My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

North of the city, there is a barren beach by the sea.

Murong Yan ripped off his leather helmet and slammed it onto the sand.

The sea breeze brushed against his face, but it couldn't dispel the pent-up frustration in his chest.

He rode for more than ten miles without even having time to put on his armor, and he had less than ten riders left with him.

"Xiao Heng... Xiao Heng!"

He couldn't understand it, he really couldn't understand it!

With Pengcheng lost, the Jin army in Huaibei should be living in constant fear and retreating to protect themselves.

We had surrounded this person in Tanxian for many days before he was supposed to go south.

But where did Xiao Heng get the audacity to lead a lone army to Qu County at this time? How dare he?!

"General, let's rest for a moment, the horse..."

One of the guards cautiously offered a suggestion, but was interrupted by Murong Yan's icy gaze before he could finish speaking.

"Rest? Wait for Xiao Heng's pursuers to come and chop off our heads?"

Murong Yan roared, glancing around at his still-shaken subordinates, knowing he must not show any weakness at this moment.

He had to find a reasonable explanation for this defeat, a reason that could rally the remaining morale and give an account to his father (Murong De).

"Deng Jing colluded with foreign enemies; the evidence is conclusive. Chi Ganhun committed treason and has been brought to justice. These two scourges have been eliminated. Although the army has temporarily lost a city, its foundation remains intact!"

He deliberately raised his voice so that all the soldiers around him could hear him.

These words quickly shifted the blame for the loss of the city to Deng Jing, while Xiao Heng's surprise attack was merely an opportunity to exploit the absence of Deng Jing's main force.

Thinking of Deng Jing, Murong Yan felt somewhat at ease.

Yes, he had completed his main task; Deng Jing was either dead or had defected to the enemy.

"We cannot stay here any longer."

Murong Yan took a deep breath and made a decision.

"Xiao Heng has just acquired a city; he will surely consolidate his defenses and cleanse his internal affairs first. He will be unable to launch a large-scale pursuit in the short term. We should immediately head north along the coast back to Langya! We will prepare our fleet and provisions. This Qu County, this East Sea… I, Murong Yan, will personally reclaim them sooner or later! When that time comes, I will make Xiao Heng pay back his debts with interest!"

As he spoke, he turned back one last time and glanced in the direction of Qu County, his previous frustration replaced by the fire of revenge.

"Walk!"

......

Almost simultaneously with Murong Yan's northward escape.

Lu Da, trapped on the isolated mountain, noticed something amiss, but the fierce attack he had anticipated at dawn did not materialize.

He quickly went to find Jiang Qianzhi, only to learn that the Xianbei camp at the foot of the mountain was unusually quiet, the original scouts had disappeared, and even the smoke from the cooking fires was only a few wisps.

The two climbed together to a rock with a wide view and observed it carefully.

"They withdrew?"

Lu Da was filled with doubt and unease.

"What are these Xianbei wolves up to? Are they trying to lure me down the mountain?"

Jiang Qianzhi, standing to the side, was also undecided.

"Let's wait and see!"

Lu Da nodded in response.

And so they waited patiently for nearly another hour.

Finally, Lu Da couldn't wait any longer, so he sent down two of his boldest and most meticulous brothers to investigate.

The news they received left them speechless. All that remained in the camp were some tattered tents and discarded debris. The Xianbei people had indeed left, and in a rather hurried manner, leaving behind more than a dozen wounded horses!

"They've retreated... in which direction?"

Jiang Qianzhi asked hurriedly.

"The hoofprints indicate the horses went north, and some even headed towards the northeast coast!"

North? The seaside? Lu Da scratched his messy hair, completely baffled.

Why would Murong Yan go to the beach instead of eliminating us? Surely he's not going fishing?

"Back in Langya. This Murong Yan is probably a Xianbei nobleman, it's possible..."

Jiang Qianzhi didn't finish his sentence, and he wasn't sure either; he just said what he thought.

Lu Da, standing to the side, paid no attention to any of this.

"After going down the mountain, slaughtering a horse and cooking its meat, we ate bamboo shoots every day and got thinner!"

......

The same question also lingered in Xu Xianzhi's mind on Xiaozhu Island.

The scouts sent to monitor the coast also brought back news of the Xianbei people's northward migration.

"North? Back to Langya?"

Xu Xianzhi stood on the rocks at the edge of the island, gazing at the mainland in the distance, his mind racing with calculations.

Abandoning Luda University, which was about to be acquired, and returning north with the entire army? This is absolutely illogical.

Unless... something terrible has happened in the north, or Murong Yan himself has encountered something that needs to be resolved immediately?

Xu Xianzhi couldn't understand even after thinking about Murong Yan's father's death.

