My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

The next day, thirty li east of Qu County, there was an abandoned fortified village nestled against a low hill.

Chiganhun squatted beside a pile of campfire embers, clutching a piece of cheese in his hand.

Those sitting or lying around him were his remaining men, fewer than a hundred in number, all wounded.

That night he wanted to take back the city, but he was defeated by the rioters. Yesterday, a group of refugee leaders robbed him of all his grain and horses.

At that moment, a scout rushed in, stumbling and crawling.

"General! They're here! General Murong... less than five li from here!"

Chiganhun suddenly stood up, a sharp pain shooting through his chest from the wound inflicted by the salt worker's pitchfork, making his vision go black.

He ripped off his tattered shirt, revealing his muscular upper body covered in scars, and roared at his henchmen.

"Tie me up! Now!"

His subordinates were stunned.

"Hurry up! Tie it tighter! If you don't want to die together right now, do as I say!"

The men dared not delay and brought hemp rope to tie up their chieftain.

Chiganhun even made them expose the wounds on their chests.

He then arrived at the camp gate, and seeing the flags getting closer and closer, he knelt down in the dust with a thud and bowed his head deeply.

Chigan knew he couldn't escape. His original task was just to look after a group of lowly salt-boiling households, but now he had messed up the job.

"Deng Jing...!"

Chiganhun spat out the name through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with resentment and venom.

The sound of horses' hooves was like muffled thunder, approaching from afar, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

Murong Yan's army arrived, and a dark mass of cavalrymen spread out on the open ground outside the fortified village.

The sound of hooves ceased, and Murong Yan, riding a magnificent black horse, slowly emerged from the crowd.

He wore no armor, only a black brocade robe, with a long sword at his waist. His face was calm to the point of indifference. His gaze swept over the ruins of the camp before him, finally settling on Chigan, who was kneeling and begging for forgiveness.

Before Murong Yan could speak, Chi Gan Hun suddenly raised his head, his face filled with utter grievance and resentment, and shouted with all his might.

"General! This humble general is incompetent and deserves to die! But this humble general is innocent! That Deng Jing, he... he colluded with the enemy!"

He was breathing heavily and speaking very quickly, as if afraid of being interrupted.

"This humble general was ordered to defend the city and apprehend the salt farmers, and had already brought most of them under control! Unexpectedly, that group of Jin soldiers and rioters suddenly launched an attack, and this humble general led his men in a fierce battle! However, Deng Jing's troops fled the city in cowardice, and this humble general, after only a brief engagement, feigned defeat. Outnumbered, this humble general was surrounded, yet Deng Jing stood by and did nothing, ultimately... ultimately leading to the fall of the city and the collapse of the salt farmers! General, you are wise! This is by no means the fault of this humble general alone; it is Deng Jing's treacherous intentions. He colluded with the Jin army, intending to harm my soldiers!"

He shouted himself hoarse, firmly accusing Deng Jing of treason and cowardice.

This was the only way he could think of that might mitigate his guilt.

Murong Yan sat upright on his horse, listening quietly, his face still expressionless.

Chigan Hun's accusations were sharp and specific; under normal circumstances, they would have been enough to make any commander-in-chief seriously doubt his subordinates.

But Murong Yan's thoughts at this moment were far deeper than Chigan Hun had imagined.

He came here not only because he received an urgent report from Chigan Hun, but more importantly, because of the secret order from Pengcheng that he carried in his arms.

Seeing Chigan Hun tearfully and desperately clinging to Deng Jing, Murong Yan had an idea.

A mad dog, though stupid and mischievous, can be used to bite people if properly guided.

As Chiganhun awaited the verdict in near despair, Murong Yan suddenly moved.

He deftly dismounted, tossed the reins to his personal guard, and then, amidst the somewhat astonished gazes of the surrounding soldiers, slowly walked up to Chigan Hun.

He did not reprimand them, nor did he order them to be taken down.

Instead, he reached out and personally supported Chigan Hun's arms.

"Chigan Chieftain, what are you doing? Get up quickly."

Chigan Hun was completely stunned, and his body stiffened as Murong Yan helped him up.

Murong Yan even personally took action and untied the knot on his back.

