Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 135. Xinyang is broken

135. The Fall of Xinyang

「Xinyang City」

On the city wall, Leng Qingyu stared at the distant, rolling banners with a stern expression. Xinyang City had been under siege for more than ten days. If the siege was not lifted soon, the city might collapse from within, even if the Xiling Army did not breach its defenses. To make matters worse, the reinforcements that had just arrived at the border had lost almost half their men upon arrival. More discouragingly, the Heir of South Marquis, who was serving as Vice General, had disappeared from the battlefield. This further demoralized the city’s defenders. If the defending general of Xinyang City hadn’t died in battle, leaving Xinyang without anyone to manage the overall situation, it’s uncertain if he would even be standing on this wall now.

"General Leng, when will the reinforcements from the court arrive?!" a weary-looking officer rushed over, bluntly questioning Leng Qingyu. The soldiers were generally discontent with this young man who had been appointed as their General. They were especially unhappy since they had been thoroughly routed by the Southern Garrison Prince of Xiling even before Leng Qingyu’s arrival, making them look down on him even more. The fact that he was the son of the Grand General of National Garrison and a Grand General personally appointed by the Emperor did not help. With Xinyang City’s defending general dead, he was now the highest commander in Xinyang. Although everyone treated him with superficial respect, no one knew what they truly thought. As for the high-ranking officers of Xinyang City, they couldn’t even be bothered with surface-level courtesies. A trace of embarrassment and annoyance flickered across Leng Qingyu’s stern face. He had led a smooth life until now, relying on his abilities to become the Commander of the Imperial Army in the Capital City, one of the most outstanding young talents in the Capital of Great Chu. But since arriving at the border, he had faced one setback after another, causing his once unwavering confidence to waver with doubt and suspicion.

Frowning, Leng Qingyu said, "They will arrive when it is time. You just need to wait patiently, General."

The man’s expression darkened. "This subordinate can wait, but Xinyang City cannot! General Leng, look at the situation outside the city, look at the situation inside the city! How many more days do you think Xinyang City can hold out?!"

"Silence!" Leng Qingyu roared, his gaze like sharp arrows shooting towards the man before him. He said coldly, "Xinyang City will not fall!"

Startled by Leng Qingyu’s murderous gaze, the man recovered and snorted. "Since General Leng has such confidence, this subordinate will wait and see!" With that, he flicked his sleeve, turned, and strode away. Watching the man’s unhesitatingly retreating figure, Leng Qingyu’s eyes grew even more sinister. However, when he looked back at the distant, dense mass of enemy troops that seemed to stretch endlessly, he could only forcefully suppress his anger.

The war drums below the city suddenly thundered, shaking the heavens. Leng Qingyu’s spirit jolted, and he looked into the distance. The previously stationary banners and crowds of the enemy began to move. Taking a deep breath, Leng Qingyu raised his voice and shouted, "Defend the city!"

Above and below the city walls, the two armies once again began a fierce contest. The defending side already showed clear signs of exhaustion and weakness, which only made the attacking soldiers below surge forward with even greater excitement.

「In a certain tall building in Xinyang City」

From the partially open window, the earth-shattering sounds of battle cries drifted from the direction of the city gate. Inside, a man with an ordinary appearance said gravely, "Xinyang City cannot hold. Prepare yourselves; we must withdraw."

Another man frowned. "Should we ask General Yuan to support them from the periphery again? The Princess Consort and the reinforcements are already halfway here."

The first man shook his head. "It’s useless. Haven’t you noticed? The Xiling Army’s offensive has clearly become much fiercer these past two days. The Southern Garrison Prince is likely determined to take Xinyang City at any cost. Leng Qingyu cannot control the soldiers of Xinyang City. Even if General Yuan continues to lead men to harass them from the periphery these few days, it won’t hinder them for long and might even get General Yuan and his men trapped."

"Alright. Immediately send a message out asking General Yuan to disengage from the battlefield and return to Jiangxia. You all leave first; I will stay behind to handle matters in Xinyang City."

"Alright, be careful."

After sending off his companion, the man turned, went downstairs, and quickly headed towards the residence of Xinyang City’s chief official.

「Xiling Army Camp」

The Southern Garrison Prince sat nonchalantly in a large, comfortable chair, one hand supporting his chin, eyes closed as if resting, while waiting for news from outside. The news of Xinyang City’s fall will absolutely arrive today. That young fellow in Xinyang City, though possessing some ability, is still too inexperienced. In this situation, he is utterly powerless to turn the tide. The thought that the countless amounts of grain, cloth, gold, and silver in Xinyang City would soon become his supplies for attacking Great Chu filled his heart with an indescribable joy.

"How are the preparations on Yuan Pei’s side?" Recalling something, the Southern Garrison Prince opened his eyes and asked.

A general seated below, also awaiting news, immediately rose and said, "Following Your Highness’s command, our army has secretly cut off the roads back to Jiangxia. Although we haven’t found Yuan Pei’s troops for the time being, once Xinyang City falls, he will inevitably return to Jiangxia. At that time, we won’t have to worry about not catching him."

The Southern Garrison Prince nodded with satisfaction. "Very good."

The sound of gongs signaling troop withdrawal came from outside the tent. The smile on the Southern Garrison Prince’s face deepened. He stood up and said with a laugh, "Xinyang has fallen!"

The faces of all the generals in the tent were filled with joy. "Congratulations, Your Highness."

The Southern Garrison Prince shook his head. "No, it is congratulations to all of us. With Xinyang, we will be in an invincible position when attacking Great Chu. This time, Heaven truly blesses our Xiling."

