"This is???"
"The master specifically instructed that some necessities be sent to you."
"I know, but why?"
"That's beyond my jurisdiction." The bald man didn't say much more, and quickly left with his men. Only Lu Xuan and his group remained, staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Could there be a problem with this food?" Captain Li was the first to speak, and his suspicions were quite reasonable.
"Xiao Si, give the horses some water to try. The rest of you, mount up and leave. No matter what, these horses are real. Let's get to Little Lonely Town first, then we'll make further plans."
Unbeknownst to them, Lu Xuan had already gained considerable influence within the group. Even Lai Xi didn't refute him. The group quickly mounted their horses and continued their journey through the night.
The food and water were eventually proven to be safe, providing a much-needed boost to the group. However, no one could quite understand what Mr. An meant.
"Back in Hongshi Gorge, those bandits didn't attack us. Now, they've suddenly shown goodwill. I reckon the Tang army at the front might have the upper hand." After much thought, this was the only reason Lu Xuan could think of. If the Tang army gained the upper hand, the Tang territory might very well advance westward. Mr. An's actions were probably to prevent the Tang from being purged after a victory.
Regardless, after a hurried march, and with their warhorses once again foaming at the mouth and collapsing, they finally arrived at the long-awaited Little Lonely City. However, to their disappointment, the city's military strength had long been depleted. The entire city had only thirty-two able-bodied soldiers, and a dozen or so households, mostly the elderly, weak, and disabled, too weak to move and left to die. Behind them, the banners of the Turks could already be seen.
“There are still warhorses in the city used for relaying messages. We can ride those horses and leave directly.” Lu Xuan had read the plot and knew that this small, isolated city had no soldiers, but it was still a resupply point. Here, they would change horses, replenish supplies, and continue eastward. At that time, they would begin to penetrate deeper into the territory of the Anxi Protectorate.
The area around Damaying was only nominally under the control of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang's actual control over that region was very weak. However, things changed eastward beyond Xiaogucheng. There, troops from Longyou patrolled the area, making it truly under the Tang's control. Even if the Turks had a lot of guts, they wouldn't dare venture deep into Longyou.
“There are bonfires in the city. We can light them and wait for the army from Longyou,” Lai Xi suggested, a suggestion that was not very rational.
“What do you mean? Shouldn’t it be the best option to light a campfire first and then continue eastward?” Lu Xuan disagreed with him.
“Yes, but if we leave, this city will fall,” Captain Li suddenly interjected.
"The Turks came with us; they won't be interested in this city. There are no resources left to plunder in it."
"It's not a question of whether they're interested or not. The city is here, the soldiers are here, and it has a responsibility to defend the territory. If the Turks cross the city, the garrison in the city will have failed in their duty. If they don't want to fail in their duty, they must stop the enemy. But they only have thirty-two men, how can they stop hundreds of elite troops outside?"
"So, with us added to the mix, you think we can stop the enemy? Do you really think I can single-handedly take down those hundreds?" Lu Xuan had read the original story, so he absolutely did not want to fight a defensive battle against the Turks here. Once they lost their mobility, they would have no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.
At that moment, a soldier ran over to report to Rachel.
"My lord, the Turks are here. I estimate there are over a thousand of them."
"Thousands of people? How can there be so many?"
"There's no mistake, there are indeed over a thousand people who have already set up camp outside the city."
After the messenger left, Lu Xuan and his two companions fell into a near-simultaneous silence. The Turks had actually managed to send reinforcements under these circumstances. The entire situation was completely out of control.
After a long while, Rachel finally spoke.
"I promised Wenzhu's father that I would take her back to Chang'an." There was an indescribable desolation in his tone.
"You even promised me you'd go back to Chang'an and ask for credit for us!" Lu Xuan said irritably. In his view, the situation wasn't actually hopeless. After all, the Turks had chased them all the way here and were exhausted; they could only rest before continuing their work.
If they continued eastward on the last of the city's warhorses, they had every opportunity to shake off the Turks and enter the Tang Dynasty's interior. However, both Lai Xi and Lieutenant Li were soldiers by nature, and their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty was ingrained in their very blood.
One was a Japanese envoy to Tang China, the other a traitor to the Tang army. Theoretically, neither of them needed to risk their lives for their country. But in reality, they were not only risking their lives, but also risking their lives for something that seemed intangible. Well, not entirely intangible; it was a belief concerning the thirty-two garrison soldiers in the city, and whether this isolated city would fall.
"Why must we defend the city? You are not real soldiers. You have no such duty." Lu Xuan was getting anxious and agitated.
After a while, Lieutenant Li spoke.
“I chose to stay because I regretted it. Disobeying orders, rebelling... I never thought of betraying the Tang Dynasty. I just didn’t want my brothers who followed me to lose their lives in vain. But ironically, after I led them away, they still died one by one before me. I am a murderer... Murderers don’t go home.”
"Lord Raixi, what about you?" Lu Xuan turned his gaze to Raixi again. Raixi took a deep breath and said.
"This city is Tang territory, and these people are soldiers and civilians of the Tang Dynasty. As long as it is Tang territory and Tang cities, the Turks cannot set foot on it."
"There isn't a single official in this city; perhaps the higher-ups have forgotten about it."
“No, there are no officials here, so I am the official. Officials of the Great Tang have the responsibility to defend their territory. I will defend this city. The relic is with Wenzhu. If the city falls, you should take Wenzhu and break out. But I will live and die with the city.”
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Chapter Sixteen: The Attack at Dawn
At dawn, Lu Xuan got up and went to the city wall. Last night, everyone in the city mobilized and prepared everything they could: rolling stones, logs, molten gold, and kerosene.
In addition, everything usable in the armory was brought out. However, most of it consisted of rusty spears and longswords. There was practically nothing usable, not even a handful of proper longbows. They did find two usable crossbows, along with some bolts.
Looking around, apart from a few guards, all I could see was an old man standing on the city wall, watching something.
"What, you even know about war?"
"I really don't understand this. I just can't sleep, so I got up to get some fresh air."
"It's good for him to wake up. They'll probably be attacking the city in about an hour. By the way, how's Xiao Si?"
"It's alright, just a little nervous. Putting aside him, this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it. The fights I've been in before are nothing compared to this."
"We are sorry for that child; we shouldn't have dragged him into this."
"Don't say that, boss. If it weren't for you, he would be buried under the sand somewhere long ago. That place, Da Ma Ying, isn't a place where you can survive just by being clever. Look at yourself, you weren't exactly clever back then, but you still managed to survive. Wasn't it because your knife was faster and more ruthless?"
"...Are you praising me or insulting me?"
"It all means the same thing. You understand."
Lu Xuan was speechless. He had a history of losing more than winning when talking nonsense with the old man. After thinking for a moment, he continued.
"When the battle begins, have Xiao Si come with me. All the armories in the city have been cleared out. There are still a few usable military crossbows inside. You two can provide support from behind with crossbows."