Chapter 134 of Volume 1

  "Why?" The crowd looked at Qiu Zhen in confusion and puzzlement.

  Qiu Zhen sighed, and said with a bitter smile: "The enemy army of 200,000 people, it will take several days for the emperor and the ministers to discuss and agree on reinforcements for Pingyuan County. Gathering troops, allocating supplies, preparing food and grass, all these things need time. After everything is ready, it will take another few days. Even if we rush from Yancheng to Pingyuan County, it will still take nearly 20 days. From start to finish, Wang Ting's reinforcements will arrive in Pingyuan County at least a month later. In such a long time, I'm afraid the barbarian army will have already broken our city and killed all of us!"

  After hearing Qiu Zhen's words, everyone seemed like a deflated balloon, all speechless.

  What he said is true, thinking carefully, if Wang Ting can send reinforcements within a month, it's already fast.

  After a moment of contemplation, he asked: "What do you mean?"

  Qiu Zhengyan said: "Relying on others is not as good as relying on ourselves, everyone should make preparations and rely on our own strength to resist the barbarian army."

  Zhang Zhou's eyebrows were almost twisted into a knot, and he said anxiously: "200,000 barbarian soldiers, how can we withstand them? Won't the prefecture also send reinforcements?"

  Qiu Zhen shook his head and said, "I don't know, maybe they will, maybe they won't. Even if reinforcements are sent, the number of people won't be too many. Moreover, the soldiers in the county lack actual combat experience, and their daily training is also lax, so their fighting strength won't be too strong. Even if they come, it's uncertain whether they can help us."

  His words were like a steel needle, piercing and shattering all the hopes in people's hearts.

  Junuo's eyes widened in silence, and he said angrily: "If it's as Lord Qiu says, then we don't need to fight. The reinforcements from the Wang court won't arrive, and the reinforcements from the county may not be able to be dispatched in time. What can we do? Are we going to flee without a fight?"

  Among the words, everyone's eyes were cast on Tang Yin. He was the county guard, and whether they fought or retreated depended on his one word.

  Flee without a fight? This word cannot be found in Tang Yin's dictionary. He looked around at the crowd and said quietly, "I remember when Ning Jun launched a major attack on Tongmen, General Zong Zheng said that Feng Guo only had generals who died on the battlefield, but no generals who fled in defeat. Although I am not a general in a key position, I do not want to be a coward who retreats in times of crisis. I hope you brothers can also stand with me, defend Pingyuan County, and never retreat half a step."

  Tang Yin's words showed his determination, even if he had to face the enemy alone, he would fight to the end.

  He said so, and everyone's heart was settled. The Shangguan brothers and Zhen Luo and others all clasped their hands and said: "Sir, rest assured, we will live and die with you, advance and retreat together!"

  "Very good!" Tang Yin nodded, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his mind racing with thoughts of how to counter the 200,000 barbarian troops with their own 80,000. The enemy's numbers were too overwhelming; whether attacking villages or cities, they could probably overrun them in a single pass. If they wanted to defend themselves, they had to concentrate all their forces. With this thought, he gave a decisive order: "We can no longer hold the border city. All troops and civilians within the city will withdraw to Heng City. We'll concentrate our forces and only defend Heng City."

  Qiu Zhen had no objection and replied: "As you see, sir!"

  Tang Yan's eyes rolled around, and a flash of inspiration appeared in his mind. He looked up at Xiao Muzhen, who was silent and speechless, and said: "General Xiao!"

  "Understood!" Xiao Muqing hastily lifted his head and looked at Tang Yin.

  Tang Yin said: "The defense of Heng City, I'd like to entrust it to you. Are you willing to take on this heavy responsibility?"

  What? Upon hearing this, not only was Xiao Muqing stunned, but everyone else present was also shocked. Heng City was the core of Pingyuan County, and it was related to the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people in Pingyuan County. Tang Yan actually let Xiao Muqing be in charge of defending Heng City, which was equivalent to putting the fate of Pingyuan County in Xiao Muqing's hands. How could this not make people feel surprised?

  After being stunned for a while, Xiao Muqing finally came back to his senses. He hastily said: "Your Excellency, I... am afraid it's difficult for me to take on this heavy responsibility. Moreover, with Your Excellency present, how dare I overstep my authority..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Tang Yin shook his head and interrupted: "I won't stay in Heng City!"

  "What?" The crowd's eyes widened in surprise.

  "Relief of Zhao!" Tang Yin saw the confusion in everyone's eyes deepen, and explained: "With 200,000 barbarian soldiers, we can't just retreat. We have to think of a way to make them retreat too. So, I plan to lead our cavalry to break into the barbarian's territory, bypass the enemy army, and head straight for their capital - Besa Cheng. Only if their capital is attacked will they possibly recall their main force!"

  So it was, and upon hearing this, everyone let out a sigh of relief, but after some thought, their hearts were lifted again. Bessa City, that is the core of the Bessa Federation, both its capital and place of origin, must be heavily guarded, currently our side has only more than 4,000 cavalry, going to attack, it's likely that a sneak attack won't work, and instead we'll be surrounded and annihilated.

  Even Qiu Zhen couldn't help but smile at this time, saying "Your Excellency, this plan is too risky and may not work. What if the Besa garrison has many soldiers? With only 4,000 cavalry, won't you be like an egg hitting a rock?"