The generals proclaimed in unison, "Heaven blesses Xiling!"

The hurried footsteps of a communications soldier came from outside the tent. "Reporting to Your Highness, Xinyang City has fallen!"

"Excellent. What about that young fellow who was defending the city?" the Southern Garrison Prince asked.

The communications soldier hesitated for a moment. "We have not found the Chief General of Xinyang, Leng Qingyu."

Hearing this, the Southern Garrison Prince frowned and waved his hand. "Continue the search. Report immediately if there is any news."

"Yes!"

Two hours later, the soldiers who had gone to attack the city had all returned to camp. The main tent was filled with a joyous atmosphere, yet only the Southern Garrison Prince was frowning. Seeing this, someone below could not help but ask, "Your Highness, is something amiss?"

The Southern Garrison Prince shook his head. "I don’t know. This Prince just feels that something isn’t quite right..."

"Reporting to Your Highness, something is wrong!" someone outside the tent loudly requested an audience. The Southern Garrison Prince’s heart sank. He said coldly, "Come in. What happened in Xinyang City?"

The person who entered said, "Reporting to Your Highness, for some reason, less than twenty percent of the provisions that should have been in Xinyang City remain!"

"What?!"

Everyone was greatly alarmed. "Could it be that the East Chu people knew they were doomed to fail and moved the provisions beforehand?"

"Impossible. After Xinyang was besieged, not even a mosquito could fly out, let alone so many provisions."

The Southern Garrison Prince’s face was grim. He asked in a deep voice, "What else?"

The soldier glanced at the Southern Garrison Prince’s expression and said somewhat apprehensively, "Also, the silver in the Xinyang City treasury, and the ready silver and silver certificates from several money houses have all disappeared. Currently, the amount of silver that can be found in Xinyang City is less than thirty percent of the original amount."

A hush fell over the main tent. The generals stole glances at the Southern Garrison Prince’s face, none daring to speak. Xinyang was not the most prosperous major city in East Chu, but it was indeed the place where Great Chu stored the most military provisions and one of its top five cities for commerce and trade—even if their trading partners were the Xiling. Everyone had coveted this city precisely because of its countless provisions, gold, and silver. And now... nothing was left.

"Good!" After a long pause, the Southern Garrison Prince suddenly sneered. "A fine move, King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion!"

Everyone was stunned. Someone asked doubtfully, "Your Highness, are you saying the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion did this?"

The Southern Garrison Prince chuckled. "Besides the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion, who else could have hidden all the provisions so quickly and secretly?"

"But isn’t Prince Ding in Beirong?"

"That just means the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion has other capable individuals."

"Reporting to Your Highness, General Zheng has just ordered a city-wide massacre!" a soldier hastily reported at the entrance.

"Insolent fool!" The Southern Garrison Prince slammed his hand on the table and shot up, roaring, "Who gave that order?!"

The soldier, trembling with fear, quickly replied, "General Zheng... General Zheng clashed with the city’s commoners while taking things from a pawnshop, and then... then General Zheng ordered the city to be massacred..."

"Immediately transmit this Prince’s order: stop the massacre! Anyone who dares to violate this order will be executed on the spot. Order Zheng Bian to come see this Prince at once!"

"Yes!"

Inside the main tent, the generals exchanged glances. "Your Highness, those East Chu people, killing them is just killing them. Leaving so many people alive will just be a waste of provisions."

"Exactly, Your Highness! We gained nothing from conquering Xinyang. We might as well slaughter all those East Chu people to teach them a lesson."

"Fools!" the Southern Garrison Prince said coldly. "How many people are there in East Chu? Can you kill them all? Right now, only the East Chu army resists us. Once the common people of East Chu learn of a massacre, all of them will rise up to resist us."

Many were unconvinced. "The East Chu army can’t even withstand us; what can a few commoners possibly do?"

The Southern Garrison Prince said gravely, "In any case, without this Prince’s order, no one is permitted to wantonly slaughter the commoners of East Chu!"

"Reporting to Your Highness, Yuan Pei has broken out with tens of thousands of Mo Family Army troops and is heading towards Jiangxia."

Hearing this, the Southern Garrison Prince frowned. "What happened?"

"The troops sent by the Heir to intercept Yuan Pei were ambushed and completely wiped out. Moreover, Yuan Pei seemed to be very familiar with our army’s deployments and the terrain. He led his men, split into several groups, and slipped through the gaps in our forces. Although they suffered some losses, the main strength of the Mo Family Army was not significantly damaged."

"Reporting to Your Highness, we just received news from the Southern Route Army. Three days ago, the Heir was ambushed and seriously injured."

The Southern Garrison Prince shot up. "How is Tengfeng?"

"The Heir is no longer in mortal danger, but his injuries are quite severe. It is feared he will be unable to lead troops for some time."

The Southern Garrison Prince lowered his head and pondered for a long time, slowly suppressing the anger in his heart. He waved his hand. "This Prince understands. You may leave."

The atmosphere in the once festive main tent became somber due to this string of bad news. After a long while, the Southern Garrison Prince was heard chuckling. "Good. The King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion truly has experts emerging in droves. This round, this Prince indeed did not win."

"Your Highness?"

"Never mind. Send someone to tell Tengfeng that this Prince will assign someone else to take over the Southern Route Army. Have him come to Xinyang as soon as possible." The Southern Garrison Prince waved his hand and said calmly, "No matter what, Xinyang is ultimately ours now. Let him come here to oversee the general situation. As for those provisions, gold, and silver, this Prince doesn’t believe they could have simply flown away. They must still be in the city!"

"Yes."