"Could it be... that Lord Xiao has made a move?"

Han Yong's eyes gleamed.

"Is the Prefect directly attacking Langya?"

Xu Xianzhi didn't even believe what he said. He knew Xiao Heng's troop strength; half of them were new recruits, unless reinforcements arrived.

In any case, the current crisis seems to have been largely resolved.

But Xu Xianzhi was cautious by nature, and he sighed helplessly.

"We must not let our guard down. Send someone to check the situation in the city; we estimate there aren't many defenders left!"

At that moment, a guard suddenly came to report.

"Young Master Xu! Commander Han! We've captured them! They came from the sea, they look like Qin soldiers! Three of them!"

Xu Xianzhi and Han Yong exchanged a glance and hurried toward the dock.

Several salt farmers and soldiers were gathered together, and on the ground were three unconscious people who had just been dragged out of the sea.

Two of them were wearing sturdy leather armor, which, although in Qin style, was clearly different from that of ordinary Xianbei soldiers.

The remaining person, though pale as paper, with blood-soaked rags wrapped around his shoulders, wore an extremely fine-quality, tattered inner armor.

Han Yong's gaze swept over the area, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he stepped forward, drawing his sword with a clang.

"Deng Jing?! It's that scoundrel Deng Jing!"

Upon hearing this, the salt farmers and veterans from the Northern Army were instantly in uproar, and countless hateful gazes were fixed on the unconscious figure.

"Commander Han, wait!"

Xu Xianzhi's voice rang out just in time. He stepped forward and stood in front of Han Yong's knife, his gaze calmly sweeping over Deng Jing's pale face before looking at the two men who looked like guards.

"He drank too much seawater, so we brought him here to wake him up. Let's ask him first!"

After saying that, he looked at Han Yong and saw that Han Yong was still angry, so Xu Xianzhi prepared to come in person.

Han Yong then sheathed his sword, pulled Xu Xianzhi aside, and gave his men a look.

Seeing this, Xu Xianzhe shook his head and turned to leave.

"Don't kill him! Lock Deng Jing up first, and bring the remaining two here!"

Soon, Han Yong personally brought the two guards to Xu Xianzhi.

Judging from the injuries on those two, they had been beaten quite a bit.

An older guard, panting, raised his head and said.

"We are the Imperial Guards of the Great Qin Dynasty, personal attendants of General Deng Jing! Kill us if you wish, why ask so many questions!"

Despite being in dire straits, his tone remained firm.

Han Yong, who was standing to the side, was about to swing his knife as he spoke.

"I'll grant your wish!"

Xu Xianzhi stopped him again, turning to the guard and asking in a calm tone.

"You won't talk? Fine, then I'll hand you three over to the salt farmers on the island. I'm sure they'll be happy to entertain you, especially this General Deng."

Upon hearing this, the guard's expression finally changed.

Another, younger bodyguard suddenly shouted.

"We mustn't kill the general! He's been framed! It was that treacherous Murong Yan who wanted to kill him!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xianzhi's gaze suddenly sharpened, and even Han Yong, who was standing beside him, was surprised.

"Framed? Explain yourself! If you utter even the slightest lie, you know what will happen to you."

The older guard seemed to have gone all out and told everyone what had happened the night before.

Xu Xianzhe quickly processed these words. Internal strife? Framing? Murong Yan eliminating Deng Jing?

He suddenly stood up and looked at the guard, asking a question.

"Did Murong Yan's army hastily return north?"

After hearing this, the two looked at each other and shook their heads.

Han Yong snorted coldly.

"That's just one side of the story! Who knows if it's just infighting among your Qin dogs, a staged act of self-inflicted suffering to deceive us!"

The young guard spoke again.

"Before the general lost consciousness, he said that if...if he could not escape, and if he encountered a Jin person, he could seek an audience with Xiao, the supervisor of Tancheng...he was keeping his appointment!"

"Supervisor Xiao?"

Xu Xianzhi's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Deng Jing and Xiao Heng knew each other, but they had never mentioned any agreement between them.

He looked at Han Yong, who was also puzzled.

Is this really true?

Xu Xianzhi asked slowly.

"We swear on our lives that what we say is true! We only beg... we only beg that the general's life be spared for now!"

Xu Xianzhi pondered for a moment.

"Separate the three of them and keep them under close guard. Clean Deng Jing's wounds and give him medicine; don't let him die."

"Commander Han, this matter is of great importance and requires the approval of the Prefect. No one is to be harmed until the Prefect issues his orders."

Although Han Yong was unwilling, seeing Xu Xianzhi's resolute attitude and the mention of Xiao Heng, he had no choice but to angrily sheathe his sword.

"These scoundrels got off too easily!"