Chapter One Hundred

  Knowing that Shangguan Yuanbiao had misunderstood, Cheng Jin shook his head repeatedly and said: "Seeking peace is also divided into initiative and passivity. We take the initiative to seek peace with the barbarian state, of course, it's hard for people to accept, but if we can make the barbarian state take the initiative to come to us for peace, it's different."

  As soon as these words came out, the flames of anger on Shangguan Yuanbiao's face were extinguished by more than half. He asked in a foolish tone: "How can we make the barbarian state take the initiative to seek peace with us?"

  "This requires a transformation, an ideological transformation." He paused for a moment before elaborating: "Currently, the barbarian states are wolves and we are sheep. Therefore, it is always the barbarian states that take the initiative to attack, while we are always on the defensive, passively enduring their attacks and resisting them. If we want the barbarian states to seek peace with us, we must reverse this situation. We need to become the wolves and let the barbarian states be the sheep. We should take the initiative to attack, launch a preemptive strike, and even plunder them. The more brutal they are, the more brutal we will be in return. Only then will they truly fear us from the bottom of their hearts, and peace will come more easily."

  His words coincided with Tang Yin's thoughts. Tang Yin was not a passive person, especially on the battlefield. His principle was to continuously attack and press the opponent with a sharp offensive. He had also considered sending troops to the barbarian state, but there were too many restrictive conditions. Firstly, he didn't know if it would work, and if it failed, it would harm many people. Moreover, the current situation in Pingyuan County did not permit it: firstly, the military strength was not strong, and secondly, the intelligence was closed off, with no understanding of the barbarian state. Now that Cheng Jin had also analyzed it this way, Tang Yin's concerns were thoroughly dispelled, and he felt that such a strategy was indeed feasible. However, the objective conditions that restricted them could not be changed by human subjective efforts.

  He nodded with a smile and praised: "Cheng Jin, what you said makes sense, but to send troops to the barbarian countries also requires strong military power and strength as the foundation."

  Cheng Jin shrugged and said casually, "I think sometimes taking a surprise move can also achieve surprising results."

  The speaker may be unintentional, but the listener may have a mind. Tang Yan heard this and his heart moved, a bold and adventurous plan slowly emerged in his mind.

  On this day, the barbarian troops did not come to offend; On the second day, it was still calm and peaceful; On the third day, the barbarian troops were still quiet; On the fourth day, as usual, there was no wind blowing or grass moving.

  Tang Yin and his men hid in Yuwang Town for six days.

  Staying in a small space for a long time, isolated from the world, can drive people crazy. Fortunately, there are two new colleagues, Cheng Jin and Ao Qing, chatting with them makes Tang Yin's life not too dull.

  The sixth day, dawn.

  Tang Yin and others were still fast asleep when they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other end of the tunnel. The other end of the tunnel led to the outside of the town, and the sound of footsteps could only mean that someone was approaching from the entrance of the tunnel outside the town.

  Due to his martial arts training since childhood, Tang Yin's sixth sense was extremely strong, and his senses were sharper than ordinary people. He was the first to wake up, almost instinctively flipping over and standing up. His sudden movement also immediately woke up the other four people, and the Upper Official brothers and Cheng Jin, Ao Qing asked in unison: "Sir, what's wrong?"

  "Shh! Someone's coming!" As he spoke, he extinguished the small oil lamp, and in an instant, the tunnel was plunged into darkness. The Shangguan brothers and Cheng Jin, Ao Qing pricked up their ears to listen, but they didn't hear anything. After a while, the four of them heard faint footsteps coming from the end of the tunnel, and at the same time, they were shocked by Tang Yin's incredibly keen hearing.

  Five people simultaneously released their spiritual energy, releasing their spiritual armor, and at the same time, they drew out their respective weapons, completing the spiritualization of their troops. They made preparations to respond to battle, and as soon as the opponent emerged from the corridor, the five could launch a fatal attack at the same time.

  Time flies by quickly, footsteps getting closer and closer, even able to hear the other person's panting sound while running.

  Shangguan Yuanwu and Shangguan Yuanbiao's eyes couldn't see anything, making them even more tense. The sound of footsteps got closer and closer, to the point where they were about to reach their own front. The two simultaneously let out a loud shout, and the silver guns in their hands, which had transformed into spiritual energy, stabbed out fiercely at the same time.

  Just as they were about to fire, Tang Yin suddenly shouted: "Halt!"

  Shangguan Yuanwu and Shangguan Yuanbiao changed color upon hearing the sound, the spear that had been thrust out was already too late to be withdrawn, and could only be made to deviate from its course, stabbing in another direction.

  Bang! Bang!

  With two muffled sounds, the two spiritual guns were both stabbed into the wall of the tunnel, and the force was so great that it even pierced two large holes in the wall.

  At this time, Tang Yin relit the small oil lamp. The Shangguan brothers looked closely and found that the person who had rushed in from outside was a young man wearing black clothes, only in his early twenties, but judging from his appearance and clothing, he was definitely not a barbarian soldier.

  The two guns of the brothers were pointing at the young man's head from both sides, and their distance was so close that they almost touched his cheek. If the brothers' guns had deviated by half an inch, the young man would have been killed instantly. At this time, the young man also saw the situation clearly, he stared blankly at the two guns in front of him, and cold sweat broke out suddenly.

  "I...I am a subordinate of General Ai, I have come to report!" The young man stretched out his hand and pulled out a military token from his bosom, trembling as he handed it over to Tang Yin.