The rough hemp rope hit the ground, and Chi Ganhun felt a chill on his bare upper body, but what made him feel both cold and hot was Murong Yan's completely unexpected action.

"This defeat was not your fault."

Murong Yan looked at Chi Gan's bewildered eyes.

"It was my military order to have you take orders from Deng Jing and cooperate with him. If anyone is to blame, it's only because I lacked consideration in my personnel selection."

"The injuries are quite severe. Go down and apply medicine first, and let them rest properly. Your men are also brave warriors of the Xianbei, and the responsibility for this defeat does not lie with them."

Chigan Hun could hardly believe his ears; his lips trembled, and he almost burst into tears.

"General... this humble general... this humble general..."

Murong Yan stopped him from speaking.

"I have my own ideas about this matter."

"Where is General Deng now?"

"This humble general does not know!"

"I see. Chief Chigan has suffered greatly. You should rest and recover first!"

He stopped asking about Deng Jing's whereabouts and instead instructed his personal attendants to properly settle Chigan Hun and his remaining troops, and to provide them with medicine and food.

The army then marched towards Qu County, and sent men to search for Deng Jing in the vicinity.

The scouts reported that the troops had not yet arrived.

Murong Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Have you found him?"

"Yes, we'll be temporarily staying in a fishing village on the southeast coast!"

"They certainly know how to pick a location."

"Advance quickly, and send someone else to invite General Deng into the city for a meeting!"

After receiving Murong Yan's invitation, Deng Jing entered the city without much thought.

Inside the central command tent, Murong Yan was already seated in the main seat, with a map spread out in front of him, his expression solemn.

"General Deng has arrived, please have a seat!"

Murong Yan raised his hand in greeting, skipping pleasantries and getting straight to the point.

"General, you must have heard about the dire situation of the Chigan Hun tribe. Now, Qu County is almost a ghost town, the salt fields are destroyed, and the salt farmers have scattered. Our primary task in this eastward march is to acquire salt, but it seems that this has almost failed."

Deng Jing sat down in the side seat, his posture ramrod straight.

"What are your thoughts, General Murong?"

"I dare not presume to offer such insightful opinions."

Murong Yan smiled bitterly.

"But the situation is pressing. According to the latest military report from Pengcheng, the Heavenly King has decided to launch a full-scale eastern expedition. Fifty thousand reinforcements will arrive soon. A great battle is about to break out in the Huai and Si regions. This is an immense achievement, but also an immense pressure."

He looked up at Deng Jing, his gaze sincere.

"General, you are from a distinguished family. If you are delayed by trivial matters and fail to make contributions in the Battle of Huai and Si, it will damage your father's reputation and fail the Emperor's high expectations."

Upon hearing this, Deng Jing's eyes flickered slightly. The thought of the 50,000 reinforcements and the Battle of Huai and Si moved him somewhat.

My father earned his great reputation in battles of this scale in Huguan and Fangtou.

And what about himself? He's trapped in this desolate land of the East China Sea...

But looking at Murong Yan in front of him, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

"What does the general mean?"

Seeing that Deng Jing had responded, Murong Yan turned his back and sighed deeply.

"The salt producers have fled, and neither of us can explain ourselves. According to the few salt producers we captured, Chen Jiao and his bandit leaders have a hideout overseas called Xiaozhu Island, where there are now over a thousand salt producers!"

"General Deng, if we can eliminate the bandit stronghold, not only can the matter of Qu County be satisfactorily resolved, but for you, the battle of Huai and Si..."

Deng Jing understood Murong Yan's meaning at this moment; he wanted him to attack the island.

After thinking for a long time, Deng Jing raised his eyes.

"In that case, I'll leave this little bamboo island to you!"

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed deep in Murong Yan's eyes, which was then replaced by even greater admiration.

"General, you are truly courageous! I will do my utmost to procure the necessary ships!"

Deng Jing stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

"There's no time to lose; I'll head back and reorganize the troops now!"

"Please proceed, General."

Murong Yan smiled and saw him off.

As Deng Jing's figure disappeared outside the door, the smile on Murong Yan's face gradually faded.

He walked back to the desk, his gaze falling once again on the small bamboo island on the map.

"Send word to Gan Hun!"

......