  Tang Yin snorted and said, "After fighting with the barbarian tribe for so long, don't you understand them yet? The barbarian tribe has vast lands but sparse population. An army of 200,000 is an enormous number. It must have taken a huge effort for the barbarian tribe to gather such a large force. If my guess is correct, Besa Cheng's inner city troops are already depleted. Even if there are defending troops, their numbers can't exceed ten thousand. Moreover, the barbarian tribe would never expect that when their main army is attacking our borders, I would dare to launch a surprise attack on their capital. Taking them by surprise and catching them off guard will surely allow us to defeat the enemy in one blow!"

  Qiu Zhen carefully considered Tang Yin's words and felt that he also made sense. Although this plan was risky, it wasn't a bad move either. If things went wrong, they might really be able to achieve a surprise victory. However, Besa Cheng was in the distant barbarian palace, and Tang Yin only led 4,000 cavalrymen there. What if something unexpected happened? Even if only one barbarian soldier discovered their tracks, this plan could still end in failure, and Tang Yin and his 4,000 cavalrymen would all lose their lives.

  Four thousand troops retreated, Qiu Zhen still felt that this plan was too risky, but to tell the truth, apart from this method, our side had no other good strategy to defeat the enemy.

  Qiu Zhen did not respond, and the others also remained silent. The entire hall was quiet, with no sound to be heard, a dead silence.

  Tang Yin raised an eyebrow, looked around at everyone, and burst out laughing, saying: "You all say something!"

  Xiao Muqing asked cautiously: "What if... something unexpected happens to Master in the Barbarian Guild?"

  Tang Yin shrugged and said indifferently: "Then I can only hope that you will kill more barbarian soldiers to help me avenge."

  "This is no time for joking, sir."

  "I'm not joking!" Tang Yin said seriously: "If I really can't come back alive from the barbarian tribe, I hope you all can persist and fight the barbarians to the end. If you die, I won't be able to return either. We'll kill as many as we can, and use the barbarians' blood to make an offering to the heroic spirits of our fallen brothers!"

  As soon as these words came out, the people present felt a surge of heat in their hearts, and their eyes turned red, almost to the point of tears. Tang Yin was not good at speaking, nor would he often mention brotherly love, but he would take concrete actions to prove it. The crowd had followed him for so long that they understood his words were not just empty talk, but truly actionable.

  Xiao Muqing took a deep breath, stepped forward and cupped his hands to say "Don't worry, sir. I will do my best to resist the barbarian's attack and wait for your triumphant return!"

  Tang Yin looked at Xiao Muzheng deeply and said, "With your words, I can rest assured. If I come back, Heng City is still there, I will promote you to be the general of Pingyuan Army!"

  Xiao Muqing was as if he had been clicked, his body suddenly shook violently, and without saying another word, he directly knelt down on one knee, and said in a sincere tone: "I thank you first, sir."

  The Pingyuan Army, although having only five legions, had a manpower of 80,000, close to that of a regular group army. Being in charge of the Pingyuan Army was equivalent to being the commander-in-chief of a group army. Xiao Muzheng had been dreaming of this day, how could he not be excited?!

  Tang Yin handed over the command of the defense of Hengcheng to Xiao Muzhen, while he himself prepared to lead four thousand cavalrymen in a surprise attack on Baisa City.

  This plan to rescue Zhao by besieging Wei is bold to the extreme, where even a slight miscalculation would lead to Tang Yin's downfall, the demise of his 4,000 cavalrymen, and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Heng City.

  He found the heavenly messenger blanket and ordered him to immediately send a message to Yue Tian, asking him to return to Pingyuan County. Tang Yin wanted to launch a surprise attack on Beisa City, which couldn't be done without Yue Tian's assistance.

  No need for him to give orders, with such a large enemy situation appearing, how could Le Tian not come back?

  Two days later, Yue Tian rode a fast horse back to Heng City. On the same day, Ai Jia also rushed back, covered in dust and looking exhausted.

  Tang Yin ordered Ai Jia to assist Xiao Miaoqing in defending Heng City, and as for Lei An, he explained his plan to him.

  Lai Tian was also shocked after hearing it, but soon calmed down.

  For two months he stayed with the barbarians, and his understanding of the barbarians deepened, especially the geographical environment of the Besa city-state. After listening to Tang Yin's plan to sneak attack on Besa City, he thought for a moment and said, "Sir, this plan is feasible!"

  Listening to Le Tian say this, Tang Yin's spirit was greatly lifted, and he asked "Why did you say that?"

  "I know a route that can bypass the barbarian-occupied city and directly connect to Besa City, which has no barbarian strongholds or garrisons along the way. However, the conditions are somewhat harsh, and the road is very difficult to walk..."

  Tang Yin was overjoyed and launched a surprise attack on Bessa City. What worried him most was how to avoid the barbarian troops. He smiled, "It's not important whether the road is difficult or not, what's important is whether we can safely reach Bessa City!"

  "This road was obtained from the barbarian herdsman, and also sent a brother to verify it, which can indeed go straight to Besa City, but it is a detour, the route is long, the environment is bitter, and it is not suitable for marching. In the past, the barbarian army passed through this route, and later gradually abandoned it, now many barbarians don't know there is still this road."