Xizhou City for you! This matter will be over like this..."

"Ah?" Lord Ji exclaimed.

Although Jiang Chen's words were subtle, anyone who was not a fool could understand that he was asking the Western Regions to cede Xizhou City to Daliang.

The last time he ceded the three Gaochang counties to him, he was nearly beheaded by the King of the Western Regions. Fortunately, his sister used her magic in the harem to save him from death.

If Jiang Chen easily promised Xizhou City again this time, these ten sisters probably wouldn't be able to save him.

Seeing the hesitation on Lord Ji's face, Jiang Chen knew that this matter was not so easy to fool, and then laughed out loud: "Okay! In that case, let's fight it out on the battlefield!"

He turned and ordered the generals behind him: "All troops, listen up! Prepare to attack the city!"

"Yes!" The soldiers responded in unison, their morale high.

The drums of war sounded again, shaking everyone's heart. The sky was covered with dark clouds, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm.

The air was filled with tension, mixed with the smell of gunpowder and sweat, making people feel suffocated.

General Mammon saw this and frowned: "Pass the order down, the entire army is on alert and ready to fight at any time."

On the city walls, soldiers from the Western Regions also took their positions, and archers drew their bows and aimed at the Daliang army below the city.

General Mammon stood at the highest point, his eyes sharp and his voice resounding: "Brothers, defend our city and don't let the enemy succeed!"

Jiang Chen rode back to the front of the team and shouted to encourage the soldiers: "Soldiers, for the glory of Daliang, if we can capture this Xizhou City, we will be able to reach Qiuci, the capital of the Western Regions. Charge!"

"Kill!" The Daliang soldiers roared and rushed towards the city wall. Ladders were quickly erected and the soldiers climbed up like ants.

A rain of arrows rained down from the sky, piercing the air with sharp cries. Jiang Chen brandished his sword, directing his troops to dodge skillfully. His heart burned with a raging fighting spirit, and his ears were filled with the clamor and shouting of the battlefield.

Jiang Chen stood on a high place, holding a long sword, and stared at the battlefield with sharp eyes.

The current situation is unfavorable to Daliang. The defense of the Western Region is extremely strong, and the rain of arrows on the city wall is like a rainstorm, hindering the advance of the Daliang army.

"Your Highness Prince Yan, our offensive has been blocked and our soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't be able to sustain it." Zhong Wenbin walked quickly to Jiang Chen's side, his tone filled with anxiety and helplessness.

Jiang Chen clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. He took a deep breath, sensing the scent of gunpowder in the air, and thought to himself, "This won't work! Even if we capture Xizhou City, we'll suffer heavy casualties! By then, attacking Qiuci will surely be a failure!"

At this moment, a rapid sound of horse hooves came from behind.

Jiang Chen looked back and saw Murong Hao riding his horse galloping towards him, his face full of determination and excitement.

"General Murong?" Jiang Chen asked, with a vague premonition in his heart.

Murong Hao dismounted and quickly walked up to Jiang Chen, whispering, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, I suddenly remembered something important. We, the former Yan people, have a secret passage outside Xizhou City that leads directly into the city."

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up, as if he saw the dawn in the darkness.

He suppressed his inner excitement and asked, "Are you serious? Is this secret passage still usable?"