The Xiongnu's Southward Advance

Liu Yan and his men chased after them, but Qin Longyang and Guan Yu had already vanished. Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the city, with Qu Jing and his men fighting the fire, bumping into Liu Yan in the process.

"Master! It is my fault; I fell into Qin Longyang's trap. The grain depot in the west of the city caught fire, and the loss is significant!" Qu Jing said tearfully.

Liu Yan was furious. Not only was Qin Longyang alive, but he had also burned down the grain depot. Turning around, he noticed Gongsun Zan had also disappeared with his men.

"Useless! You're all useless! Seal off the city gates immediately. Whether it's Qin Longyang or Gongsun Zan, they must not escape alive!" Liu Yan believed that Qin Longyang and Gongsun Zan had long planned this and decided to kill them all to prevent future troubles.

Meanwhile, to the north of the city, Qin Longyang and Guan Yu were galloping down the stone-paved official road.

"Master, did you really arrange for an ambush outside the city?" Guan Yu asked incredulously as he looked at the fire blazing in the west.

Qin Longyang laughed heartily. "This is the strategist's plan. Gongsun Zan's troops are stationed outside the city. All I had to do was spread a rumor among them that Liu Yan had arranged assassins to kill both me and Gongsun Zan, and his troops would attack the city to rescue us. We could then escape in the chaos!"

"I see." Guan Yu nodded, admiring the strategist's brilliance even more.

"Stop right there!" As they reached the city gate, dozens of soldiers had already sealed it, blocking Qin Longyang's path with swords and spears.

"Damn, they arrived quickly," Qin Longyang muttered nervously.

Seeing the situation, Guan Yu stood in front of Qin Longyang, holding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, "Master, don't worry. Let me break through them and open the gate!"

Qin Longyang wasn't worried about Guan Yu's ability to handle these soldiers, but the city was full of patrols searching for them. The longer they stayed, the less chance they had of escaping.

In the critical moment, the sound of horse hooves echoed on the stone road, and Qin Longyang turned around in alarm, seeing a group of cavalry approaching quickly.

"Is it General Qin Longyang?" the leading officer asked as he reached Qin Longyang. Qin Longyang nodded in acknowledgment.

"Don't worry, General. I am Qu Dan, a subordinate of Lord Gongsun. I've been ordered to escort you out of the city!"

Great! Gongsun Zan's troops were here to protect me! Qin Longyang was overjoyed and relieved, feeling like he had caught a big break.

"Thank you, General Qu! I am deeply grateful!" Qin Longyang quickly bowed in thanks.

"Hurry and open the gate, or we won't be polite!" Qu Dan shouted at the guards. They hastily complied, opening the gate.

"Thank you, General! Qin Longyang will repay this kindness!"

Qu Dan nodded slightly. "General, you should leave quickly. The pursuers will be here soon!"

"Yunchang, let's go!" Qin Longyang didn't say another word, giving a final bow before leaving with Guan Yu.

...

After the incident in Ji City, Liu Yan and Qin Longyang completely fell out. Moreover, his relationship with Gongsun Zan worsened. The fire that burned most of the city's grain stores had driven Liu Yan into a desperate situation.

A few days later, a new power emerged on the northern grasslands, led by the Southern Xiongnu chieftain Huchuquan. He subdued the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes, controlling a vast expanse of grassland near Youzhou.

With a strong army and abundant cattle and sheep, a strange plague struck the grasslands, causing massive livestock deaths. The Xiongnu, having lost their food source, turned their eyes southward to the Central Plains...

"Master! A group of Xiongnu soldiers is at the gate, requesting an audience!" A gate guard hastily reported to Liu Yan.

The saying goes, "There is no free lunch," and for a long time, the Xiongnu had been causing minor troubles at the border, which Liu Yan turned a blind eye to. Today, however, the Xiongnu came knocking, undoubtedly with ulterior motives.

"Let them in," Liu Yan waved his hand after a brief consideration.

