Meanwhile, at the General Qin's Mansion in the Protectorate's Office.
With the first battle won, it was natural for everyone to celebrate. However, since the war was not over yet and a large part of the western territory of the Great Sheng Dynasty remained to be recovered, Qin Huaiqiu only symbolically comforted the soldiers and then told Shi Congwen to lead them to repair the damaged city walls. He himself summoned everyone to the Qin Mansion to discuss strategies and the doubts in this battle.
"Catapults," Nie Rong sat at the table and immediately pointed out the key point.
Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.
"Sir, you may not know that many days ago, before the fall of Khotan and Kucha, the enemy coalition had already sent people into these two cities. And their fall happened almost overnight," Nie Rong said. "They used merchant caravans as bait and merchants as their identities to enter the cities. First, they collected information about the military layout and city defenses. Then they either bribed the city - gate guards or assassinated them. As a result, when the enemy launched the attack, the city gates of the two cities were opened. It's more like they were 'invited' in than being breached."
Qin Huaiqiu frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Such an important thing happened even though my father had ordered those two cities to strengthen their defenses?"
Nie Rong shook his head and said, "Actually, sir, their infiltration this time was very different. I listened to the reports. Overall, it felt like... they seemed to know a great deal about the operation of our army in the city."
"Know a great deal?" Qin Huaiqiu was taken aback. He exchanged glances with others and then looked at Nie Rong, hoping he would continue.
Nie Rong stroked his chin and organized his words. "They could clearly figure out the internal communication mechanism of the Qin Family Army, and they even understood the habits and living customs of the Central Plains people very well. The reason the city gates were opened at that time was because of lies such as 'receiving a support signal from the Protectorate's Office' and 'being required by the Protectorate's Office to negotiate with the Loulan army'."
"This reason is simply absurd. At such a critical moment, no matter what, how could they let the Loulan army into the city?" Feng Zuo cursed under his breath and said indignantly, "Don't you people in the Qin Family Army have this basic common sense?"
Wan Chengyan glared at Feng Zuo and shouted, "You fool! The Protectorate's Office is different from the capital. A general far from the capital can ignore some orders. Generally speaking, to ensure the unity of the border - defense army, the Qin Family Army basically follows the unified arrangements of the Protectorate's Office. If the enemy uses the orders from the Protectorate's Office to deceive us, as long as they are reasonable and seem sincere, there is a possibility of being deceived."
Nie Rong gave Wan Chengyan an appreciative look and nodded at him. "What General Wan said is very true. Kucha and Khotan are not major cities, and their troop deployments are not as strict as those in the Protectorate's Office. The enemy lured our soldiers in many ways, which led to our defenders becoming overly confident and trusting of the spies. Due to various reasons, the two cities were in a difficult situation both inside and outside during the attack, and they were breached overnight."
Qin Huaiqiu's frown never eased. A sense of unease rose in his heart. He clenched his fists and said, "So, this means that they already know our army's internal information from some unknown source. Do you think it could be... Lian'er?"
Nie Rong's face changed.
After Yaze Bu told Qin Huaiqiu about Qin Huailian being captured by the Loulan people, Qin Lan had already informed Nie Rong and Qin Feng of this news by letter.
During this period, although the two sides at the border had been in a stand - off, Nie Rong and Qin Feng had also been trying to capture Loulan hostages to find out Qin Huailian's real whereabouts, but all their efforts had been in vain. Later, Qin Feng's hasty dispatch of troops without the imperial edict from Sikong Ting was also because he was worried about Qin Huailian's safety, so he decided to act first and report later.
But considering the many unexpected actions of the enemy in this battle, Qin Huaiqiu's worry grew stronger.
What if...
What if the enemy's knowledge of the Qin Family Army's armaments, including the catapult technology that the coalition somehow got hold of, all came from Qin Huailian?
Was Lian'er still safe now?
Wan Chengyan and Feng Zuo naturally also knew about this. They exchanged a glance and didn't say a word. After all, they knew that if Qin Huailian had been tortured by the Loulan people and forced to reveal these things, the most anxious ones would be the people of the Qin Family, especially Qin Huaiqiu.
