The emperor is biased and wants to kill me, but you chickened out when the army is at the city gates

Soldiers are very fast!

That very night, Qin Xuan ordered the army to set off.

Meanwhile, he left behind two thousand Shence Army soldiers to continue controlling Tianshan City, and temporarily released all the prisoners in Tianshan City, sending them outside the city to confuse the public.

"Remember, we must send out a certain number of scouts to patrol every day and try to prevent anyone from getting close to the camp."

Before leaving, Qin Xuan gave Guo Huan some instructions.

The reason for sending scouts on patrol is to prevent spies from getting too close and discovering the truth.

After all, no matter how many prisoners Tianshan City has, there can't possibly be 100,000.

However, Qin Xuan deliberately left behind a corresponding number of tents. As long as there were smoke signals every day, he should be able to keep it a secret for a while.

As for the city itself, it was controlled by a thousand Shence Army soldiers, who were determined to prevent any information from being leaked out.

"Your Highness, will this plan really work?" Zhao Luoying gazed at the deserted camp in the distance, feeling that Qin Xuan's method was somewhat unreliable.

"of course."

Qin Xuan smiled confidently: "Human vision can sometimes be deceiving, especially when you can't see the whole picture. Ten thousand and one hundred thousand actually give people the same feeling."

"But you only deployed a thousand Shence Army soldiers!"

Zhao Luoying wanted to laugh, but she felt that this was a serious matter, so she had to hold it in with great effort.

"Silly girl, I left so many tents behind precisely to cover my tracks."

There are too many people to count, so when scouts are gathering intelligence on the enemy, the most effective way to count them is by headcount from the camp tents.

Qin Xuan ordered his men to leave enough tents, so there was no need to worry about being exposed in a short time.

That night, the Shence Army passed through Wanlipo at top speed.

This high-intensity marching method caused the refugees to complain bitterly.

But this was a last resort; otherwise, the Shence Army would have faced an unnecessary civil war.

On the very night that the Shence Army left Wanlipo, the Qingyun Army arrived.

The Northwest Army arrived late the following morning.

After the two armies met, they quickly formed an alliance, with Sun Wei, the former commander of the Qingyun Army, serving as the commander of the allied forces, and Liu Zhizhong, the commander of the Northwest Army, serving as the chief general.

"Commander Sun, you must be exhausted from your journey. I have just had my men prepare some food and wine. I hope you will do me the honor of joining me."

After setting up camp, Liu Zhizhong came to the commander's tent to request Sun Wei's presence.

In terms of rank, Liu Zhizhong was only a second-rank chariot and cavalry general, while Sun Wei was a first-rank cavalry general. Therefore, even though Liu Zhizhong of the Northwest Army arrived late, it was still Sun Wei who took the initiative to host a banquet and invite him.

"General Liu, His Majesty has issued a secret order to completely eradicate Qin Xuan and his gang of scoundrels. We've only just arrived today, so it's best not to get drunk and ruin things!"

Although Sun Wei verbally rebuked him, his tone was not too harsh.

Liu Zhizhong looked ashamed and said with a forced smile, "Commander Sun is right to teach us a lesson, but scouts had already gone to explore Tianshan City before, and the Shence Army was still turned away. Even if he travels now, it will take at least seven or eight hours to reach Wanlipo."

"Moreover, I have just ordered scouts to be sent out to investigate, so that we can prepare in advance if there is any disturbance."

Hearing Liu Zhizhong say this, Sun Wei felt slightly relieved.

"In that case, let's have a few drinks as we please, we can't let it interfere with our business."

Sun Wei kept a straight face and spoke in a fake tone.

"That's right! That's right! With Commander Sun in our allied forces, no matter what Shence Army or not, as long as they dare to come, we will annihilate them all."

Liu Zhizhong showered Sun Wei with flattery, and Sun Wei burst into laughter.

The next day, Sun Wei, still very drunk, didn't get up until the sun was high in the sky. He then summoned Liu Zhizhong to inquire about the movements of the Shence Army.

Liu Zhizhong did indeed send out scouts, but what Sun Wei didn't know was that the so-called Northwest Army was actually just a bunch of military thugs.

Although they have been stationed on the northwestern border for many years, they have never actually fought a war.

Every time the Mongol cavalry attacked, Liu Zhizhong would close the city gates tightly.

After the enemy left, he sent soldiers to collect the corpses.

However, he did not bury the person with good intentions; rather, he cut off the head of a famous person and took credit for it.

It was through this method that Liu Zhizhong rose from a lowly centurion to his current rank of chariot and cavalry general.

Therefore, the scouts sent by Liu Zhizhong dared not approach the Shence Army. One reason was that they were afraid of death, and the other was that the Shence Army was too famous. As a result, the reports that day indicated that the Shence Army was still blocked outside the city.

"I thought this King of Chu was a man of great courage, but it turns out he's a coward. If I were refused entry, I would definitely lead my troops to break through the city."

Sun Wei cursed a few times with disdain, and then Liu Zhizhong pulled him into the tent for a hearty drink.

After three days of this, Sun Wei began to feel uneasy.

“Everyone says that the Shence Army is brave and skilled in battle, and they can’t keep swallowing their anger like this. General Liu, have your scouts found out anything?” Sun Wei asked with a frown.

Liu Zhizhong immediately patted his chest and said, "Commander Sun, our Northwest Army consists of iron-blooded men who fight on the battlefield. How could we dare to lie about military intelligence? If you don't believe me, you can send the brothers of the Qingyun Army out to investigate today."

Seeing that Liu Zhizhong spoke with such certainty, Sun Wei didn't say much, but privately he still ordered his men to investigate.

The next day, however, the scouts sent out were missing; those who did not return were the Qingyun Army's men.

But this scene did not attract Sun Wei's attention; instead, it was ridiculed by Liu Zhizhong.

After all, his Northwest Army's scouts had been searching for days without any losses, while your Qingyun Army's scouts, who sneaked over, lost a brother on their very first attempt.

Frustrated, Sun Wei simply got drunk with Liu Zhizhong in the army camp.

Meanwhile, the Shence Army had already quietly entered the northern border region.

The cold north wind stung everyone's cheeks; even the Shence Army soldiers felt uncomfortable, let alone the disaster victims.

Fortunately, Qin Xuan had bought cotton-padded clothes to keep warm while he was staying in Tianshan City, so no one would freeze to death on the road.

"How much further are we from Beining City?"

On horseback, Qin Xuan looked at the refugees with some concern.

"There are still about forty or fifty li to go," replied Du Manjiang, the Left Route General of the Shence Army.

Qin Xuan nodded, feeling relieved.

But just then, a warhorse charged in at top speed.

Before the horse had even stopped, a scout jumped down and urgently reported, "Report! Beining City has been breached by the Jurchen Kingdom!"

That one short sentence instantly silenced everyone.

An army of 100,000, leading more than 30,000 refugees, was finally about to make its way through, but this is the result?

"Is that defending general a pig's brain? How could he let the city fall to him!"

Guan Xingsheng couldn't help but burst into a tirade of curses.

"This matter is probably not that simple."

Qin Xuan forced himself to calm down and immediately ordered, "Send more people to investigate. We must get the most detailed and accurate information."