Soon, three typical grassland men strode into the governor's mansion, first bowing respectfully to Liu Yan in the Xiongnu manner.

"Governor Liu, we have long admired your name," the leading Xiongnu man greeted in broken Chinese.

Liu Yan chuckled, seated in the main position, watching the three men.

"The Xiongnu..." Liu Yan murmured, "Over a hundred years ago, your chieftains submitted to our Han Dynasty, living and thriving in the northern region of Youzhou. But now, you've regained your strength and started harassing our borders again. Speak, what do you want today?"

Hearing Liu Yan's sharp words, the three men's faces instantly turned ugly. Despite this, the leader forced a smile. "Governor Liu, we come today because we have no other choice."

"Recently, a disaster struck the grasslands, causing the sudden death of our cattle and sheep, leaving our people without food. So we come under the orders of our chanyu to request grain from you."

"Request grain?" Liu Yan sneered, "Save it. The grain in Ji City is for feeding people, not for feeding ungrateful wolves. That would be a dereliction of my duty as a governor!"

"You!" The envoy finally lost his temper, Liu Yan venting his recent frustrations on the Xiongnu, causing the envoy to drop his obsequious facade and bluntly say, "Since you're so unwilling to cooperate, I'll have to report to my lord. I believe the Xiongnu army will soon be at Ji City's gates, and then, there will be no avoiding war!"

Hearing this, Liu Yan was furious. He, a Han Dynasty governor, being threatened by barbarians?

"Scoundrels, come if you dare! The Han Dynasty has driven out foreign invaders for hundreds of years and has never surrendered. I've defended Ji City for decades; I won't fear you bandit savages!"

"Very well, we'll see in five days!" The envoy threatened, snorted coldly, and left with his companions.

As soon as the Xiongnu left, Liu Yan collapsed in his chair, surrounded by people. "Quick! Summon Liu Bei and Qu Jing. Ji City is in grave danger!"

...

As predicted, five days later, a massive Xiongnu army of 80,000 crossed the Yan Mountains into Youzhou. They slaughtered and looted villages, leaving a bloody trail in their wake.

Not long after, the blood-red setting sun half-concealed behind the mountains outside Ji City cast its glow on the city's battered stone walls.

The defending soldiers on the city walls stood on edge, watching the swarming Xiongnu below.

The Xiongnu had besieged the city for three days, and while they were skilled in cavalry combat,

they weren't good at sieges. Otherwise, the outnumbered Ji City defenders wouldn't have lasted this long.

The Xiongnu general Yufuluo, who recently conquered Ji City, now led 70,000-80,000 Xiongnu troops, storming into Youzhou. With less than 10,000 defenders, it was a miracle Ji City had held out.

Moreover, most of the city's grain had burned, and the prolonged siege left the city on the brink of starvation. Ji City was in dire straits.

To make matters worse, Liu Yan, distressed by recent events, suffered a relapse and was on the brink of death. The entire city was enveloped in despair and uncertainty.

As night fell, the Xiongnu withdrew, leaving behind a field of corpses. Exhausted defenders collapsed on the city walls, having fought all day on empty stomachs.

"I can't take it anymore; if this continues, we'll starve even if we're not killed..."

A young soldier leaned against the wall, complaining weakly, glancing at the pile of corpses of his comrades. "We're out of arrows and rocks; tomorrow, we'll have to throw bodies at them."

"Sigh." The soldier's words prompted sighs from the others, their morale low, uncertain how much longer they could hold out.

Suddenly, a small group of men emerged from the forest outside the city, rushing toward the gates. "Open the gates! General Qu is wounded!" A man shouted, carrying the unconscious Qu Jing.

The guards quickly opened the heavy wooden gates, letting the group in. "Hurry! General Qu is injured; get a doctor!" The man, Qu Jing's deputy Wu Ju, called out.