After all, she was the young miss of the Qin Mansion.
"It's impossible, impossible..." Qin Huaiqiu suddenly covered his mouth. He tried his best to calm his emotions and said, "Lian'er is very smart. That girl won't be threatened by the enemy. How could something happen to her..."
Nie Rong gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, sir. The young miss is blessed. She will surely be fine. Even if she was captured by the Loulan people, she must have a way to save herself."
Qin Huaiqiu was on the verge of a breakdown. He covered his face with his hands and rubbed his eyes hard. "Yes, I believe in Lian'er. But we still can't confirm Lian'er's safety..."
Wan Chengyan bowed to Qin Huaiqiu and said, "General Qin, in my humble opinion, the young miss should still be safe."
Qin Huaiqiu looked up at him with red - rimmed eyes.
Wan Chengyan looked at him and said, "Although the Xiongnu and Loulan have formed an alliance, in the past hundred years, there have been many frictions between these two countries and the Great Sheng Dynasty at the border, but they have never been able to shake the regime of the Great Sheng Dynasty. So, I speculate that even if they unite, they are still in awe of the Great Sheng Dynasty. Since they captured the young miss, they will surely not harm her, because they need to leave themselves a back - up plan, which is to use the young miss as a hostage."
Qin Huaiqiu's eyes flickered. He gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Nie Rong was shocked. He seemed a bit excited and also relieved. "Anyway, if the enemy wants to use the young miss as a hostage, they will surely ensure her safety."
Qin Huaiqiu wiped his face and forced himself to calm down. "Anyway, we must quickly recover most of the western territory and then rescue Lian'er."
Qin Huaiqiu lowered his head and stared at the map for a while. He gritted his teeth and said, "The areas east of the Tianshan Mountains have all been recovered. Now the areas with enemy troops are some parts of the territory west of the Tianshan Mountains. Whether they are from Loulan or the Xiongnu, as long as they dare to invade the territory of the Great Sheng Dynasty and bully my younger sister, I will make them pay the corresponding price!"
Nie Rong nodded and pointed at the map. "To ensure our westward advance, the old general had stocked enough food and supplies in the Protectorate's Office to last through the winter before he set out on the expedition. The armaments are also very sufficient. Now the cities adjacent to the enemy - occupied areas are Kucha, Khotan, Yifeng, and Wucheng. Sir, what should we do next?"
Qin Huaiqiu said in a deep voice, "They just suffered a defeat, so they won't counter - attack for the time being. After the city walls of the Protectorate's Office are repaired, Nie Rong and Feng Zuo, you two will lead troops respectively to Kucha and Khotan to strengthen the city walls and prepare for war. Kucha is okay, but Khotan, where my father was, is said to have been looted. While preparing for war, you also need to ensure the comfort and assistance of the people in the city. Do you understand?"
"Yes!" Feng Zuo replied.
"Yes, I obey the order," Nie Rong said. "What about the other two cities?"
Qin Huaiqiu thought for a while and said, "Wucheng is adjacent to the Kunlun Mountains. It's too far from the enemy's base camp. They don't need to go for a far - off target when there are closer ones. But we can't draw a final conclusion yet. As for Yifeng..." He stroked his chin and thought. "Who is the current defender of Yifeng?"
Nie Rong replied, "Sir, it's Zhu Zhengting."
Qin Huaiqiu let out an "oh" and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. "It's him. What about the troops?"
Nie Rong continued, "There are more than 30,000 troops. And Zhu Zhengting has already arranged the troops and food supplies. Yifeng is located in a strategically important area and is separated by a river. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack. There should be no problem."
"Good. Then use Khotan and Kucha as strongholds. Rest well, strengthen the city walls, and stock up enough troops. Three days later, we will directly send out troops."
"Yes!"
"Sir!" Qin Lan's voice suddenly came from outside the tent. She hurriedly pushed the door open and walked in, looking a bit anxious. "The old general... the old general is back!"