My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

The battlefield outside the East Gate was cleared, and even the carcasses of warhorses were dragged into the city.

When Murong Yan arrived with hundreds of furious Xianbei cavalry, all he saw was a wooden bridge burning fiercely.

Through the firelight and smoke, Murong Yan's face was ashen, but he could only rein in his horse and curse angrily.

Xu Xianzhe returned to Xiao Heng's side with a hint of urgency: "Commander, the troops at the West Gate have been divided!"

Xiao Heng nodded; this brief period of chaos and time difference was exactly what he needed.

"Assemble the team and head to the West Gate!"

At the west gate, the garrison suddenly raised their drums and began to fire arrows sporadically.

Just as the scouts outside the city were cautiously withdrawing, the city gate suddenly opened halfway, and Han Yong led dozens of shield soldiers to rush out, making a move to pounce!

The Xianbei cavalry hastily assembled to meet the attack, and archers stepped forward to hurl arrows.

However, when the Northern Army soldiers charged to within a hundred paces, the rear guard suddenly became the front guard, and under the cover of crossbows on the city wall, they quickly retreated. The city gate slammed shut, leaving behind only a few dozen arrows haphazardly stuck in the ground and bewildered Xianbei people.

Next, at the North Gate, the same attack took down several Xianbei cavalrymen before retreating.

Murong Yan had just arrived with nearby reinforcements when Han Yong and the others had already returned.

This process was repeated; whenever the enemy troops outside the city were about to rest, Xiao Heng would launch an attack.

Sometimes they just feint and then quickly move to another location.

Xu Xianzhi, like Xiao Heng's eyes, moved swiftly between the various city towers, constantly reporting the direction, speed, and scale of the Xianbei reinforcements' movements, relying on his extraordinary memory and keen observation of the flags.

"The enemy cavalry at the north gate number about three hundred and have turned towards the west gate... The enemy cavalry outside the south gate have retreated a hundred paces, suspecting a trap... The enemy cavalry on the opposite bank of the east gate are attempting to build a pontoon bridge, but are being suppressed by our archers and are making slow progress..."

Night fell completely, and the stars and moon were obscured.

Outside Tanxian County, the originally orderly Xianbei siege system had been completely disrupted.

The cavalrymen were mobilized by false alarms time and time again, bouncing back and forth on horseback. Both men and horses were exhausted, their morale was constantly being worn down by the repeated false alarms, and their vigilance slid from its peak to numbness and doubt.

After another feigned retreat on the city wall, Xiao Heng stopped at a secluded corner tower.

Han Yong followed with a knife in his hand, and Xiao Heng hurriedly brought over a bowl of meat soup and handed it to him.

"Commander, those Xianbei dogs have been thoroughly fooled by us! They've run around in all directions, their horses are practically vomiting!"

Xiao Heng nodded and told everyone to rest. Pots of cooked horse meat were brought up.

"The act is almost over!"

He looked at his core subordinates, his gaze finally settling on Xu Xianzhi.

"Next time we exit through the North Gate, their reinforcements will have to bypass us through the West Gate!"

"Rest assured, Supervisor!"

"Han Yong, you must protect Young Master Xu and not attack rashly!"

Han Yong finished the meat soup in one gulp, nodded, and then grabbed a piece of horse meat and took a big bite.

He then looked at Liu Dan.

"Captain Liu, escort them out!"

"..."

As the night deepened, several forces quietly surged in different directions.

The firelight on the city wall was still bright, and the patrols were still everywhere, as if everything was as usual.

Han Yong, along with three hundred elite veterans and Xu Xianzhi, left via the waterway from the East Gate.

Upon Liu Dan's return, Xiao Heng directly issued orders to Chen Da.

The north gate was opened directly, and the pontoon bridge was lowered. This time, the Xianbei people did not rush over rashly, but stood in a safe position and fought back with bows and arrows.

Chen Da didn't rush in; he simply set up his shield behind the bridge.

When torches appeared in the direction of the west gate, Xiao Heng ordered a retreat.

Nothing happened that night, until dawn, when the Xianbei people suddenly tried to enter the city via the waterway at the east gate.

But they quickly retreated, leaving behind dozens of corpses.

East bank of the Shu River.

