Zhan Lan heard the screams from inside the city.
Without a doubt, the Western Rong cavalry must have begun looting and raping women everywhere.
"Tell your men to stop, I, the General, will go!" The fury in Zhan Lan’s chest had reached its peak.
"General Zhan, no, you can’t, this is a ruse by the Western Rong, they will never spare those citizens!"
Zhan Lan raised his hand to stop the accompanying soldier from continuing.
"Cease the massacre!" Seeing Zhan Lan compromise, Muer Han shouted to the Western Rong cavalry inside the city.
The chaos within the city stopped.
Then, Muer Han looked at Zhan Lan and laughed wildly, "Brave General, I was just testing you earlier. You truly are a good general beloved by the people; I admire you! I won’t kill you. If I present you to the Western Rong king, our king will be thrilled! Come on, General Zhan, lay down your spear and walk over here!"
With a solemn expression, Zhan Lan dismounted.
The old man on the city tower, who had lost his wife, suddenly shouted, "General Zhan, you’re a war general, you can’t be humiliated and captured , help us drive these Western Rong dogs out of Nanjin! Western Rong dogs! You won’t die a good death!"
The old man’s hoarse yet high-pitched voice echoed in the sky.
With boundless tragic grandeur, the old man charged toward Muer Han, ready to take him down the tower with him.
Anyway, his wife was dead; he no longer wanted to live!
Muer Han was infuriated and swung his scimitar toward the old man.
"No, stop!" Zhan Lan shouted at Muer Han.
Just at the critical moment, amidst the chaos, a person suddenly appeared behind Muer Han, locking his throat with the left hand and disarming his scimitar with the right hand.
Before Muer Han could react, the scimitar he held was now at his throat.
The old man, committed to death, missed his target and looked up at the person controlling Muer Han.
He saw someone with greying temples but eyes full of vigor; his hands, although thin, were strong. He looked at the Western Rong cavalry closing in and shouted, "Back off!"
The old man shouted excitedly, "Old General Zhan is here!"
He had sold wontons at the city gate for over thirty years, how could he not recognize Old General Zhan Xinzhang!
"Grandfather!" The wind blew Zhan Lan’s ponytail, and at the moment she saw Zhan Xinzhang, she got goosebumps!
When did Grandfather arrive at Lianbian City? That night, she clearly saw him at the General Mansion’s gate and then returned him to his room.
There must be only one possibility, Grandfather set out for Lianbian City immediately after returning to his room!
The people’s eyes changed upon the arrival of Old General Zhan.
The baby seemed to sense its mother’s body relax and instantly stopped crying.
With a cold scimitar at his neck, Muer Han squinted and smiled, "Old General Zhan, you’re so old, why come to the battlefield, to seek death?"
Zhan Xinzhang indeed set out earlier than Zhan Lan, and he asked Housekeeper Zeng to cover for him; the Zhan Family had no idea he traveled alone to the frontier.
When he passed through Lianbian City, he suddenly sensed something was wrong, so he mingled with the townspeople.
Unfortunately, the elderly lady who had served him hot wontons several times before, he couldn’t save her in time.
"Enough talk, open the city gates!"
As Zhan Xinzhang’s words reached his ears, Muer Han felt instant pain in his neck, with blood oozing from the wound.
"Leader!" The Western Rong cavalry instantly pointed their swords at the citizens on the city tower, threatening Zhan Xinzhang, "Don’t harm our leader, or else their lives for his!"
Amidst the chaos on the city tower, Zhan Lan quietly moved to the gate beneath.
Muer Han threatened Zhan Xinzhang, "Old General Zhan, don’t resist obstinately. Your emperor has already given Lianbian City to us, just look, the citizens inside the city are watching you!"
Zhan Xinzhang looked around to see the citizens dragged from their homes by Western Rong soldiers, gathered on the square, numbering in the thousands.
Surrounded by Western Rong cavalry, they were like lambs awaiting slaughter.
"General Zhan, help us!"
Some pleaded, some despaired, some cried, while others were too frightened to make a sound.
Yet there were some passionately, "Old General, don’t worry about us, kill those Western Rong dogs!"
Muer Han arrogantly said, "Your Zhan Family Army loves the people the most, and they love you the most, but if you kill me, those citizens won’t survive either! That’s the difference between us Western Rong and you!"
Zhan Xinzhang’s hand holding the scimitar trembled slightly. The Western Rong were brutally cruel even to their own, let alone the citizens of Nanjin.
Suddenly, Zhan Lan’s voice came from the tower below, "Grandfather, don’t compromise!"
Zhan Lan’s signal arrow flew out, and thousands of Zhan Family soldiers came from all directions in the city. At the moment Zhan Lan’s command sounded, they shot the Western Rong cavalry surrounding the citizens.
The messenger sent by Zhan Lan earlier had gone to give orders, instructing the Zhan Family Army at the rear to enter the city through secret passages from within, for a coordinated attack.
Zhan Xinzhang looked at the citizens being rescued by the Zhan Family Army inside the city, feeling extremely gratified. His granddaughter commanded troops like a deity and could always emerge unscathed, proving he no longer needed to worry!
"Attack!" Zhan Lan’s voice echoed, and the soldiers at the city gate, armed with shields and weapons, started to ram the gate.
The ladders and ropes set against the city wall were cut by the Western Rong cavalry. Soldiers fell from midair, yet they did not give up, climbing on each other’s shoulders to form a human ladder and pressing the assault.
Muer Han was utterly shocked, never expecting there to be a secret passage in Lianbian City, allowing Zhan Lan’s soldiers to infiltrate quietly.
With great strength, he elbowed Zhan Xinzhang in the abdomen, and in pain, Zhan Xinzhang sliced the scimitar fiercely across Muer Han’s neck as Muer Han scattered poisonous powder toward Zhan Xinzhang.
Zhan Xinzhang held his breath, forced to release Muer Han.
Muer Han took the opportunity to return to the side of the Western Rong cavalry, his voice hoarse as he shouted to them, "Capture Zhan Xinzhang alive!"
Only now did Muer Han feel truly afraid. Could it be that the new emperor of Nanjin deliberately used two cities as bait to trick their Western Rong king!
The deal was to give these two cities to the Western Rong and not invade Nanjin for ten years!
Could it be that these were all plots by that young emperor? He thought it seemed unlikely!
The other possibility was that the Zhan Family Army revolted!
Otherwise, how could they defy Emperor Qingwu’s orders?
Anyway, even if they cannot capture Zhan Lan alive today, they must take back a hostage no matter what.
Zhan Xinzhang is the most suitable choice!