My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Caves on the island.

Xiao Heng dismissed his attendants and personally poured Xie Shao a bowl of hot water, asking him what was wrong.

"Commander Xie, you must be tired from your journey. I wonder where your army is now?"

Xie Shao took the hot water, but didn't drink it right away. He sighed.

"To be honest, Sanlang, I had a difficult time getting here. When I arrived, the army had already withdrawn from Guangling!"

"Withdraw troops?"

Xiao Heng felt much relieved after hearing this. He was worried that Xie Xuan would fight to the death in Sikou. At this moment, he still looked at Xie Shao with some confusion.

"Why the sudden withdrawal? Could it be due to setbacks at the front?"

"Exactly."

Xie Shao nodded, his tone heavy.

"Xuyi has fallen."

"What?!"

Xiao Heng suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with shock.

The shock was that it was lost so quickly, which didn't match the timeline of the Three Wars he knew; it was a full month earlier.

But he quickly understood why Xie Xuan had left.

At this moment, Xie Shao's voice became even lower.

"To make matters worse, the garrison commander of Xuyi was captured, and General Mao fought valiantly and died for his country."

"General Mao?"

Xiao Heng's pupils contracted sharply. He had heard of the Mao family of Henan, but from Xie Shao's words, he knew that this person was definitely not simple.

"This matter is extremely troublesome."

Xie Shao put down his teacup.

"The Mao family are related to the emperor through marriage. Now that Mao Anzhi has died in battle and Xuyi has fallen, those who oppose my uncle will surely take this opportunity to launch an attack and impeach him for mismanagement and missing crucial opportunities."

Xiao Heng slowly sat down, his mind in turmoil. He realized that the seriousness of the matter was far beyond his imagination.

Originally, it was thought that Xie Xuan's return to San'a would make things go smoothly. However, now that a relative of the emperor has died and Xie Xuan has taken command of the Northern Army and served as the military commander of Jiangbei, this was originally arranged by Xie An against the majority of opinions, and many powerful families in the court were already dissatisfied.

Now that Mao Anzhi has died, it has given the opponents a handle to attack Xie Xuan. If they are not careful, Xie Xuan will not only be dismissed, but Xie An may also be implicated. So what is he trying to achieve by making such a fuss?

He looked at Xie Shao and asked in a low voice.

"Then thank you, General..."

A hint of agreement flashed in Xie Shao's eyes as he reassured her.

"Sanlang, you're very kind. My brother Xuan is alright and has temporarily led the army back to Guangling. I'm sure Uncle has already taken care of things properly!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng didn't ask any more questions. As long as Xie Xuan could still lead the army, he still had hope.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xiao Heng inquired about the recent situation of the Northern Army, while Xie Shao asked about the defense of the islands.

During their conversation, Xiao Heng subtly inquired and learned that Xie Shao was only delivering a message and would return immediately after completing the mission, with no intention of staying any longer.

Upon learning this, Xiao Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had many secrets hidden under his command, and even the leak of Deng Jing's secrets, who had once belonged to the opposing camp, could lead to his death, not to mention his own smuggling activities.

If Xie Shao stays, these secrets will inevitably risk being exposed.

Afterwards, Xiao Heng instructed Han Yong to arrange accommodations for Xie Shao and his party to rest.

Xie Shao was indeed exhausted from the long journey, so he did not refuse and followed Han Yong to the temporary residence next to the cave.

After Xie Shao left, Xiao Heng remained alone in the cave and slowly took out the letter from his bosom.

Seeing that the sealing wax on the envelope was intact, he gently pried it off.

Unfolding the letter, Xiao Heng's gaze settled on the eight characters "Eastern Sea Barrier, Key to the Northern Gate," his hand trembling slightly, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise.

He never expected that Xie Xuan would have such a high opinion of him!

"A bulwark of the East Sea, a key to the northern gate."

This is hardly an evaluation of him as the governor of Donghai; it clearly regards him as the core pillar of the defense line of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in Donghai!

In particular, the subsequent content not only acknowledged his plans to defend the sea frontier, but also stated that the Northern Army was of one mind with him and promised to do its best to procure food and weapons. This trust and regard far exceeded Xiao Heng's expectations.

Previously, he was worried that Xie Xuan was in danger of protecting himself and had no time to take care of him, and even feared that the Battle of San'a would be aborted.

