Chapter 345: Calm Down
Editor: Atlas Studios
In response to Mu Yangling’s question, five of the six people nodded. “Some of the people we know have also been transferred away. They also said that they are going to patrol Hanzhong Prefecture.”
No matter how long the border of Hanzhong Prefecture was, it was impossible for Qi Xiuyuan to transfer so many people away since Xingzhou Prefecture was the main camp of the West Camp.
Mu Yangling thought of Qi Haoran, who had been gone for two months. She thought of how he had been thinking about reclaiming his homeland. She thought of how Fan Zijin had clearly informed her before winter that she would receive dividends this year, but there had been no news. She looked at the Jingzhao Prefecture on the map and sighed. She did not expect Qi Xiuyuan to be so anxious. She also did not know how confident he was.
However, she looked at the frightened soldiers and knew that the morale of the army had to be stable. She quickly perked up and said indifferently, “Just get someone to guard the north city gate. I wonder if we’ll be able to hear General Qi’s good news tomorrow morning.”
Although the regiment commander was not good at war, he was a smart person. He understood what Mu Yangling meant and hurriedly asked, “Miss Mu, could it be that the general is deploying the troops?”
Unless Qi Xiuyuan was deploying the troops, it would not be considered ‘good news’ even if they successfully blocked the enemy.
Instead of giving him an accurate answer, Mu Yangling only vaguely said, “Get the soldiers to guard the city gate and wait for news from Xingcheng Pass.”
The few people in the middle tent only thought that Mu Yangling was tacitly agreeing. Excited, they hurriedly ran out to organize people to form a line and march towards the northern city gate.
The regiment commander humbly came over to invite Mu Yangling to guard the place with him. He even said cleverly, “Miss Mu, I’ve asked a small team to guard your residence. Don’t worry and follow us into the city. No one will dare to cause trouble at this time.”
Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and stood up. “Let’s go.”
Song Zhi was woken up from his deep sleep. When he heard that the 5th Division was about to open the city gate and bring troops into the city, he was shocked. He hurriedly got up, put on his clothes, and rushed out. As he walked, he asked, “What happened?”
“Sir, flames are soaring in the direction of Xingcheng Pass. It seems like they’re fighting with the Hus.” The private advisor’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He had a deep impression of the war disaster three years ago. In his family, only him and a seven-year-old child had survived. At this moment, his face was pale as he said, “I’ve asked the bailiff guarding the city. Two hours ago, the 5th Division sent messengers to the north through a small gate, presumably to gather information. One group set off 30 minutes ago and the other group set off 15 minutes ago. Now, they’re requesting to open the city gate. Do you think they’re going to reinforce Xingcheng Pass?”
Song Zhi’s expression was also very ugly. He knew nothing about war, so he could only respond silently and rush out.
Opening the door required a warrant from Song Zhi or an assistant commander. They didn’t have a warrant, so they could only wait for Song Zhi.
Song Zhi checked the other party’s identity and saw Mu Yangling standing in front. He immediately asked someone to open the door. Once the city gate was opened, the private advisor rushed towards the regiment commander. Song Zhi hesitated for a moment but still glanced at Mu Yangling. Seeing that she had taken half a step back, he could only ask the regiment commander, “…How’s the situation? Should we evacuate the civilians?”
The regiment commander glanced at Mu Yangling and said, “Don’t alarm the commoners. The defense line in the east and north of Mingshui County has been filled up. They can only enter through the north gate, so we’re here to take over the north gate. Please gather all the bailiffs to help us defend the city.”
At this moment, Mu Yangling looked up at Song Zhi and whispered to the regiment commander, “Give him half of the bailiffs and let him manage the order in the city.”
The regiment commander quickly nodded in agreement.
Seeing that the regiment commander was always listening to Mu Yangling’s orders, for some reason, Song Zhi heaved a sigh of relief. However, the private advisor watched with bated breath.
The regiment commander quickly led his men to guard the north city gate and instructed them to move bows, trebuchets, stones, and so on up to the city wall. These might not be useful, but they had to be prepared. The regiment commander wiped the sweat off his forehead and prayed that they wouldn’t have to resort to using these things, and that the garrison at Xingcheng Pass could keep the enemy outside the city.