It turned out that Qu Jing had led over a thousand men out of the city, planning to raid the Xiongnu grain depot. But they were discovered, and Qu Jing's troops were surrounded. Gravely wounded, Qu Jing was saved by his soldiers' desperate efforts, leaving only a handful alive.

Upon hearing Qu Jing's injury, Jian Yong rushed over with his men. "What happened!"

"There's a Xiongnu spy in the city; they knew our plans. The rest of the brothers are dead..." Wu Ju replied hopelessly.

"Damn it!" Jian Yong stomped his foot in frustration, while the other soldiers were more filled with disappointment and despair. They had hoped that Qu Jing's raid on the grain supply would succeed and bring back a few days' worth of provisions, but now...

"Xianhe..." Suddenly, the unconscious Qu Jing grabbed Jian Yong's hand, and with intermittent speech said, "Now... there is only one person... who can save Jicheng..."

"Who?" Jian Yong was anxious, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"Go... to Zhuo County, find Qin Longyang..." Qu Jing said, trembling and pointing south of the city. Then his head tilted back, and he lost consciousness for good.

"General Qu? General Qu!" Qu Jing could not hold on any longer and, before he died, had told Jian Yong to go to Zhuo County to find Qin Longyang. Jian Yong finally believed that only Qin Longyang could save Jicheng from its current predicament.

"Wu Ju..." Jian Yong closed Qu Jing's eyes, slowly standing up with tears in his eyes.

"Yes!" Wu Ju was also in tears.

"Take care of General Qu's body. The defense of the city is entirely up to you. I will leave tonight to seek help in Gong County. If I am not back by noon tomorrow, it means something bad has happened."

"General..."

"Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

Seeking help was something they had considered before, but after experiencing so many events, Qin Longyang's attitude toward Liu Yan had already deteriorated. Would he still come to their rescue?

Meanwhile, in Zhuo County, Qin Longyang was certainly aware of Jicheng's siege by the Xiongnu. Recently, he had been intensively training, knowing that eventually someone from Jicheng would come to find him.

"Master, you are truly brilliant. Someone from Jicheng has arrived." It was already the early hours of the morning, and Qin Longyang had been awake, staring intently at the strategic map in his study. Liao Hua came in to report that someone from Jicheng had arrived.

"Hmm, finally. It should be Qu Jing."

"No, the person claims to be General Jian Yong under Liu Yan."

"Oh? Jian Yong? Jian Xianhe? Shouldn't he be with Liu Bei?" Historically, Jian Yong was an old friend of Liu Bei, and as a negotiator, Jian Yong was quite prominent. "Let him in."

"Understood!" Liao Hua quickly left with a bow, and soon Jian Yong ran into the hall.

"I am Jian Yong, presenting my respects to General Qin." Qin Longyang had his back to Jian Yong, who bowed deeply and respectfully.

Qin Longyang then slowly turned around, smiled slightly, and said, "General Jian, there is no need to be so formal. Please, have a seat."

"General Qin, time is of the essence. I have come today to request that you send troops to save the people of Jicheng! The Xiongnu army attacked a few days ago, and now Jicheng is out of provisions. If this continues for another two days, it will surely fall! By then, the entire city's population will likely be slaughtered by the invaders!"

Jian Yong said this as he knelt on the ground, heavily bowing three times to Qin Longyang, tears streaming down his face, which moved Qin Longyang somewhat.

"I have been paying attention to Jicheng's situation," Qin Longyang said. "Rest assured, if Jicheng falls, Gong County and Zhuo County will also face disaster. I understand this principle. I have decided to send troops tomorrow to join forces with Liu Yan to repel the enemy!"

"Thank you, General!" Jian Yong cried and bowed again, surprised by Qin Longyang's understanding.

In reality, Qin Longyang was not so benevolent. After Jian Yong left with Liao Hua, Qin Longyang laughed heartily a few times and then circled Youzhou on the map.

"The Xiongnu have really done me a huge favor. Hahaha! Truly, the heavens are helping me!"