Thinking of this, just like Jiang Shidao's desire to be promoted to master, a fire of ambition ignited in his heart. This fire made him feel hot and even made him forget the unusual chill of the winter.
Suddenly a messenger arrived with news: "Chancellor Jiang Shidao has left several hundred men here to wait for the Master. He said the weather is bad and asked if the Master should set up camp to protect against the cold."
"Nonsense! Opportunity knocks but once! How can we waste it here?" Xue Qian was feeling quite pleased when he heard this. He thought Jiang Shidao had some knowledge and strategy, but he couldn't even understand such a small matter?
The messenger turned and left, relaying his order to continue the advance. The soldiers left behind by Jiang Shidao also mingled with Xue Qian's army and began to march forward.
Xue Qian began to ponder again. If Li Jun learned that he had come to his aid, would he abandon Baoshan City and turn back to attack? The possibility was extremely high. If so, Jiang Shidao's 10,000 troops would be in danger. He had to be on high alert and not be careless, lest Li Jun wipe them out in one fell swoop.
Before he could even process what was happening, shouts of battle erupted from the ranks. The hundreds of men Jiang Shidao had left behind, who had infiltrated the ranks, suddenly drew their weapons and attacked those around them, yelling, "Spies! Spies! Spies from the Peace Army have infiltrated!"
The marching 20,000-strong army immediately descended into chaos. At first, the Lianfa Sect soldiers stood there in astonishment, but when they saw their comrades drawing their swords, they had no choice but to draw their own in self-defense. Those nearby, seeing him draw his sword, preemptively attacked to avoid being killed. In a short while, the muddy road was stained red with blood and flesh.
Those around them dressed identically might be their killers! The soldiers began to tremble with fear, growing further and further apart, some even deserting their unit and fleeing into the mountains. The chief priest and lower-ranking officers desperately tried to rouse them, finally getting the soldiers to regroup. Even standing together, they remained wary of their surroundings, as if anyone standing shoulder to shoulder might be a spy infiltrated into their ranks.
The officers were busy taking a headcount. As a newly formed peasant uprising army, their hierarchical structure was unclear, and it was common for officers to be unaware of their soldiers, and for soldiers to be unaware of their officers. This gave the Peace Army spies an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. The headcount revealed that the chaos had resulted in over three hundred casualties, all of whom were from the Lianfa Sect. All the soldiers left behind by Jiang Shidao had disappeared; clearly, they were actually Peace Army spies.
"How could this be?" Xue Qian was shocked. Could it be that Jiang Shidao's entire army had been wiped out? Otherwise, how could the Peace Army impersonate them to cause trouble? If that were the case, then advancing further would be very dangerous. Could it be that Li Jun's true purpose was still to besiege the city and intercept reinforcements? To lure him out of Huai'en City and then annihilate him in one fell swoop? That's impossible! The reinforcements from Yuanding City should have arrived by now. As long as he held out for a while, the reinforcements from Baoshan City and Yuanding City would arrive one after the other, and then Li Jun would be courting death!
The soldiers, cold, exhausted, and fearful, had begun to complain to each other. Their morale had been shaken by the surprise attack launched by the Peace Army; they needed to be made to forget about it immediately! Xue Qian shouted, "Stop arguing! The entire army continues forward! This is merely Li Jun's delaying tactic, trying to make us sit here and wait to die. If we set up camp here, we will only miss our opportunity!" The soldiers quieted down temporarily, and the army resumed its advance. After traveling about twenty or thirty li, a messenger arrived again: "Ahead, there is a small group of men claiming to be left behind by Chief Minister Jiang, requesting to see the Supreme Commander."
"Make them put down all their weapons before they come to see me!" Having learned his lesson once, Xue Qian became even more careful and cautious.
A moment later, several junior officers were brought over. One of them said, "Master, Chief Minister Jiang begs you to be careful. A spy from the Peace Army has disguised himself as our soldier and has infiltrated our ranks, killing more than a hundred of our brothers."
Xue Qian snorted coldly. This warning came too late. He said, "I understand. I will be careful."
The army paused briefly before continuing its advance. Those men left behind by Jiang Shidao led the way, and after traveling another twenty or thirty li, they encountered another hundred or so men ahead.
"Is this Brother Zhang?" Jiang Shidao's men, who were leading the way, recognized the man at a glance and asked loudly.
"It's me, Brother Sun. Did you report to Master Xiang Yu?" The visitor recognized the person who had led the way and asked with a smile.
"I have already reported. Why did you stay, Brother Zhang? Is it because the Grand Master has something else to report to the Master?"
Brother Zhang nodded and said, "That's right. Our army fought the enemy here and won a great victory. Chief Minister Jiang has already pursued them. He asked me to report to the Master that he will only pursue for thirty miles and then stop, in case it is a trap set by the enemy. Please, Master, advance quickly to provide support."