However, the private advisor felt a chill in his heart. When he heard that the 5th Division was here to defend the city, he was happy for a moment. Who knew that as soon as they entered the city, he would find out that there were only 300-odd people? He had just complained that there were not many people when a soldier told him that those who could go to the battlefield were all here. Those who stayed behind to guard the 5th Division were all soldiers who had retreated from the battlefield or veterans who had guarded the pass for 40 to 50 years.
Song Zhi was also afraid, but he knew that now was not the time to show his cowardice. He could only follow Mu Yangling closely. Seeing that she had arranged a defense and that someone had even carried a few bags of lime up, Song Zhi was stunned. He asked, “Why did you carry lime here? I know where there’s sand.”
He thought that they were using it to block the arrows, so Mu Yangling smiled and touched the bags of lime. “This is good stuff, whether it’s soaked in water, poured down, or scattered like this. Although it’s a little shameless, it’s useful.”
Song Zhi calmed down a little and deliberated for a moment before asking, “Isn’t Hanzhong Prefecture in our hands? Why did the Hus cross Hanzhong Prefecture and come to Xingcheng Pass in the middle of the night? Could it be that Hanzhong Prefecture has fallen?”
“Other than the Eastern Front, no one will guard Hanzhong Prefecture.”
Song Zhi’s expression changed, and his voice became sharp. “General gave up on Hanzhong Prefecture? That’s impossible. We spent a lot of effort to get it back.”
Mu Yangling glared at him and whispered, “Keep your voice down.” Then, she brought Song Zhi into the room on the city wall.
The guards immediately unfolded the map. Mu Yangling pointed at the long border between Hanzhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture and asked, “How can we guard such a long border? Not to mention that General Qi only has tens of thousands of troops. Even if he has hundreds of thousands of soldiers, they won’t be able to guard it. They can only guard the eastern border. As long as we guard this place, the enemy won’t be able to circle behind us. This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It’s even harder to attack than Xingcheng Pass. Therefore, they can only enter via Xingcheng Pass. Therefore, as long as we guard Xingcheng Pass, nothing will happen.”
“What about the citizens of Hanzhong Prefecture? They’ve just experienced a war. How can we let them be engulfed in the flames of war again?”
“Don’t worry.” Mu Yangling looked at the Jingzhao Prefecture on the map and said with sparkling eyes, “It was so difficult for the elite soldiers to break out of the encirclement. Why would they waste their troops in an unguarded Hanzhong Prefecture? Actually, there’s no harm in the Hus reading Sun Tzu’s Art of War.”
“What elite soldiers?” Song Zhi followed Mu Yangling’s eyes and saw Jingzhao Prefecture on the map. His eyes lit up and he was so excited that he was about to scream. However, under Mu Yangling’s cold glare, he could only suppress his excitement. However, he still asked excitedly, “Miss Mu, what do you think I can do? What can I do for the general?”
The corners of Mu Yangling’s mouth curled up slightly. She patted Song Zhi’s shoulder and said, “Sir, the most important thing for you to do now is to stabilize the hearts of the people in the city. You also have to inform the magistrates in the nearby counties to stabilize their hearts. Lest, there could be chaos even if the general wins the battle at the frontlines later on. Considering there are many hooligans and local ruffians everywhere, I’m afraid that they will take the opportunity to cause trouble. In addition, the harvest this year is not good. Although there aren’t many refugees who have landed here, should they come together it’s still a rather sizable group.”
Song Zhi instantly understood. At this moment, his task was to stabilize the hearts of the people and ensure the security of the county. Song Zhi patted his chest and said, “Miss Mu, don’t worry. I’ll call them for a meeting now. Mingshui County will definitely not be in chaos. As for the other counties, I’ll also contact them via a letter. However, should I reveal this matter to them?”
Mu Yangling smiled nonchalantly and said, “What secret is there to keep when the war has already started? It’s not as if the war is yet to commence.”
“That’s right, that’s right. There’s nothing to keep secret.” Song Zhi went down the city tower excitedly and brought the private advisor back to gather everyone for a meeting.