The Tyrant's Beloved Empress

50.2

On the battlefield outside Yanzhou's city gate, Hu Yan Xun was fighting against the Yanzhou army when a messenger eagle swooped down to deliver the news of the King's and Crown Prince's death. A smile spread across his face. He was about to order a retreat and head back to the Beidi Imperial City when he saw Hu Yan Ah Te and Hu Yan Zhi marching towards him.

Coming closer, Hu Yan Xun saw that there were civilians and women mixed in the group. He grimaced and asked, "What's going on?"

"Xiao Zhige broke into the Palace and killed both our father and brother!" Hu Yan Ah Te replied, "But he has doomed himself by entering Mt.Er Gui. I have brought our whole family here and we will fight to conquer Yanzhou!"

Hu Yan Xun's eyes brightened. He patted Hu Yan Ah Te and announced, "Xiao Zhige is dead! Take down Yanzhou to avenge the King!"

The Beidi soldiers shouted in unison as they raised Xiao Zhige's black flag and marched forward.

Yanzhou soldiers guarding the city looked at each other in shock.

The lieutenants were also informed of the news from outside the city gates.

Qi Wei gritted his teeth and said, "That's impossible! How could anything happen to the General!"

Xie Ling was pale with doubt, "But we failed to stop Hu Yan Ah Te."

Back when Hu Yan Ah Te was leading his troops back to the Beidi Imperial City, Xie Ling had tried to intercept but did not make it in time. Their plan had been discovered earlier than expected, causing Hu Yan Ah Te to depart before they could overturn the situation.

If Xiao Zhige had fought with Hu Yan Ah Te's troops, the odds were against them.

"Those bastards are just spouting nonsense!" Tie Hu pounded the table, "Can the General be defeated this easily? Even if he had died in their hands, do you think that they would only parade his flag and not his corpse?"

Tie Hu's loud words effectively raised the mood in the war room. The lieutenants looked at each other and regained their faith, "That's right! The General has never been defeated before! We cannot be the one to ruin our troops' morale!"

After speaking, the group went on to lead their soldiers to defend the city.

.....

The words proclaiming Xiao Zhige's death would certainly reach the people of Yanzhou. In the beginning, many had laughed it off as they had absolute confidence that Xiao Zhige was invincible.

But as time passed...

One day, two days, three days... ten days.

The Beidi army remained on the offensive and continued to gain momentum but Xiao Zhige still did not show up. Eventually, the news of Xiao Zhige's flag being broken was leaked, shaking the citizens' firm belief. Afraid, shops that usually stayed open throughout the day had their doors shut tight and no one left their houses unnecessarily.

Even the militia were affected to some extent. While Beidi's troops were invigorated, Yanzhou's battalion was starting to get worn-out. When it rains, it pours. At the same time, the army's food supply was also diminishing fast. If this battle dragged on, Yanzhou would have to face the possibility of a food shortage again.

Qi Wei and the other lieutenants were equally anxious. Scouts were sent out without delay but Xiao Zhige with his army of 5000 were nowhere to be found.

An Chang Qing only found out about this news on the fifth day as Zhou He Lan had given strict orders to keep it from him. Because An Chang Qing had stayed in the manor this whole time, it was quite easy to do so.