Although he hadn't even met Xue Qian yet, this Brother Zhang had already blurted everything out; he seemed to be a reckless fellow. Xue Qian was displeased and somewhat annoyed by Jiang Shidao's unauthorized pursuit, but upon hearing that he had only chased for thirty li, he felt slightly relieved.
Unexpectedly, as Brother Zhang and his large contingent approached, he suddenly handed his weapon to Brother Sun and his men, picked up another weapon from the ground, and began attacking those around him. Chaos erupted once more in Xue Qian's army. This time, the entire army had trusted Brother Sun because of his seemingly honest demeanor along the way, and seeing that he knew Brother Zhang, they were completely unsuspecting. They had fallen for the trap set by the Peace Army spies once more. When the chaos subsided, over two hundred more Lianfa Sect soldiers lay dead on the ground, while the Peace Army soldiers who had infiltrated the ranks escaped again.
The repeated harassment by the Peace Army reassured Xue Qian. If Li Jun's intention was to ambush and besiege the city to intercept reinforcements, he wouldn't have repeatedly sent small detachments to harass Lianfa's army. His purpose in harassing him was simply to make him suspicious and hesitant to advance. Therefore, Xue Qian needed to accelerate his advance to thwart his plot. Thus, Xue Qian ordered: "Full speed ahead! Anyone claiming to be sent by Jiang Shidao, seize them immediately! Don't let them spout nonsense!"
Sure enough, they encountered men claiming to be sent by Jiang Shidao ahead. Xue Qian's army was terrified by the spies from the Peace Army. They tied these dozens of men up with ropes and did not lead them to Xue Qian to avoid being tricked again. Instead, they carried them along in the army. The men were terrified and shouted curses or begged, but this only made Xue Qian's army more angry and suspicious. Later, they simply gagged them all.
Xue Qian, of course, was unaware that this group was actually sent by Jiang Shidao. They had originally come to report military intelligence, but Jiang Shidao, after a long pursuit, had failed to find any trace of the Peace Army's main force and had begun to doubt their plans. Out of caution and loyalty to the Lianfa Sect, he sent someone to ask Xue Qian for a decision. Li Jun, however, was prepared for this, repeatedly using fake messengers to make the real messengers appear fake as well. At this moment, Li Jun himself was leading the main force of the Peace Army to break through Efeng Ridge and head straight for Huai'en City.
Xue Qian's entire army marched at full speed, covering another fifty li under the cover of night, until they arrived at Jiang Shidao's encampment. Only then did they learn that although Jiang Shidao had had small-scale contact with the Heping Army, the Heping Army had retreated at the first contact and had never engaged in direct combat with him. Jiang Shidao realized that he might have been tricked and had stopped advancing, waiting for Xue Qian's command.
"What? The main force of the Peace Army hasn't shown up?" Xue Qian was shocked.
Jiang Shidao knew things were going badly, so despite the muddy ground, he knelt down and said, "I'm afraid we've been tricked. Li Jun's forces are probably... I'm afraid..." He dared not say that they were really attacking Huai'en City, because if that were the case, his responsibility would be so great that even death could not atone for it.
"Useless thing! I'm afraid he's attacking Huai'en. Why didn't you inform me sooner?" Xue Qian's anger erupted uncontrollably. He dismounted, strode up to Jiang Shidao, and kicked him hard.
Jiang Shidao dared not dodge, and kicked him until he groaned, saying, "Master, spare me! Master, spare me! I sent someone to inform the Master, but those people have never returned!"
Hearing him mention the messenger, Xue Qian felt a mix of anger and shame. He now understood that it was his carelessness and stubbornness that had prevented Jiang Shidao's messenger from getting close enough to explain the military situation. And the reason for this was Li Jun's repeated harassment—that brat! How dare he manipulate him so easily!
"You idiot, you've ruined the Divine Sect's grand plan!" Xue Qian grew angrier the more he thought about it, and said, "What are you still alive for? Just die already!"
"Master, please forgive me! I am willing to atone for my sins. Master, it is not too late to return to the capital! Huai'en City cannot be taken so easily. In order to maintain the speed, Li Jun will not take the siege supplies with him. With just ladders and ropes, he cannot take Huai'en City at all!"
Hearing his words, Xue Qian barely suppressed his anger. What he said was true. Li Jun was eager to advance, but siege equipment was slow-moving. How could it reach Huai'en City so quickly? He had been controlling Huai'en for several months, fortifying the city's defenses and digging deep trenches. He was sure he could stop Li Jun. As long as he could get back in time, the five thousand garrison troops in the city would be enough to deal with Li Jun!