But this letter was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly dispelling most of the gloom in his heart.

He pondered the contents of the letter repeatedly, and the expectations and support between the lines gradually calmed his originally heavy heart.

Instead, there was an exhilarating excitement, even greater than when the governor had received the title last time.

Despite Xie Xuan's high position and the more troublesome situation he faced, Xiao Heng still supported him so firmly. Xiao Heng sincerely admired Xie Xuan's magnanimity and courage. He carefully folded the letter and put it back into his pocket.

The confidence the letter gave him stirred Xiao Heng's heart, and he paced back and forth in the small cave.

Previously, when faced with Murong Yan's combined land and sea encirclement, although he forced himself to devise a countermeasure, he always harbored a sense of uncertainty in his heart. After all, most of his troops were refugees who had been integrated, and his military strength was weak, resources were scarce, and even his status was not legitimate.

But now he has the title of "Guardian of the East China Sea"!

He suddenly stopped in his tracks. When Xie Shao arrived earlier, he had deliberately hidden many soldiers who were originally from refugee backgrounds, just in case these unofficial personnel were exposed and attracted criticism from the court. After all, recruiting refugees privately was easy to give others cause for criticism. He had even planned to leave directly after the battle.

But now that Xie Xuan has endorsed it, everything is different!

He no longer needs to hide his abilities; instead, he should proactively demonstrate his strength, giving Xie Shao hope and making Xie Xuan feel that supporting him is worthwhile!

Having figured this out, Xiao Heng shouted.

"Someone! Go and fetch Commandant Han!"

Upon hearing this, the guards at the cave entrance immediately responded and left.

Silence returned to the cave, but Xiao Heng was still unsettled. He paced back and forth a couple more times, his mind already racing. Xie Xuan had promised to do his best to procure provisions and weapons; this was a godsend opportunity that he couldn't miss!

Before long, Han Yong, who had already removed his armor, strode into the cave. He was somewhat surprised to see that Xiao Heng's expression was completely different from before.

"My lord, why have you summoned me so late at night? Is there something urgent?"

Xiao Heng did not mention the specific contents of Xie Xuan's letter, but stepped forward, staring intently at Han Yong, and asked directly.

"Think carefully, what are the current shortages in our army, from food and fodder to weapons, medicine, and ships? List them out one by one, the more detailed the better!"

"what?"

Han Yong was taken aback by the question, and subconsciously scratched his head, looking completely confused.

"My lord, why are you asking this all of a sudden? Our reserves aren't exactly abundant, but they're barely enough to deal with the current battle..."

"not enough!"

Xiao Heng interrupted him, his tone serious.

"It's not enough now, and it won't be enough in the future! This is our only chance to secure support; if we miss it, we'll never have another!"

Seeing that Xiao Heng's expression was serious and he didn't seem to be joking, Han Yong immediately began to think seriously, counting on his fingers as he spoke.

"Then I'll be frank! As for weaponry, we're short of crossbows and arrows. Each man is only issued thirty, which is far from enough for battle. Armor is also in short supply; many soldiers are still wearing leather armor, and some don't even have leather armor. As for medicine, we're almost out of herbs for treating knife wounds and colds. With so many wounded soldiers, we simply can't hold on. In addition, our fast boats are all civilian vessels used for naval warfare..."

Han Yong talked on and on, listing out all the shortcomings in the army.

Xiao Heng stood aside and listened quietly. Instead of showing any impatience, a smile gradually appeared on his face.

After Han Yong finished speaking, Xiao Heng nodded firmly.

"Okay, write it all down! Now go and make a list, the more detailed the better, and give it to me in half an hour!"

Han Yong hesitated for a moment and offered a reminder.

"Lu Da and the others should be back tomorrow, or else..."

After hearing this, Xiao Heng slapped his forehead and began pacing around the cave again.

"In that case, sending people to intercept them will only bring back 30% of the supplies! We need to show Xie Sima our predicament, and more importantly, let him see that even in such dire straits, we still have the ability to snatch food from the tiger's mouth! Only then will the commander-in-chief's support continue uninterrupted."

Han Yong nodded repeatedly after hearing this, but was stopped by Xiao Heng just as he was about to leave.

"Also, give the order: everyone be on your best tomorrow. I'm taking men to the island..."

"..."