The captain shook his head and replied to Wen Yirui’s question, "Based on our current information, only Xiqiang City and Xiquan City still have food and water. The situation in Xiqiang City remains unclear, while the supplies in Xiquan City may only last a few more days."
Narrowing his eyes at his answer, Wen Yirui stared at the captain and asked coldly, "So, you are saying we can only sit here and wait to die?"
The captain broke into a cold sweat under his cold stare. Just as his mind was moving at a fast speed to find a solution, they suddenly heard the sound of fast-approaching horse hooves.
One of the guards shouted, "Not good! The Yuezhi Tribe’s soldiers are coming!"
Wen Yirui’s heart sank when he heard this. Without wasting a second, he ordered, "Run!"
Following his order, the guards and maidservants ran as fast as they could. However, how could two legs outrun four?
Before long, they were blocked by their pursuers.
Shielding Wen Yirui behind him, the captain drew his sword and said in a low voice, "Second Young Master, this subordinate will hold them off. You should escape while I fight them."
Hearing this, Wen Yirui’s eyes flickered with disbelief for a moment.
Unlike his elder brother, Wen Xuanjin, he possessed no talent for the military or politics. Ever since he had come to understand this fact, Wen Yirui knew no one would willingly work for him. The only thing that he can still use for now is his identity as the Wen Clan’s second young master.
But now, seeing that the captain was willing to die to buy him more time, something stirred within Wen Yirui’s heart.
Grabbing the captain’s arm, he said, "No. We must leave together. Are you going to let this young master die alone on the way to Xiquan City?"
The captain was stunned at his words. If this had happened before, Wen Yirui would have left him to die without hesitation.
Staring at Wen Yirui in disbelief, the captain hesitated for a second before saying, "Second Young Master, you..."
Before the captain could finish his words, Wen Yirui pulled him to his back and stepped forward to face the leader of the pursuers.
Upon seeing that they weren’t wearing the Yuezhi Tribe’s clothes, but instead wore the commoners’ clothing of the Yu Empire, Wen Yirui narrowed his eyes and said, "You are not from the Yuezhi Tribe. Who are you? Why are you blocking this young master’s path?"
The leader dismounted from his horse, followed by the others. As he approached Wen Yirui, the captain and the guards raised their swords, ready to fight.
But just a few steps away from Wen Yirui, the pursuers suddenly knelt on the cracked ground and said in unison, "Second Young Master, please forgive this subordinate for arriving late!"
Seeing this scene, Wen Yirui raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "You know who this young master is?"
"Yes. This subordinate is a lieutenant of the Ji Army. Under General Ji’s orders, we have come to escort the Second Young Master to Xiquan City," the leader explained with a lowered head.
As his words fell, Wen Yirui’s hanging heart finally settled down. He let out a sigh of relief and said, "You came at the perfect time. Let’s go before the Yuezhi Tribe’s soldiers catch up."
"Yes, Second Young Master."
The lieutenant stood up, then motioned for one of the soldiers to hand his horse over to Wen Yirui. Gesturing for him to mount the horse, he said, "Please, Second Young Master."
After providing horses for the guards and allowing the maidservants to ride on the horses together with the soldiers, the lieutenant said, "Go back to Xiquan City!"
While Wen Yirui and his group were on their way to Xiquan City, Kai Mu was furious.
Raising his leg, he kicked the soldier kneeling before him. "Useless! All of you are useless! You can’t even keep an eye on one man!"
Fearing for their lives, the soldiers dropped to their knees and pleaded, "Supreme General, please spare us!"
Seated to the right of Kai Mu, Kong Jixing observed silently as Kai Mu snatched a sword from a nearby soldier. Without hesitation, he slashed the throats of the kneeling soldiers.
As blood pooled beneath the fallen bodies, Kai Mu threw the sword to the ground and roared, "Bring me Wen Yirui! If he is dead, I want to see the body. If he is alive, I want to see the man!"
"Yes, Supreme General!" The remaining soldiers accepted the order, then dragged the corpses as they scrambled out of the tent.
Once the corpses had been dragged away, Kong Jixing glanced at Kai Mu and then looked at the generals. Seeing that none of them dared speak in front of the enraged Kai Mu, he sighed inwardly.
’This place is no longer suitable for me. Should I accept the Wen Clan’s Second Young Master’s offer or find someone worthy of my loyalty?’
As Kong Jixing was contemplating his plan for the future, Kai Mu suddenly turned to him and asked, "Military Advisor, now that Wen Yirui has escaped, what do we do about the supplies?"
Pulled out from his thoughts by this question, Kong Jixing slowly fanned himself and replied calmly, "Now that the Wen Clan has gone back on their word, we have no way to gain supplies to attack Xiqiang City."
When his words fell, the expressions of everyone in the tent darkened.
Noticing this, Kong Jixing continued, "With no way forward or retreat, we have only three options for survival."
Kai Mu’s eyes lit up when he heard this and asked, "What options?"
"The first is to surrender to Feng Xiyan," Kong Jixing answered.
The moment the words left his mouth, Kai Mu exploded, "Impossible! This general would rather die than surrender to Feng Xiyan!"
Watching Kai Mu reject his idea, Kong Jixing simply smiled and said nothing.
After a while, Kai Mu calmed down and asked, "What are the other two options?"