Outside the death camp gate, a towering figure stood guard.
Ye Chen hurriedly arrived with Zhao Yun and was overjoyed to see Xu Da.
Xu Da, standing at over eight feet tall, was as agile as a dragon and as steadfast as an ancient pine.
Upon seeing Ye Chen, Xu Da immediately cupped his hands and knelt, saying, “Your Highness, Xu Da has arrived late!”
“Just in time, just in time!” Ye Chen helped Xu Da to his feet. At this moment, Xu Da and Zhao Yun stood facing each other, with Ye Chen in the middle.
It was like a scene of sworn brotherhood.
“Ye Chen, the General has orders!”
At this moment, a captain’s appearance shattered the perfect scene.
This captain was a trusted subordinate of An Lushui and took orders from him alone.
Ye Chen looked at the captain with suspicion. Judging by his expression and tone, he did not seem friendly!
However, since they were in the Yunzhou garrison, and Ye Chen was still a subordinate of An Lushui, he asked:
“What is the General’s command?”
The captain looked at Zhao Yun with a contemptuous expression, then extended his hand, pointing at Zhao Yun and said:
“This bodyguard named Zhao Yun has a questionable background. The General ordered me to take him for questioning!”
“Seize him!”
With that, the captain ordered dozens of men to swarm in, apparently to apprehend Zhao Yun immediately.
“Who dares to move!”
Seeing this, Zhao Yun immediately drew his Dragon Spear. His stance was impeccable, giving the impression of a dragon in flight.
The captain’s face grew even more severe: “Zhao Yun dares to resist. Take him down!”
Dozens of personal guards immediately stepped in, and Zhao Yun prepared to fight, but Ye Chen held him back.
With Ye Chen intervening, the dozens of personal guards dared not act further. After all, they could not afford to offend a prince.
“You say Zhao Yun’s background is suspicious. Do you have evidence?”
The captain, unafraid of Ye Chen, immediately replied, “Of course, once Zhao Yun is in the General’s tent, things will be made clear.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen’s expression darkened. It seemed they were trying to weaken his forces by taking Zhao Yun away.
Since this was the case, Ye Chen was not prepared to hold back and immediately signaled Xu Da.
Just as Xu Da was about to take action, another person arrived at the camp gate: “Report, the main force of the Tartar army is approaching. The General requests that His Highness the Seventh Prince immediately proceed to the camp for discussion.”
Realizing that time was of the essence, the captain quickly made way: “Seventh Prince, please proceed!”
Ye Chen instructed Zhao Yun and Xu Da to return first, and went alone to the camp.
Inside the camp, An Lushui sat at the main seat, with generals from the front, middle, and rear armies seated to his left and right. The deputy general was explaining the situation.
“Seventh Prince!”
Upon Ye Chen’s arrival, the generals all stood to welcome him. Ye Chen nodded in acknowledgment and then took the seat at the far end.
An Lushui observed the generals bowing to Ye Chen, his lips twitched slightly but he did not make an issue of it on the spot.
After the deputy general’s report, it was clear that the Tartar main force had more than ten thousand men and was already preparing to attack before nightfall.
After listening to this, An Lushui said, “The situation is urgent and pressing. I order that the death camp, led by Ye Chen, go out of the city to face the first wave of the Tartar main force. Do any of you have objections?”
An Lushui’s gaze swept over the generals in the camp. Their brows were furrowed, but Ye Chen looked relaxed, leaning back in his chair.
An Lushui frowned and asked Ye Chen, “Ye Chen, do you have any objections?”
Ye Chen waved his hand casually and replied, “Of course not.”
Hearing this, An Lushui nodded in satisfaction and was about to give the order when Ye Chen suddenly spoke up, “I wonder how General An plans to proceed afterward?”
An Lushui’s face darkened: “The arrangements behind the scenes are none of your concern. Just focus on your own task.”
Ye Chen shook his head, “All of us here are military commanders of the Yunzhou garrison. General An, what is there to hide?”
After Ye Chen’s words, the generals in the camp had various expressions.
Indeed, they were all part of the Yunzhou garrison. What was it that An Lushui couldn’t discuss in front of them?
An Lushui spoke in a deep voice, “The arrangements for afterward will be revealed once your death camp is on the battlefield.”
Ye Chen was not ready to let An Lushui off the hook. He asked, “Is it that you have no arrangements at all?”
Ye Chen continued to question, “May I ask General An, what is the purpose of sending our death camp out to face the enemy?”
An Lushui raised his head and answered naturally, “Naturally, it is to buy time.”
“Hmph!” Ye Chen snorted coldly, “Our death camp suffered heavy losses in the last battle. We only have three hundred men left. How long does General An think we can hold off against ten thousand troops?”
Ye Chen’s questioning left An Lushui speechless for a moment, his expression turning grim.
Bang!
Ye Chen slammed his hands on the table, confronting An Lushui directly: “One breath, or two breaths?”
“This…” An Lushui was left speechless by Ye Chen’s question.
Although he had targeted Ye Chen intentionally, there were also logical considerations in the military.
Sending Ye Chen’s three hundred men to delay ten thousand troops was indeed unreasonable.
“General An, what the Seventh Prince says is reasonable. Currently, the death camp only has three hundred men left. They will likely be overwhelmed by the Tartar forces before they even leave the city.”
A general from the front army supported Ye Chen.
“Yes, even our Yunzhou garrison, with a total of only ten thousand men, would not dare to engage the Tartar main force head-on.”
Generals from the rear army also voiced support for Ye Chen.
Soon, generals from the central army also spoke up for Ye Chen, leaving An Lushui feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Ye Chen continued, “If we are to continue fighting, it cannot be a mission to simply die!”
An Lushui’s eyes flashed. As long as you go out to meet the enemy, you can do whatever you want!
“Then Ye Chen, how many men do you need?”
Ye Chen thought carefully and replied, “Five hundred men!”
“Alright! Then I will…”
“Wait!”
An Lushui was about to mobilize troops when Ye Chen interrupted him.
“These five hundred men cannot be drawn from the Yunzhou garrison.”
“What?”
An Lushui looked at Ye Chen in confusion, not understanding his intention.
Ye Chen explained, “In times of war, temporary troop adjustments are a military taboo. Everyone should understand this principle.”
With that, the generals in the camp nodded in agreement.
An Lushui’s face turned ashen: “Then what do you suggest?”
Ye Chen smiled and said, “It’s simple. Draw five hundred men from your personal guards.”
Hearing this, An Lushui’s face darkened.
His personal guards numbered only one thousand, and Ye Chen’s request to take five hundred meant they would be sent to their deaths?
He was not a native of Yunzhou. After Yunzhou fell, those one thousand guards were his foundation for making a comeback.
However, both the Third Prince and Concubine Liu had ordered that Ye Chen be eliminated no matter what.
Once Ye Chen was gone, An Lushui would not be limited to just Yunzhou.
“Alright!”
An Lushui waved his hand, “I will give you five hundred personal guards, as long as you go out to meet the enemy!”
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