CHAPTER 156: MALICIOUS INTENTIONS

When the sun was already high in the sky, a soldier stationed on the watchtower atop Xiqiang City’s east city wall noticed something strange in the distance. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to get a clearer look.

The moment he realized what was coming, he hurriedly called out to another soldier standing two meters away, "Brother, enemies are approaching! Sound the drum! I’m going to report to General Zhan!"

Leaving those words, he rushed toward the drum tower.

Seeing that his comrade-in-arms had already rushed down the stairs, the soldier grabbed the two big war drumsticks and began to sound the signal.

Dum! Dum! Dum! Dum!

As the rapid sound of war drums echoed around, the soldiers stopped what they were doing.

Recognizing that it was a sound signaling incoming enemies, they quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed to the open field in the barracks.

As they lined up under the hot sun, waiting for military orders, the soldier arrived at the drum tower on top of the eastern city wall.

"Report!" the soldier shouted as he burst into the main hall.

Inside, Zhan Qi, Xue Ruhong, Fan Wanming, Tan Pengtai, and Ding Zhenshun were gathered around a large sand map, deep in a discussion of military strategy.

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Kneeling before the generals, the soldier clasped his fists and said, "Report! Enemy forces have been sighted approaching from the east!"

At once, the generals rushed out of the drum tower.

Standing on top of the east city wall, they saw a plume of rising dust in the distance. As the ground trembled slightly beneath them, the figures of the approaching army became clearer by the second.

When Zhan Qi recognized the flag carried by the enemy troops, he clenched his fists and cursed, "It’s that bastard Ji Hui!"

"What is he doing here?" Fan Wanming muttered, doubt flickering in his voice.

Standing beside him, Ding Zhenshun thought for a moment before replying, "This general believes he might be here for one of three reasons."

Turning to look at him, Zhan Qi asked, "What are they?"

Still watching the approaching army, Ding Zhenshun explained, "First, Ji Hui may have come because of the imperial edict we received earlier. Second, he might be looking for a reason to find fault with the Great General because we have been accepting refugees these few days."

He paused for a second, then narrowed his eyes and added, "And lastly, he may be here to take over Xiqiang City."

The other generals’ expressions darkened at his words.

Now that they knew who was coming, Xue Ruhong called over a soldier and instructed, "Go report to the Great General that General Ji Hui of the Ji Army is approaching Xiqiang City."

"Yes, General Xue," the soldier responded before rushing back to the barracks.

Meanwhile, seated atop his thin warhorse, Ji Hui looked out at the tall and majestic city walls of Xiqiang City in the distance.

Despite marching under the scorching sun, with sweat soaking the garments under his armor, Ji Hui’s expression remained unreadable.

Riding beside him, his military advisor glanced toward the city and the refugee camp set up near the east city gate.

Observing the busy scene in the refugee camp, the advisor said, "General Ji, please take a look at the people lining up near the city gate."

Following his gaze, Ji Hui spotted the long queues near the city gate. Too far to see anything unusual, he asked, "What about them?"

The advisor looked at him and asked, "General, doesn’t this scene look familiar to you?"

Ji Hui paused, and then realization flashed in his eyes. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Feng Xiyan is distributing food?"

The military advisor nodded. "Based on this subordinate’s observations, there are at least tens of thousands of refugees outside Xiqiang City at this moment. Judging by the closed city gate, Feng Xiyan isn’t letting them in."

"Logically, with that many refugees gathered together, there should be riots or unrest. But the scene before us is orderly and calm. Unless these people have enough food and water, it wouldn’t be like this."

After hearing the analysis, Ji Hui sneered. "Good. Very good. It seems this trip may yield excellent results."

The military advisor clasped his hands and bowed slightly. "This subordinate congratulates General Ji."

Ji Hui raised his hand and said, "It’s too early to celebrate. Save your congratulations until this general wiped out the Feng Army and took over Xiqiang City."

At that, the military advisor chuckled and calmly replied, "Yes, General Ji."

While Ji Hui was discussing his plans, the soldier arrived at the commander’s tent.

Without hesitation, he rushed in and knelt before Feng Xiyan. "Report!"

Feng Xiyan looked up from the report document in his hands and ordered, "Speak."

The soldier clasped his fists and said, "Reporting to the Great General. The Ji Army has been spotted approaching from the east. They will arrive in less than a quarter of a sichen."

Feng Xiyan put down the military report, stood up, and grabbed his sword from the weapon rack. Without another word, he left the commander’s tent and headed straight for the east city gate.

By the time he dismounted from his war horse and climbed the steps to the top of the wall, Ji Hui’s army was only 8 li away from the refugee camp.

Upon seeing him, the generals saluted in unison. "This subordinate greets the Great General."

Feng Xiyan gave a nod, then asked, "What is the current situation?"

Zhan Qi pointed at the approaching army and explained, "A quarter of a sichen ago, one of our scouts spotted them. Ji Hui is leading 10,000 troops, and they are now stationed 8 li from the city gate."

Looking at Feng Xiyan, Xue Ruhong added, "Great General, Ji Hui must be coming with malicious intentions. We can’t let him enter the city."

When he said this, the other generals nodded in agreement.

After listening to what his generals said, Feng Xiyan thought for a moment and then said, "There is a high probability Ji Hui is here because we ignored the imperial decree."

Standing behind him, Ding Zhenshun asked, "What are your orders, Great General?"