Who put the yellow robe on me?

Chapter 163 Flanking Retreat

Xianyu Linyuan rode into Gaochang City with a hint of anxiety. He had already accepted the order, and he knew it was a death warrant. If Gaochang fell, the King of the Western Regions would not give him any chance to explain himself.

"This is exactly as Jiang Chen predicted," Xianyu thought to himself. Ever since the rumors began to spread, he knew he was no longer in control of the situation. The enemy hadn't attacked with swords, but had used rumors to break through the defenses within the Western Regions.

He was supposed to be guarding the border with the Tiger Guards, but now he is forced to return to the palace to prove his innocence, and this is the ingenuity of the enemy's strategy.

"General!" A hurried voice came from the front, interrupting his thoughts.

A soldier in the uniform of the Tiger Guards rushed over, knelt before Xianyu Linyuan, and breathlessly reported, "General, General Mammon has sent word that the fighting in Gaochang is intensifying. The Northern Qiang and Daliang armies have accelerated their attacks, and the city walls are in imminent danger."

Although the defenses in Gaochang City were strong, the soldiers on the city walls all looked nervous and were obviously exhausted.

The soldiers' armor was worn and tattered, stained with blood, as if they had just struggled out of hell. The city walls were riddled with holes, and the Northern Qiang's catapults kept dropping huge rocks, shaking the entire city.

General Pang rushed over, his face pale, his eyes filled with fatigue and anxiety. "General Xianyu, the city is about to collapse. The Northern Qiang's Black Wolf Cavalry is lurking outside the city. Our soldiers have suffered heavy losses. I'm afraid if we hold on any longer..."

"Northern Qiang?" Xianyu Linyuan pondered for a moment, then without further ado, said to General Pang, "Give me the military token! I'm now responsible for Gaochang's defense."

General Pang was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled out the military token from his pocket and handed it to Xianyu with both hands: "General, the fate of Gaochang is in your hands now. We will do our utmost to cooperate."

General Pang did not hesitate at all, perhaps this was the belief that came from the army.

Xianyu Linyuan is to the Western Regions what Zhong Wenbin is to Daliang. He is a god-like existence in the army.

Standing on the top of the city wall, Xianyu Linyuan looked down at the enemy camp in the distance, and the Black Wolf Cavalry of the Northern Qiang were ready to attack.

The gray wolf flag fluttered in the wind, and the sound of horse hooves echoed, as if ready to charge at the precarious city at any moment. In the distance, the sky was thick with dark clouds, as if the shadow of war was looming over everything.

Xianyu Linyuan took a deep breath, anger and determination intertwined in his chest. Without the Tiger Guards, he still had to defend Gaochang, the last barrier to the Western Regions.

"Send a message to the entire army!" Xianyu Linyuan shouted loudly, his voice low but powerful. "Fight the Northern Qiang with all your might, and never retreat until death!"

The soldiers responded one after another. Although they were exhausted, the arrival of General Xianyu was undoubtedly a shot in the arm.

The battle soon broke out. The Northern Qiang's Black Wolf cavalry charged towards Gaochang's walls with a deafening horn blast. The horses swept in like a gust of wind, the sound of their hooves like thunder, and the cavalry flashed a cold light in the dust.

"Shoot!" Xianyu Linyuan calmly gave the order from the top of the city wall. Following his command, hundreds of arrows shot out from the top of the city wall, turning into a hail of arrows that fell directly on the enemy.

The Black Wolf Iron Cavalry soldiers fell one after another, but their offensive did not weaken at all, but became more and more fierce.

There were constant banging sounds under the city wall, and the Northern Qiang warriors began to climb the city wall with ladders, vowing to break through Gaochang's last line of defense.

Xianyu Linyuan's gaze was stern. He knew this battle would be even more difficult than he had anticipated. But under his command, the Gaochang defenders, though not as powerful as the Tiger Guards, still put up a tenacious resistance, advancing cautiously. The Black Wolf Cavalry, though formidable, were repulsed by Xianyu's skillful deployment.

The battle lasted until dusk. Xianyu Linyuan stood on the top of the city wall, watching the Black Wolf Cavalry gradually retreating in the distance, and felt a little relieved.

Although the Gaochang army was exhausted, this battle temporarily stopped the Northern Qiang's attack. Xianyu knew that this was only a brief respite, and each subsequent battle would be more difficult.

However, Xianyu Linyuan did not know that while he was commanding Gaochang to put up a stubborn resistance, changes had quietly taken place within the Western Regions.

In the city of Kucha, Lord Ji stood in front of a desk with a calm expression.

He held a secret order in his hand and smiled slightly: "Haha, General Mammon? When Xianyu Linyuan left the Tiger Guards, it was the beginning of his defeat."

He immediately issued an order and sent someone to the Western Region camp to convey the Western Region King's recall decree, asking General Mammon to lead the Tiger Guards to return for defense.

However, in the Tiger Guards camp in the Western Regions, General Mammon frowned when he received the "recall edict" from the King of the Western Regions.

He was filled with doubts. General Xianyu had told him before he left that if he was urgently recalled, he must first confirm the enemy situation. However, without General Xianyu's instructions, he felt even more uneasy.

"General, this imperial edict seems to be fine, but why didn't you take action?" One of General Mammon's lieutenants asked in a low voice.

General Mammon pondered for a moment, and Xianyu's instructions before leaving emerged in his mind. Returning to defend might mean the loss of Gaochang, but not returning to defend would worry about disobeying the king's order.

"Brother Xianyu said before he left that if he was recalled, the flank troops should be withdrawn first." General Mammon's eyes were firm. "Send a message to Huangfu Zegang to lead the flank troops back to defend Gaochang!"

When Huangfu Ze received the military order, he was leading his troops in battle with the enemy.

He had thought the situation wasn't urgent yet, but the military order suddenly ordered him to retreat. This filled him with confusion, but the order was as strong as a mountain, and there was no room for hesitation. He pondered for a moment, and finally ordered a retreat.

In the distant mountains and forests, Zhong Xiaodan and Deng Yunde were observing the movements of the enemy.

When they saw Huangfu Zegang's troops begin to retreat, Deng Yunde's eyes suddenly lit up and he said excitedly: "General Annan, the enemy troops are retreating! Just as His Highness the Sixteenth Prince expected, their defense line has loosened!"

Zhong Xiaodan's eyes glared, he gripped his spear tightly, and said calmly, "The time has come, proceed as planned! Chase!"

The two quickly assembled their troops and, taking advantage of the enemy's retreat, launched a swift pursuit. The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and the shouts of the soldiers shook the earth. In the battlefield of the flanking troops, a new storm was instantly set off on the battlefield.

……

Xianyu Linyuan stood on the wall of Gaochang, watching the Black Wolf Cavalry gradually disappear into the twilight. His heart was filled with fatigue and worry, but he did not know at this moment that a greater conspiracy was quietly approaching.

As he turned to return to the main hall, a trusted aide hurried over, his face tense. "General, we just received news that the Tiger Guards' flank is withdrawing from Gaochang, and the enemy is also making unusual movements!"

Xianyu Linyuan's brows suddenly furrowed, and he immediately became alert: "What?"