“Why does the Weisheng Army have the right to seal the city gates?”
Fatty Xu jumped up and down as he asked.
“The Weisheng Army said someone spotted plateau cavalry outside the city,” the steward replied.
“Plateau cavalry?” All the powerful figures panicked. “What do we do now?”
It was said that Danzhu and the plateau leader Garda had a relationship like family. In the Battle of Dashan Slope, Danzhu was killed in front of the formation by the black-armoured squad led by Dazhuang and Houzi. The possibility that Garda would bring people for revenge was very high.
Now Jin Feng and the Ninth Princess were not in Xichuan, and Qing Xinyao had been stripped of his position by them. Who could resist the plateau cavalry?
Did they have to rely on a eunuch?
The powerful figures were experts at scheming and fighting among themselves, but leading troops in battle left them completely clueless.
“Eunuch, how about letting Qing Xinyao come lead the troops?”
The Xie family member suggested first.
“Everyone, do not panic!” Before the eunuch could reply, the goatee spoke up first. “The situation is not clear yet!”
After speaking, he looked at the Xu family steward. “When did the plateau cavalry appear? Did you see it with your own eyes?”
“They appeared this morning. They were lurking in the woods one li north of the city, spying on the north gate. The patrolling Weisheng Army spotted them, and they immediately ran away. The Weisheng Army sent two cavalry squads to chase them, and then Meng Tianhai ordered the city gates sealed.”
The Xu family steward answered, “Although I did not see it myself, all the guards on the north city wall saw it. I specially sent people to investigate, and the situation is true.”
“I also sent people to check. It is exactly as he said.”
The stewards from several other families spoke up one after another.
“Lord Zhou, the cavalry spotted this morning must be scouts sent by Garda to investigate. The main plateau army might arrive soon. We should withdraw!”
Fatty Xu said, “Otherwise, once the plateau army surrounds the city, we will not be able to leave even if we want to!”
The other powerful figures quickly nodded in agreement.
The plateau people were fierce, brave in battle, and ruthless in their actions.
If Xichuan City were breached, even if Garda did not massacre the city, he would at least kill these powerful figures to vent his anger.
The chief eunuch also frowned tightly.
He was currently acting as the temporary governor of Xichuan Prefecture in name. Previously, Jin Feng, the Ninth Princess, and Qing Xinyao had won battles. If he suffered a defeat here, he would have no way to explain himself.
However, the chief eunuch had long cultivated the habit of remaining calm in the palace. Although his mind was in turmoil, he did not panic like the powerful figures.
Not all the powerful figures were panicking. The goatee’s face remained calm.
He stroked his beard and thought for a while, then looked at the eunuch. “Eunuch, please send someone to find Qing Xinyao and Meng Tianhai!”
“Yes, go find Qing Xinyao and Meng Tianhai!”
The powerful figures acted as if they had grasped the last straw of survival and nodded repeatedly. “They have resisted plateau cavalry before. With the Ninth Princess and Jin Feng absent, only they can hold the line first!”
The chief eunuch gave the goatee a deep look, feeling that his intention in seeking Qing Xinyao and Meng Tianhai might not be the same as what the powerful figures thought.
But he said nothing more and simply signalled the guards to go find them.
The powerful figures did not go back inside. They waited at the entrance.
The secret meeting place was not far from the Qing residence, so the chief eunuch’s guards returned quickly.
“Reporting to the eunuch, the Qing family said that upon hearing of the plateau people’s attack, Qing Xinyao became furious and fainted. He has not woken up yet!”
“Qing Xinyao is in his prime and a military man. How could he faint just like that?”
Fatty Xu shouted, “Eunuch, he must be faking it!”
“Even if you know he is faking, what can you do about it?”
The chief eunuch glanced sideways at Fatty Xu and said irritably, “Are you going to force him to lead the troops?”
Rights and obligations go hand in hand.
Qing Xinyao was no longer the Xichuan governor. Resisting the plateau cavalry had nothing to do with him now.