  Tang Yin stepped forward and took the token while signaling to the Shangguan brothers to put away their weapons. The military token was unique to Feng Guo, and on top of that, it also had the character "Tan" engraved on it, indicating a spy's identity. Tang Yin couldn't help but laugh after seeing it - it was really clever of Ai Jia to come up with this! He asked in confusion: "Isn't General Ai back in Heng City?"

  "We returned to Heng City, but the general was worried about the border city and also concerned about the safety of the adults, so we didn't stay in Heng City for long before leading us back to the vicinity of the border city to scout out the enemy situation!"

  "So that's how it is!" Tang Yin didn't say much more, but his heart was warm and fuzzy. He asked, "What's the situation outside now?"

  The young man swallowed his saliva and took a few quick breaths before saying, "Sir, the barbarian troops have crossed the border and are now heading towards Biancheng. Moreover, at least one more battalion of barbarian troops is rushing in this direction!"

  As soon as he heard this, Tang Yin's nerves immediately tensed up. The barbarian army's counterattack had finally arrived. He was both excited and nervous at the same time. He asked urgently: "How many barbarian soldiers are there?"

  The young man said with a smile, "Countless, as many as the clouds in the sky."

  What kind of answer is this? Tang Yan was almost amused by anger, he said in a condensed voice: "What's the meaning of countless and uncountable, no matter how many enemies there are, there must be a number!"

  "Leaving aside the 10,000 barbarian troops that marched towards Yuanwang Town, there are at least 50,000 barbarian troops attacking the border city."

  Fifty thousand? Adding the ten thousand barbarian soldiers who came this way, the other side has at least sixty thousand troops. It seems that our side still underestimated the counterattack strength of the barbarian army.

  Tang Yin is not worried about himself now, but about the border city. The border city has less than 20,000 troops, and they are all new recruits. Even with Qiu Zhen's cleverness in command, it's still unknown whether they can withstand the fierce attack of 50,000 enemy soldiers. He fell silent for a moment, then said to the young man: "You hurry back and inform General Ai to keep an eye on the enemy's every move at all times. If anything unexpected happens, notify me immediately!"

  "I understand, I'll take my leave!" The young man didn't even bother to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he turned and ran out.

  "Sir, with so many barbarian soldiers, can the border city hold out?" asked Shangguan Yuanwu anxiously.

  Tang Yin also wanted to know if their side could hold on, but it was too late to worry about that now. He took a deep breath and said seriously, "Don't worry about Bian Cheng, we just need to take care of ourselves, everything will go according to plan!"

  "Yes, sir!" Although Tang Yin didn't say much, his words always made people feel at ease. Shi Guan Yuanwu responded with a "yes" and didn't ask any more questions.

  At this time, the time began to drag on, and now is the most critical moment. Whether the original plan can be implemented smoothly depends on whether the barbarian soldiers will discover his trail.

  After a while, people felt that there were chaotic footsteps coming from above their heads, and there were also faint roars mixed in.

  The barbarian soldiers have arrived at Yuanwang Town! Tang Yin moved his body and leaned against the entrance of the tunnel to quietly listen to the movements outside.

  Obviously, the original Wanger Chen Castle was a deserted town beyond the barbarian army's expectations. The whole town couldn't find a single living person. The barbarians' anger had nowhere to vent, so they shifted it to the houses in the small town. For a time, the sound of doors slamming and windows shattering was endless, rising and falling in succession.

  Although he couldn't understand the barbarian's language, Tang Yin could still tell that the enemy soldiers were shouting and cursing.

  Suddenly, Tang Yin realized a serious problem. If the barbarian soldiers really vented their anger on the small town and set it on fire, what would happen? Could the 2,000 soldiers of the other side be suffocated to death in the underground tunnels and caves?

  Sweat dripped down his temples at this thought.

  However, his worries were unnecessary. Although the barbarian troops killed and looted after entering Fengguo's territory, they would never set fire to the city. They regarded the people of Feng as their own sheep, and if they burned down the city, the people of Feng would have nowhere to live and would all be internally displaced, which would add great trouble to their conquest.

  Not a single person could be found in the town. The barbarian soldiers made a big noise and smashed things for a while before leaving reluctantly to head towards Bian Cheng, preparing to join forces with the other barbarian soldiers there to launch a joint attack on Bian Cheng.

  As the barbarian soldiers all left, Tang Yin's heart finally returned to its original position, and he secretly said it was a narrow escape. Fortunately, the enemy army did not set fire to the town, otherwise they would have been completely defeated here.

  He retreated back to the edge of the road and slowly sat down.

  The footsteps on the roof are getting farther and farther away, Cheng Mian asked: "Shouldn't the barbarian soldiers have left?"

  Tang Yin nodded and said, "Let's go!"

  "Sir, what's our next move?" asked Shangguan Yuanbiao.

  "Wait!" Tang Yin said in a low voice: "Let's wait for our scouts to report back and confirm that the barbarian army has started attacking the city. Then we'll make a concerted effort to break out!"

  Cheng Mian Song took a deep breath and said, "The barbarian troops have come from afar and must be exhausted. They probably won't attack the city immediately."

  "It will definitely be!" Before Tang Yin could speak, Shangguan Yuanwu said seriously: "The barbarian army has always liked to fight quickly and decisively. They have never been seen to rest before attacking. I have lived in Pingyuan County for over 20 years, I understand their style."

  Cheng Mian furrowed his brow and muttered, "To attack a city with an exhausted army is to throw away one's troops, this should be a major taboo in the art of war!"

  Tang Yin heard this and looked up with a smile, gathering his eyes and saying, "That's why I say we will definitely win this battle!" He then added another sentence, "We must also win!"