From the reeds, two Jin scouts, their clothes covered in mud, slowly poked their heads out.

They had followed us all the way from Siwu County.

"The young scout said in a low voice."

"The banner remains unchanged!"

"There are Xianbei corpses by the water at the East Gate. Seven or eight of them have floated down. Judging from the wounds, they were caused by crossbow bolts from the city wall. There are scorch marks near the water gate. The bridge must have been completely destroyed."

The old scout nodded; these events were to be expected.

His gaze was fixed on the city tower at the east gate.

"The city might be short-handed; I wonder whose team this is!"

"There weren't many Xianbei people; it seems they were only there to besiege the city!"

"..."

Two days later, at Sikou, in the main tent of the Northern Army.

Sun Wuzhong disregarded formalities and presented a secret report directly to Xie Xuan.

"Commander! Urgent report from the garrison of Siwu! That Xianbei cavalry has indeed gone to Tanxian and besieged the area. The garrison has fought fiercely all night and is still holding out!"

Xie Xuan raised his eyes, took the secret report, and quickly scanned it.

"These Xianbei people!"

Xie Xuan put down the intelligence report, stood up, and walked to the huge map of the Jianghuai region. His gaze swept over Pengcheng and Siwu, finally landing on Tanxian and Quxian further east.

Sun Wuzhong followed to the front of the map.

"General, Xiao Heng's troops are isolated. I request permission to lead a contingent to their aid!"

Xie Xuan's gaze never left Donghai County on the map; he understood Sun Wuzhong's desire to rescue people.

After Xu Lin delivered the intelligence about reinforcements to Xiangyang, it was immediately sent to Jiankang via express courier. However, several days passed without any reply from Jiankang, especially from his uncle Xie An.

Is it a heated debate within the court? Or does my uncle have a deeper plan that he cannot reveal?

This silence put Xie Xuan under even greater pressure than explicit rebuke or support.

This leaves Xie Xuanjin in a dilemma, unsure whether to retreat or not, let alone send troops to rescue the East China Sea.

"Because the whip is too far away, does Sima Sun not trust Xiao Sanlang?"

Xie Xuan finally spoke.

"Our army's full-scale response to the Huaibei front is still insufficient. If we send troops to provide distant relief and Peng Chao discovers our true strength, then the situation will be hopeless."

He glanced at Sun Wuzhong.

"That kid planned his escape route two weeks ago, how did he end up trapped?"

Sun Wuzhong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Xie Xuan's deep gaze fixed on the map of the East China Sea, he knew that the commander-in-chief had made up his mind and was considering the overall situation, so he had no choice but to swallow his words and clasp his hands in greeting.

"This humble general...understands!"

Xie Xuan turned back to his desk and took out a plain silk official document used for urgent appointments.

He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, paused briefly, and then his brush moved with the speed and grace of a dragon.

"General Xie Xuan, concurrently serving as the Military Supervisor of Jiangbei and Governor of Yanzhou, hereby issues this decree to Xiao Heng, the Chief of the Northern Army: The barbarian cavalry have invaded Tie, causing turmoil in the coastal regions. You, with your isolated force, have steadfastly defended Tancheng, diligently observing and responding to the situation, repeatedly thwarting their fierce advance, earning widespread renown for your loyalty and bravery. Now, in accordance with the expedient national regulations, you are hereby appointed Acting Governor of Donghai, concurrently serving as the Military Supervisor of Donghai. All military and administrative affairs within the prefecture are entrusted to you. Provisions and supplies may be planned locally, and you shall make independent decisions based on the circumstances, without further consultation."

After writing, he took out the heavy silver seal of the military commander of Jiangbei and pressed it down solemnly.

This was not an imperial edict issued by the Ministry of Personnel, but in this battlefield of Jianghuai, Xie Xuan's seal was the highest authority and credibility.

"Immediately send this appointment to Tan County and hand it over to Xiao Heng via the fastest means possible."

Xie Xuan sealed the official document and handed it to Sun Wuzhong, his gaze sharp.

"Tell him that until the imperial decree arrives, he has the final say on matters concerning the East Sea, but he must bear all the consequences himself!"

Sun Wuzhong accepted the silk scroll with both hands, his heart filled with shock. Xiao Heng was truly lucky.

"This subordinate obeys!"