Even if Xichuan City were destroyed by the plateau people, the emperor would not be able to hold him accountable.
Even if the powerful figures wanted to return the governor position to him now, it was impossible. Appointing a governor required the emperor and the six ministries to approve and affix their seals. There was simply no time.
So even if this governor position was hot to handle, they had to hold it together with the eunuch.
The other powerful figures all looked worried, but the goatee showed a meaningful smile.
“Lord Zhou, have you thought of something?” the chief eunuch asked.
“I have thought of something, but it is not confirmed yet.”
The goatee shook his head and said slowly.
“It is already at this critical moment. If you have thought of something, just say it. Do not keep us in suspense.”
As soon as Fatty Xu urged him, the guard who went to find Meng Tianhai also returned.
Just as he was about to speak, the goatee raised his hand to stop him.
“Is Meng Tianhai out of the city pursuing the plateau cavalry and cannot be found for the moment?” the goatee asked the guard while looking at him.
“How did Lord Zhou know?” The guard was stunned. “That is what the Weisheng Army people said.”
“Hahaha, I understand now!” The goatee stroked his beard and laughed loudly at the sky.
The chief eunuch also let out a long breath, and his tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.
“Lord Zhou, what time is it now? Why are you still playing riddles!”
Fatty Xu slapped his thigh and said, “What exactly did you understand?”
“In fact, there are no plateau cavalry at all. It is all Qing Xinyao and Meng Tianhai putting on a double act!”
“No cavalry?”
“Correct, none!”
“Then what did the city guards see?”
“It was probably the Weisheng Army pretending to be them. Who knows?” The goatee replied, “But it does not matter anymore.”
“Pretending?” Fatty Xu was stunned. “Sealing the city gates is no small matter. What are Qing Xinyao and Meng Tianhai trying to achieve with this act?”
“Probably to buy time for the Ninth Princess.”
The goatee said, “The Ninth Princess likely has not obtained the imperial decree yet, so she resorted to this desperate measure. She had the Weisheng Army close the city gates to cut off our contact with the outside.”
“How is that possible?” Fatty Xu said. “Even with the gates closed, we still have carrier pigeons.”
“Do you have carrier pigeons outside the city?” The goatee asked with a sideways glance. “Even if you do, how many?”
Carrier pigeons were convenient, but the amount of information they could carry each time was limited. Moreover, they did not have many pigeons in their possession. Their greatest advantage was in transmitting messages over long distances.
The distance between inside and outside the city was so short that by the time you tied a note to a pigeon’s leg, a horse could have already delivered the message.
So almost none of the powerful figures had carrier pigeons outside the city.
“If that is the case, why does the eunuch not just order the city gates opened?” Fatty Xu said.
“According to the law, reopening the city gates requires simultaneous orders from both the governor and the defending general.”
The goatee said, “Meng Tianhai has run off, so the eunuch cannot open the gates at all.”
“Then if the eunuch did not give the order, how could Meng Tianhai close the gates on his own?”
“Lord Xu, read the laws more often when you have nothing to do!”
The goatee glanced sideways at Fatty Xu and could not be bothered to explain further.
Fatty Xu’s steward could not stand it anymore. He leaned over and quietly explained in a low voice.
In Great Kang, there were no satellites. When the city guards spotted the enemy with the naked eye, the enemy was basically already at the city walls.
If they ran to ask the governor for instructions and went through the whole process, the enemy might have already seized the gates.
Therefore, when defending generals discovered the enemy, they had the right to close the gates first on their own authority.
Reopening the gates was not so urgent and required cooperation between the governor and the defending general to prevent one side from rebelling and secretly opening the gates to let the enemy in.
“So that is how it is!”
After hearing the steward’s explanation, Fatty Xu smiled and said, “Closing the gates without authorisation and falsely reporting military intelligence are both capital crimes. It seems the Ninth Princess is really desperate. She even resorted to such a trick!”
