Chapter 1120 – This Land of Nine Provinces and Four Seas, I Want a Hundred Percent (Nineteen)
“Have the reinforcements not arrived yet?”
Xu Fei’s eyes were bloodshot, and due to prolonged lack of sleep, his dark circles were like two panda eyes, making him look especially haggard.
When he repeated the question again, the commander of the guards answered in despair, “Not yet… Lord, please give up. The journey from Shanweng City to Wanzhou takes more than two months. Even if Commander Qin is an excellent horseman, it won’t be enough time…”
Xu Fei’s face turned pale, an air of dejection surrounding him.
“You can leave now; I want to be alone—”
Xu Fei slumped down on the mat, as if all the strength in his body had vanished, his vacant eyes staring into the distance.
If the enemy wasn’t Xu Pei, perhaps he would have collapsed long ago.
The position of head of the Xu family had always been held by those with talent.
Xu Pei was merely born a few days earlier, fortunate enough to claim the title of legitimate eldest grandson; apart from that, he was nothing!
If it weren’t for Xu Pei’s dirty tricks, could he have held the position of family head?
This thought had long haunted Xu Fei.
In this lifetime—
He could lose to anyone, but he absolutely could not lose to Xu Pei.
Watching Xu Fei’s appearance, the guard commander was anxious but didn’t dare to provoke him further.
As the skies gradually darkened, the sounds of battle outside Shanweng City began to wane.
Gazing at the orange sun sinking in the west, Xu Fei’s taut nerves momentarily relaxed.
However, he was fully aware that after this night, tomorrow would bring even fiercer assaults on the city, and there were already few supplies left inside.
“What’s the situation outside the city?” Xu Fei asked.
“Another five hundred casualties; only five thousand soldiers remain. If there’s another attack tomorrow, we might not be able to hold even one city gate,” the weary old general guarding the gate said. “This noon, the enemy’s vanguard breached the city gate, and several hundred enemy troops surged in. If not for the soldiers blocking them with caltrops and other obstacles at the gate, we would have been unable to hold it. Tomorrow will be even worse; Shanweng City can’t hold out!”
In Shanweng City, the supplies were running low, and the soldiers had suffered heavy casualties; it was evident they were on the brink of exhaustion.
The old general, in a hoarse voice, suggested, “Lord, how about we—”
Xu Fei fixed his gaze on him, his thin lips pressed tightly together, remaining silent.
The old general knew Xu Fei was displeased, but some things needed to be said now or never.
He earnestly advised, “As long as there’s a chance, there’s hope. You’re of noble status; why sacrifice yourself with mere ruins? Listen to an old minister’s advice: disguise yourself and have the guards escort you and the lady to leave Shanweng City quietly. I’ll stay behind to delay them and draw their main forces; perhaps there’s still a glimmer of hope. If you remain in Shanweng City, you’ll inevitably become a turtle in a jar—”
The old general was straightforward, completely oblivious to the inappropriateness of his words.
How could Xu Fei be a “turtle”?
Xu Fei’s fists clenched and relaxed, his expression shifting like the turmoil within him.
“Lord, please make a decision quickly!”
Xu Fei took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concealed the pain surging within him.
“Alright—”
He agreed.
Giving up Shanweng City to flee, equated to indirectly acknowledging that he was inferior to Xu Pei. How could Xu Fei bear that?
The old general finally sighed in relief.
He laboriously rose, bowed to Xu Fei, and slowly retreated.
The old guy was aging; neither his stamina nor combat ability could compare to younger men.
Watching his old comrades perish one by one filled the old general’s heart with immense pain, but he could not show it lest it affect the morale of the troops.
Night fell; the enemy did not come to raid, but no one dared to let their guard down, fearing they might sleep through the end of the world.
The old general personally climbed the city wall to check the defense situation.
Not hoping to hold out tomorrow, just striving to delay a little longer to buy time for the lord.
That night, lights were blazing in the Xu residence within Shanweng City.
Xu Fei’s wife dismissed most of the housemaids, and the female relatives were busy packing valuables while also preparing food, water, and transportation. As the main wife, the legitimate lady could keep things steady, but the courtyard was filled with the sound of weeping.
Their emotions affected the children; several illegitimate sons and daughters huddled in the wet nurses’ or biological mothers’ arms, crying with tears streaming down.
The eleven-year-old eldest daughter remained calm, not crying at all, and even helped her mother pack.
“Why are you still bringing jewelry at a time like this?”
The legitimate lady glared at the concubines packing their bundles, nearly speechless from anger.
One favored concubine had five entire boxes just for clothes and jewelry!
Now that their lives were at stake, she was still thinking about beauty?
At a critical moment, could these jewels and ornaments be turned into food and water?
Could they live on gold and silver jewelry when hungry or thirsty?
The concubine, chastised, felt her face flush and immediately argued back, “Why can’t I bring these? These were all gifted by the lord. If I lose any piece, I can’t bear the blame when the lord asks!”
This favored concubine was the most confident in the house because she had given birth to two of Xu Fei’s illegitimate sons.
The legitimate lady had been married to Xu Fei for years and only had one legitimate daughter.
Given the issue of offspring, the several concubines were envious, and the legitimate lady had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
“Mother, don’t mind her. If she wants to bring them, let her.” The legitimate lady’s right hand was gently held by her daughter. “I want to see if Father will let her on the carriage!” Just as she was about to lose her temper, her daughter soothed her, “Concubines are still concubines and not worthy of respect.”
This was a life-or-death situation, not a casual spring outing!
The favored concubine was momentarily stunned, her pretty face reddening with anger.
She realized that the legitimate eldest daughter was quite fiery; who would have thought she’d dare to speak so boldly in front of her stepmother?
“I am your stepmother; how can you insult me like this?”
“A stepmother is still a mother, but do you even qualify?”
Just as the concubine was about to throw a fit, her sharp eyes caught sight of Xu Fei’s figure.
At that moment, she swallowed her words, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief, looking as though she had suffered a great grievance.
If it had been any other time, Xu Fei would have likely approached to inquire about her, allowing her to complain a bit.
But unexpectedly—
Xu Fei walked straight inside, bypassing the several beautiful concubines, and directly asked the legitimate lady, “Is everything ready?”
The legitimate lady replied, “Already taken care of.”
Xu Fei sighed lightly, “Then let’s go.”
The several illegitimate sons and daughters also read the mood; previously crying loudly, they turned into sniffles the moment Xu Fei arrived.
Xu Fei took the lead to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the big boxes and an inexplicable surge of anger filled his chest.
“This is what you call ‘all taken care of’?”
The legitimate lady sneaked a glance and rolled her eyes secretly. “These boxes are not mine; I only selected two pieces from my dowry as keepsakes.”
Xu Fei’s gaze suddenly shifted, and the concubine contemplating how to complain was taken aback.
She had served Xu Fei for years; when had she ever seen him show such a terrifying expression?
As if he would leap forward and bite her neck like a feral beast.
“T-these are mine; they contain the gifts the lord has given me; I can’t part with any piece…”
Xu Fei glared at her a few times and suddenly snorted coldly.
The concubine thought she was out of danger and put on a charming smile again.
Little did she know, Xu Fei drew his sword, the white light flashing as the tip pierced into her abdomen.
